Backscatter breakthrough runs near-zero-power IoT communicators at 5G speeds everywhere

The promise of 5G Internet of Things (IoT) networks requires more scalable and robust communication systems -- ones that deliver drastically higher data rates and lower power consumption per device.

Backscatter radios ? passive sensors that reflect rather than radiate energy ? are known for their low-cost, low-complexity, and battery-free operation, making them a potential key enabler of this future although they typically feature low data rates and their performance strongly depends on the surrounding environment.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Nokia Bell Labs, and Heriot-Watt University have found a low-cost way for backscatter radios to support high-throughput communication and 5G-speed Gb/sec data transfer using only a single transistor when previously it required expensive and multiple stacked transistors.

Employing a unique modulation approach in the 5G 24/28 Gigahertz (GHz) bandwidth, the researchers have shown that these passive devices can transfer data safely and robustly from virtually any environment. The findings were reported earlier this month in the journal Nature Electronics.

Traditionally, mmWave communications, called the extremely high frequency band, is considered "the last mile" for broadband, with directive point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless links. This spectrum band offers many advantages, including wide available GHz bandwidth, which enables very large communication rates, and the ability to implement electrically large antenna arrays, enabling on-demand beamforming capabilities. However, such mmWave systems depend on high-cost components and systems.

The Struggle for Simplicity Versus Cost

"Typically, it was simplicity against cost. You could either do very simple things with one transistor or you need multiple transistors for more complex features, which made these systems very expensive," said Emmanouil (Manos) Tentzeris, Ken Byers Professor in Flexible Electronics in Georgia Tech's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). "Now we've enhanced the complexity, making it very powerful but very low cost, so we're getting the best of both worlds."

"Our breakthrough is being able to communicate over 5G/millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies without actually having a full mmWave radio transmitter - only a single mmWave transistor is needed along much lower frequency electronics, such as the ones found in cell phones or WiFi devices. Lower operating frequency keeps the electronics' power consumption and silicon cost low," added first author Ioannis (John) Kimionis, a Georgia Tech Ph.D. graduate now a member of technical staff at Nokia Bell Labs. "Our work is scalable for any type of digital modulation and can be applied to any fixed or mobile device."

The researchers are the first to use a backscatter radio for gigabit-data rate mmWave communications, while minimizing the front-end complexity to a single high-frequency transistor. Their breakthrough included the modulation as well as adding more intelligence to the signal that is driving the device.

"We kept the same RF front-end for scaling up the data rate without adding more transistors to our modulator, which makes it a scalable communicator," Kimionis said, adding that their demonstration showed how a single mmWave transistor can support a wide range of modulation formats.

Powering a Host of 'Smart' IoT Sensors

The technology opens up a host of IoT 5G applications, including energy harvesting, which Georgia Tech researchers recently demonstrated using a specialized Rotman lens that collects 5G electromagnetic energy from all directions.

Tentzeris said additional applications for the backscatter technology could include "rugged" high-speed personal area networks with zero-power wearable/implantable sensors for monitoring oxygen or glucose levels in the blood or cardiac/EEG functions; smart home sensors that monitor temperature, chemicals, gases, and humidity; and smart agricultural applications for detecting frost on crops, analyzing soil nutrients, or even livestock tracking.

The researchers developed an early proof of concept of this backscatter modulation, which won third prize at the 2016 Nokia Bell Labs Prize. At the time, Kimionis was a Georgia Tech ECE doctoral researcher working with Tentzeris in the ATHENA lab, which advances novel technologies for electromagnetic, wireless, RF, millimeter-wave, and sub-terahertz applications.

Key Enabler of Low Cost: Additive Manufacturing

For Kimionis, the backscatter technology breakthrough reflects his goal to "democratize communications."

"Throughout my career I've looked for ways to make all types of communication more cost-efficient and more energy-efficient. Now, because the whole front end of our solution was created at such low complexity, it is compatible with printed electronics. We can literally print a mmWave antenna array that can support a low-power, low-complexity, and low-cost transmitter."

Tentzeris considers affordable printing crucial to making their backscattering technology market viable. Georgia Tech is a pioneer in inkjet printing on virtually every material (paper, plastics, glass, flexible/organic substrates) and was one of the first research institutes to use 3D printing up to millimeter-frequency ranges back in 2002.

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Other researchers who collaborated on this work included Apostolos Georgiadis and Spyridon Nektarios Daskalakis, both former visiting professors at Georgia Tech now on the faculty of Herriot-Watt University's School of Engineering and Physical Sciences in Edinburgh.

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation-EFRI, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and by the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie grant agreement.

CITATION: J. Kimionis, et al., "A printed millimetre-wave modulator and antenna array for backscatter communications at gigabit data rates." (Nature Electronics, 2021) https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1038/ s41928-021-00588-8 .

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees.

Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.

Media Relations Contacts: Anne Wainscott-Sargent (404-435-5784) (asargent7@gatech.edu) and Tracey Reeves (treeves@gatech.edu).

This story has been published on: 2021-06-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Congresswoman Trahan applauds $1.8 million federal research grant for UMass Lowell

LOWELL, MA -- Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) applauds the awarding of $1,813,500 in federal grant funding to the University of Massachusetts Lowell by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The grant will enable the university to collaborate with Brown University, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center on research for legged robots that will assist sailors with shipboard firefighting and maintenance.

"When sailors sign up to serve, they deserve to be confident that we're doing everything possible to prioritize their safety. This federal investment in humanoid robotics research shows incredible promise in bolstering personnel safety aboard ships, especially during dangerous events like fires," said Congresswoman Trahan, a strong supporter of cutting-edge research at UMass Lowell. "I'm proud to have advocated for an increase in federal funding for critical initiatives like this, and I look forward to seeing the tremendous advancements yielded by the researchers at UMass Lowell."

"Together with my colleagues Reza Ahmahzadeh, Yan Gu, Adam Norton and Paul Robinette, I am looking forward to working with the Naval Research Laboratory, Naval Undersea Warfare Center and Brown University to improve the state-of-the-art of legged robots to support the Navy and Marines. Our research will focus on walking and balancing in dynamic environments, on robot manipulation under difficult conditions and on human-robot interaction to make the robots easier to use for sailors and marines. At UMass Lowell's New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center, we will put the robots and their software through extensive testing," said Holly Yanco, UMass Lowell computer science faculty and Distinguished University Professor.

"UMass Lowell greatly appreciates the support of Rep. Trahan in securing this research funding. We value our strong partnership with Brown University, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Led by Distinguished University Professor Holly Yanco, this project is an example of how UMass Lowell excels at ensuring our 'use-inspired' research quickly translates to support for our sailors, as well as for our soldiers, first responders and dual-use commercial applications," said Julie Chen, Vice Chancellor of Research and Economic Development at UMass Lowell.

The program, led by the NRL in partnership with UMass Lowell and other leading research institutions, will increase the impact and use of robotics by the United States Navy and the Department of Defense. The objective is to significantly advance the state of the art in autonomous humanoid robots operating in highly complex and unstructured environments in collaboration with sailors.

Currently, the Navy is focused on two areas of use for humanoid robotics, including firefighting, which puts sailors at risk for serious injury. Humanoid robots that can work with sailors, perceive the fire and hazards, manipulate the hose, and navigate over knee-knockers will keep sailors safer and put shipboard fires out quicker. It is also prioritizing maintenance and is supporting research that will enable the use of humanoid robots to reduce the amount of time spent on maintenance tasks.

During consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Trahan successfully supported a $5 million increase in funding for the Navy's Humanoid Robotics in Complex Unstructured Environments program to better support the Department's research into ways to prioritize the safety of sailors by investing in robotic alternatives for dangerous activities.

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This story has been published on: 2021-06-25. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Trudeau asks Pope to apologise in Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked Pope Francis to come to Canada and apologise for abuses at government-funded, Catholic church-run schools, a day after hundreds of unmarked graves were found at a former indigenous residential school.

The prime minister on Friday apologised for "harmful government policies" and did not rule out a criminal probe.

The Cowesses First Nation said on Thursday it had found at least 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan province, the second such discovery in less than a month.

Mr Trudeau said: "I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness Pope Francis to impress upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology, but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil."

The Catholic church's leadership, he said, "is looking and very actively engaged in what next steps can be taken."

Religious order Missionary of Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which operated 48 indigenous residential schools in the country, including Marieval, has committed to disclosing all historical documents in its possession to help shed light on the student deaths.

"We remain deeply sorry for our involvement in residential schools and the harms they brought to indigenous peoples and communities," the group said in a statement. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Police to tackle fake news

Police Commissioner Siu Chak-yee today said Police will take immediate action to clarify fake news reports so as to improve the relationship between the force and Hong Kong people.

Meeting the media, Mr Siu acknowledged there remains some hostility towards Police but that there is strong support for officers too.

First of all, (for) the relationship between Police and the Hong Kong people, I do not think the actual situation is as bad as a lot of people think.

Basically, a lot of people are giving staunch support to police officers. I can also see an improvement in that after we have done so many police community relations activities.

He added that some of the hostility towards Police stemmed from misinformation and a misunderstanding of their procedures.

There are lots of fake news, fake reports. And in order to improve that situation, whenever there are any fake news, fake reports, we will take immediate action in order to clarify those reports.

On the other hand, we will enhance the transparency of our police work because previously, a lot of people misunderstood - after hearing a lot of fake news, fake reports - they misunderstood our police procedures.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-26. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
In Iraq, Patriarch Sako and local bishops are united for the end of violence, extremism and violent conflicts. Patriarch Pizzaballa and Maronite Primate Beshara al-Rahi will also lead the consecration ceremony. Pope Francis sends a message to today's refugee families who left home, like Joseph and Mary did to protect Jesus.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  Tomorrow, in all dioceses of Iraq, the Chaldean Church will hold prayers for peace in the region and for the end of decades of violence, extremism and bloody conflicts. This will coincide with the Consecration of the Middle East to the Holy Family.

The Chaldean Primate, Card Louis Raphael Sako, will celebrate Mass in the Chaldean Cathedral of St Joseph in Baghdads Karrada district, in communion with all the prelates of the country.

The service will be broadcast live on the Patriarchates website and a video message with Pope Franciss apostolic blessing is expected at the end.

The "Day of Peace for the Middle East", with its consecration to the Holy Family, is an initiative of the Episcopal Committee of Justice and Peace of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Middle East, 130 years after the publication of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII.

In Iraq, in addition to the Chaldean primate, every local bishop will join the consecration with a Mass celebrated inside their respective cathedral.

In Lebanon, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi will lead the Eucharistic liturgy in Diman, his summer residence. He is scheduled to travel to the Vatican for a meeting on 1 July with Pope Francis to talk about the situation in his country.

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, will preside over the act of consecration in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

The pontiff will also join in, in a message posted on the Chaldean Patriarchates website, that will stress the parallel between Joseph and Mary who fled to protect Jesus and the many refugee families today in the Middle East who fled from wars, hunger and violence.

This consecration, the Pope notes, will help rediscover the nature of the vocation of those who profess the Christian faith in the region.

Speaking about living together, the pontiff cites the metaphor of the carpet, which is made up of many different threads, becoming a complete work when they are intertwined with each other.

If violence, conflict and hatred tear even one thread, everyone suffers, the Pope says, and the design is lost.

In his message the Pontiff mentions the consolatory work of the Holy Spirit and the light of faith that overcomes the fear of disciples and illuminates the journey of believers (Christians, Jews and Muslims) who share the common lineage of Abraham, father of all believers.

Thus, he calls on everyone to experience what was prophesied in the human brotherhood predicted in the Abu Dhabi document he signed together with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed al Tayyieb and in the meeting in Najaf with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

At the end of the text, Pope Francis blesses those who will take part, live or through the internet and social media, in the liturgical celebrations taking place tomorrow across the Middle East.

In conjunction with the consecration, an icon of the Holy Family painted and inlaid with the relics of the Basilica of the Annunciation of Nazareth, preserved above the altar of St Joseph's Church, will be taken on pilgrimage to the different countries of the region.

The journey, the promoters explain, will start in Lebanon and reach Rome by 8 December 2021, feast day of the Immaculate Conception, and then finally return to the Holy Land.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative, a group that tracks state abuse, published data about citizens safety from state abuse in Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabi kingdom notches up its repression against activists, behind only Mexico. Mohammed bin Salman has centralised power and restricted rights.

Riyadh (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Despite cosmetic changes towards a post-Wahhabi era, Saudi Arabia has one of the world's highest levels of state violence and abuse, recent data by the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) show.

The latter brings together activists, researchers and academics who track and classify the human rights performance of countries vis-a-vis their populations.

The data on Saudi Arabia are based on a number of metrics, including safety from the state, empowerment, and quality of life.

The kingdom scored 2.4 out of 10 on overall safety from the state  the second worst state (behind Mexico) out of 36 countries for which there was full data, stemming from high levels of torture, execution, extrajudicial killing, disappearance, arbitrary arrest and the death penalty.

Regarding the use of the death penalty, HRMI noted that Saudi Arabia saw a marked improvement from a score of 1 in 2019, to 4.2 in its latest round of data. This follows recent royal decrees to end the use of capital punishment against non-violent drug-related crimes.

Nevertheless, critics have questioned the way these decrees have been implemented. In fact, Saudi Arabias executioners are never out of work. The latest case involves a man who was arrested when he was still a minor at the time of his alleged offences.

In the empowerment category, Saudi Arabias score of one out of 10, comfortably the lowest among 34 countries measured. This results from the governments ban on protests, limits on free expression and civil society organisations, as well as the lack of voting and political rights.

In addition, there is no religious freedom in the country, except for Sunni Islam.

The data collected by [HRMI] perfectly illustrates the deteriorating human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, said Julia Legner, head of advocacy at London-based NGO Al-Qst.

Ever since Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince in 2017, he has centralised state power and tightened his grip on the most fundamental rights, she noted.

The has meant the largest crackdown on freedom of expression in the countrys history [and] wide-scale prosecution of human rights defenders.

The repression includes the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, executions after unfair trials", and the use of torture by a squad of people directly affiliated with MbS".
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On June 25, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and Ningbo municipal government entered into a strategic partnership to co-work on setting benchmarks for Chinese auto industry, promoting innovative applications of technologies, completing the chain of manufacturing services, and boosting the development of green mobility services, according to Geely Holding's WeChat account.

Geely Holding, Ningbo municipal government signing agreement



At the same time, Geely announced the global headquarters of ZEEKR Intelligent Technology Co.,Ltd. will be located in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Focusing on the development of intelligent vehicles, new energy vehicles, and core auto parts, ZEEKR and Ningbo's authority will jointly construct an electric vehicle (EV)- and smart car-related auto parts industrial park.



ZEEKR 001; photo credit: ZEEKR



ZEEKR is a new electric mobility technology and solutions company created by Geely Holding Group to satisfy the global demand for premium electric vehicles. On April 15, the first ZEEKR-branded production model, the ZEEKR 001, was launched with its presale kicking off at the same time. The vehicle is expected for delivery in October this year.

Based on Geely Holding's global electric architecture, SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture), the 001 measures 4,970mm long, 1,999mm wide, 1,560mm tall with a wheelbase of 3,005mm giving a total luggage space of 2144 litres. On the software and technology front, the 001 will automatically detect approaching users via facial recognition and automatically adjust the 001 to their personal preferences.

An Conghui, CEO of ZEEKR, revealed on June 15 the ZEEKR 001s available for delivery in 2021 had already been booked out. We have to stop receiving earnest money from now on, he said.

Gasgoo not only offers timely news and profound insight about China auto industry, but also help with business connection and expansion for suppliers and purchasers via multiple channels and methods. Buyer service: buyer-support@gasgoo.com Seller Service: seller-support@gasgoo.com

All Rights Reserved. Do not reproduce, copy and use the editorial content without permission. Contact us: autonews@gasgoo.com.
Xi's remarks on strengthening China-UN cooperation

Xinhua) 09:18, June 26, 2021

A security guard patrols at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Sept. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has on various bilateral and multilateral occasions called for strengthening cooperation between China and the United Nations (UN).

The following are some highlights of his remarks in this regard.

May 6, 2021

During a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Xi said China will continue to support the work of the UN and that of Secretary-General Guterres, and uphold genuine multilateralism.

China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the UN and continue to push forward the implementation of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Xi said.

Sept. 23, 2020

Noting that COVID-19 is still ravaging the world, Xi said in a videoconference with Guterres that China firmly supports the key leadership of the UN system, especially the World Health Organization, in battling the pandemic.

China also firmly supports the UN system in strengthening international cooperation on COVID-19 prevention and containment, Xi said.

In the world, there is only one system, namely the UN-centered international system, and only one set of rules -- the basic norms of international relations based on the UN Charter, Xi said.

A health worker prepares a dose of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign in Palestine's West Bank city of Nablus, April 4, 2021. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

Sept. 22, 2020

At the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Xi said China will provide another 50 million U.S. dollars to the UN COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, provide 50 million dollars to the China-FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund (Phase III), extend the Peace and Development Trust Fund between the UN and China by five years after it expires in 2025, and set up a UN Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Center and an International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals.

April 26, 2019

When meeting with Guterres during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing, Xi said China firmly upholds multilateralism, the international system with the United Nations at its core, and the international order based on international law, and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

The more complex and grim the situation is, the more important it is to manifest the authority and role of the UN, Xi said, adding that China will continue to support the UN.

Describing the UN as an important partner in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said that China is ready to work with the UN to advance the initiative in an all-round way while following the principle of delivering shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint contribution.

Nov. 30, 2018

When meeting with Guterres on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentine capital Buenos Aires, Xi said that no matter how the situation changes, China will uphold multilateralism and support the UN to play an even bigger role.

He pointed out that strengthening cooperation with the UN has been a consistent diplomatic priority of China.

Sept. 2, 2018

Ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Xi had a meeting with Guterres, during which he noted that China had always firmly supported multilateralism and safeguarded the UN's authority and function.

China expects the UN to play its leading role in upholding fairness and justice, safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, especially in deepening global cooperation and in tackling challenges facing the world, Xi said.

China is willing to strengthen communication and discussion with the UN on how to better support Africa, he said.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Chinese vaccines effective against COVID-19 Delta variant: top epidemiologist

Xinhua) 09:39, June 26, 2021

GUANGZHOU, June 25 (Xinhua) -- China's top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said on Friday that Chinese vaccines are effective against the COVID-19 Delta variant, and he urged more people to be vaccinated.

Zhong said the epidemic resurgence in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, was the first time that China had to cope with the Delta variant spreading in communities. The variant, which was first identified in India, has a shorter incubation period and those who are infected take a longer time to recover.

A total of 153 cases were reported in Guangzhou starting in May, but no new local cases were reported from June 19 to 24.

"More people need to be vaccinated to establish herd immunity," said Zhong.

As of Thursday, more than 1.1 billion doses of vaccines have been administered on the Chinese mainland.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Former U.S. police officer Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years for George Floyd's murder

Xinhua) 09:44, June 26, 2021

WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 270 months, or 22.5 years in prison, for the 2020 murder of African American George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota state.

Chauvin, 45, "is the first white officer in Minnesota to face prison time for the killing of a black man," according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Responding to the sentencing, U.S. President Joe iden told reporters at the White House, "I don't know all the circumstances that were considered, but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate."

"Your skin color should not define who you are. It should never be a weapon," Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, said after the sentencing.

"We need to recognize the pain of the Floyd family," Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said in court.

However, the sentence was "not based on emotion or sympathy," Cahill said.

In his earlier ruling, the judge concluded that Chauvin abused his "position of trust and authority" as a police officer and displayed "particular cruelty" when he knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during his arrest on May 25 last year. Floyd was pronounced dead at hospital later on the day.

Prior to the sentencing, the court heard victim-impact statements from four members of Floyd's family, while Chauvin's mother pleaded for leniency, and Chauvin gave brief remarks that included expressing his condolences over Floyd's death.

"On behalf of me and my family, we seek the maximum penalty," said Terrence Floyd, the younger brother of George Floyd, saying he believed if it had been a black man killing a white man there would be little doubt what kind of verdict the court would hand down.

"If it was us, if the roles was reversed, there wouldn't be no case," he said. "It would have been open and shut. We'd have been under the jail for murdering somebody. So, we ask for that same penalty for Derek Chauvin."

Chauvin declined to give a formal statement in court, citing "additional legal matters." Instead, he expressed his condolences to the Floyd family in a brief remark.

"I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family," Chauvin said. "There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest."

"The impact it's had on the community is profound," Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson said prior to the sentencing.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter as well as third-degree murder by a jury in April. Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence.

Under state guidelines, the maximum sentence for unintentional murder in the second degree is 40 years. Since Chauvin has no previous criminal record, the presumptive sentence is 12.5 years, with an acceptable deviation range of 10.67 years to 15 years.

Floyd's death sparked weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism last summer, leading to the creation of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a sweeping police reform bill that Congress has been working to reach a bipartisan consensus on for months.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Europe must read between the lines of Biden's sweet talk

13:10, June 26, 2021 By Chen Weihua ( China Daily

(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)

Back in 2003, then German foreign minister Joschka Fischer advised former chancellor Gerhard Schroder to not join the US invasion of Iraq. Fischer questioned former US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Munich Security Conference that year about the so-called evidence against Saddam Hussein possessing weapons of mass destruction, famously telling him: "Excuse me, I am not convinced."

It was brave of a European leader to question the authenticity of the United States' claim, especially because it was much later that the world came to know the sheer US lies on the WMDs.

On Monday, Fischer warned that a new Cold War waged by the US on China is the last thing the world needs in the 21st century. In an op-ed piece published in Project Syndicate, he said the idea of such a Cold War has quickly evolved from a misleading analogy into a self-fulfilling prophecy. He argued that "contemporary China is nothing like the Soviet Union, and in today's world, we simply cannot afford another clash of mutually exclusive systems".

The comment came just after Joe Biden concluded his first trip to Europe as US president to rally Washington's allies against China by claiming the Sino-US conflict is a clash of exclusive systems.

Fischer said such rhetoric has made a military confrontation, or a new arms race, a distinct possibility. According to Fischer, given the scale of the Chinese market and the economic interdependency it engenders, the idea that China can be isolated is simply absurd.

Fischer was again blunt, saying the issue is more about power than economics. "By uniting with the rest of the West, can the US really change the historical trajectory of China's rise and the West's relative decline? I doubt it," he wrote.

Fischer emphasized that great powers like China and the US should cooperate to tackle major challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change regardless of which country is "Number One".

In March, Harvard University scholar Joseph Nye, too, warned of another Cold War, or hot war, arguing the US and China must avoid exaggerated fears and misperceptions about changing power relations. It was a message directed more at Biden, who, like his predecessor Donald Trump, is altering the China engagement policy pursued by every US president since Richard Nixon.

Like Trump, Biden claimed in March that China won't surpass the US under his watch, an indication that the US will resort to all means possible to sabotage China's development, including taking measures to destroy China's solar energy industry that is vital to the global fight against climate change.

It is true that European leaders have welcomed Biden's election as US president after four years of Trump, but Fischer's remarks show that Europeans are not blind to his confrontationist policies.

Former NATO secretary-general Javier Solana argued earlier this week that despite the highlights of Biden's tour, disagreements among democratic countries will not vanish overnight, nor will the West recover its former global standing anytime soon, and questioned Biden's ability to engineer a kind of global democratic renaissance.

Also in an op-ed piece in Project Syndicate, Solana criticized the rhetoric against China in NATO's communique, saying that NATO "should avoid overreaching". While welcoming "America is back", Solana also said:"Like it or not, the US-led unipolar world is gone for good."

And former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt pointed out this week that in terms of trade, the US is not back yet. He cited Biden's lack of interest in reviving the free trade agreements whether with trans-Pacific partners or Europeans, and bemoaned that the Biden administration's trade approach looks more like the Trump administration's than Barack Obama's.

There is no doubt that Europeans are cool-headed and will continue to seek "strategic autonomy" from Washington despite all the fanfare regarding Biden's recent European trip.

The author is chief of China Daily EU Bureau based in Brussels.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Ukraine withdraws from Xinjiang-related anti-China joint statement

Xinhua) 13:20, June 26, 2021

GENEVA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office in Geneva on Friday said on its official website that it has withdrawn its signature on a joint statement on the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Earlier on June 22 during the interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Canada, on behalf of some countries, delivered a joint statement criticizing China in the name of Xinjiang-related issues.

On the same day before the delivering of the Canada-led joint statement, Belarus delivered a joint statement on behalf of 65 countries, saying that the countries oppose politicization of human rights and double standards, and oppose unfounded allegations against China out of political motivation.

According to the Chinese Mission to the UN at Geneva, recently over 90 countries have, through various means, voiced their support for China on Xinjiang, Hong Kong or Tibet related issues at the on-going 47th session of the UN rights body.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Young Party members put dreams into action

Xinhua) 13:25, June 26, 2021

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Wang Mengmeng, now the first Party secretary of Xikong Village in east China's Anhui Province, is busy applying for government subsidies and technical support for local villagers.

Wang became a village official after graduating from university in 2013 and began serving in her current post in February 2015. Now it is her routine work to talk with villagers to learn their situations, organize technical training and attract investment.

"During campus recruitment, I was deeply moved by the stories of college-graduate village officials. I felt that the countryside needed more young people to help bring about changes," the 33-year-old recalled.

The Xikong Village was rather backward then. The villagers mostly grew wheat and rice, but with a low level of mechanization. It was a situation Wang was determined to change.

She led the village in developing specialty agriculture to cash in on the region's transport and location advantages.

Wang rented around seven hectares of farmland for strawberry planting and tourism agriculture in a pilot program. Enticed by high earnings from the pilot program, many villagers later planted other fruits like watermelons and peaches around the strawberry plot.

Specialty agriculture has brought prosperity and vitality to the once poor village. It had helped lift all 135 poor households out of poverty by the end of 2019, with the villagers' annual incomes more than doubling to 15,800 yuan (about 2,440 U.S. dollars).

Over the years, great changes have taken place in the village. "Now every household lives in a two-story house, with more modern facilities and a cleaner and greener environment," Wang said.

As a witness and participant of China's poverty alleviation efforts, Wang feels that young Party members can play a huge role in the drive. "Young people have firm ideals, rich knowledge and the capacity to innovate. There are many things worth doing in rural revitalization."

Wang said she would continue to work on the land and improve the village by developing digital agriculture and specialty industries.

She has full confidence in the future of the country led by the Communist Party of China. "I believe that under the leadership of the Party, the rural areas will definitely get better and some will enjoy the same good infrastructure and environment as the city suburbs."

"As young Party members, we have more vitality and capacity for combat in poverty alleviation and rural vitalization, and we can think more actively to offer innovative and practical approaches," said Qi Yunsheng, Party secretary of Xiaowan Village in the city of Huaian, Jiangsu Province.

Qi, who was recruited to the village to help fight poverty in 2017, is leading the village towards rural vitalization after helping lift all poor villagers out of poverty.

In the future, the 28-year-old plans to take advantage of the village's industrial and cultural elements and attract more investors and tourists to build a beautiful village.

In the big cities, talented young Party members tap the opportunities in the national innovation drive with startups in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Jing Kun, general manager of an electronics technology company based in Shandong Province, entered the AI industry directly after graduation from university.

The 39-year-old was encouraged by the country's 14th Five-Year Plan, which includes content on the development of AI technology.

In Jing's eyes, AI is a technology that serves the well-being of humans and better meets people's aspirations for a better life.

"In the future, I am determined to use technology to support the development of the country and society," he said.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
China, Singapore make progress in follow-up talks on trade-pact upgrade

Xinhua) 13:29, June 26, 2021

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- China and Singapore have achieved positive progress in the second round of follow-up talks on the upgrading of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA), the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Friday.

The two countries conducted in-depth discussions on rules related to cross-border service trade, investment, telecommunications and other sectors in the meetings held via teleconference from June 17 to 25, according to the MOC.

The two sides also agreed to carry out negotiations on market access negative lists for service trade and investment in the next round of talks.

The CSFTA came into effect in January 2009. The two countries launched follow-up talks over the upgrade to the pact in December 2020, with a view to advancing bilateral trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
U.S. probe into COVID-19 origins attempts at info war against China: ex-UN expert

Xinhua) 13:33, June 26, 2021

MOSCOW, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A former United Nations expert has said that behind the U.S. demand for a renewed probe into the origins of COVID-19 is Washington's attempt to curb competition with Beijing and divert attention from domestic issues through a disinformation campaign, according to the Sputnik news agency.

"The United States is losing the economic competition with China," said Alfred de Zayas, a former UN independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, cited by Sputnik on Tuesday. "If the U.S. cannot win the 'economic war,' then at least it wants to win the 'information war.'"

By "playing the blame game," the United States is diverting attention from domestic challenges such as the country's own mismanagement of the pandemic, de Zayas said.

He added that in this scenario, China has every right to be suspicious of the "U.S.-led independent investigation."

The United States is also strongly hampering the joint efforts aimed at solving issues that are truly urgent, such as direct solutions to the ongoing crisis by focusing on the virus's origins, noted the expert.

He said that if an independent investigation were to take place, it should consider all data including evidence showing the coronavirus was first detected in the United States, France and Italy before the outbreak in Wuhan, China.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
China to make all-out efforts in participating in UN affairs: Chinese FM

Xinhua) 13:36, June 26, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a keynote speech while attending the Lanting Forum on China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday said that China will continue to make all-out efforts in participating in UN affairs, safeguard the status of the UN, and promote the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Wang made the remarks when attending the Lanting Forum on China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond held on Friday in Beijing.

On Oct. 25 1971, the UN General Assembly at its 26th Session adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. It decides to restore all lawful rights of the People's Republic of China at the UN and to recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations.

It was a victory for New China's diplomacy, a victory for justice and fairness in the world, and a victory for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Wang noted. The force for world peace and development was stronger than ever before, he said.

As the world's largest developing country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China always honors the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and vigorously promotes the spirit and approach of multilateralism. It has made tireless efforts and important contributions to development and progress of mankind, Wang said.

At this new historical starting point, China will continue to make all-out efforts in participating in UN affairs, safeguard the status of the UN, and promote the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Wang said, adding that China will uphold the banner of true multilateralism, and, together with the rest of the world, forge ahead for greater peace and development of mankind.

The Lanting Forum was held by the China Public Diplomacy Association, during which the official logo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations was released.

Representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations in China, diplomatic envoys of some countries in China, representatives of relevant departments and social organizations involved in China's cooperation with the United Nations, experts and scholars attended the forum.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Ukraine values strategic partnership with China: FM

Xinhua) 13:38, June 26, 2021

KIEV, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine values its strategic partnership with China, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday on celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of this partnership.

The ministry said that the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries opened a new page in the history of Ukraine-China relations.

In the last ten years, the two parties have been constantly working to deepen political dialogue and interaction, expand cooperation in economy and trade, science and technology, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, aerospace, education, culture and other fields, the ministry said.

The ministry noted that Ukraine values the strategic partnership with China, the unshakable foundation of which is non-interference in each other's internal affairs and mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

On Jan. 4, 1992, China and Ukraine established diplomatic relations. On June 20, 2011, the two countries signed a joint statement on the establishment and development of their strategic partnership.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
Commissioner's office of Chinese foreign ministry in HKSAR urges U.S. side to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs on pretext of press freedom

Xinhua) 13:42, June 26, 2021

HONG KONG, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Friday urged the United States to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs on the pretext of press freedom.

The spokesperson of the office made the remarks in response to media inquiries about a statement concerning Apple Daily released by the White House website.

The statement groundlessly accused the central government and the HKSAR government of suppressing "media freedom," attacked the national security law in the HKSAR, and smeared the successful practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong in disregard of international law and basic norms governing international relations, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson deeply regretted the shocking allegations and expressed strong disapproval and firm opposition.

It was not until Hong Kong's return to the motherland that Hong Kong residents started enjoying true democratic rights and freedoms, the spokesperson said.

The national security law in the HKSAR enshrines principles of rule of law including safeguarding human rights, addresses the most pressing and prominent risks facing national security in Hong Kong, and targets a small handful of criminals committing activities endangering national security, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Hong Kong people's extensive rights and freedoms have been better guaranteed under the law in a safe, stable and law-based environment.

Hong Kong is governed by the rule of law, where the law shall be strictly abided by and any lawbreaker shall be held accountable, the spokesperson said, noting that the key problem in Hong Kong is whether national security shall be defended, whether law and order shall be upheld and whether crimes shall be punished in accordance with the law, which has nothing to do with media freedom.

The spokesperson said Hong Kong residents are clear-eyed about the nature of Apple Daily, a rumor mill inciting unrest in Hong Kong and China as a whole.

The U.S. side also knows that very well and press freedom should not be exploited as an excuse for criminal activities, still less a fig leaf for acts to destabilize Hong Kong and China at large, the spokesperson said.

If anyone claims it is a repression of "media freedom" just because the party involved in the case is a certain news agency and the suspects its executives, they are either pretending to be unaware of the truth or deliberately confounding right with wrong out of ulterior motives, the spokesperson said.

While paying lip service to press freedom, the United States itself has a poor record in this regard; it has frequently denied journalists access to open government events, shut down news websites and flagrantly targeted media agencies of other countries, the spokesperson said.

Citing "media freedom" against others only exposed its own hypocrisy, double standards and hegemonic mindset, the spokesperson said.

It is China that has initiated, led, practiced and maintained "one country, two systems" and no one understands its value better than China, or stays more committed to the original aspiration of the policy, or cares more about the well-being of Hong Kong compatriots, the spokesperson said.

Hong Kong is part of China, and its affairs are China's internal affairs, which no other country, organization or individual shall meddle with, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson urged the U.S. side to respect the fact and the rule of law, stop distorting "one country, two systems", stop vilifying the central government's Hong Kong policy, stop assaulting the HKSAR's rule of law, and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole on the pretext of press freedom.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
China urges U.S. to stop obstructing law enforcement by HKSAR: spokesperson

Xinhua) 13:57, June 26, 2021

BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to respect the facts, stop using various excuses to obstruct the law enforcement by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and refrain from shielding suspects, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to the U.S. statement on the closure of Apple Daily.

Hong Kong is a society under the rule of law where everyone is equal before the law, the spokesperson said, adding that no one has extra-legal privileges, and no institution is an extra-legal entity.

Zhao said the Hong Kong police act in strict accordance with the law against individuals and companies suspected of endangering national security and that it is a just move to combat crime and maintain the rule of law and social order.

"We firmly support the HKSAR government and the police in performing their duties in accordance with the law, and firmly support all efforts to maintain national security and the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong," Zhao said.

The law on safeguarding national security in the HKSAR focuses on cracking down on a handful of anti-China, destabilizing forces who seriously endanger national security, but it protects the rights and freedom enjoyed by the vast majority of Hong Kong residents in accordance with the law, including freedom of the press, he said.

Zhao pointed out that since the implementation of the national security law, social stability has been restored in Hong Kong, the rule of law and justice have been upheld, and the lawful rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents and foreign citizens in the city are better protected in a safer environment, which is an undeniable fact.

Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs, Zhao noted, adding that no organization or individual has the right to make irresponsible remarks.

"The United States should respect the facts, stop obstructing the law enforcement by the HKSAR and shielding suspects under various pretext, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," Zhao said.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Bianji)
The organisers of the MYS have presently confirmed that 300 exhibitors will be participating. They have also announced that nearly 60 superyachts will be exhibited, including 40 brand-new launches by some of the most famous shipyards - not to mention regulars here at the MYS - including: Benetti, Feadship, Lurssen, Oceanco, etc. (full list at the end of the press release).



As announced last February, the show will be focusing on offering superyachts end clientele a positively upmarket visiting experience.



The new Dockside Area, a part of the exhibition dedicated to companies directly linked with the construction or management of superyachts and tenders, will therefore be exclusively open to end customers (in possession of a "Discover", "Advise" and "Sapphire Experience" badges) on Wednesday 22 September, before being opened up to all visitors starting Thursday.



The Dockside Area fits in perfectly with the way Monacos Port Hercule is divided up for the show: for several years now, each area of the exhibition has featured its own theme in order to better meet the visitors' expectations.

A more varied exhibition

This year, visitors will be treated to two new exhibitions:

The first is dedicated to sailing boats, held on Quai l'Hirondelle where several crafts will be moored opposite the stands representing their respective shipyards, designers and specialist equipment manufacturers.



In addition to the shows historic Designer Gallery, the MYS will feature a Yacht Design & Innovation Hub: a new space for the presentation of yacht design projects where visitors can also interact with designers.



These two areas perfectly complement the luxury tender and water toys exhibitions at Tender & Toys (Quai Antoine Ier), in addition to luxury cars at the Car Deck (Quai Antoine Ier), luxury products (Parvis Piscine tent), nautical equipment manufacturers and the latest tech releases (Darse Sud and Quai Albert Ier).

Rest assured: the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show will be "Covid-safe"!

An anti-Covid sanitary protocol will be respected throughout the entire show, from the first day of preparations to the dismantling of the last stand and, of course, during the 4 days of the show.



General Manager of the exhibition Gaelle Tallarida stated: "We are following the evolution of the pandemic very closely, as well as the sanitary constraints applied in each of our visitors' home countries. As organisers of the exhibition, our responsibility is to ensure safe and healthy conditions for each visitor, exhibitor, service provider and member of staff. The MYS will therefore be following the health measures instated by the principalitys government, as well as the "AllSecure" health security programme, which is mandatory for all Informa Group events."

Sanitary measures at the MYS

The pandemic has nevertheless brought about societal upheaval and direct changes to the way we live - not to mention consume. For the yacht sales and charter markets, 2020 turned out to be a fabulous year, reflecting a hedonistic drive among societys wealthiest tiers. Today more than ever, people want to enjoy life and get back to basics: true human relationships.



This is especially true in a world as demanding and exhilarating as superyachting. Establish a real trusting and loyal relationship with the expert in charge of your yacht project and be sure to meet them in person.



In the end, yachting is all about emotions and senses: you need to see the yacht, touch the noble materials from which it has been crafted, picture all the great times you could share on board, feel safe and at home with your family and more. Yachting is a positively human adventure in which the virtual world is intrinsically limited An adventure that lies just past the gates of the Monaco Yacht Show.

Ulysse Nardin

The brand will once again be the official sponsor of the Monaco Yacht Show which will be held from 22nd to 25th September 2021. The presence of the Swiss watchmaker on the quays of Monaco's iconic Port Hercule since 2009 is truly part of its history, intrinsically linked to marine exploration and navigation. The Manufacture is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.



"The long marine heritage of Ulysse Nardin gives full meaning to this partnership. The Monaco Yacht Show and Ulysse Nardin share a deep respect for the sea, a passion for the beautiful art of living, a concern for precision and the search for innovation; we are therefore proud to be able to associate our name with the most important superyacht event in the world for a 12th year", Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.

This partnership between Ulysse Nardin and the Monaco Yacht Show also reinforces their common goals to seduce hedonistic customers, more modern and more audacious. Gaelle Tallarida, Managing Director of MYS, is looking forward to hosting them this September in Monaco for a 2021 show that will be "resolutely focused on the extraordinary experiences at sea through superyachting".
The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives dive watch celebrates Carl F. Bucherers longstanding partnership with the Manta Trust. The newest member of the Patravi ScubaTec family, the Maldives watch, was created to raise awareness of the Manta Trust and its remarkable commitment to preserving endangered manta rays and the ecosystems and habitat they need to survive. The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives is the fourth watch Carl F. Bucherer has launched in partnership with the Manta Trust since 2017. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of each model was donated to the foundation, and a contribution from the sale of the Patravi ScubaTec Maldives is specifically dedicated to the Manta Trusts new floating research station project. The Patravi ScubaTec watches are an essential part of Carl F. Bucherers Sport & Adventure brand world and reflect an important part of its DNA.

Created for Underwater Adventures: The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives

The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives proclaims its dive watch credentials at first glance. It has a striking 44.6 mm stainless-steel case and a unidirectional rotating stainless-steel bezel with blue and white ceramic inlays. A bold 60-minute scale with luminous markings makes it easy to calculate elapsed time underwater  a real benefit for serious divers. The bright blue dial with lacquered wave decoration is as eye-catching on land as it is in the water.

Patravi ScubaTec Maldives  Carl F. Bucherer

The color of the non-slip bezel perfectly matches the color of the bright blue, finely textured dial, whose indexes and hands are coated with Super-LumiNova, which makes the watch particularly easy to read in all lighting conditions.



This stunning dive watch is presented on a unique blue strap made of natural rubber; its fabric insert is made of 100% recycled bottles recovered from the Mediterranean Sea, underscoring Carl F. Bucherers love of the sea and its creatures. The strap is fitted with a finely adjustable diving folding clasp that extends the length of the bracelet so that it will close comfortably around a diving suit. The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives is also available with an optional stainless-steel bracelet, also with a diving folding clasp. Like the strap, the bracelet features a fine adjustment function, which means that it can be extended to precisely the length the wearer desires. The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives has more than an aesthetic link to the ocean. With its screw-down crown, automatic helium valve, and exceptional water resistance to 500 m (50 bar) it was designed for any underwater adventures that might come its way. Inside the case beats the automatic caliber CFB 1950.1, a COSC-certified chronometer with a power reserve of 38 hours.



The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives: Enabler of a Floating Research Station A charitable contribution for each Patravi ScubaTec Maldives sold will support a remarkable new Manta Trust initiative: the creation of a floating research station in the Maldives. The Maldivian reef manta population is the largest  and one of the most intensively studied  manta ray populations in the world.



Most existing research bases are centralized, limiting the extent to which members of the Manta Trusts team can travel and the area they can survey daily. The floating research station, a vessel secured with the help of funding from Carl F. Bucherer, will provide an opportunity for new discoveries in parts of the Maldives that have so far been inaccessible with the existing centralized stations. A team of trained, knowledgeable manta experts will be able to conduct in-depth research. In this ideal environment, the specialists will be together in one place, and, together, they will be able to conceptualize new strategies, devise plans, and brainstorm ideas for further research and conservation efforts, not only in the Maldives, but also on a more global scale.

Unprecedented Observation of the Endangered Manta Population

In short, the floating research station brought to life by the partnership between Carl F. Bucherer and the Manta Trust will allow the worlds leading manta experts to reach far-flung areas within the Maldives and observe and record  in real time  manta behavior and even new manta subpopulations. It elevates the partnership between the watch brand and the NGO to the next level and provides a wonderful opportunity for manta ray research. And when you purchase your new Patravi ScubaTec Maldives timepiece, youll be an important part of the adventure!

Patravi ScubaTec Maldives  Carl F. Bucherer

Sascha Moeri, Carl F. Bucherers CEO, is passionate about the brands partnership with the Manta Trust and excited about the floating research station. He says, We are proud that, with the new Patravi ScubaTec Maldives, we are able to continue our support of the Manta Trust, which has been close to our hearts since 2013. The Patravi ScubaTec Maldives will help raise awareness of the urgent global need for marine preservation, and it will also support an important initiative: the creation of a game-changing floating research station.

Dr. Guy Stevens, the founder and CEO of the Manta Trust, also values the partnership. He says: Anyone involved in scientific research knows that goals can be achieved more easily if youre working with partners, which is why Im grateful that Sascha and his team are so enthusiastic about our projects. Together, weve made great progress in recent years, and the floating research station will allow us to enhance every aspect of our work on behalf of mantas and their ecosystems. Carl F. Bucherer has generated an enormous amount of interest in these amazing creatures, and we look forward to continuing the partnership well into the future."
Summer is finally here! Ulysse Nardin celebrates the most glorious months of the year with three new additions to its Diver collection. In shimmering shades of ocean blue, shark gray and glistening white, these models will accompany as you bask in the summer sun and plunge into cool waters at long last. June has brought back the joy of spending time in nature once again and its time to celebrate with a cool drink, a long swim and a new watch. Todays ocean explorers can take the heat of Mother Natures elements, especially after so many months indoors. Well-equipped in order to navigate the waters that are more the territory of fish, whales and sharks than they are of humans, these Diver models are the ideal companions for modern-day Ulysses, precise nautical instruments to guide fearless explorers as they enjoy the summer months, whether on land or at sea.

The UN Diver: An Extended Family of Excellence

Additions to an already illustrious family, the Summer 2021 Diver Collection completes the line, which comprises 38 references. All made by hand at the manufacture in Locle, Switzerland where Ulysse Nardin has been located since its founding in 1846, the Diver collection wears the proud mantle of the nautical tradition established by Ulysse Nardin over 175 years ago.

All that Glitters is Indeed Gold :

The Diver 42 mm Grey and Rose Gold is a contemporary design made for the deep that is just as cool at home in the city as it is on a sun-drenched shore. With a stainless, shark gray PVD satin-finish and polished case, a rose gold 5N and gray rubberized, unidirectional rotating, concave bezel and a domed sapphire glass, this new Diver is highly-functional and dashing, a watch that will take its wearer from sandy beaches to coral reefs. The gray alligator strap is secured with a stainless steel gray PVD buckle that can withstand the most arduous of feats.

The Diver 42mm  Ulysse Nardin

Not Only for Ladies

Beautiful to the eye and accurate to a fault, the 39mm Lady Diver Rose Gold is set with 40 diamonds for a total of .80 carats that glisten brightly in the midday sun. Bearing all the hallmarks of a classic Ulysse Nardin Diver, this watch is proof that you cannot judge a book by its cover, and that beauty is not skin deep. Inside the stunning case is the powerful UN-816 movement, an automatic movement that functions at 4 Hz and 28 800 V/H. The mother of pearl dial bears 11 diamonds totaling .12 carats and the white alligator strap is held in place by a 5N rose gold buckle. This is a watch for people who appreciate the aesthetics of fine design yet are unafraid of confronting the unknown in the name of adventure.

Lady Diver 39mm  Ulysse Nardin

An Animal of the deep :

The Ulysse Nardin Chronometer 44 mm, with its deep-sea blue color and rose gold details, is the ultimate navigators watch. With an escapement wheel and anchor in Diamonsil, the 260 components work in harmony for a flawless look and precise performance. The open sapphire case back testifies to the fine horological mastery that is the rule at Ulysse Nardin, showcasing the balance spring in silicium along with the other parts made in-house to create this technical marvel. Crafted to withstand up to 300 meters of water pressure, it redefines functional elegance and audacious design.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that China and Egypt have always supported each other firmly on issues concerning each other's core interests, and China appreciates Egypt's participation in a joint statement supporting Beijing at the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry over bilateral ties and cooperation in vaccine production.

Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, China has always given priority to Egypt's needs and tried its best to provide vaccine support to Egypt, Wang said.

A production line in Egypt of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will begin operation soon, Wang noted. It is the first time that China works with an African country in vaccine production, and the minister said that he hoped the project would proceed smoothly.

The Chinese side thanks Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi for his recent recorded video to extend congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Wang said.

For his part, Shoukry, on behalf of the Egyptian government and people, once again extended warm congratulations on the anniversary.

Egypt-China relations boast a long history and the two sides share broad common interests, Shoukry said, adding that the two countries have offered firm support to each other on various major issues in a vivid demonstration of their strong ties.

Egypt attaches great importance to the development of its relations with China and hopes to strengthen bilateral friendly cooperation in various fields, enhance their Belt and Road cooperation, and inject more vitality into the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he added.

(With input from Xinhua)
by Xinhua writers Gui Tao, Jiang Jiang, Wang Zichen and Li Zhihui

BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- At an altitude of 3,300 meters, Sonam Tsering offered a hada, a traditional Tibetan silk scarf that symbolizes purity and auspiciousness, to a guest who had come from afar -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The Tibetan herdsman, whose family previously struggled to make ends meet in a mountainous rural village in northwest China's Qinghai Province, now owns 80 sheep and 20 cattle thanks to poverty-alleviation subsidies and loans from the government.

Sonam Tsering, who had bid farewell to his former home, a dilapidated adobe structure surrounded by uneven stone walls, welcomed Xi outside his new house that is equipped with a flush toilet and a driveway that leads up to the front door.

"Thanks to the Party's favorable policies, the lives of us herders are getting better every day," Sonam Tsering said.

Herdsman Sonam Tsering poses for a photo with his grandson at a mountainous rural village in Gangcha County of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, June 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Gang)

The visit of Xi came less than a month before the world's largest Marxist party, which has seen its membership explode from 50-plus individuals to more than 91 million, celebrates its centennial.

Over the past century, the Party has transformed the once shattered and impoverished country into the world's second-largest economy. The CPC has led China to achieve miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, which has had profound global implications.

Under the CPC's leadership, the modernization goal that the Chinese people, such as Sonam Tsering, have been striving toward is no longer out of reach.

Western political theories fall short in explaining the CPC's success. For a party that has remained committed to serving the people, the country's 1.4 billion citizens are an inexhaustible source of strength.

A PARTY OF "OUR OWN"

The CPC is substantially different from Western-style political parties. In a nutshell, it is viewed by the Chinese people as "a party of our own."

Born in the early 20th century, a period when the downtrodden Chinese people were struggling against foreign invasions and internal divisions, the CPC established its original aspiration and mission -- to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. The Party has been translating the needs of the people into concrete actions ever since.

CPC members have vowed to fight for the freedom, democracy and happiness of the people. Through their sacrifices, they have played a pioneering and exemplary role, with their influence transcending the boundaries of space and time. Committed to the cause, they have never gone back on their word.

Li Dazhao, one of the main founders of the CPC and also a man of great learning, was arrested, imprisoned and tortured in 1927. At the age of 38, Li, whose articles had inspired millions of Chinese youths, remained steadfast in his beliefs even in the face of death at the hands of a warlord. The gallows where he was hanged have been enshrined as the No. 0001 cultural relic of the National Museum of China.

People visit the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Shanghai, east China, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Data shows that as many as 3.7 million CPC members sacrificed their lives from 1921 to 1949 in striving for the establishment of the people's republic. This figure does not include countless such individuals who died anonymous deaths.

This spirit of sacrifice has been carried forward by Chinese Communists in the country's latest efforts to battle both extreme poverty and the COVID-19 epidemic. More than 39 million CPC members and cadres fought against COVID-19 on the front lines, of whom nearly 400 lost their lives, according to official figures.

Fully aware that poverty is incompatible with socialism, the CPC led the Chinese people to initiate reform and opening up, which changed the fate of countless individuals. Among them are Mo Yan, the peasant-turned-Nobel laureate, and Nan Cunhui, the billionaire who was once a roadside cobbler.

From 1949 to 2019, China's per capita disposable income grew at an average annual rate of 6.1 percent in real terms.

The CPC leaders have been consistent with their people-centered philosophy. As early as 1934 when the CPC-led Red Army fought against the ruling Kuomintang party to liberate the Chinese people, Mao Zedong pointed out that "We must ... solve the problems facing the masses -- food, shelter and clothing, fuel, rice, cooking oil and salt, sickness and hygiene, and marriage."

"In short, all the practical problems in the masses' everyday life should claim our attention," Mao said. Following through on his commitment, he declared the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Decades later, echoing Mao's words, Xi repeatedly stressed that "the people's aspiration for a better life is our goal."

"No matter where our Party cadres are, they will always ask the villagers 'What kind of good life do you expect to have?'" Xi said during his tour of Qinghai. "Let's work together for a better life."

Issues related to people's livelihoods, including employment, income distribution, education, social security, medical care, housing, elderly care, childcare and food safety, all weigh heavily on Xi's mind.

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 4, 2020 shows medical workers helping COVID-19 patients move into isolation wards at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

China has declared a war against pollution, as "lucid waters and lush mountains" are demanded by the people. The country has announced its ambition to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Data shows that China has contributed a quarter of humanity-caused greening between 2000 and 2017.

The CPC has made it clear to all that the greatest political achievement for itself is improving the well-being of the people.

INSEPARABLE, INVINCIBLE

In the 1930s, Edgar Snow visited Yan'an, the then center of the Chinese Communist revolution, where the American journalist found "a rocklike solidarity" among the people of the region led by the CPC. The Red Army, though ragged and poorly armed, had a charm that made them invincible.

The unity between the people and the Party observed by Snow has remained unbreakable. In old times, people volunteered to provide food to the revolutionary soldiers and even dismantled their own wooden doors to make stretchers for the fallen.

In the fight against COVID-19, hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens have responded to the call of the Party and the government to quarantine themselves to prevent the spread of the virus. The engines of the "world's factory" have been roaring and the country's daily mask production capacity rapidly exceeded 100 million.

Today, CPC members can be easily found in all walks of life, including workers, farmers, students, private entrepreneurs, Chinese employees of foreign companies and internet influencers. Despite their different ages and jobs, they all "serve the people" -- the most concise and accurate summary of the fundamental purpose of the CPC.

The Chinese people recognize the good governance of the CPC in their own ways: People raised red banners to express their gratitude to earthquake rescuers; Children stood on tiptoe to offer water to flood fighters; Octogenarians bowed to anti-epidemic medical convoys; Villagers in Xinjiang presented flowers to cadres who had helped them eradicate extreme poverty.

Poverty relief assistants Liu Ying (1st L) and He Changle (2nd L), and village officials help carry melons planted by villagers in Dongqin Village, Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A report from Harvard University in 2020 showed that the Chinese people's overall satisfaction with the government exceeded 93 percent.

The "mass line," a methodology of the CPC that requires its members to stay close to the people, has been written into the Party's Constitution. The CPC believes in pooling people's wisdom and power.

The east China village of Xiaogang is widely hailed as "China's number one reform village." Back in 1978, 18 farmers in the poverty-stricken village took great risks in secretly signing an agreement to contract collective land to individual households. The household contract responsibility system that derived from Xiaogang was spread nationwide in a few years. The history of Xiaogang is widely cited as an example of the CPC pooling grassroots wisdom to solve national problems.

China's "whole-process democracy," a hallmark of socialist democracy that distinguishes it from Western political systems, runs through all processes including elections, decision-making, administration and supervision. All major decision-making is procedure-based and follows democratic deliberations.

In the formulation of the Party leadership's proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan, extensive solicitations of comments and suggestions from various sectors were held. Online solicitations also received over 1 million comments within a matter of weeks.

A total of 546 comments and suggestions were finally reflected in the proposals, a drafting process which Xi called "a vivid example of the CPC's intraparty democracy and China's socialist democracy."

Photo taken on April 7, 2021 shows the scenery of a lake in Wuzhuang Village of Chun'an County, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Mao Yongfeng/Xinhua)

The Party, which believes that China has no need for the model of democracy found in the West, has established a democracy that suits the country itself.

NEVER-ENDING SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Over the past century, the Party has constantly adapted to the changing circumstances with policy changes -- one latest such shift being China's adoption of the three-child policy to improve the demographic structure of the world's most populous country.

But one thing that remains unchanged is the CPC's bond with the Chinese people, a relationship often described as being as "inseparable as fish and water."

The Party sees corruption as the "greatest threat" to its survival and its relationship with the Chinese people.

In 1952, Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan, two corrupt senior Party officials, were executed in China, demonstrating the early anti-corruption determination of the CPC. This determination remains to the present day.

In recent years, the CPC's anti-graft watchdog has ousted corrupt officials all the way from low-level "flies" to high-ranking "tigers."

The investigation of Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, came as a shock to some outsiders who had doubted the CPC's anti-corruption campaign would ever extend its reach to such heights.

When a grassroots-level government employee failed to pay for two apples from a local salesman in Shandong Province in 2015, he was disciplined. Yet this was not a case of making a mountain out of a molehill, as shown by a well-known anecdote of Mao. In 1948, when China was beset by civil war, the Communist army chose not to take a single apple from civilians, as "they were apples of the people," according to Mao.

Underlying this commitment, Xi urged all CPC members to have the resolve and tenacity to persevere in the "never-ending" fight against corruption. In 2020, around 604,000 people were disciplined by China's top anti-graft body.

The Party not only ensures it remains principled and professional but also guarantees it stands on the cutting edge of the times.

At the launch meeting of a recent campaign on Party history learning and education, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining the Party's tight bond with the people. The campaign was the latest of the CPC's efforts to unify its members' thought, enhance discipline and boost their morale as they march ever forward.

Having embarked on a new journey, the CPC is leading the Chinese people to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the centenary of the People's Republic of China. This will be the largest modernization drive achieved through peaceful development in the history of humanity.

Recently, three Chinese astronauts, all CPC members, flew into space and entered the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, which will be their home for the next three months.

Foreign astronauts are welcomed to cooperate with their Chinese counterparts after the construction of China's space station is completed, an embodiment of the CPC's concept of "a community with a shared future for humanity."

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2021 shows three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship entering the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

While a century of glory has been recorded in the annals of history, the CPC stands ready to write a new chapter for the people and by the people. Enditem

(Wang Pan, Xu Yang, Zhang Zhanpeng, Li Huaiyan, Cheng Di, Yangxiu Dazhen, Miao Xiaojuan and Xu Xiaoqing also contributed to the story.)
Workers and residents in Sydney were ordered to stay home for a week on Friday, as authorities locked down several central areas of Australia's largest city to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Sixty-five COVID-19 cases have been reported so far in the flare-up linked to a limousine driver infected about two weeks ago when he transported an international flight crew from Sydney airport to a quarantine hotel.

But authorities have since identified scores of potential infection sites visited by thousands of people across central Sydney, including the city's main business district. Authorities have been alarmed by instances of people passing on the virus during fleeting encounters in shops and then quickly infecting close family contacts.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian of New South Wales state, which includes Sydney, called it the "scariest period" since the pandemic broke out more than a year ago. On Friday, she ordered anyone who lived or worked in four central Sydney neighborhoods to stay home for at least a week, only venturing out to purchase essential goods, obtain medical care, exercise or if they are unable to work from home.
Korean online fashion retailers are becoming more popular in Japan and elsewhere thanks to K-pop bands and TV series. Musinsa, Korea's No. 1 online fashion retailer, chose Japan as its first overseas market and established a branch office there. Zigzag, a shopping app that sells trendy clothes from the Dongdaemun garment district of Seoul, launched trial marketing services in Japan after joining hands with popular influencers there. Brandi, another online retailer selling Dongdaemun brands, joined hands with Internet portal Naver to start doing business in Japan. And mobile fashion app A-bly launched a Japanese version in January.



Korea's TV series "Vincenzo" appears as the most-viewed on Netflix Japan, in this grab from the video streaming platform.

Last month, cable channel tvN's recently-ended series "Vincenzo" became the most viewed program on Netflix Japan. An Internet search on Yahoo Japan leads to postings about the formal suits featured in the drama as well as clothes worn by the female lead, Jeon Yeo-been. Musinsa is not increasing its physical presence in Japan but gives clothes makers here the support they need in marketing their products there. Zigzag, which was acquired by Kakao earlier this year, introduced a fashion e-commerce app called Naunau in Japan to pave the way for Dongdaemun apparel makers to sell their products there. Brandi is selling its products through an online store in Japan run by Naver. Industry insiders say Naver and Kakao plan to expand their online fashion sales worldwide using Japan as a launching board. Some small online fashion retailers had already pioneered the Japanese market before these big names. An industry insider said, "Japan's fashion market centers on offline retail shops and specialty stores, but demand for online fashion malls surged last year due to the coronavirus pandemic."

The screenshot of Zigzag's Japanese app Naunau on its website

Japanese consumers are discerning fashionistas, and the garment businesses of Dongdaemun are expert at keeping up with the latest trends and responding promptly, so they are well suited to meet the demand. Another favorable factor is the similar climate to Korea, which creates similar demand for seasonal clothing. Another business insider said, "We thought about selling our clothes in Southeast Asia, but the biggest drawback was that demand there is for summer clothes only." Another appeal of Japan is that younger Japanese consumers are rarely swayed by the notoriously fractious relations between the neighbors. Unlike China, where customers are testily patriotic and ever ready to join government hate campaigns and boycotts, Japan is a dependable market. "Korean fashion houses tend to prefer Japan, where customers are less political," one retailer said.
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(The Center Square)  Vice President Kamala Harris, in her first visit to the Texas-Mexico border since being appointed "immigration czar" by President Joe Biden more than three months ago, said Friday in El Paso that progress was being made on an issue that many have called a crisis.

"I call it progress, we're not exactly where we want to be yet, but we've seen extreme progress over these last few months because of his dedication and his efforts," Harris said of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The U.S. has seen a surge in illegal immigration since January, with U.S. Border Patrol encountering 180,000 migrants attempting to cross into the country illegally in May alone.

Harris said her top priority is to address "the root causes of migration primarily out of Central America. We are here to talk about what has brought people here to the U.S. border to address what has caused people to leave their home countries."

Last month, Harris visited Guatemala and Mexico. Her spokesperson said that what is happening at the border is directly connected to what is happening in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.  directly connected to the work of addressing the root causes of migration."

Until Friday's trip, Harris faced growing criticism for not visiting the southern border despite the crisis. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month issued a disaster declaration in response to several hundred thousand immigrants illegally entering the U.S. through Texas, leading to a surge in crime in many Texas communities.

Abbott also launched Operation Lonestar in March, directing the Texas Department of Public Safety to protect Texans from the surge, saying the federal government was not doing it's job enforcing immigration laws.

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Joining Harris in El Paso was Mayorkas, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. Abbott was not present.

Harris and her entourage arrived at Customs and Border Patrol El Paso Sector Friday morning, toured the sectors processing center, and later spoke with advocates from faith-based organizations and shelter and legal service providers.

Republicans argue Harris went to the wrong part of Texas, avoiding the areas where the flow of illegal immigration is the heaviest  the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

Others said she ignored visiting the most egregious area of El Paso: the federal detention facility at Fort Bliss, where advocates have raised concerns about unsafe conditions and allegations of abuse against thousands of migrant children housed there.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose district spans south of San Antonio to the U.S. Mexico border, says the Biden administration is making Democrats look weak."

Cuellar said Harris visiting El Paso was "politically safe," because the brunt of the problem is 800 miles south in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

Abbott has said that Texas will build its own border wall since Biden abandoned the project started by former President Donald Trump. The Texas governor is meeting Trump near McAllen, Texas, next week to discuss border security issues.
(The Center Square)  A lawsuit against the state of Indiana could force the governor to reinstate the $300 weekly federal unemployment payments.

The suit was filed by Indiana Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm based in Indianapolis that provides free civil legal aid to low-income residents around the state. A hearing on the suit was held Wednesday by Marion County Superior Court Judge John Hanley.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced in May that the state would exit the Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program on June 19.

Frankly judge, these unemployment benefits are keeping the claimants out of poverty, Jennifer Terry, an attorney with Indiana Legal Services, said during the hearing.

Terry also said Indiana law states declaring economic insecurity due to unemployment is a serious menace to peoples health, morale and welfare.

Assistant Attorney General Jefferson Garn, arguing on behalf of the state, said the law Terry cited was only aspirational language and that decisions regarding the federal money are best left to policy makers and not the courts.

Terry went on to say the benefits were like a vehicle the state built and fueled by federal money, but that state officials decided to throw away the keys.

Garn said ending the payments is in the states best interests, and bringing them back would stunt the stabilization of the states economy as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

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Indianas unemployment rate for May was 4%, a slight uptick from 3.9% in April.

In making his announcement, Holcomb said there are help wanted signs across the state and he has been told by business owners that they want to hire more people.

Every day Im hearing from business owners who tell me theyre only posting half of what they can hire, Holcomb said. So, were restricting growth by keeping people on the sidelines.

Hanley said he would have a decision on Indiana Legal Services request for an emergency injunction to reinstate the payments as soon as possible.

Money for the payments comes from the $2.2 billion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, referred to as the CARES Act, passed by Congress last year and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020.

President Joe Biden has said the payments will end on Sept. 6, although 25 states  primarily led by Republican governors  have already opted out or plan to do so earlier.

There reasoning has been the same as Holcombs, believing the extra money, in addition to state unemployment checks, is a disincentive to people finding jobs.
Press Release

June 26, 2021 Villars host vaccination of Pinoy seafarers Senator Cynthia A. Villar and daughter Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar yesterday served as among the hosts in the nationwide vaccination of Filipino seafarers who were hardest hit by the pandemic. The inoculation of around 1,086 seafarers was conducted at the family-owned The Tent South Global City in Las Pinas. Through the Office of Sen. Villar, The Tent was chosen by Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) as one of the sites in the simultaneous nationwide vaccination of seafarers. Once fully vaccinated, Sen. Villar said our seafarers can go back to their job which was disrupted due to the corona virus. "Being protected against the virus, they can return to their ships and voyage and earn a living for their families. They are also protecting their families from potential infection in the process," said Sen. Villar as she lauded Filipino seafarers on the 11th Anniversary of the Day of the Seafarer. "We note with pride how much the Filipino seafarer is valued by shipowners around the world. We thank our manning agencies and ship owners who continue to look after our seafarers especially those in ships that are affected by the global pandemic. Please continue to uphold the best global standards of care and compassion for our OFWs," Sen. Villar said. She recognized Filipino seafarer and their families for their contribution to the Philippine economy amid the worst global pandemic to hit the country resulting in massive dislocation of local workers and closures of business establishments. In 2019, Filipino seafarers remitted US$6.5 million to the country. With the pandemic, government data showed a slight drop in remittances from overseas Filipino workers but not as steep as expected since OFWs continue to send more to their families. Amid the global health crisis, the country's maritime sector continued to deploy Filipino seafarers who remain in great demand for their skills and hard work. The Bureau of Immigration reported that it processed and cleared more than 112,000 seafarers who joined or left their ships last year. "We are happy to note the continued recovery of the seafaring sector; thanks to the partnership between and among our foreign ship owners, manning agencies, and government agencies such as the POEA and MARINA," she said. The lady senator noted the continued supply of Filipino seafarers to the world keeps global trade going. "The global economy is sustained by the courage and hard work of our seafarers and we should always remember and recognize the enormous contributions of our modern-day heroes amid a global pandemic." She emphasized that the vaccination program for seafarers will ensure that our role as the world's leading provider of the best seafarers shall remain, much to the relief of our global trade partners. The Department of Transportation said Filipino seafarers comprise 25% of the 1.5 million seafarers in the world. The United Nations, upon the recommendation of the International Maritime Organization, recognizes the contribution of seafarers by declaring June 25 of each year as the Day of the Seafarer. The celebration was proposed during the Diplomatic Conference of Parties to Adopt Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) hosted by the Philippines in June 2010. Meanwhile, Sen. Villar and Rep. Villar, said their family have launched many initiatives to help the government accelerate its vaccination program since its roll out last March. Acknowledging the collaborative efforts to fight the virus, Sen. Villar said they have been providing the government all forms of assistance to combat this pandemic and to return to help in the country's economic recovery. The IATF, through the Department of Health (DOH), gave to Marina the United States-made Pfizer-BioNTech jabs administered to seafarers to be deployed abroad since it is the required brand in their destinations. With the approval of Sen. Villar, Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (LPGHSTC) medical director Dr. Rodrigo Hao said domestic seafarers were given Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine which came from said hospital. Majority of the vacines at The Tent were Las Pineros and Cavitenos who failed to get their jabs during the vaccination in Manila and Taguig. Walk-ins coming from all over the metropolis were also vaccinated. The vaccination of the Filipino seafares was done in 13 regions across the country in celebration of the 25th Founding Anniversary of Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP).###
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Ahundreddollarbill captured the first of two $40,000 eliminations of the MGM Yonkers Trot for three-year-old colts and geldings on Friday night at Yonkers Raceway in a sparkling 1:54.2 mile and likely stamped himself as the favourite for the $500,000 July 2 final, the first jewel in trottings Triple Crown.

Driven by Andrew McCarthy, Ahundreddollarbill floated away from the gate at the outset and allowed the Ake Svanstedt-trained Mon Amour and Incommunicado to exchange the early lead, with the latter moving to the fore off the opening bend. Once the dust settled up top, McCarthy used the long backstretch to send Ahundreddollarbill full tilt to control midway on the second turn. After an opening quarter in 28.2, the 1-5 choice hit the half in :57, with his five rivals willing to follow along the pylons.

Ahundreddollarbill rated the pace kindly as Mon Amour pulled from third on the backstretch, allowing On A Streak to catch his cover. With three-quarters clocked in 1:25.4, McCarthy let the Tony Alagna-trained son of Chapter Seven sprint off from the field, and he trotted a :28.3 final quarter well in-hand. Mon Amour and Yannick Gingras made up decent ground to finish a sharp second, with Ethan T Hanover (Jason Bartlett) winning the photo for third over On A Streak (Bob McClure). The top four finishers return for the final.

Ahundreddollarbill is owned by Crawford Farms Racing and James Crawford IV. He won for the fourth time in 2021 without defeat and returned $2.50 to win.

The second $40,000 elimination turned into a match race between Ake Svanstedt entrymates Johan Palema and Ambassador Hanover, with Johan Palema and driver Yannick Gingras getting up for the win in the final strides of a 1:54 mile.

Ambassador Hanover and Svanstedt left sharply from post two, and Johan Palema quickly settled in behind him into the opening bend. Steel, with driver Andy Miller, attempted to sweep by those pair at the outset but made a miscue mid-way through the opening bend and lost all chance.

Once in control, Ambassador Hanover had the pace to his liking, setting reasonable fractions of :28.1, :57.3, and 1:26.3, with Arnold N Dicky pulling off the third turn, followed by In Range. Johan Palema moved out of the pocket for Gingras into the final turn, and he and Ambassador Hanover drew off from their five rivals. A son of Bar Hopping, Johan Palema trotted home powerfully with a final quarter under :27.3 to gain the decision over Ambassador Hanover. In Range came on late for third, with Arnold N Dicky completing the finalists.

Sent off as part of the 4-5 favoured entry, Johan Palema paid $3.70 to win.

Owned by Bender Sweden Inc, Johan Palema was a winner for the second time in three starts in 2021 after going winless in six tries as a freshman.

In the $25,000 sole elimination for the $150,000 New York New York Mile, Mazzarati and driver Tim Tetrick took control before the quarter pole and wired the field of eight three-year-old trotting fillies, with the top six joining Iteration and Sweeping Rainbow, who were offered and accepted byes.

Imhatra AM S and driver Brian Sears jetted to the front entering the opening bend and parked Mazzarati to mid-backstretch before yielding control. Mazzarati, a daughter of Cantab Hall sent postward as the second choice, hit the quarter in :28 and half in :57 before an outer tier flow began.

Contested Hanover, part of the 4-5 favoured entry in the field, moved for Scott Zeron off the third turn with a measured outside advance, followed by Rebel Girl with Dexter Dunn. Mazzarati never saw those rivals, though, as Tetrick allowed her to pass three-quarters in 1:26.1 and comfortably head into the homestretch.

Only Imhatra AM S would have a chance at the winner once Contested Hanover weakened, and Sears let his regally-bred filly trot, but she would inevitably run out of real estate, falling a head short in the 1:55.2 mile. Contested Hanover finished third. Also advancing to the July 2 final will be Rebel Girl, Presto, and Lindys Dollywood.

Owned by Mazza Racing Stables LLC and Stormi And Bruiser Stable, Mazzarati returned $5.10 to win.

Lucas Wallin trains Mazzarati, who won for the first time in 2021 in four tries.

American Courage just missed the track record by a fifth of a second and Abuckabett Hanover overcame troubles on the turns to win the two $40,000 MGM Grand Messenger Stakes eliminations for three-year-old colt and gelding pacers.

Driver Matt Kakaley had American Courage on the engine at the :27.4 opening quarter in the first elimination, and after taking command, he went on to the half in :56. It was at that point that Heart Of Chewbacca (Dan Noble) made a first-over move out of last, and that bid would carry him into second before the 1:23.4 three-quarters. However, his bid stalled on the final turn as American Courage kicked on and came home in :27 to win by a length and a quarter in 1:50.4. Charlie May (Brett Miller) tucked into third from post seven, rode the rail, and rallied to finish a good second, with Chase H Hanover (Brian Sears) third and Simon Says Hanover (Scott Zeron) getting the last spot in the final.

Sired by American Ideal, American Courage is trained by Travis Alexander for owner/breeder Fiddlers Creek Stables LLC. American Courage made his tenth stop in the winner's circle from 11 trips behind the gate, and he has pocketed $218,633. The even-money favourite, American Courage paid $4.00 to win.

Abuckabett Hanover (Andrew McCarthy) was the headliner of a 1-9 entry in the second elimination, but his chances didn't look very good on the first turn as he veered to the right and lugged out several paths. Fortunately, there was nobody alongside him and McCarthy was able to bring him down to the rail in fourth as Ill Drink To That (Dexter Dunn) led the group to the :28.1 opening quarter.

Ill Drink To That stayed in charge to the :56.2 half and the 1:24.1 three-quarters, but Abuckabett Hanover was making steady first-over gains. Abuckabett Hanover did try to get out on the final bend again, but McCarthy managed to keep his charge fairly straight, and then in the lane the others were no match, as Abuckabett Hanover sailed by Ill Drink To That while in-hand, tallying by a length and a quarter in 1:51.3. Ill Drink To That held second over Highlandbeachsbest (Zeron), with Mysweetboymax (Jason Bartlett) fourth.

Tony Alagna trains Abuckabett Hanover, a Hanover Shoe Farms-bred Betting Line colt, for the partnership of Crawford Farms Racing, Alagna Racing LLC, Jablonsky Held Stable, and Barbara N Wienick Stable. Now four-for-four as a sophomore, Abuckabett Hanover is an eight-time winner overall, and he has put away $255,021. He returned $2.20 to win.

There were no surprises in the companion $25,000 Park MGM Pace eliminations for fillies either as Heart Of Mine and Test Of Faith came in undefeated in 2021 and left with that status intact.

Heart Of Mine, piloted by Scott Zeron, looped Darby Hanover (Andy Miller) to take the lead past the :28.2 opening quarter in the first elimination, then backed down the middle-half fractions to :58.2 and 1:27.1 with no outside pressure. Zeron let Heart Of Mine sprint in the final quarter, and she responded with a :27.1 kicker to prevail by a length over Darby Hanover in 1:54.2. Shania Blue Chip (Andrew McCarthy) and Lyons Softasssilk (Tim Tetrick) stuck to the cones and got the other spots in next Friday's final.

Trained by Linda Toscano, Heart Of Mine is a Roll With Joe filly owned by The Bays Stable LLC, Radio Racing Stable, Fred Wallace, and Camelot Stable Inc. Heart Of Mine, who was bred by Brittany Farms and is six-for-six in the win column this year, has a record of 7-5-1 from 17 career starts, and she has banked $217,131. Heart Of Mine paid $2.90 to win.

As for Test Of Faith, she bided her time in the fourth position while first Marsala Hanover (Zeron) and then Classicist (Todd McCarthy) showed the way through a :27.3 opening quarter and a :56 half in the other elimination. David Miller brought Test Of Faith to the outside on the way to the 1:24 three-quarters, moved up into second to the outside of Classicist on the far turn, and then went by in the lane while in-hand, prevailing by a measured three-parts of a length in 1:52.1. Classicist was a good second at 21-1, with Marsala Hanover third and So Irresistible (Andrew McCarthy) fourth.

A daughter of Art Major, Test Of Faith is trained by Brett Pelling for owners Mel Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran. Test Of Faith has 11 wins and a second from 12 lifetime tries, and she has now earned $562,700. She was the 1-9 choice and returned $2.10 to win.

The draws for the finals will take place on Monday (June 28).

(Yonkers)
Woodbine Mohawk Park would like to inform the horse racing community of its upcoming training schedule. Training will be offered on Wednesday (June 30) from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sign-up for training at Woodbine Mohawk Park will open Saturday (June 26) at 3:00 p.m.

Each training day will be split into three sessions with a maximum of 50 horses in the first two sessions and 48 in the final session. Sign-up will be required to train at Woodbine Mohawk Park and trainers are limited to a maximum of six horses per day.

The training session times are listed below:

 Session One: 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

 Session Two: 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

 Session Three: 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The sign-up link is available here: Mohawk Training  Wednesday, June 30

All Paddock COVID-19 protocols will be in place for training hours, including the requirement to have all people wearing a mask. Only Trainers and essential licensed personnel will be permitted through the Security check point and all individuals are reminded to complete the COVID-19 Screening Form before arriving.

(Woodbine)
The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind the worlds most ambitious regenerative tourism project in Saudi Arabia, has signed up ADB Safegate to deploy its airfield and gate systems at the upcoming Red Sea International Airport.

ADB Safegate said the scope of work includes delivery of energy efficient airfield lights, its market-leading Individual Lighting Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS) and Safedock T1 Advanced Visual Docking Guidance System (A-VDGS).

Equipment deployment and capability has been selected to easily integrate with future systems, to support the Red Sea International Airports future expansion plans from CAT II initial-operations towards CAT III.

The project reflects the airports vision to use scalable technology to enable a seamless landing experience while aligning with sustainability goals.

The greenfield airport is core to Kingdoms Vision 2030 to diversify its economy and open the region to the world.

On the contract, TRSDC Chief Projects Delivery Officer Ian Williamson said: "Our vision is to provide a next-generation, unique travel experience using revolutionary design and technology. The airport is designed to reach a capacity of a million passengers by 2030 and is conceived as a gateway to one of the most unique resorts in the world  The Red Sea Project."

"Scalable, future-ready solutions and global best practices that help us raise efficiency and meet our sustainability goals are key to the projects realization as we look to welcome our first guests by the end of 2022," he stated.

As part of a larger airside infrastructure project awarded to the joint venture between Nesma & Partners and Almabani, ADB Safegate will provide the Red Sea International Airport with an addressable CAT II airfield ground lighting (AGL) solution that includes an Individual Lighting Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS) with close to 3,000 LED airfield lights and guidance signs fully integrated into the system, said Aziz Cakir, its Vice President for Middle East and Africa.

The company will also deliver its Safedock T1 A-VDGS to support pilots with safe, efficient, and precise automated aircraft parking, during virtually all operating conditions. The A-VDGS will integrate with the airports backend systems like the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and Airport Operational Database, he noted.

According to him, the AGL solution being deployed will support the CAT II approach out of the box, and can be upgraded to CAT III and Follow the Greens.

"ADB Safegate has also offered IGBT  pure sine wave Constant Current Regulators (CCRs) that are specifically designed to supply power to airport lighting series circuits at various intensity levels. At Red Sea International Airport, it will provide high reaction speed to cope with present day circuits characterized by non-linear loads, such as taxiway guidance signs, LED electronics and ILCMS modules," stated Cakir.

"The ability to integrate with future systems is a key advantage for Red Sea International Airport. As a manufacturer and service provider for all AGL and GATE systems, were able to offer full configurations on-site without the need of any external OEMs," he noted.

"With our global experience with CAT II and CAT III airports and inhouse design and aftermarket support team, we are excited to support the development of this next-generation airport to serve an upcoming tourist area," he added.

Scheduled to welcome its first guest by the end of 2022, the airport project is part of The Red Sea Project, which aims to diversify the countrys economy by attracting tourists as a part of the Kingdoms Vision 2030 plan.

This includes a major push towards sustainable tourism  with an aim to double the number of annual tourist visitors to 100 million by 2030. The Red Sea Project is expected to create thousands of jobs and boost revenue by double digits in the region.-TradeArabia News Service
DP Worlds UAE Region and Jafza CEO & Managing Director, Abdulla Bin Damithan, today (June 21) welcomed Unicefs Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Chaiban, to Dubai as part of its ongoing efforts to leverage DP Worlds facilities, infrastructure, and expertise to deliver critical Covid-19 supplies to countries most in need.

In January, DP World and Unicef announced an ambitious and wide-ranging multi-year partnership supporting Unicefs mission to distribute critical Covid-19 vaccines and critical supplies on behalf of the Covax Facility. Through this partnership, DP World and Unicef are collaborating on advocacy and knowledge-sharing to address logistical bottlenecks hindering access to essential supplies for children and their families.

Unicef has begun utilising DP Worlds free zone facilities in Jebel Ali to optimise critical supply access for countries most under pressure from the pandemic. The operation focuses on low- and lower-middle-income countries, where populations have been hard-hit, and pharmaceutical transport and logistics are particularly challenging.

Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director, DP World - UAE Region and Jafza said: It has been an honour to welcome Ted Chaiban and his team to our flagship terminal in Dubai, which plays a crucial role in distributing vital Covid-19 supplies to where they are needed most.

We offer our infrastructure and expertise to support Unicef in this effort because everyone should have access to vaccines, especially the most vulnerable members of society. I am confident that our combined expertise and extensive infrastructure will ensure vital supplies quickly get to where they are needed.

Most recently, DP World supported Unicef in sending critical supplies to India. Thanks to its end-to-end logistics and quick-reaction capabilities, DP World quickly dispatched these supplies from UNICEFs facilities in Dubai to New Delhi for distribution within India.

This emergency shipment of critical supplies is just one of many operations DP World will support Unicef worldwide.

The Covid pandemic has fundamentally impacted the health, education and protection of children. Ensuring the equitable and affordable distribution of the vaccines across all countries will help bring normalcy to their lives, said Ted Chaiban, Unicef Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. The readiness of logistics infrastructure and services will be valuable as we hope more high-income countries will start to share their vaccine doses through the Covax facility. The whole world will remain vulnerable to the virus unless we all work, through partnerships like this one, towards achieving equal levels of protection.--TradeArabia News Service
Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has partnered with Air Arabias loyalty programme AirRewards, to allow members of both schemes to benefit from reciprocal points and miles transfers.

These could be spent on flights with Etihad and Air Arabia, holidays, shopping and more.

Kim Hardaker, Head of Loyalty & Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: This partnership will provide both Etihad Guest and AirRewards with the opportunity to significantly broaden the travel reach, rewards and programme benefits for our respective members. The collaboration is designed to both engage with new customers, while further improving the benefits for our existing loyalty members.

When transferring miles, Etihad Guest members will now receive 1 AirReward Point for every 2 Etihad Guest Miles. AirRewards can be transferred to Etihad Guest Miles at the conversion rate of 2 AirRewards Points for every 1 Etihad Guest Mile.

In response to the pandemic, both airlines loyalty programmes have implemented initiatives to protect member benefits and further engage with their loyal communities. Etihad Guest ensured that no member had their status downgraded by gifting monthly bonus Tier Miles, offering double Tier Miles promotions, reinstating expired miles and removing the GuestSeat change fee.

Both airlines have demonstrated a commitment to providing the highest standards of health and wellbeing across the entire guest journey. Last year, Etihad unveiled its Etihad Wellness programme featuring Wellness Ambassadors available to reassure guests at every stage of the journey. The airline was the first airline in the world to require 100 per cent of passengers to provide a negative PCR test result before departure, and then retesting on arrival. Etihad also offers free Covid wellness insurance for all guests travelling on its network globally.

Air Arabia was amongst the first airlines to fully upgrade its customer experience in accordance with all international guidelines to fully safeguard the safety and wellbeing of its passengers at every step of their travel journey. Additionally, Air Arabia offers complimentary Covid-19 insurance cover with every ticket booked.

Air Arabia was launched in October 2003 as the first low-cost carrier in the Middle East & North Africa. The airline established a number of joint ventures and currently has five international bases in the UAE, Egypt and Morocco. In 2020, Etihad Airways announced its codeshare with the capitals first low-cost carrier, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi.

To benefit from this partnership, customers should visit their Etihad Guest or AirRewards account online to link their accounts and easily transfer Points and Miles between the two. - TradeArabia News Service
The Dubai office of Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) recently hosted its first medical familiarization trip to South Korea in recent months.

Invitations were extended to some of the key players in medical tourism industry like Omeir Travel, AlRostamani Travel, AlTayer Travel, Orient and SATA to visit the country from May 23 to 28. It was a special trip for the travel trade delegation as special visas were issued and two-week quarantine waived.

South Koreas health system has been one of the best in Asia with quality health care and state of art facilities. UAE and South Korea has signed an MOU with patient treatment abroad. Therefore, this trip was meant to showcase the up-to-date health facilities, wellness resorts, advanced treatment for spinal problems and to provide a comprehensive understanding of Korea's excellence in medical programs and infrastructure.

Hyunsun Hong, Regional Director, said: Korea is becoming a popular destination for medical tourists from all over the world and an emerging global medical leader, thanks to its skilled medical practitioners with extensive clinical experience, cutting-edge technology, competitive pricing, rapid and efficient diagnostics and, state-of-the-art IT-based medical infrastructure.

During the FAM trip, the agents had visited several hospitals and wellness centers, beauty clinics, met with experts, tried out numerous services offered to medical tourists and in addition spend some quality time exploring shopping, tourist attractions, cruises and dining at halal and international restaurants. The result of this trip was an improved understanding of the range and quality of medical and wellness services accessible to visitors that will encourage them to promote the destination.

Every necessity of a GCC traveller is met in this country, starting from world-class medical care to endless shopping markets, halal restaurants, hygiene of highest standards, safety and security and above all, a generation of honest, friendly and disciplined people said Omeir Travel Head of of Sales, Ashraf Fawzy.

Until the end of 2019, 497,464 international tourists including 4,089 UAE nationals had visited Korea for medical treatments. The most common treatments for UAE medical tourists in Korea were malignant tumors, pediatric heart surgery and spine surgery.

visitmedicalkorea.com is a one stop medical tourism platform operated by KTO for tourists seeking information to book appointments with hospitals and clinic in South Korea. The platform also offers a free online consultation for agents and medical tourists and available in English, Arabic, Russian, Chinese and Japanese languages. - TradeArabia News Service
BAS Aircraft Engineering Training Center (BAETC), an entity fully owned and operated by Bahrain Airport Services, has announced the admission process for its aircraft maintenance engineering license training programme for the current academic year 2021.

BAETC is an internationally recognized training institute and a technologically advanced provider of formal aircraft engineering maintenance training.

According to BAETC, these sholarships are being offered by the centre to high school students starting from 10% and up to 25%, as well as providing support for international students from outside Bahrain.

The center offers a four-year training programme on aircraft maintenance engineering, during which students acquire deep theoretical and practical experience that qualifies them to be an aircraft maintenance engineers.

This package of scholarship comes as part of BAETCs social responsibility and belief of the importance of supporting education and training in Bahrain, and opening the way for attracting national cadres and qualifying them to be competitive in the labour market, said the statement from BAS.

Since its establishment in 1977, BAS has been the sole operator of ground handling services at the Bahrain International Airport and has a 43-year long track record of continuous service.

It is also a trusted name in the world of services as a company certified by the Air Transport Safety Audit Program of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

CEO Mohammed Khalil Ahmed said: "BAETC is the second training organization outside the European Union and the first in the Middle East and Asia to have received Europe Aviation Safety Agency Approval for its training centre to deliver EASA Part 66 B1 and B2 categories training, Aircraft Type Ratings on the Airbus A320 and A330 and specialized custom-made courses. Furthermore, BAETC is recognized by the Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA)."

"BAETC is currently implementing social distancing. Therefore, virtual visits, online interviews, online training mechanisms are implemented that commensurate with the current pandemic conditions safety procedures," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
At the end of the Second World War, U.S., British, and Soviet military forces divided and occupied Germany. Also divided into occupation zones, Berlin was located far inside Soviet-controlled eastern Germany. The United States, United Kingdom, and France controlled western portions of the city, while Soviet troops controlled the eastern sector. As the wartime alliance between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union ended and friendly relations turned hostile, the question of whether the western occupation zones in Berlin would remain under Western Allied control or whether the city would be absorbed into Soviet-controlled eastern Germany led to the first Berlin crisis of the Cold War. The crisis started on June 24, 1948, when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. The crisis ended on May 12, 1949, when Soviet forces lifted the blockade on land access to western Berlin.

The Western Allies organised the Berlin Airlift (also known as Berliner Luftbrucke, literally Berlin Air Bridge in German) from 26 June 1948 to 30 September 1949 to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the size of the citys population.

The crisis was a result of competing occupation policies and rising tensions between Western powers and the Soviet Union. After the end of the Second World War, the future of postwar Germany was plagued by the divisions within and between Allied powers. The only decision of significance that emerged from wartime planning was the agreement of zones of occupation. Even after the end of hostilities, the problem of what to do about Germany was not successfully addressed at the July 1945 Potsdam Conference. Not only was there a lack of consistency in the political leadership and policymaking among the British and the Americans, occupation policy on the ground also confronted unforeseen challenges. Two and a half million Berliners, spread between four zones of occupation, faced profound privations: Allied bombing had reduced the city to rubble, shelter and warmth were scarce, the black market dominated the citys economic life, and starvation loomed. While mired in such conditions, Berlin emerged as a forward salient in the Western struggle against the Soviet Union.

The year 1947 saw major shifts in occupation policy in Germany. On January 1, the United States and United Kingdom unified their respective zones and formed Bizonia, which caused tensions between East and West to escalate. In March, the breakdown of the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers and the enunciation of the Truman Doctrine served to harden the lines of an increasingly bipolar international order. In June, Secretary of State George Marshall announced the European Recovery Program. The purpose of the Marshall Planas the program came to be calledwas not only to support economic recovery in Western Europe, but also to create a bulwark against Communism by drawing participating states into the United States economic orbit.

In early 1948, the United States, United Kingdom, and France secretly began to plan the creation of a new German state made up of the Western Allies occupation zones. In March, when the Soviets discovered these designs, they withdrew from the Allied Control Council, which had met regularly since the end of the war in order to coordinate occupation policy between zones. In June, without informing the Soviets, U.S. and British policymakers introduced the new Deutschmark to Bizonia and West Berlin. The purpose of the currency reform was to wrest economic control of the city from the Soviets, enable the introduction of Marshall Plan aid, and curb the citys black market. Soviet authorities responded with similar moves in their zone. Besides issuing their own currency, the Ostmark, the Soviets blocked all major road, rail, and canal links to West Berlin, thus starving it of electricity, as well as a steady supply of essential food and coal.

The United States and United Kingdom had few immediate options if hostilities broke out. Because of the draw down in U.S. and British combat forces since the end of the Second World War, the Red Army stationed in and around Berlin dwarfed the Western Allied military presence. On June 13, 1948, the administrator of U.S.-occupied Germany General Lucius Clay reported to Washington that There is no practicability in maintaining our position in Berlin and it must not be evaluated on that basis. We are convinced that our remaining in Berlin is essential to our prestige in Germany and in Europe. Whether for good or bad, it has become a symbol of the American intent. The Truman administration agreed. Based upon written agreements with the Soviet Union in 1945, the only connections to Berlin left to the Western Allies were air corridors from West Germany used to supply Berlin by air. The administration calculated that if the Soviets opposed the airlift with force, it would be an act of aggression against an unarmed humanitarian mission and the violation of an explicit agreement. Thus, the onus of igniting a conflict between the former allies would be on the aggressor.

The United States launched Operation Vittles on June 26, with the United Kingdom following suit two days later with Operation Plainfare. Despite the desire for a peaceful resolution to the standoff, the United States also sent to the United Kingdom B-29 bombers, which were capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The beginning of the airlift proved difficult and Western diplomats asked the Soviets to seek a diplomatic solution to the impasse. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the Deutschmark from West Berlin.

Even though the Allies rebuffed the Soviet offer, West Berlins position remained precarious, and the standoff had political consequences on the ground. In September 1948, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), the German Communist Party of the Soviet zone of occupation, marched on the Berlin City Council and forced it to adjourn. Fearing that the Western Allies might halt the airlift and cede West Berlin to the Soviets, 300,000 West Berliners gathered at the Reichstag to show their opposition to Soviet domination. The turnout convinced the West to keep the airlift and the Deutschmark.

In time, the airlift became ever more efficient and the number of aircraft increased. At the height of the campaign, one plane landed every 45 seconds at Tempelhof Airport. By spring 1949, the Berlin Airlift proved successful. The Western Allies showed that they could sustain the operation indefinitely. At the same time, the Allied counter-blockade on eastern Germany was causing severe shortages, which, Moscow feared, might lead to political upheaval.

On May 11, 1949, Moscow lifted the blockade of West Berlin. The Berlin Crisis of 19481949 solidified the division of Europe. Shortly before the end of the blockade, the Western Allies created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Two weeks after the end of the blockade, the state of West Germany was established, soon followed by the creation of East Germany. The incident solidified the demarcation between East and West in Europe; it was one of the few places on earth that U.S. and Soviet armed forces stood face-to-face. It also transformed Berlin, once equated with Prussian militarism and Nazism, into a symbol of democracy and freedom in the fight against Communism.

Source The Historian of the U.S. Department of State.
Chauvin Gets 22.5 Year Sentence for Floyd's Death

By The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS - Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvins knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.The punishment  which came after Chauvin broke his yearlong silence to offer condolences to the Floyd family and express hope that they eventually have some peace of mind  is one of the longest prison terms ever imposed on a U.S. police officer in the killing of a Black person.Still, Floyd family members and others were disappointed. The sentence fell short of the 30 years prosecutors had requested. And with good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could get out on parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.Just because its the most time doesnt mean its enough time," said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis protest leader.Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing Chauvin's abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said the family had gotten some measure of accountability but is hoping Chauvin gets the maximum at his upcoming federal civil rights trial. Crump said this was the longest sentence a police officer has ever received in Minnesota.But he added: "Real justice in America will be Black men and Black women and people of color who will not have to fear being killed by the police just because the color of their skin. That would be real justice.Outside the courthouse, a crowd of about 50 people clasped hands or placed them on each others shoulders. The reaction was subdued as people debated whether the sentence was long enough. Some cursed in disgust.At George Floyd Square, as the intersection where Floyd was pinned to the pavement is now known, members of the crowd broke into applause, and several said, Well take it.Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. He showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.The fired white officer was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.Bystander video of Floyds arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond, as well as demands for overhauling police departments.On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand  an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial, where his words could be used against him.I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind, he said without further explanation.Defense attorney Eric Nelson had asked that Chauvin be let off on probation, saying the former officer's brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if? What if? What if?Chauvins mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, pleaded for mercy for her son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man, she told the judge, adding: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.I will be here for you when you come home, she said.Prosecutor Matthew Frank, in asking the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines, said tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life," Frank said.Floyd family members had tearfully asked the judge to impose the maximum, which was 40 years. Several spoke before the sentence, and his 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, was seen in a recorded video.I miss you and I love you, Gianna Floyd said in the video when asked what she would say to her dad. She had a long list of things she would still have liked to do with her father: I want to play with him, have fun, go on a plane ride.Afterward, Floyds nephew Brandon Williams said the sentence was insufficient, when you think about George being murdered, in cold blood with a knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds execution-style in broad daylight. LaTonya Floyd, George Floyds sister, said of the punishment: Thats nothing. Thats nothing. He should have got the max, period.The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvin's three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict.Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvins request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved out of Minneapolis.The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didnt mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.With Chauvins sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America witnessed something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma.Thats why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor.Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the state's maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.The three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. They will also stand trial with Chauvin on the federal charges. No date has been set for that trial.
The People's Liberation Army Navy opens its museum in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on June 26, 2021. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The People's Liberation Army Navy opened its museum on Saturday morning in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province.

The museum was built to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and display the Navy's development and achievement, the navy said in a statement, adding that visitors will be able to understand how the Party established and developed the navy.

The navy paid great attention to the construction of the museum. It set up a task group to deal with related issues, solicit opinions and collect exhibits, according to the statement.

Admiral Shen Jinlong, the navy's commander-in-chief, Admiral Qin Shengxiang, political commissar of the service, Liu Jiayi, Party chief of Shandong and other naval and provincial senior officials attended an opening ceremony held in front of the facility.

The museum occupies nearly 9.4 hectares on land and about 141,000 square meters of waters, and has a cluster of buildings, outdoor exhibition areas and berths.

It features a vast collection of historic documents, art works and photos, as well as naval hardware. The navy's first destroyer, its first nuclear-powered submarine and a number of fighter jets, bombers and missiles also are there.
China will deploy 150 new stealth fighter jets on its east coast. For experts, this is a warning to Japan and South Korea not to join the US in the defence of the island. The Taiwanese launch a second missile corvette with 12 on order against a possible invasion by China.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  China will deploy 150 new fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea, the South China Morning Post reported this morning.

The upgraded version of the stealth fighter (invisible to radar) will be delivered to bases in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and the eastern and northern theatre commands.

Communist China considers the island a rebel province, to be retaken by force if necessary.

According to experts, this massive deployment is meant as a warning to Japan and South Korea not to join the United States in defending Taiwan.

This follows Japans recent decision to boost its support for Taiwan.

"The peace and stability of Taiwan are directly connected to Japan and we are closely monitoring ties between China and Taiwan, as well as Chinese military activity, said Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi is quoted as saying on Thursday in Bloomberg.

Tension remains high in the Strait of Taiwan. On Tuesday, a US destroyer sailed through the body of water that separates the island from the mainland, the sixth time a US warship has done so since Joe Biden took office in January.

Last week, 28 Chinese planes flew into Taiwan's air identification zone, prompting a response from Taiwans Air Force.

In response to the Chinese challenge, Taiwan has begun a massive rearmament campaign, thanks in part to US help.

Yesterday, the Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration took delivery of a new missile corvette, the second of 12 that the Tsai Ing-wen administration wants to buy for the country's maritime defence.

In the event of an invasion by China, the new corvettes can fire modern Hsiung Feng III and Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles.

In November Taipei began work on the construction of eight submarines, the first home-made underwater vessels to be fitted with digital sonar systems, integrated combat systems, and periscopes provided by the United States.

The island also has new Hsiung Feng-2E cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets in mainland China, more than a thousand kilometres away.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Some Russian regions are in danger of losing up to half their harvest. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are holding back water from their rivers to the detriment of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The Turkmen government ignores climate woes and carries out the White House ceremony.

Moscow (AsiaNews)  Some regions of Russia are at risk of losing up to half their harvest due to a prolonged spring drought. The situation is equally critical in Central Asia where some countries (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) that control the upper course of rivers have tried to conserve water for their own needs, leaving those with the lower course (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) dry.

Russias Ministry of Agriculture, headed by Dmitry Patrushev, is putting on a brave face, refusing for now to revise its grain harvest projections, despite preliminary data showing a clear decline.

Without substantial rain, grain prices will see a major increase, badly affecting Russias already shaky economy.

If the uncharacteristic heat does not drop substantially, farms in Tatarstan, a republic that borders Russias Ural mountain range, will be placed under an emergency regime.

This might happen, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov suggested, if things dont improve by 30 June. Tatar farmers lost most of their harvest already in 2010.

For Vladimir Petrichenko, general director of ProZerno, a company that specialises in grain crops analysis, the situation is no better in the Volga region or the Urals.

Oddly enough, its only good in Saratov, he said. In all other regions its very alarming, especially in the Ulyanovsk region, Tatarstan, Bashkiria. In the Kurgan, Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions, it is close to a catastrophe.

In all these areas there is not enough moisture, and the drought will affect the quality of the little grain that will be harvested since it is failing to ripen properly and is drying up quickly.

No rain has fallen for more than a month (and there was little before), putting all winter wheat at risk.

These regions are part of Russias Black Earth region, so called because of its high soil moisture, which now is a bleak greyish colour.

Despite recent forest fires, the picture in eastern Siberia is more reassuring. The Omsk region has just recovered after a long period of drought and devastation.

Before any drastic measures are taken for the various territories, the authorities are waiting for the first harvest in eastern Russia.

Seasonal changes could however reflect much more worrisome climate changes in Siberia and the Urals.

Meanwhile, the heat is on in Uzbekistan, where June temperatures have fluctuated o far between 38 and 42 Celsius, breaking all records since 1811, when they began to be kept in Central Asia.

In Tashkent, the record is expected to be broken soon, with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees.

Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have already recorded a high of 45 Celsius; in southern Kyrgyzstan, in Osh, residents have sought relief in the citys canals.

In Kyrgyzstan, its main water reservoir fell to 8.7 billion cubic metres, down from the usual level of 19.5 billion cubic metres.

Its main reservoir, the Toktogul Dam, gets most of its water from the Naryn, a river that flows into the Syr Darya, the longest river in all of Central Asia, which runs from Tajikistan into Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Kyrgyz authorities plan to close the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Plant, which provides 40 per cent of the country's electricity, but also supplies part of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which intend to prevent its closure.

Negotiations are underway between these countries to trade electricity for water supplies in order to avoid a general disaster.

Only Turkmenistan seems to be ignoring climate problems. On Wednesday, its president, urbanguly Berdimuhamedow inaugurated the Turkmen white house (Turkmenin ak oy) ceremony in Lebap region (welayat).

On this occasion, the Turkmen leader forced large crowds to gather under the scorching sun for traditional songs and dances, with performances dedicated to his cult of personality.
Today

Mostly sunny skies this morning will give way to mostly cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Mostly sunny early then becoming mostly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. ENE winds shifting to WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Seeing the tall ships arriving in the harbor as we go into Independence Day weekend will be the beginning of a great celebration for our City, Mayor Gavin Buckley said in an announcement. I look forward to their arrival and I encourage our residents and visitors to line the harbor to see them. It will be a magnificent sight.
Casey said the adults also become excited like kids during summer learning. They all want to learn something new. And when they do, Casey said, they explore it on their own. She used the Women in the American Revolution class as an example. Once they learned about the women in class, they researched more about them on their own and would say things like, Betsy Ross didnt really sew the flag, Casey said.
DeLeonardo said he generally never looks to change what he does unless I feel I really have something to add. He said the job change is not as if hes running away from something, but he felt compelled to contribute to the community in a different way. He said he feels well suited to help people in the courtroom after spending 15 years as a prosecutor and 10 years on the defense side.
City leaders are to unveil at 11 a.m. the memorial of five pillars before a passage of the First Amendment carved in stone. The ceremony will be held at the corner of Compromise and Newman streets at the small park across from the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel. Crews will begin at 6:30 a.m. closing the streets, including Compromise Street to Eastport and lanes over the Spa Creek bridge to downtown.
We all have the same goals, Nyland said. We just may be moving slower than you would like to, and, again, I take full responsibility for those decisions that get made, but understand Im making those decisions using my best judgment, using the best medical advice I have and in order to protect the entire community.
Industry officials are hoping all goes smooth to move past a chapter last year of deadly outbreaks on cruise ships that prompted ships to be rejected at ports and passengers to be forced into quarantine. Some passengers died of COVID-19 at sea while others fell so ill they had to be carried out of the vessels on stretchers.
In a major 1995 story in The Sun on Tyler and his role in forestry, writer Tom Horton detailed this mans incredible passion for the land and its ecological health. Tom Tyler told me he worried that he would be in trouble with his corporate bosses after the article mentioned how he did not care much for the corporate division that was selling off forest lands for development nor for sloppy harvesting practices of others. When he was summoned to appear at a corporate meeting at Virginia headquarters, he feared the worst. At the meeting, when the CEO raised a copy of The Sun article which all attendees had seen, Tom thought he was going to be fired.
Dozens of Afghan Americans stood in front of the White House to welcome Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani who on Friday (local time) met US President Joe Biden for the first face-to-face interaction ahead of the remaining US and NATO forces' withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11.

A protest was also organized by Afghan-American communities for the rights of all ethnic groups and for the guarantee of a just and lasting peace in Afghanistan that is acceptable to all. The protestors carried banners, one of which read: "We want a Democratic Afghanistan"

The diaspora stressed that the people of Afghanistan want Pakistan to take practical and transparent steps to close the Taliban bases and end its support for the insurgent group in the wake of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Afghans had among the banners with calls for Pakistan that read "Taliban has sanctuary in Pakistan."

"We are here to welcome our President Ashraf Ghani but our main purpose to gather here is to stop the proxy war in Afghanistan that Pakistan has been supporting and they are trying to destabilize the region," said Sharifullah Sharafat an Afghan American now living in Washington DC.

Khalida, a woman activist among the crowd, shared her vision of her homeland. "Our government is totally Islamic but Pakistan wants to put their way of Islam in Afghanistan. We want our government to have a constitutional law," she said.

The Afghan diaspora is worried about Pakistan's failure to live up to its promises of containing the Taliban has contributed to the unending cycle of violence in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan needs to stop backing Taliban, they need to stop supporting terror. As a US citizen I also appeal to the Biden administration to end all financial aid to Pakistan," Mirwais, a demonstrator said while speaking to ANI.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that he warned Biden that Washington's move of withdrawing troops will have consequences for both sides, though he did not ask Biden to delay the withdrawal.

"President Biden's decision is a transformational decision that is going to have consequential results both for the people of Afghanistan and for the people of the United States in the region," Ghani said during remarks in Washington.

Ghani further said that discussions with the US have been very productive and countries in the region should "bet" on the Afghan government to remain in power, not on other forces. He said that Biden has made clear that the United States will continue to provide security and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

Furthermore, the Afghan President announced that Afghan security forces have taken back a number of districts that had fallen to the Taliban in southern and northern Afghanistan. Ghani called on the Taliban for a ceasefire and to return to the political process.

Biden and Ghani met at the White House as US troops are leaving Afghanistan after over two decades of military operations there. The United States has already withdrawn more than half of its troops from Afghanistan and expects to largely complete withdrawal by July, well ahead of the September 11 deadline.

The White House has earlier announced a series of measures to provide assistance to the South Asian country amid troop withdrawal, including donating three million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to the people of Afghanistan through the COVAX facility.

Additionally, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is also supporting Afghan efforts to respond to the critical shortfalls in oxygen and medical ventilation support by providing emergency and structural assistance. (ANI)
But other states are marching in the opposite direction. Although South Carolina teenagers can consent at 16, and doctors may perform certain medically necessary procedures without parental permission on even younger children, a bill in the legislature would explicitly bar providers from giving the COVID shot without parental consent to minors. In Oregon, where the age of medical consent is 15, Linn County ordered county-run clinics to obtain parental consent for the COVID shot for anyone under 18. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which has been tracking COVID-related bills, some states, including Tennessee and Alabama, are working on legislation to prevent public schools from requiring COVID shots.
But according to a report published in November by Border Monitoring, a German charity, at least 48 cases had been identified just on Chios and Lesbos, where the defendants did not profit in any way from the smuggling business. According to Valeria Hansel, one of the authors of the report, that number was likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, since most arrests take place on boats, making it hard to monitor them.
Murphy said Robinson also robbed a tourist from St. Louis who was in town for a baseball game about 7:14 a.m. June 13 at 95 E. Congress Parkway. As the 50-year-old woman walked to a coffee shop and turned a corner, Robinson exited an alley and walked past her before asking her whether she was following him. She said no and continued her walk until she felt someone strike the back of her head with an object multiple times, Murphy said.
Edmond Harris, 18, is accused of killing Javier Ramos, 46, on March 23 and was taken into federal custody Friday morning. Harris had an initial appearance Friday afternoon where he pleaded not guilty to carjacking, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and causing death through the use of a firearm, Joseph D. Fitzpatrick, assistant U.S. attorney of the Northern District of Illinois, said in a news release.
Meanwhile, three Chicago drivers have launched a David vs. Goliath fight that likely will earn them some love from both City Hall and motorists in this town if they win. Theyre suing Chicago Parking Meters LLC over what they say is a 75-year monopoly. The much reviled deal hammered out by then Mayor Richard M. Daleys administration  and hastily approved by City Council  granted the company an exclusive lease deal on the meters if they paid $1.16 billion up front.
China's top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said on Friday that Chinese vaccines are effective against the COVID-19 Delta variant, and he urged more people to be vaccinated.



Zhong said the epidemic resurgence in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, was the first time that China had to cope with the Delta variant spreading in communities. The variant, which was first identified in India, has a shorter incubation period and those who are infected take a longer time to recover.

A total of 153 cases were reported in Guangzhou starting in May, but no new local cases were reported from June 19 to 24.

"More people need to be vaccinated to establish herd immunity," said Zhong.

As of Thursday, more than 1.1 billion doses of vaccines have been administered on the Chinese mainland.
Carrie Lam, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and newly appointed HKSAR government officials vowed on Friday to make greater contributions to the country and Hong Kong.



Lee Ka-chiu was appointed Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government, and Tang Ping-keung was appointed Secretary for Security. Siu Chak-yee was appointed Commissioner of Police.

At a press conference, Lam spoke highly of the work done by the three officials over the past years when Hong Kong met with unprecedented difficulties.

"I'm confident that they will continue to rise to challenges, give full play to their strengths in their respective posts, and make greater contributions to the country and Hong Kong as best as they can," Lam said.

Pledging full support for the administration of the HKSAR chief executive, Lee highlighted the work to implement "one country, two systems" in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law and practice the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong."

He promised to maintain the high government efficiency, assist the chief executive in fighting COVID-19, and help Hong Kong further integrate into national development and maintain long-term prosperity and stability.

Tang said protecting Hong Kong and serving its residents are his lifelong aspirations.

Tang said he and disciplined services will continue to crack down on crimes, prevent homegrown terrorism, and fend off acts endangering national security by external forces and their local proxies so that the peaceful life of Hong Kong residents will be guaranteed.

Siu said the police will give priority to safeguarding national security, protecting Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and guaranteeing people's safety, and will work to let all Hong Kong people feel that the police are a professional force with their hearts being with the community.
The Museum of the Communist Party of China. [Photo/VCG]

The newly inaugurated Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has incorporated the latest in digital technologies, enabling visitors to enjoy an immersive experience while learning about the Party's history.

Composed of seven 24K-resolution screens, a panoramic theater will bring visitors to the sites of key battles on the Long March of the Red Army led by the CPC between 1934 and 1936.

The theater is a highlight of the new museum, epitomizing the combination of digital technology and Party history education.

Taking consideration of space, heat dissipation and energy conservation, the project team equipped the theater with low-power consumption LED screens which produce less blue light and also feature such functions as smart dehumidification, said Zhuang Yan, vice general manager of Crystal CG, the digital imaging company which designed and built the theater.

He explained that a smart control system independently developed by the company empowers 4D film presentation in the theater, with wind, snow, temperature changes and other simulated physical effects enhancing the viewing experience.

Apart from the Long March, films about other major events in the Party's history will also be shown in the theater. In order to faithfully present these events, the project team reviewed a wide range of historical documents, consulted experts on the Party's history and visited revolutionary bases to collect firsthand materials, Zhuang said.

Cutting-edge display technologies including motion capture and 3D scanning were also employed in making the films to increase realism, he said.

"By using all these technologies, we hope to visualize important moments in the Party's century-long journey and take visitors back in time," Zhuang said. "As a company affiliated with Beijing State-owned Assets Management, we feel honored and proud to participate in the construction of the museum."

Located in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, the Museum of the CPC is devoted to permanent and comprehensive exhibitions of the Party's history. Its construction started on Sept. 10, 2018, and was completed on May 5, 2020. The new landmark museum is set to open to the public after July 1.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday said that China will continue to make all-out efforts in participating in UN affairs, safeguard the status of the UN, and promote the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.



Wang made the remarks when attending the Lanting Forum on China and the UN: Cooperation in 50 Years and Beyond held on Friday in Beijing.

On Oct. 25 1971, the UN General Assembly at its 26th Session adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority. It decides to restore all lawful rights of the People's Republic of China at the UN and to recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations.

It was a victory for New China's diplomacy, a victory for justice and fairness in the world, and a victory for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Wang noted. The force for world peace and development was stronger than ever before, he said.

As the world's largest developing country and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China always honors the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and vigorously promotes the spirit and approach of multilateralism. It has made tireless efforts and important contributions to development and progress of mankind, Wang said.

At this new historical starting point, China will continue to make all-out efforts in participating in UN affairs, safeguard the status of the UN, and promote the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Wang said, adding that China will uphold the banner of true multilateralism, and, together with the rest of the world, forge ahead for greater peace and development of mankind.

The Lanting Forum was held by the China Public Diplomacy Association, during which the official logo to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations was released.

Representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations in China, diplomatic envoys of some countries in China, representatives of relevant departments and social organizations involved in China's cooperation with the United Nations, experts and scholars attended the forum.
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China urges the United States to respect the facts, stop using various excuses to obstruct the law enforcement by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and refrain from shielding suspects, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.



Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to the U.S. statement on the closure of Apple Daily.

Hong Kong is a society under the rule of law where everyone is equal before the law, the spokesperson said, adding that no one has extra-legal privileges, and no institution is an extra-legal entity.

Zhao said the Hong Kong police act in strict accordance with the law against individuals and companies suspected of endangering national security and that it is a just move to combat crime and maintain the rule of law and social order.

"We firmly support the HKSAR government and the police in performing their duties in accordance with the law, and firmly support all efforts to maintain national security and the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong," Zhao said.

The law on safeguarding national security in the HKSAR focuses on cracking down on a handful of anti-China, destabilizing forces who seriously endanger national security, but it protects the rights and freedom enjoyed by the vast majority of Hong Kong residents in accordance with the law, including freedom of the press, he said.

Zhao pointed out that since the implementation of the national security law, social stability has been restored in Hong Kong, the rule of law and justice have been upheld, and the lawful rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents and foreign citizens in the city are better protected in a safer environment, which is an undeniable fact.

Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs, Zhao noted, adding that no organization or individual has the right to make irresponsible remarks.

"The United States should respect the facts, stop obstructing the law enforcement by the HKSAR and shielding suspects under various pretext, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," Zhao said.
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Colombian President Ivan Duque said on Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several other officials was struck by multiple bullets in the southern Catatumbo region.

The incident took place while the president's helicopter was flying through the Catatumbo region toward the city of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province.

"The presidential helicopter was the target of an attack," Duque said, adding that he was accompanied by Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and governor of Norte de Santander Silvano Serrano.

No one was injured in the attack, the president said in a statement.

"The truth is that it is a cowardly attack, where the impact of the bullets can be seen on the presidential aircraft. Once again, we reiterate that as a government we are not going to falter for a single moment, a single day, in the fight against drug trafficking, against terrorism and organized crime," said Duque.

He added that he would not allow himself to "be intimidated" by "acts of terrorism."

"I have also given very clear instructions to the entire security team to go after those who shot at the aircraft and put the lives of people at risk," Duque said.
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Former U.S. police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 270 months, or 22.5 years in prison, for the 2020 murder of African American George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota state.



Chauvin, 45, "is the first white officer in Minnesota to face prison time for the killing of a black man," according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Responding to the sentencing, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House, "I don't know all the circumstances that were considered, but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate."

"Your skin color should not define who you are. It should never be a weapon," Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, said after the sentencing.

"We need to recognize the pain of the Floyd family," Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said in court.

However, the sentence was "not based on emotion or sympathy," Cahill said.

In his earlier ruling, the judge concluded that Chauvin abused his "position of trust and authority" as a police officer and displayed "particular cruelty" when he knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during his arrest on May 25 last year. Floyd was pronounced dead at hospital later on the day.

Prior to the sentencing, the court heard victim-impact statements from four members of Floyd's family, while Chauvin's mother pleaded for leniency, and Chauvin gave brief remarks that included expressing his condolences over Floyd's death.

"On behalf of me and my family, we seek the maximum penalty," said Terrence Floyd, the younger brother of George Floyd, saying he believed if it had been a black man killing a white man there would be little doubt what kind of verdict the court would hand down.

"If it was us, if the roles was reversed, there wouldn't be no case," he said. "It would have been open and shut. We'd have been under the jail for murdering somebody. So, we ask for that same penalty for Derek Chauvin."

Chauvin declined to give a formal statement in court, citing "additional legal matters." Instead, he expressed his condolences to the Floyd family in a brief remark.

"I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family," Chauvin said. "There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest."

"The impact it's had on the community is profound," Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson said prior to the sentencing.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter as well as third-degree murder by a jury in April. Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence.

Under state guidelines, the maximum sentence for unintentional murder in the second degree is 40 years. Since Chauvin has no previous criminal record, the presumptive sentence is 12.5 years, with an acceptable deviation range of 10.67 years to 15 years.

Floyd's death sparked weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism last summer, leading to the creation of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a sweeping police reform bill that Congress has been working to reach a bipartisan consensus on for months.
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The 9th World Peace Forum (WPF) will be held July 2-4 at Tsinghua University in Beijing to find creative solutions for global issues and further promote international security.

With the theme of "International Security Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era: Upholding and Practicing Multilateralism," this year's forum will discuss the most pressing international concerns, and conduct in-depth dialogue on how to facilitate international security via scientific and technological progress, how to manage differences between major countries, and how to promote cooperation on pandemic control measures, among others.

Former political leaders, diplomatic envoys to China, heads of think tanks, experts and scholars from both home and abroad will attend the forum either in person or online. According to WPF Secretary General Yan Xuetong at a press briefing on Friday, confirmed participants in the online forum include the former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, former Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Consisting of four plenaries and 21 panel discussions, the forum will cover a wide range of topics at both international and regional levels, including China-U.S. relations, the Belt and Road Initiative and post-pandemic economic recovery, Asia-Pacific security cooperation, and the roles of BRICS countries and ASEAN.

Specific subjects also on the agenda include strategic arms reduction, nuclear nonproliferation, international counterterrorism cooperation, artificial intelligence, climate change and supply chain restructuring.

The World Peace Forum is a non-governmental high-level global forum hosted by Tsinghua University in collaboration with the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. It aims to provide a platform for international strategists and think tank leaders to discuss global security issues and find constructive solutions. Since it was first convened in 2012, the WPF has had eight offline sessions up to 2019 and was moved online last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
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We can confirm that an American Airlines flight traveling to Philadelphia returned to Bradley International Airport after reporting an issue and landed safely at the airport at approximately 1:45 p.m. The airport is open and there is no impact to flight operations, said airport spokeswoman Alisa Sisic.
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K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday handed over 330 double bedroom houses to beneficiaries residing in Ambedkarnagar near the Hussainsagar in Secunderabad. (Photo:DC/Surenderreddy Singireddy)

HYDERABAD: Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday handed over 330 double bedroom houses to beneficiaries residing in Ambedkarnagar near the Hussainsagar in Secunderabad. The houses have been built under the state governments dignity housing scheme.

Expressing his delight at the project, Rama Rao said that the market rate of each flat in Ambedkarnagar would sum up to Rs1.5 crore. He said that no other state has taken up a housing programme of this magnitude.

The minister pointed out that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was standing by the people and helping them realise their dreams like having an own house and performing marriages of daughters through the Kalyana Laxmi and Shadi Mubarak schemes. He appealed to the beneficiaries to not dump waste in the Hussainsagar Lake. He asked them to plant saplings and make the area green.

Each dwelling unit would cost Rs 8.65 lakh, including infrastructure. Apart from a lift, the projects have overhead tanks, sumps, streetlights, and shops, which would be leased out, within the premises.

Animal husbandry minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Mayor G. Vijayalakshmi and GHMC officials were present.
The recent charges of corruption in the purchase of land for the construction of the Ram Temple complex at Ayodhya has led to animated discussions in Lucknow about how Opposition leader, AAPs Uttar Pradesh in-charge Sanjay Singh, managed to lay his hands on the documents about the deals. People in Uttar Pradesh were surprised how the Opposition managed to get hold of these papers because chief minister Yogi Adityanath has a vice-like grip on the administration and anyone suspected of leaking such information or even talking about it publicly would normally be handed out stringent punishment. There is also all-round agreement that the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh is incapable of unearthing such exposes as it is virtually defunct. It is, therefore, surmised that the documents were leaked with Yogi Adityanaths permission. According to the grapevine, the chief minister wanted to get back at the BJP leadership after he was pulled up by the party top brass for flying solo and marginalising his party colleagues. The temple construction committee of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust is headed by Nripendra Misra, Prime Minister Narendra Modis former principal secretary, while Champat Rai, also known to be close to Modi, is the Trust general secretary. It is for the Trust office-bearers to defend these allegations while Yogi is out of the picture.

When he was replaced as leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly last month, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala shot off a letter to party president Sonia Gandhi to complain about the insulting manner in which he had been eased out. He has since been making amends by posting his old photographs with Indira and Rajiv Gandhi on his Twitter handle to underline his special bond with the Congress and the Gandhi family. For instance, one post shows a photograph of Indira Gandhi campaigning in Chennithalas constituency while another tweet mentions how she signed a letter appointing him as NSUI president chief at the airport before boarding a flight to Russia. Similarly, there are several pictures of Chennithala with Rajiv Gandhi while on tour and one of Gandhi attending the Kerala leaders wedding reception where he told him about his appointment as Youth Congress president. Chennithalas efforts in getting back into the good books of the Gandhis may well pay off, as there are reports he has been promised a slot as Congress general secretary in Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis assurance at an all-party meeting last week that holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir is a priority, is in line with the BJPs eagerness to test the electoral waters in the newly-carved Union territory. Though the BJP did not fare well in last years local elections, the party has not given up on its ambition to install a Hindu chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir as it believes the redrawing of the constituencies by the Delimitation Commission will work to its advantage. Failing this, the BJP is also extending an olive branch to National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah in the belief he will be amenable to an understanding with the saffron camp. The National Conference has aligned with the BJP in the past and it could well do so in the future. There are unconfirmed reports that back-channel discussions with Abdullah have already been initiated.

The Congress leadership has reason to worry as its party units in several poll-bound states are in turmoil. While the never-ending battle between Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and his bete noire Navjot Singh Sidhu can only be described as a soap opera, the situation is no better in Uttarakhand. The post of legislative party leader in Uttarakhand fell vacant recently after senior leader Indira Hridayeshs death but the party is struggling to find her replacement. State unit president Pritam Singh is being persuaded to take over this post but he has declined and threatened to resign if the Central leadership insists on giving him Hridayeshs job. Former chief minister Harish Rawat is keen that his rival Pritam Singh accept this post because then the latter will not be directly involved in the distribution of tickets for the Assembly polls, giving the former chief minister a free hand in picking his own candidates.

There is a strong buzz in Madhya Pradesh political circles that newly-minted BJP member Jyotiraditya Scindia is eyeing Indore as his next Lok Sabha constituency. This speculation has gathered momentum as the frequency of Mr Scindias trips to Indore has increased in recent months. Ideally, Mr Scindia would like to return to the Gwalior Parliamentary seat. But he is being given a hard time in his old pocket boroughs of Gwalior and Guna by the sitting MPs Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar and Krishna Pal Singh Yadav. Both the BJP leaders have the distinction of defeating Mr Scindia in his stronghold and they are clearly in no hurry to cede ground to him again. Meanwhile, there is no end to their turf war as all three are quick to take credit for any development work undertaken in the region.
Chanakya had a basic dictum: you cannot rule a people against their will. Perpetual intimidation of an unwilling populace is a tempting but unworkable solution. You have to win the trust of those you govern. It is good that this principle is at last being followed by the BJP government at the Centre where Kashmir is concerned. The importance of Prime Minister Modis meeting with 14 leaders from Kashmir on June 24 has to be understood in this context.

Since August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was revoked, the people of Kashmir have literally been incarcerated in their own homes. Landline, mobile and Internet connections were cut; as many as 3,800 political leaders and activists were jailed or put under house arrest; curfews and lockdowns were imposed; and an army of troops and police personnel converted the Valley into occupied barracks.

The time to break through this impasse was long overdue. The PM himself acknowledged that he would have had the meeting earlier, where he could meet leaders face to face instead of virtually, but for Covid.

The most important takeaway from the meeting was that the principal Opposition parties in Kashmir, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC), attended. Both Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were present. The second takeaway was that, in spite of the strong feelings in both these parties against the abrogation of Article 370  on which the Centre would not yield  there was no veto on discussions, and other issues of great import could be discussed.

The discussion on Article 370 was deflected by the simple fact that the question of its constitutionality was before the Supreme Court (SC) and, therefore, sub judice. There is, indeed, a good case for the reservations of the Kashmiri parties on the manner in which Article was revoked. According to the Constitution, while 370 is a temporary measure and can be done away with, this step requires a recommendation from the J&K Assembly. This was not obtained. The Assembly had been suspended. There was Presidents rule. The powers of the Assembly were being exercised by the Centre directly through the governor. The government thus obtained the recommendation from the governor, their own nominee. That was tantamount to seeking concurrence from itself. The decision is under challenge, and rightly so, in the SC, and we would respectfully urge the highest court to expedite a decision.

Two other issues were on the table: the restoration of full statehood to J&K, and the holding of democratic elections. There is understandable resentment in Kashmir that their state has been converted into a Union Territory (UT). The Centre wisely gave in to this demand. The PM reiterated his resolve to restore statehood, and Amit Shah said that he had given this assurance on the floor of the House. The holding of democratic elections were made conditional on the completion of the delimitation exercise in J&K.

Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of the Assembly seats to represent changes in the population over time. Although delimitation for the rest of India is scheduled for 2026, there is no doubt that delimitation is overdue in J&K. Earlier, delimitation exercises were done in 1963, 1975 and 1995. Since no census was carried out in the state in 1991, there has been no delimitation since 2001. Delimitation will have an impact on the number of seats currently divided between Jammu and Kashmir. Currently, Kashmir has 46 seats, and Jammu 37. It is expected that after delimitation the number of seats in Jammu would go up, thereby upsetting the current numerical domination of Kashmir representatives.

The Delimitation Commission for J&K was set up on March 6, 2020, under the chairpersonship of retired SC judge, Ranjana Prakash Desai, with the mandate to finish the exercise in one year. The other members of the Commission were Union minister Jitendra Singh, Jugal Kishore Sharma of the BJP, and Farooq Abdullah, Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi of the NC. The Commission did not hold a single meeting until February 2021, ostensibly due to the pandemic. In the first meeting, only the BJP representatives attended. The NC leaders boycotted the meeting to protest against the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.

The key question is whether the representatives of the NC, and, indeed, other key Opposition parties like the PDP, will now cooperate with the delimitation process. Not having completed its work in the one-year deadline, the Commission has been given a years extension that lapses in March 2022. It is very important to keep to this deadline since the holding of democratic elections is conditional on it. Ultimately, the return of democracy in the troubled state is the best antidote to the existing resentment and anger. Democracy  if genuine  gives people the ventilation valve to express their feelings, and feel that they are stakeholders in unfolding events.

The way forward will be hugely dependent on the creation of trust, ending the dil ki doori. The Centre will have to walk the extra mile to ensure this. Its past actions have militated directly against it. Apart from incarcerating an entire state, BJP leaders have till recently reviled the grouping of the Opposition parties in Kashmir as the Gupkar gang. The Centre must take necessary steps to rectify the memories of the past, release political detainees wherever feasible, and carry out the delimitation exercise with utmost transparency and sincerity. An onus also rests on political parties in Kashmir. They must desist from taking extreme positions dictated by a sense of catering to the anger among the Kashmiris. They must work, as Ghulam Nabi Azad said, for the rehabilitation of the Kashmiri Pandits. And, they must desist from making  as Mehbooba Mufti seemed to suggest  Pakistan a stakeholder in what is entirely an internal matter of India. The Central government would also have to retain its full vigilance against terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which would do its best to derail a peace and reconciliation process. With trust as a weapon, the entire country hopes that normalcy would soon be restored, and we would have a Naya Kashmir.
Vijayawada city police officers conduct special awareness drive with Ward Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarshis (Mahila Police) and Mahila Mitra volunteers to sensitize women about the installation of the DISHA App and its usage in times of emergency. (Twitter/@VjaCityPolice)

VIJAYAWADA: Home minister Mekatothi Sucharita has appealed to girls and women to learn about the Disha mobile phone application and use it for thier safety and protection. She launched a special drive to promote Disha mobile application in an event at Nallapadu High School in Guntur on Friday.

The minister said 15 lakh people so far have downloaded Disha application on their mobiles and are using this. Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy had called for the special drive to spread awareness Disha. Some 50,000 persons downloaded this in the past two days.

Sucharita explained that the mobile application sends an alert to the Disha control room when a woman or girl in distress just shook the mobile phone that has the App. The app also provides another way of seeking help by pressing a button on the phone. In emergency situations, the victim can send an alert to the police by simply shaking the phone, she said.

The home minister said the personnel at Disha control room will, in turn, alert the police at the nearest point, to enable them rush in with help by using GPS-equipped vehicles. The application has latest features such as video and audio recordings.

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A controversial statue of actress Marilyn Monroe stands in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Springs, California, U.S., June 23. Reuters-Yonhap





Marilyn Monroe is back in Palm Springs, California, in a big way - but not everyone is thrilled.







A 26-ft (7.9-m) tall statue of the Hollywood icon in her famous billowing white dress was unveiled in front of the Palm Springs Art Museum, facing Palm Canyon Drive, the city's main tourist strip, last Sunday.







The artwork, sculpted by John Seward Johnson II in 2011, was inspired by a scene from the film, "The Seven Year Itch." It first came to Palm Springs in 2012 as a rental for 26 months and moved to New Jersey in 2014, said Aftab Dada, chairman of P.S. Resorts, a local hospitality group.







The statue is already popular for snapshots and the community is expecting it to increase visitor traffic based on past experience, Dada said. "And at that time in 2012, '13, '14, the social media explosion wasn't as great as it is now," he added.







Palm Springs resident John McDermott, 77, stopped by on his morning bike ride.







"I speak for the vast majority of the residents of Palm Springs, where everybody is ecstatic to have her back here, absolutely ecstatic," McDermott said. "It's good for the community, it's good for businesses. This is going to be the Eiffel Tower of Palm Springs."







But the view turned off Brooks Thomas, 50, a Palm Springs resident for eight years.







"It's absurd that you're going to leave the museum and see the backside of someone's underpants," he said. "People have all kinds of issues with other things that they find obscene, but this you know, they think it's acceptable."







When the statue was unveiled, protesters including the Women's March Foundation chanted that it was misogynistic and exploitative. Its location also rankled critics.







Chris Menrad founded the Committee to Relocate Marilyn, which filed a lawsuit citing public codes, and has raised more than $70,000 to remove it.







The statue was in the middle of a new street that had been created to open up the museum and connect it to Palm Canyon Drive, Menad said.







"We have an issue with placing a large statue that is blocking that view on a quote unquote, temporary basis that everybody knows is not going to be temporary," said Menrad.







"Forever Marilyn" is expected to stay in Palm Springs for three years. (Reuters)


David Bowie / Courtesy of Sony Music Korea





A painting by British pop icon David Bowie recently discovered and purchased for about $4 at a Canadian store that resells donated goods, has been sold at auction in Toronto for nearly $90,000, the auction house said Friday.







The sale price blew past auction house Cowley Abbot's estimated $7,000 to $10,000 valuation of the diminutive artwork, which went to an American collector.







Auctioneer Rob Cowley said a dozen bidders vied for the computer and acrylic collage on canvas that is part of the so-called D Head series of portraits of the Ziggy Stardust rocker himself, his friends, and others that he painted between 1995 and 1997.







The 24 by 20 centimeter painting of a pale figure dressed in teal clothes, with teal and red hair on a crimson background, was originally sold through a website around 2001.







It somehow found itself two decades later at a donations store in South River, Ontario  300 kilometers north of Toronto  where the anonymous buyer bought it.







"We were very excited to discover that the artwork was original and authentic," Cowley had told AFP at the start of the two-week online auction.







Bowie's signed initials on the back, he said, were authenticated by a Bowie autographs expert.







The seller is "delighted and shocked" that the painting fetched such a high price, Cowley said.







Bowie attended art school and collected hundreds of art works during his lifetime that were sold off for tens of millions of dollars after his death.







But his own pieces rarely go on sale, according to Cowley.







Starting with "Space Oddity" in 1969, Bowie scored hit after hit over more than four decades, ranging from "The Jean Genie" and "Heroes" in the 1970s to "Let's Dance" and "Modern Love" in the 80s, and more recently the wistful "Where Are We Now?" in 2013.







Two days after the release of his 25th studio album, "Blackstar," on his 69th birthday, Bowie died of cancer, January 10, 2016. (AFP)


A North Korean fighter jet is seen taking off from an airbase near Pyongyang in this frame grab from a video released by North Korea's Korean Central Television in 2020 April. Yonhap





North Korea is conducting "major maintenance and expansion" at its Sunchon Airbase, home to the most modern aircraft in the country's aging fleet, according to satellite imagery analyzed by Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies.







Improvements to the base, located about 25 miles northeast of Pyongyang, include repairs and the extension of runways, taxiways and aircraft apron, according to an online report published Thursday by the Beyond Parallel project of CSIS.







The upgrades appear to be timed to coincide with the annual summer training cycle of the Korean People's Air and Air-Defense Force, in which "KPAF aircraft are redeployed for flight training and to test operational readiness," the report's authors, Joseph Bermudez and Victor Cha, wrote.







The airbase is home to Unit 1017 of the KPAF, which operates the country's only MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft  Soviet-era fighter planes originally delivered in the 1980s, which remain the most advanced combat planes in North Korea's inventory.







The maintenance and expansion project at Sunchon was first observed in April, when the Su-25 ground attack and MiG-29 fighter aircraft were moved to different bases, which the report said indicated that a surprising number of the planes were still in working order.







The move was "highly suggestive of a far higher level of flight readiness than is normally attributed to these units, although this does not necessarily equate to combat readiness," the report said.







In a blog posting earlier this week, Joseph Dempsey of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies analyzed satellite imagery of Sunchon from March and counted 12 MiG-29s and 31 Su-25s at the base before they were moved.







"Given that the IISS previously estimated a total inventory of 34 Su-25s and at least 18 MiG-29s, this means the KPAF was able to fly out nearly all of its [Su-25] fleet, as well as two-thirds of its MiG-29s," Dempsey wrote.







North Korea's "air force has shown ingenuity and adaptability in keeping many obsolescent or obsolete types in service far beyond what might have been expected," Dempsey added.







However, Pyongyang's aging aircraft remain decades behind those of its neighbor in Seoul. South Korea's inventory currently includes 24 F-35A stealth fighters purchased from the United States, with plans to increase the number to 60. The South also unveiled the prototype of its first homegrown fighter aircraft, the KF-21 Boramae, in April.







North Korea has loudly complained about the stealth fighter sale from the United States in the past, calling it a grave provocation that exacerbates tensions on the Korean Peninsula.







While Washington officials have publicly expressed a willingness to restart diplomatic efforts with North Korea, Pyongyang rebuffed the calls this week, with foreign minister Ri Son Gwon saying Wednesday that North Korea was "not considering even the possibility of any contact with the U.S." (UPI)


People wait in long lines for COVID-19 tests at a separate temporary testing facility for foreign nationals in front of the Geumcheon District Office in Seoul, March 21. Yonhap





By Lee Hyo-jin







A coalition of over 40 civic organizations around the issue of human rights for migrants is calling on the government to ensure that all residents of foreign nationality have equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, pointing out that they are equal members of society and should not be excluded from the vaccine rollout.







The government announced earlier that individuals of foreign nationality who have lived in Korea for over three months, including undocumented residents, will be vaccinated just like Korean nationals.







However, some residents of foreign nationality are being left out of the vaccination drive, according to a statement released by the coalition on Thursday.








More than 95 percent of service members aged under 30 have received their first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine after the government began its inoculation campaign for younger soldiers earlier this month, the defense ministry said Saturday.



A total of 395,677 troops in their 20s, or 95.4 percent of the age group, had been vaccinated as of Friday, according to the ministry.



The defense ministry began its campaign in March and has been implementing it in phases. Soldiers aged 30 and older were given AstraZeneca's vaccine, and they will receive their second shots starting July.






Yoo Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), a former four-term lawmaker and a former presidential candidate in the 2017 election, looks at a memorial of the war dead during his visit to the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Friday, the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, in this photo provided by Yoo's office. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



Members of the country's conservative opposition bloc have criticized President Moon Jae-in's recent interview with Time magazine, taking issue with Moon's description of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un as honest, enthusiastic and determined, as well as the timing of the article's publication on Thursday, the day before the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.



Yoo Seong-min of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), a former four-term lawmaker and former presidential candidate in the 2017 election, posted on Facebook Thursday that Moon's courting of Kim is delusional and upsets South Korean people, especially considering North Korea has issued a series of statements mocking Moon and his peace efforts.



"Who is Kim Jong-un's honesty, passion and determination for? Is it for North Korean people? Is it for South Korean people? Or is it for North Korea's nuclear missiles?" Yoo said. "The appearance of the President being swayed at Kim Jong-un despite so many humiliations is frustrating as a South Korean citizen."



Yoo said inter-Korean relations have deteriorated in recent years despite Moon's diplomatic gestures toward Kim. "Now, after four years of spectacular shows of dialogue with the North, North Korea's nuclear missiles have become a real threat, the Gaeseong liaison office has been blown up by the North and a South Korean government official has been shot and burned by the North," Yoo said.



Other PPP members also criticized Moon's words.



Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leader of the PPP, said during a party meeting held Friday that no matter how much Moon praises the North Korean leader, the facts do not change that Kim Jong-un is a brutal dictator who publicly executed his uncle Jang Song-thaek and had his half-brother Kim Jong-nam assassinated in order to maintain power.





Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, front row second from right, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party, and other PPP members pay a silent tribute to patriotic martyrs who died during the 1950-53 Korean War, during a party meeting held at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday, the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun
gettyimagesbank





With South Korea's presidential election less than nine months away, the race promises to be a tight battle between the ruling and opposition blocs.







The curtain is about to rise first on the primary of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and this is getting off to a rough start, as demonstrated by in-house disputes over when to choose its standard bearer.







A boisterous, albeit failed, attempt to postpone the contest by dozens of lawmakers who are apparently opposed to the front-runner Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, portends a fierce contest and probably more serious wrangles before a winner is decided on in early September  the aftermath of which could be damaging.







From left, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, and former Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun / Yonhap





The DPK's primary is shaping up virtually as a competition between the governor and some other mainstream contenders close to President Moon Jae-in, who under the Constitution is prohibited from seeking reelection.







Lee is the party's only figure to consistently score double digits in popularity surveys, far ahead of two former prime ministers  Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun  and several other aspirants, including former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.







It is unclear whether Lee will be the DPK's nominee, given a host of uncertainties typical of the country's dynamic politics.







Even if he is selected, Lee will likely face the daunting task of drumming up unified support from members and supporters of the party.







He does not belong to the DPK's inner circle, and has no career background linked to the National Assembly.







It is an open secret that a number of party members, largely diehard supporters of Moon, have antipathy toward Lee, a former lawyer and mayor of Seongnam, just south of Seoul. The emotional rift dates back to the 2017 primary, during which Lee, then an underdog, ferociously challenged Moon.







Some local media have raised speculation about a potential anti-Lee coalition, led by the two former prime ministers, throughout the primary expected to kick off next week with the registration of candidates.







Lee is seemingly looking to overtly differentiate his policy goals from those of Moon, as such an approach is a proven way for the ruling party's candidate to win in the presidential election with an image of change and forward-looking leadership.







Public fatigue and displeasure are widespread over Moon's policies, especially those related to real estate.







The governor's dilemma is that he needs backing from the pro-Moon forces to secure the party's ticket and win the spring election. There is no clear indication yet that Moon has become a lame duck, with his approval rating staying at around 40 percent, relatively high for a South Korean president in their final year in office.







DPK officials also have the traumatic experiences of losing the presidential elections in 2007 and 2012 in the midst of sharp internal conflicts and divisions.







"At that time, our party remained divided internally," a DPK official privy to relevant information said, requesting anonymity. "Such rifts between rival camps are usual in the process of presidential primaries. But we failed to patch them up smoothly."







He expects things to be different this time, as party members have learnt lessons from the harsh consequences of divisions and election defeats.







If Lee is chosen as the party's candidate, pro-Moon forces will eventually have to embrace him in a strategic move for the presidential race, the outcome of which will heavily affect the results of the June 1, 2022, local elections, he added.







Meeting with DPK lawmakers, Moon emphasized the importance of a "one-team" mindset.







A few years ago, then party leader Lee Hae-chan repeatedly stated an ambitious vision for the "liberal" party to maintain power for at least two decades. At that time, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) seemed hopeless when it came to the next presidential election.







The tables have since turned, with the PPP's election preparations getting off to a relatively good start.







Multiple polls show a surge in voter support for the main conservative opposition party, with an increased number of people hoping for a transition of power from the DPK.







The PPP has been rebuilt as a party with unified political forces critical of the Moon administration. It gained confidence from its overwhelming victory in the April 7 Seoul and Busan mayoral elections.







Former top prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl / Korea Times file





The key is whether and how to unite the opposition camp and field a single candidate.







Former top prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl looks poised to declare his political ambitions Tuesday, taking the lead in various opinion polls among opposition presidential hopefuls. It seems to be only a matter of time before the rookie politician joins hands with the PPP, although not immediately.







The party is seeking a merger with the minor opposition People's Party headed by Ahn Cheol-soo. The PPP has also allowed the return of Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, a well-known heavyweight, 15 months after his departure to run in the general election as an independent.







Choi Jae-hyung, head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, also appears to be flexing his muscles to run in the presidential election as an opposition candidate.







Earlier this month, the PPP elected Lee Jun-seok, a 36-year-old politician with no experience as a lawmaker, as its leader, a move regarded as reflecting its aspirations for a presidential election victory.







"It demonstrates the strong desire among party members and its supporters for two things: one is winning the presidential election and the other is a generational shift," Park Sung-min, a veteran political consultant, said.







The PPP made the strategic choice to reach out to voters in their 20s and 30s, and publicize its resolve for change, according to Park, head of MIN Consulting.







Many observers are placing their bets on the high chance of a de facto two-way contest for Cheong Wa Dae between the former prosecutor general and the Gyeonggi governor.







They say the question is whether the opposition campaign will unite and Lee gets to bask in the full support of his party.







In the latest Realmeter survey, Yoon garnered 32.3 percent of support from eligible voters nationwide, while Lee received 22.8 percent. (Yonhap)


The railroad bridge over the Han River in 1900 / Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



At the start of the 20th century, the Hangang Railroad Bridge was the first great engineering project to be completed in Korea, and it may have also been one of the most important. Prior to the construction of this bridge, the only way for the average person to cross the river was to walk across the ice during the winter or, when the river was free of ice, to take a boat or small ferry. Both had their risks.



In 1897, the construction of the Seoul-Chemulpo Railroad began. Its construction was fairly simple for the most part, but spanning the river was the most daunting part of the enterprise.



The idea of conquering the river with a bridge instilled a degree of pride in the foreign community. In December 1897, the editor of The Independent, a local paper that published in Hangeul and English, visited the railroad's offices and seemed relatively pleased: "Judging from the plan, it is going to be a noble-looking structure and will probably be the longest steel bridge in this part of the world. The bridge itself will be six hundred and fifty-five feet [about 200 meters] long but, including the approaches at both ends, it will be over a quarter of a mile [about 400 meters] in length."



In closing, the editor wrote, "What a joyful anticipation it is [sic] going down to Chemulpo on a train."



His anticipation lasted much longer than he expected. The company's bridge expert, William H. Holmes, arrived in Korea in early January 1898, and by the end of the month, according to The Independent, he was "now working on the site where the bridge will be erected" and that "the company will use steel and stone alone in building the trestle work at the approaches of the bridge, instead of timber as was reported."





The railroad bridges spanning the river in March 2021 / Robert Neff Collection



There were to be other changes as well. Two weeks later, the newspaper reported:



"It has been decided to do away with all the trestle-work on the Seoul-Chemulpo Railway. By putting in iron bridges. The trestle-work at either extremity of the Han Bridge will also be done away with, and two additional spans of the bridge have been ordered."



He added that this would will increase the actual length of the bridge from 1,650 feet to 2,150 feet, or 503 meters to 655 meters.



The bridge's spans were constructed in the United States and shipped to Korea  arriving in July 1898 aboard a steamship called the Yarrowdale. Even with these new spans there were problems, especially in the summer.



The Han River was described as "ordinarily a shallow stream" but during the summer months it frequently overflowed its banks, inundating the surrounding countryside and washing away construction.





A steam engine crosses over the frozen Han River, circa 1920-1940. / Robert Neff Collection



In October 1899, Horace N. Allen, the American minister to Korea, wrote to his sons that the officials of the Seoul-Chemulpo Railroad "can't hope to have the bridge completed for a year or two because whenever they get the false work well arranged around the piers, a flood comes along and washes it all away."



After the Seoul-Chemulpo Railroad was sold by the American firm to a Japanese firm, Allen's correspondences were filled with negativity, contradictions and deception. As Patrick O'Donnell notes, even in an official report to the State Department, Allen avoided using the word "sold" and instead used "transferred" to describe how the Japanese firm came to control the railroad.



In a report to the State Department in March 1900, Allen claimed, "no one understands Korea better than the Japanese," due to their extensive surveys and maps. However, later in his report, he noted, "the plans of the American contractor [Holmes] for this bridge having been disregarded, two of the piers built by the Japanese have subsided out of line." As a result, the Japanese officials offered a bonus of 100,000 yen to any contractor who could complete the bridge by June.





Under the bridges, circa 1920 / Robert Neff Collection



However, his letter to his sons, from the same period, loses all of its diplomatic tone:



"The Japanese  have offered a contractor a bonus of Yen 100,000 if he will complete the Seoul-Chemulpo bridge by June. It can't be done. Two of the piers have sunk out of line and must be removed, and the plans of the Americans pursued, which the 'smarty' Japanese would not do. They think they know more than anyone and can't learn."



He ended his rant by complaining that people are still forced to disembark on the south side of the river, board a small ferry, and then resume their journey, after crossing the river's sandbank. He somewhat smugly predicted, "It will be bad in the rainy season."





Under the bridges in 2021 / Robert Neff Collection



Allen wasn't the only one with biased opinions. A railway journal from the same year claimed that when construction of the bridge began, many superstitious Koreans "regarded the structure as a monster much to be feared," but fortunately, had not "yet taken the direction of suggesting its destruction." The journal implied the actual destruction that had happened earlier to Seoul's streetcars, when mobs destroyed a couple of streetcars out of the superstitious fear that they were responsible for the drought plaguing the country. It is true that superstitious fear may have played some part in the attacks upon the streetcars, but the primary catalyst seems to have been an unfortunate accident in which a child was struck and killed by one of the streetcars.



This negative portrayal of Koreans is somewhat softened when, in 1905, Holmes provides some interesting insight as to why he changed his plans. According to O'Donnell:



"Holmes and his associates were astonished to learn that Korea had kept accurate records on the Han River related to high-water and low watermarks, tide elevations, ice flows and other general information that dated back five hundred and nine years. The person who kept the records was known as 'the owner of the rivers.' When he was first introduced to the Americans [as] the 'owner of the rivers,' he was somewhat apologetic to the Americans for the period of time encompassed by the available records, explaining that records kept before 1392 had been destroyed by a fire in that year."





Overlooking the bridge in 1900 / Robert Neff Collection



Apparently the data convinced Holmes to adjust his initial plans. And it wasn't only the meticulous records that impressed him  he found the method by which the Korean laborers leveled the roadbeds as crude and slow, but very accurate.



As for Allen, throughout the spring, he remained somewhat skeptical as to the progress of the bridge. It seems almost as if he was hoping it would fail. In a letter to his sons dated June 10, 1900, he wrote:



"The Japanese are working night and day to get the bridge finished before the rainy season and it looks now as though they would succeed if the rains keep off for three or four weeks."





Overlooking the bridge during the Korean War / Robert Neff Collection



He begrudgingly acknowledged that once the bridge was completed, it would be "a great convenience." The railroad officials generously offered to "place a car at [his] disposal without cost" so that he and his wife could take their baggage from Seoul to Chemulpo, but Allen seems to have declined the favor. "I would rather pay as I do not wish to [be] under any obligations to them. I pay enough in railway fares, however."



The bridge was completed on June 27 (much to the relief of the Japanese officials and contractor) and, after a trial run was held on July 5, began operating a few days later. Allen, the man who claimed it could not be done, does not appear to have been on that first train across the river. Perhaps he was too busy eating crow.



If you want to know more about this early railroad in Korea, I strongly recommend Patrick R. O'Donnell's heavily picture-filled book, " Seoul & Chemulpo Railroad: The First Railroad of Korea ."





The view of the bridges on a cold clear day at the beginning of 2021 / Robert Neff Collection
World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus / AP-Yonhap





The highly-contagious Delta variant is causing a surge in new COVID-19 infections even in countries with high vaccination rates  and experts warn that immunization campaigns are in a race against time to contain it.







Globally, the pandemic is still slowing down, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting the lowest number of new cases worldwide since February and decreasing deaths attributed to the coronavirus.







But concerns are growing about the variant, prompting new restrictions in countries that had previously managed to control their epidemics.







"Globally there is currently a lot of concern about the Delta variant  and the WHO is concerned about it too," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference Friday.







"Delta is the most transmissible of the variants identified so far, has been identified in at least 85 countries and is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations.







"As some countries ease public health and social measures, we are starting to see increases in transmission around the world."







Cases are on the rise in Russia, Australia, Israel and across parts of Africa, in part due to Delta.







Other countries fear they could be next.







More contagious







The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in India where it began circulating around April.







In Europe, Delta initially gained a foothold in Britain, where it quickly outpaced the previous variant of concern, Alpha, and now comprises 95 percent of all sequenced cases in England.







Delta is thought to be some 40 to 60 percent more contagious than Alpha, which itself is more contagious than the strain responsible for the first wave of COVID-19.







The pattern has been repeated elsewhere.







In the United States last week, 35 percent of positive tests that were sequenced were identified as the Delta variant, up from about 10 percent on June 5  numbers similar to those being observed in Israel.







The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has estimated Delta could account for 70 percent of new infections in the EU by the beginning of August and 90 percent by the end of that month.











Vaccination the key







Top U.S. infectious disease scientist Anthony Fauci called the variant the "greatest threat" to efforts to control the virus and urged an acceleration in vaccinations, American media reported June 22 (local time).











While several studies have shown that vaccines are slightly less effective against Delta, they are still highly effective  but only after the second dose.







Recent data from the British government shows that full immunization can offer about 96 percent protection against hospitalization and 79 percent protection against symptomatic infection by the Delta variant.







Protection after only one dose, however, is much weaker  35 percent.







'World is failing'







Delta is so contagious that experts say more than 80 percent of a population would need to be vaccinated in order to contain it  a challenging target even for nations with significant inoculation programs.







In Africa, the WHO estimates that only 1 percent of the population is fully vaccinated  the lowest ratio globally.







Tedros said there was a "worrying trend in Africa, It's becoming so dangerous."







The Delta variant has been reported in 14 African countries, accounting for most new cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.







Vaccine doses flowing through the Covax scheme to poorer countries have all but dried up, the WHO said Friday.







"The world is failing," with a lack of access to vaccines causing a two-track pandemic, said Tedros, pleading: "Just give us the vaccines."











Return to restrictions?







A further complication is that Delta largely seems to bypass immunity that might be conferred by a previous infection, said Samuel Alizon, a biologist specialized in infectious disease modelling.







"We can't really rely on natural immunity anymore," he told AFP.







With large numbers of younger people remaining unvaccinated, tough measures may have to be reintroduced to stop the spread, even in nations where large-scale vaccine roll-outs had held out the promise of reopening.







In Europe, the ECDC warned that any further relaxation of containment measures would risk a surge in new cases across age groups.







Some countries, such as Israel and Australia, have already announced a return to certain restrictions.







"Our goal is to end it," said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett  "To take a bucket of water and pour it on the fire when the fire is still small." (AFP)


Local growing distribution company in San Angelo, Texas looking to add a fulltime position for a data entry clerk. M-F 8-5

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Location: 5025-Wichita Hauling



Job Title

CDL Route Driver

Primary Location

Wichita, Kansas

Employee Type

Employee

Job Description



Waste Connections of Kansas is looking for a safety conscience CDL Route Driver to join the team in Wichita, KS!

The ideal driver will have a self-motivated, go getting attitude, that is looking to excel and grow with our GROWING company! Why work for Waste Connections? ~Competitive Compensations~

~Safety Bonuses - Get rewarded for your safe habits~

~Yearly Boot Stipend - Get your boots covered~

~Benefits Plans - Keep yourself healthy~

~Matching 401(K) - Connect to your future~ What we do: We provide trash and disposal services to the local community. You, a vital piece of the team, would be responsible for safely operating a Commercial CDL Truck delivering dumpster containers to customers, while providing the best service in the industry. This includes duties such: Safely driving a Commercial CDL Truck into a variety of environments (Residential, Construction, Commercial, etc.).

Determine the best, convenient drop off location for dumpster, to avoid property damage.

Cautiously operate hydraulic hand controls to lift/load Dumpster on/off truck.

Secure the Dumpster Load, cover appropriately and account for weight shift before departing

Ability to read route sheets and service each customer identified on the sheet or assigned by the dispatcher.

Perform daily pre and post trip inspections.

Interact courteously with your customers

Other miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned. What we work with: Trash is heavy! Sometimes we have machines aid our efforts. Other times we do not. And this is a service provided year round - Rain, snow or shine. Hot or cold. Be prepared to work in all environments, around heavy diesel equipment. Not to mention dirty ones. Plan for the following labor: Extensive physical activity. Requires strenuous physical work with consistent walking; heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling required of objects over 75 pounds. Exiting/exiting high set truck. Walking. Moderate noise level.

Work environment involves some exposure to physical risks such as moving mechanical parts. Which require following basic safety precautions.

Exposure to outside weather, including frequent wet and/or humid conditions, as well as exposure to fumes and vibration. At the end of the day, we go home knowing we leave a smiling customer! Minimum Job Requirements Must be at least 18 years of age with a satisfactory driving record.

Class A or B CDL

Ability to work Monday - Friday starting at around 5:30 am. Approx. 45-50 hours a week, with overtime possibilities.

Physically comfortable with demands of the job To be considered for any of our current openings you must complete an application at www.careers.wasteconnections.com . Application information and additional instructions can be found once you select your position of interest. We offer excellent benefits including: medical, dental, vision, flexible spending account, long term & short term disability, life insurance, 401K retirement and unlimited opportunities to "Connect with Your Future". Waste Connections is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer (Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran)




Description

Salary $75,360.24 - $91,542.96 Annually Location Everett, WA Job Type Full-Time Department Human Services Job Number 2021-00017 Division Behavioral Health and Veterans Services Closing 7/14/2021 11:59 PM Pacific Join our Human Services Team!



We are hiring FLSA exempt Designated Crisis Responders.



Human Services Department mission is to help all persons meet their basic needs and develop their potential by providing timely, effective human services and building community.



The Human Services Department includes 230 diverse, friendly and dedicated employees who benefit from outstanding benefits and competitive wages. Employees are appreciated and have the opportunity to make real difference in our community. Snohomish County is thriving and is a great place to live, work, pay, and raise a family. We strive to not only provide a meaningful job, but a life-long career at Snohomish County. BASIC FUNCTION



To conduct investigations for involuntary mental health and substance use treatment under RCW 71.05 and RCW 71.34. Job Duties STATEMENT OF ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES Conducts investigations and evaluations of individuals for involuntary commitment and detains individuals when legal criteria are met and commitment is appropriate.

Assesses behavioral health emergencies and provides crisis intervention for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis in the community.

Works collaboratively with behavioral health agencies, psychiatrists, emergency departments, inpatient units, residential facilities and other referral sources to assure the best outcome for each individual in need of behavioral health services.

Coordinates and facilitates arrangements necessary for the holding of probable cause hearings for patients hospitalized in our county in need of continued involuntary treatment; provides court testimony concerning patient's need for further involuntary treatment.

Performs ongoing community regarding involuntary treatment.

Contacts appropriate hospitals for admissions, provides screening information and arranges for transport as needed.

Participates in the ITA Court process and provides relevant information to prosecuting attorneys and others authorized through the judicial process.

Maintains necessary records and files as well as statistical information on all program activities.

Performs related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS A master's degree in social work, clinical psychology, psychiatric nursing or related field; PLUS, two (2) years of experience in the direct treatment of mentally ill clients; OR, any equivalent combination of training and/or experience which provides the required knowledge and abilities. PLUS, a valid and current license as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Social Worker or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Must pass job related tests.



SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS A valid State of Washington Driver's License is required for employment. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT Due to a potential conflict of interest any secondary employment within the behavioral health field needs to be approved by the employer. Additional Information KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES Knowledge of: abnormal human behavior, symptomatology and treatment modalities of behavioral disorders

counseling techniques and methods

available community resources

legal parameters and procedures concerning commitments Ability to: respond effectively in crisis situations

relate to severely disturbed and/or difficult persons in order to determine appropriate behavioral health services

gather and analyze pertinent data

establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff of state and local hospitals, staff and officials of community organizations, associates and the general public

diagnose behavioral disorders and determine need for mental health or substance use disorder services

maintain detailed records and prepare clear, concise written reports

maintain confidentiality and work within HIPAA parameters SUPERVISION

Employees report to the Involuntary Treatment Supervisor or other administrative superior as assigned. Employees work independently on specific assignments which are completed in accordance with established guidelines, practices and regulations. Work is reviewed through meetings, status reports and results obtained. WORKING CONDITIONS

The majority of the work involves site visits to residences, hospitals, mental health agencies and detention facilities. Some work is performed in the usual office environment. The employee may be required to work evenings, weekends and holidays to provide 24 hour a day, 7 day coverage. Snohomish County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer.

Accommodations for individuals with disabilities are provided upon request.

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Requirements

None






Full-time GRINDER position removing excess material, burrs, sharp corners and polishing metal! Looking for entry level to experienced grinders we will train for this position! Flexibility with hours and days: M-TH or M-F Responsibilities and requirements: Set up and operate tools manually grinding metal and plastic.

Reads blueprints for specifications such as dimensions and grinding wheel to use

Follow all safety procedures including proper use of PPE

Keep grinding room and workstations clean

Must be able to stand for many hours and lift 50 lb.

Previous machine shop experience a plus.

High School diploma or GED

Pre-employment physical Intercomp is the worlds largest manufacturer of portable scales for the aerospace and automotive industries. We are a growing company looking for highly motivated people to join our excellent work force. We offer competitive pay, medical, dental, vision and life benefits, 401K, bonuses and flexible hours. Intercomp is an equal employment opportunity employer, including disability/vets. Please apply online or send your resume to the following address. If you send a resume, you must specifically reference the job opening for which you wish to be considered. A separate resume/application must be submitted for each job for which you wish to apply. Intercomp Co. Human Resources 3839 County Road #116, Medina, MN 55340 www.Intercompcompany.com

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The City of New Rochelle is seeking a responsible administrative professional to be the Assistant to the City Manager. Under the general supervision of the City Manager, this position assists in any and all phases of the work of the City Managers office, including both routine and/or confidential internal operations as well as external matters on an assignment basis. This position provides assistance and support to the City Manager in the performance of managerial duties, assists in the preparation of the City budget, and responds to and resolves public inquiries and complaints. This position provides effective and professional leadership, positioning the City to meet the communitys current and future needs through appropriate technologies and services. This position prepares a variety of documents, reports, and data analytics.

For a full description of the position with required qualifications or to provide submit your resume and cover letter with required salary for consideration, please CLICK APPLY

Resumes will be received on or before July 23, 2021.

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Frontier Community Bank is currently hiring for the following full-time position at our Waynesboro, Virginia Branch:

Loan Processor

Duties include preparing and processing commercial and consumer loan packages to ensure all related information and forms are included and complete in support of the loan officers, as well as any other various duties as assigned by management. Ideal candidates should possess prior experience in commercial and consumer loan processing (but not required), excellent communication skills, and the desire to provide superior customer service. The Bank offers a generous compensation plan including health insurance, 401K retirement plan benefits, paid gym membership, and ample paid time off. Applicants should deliver a current resume and cover letter upon submission when clicking APPLY NOW!

Whether your a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, we can help you start and grow your business. Lets get started on your dream!

Please apply directly to this job posting to submit resume materials online.

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Duties



Summary You are encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application package. Your application may not receive full consideration if you do not follow the instructions as outlined.



This position is located at 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC, in the Bureau for Global Health , at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) GH/OHA/PCT/PM. Learn more about this agency



Responsibilities As a Medical Officer , you will: Serve as an Agency senior expert and coordinator in providing intellectual leadership and focus to initiate dialogue; generate policy recommendations, interventions, and Agency mechanisms, which will support effective HIV programming, data collection and use for decision-making and program improvement.

Serve as an expert consultant on the most challenging public health program management issues. Provides advice and guidance on undefined issues and elements for programs essential to USAID's mission, such as major USAID HIV prevention, care and treatment and public health programs of national scope and impact.

Serve as a key member of the leadership team that supervises a large technical Branch in a Division with professional and support staff, including many senior technical professional employees.

Advise field Missions, country or regional programs, and cooperating agencies in the application of strategic information and data use strategies for improved HIV program outcomes.

Develop strategies for planning and developing major Agency HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs. Participates in the development and documentation of long-and-short-range planning efforts.



Travel Required 50% or less - Work involves intermittent domestic and international travel up to 30% of the time in developing countries. Supervisory status No Promotion Potential 15 Job family (Series) 0602 Medical Officer



Requirements



Conditions of Employment United States Citizenship is required.

Relevant experience (see Qualifications below).

Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Males born after 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service.

Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.

You will be required to serve a one-year probationary period. Direct hire authority: This position is being filled using 5 U.S.C., Section 3304 and 5 CFR Part 337, Subpart B, which is the OPM approved government-wide direct-hire authority.



Qualifications This position has a specialized experience and a positive education requirement. Transcripts are required. An active US medical license is also required.



You must submit copies of your transcripts and medical license to be eligible for consideration for this position.



GS-15: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. Examples of qualifying specialized experience at the next lower level for this position includes experience: (a) serving as a leading technical and programmatic expert for HIV prevention (and related co-infections); (b) providing services related to delivering US public health development and acquisition programs, operation/applied research, technical evaluations and support in developing countries in the area of public health and clinical medicine as it relates to HIV prevention, care, and treatment; (c) collaborating with international organizations and governmental agencies to ensure that HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs are effective, efficient and sustainable in a developing country setting.



The basic education requirement : Degree - Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy from a school in the United States or Canada approved by a recognized accrediting body in the year of the applicant's graduation. A Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree from a foreign medical school that provided education and medical knowledge substantially equivalent to accredited schools in the United States may be demonstrated by permanent certification by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) (or a fifth pathway for Americans who completed premedical education in the United States and graduate education in a foreign country.) Graduate Training: Subsequent to obtaining a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy degree, a candidate must have had at least one year of supervised experience providing direct service in a clinical setting, i.e., a 1-year internship or the first year of a residency program in an institution accredited for such training. (This 1 year of supervised experience may be waived for research or administrative positions not requiring direct patient care.) For purposes of this standard, graduate training programs include only those internship, residency, and fellowship programs that are approved by accrediting bodies recognized within the United States or Canada. Listings of accredited programs are published yearly in the Directory of Residency Training Programs and the Yearbook and Directory of Osteopathic Physicians . An internship program involves broadly based clinical practice in which physicians acquire experience in treating a variety of medical programs under supervision (e.g., internal medicine, surgery, general practice, obstetrics-gynecology, and pediatrics). Such programs are in hospitals or other institutions accredited for internship training by a recognized body of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

A residency program involves training in a specialized field of medicine in an institution accredited for training in the specialty by a recognized body of the American Medical Association (AMA) or AOA.

A fellowship program involves advanced training (beyond residency training) in a given medical specialty in either a clinical or research setting in a hospital or other institution accredited in the United States for such training.

Prevention medicine or public health specializations are preferred.



Education FOREIGN DEGREE EQUIVALENCY EVALUATIONS: If you are applying and using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the degree requirement, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program. For more information on determining foreign degree equivalency, click on the following link: (see application details) .



Additional information Physician's comparability allowance (PCA) will be a consideration for this position. (see application details) provides scientific and clinical expertise to minimize HIV mortality and reduce HIV transmission through the effective identification and treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS. The Branch provides clinical and program leadership to optimize the delivery of lifesaving therapies and health services, including effective and efficient models of HIV testing , care & treatment across a variety of populations and contexts. USAID is an independent Federal Government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. With headquarters in the District of Columbia, we operate in more than 100 countries around the world, playing an active and critical role in the promotion of U.S. foreign policy interests. When crisis strikes; when rights are repressed; when hunger, disease and poverty rob people of opportunity; USAID acts on behalf of the American people to help expand the reach of prosperity and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. USAID employees and contractors must commit to maintaining a workplace free of sexual misconduct, including harassment, exploitation, and abuse and adhere to USAID's Counter-Trafficking in Persons Code of Conduct. For information on the effort to counter all forms of human trafficking, including the procurement of commercial sex acts and the use of forced labor, visit (see application details) For more information about USAID, visit (see application details) This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.



These are Testing Designated Positions (TDP's) under the Agency's approved Drug Free Work Place Program. All applicants selected for this position will be subject to random drug testing once they begin working for the Agency.



Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer is required.



Moving and relocation expenses are not authorized.



M ythbuster on Federal Hiring Policies: (see application details) default/files/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies_0.pdf



EEO Policy: EEO Policy Statement .



Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement .



Veterans' Information: Veterans Information .



Telework: (see application details) .



Selective Service Registration: (see application details) .



It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. Read more



How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Basis of rating: This position falls under the government-wide direct-hire authority, granted by OPM, therefore all applicants who meet the basic requirement (education, specialized experience, active medical license) for the position will be referred for further review and consideration of the relevant expertise serving in a HIV/AIDS medical research program, in developing countries.



Veterans' preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply to this vacancy.



You must submit a copy of your active medical license, a cover letter, resume and/or CV along with the other documentation listed under "Required Documentation" in order to be considered for this position. Your supporting documentation must clearly reflect that you possess the requisite specialized experience described under the qualifications section of this announcement.

To preview questions please click here . Read more



Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance Secret Drug test required No Position sensitivity and risk Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk Trust determination process Suitability/Fitness



Required Documents Cover letter.

Resume or CV showing relevant experience.

Documentation showing the attainment of the Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy.

Transcripts are required (including foreign degree equivalency evaluation).

are required (including foreign degree equivalency evaluation). Copy of your active medical license is also required. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education . Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.



Benefits A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits . Working for USAID offers comprehensive benefits including paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life and health insurance, and the Federal Employees Retirement System. You can explore the benefits offered to most Federal employees at (see application details) . USAID's headquarters is in downtown Washington, D.C., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., on the Federal Triangle Metro Blue and Orange Lines. The office is within walking distance of restaurants, shops, museums, and the Washington Monument. A physical fitness facility and food court are on site. You may be eligible for telework per Agency policy. Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.



Fair & Transparent The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.



Equal Employment Opportunity Policy The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants Read more



Reasonable Accommodation Policy Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when: An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.

An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.

An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events. You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Learn more about disability employment and reasonable accommodations or how to contact an agency. Read more Legal and regulatory guidance Financial suitability

Social security number request

Privacy Act

Signature and false statements

Selective Service

New employee probationary period






ImOn Communications is the LOCAL choice for cable TV, high-speed Internet and phone service. We value the relationships we have with colleagues, customers, and members of our community and look forward to serving Eastern Iowa for many years to come. As we expand our service availability we are looking for a Residential Sales Representative to be a part of the ImOn Difference! Our employees share a passion for Creating Connections One Person at a Time and fostering a fun and rewarding work environment. The Residential Sales Representative represents ImOn Communications to potential customers for the purpose of selling Internet, Phone and Cable service according to company policies and standards. Sales representatives work from HUB lead sheets to call on homes and increase service penetration in assigned areas. The Direct Sales Representative is responsible for achieving an assigned installed sales quota based on number of sales, net contribution per sale, and monthly recurring review per sale. Essential Job Responsibilities for Primary Functional Area of Accountability  Make door-to-door internet, phone, and cable sales presentations in order to sell any one or combination of these services to potential in assigned territory.  Assure customer satisfaction through entire selling process.  Maximize potential for customers to purchase and retain their internet, phone, and cable services.  Provide complete and accurate information, promote the value of internet, phone, and cable effectively, and sell based on customer profiles as well as full consideration of all options available.  Present information regarding products, services, rates, installation fees, campaign requirements, and special offers in a clear, concise, accurate, and professional manner.  Promote a positive company image at all times.  Meet productivity standards set by the department and perform at a level to acquire the maximum number of subscribers.  Turn in all sales including required documentation and monies collected in a timely manner.  Keep accurate records, report sales activity and results accurately, and notify supervisor of all problems/difficulties as they occur.  Follow up on all leads, inquiries, complaints, and other messages in a timely manner.  Keep appointments with customers.  Attend meetings and training sessions as required.  Work flexible hours, which includes evenings and some weekends. Requirements Required Knowledge and Abilities  Influence & Persuasion: Able to convince others in either positive or negative circumstances; use tact when expressing ideas or opinions; present new ideas to authority figures; adapt presentations to suite a particular audience; respond to objections successfully.  Flexibility: Able to remain open-minded and change options on the basis of new information; perform a wide variety of tasks and change focus quickly as demands change; manage transitions effectively from task to task; adapt to varying customer needs.  Customer Focus: Able to demonstrate a high level of service delivery; do what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction; deal with service failures and prioritize customer needs.  Integrity: Able to be tactful, maintain confidences, and foster an ethical work environment; prevent inappropriate behavior by coworkers; give proper credit to others; handle all situations honestly.  Negotiating: Able to obtain agreement from multiple parties; earn trust while working out a deal; use good timing and carefully calculated strategies when bargaining; communicate high value of services; identify hidden agendas that might interfere with resolution of terms.  Must have good customer service, verbal and written communication skills.  Must be well organized and detailed oriented. Required Experience, Training, and Special Qualifications  2 years of college; or equivalent combination of sales experience and college education required.  2+ years experience sales/marketing; door to door sales experience a plus.  Basic computer knowledge.  Flexibility to work within non-standard business hours to ensure that sales quota is met.  A warm and professional presentation style.  Professional appearance, conducive to an office and field environment, is required.  Must have valid drivers license, good driving record and reliable transportation.  Must be well organized and detailed oriented with consistent exercise of independent judgment and discretion in matters of significance. ImOn also offers competitive pay, health and dental insurance, 401(k), discounted Cable, Internet & Phone services, and additional perks such as FREE vision insurance, FREE life insurance and FREE short term/long term disability, as well as vacation & holiday pay, and community volunteer opportunities.

If you are interested in being a part of the ImOn Difference apply today!

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Les responsables politique du gouvernement ont pris note de linstitution dune Commission dEnquete sur laffaire Betamax, que la loi sera amendee pour permettre la vaccination des moins de 18 ans, du Public Statement issued du Financial Action Task Force (FATF), des propositions pour le Virtual Asset Business Bill entre autres.

1. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry to be presided by a Judge to inquire into, inter alia, the circumstances in which the contract for transport of petroleum products to Mauritius (Contract of Affreightment) was awarded to Betamax Ltd and

the circumstances which subsequently led to the termination of the said contract.

2. Cabinet has taken note of the Public Statement issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) with regard to Mauritius after its Plenary that ended that very day and has, inter alia, highlighted the high-level political commitment of Mauritius to work with the FATF and ESAAMLG to strengthen the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime. The FATF has indicated that it intends to effect an on-site assessment at the earliest possible date, to verify the implementation of Mauritiuss AML/CFT reforms.

3. Cabinet has agreed to the industry stakeholders being consulted on the proposals contained in the draft Virtual Asset Business Bill and to drafting instructions being subsequently conveyed to the Attorney Generals Office for finalisation of the Bill. The object of the Bill is to provide for a regulatory framework for virtual asset service providers and the issuers of initial token offerings. The Bill accordingly makes provisions for:

(a) the licensing, supervision and monitoring of virtual asset service providers;

(b) the registration procedures and requirements for the issuance of initial token offerings;

(c) the technical requirements, governance structures, risk management and information disclosure issues for virtual asset service providers;

(d) the protection of the interests of clients of virtual asset service providers; and

(e) compliance with international standards of the Financial Action Task Force on

anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism and activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

4. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Health and Wellness has made the Public Health (COVID-19 Vaccines for Emergency Use) (Amendment No. 4) Regulations 2021 to enable vaccination of persons below the age of 18, in accordance with the directives and specifications to be issued by the Ministry of Health and Wellness on the types of vaccines to be administered.

5. Cabinet has taken note of the main outcomes of the recent virtual sessions organised jointly with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Progress Harmony and Development (PHD) Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The objective of these sessions was mainly to apprise Indian businesses on the trade and investment opportunities under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), which entered into force on 01 April 2021. The session organised by CII was presided by

Dr Anish Shah, Chairman and CEO of the Mahindra Group. The event was attended by more than 100 Indian businesses. The Economic Development Board, the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Mauritius Exporters Association and Business Mauritius also participated. The inaugural session included an interactive session with key Indian businesses in various sectors including financial services, chemicals, light rail and tourism. The session was followed by a business seminar.

The PHD event was chaired by Mr Naveen Seth, Assistant Secretary General of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. More than 170 Indian businesses attended the session. The main takeaways of these sessions were, inter alia:

(a) Mauritius offers a sound environment for Indian businesses to tap both the African Market and the other countries with whom Mauritius has concluded FTAs such as the EU, UK, US and China;

(b) Indian operators could avail of warehousing facilities in the Mauritius freeport to service the African Market; and

(c) the possibility of developing a special economic zone in Mauritius for Indian operators could be explored, allowing Indian businesses to enjoy preferential access both on the African continent and in India.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Economic Development Board and the Seychelles Investment Board. The Memorandum of Understanding has four main objectives:

(a) enhancing cooperation between the Economic Development Board and

the Seychelles Investment Board;

(b) establishing a practical framework agreeable to both parties for cooperation with regard to investment and export promotion and facilitation;

(c) strengthening institutional relations and capacity building through mutual cooperation; and

(d) facilitating Outward Direct Investment to Seychelles from Mauritius through

the creation of a dedicated desk within the Seychelles Investment Board.

The Seychelles Investment Board would also provide aftercare services to operational businesses to support them with business expansions/re-investments.

There would be an investment desk at the Seychelles Investment Board and an investment officer of the Seychelles Investment Board would liaise with the Economic Development Board Global Outreach Directorate.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the request from India to support the inclusion of an item for consideration by the United Nations General Committee, for granting Observer Status to the International Solar Alliance at the United Nations General Assembly.

The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France during the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) of the UN Framework on Climate Change in Paris in 2015 with the objective to address key common challenges in scaling up solar energy among Member States and to support developing countries to boost their solar energy production capacity. Mauritius is among the founding members of the International Solar Alliance.

8. Cabinet has taken note that a Coordination Committee would be set up to look into and to formalise the establishment of a mechanism for the promotion of Mauritian expertise.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade has been studying a proposal for the establishment of a mechanism to manage a database of Mauritian experts for assignment as consultants in other countries.

9. Cabinet has agreed to the proposal for the Municipal City Council of Port Louis to submit its application to UNESCO for potential inclusion of the City of Port Louis in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Music. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was launched in 2004 to promote cooperation with and amongst cities having recognized creativity as a major factor in their sustainable urban development. The network covers seven creative fields which are Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music. The common mission of these cities is to work together while placing culture and creativity at the core of their urban development.

10. Cabinet has taken note that in the context of the forthcoming Eid-Ul-Adha festival, the price of live cattle has been fixed at Rs151 per kilo. The Consumer Protection (Control of Sale of Imported Live Animals for Home Slaughter) Regulations would be amended accordingly.

11. Cabinet has taken note that following the MV Wakashio Oil Spill, the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change arranged for the collection, transportation and storage of the Heavy Fuel Oil-contaminated solid and sludge wastes arising from the clean-up operations. These wastes are classified as hazardous wastes under the First Schedule of the Environment Protection (Standards for hazardous wastes) Regulations 2001 and cannot be disposed of locally. The wastes would be shipped in batches of ten 40ft shipping containers. The first shipment is scheduled for 02 July 2021 and the remaining wastes are expected to be shipped by the end of August 2021.

12. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 180.7 million cases have been reported globally, of which 165.4 million persons have been successfully treated. With regard to Mauritius, as from March 2020 to

25 June 2021, 1,887 cases (including imported cases) of COVID-19 had been registered. There were 391 active cases of COVID-19 in Mauritius, out of which 369 were local cases and 22 imported cases. Contact tracing exercises and random testing are being carried out in accordance with the established protocol.

Cabinet has also taken note of progress in the implementation of the national

COVID-19 vaccination programme. The milestone of 500,000 vaccinated persons with a first dose of vaccine had already been reached.

Cabinet has further taken note of the reopening of certain activities as from

01 July 2021, subject to strict sanitary precautions being taken, including wearing of masks, social distancing, regular washing of hands and use of sanitiser. Appropriate Regulations would be promulgated.

13. Cabinet has taken note that three para-athletes would participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, namely:

(a) Miss Noemi Alphonse, wheelchair specialist, in the 100m WC T54, 400m WC T54, 800m WC T54, 1500m WC T54 and 5000m WC T54;

(b) Miss Anais Angeline in 100m T37, 200m T37 and Long Jump T37; and

(c) Mr Eddy Capdor in Long Jump T20.

14. Cabinet has taken note of the re-election of former Chief Justice Mr Y. K. J. Yeung Sik Yuen, GOSK, on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination during the

29th Meeting of States Parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. His third term of office would start on 20 January 2022 and would end on 19 January 2026.

15. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed on 26 June. The theme chosen for this year is Share Facts on Drugs, Save Lives. The following activities would be held:

(a) sensitisation of the population at large on the dangers of illicit drugs through talks on MBC radio and TV in creole and bhojpuri; and

(b) interventions by health professionals in Priorite Sante on MBC TV.

Cabinet has also taken note that a half-day workshop would be organised by the National Drug Secretariat, under the aegis of the Prime Ministers Office, on 26 June 2021 at the Prison Training Academy, Beau Bassin. The Prime Minister would be the Chief Guest and would launch the workshop. The participation of NGOs engaged in the prevention of drug use as well as Ministries/Departments concerned would be enlisted.

16. Cabinet has taken note of the arrangements being made for the International Day of Cooperatives 2021 celebrated on the first Saturday of July. The theme chosen for this year is Rebuild better together. The Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives would, in collaboration with the National Cooperative College, Cooperative Federations and other stakeholders, organise a gathering for co-operators at the National Cooperative College Auditorium at Terre Rouge on Saturday 03 July 2021, while observing all sanitary protocols. Other activities include:

(a) a wreath laying ceremony to be held at the stele of cooperatives at Jardin de la Compagnie, Port Louis, in collaboration with the Mauritius Cooperative Alliance Limited, the apex body of the cooperative movement; and

(b) the message of the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives on MBC TV to the nation on the International Day of Cooperatives 2021.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent virtual meeting between the Ministers of Trade of the African Union and the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade was invited to chair the virtual meeting in his capacity as Coordinator of the African Group at the WTO and also to make an opening statement. He emphasised, inter alia, the following points:

(a) there should be a balanced and equitable distribution of vaccines;

(b) all export restrictions on vaccines should be lifted; and

(c) the request of a waiver tabled by India and South Africa to increase the production of vaccines should be expeditiously considered and agreed by the WTO Member States.

The WTO Director General indicated that since taking office in March 2021, her focus has been on revitalising and rebranding the WTO in order to bring it back to the centre of the global economic governance.

During the virtual meeting, the African Ministers highlighted the need for the WTO to come forward with practical measures to ensure that international trade contributes to the economic recovery of its Members, and facilitate their integration in global supply chains. Many delegations stated that the digital divide became even more apparent during the pandemic.

18. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Board of the Public Officers Welfare Council with Mr Jaylall Mulloo, as Chairperson.

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At its June 2021 Plenary, the FATF has made the initial determination that Mauritius has substantially completed its Action Plan and warrants an on-site assessment to verify that the implementation of Mauritiuss AML/CFT reforms has begun and is being sustained, and that the necessary political commitment remains in place to sustain implementation in the future. This is a determining step towards exiting the FATF List of Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring. Mauritius has been commended by the FATF for the progress achieved in addressing the strategic deficiencies especially under difficult circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FATF will now conduct an onsite visit at the earliest possible date following which a decision will be taken by the FATF, at its Plenary scheduled for October 2021, on the delisting of Mauritius from the grey list.

In February 2020, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided that Mauritius should be monitored under the formal FATF International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) process as a result of strategic deficiencies identified, by the FATF, in its anti-money laundering and combating terrorism financing (AML/CFT) system. The FATF, accordingly, placed Mauritius on its public document of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, externally referred to as the Grey List.

In order to exit that List, Mauritius was called upon by the FATF to implement an Action Plan, aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of its AML/CFT system. The Action Plan included, amongst others, the implementation of risk based supervision of the global business and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) sector, timely access to accurate basic and beneficial ownership information by competent authorities, providing training for the law enforcement agencies to conduct parallel financial investigations, supervision of the NPO sector and adequate implementation of targeted financial sanctions through outreach and supervision.

Mauritius made a high-level political commitment to implement the Action Plan within agreed timeline. Thereafter, Mauritius immediately started putting in place all measures and systems necessary to implement the Action Plan. In this process, Mauritius has worked with the FATF and the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG). Mauritius also benefited from the technical assistance from the European Union through the EU AML/CFT Global Facility, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), UK, France, IMF, UNODC. The FATF Africa Middle East Joint Group (AMEJG) monitored progress of the implementation of the Action Plan.

A Core Group and a sub-committee supporting the National AML/CFT Committee was set up to monitor progress on the Action Plan. The Core Group reports to the inter- ministerial Committee on AML/CFT, chaired by the Honourable Prime Minister. In order to address the strategic deficiencies identified by the FATF, Government adopted numerous measures and put in place strong and sustainable mechanisms to strengthen the effectiveness of its AML/CFT system.

Together with the submission of different progress reports, three virtual face to face meetings have been held between the Mauritian delegation and the AMEJG in September 2020, January 2021 and May 2021. At the beginning of June 2021, the AMEJG concluded that Mauritius has substantially completed its action plan well ahead of the agreed deadline and made a recommendation to the ICRG for an onsite visit to Mauritius.

All measures taken so far demonstrate the underlying unflinching commitment of the Government of Mauritius to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of our efforts to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing in the future.

Government is committed to continue along this path, not only to confirm the progress made during the onsite assessment, but also to take all necessary steps to sustain reforms well beyond the ICRG process in order to strengthen our AML/CFT regime, thereby strengthening our financial system.

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We have made great strides throughout the commonwealth to stop the spread of COVID-19, Wolf said in a May news release. As we lift mitigation orders, it is important for eligible Pennsylvanians to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Getting vaccinated is our best defense against this virus and ensuring individuals and their loved ones remain safe as we reopen Pennsylvania.
The only other district in Lehigh and Northampton counties to receive extra funding from the pool is Bethlehem. There is a $3.8 million increase in basic education funding for Bethlehem, of which $1.6 million is from the special pool of money.
Other than at the dentist and the airport, I havent been anywhere that has required everyone to wear a mask since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in May that vaccinated people didnt have to wear them. Some places still encourage everyone to wear them, and I continue to wear a mask in some places, as a courtesy to others.
Currently, there is much-needed attention to the over 18,000 applications for special immigration visas, designated for Afghans whose lives are at risk due to their work alongside U.S. military or U.S. projects in Afghanistan. In addition to those 18,000 applications, it is equally as important for the U.S. government to not abandon the thousands of pending immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications, including family-based visas, spousal and fiance visas, scholarly exchange and student visas.
It looks as if Trumps bullying is working. In an interview with Spotlight PA, Argall, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee, said he now backs a vote recount similar to what is being done in Arizona. I shouldnt be surprised. After all, Republican leadership would rather disregard checks and balances (using constitutional amendments to stop the governors veto power), and undermine separation of powers (the judicial gerrymandering bill) rather than uphold the tenets of democracy. Throwing our county election officials, as well as all the voters and taxpayers in Pennsylvania, under the bus tracks with their dismantling of democracy.
Burley, ID (83318)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. Near record high temperatures. High 97F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High around 70F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
State

Assam Rifles assist differently abled persons

DIMAPUR | Publish Date: 6/25/2021 1:21:39 PM IST

Mon battalion of Assam Rifles under the aegis of Headquarters Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) Friday reached out to differently abled persons of Naginimora and adjacent villages under Mon district.

According to Assam Rifles, the battalion under Assam Rifles civic action programme distributed wheelchairs and hearing aids to those who do not have access to medical treatment and cannot afford this equipment.
National

Bank guard shoots customer for not wearing mask

BAREILLY, JUN 25 (IANS) | Publish Date: 6/25/2021 1:28:28 PM IST

In a shocking incident, a security guard deployed at a bank in Bareilly on Friday opened fire at a customer who had come without wearing a mask.

The security guard deployed at the Bank of Barodas Junction Road branch shot the customer, identified as Rajesh Kumar, a railway employee, in the leg. Initial reports say that he got into an argument with the security guard over not wearing a mask. Rajesh Kumar was admitted to the district hospital in Bareilly while the guard, Keshav Prasad Mishra, has been taken into police custody.

Mishra said that he shot at Rajesh Kumar in a fit of anger.

IGP, Bareilly range, Ramit Sharma, SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan, SP City Ravindra Kumar and other officials reached the spot.

The SSP said the accused was a private security guard of the bank who had a licensed gun, from which he opened fire.

He said all the people who were present at the bank were being questioned, and the customers statement would be recorded after he regains consciousness.
Regional

BJP Meghalaya minister urges Assam CM to talk on boundary dispute

Correspondent SHILLONG, JUN 26 | Publish Date: 6/26/2021 1:05:57 PM IST

Senior BJP leader and Meghalaya heath and family welfare minister Alexander LalooHek on Saturday called on Assam Chief Minister Himanta BiswaSarma in Guwahati and urged him to resume chief ministerial level talks to resolve the long-pending boundary dispute between the two neighbouring States.

I called on Assam CM @himantabiswa today. I requested him to re-start CM level talk to resolve inter-state boundary dispute at the earliest. We discussed on the need to strengthen health infrastructure in NE states, Hek tweeted, as he tagged the PMO, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the CMO, Meghalaya in his post. The meeting between Hek, one of the two BJP legislators in Meghalaya and Assam chief minister Sarma, especially to discuss the Assam-Meghalaya boundary issue assumes significance given the fact that the Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to visit Meghalaya during the second week of the next month.

During his last visit to Shillong on January 23 to chair the 69th plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC), Shah had urged all the states in the region to solve their boundary disputes by August 15, 2022, when the country will be celebrating 75 years of its Independence.

He had urged all the states to hold discussions, especially with Assam, with which most of the states had boundary issues with.

Shah had also assured that inter-state boundary issues between the Northeastern states would be resolved soon. Assam and Meghalaya have at least 12 areas where there are boundary disputes among themselves and both states have adopted a policy in which one state cannot carry out developmental activities without informing the other

The dispute has been there since 1972 after Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state.

Chief ministers of both Assam and Meghalaya have met in the past as also their chief secretaries and consultations were held by the district administrators concerned and the police forces of the two states to resolve the problem.
International

Russia summons UK envoy over warship intrusion

Moscow, Jun 25 (IANS) | Publish Date: 6/25/2021 1:35:12 PM IST

The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned UK Ambassador Deborah Bronnert and strongly protested against the violation by a British warship of Moscows territorial waters in the Black Sea. The Ministry in a statement on Thursday denounced the provocative and dangerous actions of the UK Navy destroyer HMS Defender in Russias territorial waters on Wednesday, which went against the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, reports Xinhua news agency. If such provocations happen again, all responsibility for their possible consequences will rest entirely on the British side, the Ministry warned.

According to the Defence Ministry in Moscow, the warship crossed the Russian border in the northwestern part of the Black Sea at 11.52 a.m. on Wednesday after going 3 km beyond the sea border in the area of Cape Fiolent, and Russias Black Sea Fleet Su-24M aircraft carried out warning bombing along the path of the destroyer.

In a statement later in the day, the British Ministry of Defences Press Office said that no warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender.

The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law, it said.

The Press Office further said: We believe the Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity.
Early Wednesday, a volcano on a southwestern Japanese island erupted, hurling huge boulders almost a kilometer from the crater and causing the meteorological service to boost its alert level, limiting people's access to the region surrounding the mountain.

At 12:04 a.m., an eruption occurred at the crater of Mt. Otake on Kagoshima Prefecture's Suwanose Island. According to local officials, despite the presence of a small residential area around 4 kilometers from the crater, there were no early reports of casualties.

Related Article: Experts Worried as 61 Earthquakes Recorded 24 Hours After Volcanic Eruption in Congo



Raising Alert Levels

The Japan Meteorological Agency upgraded the volcanic activity alert level from 2 to 3 on a scale of 5 following the eruption, indicating that people should avoid approaching the peak.

The agency warned that large rocks might be thrown into the air within a 2-kilometer radius of the mountain's crater near Toshima town.

The village has a team on the lookout in Kagoshima city, and the administration has set up a liaison office at the prime minister's office to collect information.

Suwanose is a volcanic island about 230 kilometers south-southwest of Kagoshima Prefecture, with a tiny population of 84 persons as of Wednesday.

Related Article: New Volcano Might Form Due to Frequent Earthquake Swarm in Mexico



Active Volcano

The 799-meter volcano has been active, with the warning level temporarily increased owing to previous eruptions.

According to the weather service, there have been 27 outbursts at the crater since Monday.

According to the official website of Toshima village, a large eruption in 1813 destroyed virtually all of the homes in the region, forcing all people to flee the island for over 70 years.

Related Article: Earthquake Shakes World's Largest Active Volcano: Could the Seismic Event Trigger Tsunamis and Volcanic Eruption?



Volcanic Eruption

A volcano is a crack in the Earth's crust through which molten rock, gases, and debris can escape to the surface. The most active volcanoes are found in Alaska, Hawaii, California, and Oregon, although active volcanoes can also be found in other states and territories. Lava and other debris from a volcanic eruption may travel at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, devastating everything in their path. Volcanic ash can spread hundreds of kilometers and cause serious health issues.

A volcanic eruption has the potential to:

Have water sources contaminated.

Damage machinery.

Create smog and toxic gases that reduce vision, posing a hazard to low-lying regions.

Irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, making it difficult to breathe.

Emergency Preparedness

Everyone will be safer if communities are prepared for future volcanic eruptions. When people consider what may happen in an emergency, some people become anxious or afraid. However, learning coping skills might help you overcome such sensations. Preparing for an emergency BEFORE it occurs improves your capacity to deal with it. Help others by sharing your knowledge.

Also Read: Canary Island: "One of the Best Climates in the World" Thanks to a Volcano!

For similar news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Volcanoes in Indonesia are among the most hazardous in the world. Why? Researchers from Uppsala University and other institutions have discovered fresh hints by analyzing microscopic minerals in lava from Bali and Java. They now know more about the composition of the Earth's mantle in that area and how the magma evolves before an eruption. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

The findings are summarized by Frances Deegan, the study's first author and a researcher at Uppsala University's Department of Earth Sciences.

"The mantle is where magma is produced, and the makeup of the mantle under Indonesia was previously unknown. We can build more reliable models for the chemical changes in magma as it breaks through the 20 to 30-kilometer thick crust there before an eruption if we have a better understanding of the Earth's mantle in this location."

Magma Composition

The composition of magma varies considerably depending on the geological context, and it influences the type of volcanic eruption that occurs. Volcanism was responsible for forming the Indonesian archipelago, which was triggered by the collision of two continental tectonic plates. Movements along this plate boundary contributed to the 2004 tsunami tragedy.

Related Article: Violent Eruption of Mt Otake Leads Volcanologist to Rise Alert Levels in Japanese Volcanoes



Volcanism

Volcanism can also occur in subduction zones. As the tectonic plate sinks further into the mantle, it warms up and releases the water it holds, causing the surrounding rock to melt. As a result, volcanoes become increasingly explosive and, over time, form arc-shaped groupings of islands. Several devastating volcanic eruptions have occurred along the Sunda Arc, which spans Indonesia's southern archipelago. Krakatoa in 1883, Mount Tambora in 1815, and Toba, which experienced a tremendous super-eruption 72,000 years ago, are all examples.

Scientists hope to better understand the origins of volcanism in Indonesia. They looked at minerals in lava erupted from four volcanoes: Merapi and Kelut in Java and Agung and Batur in Bali. The researchers hoped to know the composition of the "primary" magma produced from the mantle itself.

Using Spectrometry Analysis

The researchers investigated pyroxene crystals using strong ion beams from secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) equipment, an ultramodern kind of mass spectrometer. This is one of the earliest minerals to crystallize from magma. The ratio of the oxygen isotopes 16O and 18O, which informs a lot about the source and development of magma, was what they were looking for.

"The oxygen isotope makeup of the Earth's crust and mantle differs greatly, and lava is about 50% oxygen. As a result, oxygen isotopes may be used to determine how much material the magma has absorbed from the crust after exiting the mantle," Frances Deegan expresses her opinion.

According to the researchers, the oxygen content of pyroxene crystals from Bali had scarcely changed during their journey through the Earth's crust. Their composition was nearly identical to that of the mantle, indicating that just a little amount of material had been pulled down during subduction. In the minerals from Java, and the utterly distinct pattern was discovered.

"We were able to discover that Merapi in Java had a completely distinct isotopic signature than the volcanoes in Bali." It's partially due to Merapi's magma's close interaction with the Earth's crust before exploding. This is critical because when magma combines with limestone found in central Java directly beneath the volcano, the magma becomes bursting at the seams with carbon dioxide and water, making the eruptions more explosive. That could explain why Merapi is so dangerous. "It's actually one of Indonesia's deadliest volcanoes," says Professor Valentin Troll of Uppsala University's Department of Earth Sciences. "It's killed over 2,000 people in the last 100 years, and the most recent eruption took 400 lives."

Researchers

Uppsala University, the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, the University of Cape Town in South Africa, the University of Freiburg in Germany, and the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam in the Netherlands collaborated on the project. The study's findings add to our knowledge of how volcanism operates throughout the Indonesian archipelago.

"Indonesia is highly inhabited, so anything that helps us understand how these volcanoes function is vital, and it helps us be better prepared for when they erupt," Frances Deegan explains.

Also Read: Canary Island: "One of the Best Climates in the World" Thanks to a Volcano!

For similar news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
A group of Conservative MPs said octopuses and lobsters have feelings and should be added to the animal sentience bill. The Group argues some invertebrates are very intelligent and should be safeguarded from suffering.

Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF)

The influential Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF), which counts Carrie Johnson and Lord Goldsmith, the environment minister as patrons, has been having meetings with the government to ask them to acknowledge the sentience of invertebrates.

The bill, presently at second reading stage in the House of Lords, acknowledges that fish and other vertebrates can feel pain and should be safeguarded, where possible, from hurting. However, the group of MPs has disputed that some invertebrates are very intelligent and should be added to the bill.

A new report by the CAWF has discovered that the UK fishing fleet lands more than 420 million cephalopods and crustaceans every year. This is a sum of 12,100 tonnes of cephalopods and 73,600 tonnes of crustaceans.

Also Read: Rare Catch: Monster 14-Pound Lobster Accidentally Caught Near Bermuda

Cephalopod and Crustacean

The report, supported by MPs including Sir Roger Gale and Sir David Amess, argues that these animals are discriminated against in legislation due to the fact that their "neurological architecture varies from our own."

It concludes: "Common arguments against cephalopod and crustacean sentience concentrate on distinctions between the anatomy of these animals and human anatomy (such as that they process information externally and not inside the brain, eg in ganglions). However, this anthropocentric view did not capture what it means for an animal to be sentient.

It also includes that cephalopods and Crustaceans unquestionably experience the world in very different ways to ourselves. What is important, though, is whether that experience involves the conscious experience of pain and pleasure. Researchers believe that the proof is sufficient to disclose that these animals do experience pleasure and pain.

It cites scientific studies revealing that the animals know to stay away from predators, and that some of the more clever invertebrates can weigh up options and make trade-offs between avoidance of predator and pain, between pain and unfavorable environments, and between pain and feeding.

The Netflix Film 'My Octopus Teacher'

It is well known that octopuses are clever, and they have been discovered to be very good at solving puzzles. The Netflix film My Octopus Teacher, released last year, brought the issue to a large number of people, as hundreds of thousands of people were charmed by the relationship between inquisitive octopus and human.

Founder of CAWF, Lorraine Platt, said all but a very small minority of researchers concur that these are sentient animals capable of pain and suffering. It's very crucial they are placed in the animal sentience bill.

Lorraine Platt also said My Octopus Teacher is a very moving movie about a female octopus, about how intelligent she is, how she can keep away from predators, sharks, on a day-to-day basis. "If I feel this way I am certain many others feel the same way."

Related Article: Does Octopus Experience Dreams? Experts Unlock Their Mysterious Sleep States!

For more news, updates about cephalopods, crustaceans and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Almost 100 people remain unaccounted for Friday morning, a day after a 12-story beachfront condominium building just north of Miami collapsed, claiming the life of at least one person.

A part of the residential building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed with a roar about 1:30 a.m. Thursday. On video footage captured from closeby, the center of the building was revealed to fall first, with a section nearest the ocean tottering and coming down seconds later as an intense dust cloud blanketed the neighborhood.

The Miami-Dade County Mayor's Office informed the Washington Post the death toll had increased to four people. ABC News reported it had gotten to three people. Friday morning calls to fire and police officials were not returned. Fire Rescue staff and others worked through the night Thursday hoping to find survivors.

Could Sea Level Rise, King Tides Contributed to the Collapse of This Building?

Saltwater and brine-soaked air settle into the openings of coastal construction, growing a rusty crust all over the steel skeletons that strengthen oceanfront structures. It diminishes the bonds between metal and concrete bringing about cracks and crumbles in susceptible areas, such as balconies.

But some experts in building wondered if the environmental assault boosted by climate change could have contributed to the catastrophic collapse at Champlain Towers South Condo.

Also Read: Over 50% of US Buildings Are at Risk of Natural Disasters, Endangering Millions of Lives

Investigators Working to Determine What Prompted the Collapse

Authorities have yet to disclose what may have prompted the collapse close to 88th Street and Collins Avenue. Police blocked roads close by, and dozens of ambulances, fire and rescue vehicles, and police cars assembled on the area.

A researcher at Florida International University revealed the building was built on reclaimed wetlands and was noticed to be unstable a year ago. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said roofing work was being done on the condo.

According to the Miami-Dade County Police Department, authorities will investigate the crisis after search and rescue operations are over, CNN reported.

Residential Building was Going Through an Inspection

Constructed in 1981, the building was only 40-year-old. Florida requires all properties and buildings to be inspected every 40 years to be certified again and Miami-Dade County officials were in the process of inspecting the condo before its collapse, town officials said Thursday.

The process has to do with structural and electrical inspections for a report to be filed with the town.

Engineers were showing up to inspect the building, said Oren Cytrynbaum, an attorney who is an owner of two units in the building along with his family and wasn't present when it collapsed, According to Cytrynbaum, there were some repairs done to the roof prior to the fall but nothing else he knew of.

Related Article: 11 Dead as 3-Storey Building Collapsed During Monsoon Flashfloods in India

For more news, updates about collapsed building and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
While tropical activity in the Atlantic has slowed to a halt for the time being following Claudette's tour of the southeast, Tropical Storm Enrique has formed over the eastern Pacific. According to AccuWeather, Enrique will be the first storm of the 2021 season in either basin.

Tropical Storm Enrique

Enrique was upgraded to a tropical storm early Friday morning, becoming the fifth named system in the eastern Pacific basin, and additional development is expected throughout the weekend. Enrique had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph with stronger gusts at 8 a.m. PDT Friday and was heading west-northwest at 9 mph.

According to Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller, the tropical storm will continue to travel west to the northwest through next week. It will be in an atmosphere favorable to intensification in the short term.

Trajectory

The system will travel northwest over warm water with no wind shear. Warm water is required for tropical cyclones to generate towering thunderstorms. The falling barometric pressure is caused by the rising air. The mass of storms surrounding a system continues to spin faster and faster as air rushes in from the sides.

From Acapulco to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, areas in danger of localized floods and mudslides will be the most vulnerable. Tropical Storm Dolores dumped up to 15.75 inches (400 millimeters) of rain and strong gusts on parts of this area last week. Dolores developed on June 18 and dissipated on June 20 after traveling inland towards the Mexican state borders of Michoacan and Colima.

Related Article: Tropical Activity in Gulf of Mexico Indicates Atlantic Basin is Heating Up



Rain Levels

Rainfall totals of 4-8 inches (100-230 millimeters) are possible, with a 15-inch (380-millimeter) AccuWeather Local StormMax.

"Dangerous waves will continue to affect southwest Mexico's coastal regions throughout next week," Miller warned.

Otherwise, a few gusts of up to 60 mph (97 km/h) are possible along the coast, which is strong enough to break tree limbs and cause scattered power outages.

There's a potential that some rainfall will be carried far enough north to reach parts of the southwest United States later next week. That potential, though, would be diminished if Enrique and his band broke up before reaching the tip of Baja California, Mexico.

Forecasts 14-18 named storms in the eastern Pacific this season, with six to ten of them projected to become hurricanes.

Atlantic Waters

For the most part, the Atlantic basin's waters have become calm.

At midweek, a tropical disturbance known as a tropical wave moved westward off the coast of Africa. Although meteorologists will continue to watch and follow this feature as it moves west, they believe circumstances are not currently favorable to development.

"In the path of this disturbance, there is some dry air, chilly water, and moderate wind shear, which will likely impede development through this weekend," Miller said.

Over the next five days, the feature has a low chance of becoming a tropical depression or storm.

However, next week's ocean water temperatures may be too cold to allow for much organization and growth.

Heavy Storm

If the system holds intact, it will move near the Lesser Antilles around the middle of next week, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the region.

Further west, a large region of unsettled weather, which this time of year is renowned for producing clusters of showers and thunderstorms, is expected to remain around Central America and southern Mexico. This time of year, a gyre, or large area of low barometric pressure, can cause slow tropical growth.

Last week, Claudette began as a Potential Tropical Cyclone in seas off the western Gulf coast. Claudette was not officially designated as a tropical storm until it made landfall in southeastern Louisiana on Saturday morning. Claudette killed at least 14 individuals in the United States, despite her frailty.

Storm Warnings

Tropical Storm Warning In mid-May, Ana developed and dissipated over the central Atlantic, near Bermuda. During mid-June, Tropical Storm Bill formed and dissipated in seas just off the Atlantic coast.

Meteorologists anticipate an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, with 16-20 named storms, seven to ten of which are expected to become hurricanes. There have been three tropical storms in the Atlantic basin so far in 2021.

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!


Hives of the African lowland honeybee (Apis mellifera scutella) collapse because of an unseeable inner threat: the growing, immortal clone army of a rival bee subspecies.

South African Cape Honeybee

That army is attainable because the South African Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis) - the female workers of the rival subspecies - can make perfect copies of themselves, with one individual discovered to have done this millions of times in the past three decades. With this continual-cloning ability, the Cape honeybees creep into the hives of their lowland honeybee rivals and churn out replica after replica (no need for a queen).

Unfortunately, these clones are freeloaders, refusing to do any work. Now, a new study has disclosed the genetic foundations of the bizarre and formidable adaptation. Different from most animals, and even their own queen, the female workers do not rearrange the DNA of the eggs they lay.

This enables the workers to constantly recreate a perfect replica of themselves - a clone - every time they reproduce. The bypassing of this DNA-reshuffling process is different from anything they've ever seen, according to the researchers.

Also Read: Modern Pesticides' Harmful Effects on Bees Worsened in the Last Decade

Thelytokous Parthenogenesis

A professor of behavioral genetics at the University of Sydney, lead author Benjamin Oldroyd told Live Science, "It's incredible. It's also incredibly dysfunctional," making reference to the fact that reshuffling is usually needed to hold chromosomes together during the egg-making process. "Yet, they've managed to still lay eggs somehow. It's insane; I've not heard of anything like this before, anywhere."

Honeybee workers and other social insects are capable of reproducing through a form of asexual reproduction known as thelytokous parthenogenesis, in which females produce female progenies from unfertilized eggs. Every time she creates offspring, the single-parent worker bee will clone the chromosomes she got from her parents (a queen and a male drone) into four.

Next, she takes the genetic material from all four chromosomes, rearrange it and makes four chromosomes with that mixed-up DNA through a process known as recombination. This reshuffling assures that, even with just a single parent, future offspring will be genetically different.

What Happens Every-time Shuffling is Performed?

However, as just two chromosomes out of the four are selected and no new genetic material is contributed by a sexual partner, this causes an average loss of one-third of genetic diversity each time the shuffling is performed, or every generation, Oldroyd said.

Following just a few generations of parthenogenetic reproduction, the piled-up loss of genetic material causes levels of genetic diversity that are low enough to be deadly. Most social insects, therefore, depend on a queen that breeds sexually on their behalf.

In return, the genetically diverse workers maintain the health of the colony and safeguard the offspring of their closely related siblings and cousins.

Related Article: A Third of US Bee Colony Died Last Year, Here's Why It Is Still Good News

For more news, updates about bees and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
THE Government yesterday took delivery of 500 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, with a further two million expected from China this week, as authorities target to procure more than seven million vaccines by end of next month.

This puts Government in a firm position to procure the 10 million vaccines required to attain herd immunity before year-end. Authorities are also planning to make vaccination compulsory for certain groups of people.

Distribution of the latest consignment will be carried out systematically, with hotspots such as border towns, areas that are currently under intensified lockdowns, prisons, and busy markets like Mbare Musika, being prioritised.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube and Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro led a delegation that received the inoculations at Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare.

Addressing journalists at a Press briefing soon after receiving the vaccines, Prof Ncube said the doses would help to save lives and re-open the economy.

In terms of our vaccination programme, this is yet another addition to the roadmap for the acquisition of vaccines.

We have received 500 000 today, by end of next week we will receive another two million, two weeks after that we want to bring another 1,5 million. We want to carry on so that by end of August we bring in another 3,5 million vaccines again from China, he said.

We are very organised, we are very focused and we are very diligent in terms of implementing our vaccination programme because saving lives is very important. But its not just about saving lives, its about economic recovery because when people are vaccinated its easier for companies to operate, its easier to do business and carrying on with business is what will revive the economy.

Dr Mangwiro said people will soon be required to produce vaccination certificates for them to operate their businesses or go to work.

Their (vaccines) arrival really excites us as you can see the Covid-19 disease is back via the third wave, he said.

As Government we are going to target border towns such as Beitbridge, Plumtree, Chirundu, Kariba, Nyamapanda and Forbes Border Post (Mutare) so that we make sure that if things continue getting worse at least our border areas are protected because you will find out that most of the infections are coming via our borders.

We are also going to target areas that are very risky and that the disease can easily come through which are tobacco auction floors, GMB markets, Cotton Sales Floors and even the Musikas, Mbare Musika, Renkini, Machipisa, Sakubva and all such markets.

Dr Mangwiro said Government is considering making vaccination mandatory for those working in crowded places to curb the spread of the virus.

We are going to say if you really want to be selling at your market place or to be where you are, you need to be vaccinated. We definitely need to see that you have your (vaccination) certificate, he said.

We do not want any Zimbabweans to be a risk to another Zimbabwean, we need to protect each other. Every Zimbabwean has a right to life and we dont want you to be part of the risk so we encourage everyone to be vaccinated.

Also, we are not going to target these areas only, we are also going to make sure that prisoners are vaccinated. Those who work in the prison areas are also going to be vaccinated. Any area of concentration of people we will definitely make sure that people are vaccinated.

In an interview with our Harare Bureau Chief Co-ordinator in the National Response to Covid-19 in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva, said Government has addressed logistical glitches which were causing artificial shortages of vaccines.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care is distributing vaccines to every corner of the country so there is no shortage there, she said.

But there are some places like Harare, for example, which are pushing their allocation at a much faster rate than other areas. What we are doing now is redistribution to say those who are pushing their vaccines at a slower pace we will take some from them and give to those who have exhausted their allocations.

So yes there may be some logistical glitches there but like I said redistribution is one way of dealing with it. We are also prioritising those who are coming for the second doses as we are saying no one should fail to get their full immunisation.

Meanwhile, Captains of Industry said there was need for a delicate balance between economy and fighting the pandemic.

In an interview, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Matabeleland regional chairman Mr Lewis Herbst said a national lockdown would affect businesses.

What the Government is doing right now with zones in lockdowns is actually the best thing because shutting down businesses completely because of hotspots I do not think its advisable at all. The economy is trying to recover and to shut down the economy again and have a national lockdown will have a detrimental effect, said Mr Herbst.

He said was worrying was that some businesses were becoming complacency when they needed to take the Covid-19 pandemic seriously.

Mr Herbst however, commended the number of people going for vaccination saying there was a tremendous increase that showed that a certain degree of people were now starting to take it seriously.

He said businesses had to control their customers and follow the protocols and procedure.

Businesses have to take it seriously and control their customers, at the same time following proper protocol and procedures of sanitising and social distance. There are a number of companies and businesses that have become irresponsible.

Some banks have long queues outside their premises, while they are only concerned with what is happening inside, he said.

Mr Herbst said they should consider what will be happening outside on the pavements and have security in place to maintain social distance.

He said it was everyones mandate to complement Government which was doing an excellent job to control and contain the spread of the virus

In a statement, Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe (TBCZ) president Mr Wengayi Nhau said it must be clearly understood that a national lockdown had consequences that were massively destructive to the travel and tourism industry.

He said there was an unprecedented decimation of livelihoods and incomes for families and communities experienced in the wake of full lockdown measures.

The travel and tourism sector is starting to recover from the effects of this and it is hoped to regain a momentum to rebuild the sector, most especially to re-employ the thousands of people who have lost jobs and bring a measure of relief to the tens of thousands of people in families and communities affected by these job losses and business closures, Mr Nhau said.

However, CZR president Mr Denford Mutashu said he still feels there is a need for total lockdown.

There is greater need to prevent rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemics third wave as much as we can. We have alternatives as businesses to implement Government laid down protocols fully and eliminate complacency that has crippled in. It is the responsibility of business and the citizens to guard against complacency and avoid a national lockdown, said Mr Mutashu. Sunday News
PROMINENT medical practitioner, Dr Bilal Shah, who succumbed to Covid-19 at a local hospital yesterday has been buried at Warren Hills cemetery in Harare.

Dr Shah (67) was buried within 24 hours in line with his Muslim religion. He was admitted to a local hospital on Sunday after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

His death was confirmed by his daughter Hareem Shah who described his father as a dedicated medical doctor. She described her father as someone who loved his job, his patients and was always ready to assist.

Hareem said her father was loved by a lot of communities for his work adding that he would be greatly missed.

A Pakistani born medical practitioner and television personality who settled in Zimbabwe after coming into the country in 1982, Dr Shah started his medical practice in 1987 and dedicated his time to work in the high density suburbs of Harare.

He first worked at Parirenyatwa Hospital where he rotated in different specialties. Dr Shah was also a presenter on ZBC-TV. A service was held at Masjid Abbas in Ridgeview before his burial at Warren Hills cemetery.

Dr Shah is survived by wife Tayyba, two daughters and a son. Herald
The defendant continued to fire his firearm numerous times ... while said children were immediately next to the witness, the court papers alleged. Bystanders were also in range of the flying bullets, with the targeted man taking two gunshots to his legs and one to his lower back.
Barry  who was arrested nine times in January and February 2020, when he renounced his life of crime  told the Daily News then that his criminal career began when he lost his job as a mailman in 1986, and needed a way to feed his family.
A New Jersey teen was gunned down in a Rockaway apartment building, and cops want to question two men he was with moments before the killing said Saturday.
Shermaine Laster, 45, was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon for lying about his criminal history when he visited a shooting range in the Lone Star State  and prosecutors said that that was just the tip of the iceberg.
About a dozen student runners for the Moore High School cross country team were wrapping up their practice with a cool-down run when the deadly crash unfolded the afternoon of Feb. 3, 2020. Police said Townsend was going 79 mph in 25 mph zone when he zipped across two lanes of traffic and jumped onto the sidewalk, hitting mailboxes, property and several other vehicles before striking the group of teens.
LeTrail Tresalus, 31, was arrested Wednesday night for battery  enhanced to a felony due to a prior conviction for battery  for allegedly hurting fellow 7-Eleven customer, John Senning, upon throwing the jar of Tostitos salsa at him, according to the Pinellas County arrest affidavit obtained Friday by The Smoking Gun.
It is no secret to anyone who has attended a Marilyn Manson concert that he likes to be provocative on stage, especially in front of a camera, King said. This misdemeanor claim was pursued after we received a demand from a venue videographer for more than $35,000 after a small amount of spit came into contact with their arm. After we asked for evidence of any alleged damages, we never received a reply, he added.
One officer was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Winthrop Police said in a statement. Police did not mention if anyone was inside the building when the suspect reduced it to rubble.
The threat to our officers and our community was stopped by a hero named Johnny Hurley, Arvada police chief Link Strate said in the video. Johnnys actions can only be described as decisive, courageous and effective in stopping further loss of life.
Andrew Cowells, 47, also tried to watch at least two boys urinate, encouraged another to touch himself and told a class that he wanted a 15-year-old student to grind on him, police said in a probable cause affidavit obtained by local media. The now-fired social studies teacher was arrested on more than a dozen felonies Wednesday following a nearly two-month investigation.
Members of the public may wish to know that KBN TV like any other institution, has very well established grievance procedures for all members of staff through which they can channel their complaints, Mambwe continued. Therefore, last nights behaviour by Kabinda Kalimina is out of character and does not represent who we are as a station.
Wallace, who was taken into custody in Raynors handcuffs, also had body armor, rifle plates and several boxes of ammunition in the treehouse where he was hiding, according to police. Four other people were on the property, but there was no word on possible charges against them.
The report tried to put UFOs into four categories  airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, [U.S. government] or U.S. industry developmental programs and foreign adversary systems  along with one catch-all other bin. But it turned out they couldnt identify the objects and the categories remain for if and when the incidents are explained.
He said he was told two days before graduation to make the appropriate revisions and worked with the head of the schools English department, but had that draft rejected, too. He then wrote another draft, which the principal approved. But when graduation day came, Dershem brought an unauthorized version of his speech to the stage, ignoring the one that was waiting for him in a binder atop the podium.
Fake Republicans, anybody that voted for the impeachment doesnt get it, he said Friday on the far right-wing Newsmax television network. But there werent too many of them. And I think most of them are being, if not all, are being primaried right now, so thats good. Ill be helping their opponent(s).
There was no privacy when all those priests and nuns were doing this to our young children, there was no privacy then, he said. Theres no privacy. What there is, though, is more truth to be uncovered. More truth to be told of what really went on.
According to the Turkish news agency Bianet, since the governors office hadnt given organizers a permit to hold a march on the Asian side of Istanbul, the manifestation had been moved to Taksim Square, which is situated in the European part of Istanbul, Beyoglu.
We have worked so hard as a country to fight the pandemic, Hancock wrote in his resignation. The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.
LGBTQ people and their friends turned the City of Lights into the city of rainbow flags, as they celebrated being together again, while also protesting against what many see as President Emmanuel Macrons inaction on LGBTQ rights.
It has been widely documented that women and people of color are significantly less successful in salary negotiations. Some studies have tried to attribute pay disparity to women being less likely to engage in negotiation and undervaluing themselves (as if a systematic problem of wage inequality can be chalked up to worker timidity). But regardless of the cause, the end result is that women net 7%-25% lower pay rates than men when the rate is arrived at by salary negotiation. And while Black men are statistically just as likely to negotiate as white men, studies show Black men are penalized for negotiating by biased employers, who interpret their negotiation efforts as unnecessarily frequent, even when conducted at the same rate and in the same manner as white men.
Note that, with a Friday deadline, a great many of the 4,076 memory sticks likely had been delivered on Wednesday and Thursday. Even with the outdated New York State law that prolongs the processing and counting of absentee ballots, by late Thursday afternoon election officials likely had enough ballots to run an initial RCV tally. With that information, the public would likely have known if Eric Adamss lead had increased, or whether Maya Wiley or Kathryn Garcia had caught up or overtaken him. The public would have received a reliable snapshot regarding the closeness of each race.
First identified in India, the delta strain, also known as B.1.617.2, is one of several variants of concern, as designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. It has spread rapidly throughout India and Britain, where it now accounts for 90% of new cases.
NFAC owns no property. Our inquiry into this has revealed that this property is owned by another ex-NFAC member who allowed the local NFAC chapter to train there months ago. We have zero knowledge of the current use by the owner. They are not NFAC members, nor is this property affiliated with this organization, the spokesperson said.
Our communities are full of first responders who have ALWAYS run towards danger to help and render aid to anyone, he wrote. To be clear, they always have, and they always will in NSB - regardless of what politicians or random citizens get fired up and say.
The boy, Jonah Handler, said he and his mother, Stacie Fang, were the only ones in the condo that had imploded when part of the building went down. He kept asking about his mom. Balboa and a stranger tried desperately to clear away the rubble surrounding Jonah but it was too heavy. It looked like a wall or support beam, Balboa said.
Florida has some of the most varied and delicate environments found in America  and they are among the most beautiful. Yet protecting them has never been an easy win in this state, which is not the fault of residents. (They consistently vote to preserve water and conservation land when asked.)
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The head of the UN health agency expressed concern on Friday over the COVID-19s delta variant, which he called the most transmissible mutation to date
A look at some of the major movers among small caps this week

( ) got a big thumbs-up from the market for its move to take total ownership of Deutsche Lithium.

The shares rose by a third to 16p after it shelled out 8.8mln to buy the 50% of Deutsche Lithium that it does not already own. Deutsche Lithium is developing the Zinnwald Lithium Project in Germany.

The company is paying 1.5mln in cash for the stake with the rest to be satisfied in Zinnwald shares.

( ) was another stock flying high after it identified evidence of helium in drilling mud while drilling its maiden exploration well, at the Rukwa project in Tanzania.

The company said it identified the helium shows in a shallow section of the Tai-1 well, from 70.5 metres, and added that the micro-gas chromatograph showed helium concentrations up to 2.2% (22,084 parts per million).

The shares ended the week 38% higher.

Engineering company MS International PLC (LON:MSI), whose diverse activities range from building petrol stations to providing services to the defence sector, reported a return to profit in the past year, sending its shares gushing 28% higher.

The company moved from a full-year loss of 3.25mln to a profit of 1.59mln and lifted its final dividend from 1.75p to 6.5p.

The outlook was said to be "much brighter than we could have imagined twelve months ago."

Hurricane Energy PLC (LON:HUR) regularly features in the small caps round-up, usually, it must be said, on the debit side but this week it jumped 49% to 1.8p after a bit of progress on the legal side of its restructuring plan.

The sanction hearing of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales concerning the restructuring plan proposed by the company concluded on Wednesday, with judgement reserved.

Sector peer ( ) was 18% higher on the week after it said that the latest analysis of samples from the Merlin-1 well, drilled earlier this year on the North Slope of Alaska, definitively demonstrates the presence of hydrocarbons.

Specifically, the company noted that the analysis comes from five of 18 selected trims from side-wall core samples obtained from prospective zones in Merlin-1 which could not be tested by a downhole fluid extraction tool. They also correspond with depths where good oil shows were noted during drilling, it added.

Mercantile Ports & Logistics Limited ( ) surged 19% to 0.695p on the back of a contract win.

The company has won a contract with Esquire Shipping and Trading, a cargo logistics solutions provider based in Mumbai; and Sai Om Petro Specialties, a Mumbai-based company engaged in the business of bulk cargo handling. The contract is for an initial period of ten years, extendable by a further five years and with revenue of about 7mln over the next three-year period.

( ), the custom manufacturer of plastic and paperboard packaging, was the weeks big loser, shedding around one-fifth of its value after it warned of margin pressure.

Since the beginning of the year, the market price of resins used by the group has increased by 60% on average and the company warned that raw material shortages and price increases will continue to have a short-term impact on earnings in the first half of 2021.

Verditex PLC ( ), the solar panels maker, retreated 18% to 2.5p after it reported a theft from its facility at Lainate, near Milan.

The company, whose chairman is former Conservative minister Lord David two brains Willetts, has conducted a physical stock check which indicates a shortfall against book stock of around 300,000. Given that the company has minimal revenues at present and had a cash pile of just 1.7mln at the end of 2020, the loss is quite significant. Lets hope two brains remembered to renew the insurance.
It was an active week in the small-cap oil and gas sector.

Zephyr Energy Plc ( ) is clear to drill the State 16-2LN-CC well in the Paradox basin project in Utah after securing the final necessary approvals from authorities. It is preparing to spud the appraisal well which is designed to gather important data and establish first production for the company in the Paradox project.

The company anticipates spudding the well in July, in line with previous forecasts. It is presently working to finalise the key project contracts.

( ) said hydrocarbons were encountered in the latest section of the Saffron-2 well in Trinidad. Initial interpretation of logs to a depth of 3,530ft had identified a further 42ft of net pay in the lower Middle Cruse, increasing the total of oil-bearing sands thus far identified in the Upper Cruse and Middle Cruse to over 200ft, Challenger said in a statement.

The well reached a depth of 4,126ft, towards a target depth of 4,557ft.

Trading in the shares of ( ) was temporarily suspended after the company confirmed a reverse takeover is on the cards. The company is in preliminary discussions with Midwestern Oil and Gas about acquiring Midwestern's indirect interest in the OML 18 oil and gas block located onshore in Nigeria.

At this stage heads of terms for such a transaction have not been agreed, San Leon told the market. Any transaction would involve San Leon acquiring the outstanding shares not already owned by San Leon from Midwestern Leon Petroleum Limited (MLPL), which it would pay for by issuing shares to MLPL to the extent that MLPL would end up as San Leons majority shareholder; this is deemed a reverse takeover under AIMs rules.

Also this week, San Leon said it intends to increase its stake in Energy Link Infrastructure (ELI), the owner of the Alternative Crude Oil Evacuation System (ACOES) project which is being built to connect the OML 18 asset to a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The company is conditionally investing US$2mln for 1.323% of ELI with an option to invest a further US$6.5 mln for an additional 4.302% stake. San Leon currently holds a 10% interest in ELI, which will rise to 15.625% if the option is exercised in full.

( ) has upped its interest in the Stanley project by acquiring Nadsoilco LLC in a 1.1mln deal. It is buying the company to increase its stake in Stanley by 20% to 35-39%, from 15-19%. Net production will increase to 60 barrels of oil per day, from the 27 bopd seen in the prior quarter.

The company also gains a 20% working interest in the producing Livingston leases and 23.3% interest in the producing Winters lease, where a development is slated to be drilled.

(LON:TXP, ) has executed a 10-year lease operatorship agreement which sets up a round of drilling to support production in Trinidad. The 10-year extension covers the CO-1, CO-2, WD-4 and WD-8 blocks which span the groups legacy oil producing properties. It was agreed with national oil company Heritage Petroleum and has an effective date of January 1 2021. It runs to the end of 2030 and was renewed on similar terms to the previous arrangements.

Touchstone now intends to drill one new well on each of the blocks during the second half of this year.

( ) told investors that latest analysis of samples from the Merlin-1 well, drilled earlier this year on the North Slope of Alaska, definitively demonstrates the presence of hydrocarbons. These latest lab tests were carried out on fluid extracts from selected core samples.

Specifically, the company noted that the analysis comes from 5 of 18 selected trims from side-wall core samples obtained from prospective zones in Merlin-1 which could not be tested by a downhole fluid extraction tool. They also correspond with depths where good oil shows were noted during drilling, it added.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, 88 Energy struck a deal to sell its accumulated tax credits for US$18.7mln (13.5mln) and it will use the proceeds to clear debt. The Alaska-focussed explorer said it will pay off its outstanding debt, US$16.1mln, and will retain the remaining US$2.6mln of proceeds to boost its cash holdings. It noted that the deal is with a large oil and gas company in the United States with multiple exploration and production assets.

( ), on Friday, updated the terms of an investment facility with Prolific Basins LLC, allowing a further US$1mln investment in the company before the end of 2021. It expands an agreement entered into a year ago. Prolific Basins can also invest up to a further US$3mln under the facility.

( ), an Irish-based oil and gas explorer, said non-executive chairman Pat Plunkett will step down from the board following an Annual General Meeting on July 22. James Menton, currently senior independent non-executive director, will assume the role of chairman.

( ) appointed Teresa Odom as vice president of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance & Sustainability (ESG), a newly created role. The role was created to further accelerate and communicate its progress in what it said was this increasingly important and rapidly changing area. It added that it is investing significant time and resources on its ESG initiatives.
A snapshot of some of this week's mining sector stories

The London initial public offer of PLC, a Russian owned gold miner also focused on Africa and Kazakhstan, has been postponed amid criticism over whether it would contravene HM Treasurys plan to block certain flotations on security grounds.

The company, also known as Nordgold, said late on Tuesday that its planned 3.5bn initial public offer has been postponed.

( ) saw strong demand for rough diamonds in De Beers Groups fifth sales cycle of 2021. "With demand for diamond jewellery in the key consumer markets of the US and China continuing to be positive, and midstream capacity in India returning, we have seen strong demand for rough diamonds during the fifth sales cycle, said Bruce Cleaver, chief executive of De Beers Group.

has raised 6mln in a crowdfunding round that took less than 20 minutes. The battery metals specialist raised the money through Crowdcube at a price that values the group at 80mln, double the level of its previous funding in October last year

(LON:THR, ) announced highly significant results from soil surveys at the Sterling Prospect, part of its Ragged Range gold project in Western Australia. Up to 114 parts per billion (ppb) gold was found in soil samples in the central area of the Sterling Prospect versus background levels of around 2-3 ppb.

( ) said it has entered into a new investment agreement with Ciftay Insaat Taahhut ve Ticaret A.S, the Turkish mining contractor for Chaarats Tulkubash project.

( ) is following up highly positive geochemical sampling results at the Jundee East gold project in Western Australia with a full geochemical survey set to start next week. A sampling programme will take place over most of the 90 square kilometre area, with some 980 samples expected.

( ) said it joined the newly created Portuguese Association for the Battery Cluster (BATPower) as a founding member and has been elected to its board.

Bacanora Lithium PLC ( ) said its stake in Zinnwald Lithium will slide to 35.5% from 44.2% as a result of Zinnwalds buy-out of Deutsche Lithium. Zinnwald is buying the 50% of Deutsche Lithium it does not already own.

( ) said it wants to list its Leigh Creek copper project (LCCM) on the Australian Stock Exchange within a year. Ahead of that, it is looking to raise A$10mln in debt funding to bring the Australian prospect into production in the second half of 2021.

( ) updated the market on its speciality graphite downstream operations in India, where it is developing a suite of speciality graphite for use in hi-tech applications like lithium-ion batteries, fire retardants, thermal management, and composites.

( ) said reconnaissance and sampling work has indicated the potential for high-grade manganese deposits at its Kanye project in Botswana.

( ) said drilling results confirm high grades from the Derya area of the Kiziltepe gold-silver mine in western Turkey. The drilling programme is testing the central and south-eastern extents of the Derya vein system over 670 metres of strike to depths of about 130 metres below surface.

( ) has appointed existing board member Ben Turney as chief executive. Michael Foster, the outgoing chief executive, has decided to step down as CEO after 40 years in the mineral exploration industry.

( ) said the environmental approval process for its Khemisset potash project in Morocco is nearing completion. The company is waiting to be called for an evaluation meeting with the Environmental Evaluation Committee (EEC),

( ) said it intersected gold with the first hole drilled into the Dimocks Main Shale (DMS) at the Creswick gold project in the Victoria Goldfields, Australia. The first four drill holes at Creswick are now complete, said the London-listed gold exploration and development company.

( ) said an aerial magnetic survey has been completed over the Anomaly 5 (Tervavaara) target in the Kuhmo region of Eastern Finland, an area where the company announced the discovery of a very rare, pale green diamond in early 2017.

( ) unveiled its final results for 2020 and said it is funded for the current exploration programme at the BAM gold deposit in Ontario, Canada. The explorer finished last year with just over 1mln of cash and no debt after incurring a loss after tax of 2.55mln compared to 2.15mln the year before.

( ) said it has been granted a further extension under an exclusivity agreement to assess the potential acquisition of the Elizabeth Hill silver tailings project in Western Australia.

( ) said ongoing due diligence work at the Tati gold-nickel project in Botswana indicates substantial mineralisation. Significant arsenic, nickel and gold-in-soil anomalies were identified from a historical data review and geochemical sampling, mapping and prospecting are now underway to validate the findings.

( ) has announced that drilling has commenced at the Bassala Project in Mali for a planned 9,000-metre air-core (AC) and reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme.

( ) said it appointed mining consultancy Wardell Armstrong International Ltd (WAI) as the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) manager for its wholly owned Toral lead, zinc and silver project in northern Spain, following a competitive tender process.
Trillion Energy (CSE: TCF  OTC: TCFF) CEO Dr. Arthur Halleran joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share news of the company that is producing oil and gas in Turkey. Halleran telling Proactive the focus for the company right now is to drill from the existing offshore platforms they have discovered at the SASB in the Black Sea.

Halleran saying with the drilling occurring from the existing platforms the production of gas almost starts immediately after the well is drilled and it is about 45 days after they start receiving revenue.
Afghanistan is a notoriously difficult country to govern. Empire after empire, nation after nation have failed to pacify what is today the modern territory of Afghanistan, giving the region the nickname Graveyard of Empires,  even if sometimes those empires won some initial battles and made inroads into the region. If the United States and its allies decide to leave Afghanistan, they would only the latest in a long series of nations to do so. As the British learned in their 1839-1842 war in Afghanistan, it is often easier to do business with a local ruler with popular support than to support a leader backed by foreign powers; the costs of propping up such a leader eventually add up. The closest most historical empires have come to controlling Afghanistan was by adopting a light-handed approach, as the Mughals did. They managed to loosely control the area by paying off various tribes, or granting them autonomy. Attempts at anything resembling centralized control, even by native Afghan governments, have largely failed.

Akhilesh Pillalamarri
Posted by Philip on at 07:00 PM CST

After more than 25 years, I'm retiring from Rebelscum, and I'm delighted to pass the control of the site to Joshua Durazzo, a guy I met earlier this year after two my good friends sold part of their collections to his company. It can be found on Facebook at Order 66 Toys. He has a team that is full of passionate people anxious to pick up here and move it into the next phase. They travel the world buying Star Wars collections, and then curate them into groups and sell them on Facebook Live events.



It will be a controlled migration to Joshua, so don't expect a ton of changes, other than a resurgence of content, taking advantage of their knowledge and access to the mass quantities of Star Wars collectibles that they come across.



It's been quite a ride for all of us here with you, but I'm also looking forward to having a little more time building things in my New Wookiee Workshop.



philip@wiseacres.com is my new email address, though philip@rebelscum.com will work for some time as well.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Espanola, NM (87532)

Today

Mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.


Actor Pankaj Tripathi on Saturday pledged support to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. He says authorities from NCB Patna Zonal Unit have reached out to him for the cause. "The authorities from NCB Patna reached out to me for this cause, and anything that is associated with Bihar and in public concerns, I personally have interest to lend my support for such campaigns and awareness creation drives," he says. Pankaj says it is his social responsibility to fulfil his duty. "Cinema is one of the favourite mediums of the youth, and as an actor if we initiate any awareness campaign it may reach out to maximum people, creating more impact. It's a social responsibility for me as an actor and as a citizen to fulfil my duty as much as I can," he said.




Popular actor, film critic and satirist Kathi Mahesh met with an accident in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district on Saturday.

"Today (Saturday) early morning he (Mahesh) met with an accident. He has been admitted to the Medicover Hospital in Nellore Rural area," Nellore ASP Venkata Ratnam told IANS.

The ASP said the vehicle in which Mahesh was travelling hit a container truck at the rear side.

Mahesh is a vociferous critic of actor-politician and Janasena party founder Pawan Kalyan and is known for his comments and observations on various subjects.

He has acted in several movies and most recently campaigned for the YSRCP in the Tirupati Parliamentary bypoll.
Former US police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 270 months, or 22.5 years in prison, for the murder of African American George Floyd last year in Minneapolis, Minnesota state.

Chauvin "is the first white officer in Minnesota to face prison time for the killing of a Black man," according to Minnesota Public Radio.

"We need to recognise the pain of the Floyd family," Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said in court.

The sentence was not based on emotion or sympathy, the judge noted.

Members of Floyd's family were present in the courtroom for the hearing, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Chauvin, who was found guilty of murdering Floyd by a jury in April, said he declined to give a formal statement in court due to "additional legal matters," but expressed his condolences to the Floyd family.

In his earlier ruling, Cahill concluded that Chauvin abused his "position of trust and authority" as a police officer and displayed "particular cruelty" when he knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during his arrest. Floyd was later pronounced dead at hospital.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter as well as third-degree murder in April.

Floyd's death sparked weeks of nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism last summer.
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A Minnesota judge sentenced Derek Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. That punishment falls short of the prosecutors' request of a 30-year sentence.
He just said the community needs this and Im going to do it all myself, Shanley said. These people had a real commitment to their community. They made things happen, and Ive got a deeper appreciation for the people who have that kind of will, to make things happen that become lasting institutions in the community.
Burks says she gets calls from police officials she never gave her number and, after protests, has seen squad cars parked near her home. It makes me angry. It makes me upset. My mother is so worried for me, and I tell her I dont want you to be worried for me. I want you to be happy for the work Im doing in the community, but I know exactly where her worries and fears come from, Burks said, referring to surveillance of civil rights leaders in the 1960s. But a police officer is not going to stop me from living my life.
Frieds decision was announced by Friday afternoon by her agency, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In a letter to Broward Mayor Steve Geller on Friday, Fried said she personally reviewed the selection process and scoring by the agency staff. I am confident in the outcome of our open and transparent process. ... No issues nor irregularities were found that would have impacted the outcome of this thorough process or would warrant a change or modification.
The collapse of a condo building in Surfside may turn out to have been caused by improper building practices, but its much too early to know. However, it may be time to take a look at the condos in Florida to see how they are faring, given the impact of Florida weather, and to confirm that all proper building practices were followed.
The Celebrity Edge, under the guidance of Captain Kate McCue, the first and only American female captain, according to Celebrity Cruises, has special adaptations to keep people safe such as staggered arrivals and departures, contactless transactions, and coronavirus testing and monitoring, according to Brian Abel, senior vice president of hotel operations for Celebrity Cruises. It also has expanded medical facilities and an enhanced air flow system, Abel said.
Gibraltar voted in favour of a more flexible abortion law in a referendum on the Rock on Thursday. Around 62% of voters said 'yes' to a change that will allow termination up to 12 weeks, in the poll that attracted a turnout of little more than 52%.

Abortion is currently illegal in Gibraltar other than in exceptional circumstances, such as a serious risk to the life of the mother.

The new law will only allow abortion up to 12 weeks, unless termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the pregnant woman, or where continuing with the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of the pregnant woman that is greater than if the pregnancy is terminated, something to be determined by two Gibraltar Health Authority doctors, or where there is substantial risk of fatal foetal abnormality, and where immediate termination is necessary to save the life or prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

The referendum was due to be held in March last year but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The arguments on both sides had been raging for months, with religious leaders and politicians putting their often opposing points of view.

Chief Minister Fabian PIcardo, who backed the campaign in favour of the new law, described the result as "excellent" in a Tweet on Friday.
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Overcast with rain showers at times. Thunder possible. High 74F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low 53F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
How a new diagnosis led to a new lease on life for one psoriasis patient
Spanish group Onyx Solar has reached an agreement with Sterling Bank, a leading financial institution in Nigeria, for the installation of 6,500 sq m of crystalline silicon photovoltaic glass spandrels at its HQ building coming up in capital Lagos.

The project, which is set to become the largest PV integration development in Africa, is being implemented in co-ordination with Nigeria's energy firm Privida.

As a result of this integration, the leading bank in Nigeria will also become a reference in terms of modernity and sustainability, said the statement from Onyx Solar.

The installation of 3,250 crystalline silicon glass units imply up to 1 MWp of installed power, which will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its ecological footprint, it added.

A technology company founded in 2009 in Avila, Spain, Onyx Solar manufactures the photovoltaic glass for buildings. Its glass allows buildings to generate clean and free energy thanks to the sun.

Onyx pointed out that its PV glass has already been installed on many skyscrapers in Singapore, convention centres in Canada and tourist attractions in Dubai in addition to railway stations in the US, hospitals in Norway, banks in Kenya, embassies in Indonesia, shopping malls in Mexico and universities/colleges in Australia.

The Spanish company continues its international expansion in Africa with new photovoltaic integration projects.

"Soon, it will install the PV glass for Microsofts headquarters in Kenyan capital Nairobi. Thanks to this innovative technology, the tech giant takes a step forward to be aligned with 10 sustainable development goals established by the United Nations," said a company spokesman.

Onyx Solar's photovoltaic glass was previously integrated into I&M Banks headquarters in Nairobi, which led to the construction of the largest photovoltaic skylight in Africa.

This skylight is made up of 2,200 sq m of amorphous photovoltaic glass with different degrees of transparency, he stated.

Other projects in Africa include the Union National Bank of Egypts photovoltaic facade and a photovoltaic canopy located at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Morocco, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Bano Puratos, a leading Belgian-Lebanese manufacturer and supplier of raw materials, utensils and machinery for the chocolate, ice cream, bakery and pastry industries, has announced plans to double its monthly production capacity at its plant in Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone) from 300 tonnes to 600 tonnes in 2022 and later hit 900 tonnes by 2023.

Earlier last year, Pano Puratos had established the regions largest production facility in the SAIF Zone with investments estimated at AED20 million ($5.4 million).

SAIF Zone affirmed that the companys expansion plans in Sharjah reflected the quality of facilities and privileges being provided by the free zone, which is widely known for its unique business environment conducive for business growth and expansion, state-of-the-art infrastructure, world-class logistics services, strategic location and proximity to airports and global markets.

The company, which manufactures materials used in the production of cakes, muffins and baked goods, now aims to increase the list of its products from 45 to 150.

Leading a high-profile delegation from the free zone, Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, Director of SAIF Zone, visited the 17,250 sq-ft Bano factory, lauding the quality of products manufactured by the company.

"The growing interest of international companies to base their operations in Sharjah, particularly in the SAIF Zone, proves once again that our attractive facilities, exceptional services and privileges are unparalleled and can effectively support the aspirations of businesses in achieving their economic goals," he stated.

"Despite the modernity of its factory, Bano decided to further expand its operations, something which highlights the efficiency of investments in SAIF Zone," said Al Mazrouei.

"This also means the company will be better equipped to meet the growing demand on its products and solutions associated with the food industry not only locally but also in regional markets, he added.

Rayan Mohsen, Director-General of Bano Puratos in the UAE, said: "The companys investments in Sharjah come as part of an integrated plan aimed at keeping pace with the growing demand for its products and expanding its operations to the western markets."

"Banos production facility in SAIF Zone commenced operations last February and is fully automated," explained Mohsen.

Founded in 1995 in Lebanon under the name of Bano, the company signed a joint-venture agreement in 2019 with the Belgian Puratos Group and since then it was renamed Bano Puratos. It is now operating in Lebanon, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan.

The company said next year, it will open a training academy in the UAE for workers and specialists, by attracting an elite group of chefs specialized in bakeries and pastries.

"The SAIF Zone plant has been equipped with the latest storage, preservation and transportation technologies in accordance with the highest international and local standards in terms of effective safety, specifications and health requirements," he noted.

The factory produces materials used in the manufacture of cakes, muffins, and baked goods and currently employs about 40 workers and technicians.

"It houses a research laboratory to measure and develop the quality of products and provide innovative solutions for the bakery industry and is currently working on developing nutritional solutions for organic products, and gluten-free products," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
GFH Financial Group (GFH) has announced the acquisition of a US-based warehousing and distribution logistics facility situated in Ohio and fully leased to FedEx in a transaction valued at $100 million.

This takes the group's total logistics investments in the North America and Europe to over $300 million, said a statement from GFH Group.

This is part of GFHs logistics and industrial sector investment theme, focusing on the acquisition of high quality logistics assets in key distribution hubs to capitalize on the strong tailwinds from growing e-commerce penetration rates and sales.

GFH continues to scale up its global logistics platform with its recent acquisitions of the Amazon Spain Portfolio, the Michelin distribution facility in Chicago and the current FedEx distribution facility transaction.

This will gain exposure to well positioned top credit tenants occupying a variety of mission critical facilities in key locations in North America and Europe.

As the worlds second largest courier and delivery service provider, FedEx benefits from the increased e-commerce demand from a multitude of players and sources.

The growth of e-commerce is significant across the North American landscape and therefore, fueling increasing demand from logistics players such as FedEx to be located in central and strategic hubs to satisfy demand.

The FedEx facility has a unique location with scarce comparable supply in the surrounding area, making it attractive to blue chip tenants and an attractive investment for GFH.

It is located in a primary logistics hub in the state of Ohio and a city that is considered as one of the fastest growing metro centres in the nation, providing access to over 60% of the US population in just one days drive. Due to its strategic position, it is a mission-critical facility for FedEx and the companys growing national ground delivery business.

GFH Capital Saudi Arabia CEO Razi Al Merbati said: "Were delighted to announce another strategic acquisition of a prime, income yielding real estate asset in the US logistics and distribution sector."

"The logistics and distribution real estate sector has proven to be one of the most dynamic sectors of commercial real estate. An increase in global trade and E- commerce, as well as development in supply chain management, has created an increased structural demand for warehousing space, and hence further growth," he stated.

"As part of our investment strategy, we have been investing in this dynamic sector and building a solid and diversified portfolio," he added.

Nael Mustafa, Co-CIO Real Estate at GFH, said: "We are excited to be able to secure another high-quality asset that has the location, tenant strength and physical attributes, which are highly sought after."

"We look forward to announcing several other transactions in the sector this year across North America and Europe, supported by our conviction in the ongoing growth of the logistics sector globally and the opportunities that it presents for GFH and our shareholders and investors," he added.

GFH is a global real estate investor, investing across sectors with strong long-term fundamentals. It currently has in excess of $12 billion of assets under management.-TradeArabia News Service
Drugs seized, Zambian national arrested

Thane, Jun 26 (UNI) Based upon the specific intelligence, one Zambian National named Emile Mulinde, travelling from Addis Ababa to Mumbai was apprehended by the officers of DRI, on June 24, on her arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, officials said here on Saturday.

When the officials searched her luggage, they discovered a specially stitched pocket in her brown ladies purse kept inside her checked-in baggage. When they opened it they found 700 Gms of white colored powder wrapped in blue colored packet. The material recovered tested positive for cocaine, valued at Rs 7.35 crore in the illicit market. The recovered cocaine was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.


Dhaka, Jun 26 (UNI) Indian Air Force chief Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on a three-day visit.

The visit of the Indian Air Force chief in the year of Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's independence will further "strengthen the close and fraternal ties" existing between the Armed Forces of the two countries, officials said.

The Indian Air chief is visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of Bangladesh Air Force chief.

The Indian Air Force chief is scheduled to pay courtesy calls to all senior officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces and will meet other senior officers from the Bangladesh Air Force, said the Indian high commission in Dhaka.

He will also be visiting major BAF air bases across Bangladesh during the course of his visit.

The Indian Air Force chief would also be paying tribute to the members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, who made the supreme sacrifices during the liberation war of 1971, by laying wreath at the altar of Shikha Anirban at Dhaka cantonment.

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Moscow, Jun 26 (UNI/Sputnik) Tehran-backed militias are the main threat faced by Israel from Syria, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi, told Sputnik in an interview.

"[T]he main threat to Israel is the presence of Iranian-backed groups, as they threaten our borders. We try not to intervene in the Syrian conflict, and have responded only when we had reliable information that the Iranian-backed groups are planning attacks against Israel, or if the creation of certain local groups, their financing and arming, were directed against us," Ben Zvi said.

Israel has recently increased its attacks on pro-Iranian militia in Syria whom it sees as threatening the Jewish state, targeting their infrastructure and clandestine facilities, reportedly used to manufacture precision missiles.

"I will not go into details, but can say that we are doing our best to ensure that our cooperation [with Russia] in this region will be in the best interest for the security of both countries," the diplomat added, commenting on the impact of Israeli airstrikes on Russian-Israeli coordination efforts in Syria.

Part of an ongoing rise in tensions across the region dubbed by observers as the "Middle East Cold War," militia groups funded, trained, and backed by Tehran have constituted the backbone of Irans military presence in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. This has led to growing concerns over the Islamic Republics expansion against its main regional adversaries, Israel and the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council bloc.

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Moscow, Jun 26 (UNI/Sputnik) Several military posts of the Malian Armed Forces in the village of Boni have been simultaneously attacked by militants, with six soldiers killed and one more injured, the military said.

On Friday, in a separate incident, an explosives-laden car had struck a forward operating base near the village of Ichagara in the northern Gao region, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers injured, most of them are German soldiers.

The situation in Mali was destabilized in 2012 when the Tuareg militants seized vast territories in the northern part of the country. The conflict escalated even more over the activities of Islamists, forces loyal to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as well as French interference.

UNI/SPUTNIK 0908


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Water Tower Mural Celebration Today

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MCCRACKEN COUNTY - McCracken County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer will hold an event today to celebrate the completion of the United We Stand water tower mural.The celebration will take place on the north lawn of the McCracken County Courthouse at 12:10 p.m.The event will include remarks from Clymer, Paducah Mayor George Bray, Reverend Dr. Bernice Belt, and Paducah-McCracken County NAACP President J.W. Cleary.Clymer shared his appreciation for everyone who donated to the project. He said he hopes the mural counters any divisive or negative misconceptions created by the confederate flag located across the interstate in Reidland's Confederate Park.He said, "The mission is to counter any divisive, negative image created by the Confederate flag by displaying a larger, more visible, positive image of racial unity: A black and white arm shaking hands surrounded by the United States flag and the words "United We Stand." It is a message to the approximate 36,000 travelers daily on I-24, as well as our citizens that in our county all races are equal and united."
Update: Missing Paducah Woman Found Safe

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A Paducah woman who was reported missing Friday has been found.Police had been looking for 44-year-old Tamika Caldwell who was last seen on BoydPaducah Police say Caldwell was located and is in good health.
Fundraiser for Injured Deputy Today

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - The Station Burger Co. will host a fundraiser today for Marshall County Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Little.On June 16, Deputy Little was involved in a collision that left him with severe injuries to his head and lower extremities.Little was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment, where he underwent two surgeries. He is expected to continue using a walker for 6-8 weeks as his leg heals. He was released from the hospital on June 24.The Station Burger Co. inside Kentucky Oaks Mall will be taking donations and donating 20 percent of all sales to help support him during his recovery.On the Net:
Obion County School Board to Address ESSER Funds

By West Kentucky Star Staff

UNION CITY - The Obion County school board will hold a public meeting on Monday night, June 28th, at Obion County Central High School.According to KYTN, Director of Schools, Tim Watkins, said a presentation will be made concerning the use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.Following the meeting, Watkins said a survey will be provided to gain input on the district's plan.The survey will also be placed on the school system website for the public.The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm in the high school library.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-25 13:21:59|Editor: huaxia

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New Zealand's Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson (R) and Rachel Taulelei, 2021 chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), pose for a photo during the Informal Finance Ministerial Meeting in Wellington, New Zealand, June 25, 2021. Finance ministers and business leaders of the 21 APEC member economies convened virtually on Friday to discuss the ongoing responses for businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises, during the pandemic, as well as the policies the economies can focus on to help businesses recover. (Xinhua)

WELLINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Finance ministers and business leaders from the 21 APEC member economies convened virtually on Friday to discuss the ongoing responses for businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises, during the pandemic, as well as the policies the economies can focus on to help businesses recover.

New Zealand Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson hosted the Informal Finance Ministerial Meeting with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) in a bid to intensify exchanges of views and experiences on the best practices for helping businesses survive the health and economic crisis.

In his opening remarks, Robertson, who is also the 2021 Chair of the APEC Finance Ministers' Process, said that the informal dialogue enabled a deeper understanding of the concerns the private sector has within the APEC region. These engagements inform the policy discussions that APEC Finance Ministers will have at their meeting later in October.

"The Finance Ministers' Process this year is focusing on the macroeconomic responses to COVID and a longer-term look at how fiscal policy and budget frameworks may evolve as a result of the pandemic," Robertson said.

"Partnerships between governments, businesses and civil societies are critical to the region's response to COVID-19 and will continue to play an important role in the longer-term recovery."

Ongoing challenges such as social inequality arising from rapid evolution of technology, accelerating climate change and growing inequality in income and wealth distribution remain a focus for APEC economies, especially given the uneven impact of COVID-19.

Discussions have covered the importance of addressing these issues and the range of policy tools being used to support communities.

These measures include assistance to preserve jobs and livelihoods, fiscal and monetary stimulus to support businesses, open borders for trade, especially for essential medicines, equipment and services and resistance to protectionist restrictions.

At the dialogue, ministers and business leaders shared their views on the most important and impactful policies that economies should focus on to aid businesses in the recovery.

Robertson reiterated that fiscal and monetary policy must continue to play a role in combatting the impacts of the pandemic, but it is also clear that stimulus alone is not sufficient.

"The pandemic has enforced a need for complementary macroeconomic and structural policy," he said.

Business leaders emphasized the importance of trade and open markets in spreading the availability of vaccines, essential health supplies and associated goods and services and keeping global supply chains moving.

"It is clear for us that addressing the continuing pandemic must be the top priority for APEC economies, overcoming the health crisis and using widespread vaccination and testing for safe and seamless reopening of borders as a pre-requisite for economic recovery," explained Rachel Taulelei, 2021 Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council.

"Trade is an enabler of a return to sustainable economic growth in the region," Taulelei added.

Ministers and business leaders also discussed the importance of the region's recovery being sustainable and inclusive, and how economies and businesses can work together to achieve this goal.

"Sustainability and inclusion are ongoing challenges, which need a stepped-up response in a region that needs to learn to live with COVID," Taulelei highlighted. She emphasized that actions to address climate change and other environmental risks are necessary for a healthy planet, and eventually healthy economies and societies.

"Some people have already paid too high a price during the pandemic, including women, youth, Indigenous people, those living in rural areas and those without the skills required for an increasingly digital economy," she added. "Their well-being needs to be a priority as we move forward."

APEC Secretariat Executive Director Dr. Rebecca Sta Maria acknowledged member economies' commitment to increasing cooperation the past year, and reminded ministers that the unprecedented crisis needs holistic, bold and practical responses.

"In addition to international cooperation and coordination, cross-functional and interagency linkages are as crucial as member economies pursue long-term, sustainable solutions to economic resiliency and recovery," Dr. Sta Maria concluded. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-25 21:24:31|Editor: huaxia

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Egyptian filmmaker Sandra Nashaat receives a honorary award at the fifth edition of Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) in Aswan, Egypt, June 24, 2021. The fifth edition of Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) opened on Thursday night in Aswan with the participation of 12 feature films and 14 short ones focusing on women's rights and causes. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

by Mahmoud Fouly

ASWAN, Egypt, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The fifth edition of Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) opened on Thursday night in this charming Upper Egyptian city with the participation of 12 feature films and 14 short ones focusing on women's rights and causes.

"It's an exceptional edition that is held in difficult conditions the whole world is going through," said Hassan Abo el-Ela, the festival's director. "We work on two parallel directions: the cinema in general and the women's causes in particular."

Egyptian, Arab and international filmmakers, actors and actresses gathered on the red carpet at the front yard of a hotel in Aswan on the bank of the Nile River, during the gala that was held under the proper anti-coronavirus precautionary measures.

"It's a distinguished festival. As a woman, I care for women's issues and I present them ... My latest film is my own production and it is written by a woman and directed by a woman," Egyptian well-known actress Elham Shahin told Xinhua on the red carpet.

Running from June 24 to 29, the AIWFF is held under the auspices of the Egyptian ministries of culture and tourism and the sponsorship of Aswan Governorate and a number of organizations including Egypt's National Council for Women (NCW).

Following the red carpet reception, an opening ceremony was held on an open-air theater overlooking the Nile River, where a number of filmmakers, stars and women's advocates received honorary awards handed to them by Egyptian Culture Minister Inas Abdel-Dayem and the president of the festival Mohamed Abdel-Khalek.

Among those honored was French actress and writer Macha Meril, who has been in the profession for more than six decades and whose generation made a difference in the cinema industry.

"The cinema now is in the hands of women. When I first started, there were very few female directors ... Now in the schools of cinema, there are more girls than boys, which means cinema has become a feminine art," the French veteran actress told Xinhua.

The festival also honored Egyptian actress Elham Shahin, NCW's chairwoman Maya Morsi, Egyptian young filmmaker Sandra Nashaat, Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar and others.

The festival doesn't only screen films but also holds workshops to develop the filmmaking skills of the youth in Aswan and Upper Egypt in general. A referendum on the best 100 films on women in the Arab cinema will be organized for this year's edition.

Egyptian actor Ahmed Wafik, member of the youth workshops jury, referred to the organizers of AIWFF as "heroes" as they managed to hold it this year and bring all those filmmakers and stars from different parts of the world despite the challenges.

For her part, Egyptian famous belly dancer and actress Dina Talaat, who is commonly known as Dina by the Egyptian audience, described the festival as "brave and respectable."

"I believe that woman is the pillar of the society and if she is represented in many movies and TV series it could give a push forward to the family," Dina told Xinhua. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 00:01:06|Editor: huaxia

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Photo released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on June 25, 2021 shows a media briefing regarding the Surfside building collapse in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the United States. At least four people have been confirmed dead while the number of the missing rose to 159 after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed early Thursday in Miami-Dade County in southeastern U.S. state Florida, local media reported on Friday. (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue/Handout via Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- At least four people have been confirmed dead while the number of the missing rose to 159 after a 12-story residential building partially collapsed early Thursday in Miami-Dade County in southeastern U.S. state Florida, local media reported on Friday.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Friday morning that three more people were found in the rubble overnight and 120 people are now accounted for.

The Champlain Towers South condominium, built in 1981, partially collapsed around 1:30 a.m. local time on Thursday in the beachside town of Surfside, about 6 miles north of Miami Beach.

About 70 of the condo's 130 apartments were destroyed or damaged, according to Frank Rollason, director of Miami-Dade Emergency Management.

All the numbers are "fluid" because some residents may not have been in the building when it collapsed, the mayor said, noting that rescuers will "continue searching because we still have hope that we will find people alive."

U.S. President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency authorizing funding and other disaster relief to Surfside. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was sending support, the mayor said.

At least 27 people from Latin American countries, including Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Argentina, are among those reported missing by friends and family following the collapse, according to a report from local newspaper Miami Herald on Friday.

Florida state fire marshal Jimmy Patronis said on CNN on Friday morning that search and rescue teams were using everything at their disposal in the search for life, cutting into the concrete with saws and using infrared cameras after boring through holes in the rubble, along with sonar and specially trained dogs.

"The live active rescue will continue," Patronis said without going into how long he thinks a person can survive under the debris.

The first lawsuit, seeking 5 million U.S. dollars in damages for the victims of the condo collapse, was filed late Thursday. The cause of the oceanfront condo's collapse is unknown at this early stage. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 07:33:52|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday asked Japan to revoke its decision to discharge nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.

The disposal of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear accident is not merely a domestic issue of Japan. The planned discharge will severely harm international public health, safety and the immediate interests of neighboring countries and their people, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We strongly urge Japan to revoke its wrong decision. It must not wantonly start the ocean discharge before consulting and reaching consensus with all stakeholders, including neighboring countries and relevant international institutions," he told a meeting of states parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In response to a Japanese representative's statement at the meeting, Geng said the Japanese representative made erroneous remarks in an attempt to emphasize that the treated water will be harmless, that Japan has been open and transparent, and that the discharge plan has been approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Fukushima nuclear accident is one of the most serious in the world history. The contaminated water is composed of cooling water injected into the melted reactor core, as well as groundwater and rainwater. It contains large amounts of radioactive isotopes which are created in the fission process and are non-existent in nature. There is no precedent to refer to, and the impact on marine environment, food security and public health cannot be neglected, he said.

"If the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water will be harmless as Japan has claimed, why would Japan not keep it for domestic use? Why does Japan insist on dumping it into the sea?" he asked.

Japan has not been transparent and open as it self-proclaimed. Before the announcement of its decision to release nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, Japan did not fully consult neighboring countries and other stakeholders. After the announcement, many Pacific-Rim countries, including China, as well as organizations such as the Pacific Islands Forum, expressed concerns over Japan's decision. But so far, Japan has not responded earnestly to and has not addressed such concerns, said Geng.

The IAEA has never endorsed or approved Japan's decision to release nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. At present, the IAEA is establishing a technical working group and has confirmed that specialists from China and the Republic of Korea will be invited to join the group. China will offer full support to the relevant work and push Japan to respond to the concerns of the stakeholders and the rest of the international community, he said.

Japan should act in good faith, with a highly responsible attitude toward international public interests, and prudently address relevant issues in an open, transparent and scientific manner, he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 10:21:10|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on June 25, 2021 shows the damage to the helicopter of Colombian President Ivan Duque. Ivan Duque said on Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several officials was struck by multiple bullets in the southern Catatumbo region. (COLPRENSA/Handout via Xinhua)

BOGOTA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Ivan Duque said on Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several other officials was struck by multiple bullets in the southern Catatumbo region.

The incident took place while the president's helicopter was flying through the Catatumbo region toward the city of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province.

"The presidential helicopter was the target of an attack," Duque said, adding that he was accompanied by Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and governor of Norte de Santander Silvano Serrano.

No one was injured in the attack, the president said in a statement.

"The truth is that it is a cowardly attack, where the impact of the bullets can be seen on the presidential aircraft. Once again, we reiterate that as a government we are not going to falter for a single moment, a single day, in the fight against drug trafficking, against terrorism and organized crime," said Duque.

He added that he would not allow himself to "be intimidated" by "acts of terrorism."

"I have also given very clear instructions to the entire security team to go after those who shot at the aircraft and put the lives of people at risk," Duque said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 11:18:34|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday strongly condemned Tuesday's airstrike on a village in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which reportedly killed many civilians, said his spokesman.

Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and reiterated the need for all parties to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to ensure the protection of civilians, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.

Guterres called for an independent and swift investigation into this incident, reiterating the need for an immediate end to the fighting in Tigray as well as urgent steps to peacefully resolve the conflict.

Since November 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which ruled Tigray.

Earlier on Friday, acting UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham was outraged by the killing of three staff members of Doctors Without Borders in Tigray.

"Reports that three Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) staff members have been killed in Tigray are outrageous and saddening," he said in a statement.

"I strongly condemn all attacks directed against humanitarian workers. Humanitarian workers, like all civilians, must be respected and protected. Authorities must now promptly investigate these reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law," he said.

The trio were traveling on Thursday afternoon when the MSF lost contact with them. On Friday morning, their vehicle was found empty and their lifeless bodies were lying a few meters away, said the MSF in a press release. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 11:58:53|Editor: huaxia

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Honor guards attend the Statehood Day ceremony in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 25, 2021. Slovenia celebrated Statehood Day on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

LJUBLJANA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia celebrated Statehood Day on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia.

The main ceremony started on Republic Square at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) and was divided into two parts -- the first part dedicated to the declaration of independence, and the second marking the start of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) on July 1.

On Friday morning, Slovenian President Borut Pahor held an open doors day at the Presidential Palace, and then laid a wreath on the Monument to the Victims of All Wars and Victims Connected with Wars in Slovenia on Congress Square.

Pahor made an appeal for a new national consensus in his address to the Statehood Day ceremony, highlighting the importance of shared goals and cooperation. He also called for respect of differences and diversity.

Pahor said Slovenia needed a "guiding idea" about the future upon which consensus and unity can be built, adding that three decades after its independence, it is time to have a consensus on a green, digital and economically sustainable development for the next 30 years.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa took over the presidency of the EU from Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva at the Statehood Day ceremony.

Jansa said Slovenia would do its utmost in the next six months to ensure a speedy and effective recovery from the epidemic in Europe and that they would establish essential elements for greater resilience of the EU to the next crises as soon as possible.

Jansa warned against using double standards, saying that as the presiding country, Slovenia would fight for equal standards for everyone.

The prime ministers of Austria, Croatia and Hungary, the foreign minister of Italy, and the president of the European Council congratulated Slovenia on the 30th anniversary of its independence and wished it a successful stint at the helm of the EU as they addressed the Statehood Day celebration.

The Guard of the Slovenian Armed Forces, the flag-bearers of the army, police, as well as independence, veteran and patriotic associations attended the ceremony, at which a number of musicians, dancers and orchestras performed.

Organizers of weekly anti-government protests staged an alternative celebration of Statehood Day. A crowd filled Preseren Square as speakers criticized political elites. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 12:04:10|Editor: huaxia

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Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam addresses the inauguration ceremony of an exhibition on Chinese scientists and the moon sample in Hong Kong, south China, June 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, June 26 (Xinhua) -- With national scientists visiting Hong Kong and the display of lunar soil, Hong Kong will be inspired to make greater contributions to the country's space technology development, a new area of the implementation of "one country, two systems," Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam said Saturday.

It is the first time that lunar soil is displayed in Hong Kong, Lam said when addressing the inauguration ceremony of an exhibition on Chinese scientists and the moon sample.

Hong Kong has strong basic research capability and has been contributing to various technology development of the country, Lam said, citing the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's participation in the Chang'e mission to the moon and Mars exploration program.

Lam expected more technological cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong under "one country, two systems."

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has become a major platform for building an international technology and innovation center, and Hong Kong and Shenzhen are going all-out to build a technological cooperation zone, she said.

Saturday's event was part of a series of activities starting Wednesday where top space scientists of the country went to Hong Kong universities and middle schools to give lectures and meet students. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 13:42:45|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Gui Tao, Jiang Jiang, Wang Zichen and Li Zhihui



BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- At an altitude of 3,300 meters, Sonam Tsering offered a hada, a traditional Tibetan silk scarf that symbolizes purity and auspiciousness, to a guest who had come from afar -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The Tibetan herdsman, whose family previously struggled to make ends meet in a mountainous rural village in northwest China's Qinghai Province, now owns 80 sheep and 20 cattle thanks to poverty-alleviation subsidies and loans from the government.

Sonam Tsering, who had bid farewell to his former home, a dilapidated adobe structure surrounded by uneven stone walls, welcomed Xi outside his new house that is equipped with a flush toilet and a driveway that leads up to the front door.

"Thanks to the Party's favorable policies, the lives of us herders are getting better every day," Sonam Tsering said.

Herdsman Sonam Tsering poses for a photo with his grandson at a mountainous rural village in Gangcha County of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, June 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Gang)

The visit of Xi came less than a month before the world's largest Marxist party, which has seen its membership explode from 50-plus individuals to more than 91 million, celebrates its centennial.

Over the past century, the Party has transformed the once shattered and impoverished country into the world's second-largest economy. The CPC has led China to achieve miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, which has had profound global implications.

Under the CPC's leadership, the modernization goal that the Chinese people, such as Sonam Tsering, have been striving toward is no longer out of reach.

Western political theories fall short in explaining the CPC's success. For a party that has remained committed to serving the people, the country's 1.4 billion citizens are an inexhaustible source of strength.

A PARTY OF "OUR OWN"

The CPC is substantially different from Western-style political parties. In a nutshell, it is viewed by the Chinese people as "a party of our own."

Born in the early 20th century, a period when the downtrodden Chinese people were struggling against foreign invasions and internal divisions, the CPC established its original aspiration and mission -- to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. The Party has been translating the needs of the people into concrete actions ever since.

CPC members have vowed to fight for the freedom, democracy and happiness of the people. Through their sacrifices, they have played a pioneering and exemplary role, with their influence transcending the boundaries of space and time. Committed to the cause, they have never gone back on their word.

Li Dazhao, one of the main founders of the CPC and also a man of great learning, was arrested, imprisoned and tortured in 1927. At the age of 38, Li, whose articles had inspired millions of Chinese youths, remained steadfast in his beliefs even in the face of death at the hands of a warlord. The gallows where he was hanged have been enshrined as the No. 0001 cultural relic of the National Museum of China.

People visit the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Shanghai, east China, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Data shows that as many as 3.7 million CPC members sacrificed their lives from 1921 to 1949 in striving for the establishment of the people's republic. This figure does not include countless such individuals who died anonymous deaths.

This spirit of sacrifice has been carried forward by Chinese Communists in the country's latest efforts to battle both extreme poverty and the COVID-19 epidemic. More than 39 million CPC members and cadres fought against COVID-19 on the front lines, of whom nearly 400 lost their lives, according to official figures.

Fully aware that poverty is incompatible with socialism, the CPC led the Chinese people to initiate reform and opening up, which changed the fate of countless individuals. Among them are Mo Yan, the peasant-turned-Nobel laureate, and Nan Cunhui, the billionaire who was once a roadside cobbler.

From 1949 to 2019, China's per capita disposable income grew at an average annual rate of 6.1 percent in real terms.

The CPC leaders have been consistent with their people-centered philosophy. As early as 1934 when the CPC-led Red Army fought against the ruling Kuomintang party to liberate the Chinese people, Mao Zedong pointed out that "We must ... solve the problems facing the masses -- food, shelter and clothing, fuel, rice, cooking oil and salt, sickness and hygiene, and marriage."

"In short, all the practical problems in the masses' everyday life should claim our attention," Mao said. Following through on his commitment, he declared the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Decades later, echoing Mao's words, Xi repeatedly stressed that "the people's aspiration for a better life is our goal."

"No matter where our Party cadres are, they will always ask the villagers 'What kind of good life do you expect to have?'" Xi said during his tour of Qinghai. "Let's work together for a better life."

Issues related to people's livelihoods, including employment, income distribution, education, social security, medical care, housing, elderly care, childcare and food safety, all weigh heavily on Xi's mind.

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 4, 2020 shows medical workers helping COVID-19 patients move into isolation wards at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

China has declared a war against pollution, as "lucid waters and lush mountains" are demanded by the people. The country has announced its ambition to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Data shows that China has contributed a quarter of humanity-caused greening between 2000 and 2017.

The CPC has made it clear to all that the greatest political achievement for itself is improving the well-being of the people.

INSEPARABLE, INVINCIBLE

In the 1930s, Edgar Snow visited Yan'an, the then center of the Chinese Communist revolution, where the American journalist found "a rocklike solidarity" among the people of the region led by the CPC. The Red Army, though ragged and poorly armed, had a charm that made them invincible.

The unity between the people and the Party observed by Snow has remained unbreakable. In old times, people volunteered to provide food to the revolutionary soldiers and even dismantled their own wooden doors to make stretchers for the fallen.

In the fight against COVID-19, hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens have responded to the call of the Party and the government to quarantine themselves to prevent the spread of the virus. The engines of the "world's factory" have been roaring and the country's daily mask production capacity rapidly exceeded 100 million.

Today, CPC members can be easily found in all walks of life, including workers, farmers, students, private entrepreneurs, Chinese employees of foreign companies and internet influencers. Despite their different ages and jobs, they all "serve the people" -- the most concise and accurate summary of the fundamental purpose of the CPC.

The Chinese people recognize the good governance of the CPC in their own ways: People raised red banners to express their gratitude to earthquake rescuers; Children stood on tiptoe to offer water to flood fighters; Octogenarians bowed to anti-epidemic medical convoys; Villagers in Xinjiang presented flowers to cadres who had helped them eradicate extreme poverty.

Poverty relief assistants Liu Ying (1st L) and He Changle (2nd L), and village officials help carry melons planted by villagers in Dongqin Village, Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A report from Harvard University in 2020 showed that the Chinese people's overall satisfaction with the government exceeded 93 percent.

The "mass line," a methodology of the CPC that requires its members to stay close to the people, has been written into the Party's Constitution. The CPC believes in pooling people's wisdom and power.

The east China village of Xiaogang is widely hailed as "China's number one reform village." Back in 1978, 18 farmers in the poverty-stricken village took great risks in secretly signing an agreement to contract collective land to individual households. The household contract responsibility system that derived from Xiaogang was spread nationwide in a few years. The history of Xiaogang is widely cited as an example of the CPC pooling grassroots wisdom to solve national problems.

China's "whole-process democracy," a hallmark of socialist democracy that distinguishes it from Western political systems, runs through all processes including elections, decision-making, administration and supervision. All major decision-making is procedure-based and follows democratic deliberations.

In the formulation of the Party leadership's proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan, extensive solicitations of comments and suggestions from various sectors were held. Online solicitations also received over 1 million comments within a matter of weeks.

A total of 546 comments and suggestions were finally reflected in the proposals, a drafting process which Xi called "a vivid example of the CPC's intraparty democracy and China's socialist democracy."

Photo taken on April 7, 2021 shows the scenery of a lake in Wuzhuang Village of Chun'an County, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Mao Yongfeng/Xinhua)

The Party, which believes that China has no need for the model of democracy found in the West, has established a democracy that suits the country itself.

NEVER-ENDING SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Over the past century, the Party has constantly adapted to the changing circumstances with policy changes -- one latest such shift being China's adoption of the three-child policy to improve the demographic structure of the world's most populous country.

But one thing that remains unchanged is the CPC's bond with the Chinese people, a relationship often described as being as "inseparable as fish and water."

The Party sees corruption as the "greatest threat" to its survival and its relationship with the Chinese people.

In 1952, Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan, two corrupt senior Party officials, were executed in China, demonstrating the early anti-corruption determination of the CPC. This determination remains to the present day.

In recent years, the CPC's anti-graft watchdog has ousted corrupt officials all the way from low-level "flies" to high-ranking "tigers."

The investigation of Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, came as a shock to some outsiders who had doubted the CPC's anti-corruption campaign would ever extend its reach to such heights.

When a grassroots-level government employee failed to pay for two apples from a local salesman in Shandong Province in 2015, he was disciplined. Yet this was not a case of making a mountain out of a molehill, as shown by a well-known anecdote of Mao. In 1948, when China was beset by civil war, the Communist army chose not to take a single apple from civilians, as "they were apples of the people," according to Mao.

Underlying this commitment, Xi urged all CPC members to have the resolve and tenacity to persevere in the "never-ending" fight against corruption. In 2020, around 604,000 people were disciplined by China's top anti-graft body.

The Party not only ensures it remains principled and professional but also guarantees it stands on the cutting edge of the times.

At the launch meeting of a recent campaign on Party history learning and education, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining the Party's tight bond with the people. The campaign was the latest of the CPC's efforts to unify its members' thought, enhance discipline and boost their morale as they march ever forward.

Having embarked on a new journey, the CPC is leading the Chinese people to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the centenary of the People's Republic of China. This will be the largest modernization drive achieved through peaceful development in the history of humanity.

Recently, three Chinese astronauts, all CPC members, flew into space and entered the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, which will be their home for the next three months.

Foreign astronauts are welcomed to cooperate with their Chinese counterparts after the construction of China's space station is completed, an embodiment of the CPC's concept of "a community with a shared future for humanity."

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2021 shows three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship entering the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

While a century of glory has been recorded in the annals of history, the CPC stands ready to write a new chapter for the people and by the people. Enditem

(Wang Pan, Xu Yang, Zhang Zhanpeng, Li Huaiyan, Cheng Di, Yangxiu Dazhen, Miao Xiaojuan and Xu Xiaoqing also contributed to the story.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 13:43:46|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday visited the nation's southern border, amid a surge in illegal immigration as well as harsh criticisms against the administration's handling of the issue.

Harris toured the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Facility, as well as the El Paso central processing center, in the U.S. state of Texas which borders Mexico. (US-Border-Harris)

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LJUBLJANA -- Slovenia celebrated Statehood Day on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia.

The main ceremony started on Republic Square at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) and was divided into two parts -- the first part dedicated to the declaration of independence, and the second marking the start of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) on July 1. (Slovenia-Statehood Day)

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UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday strongly condemned Tuesday's airstrike on a village in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which reportedly killed many civilians, said his spokesman.

Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and reiterated the need for all parties to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to ensure the protection of civilians, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement. (UN-Ethiopia-Tigray)

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KIGALI -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his counterpart from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi met at Rwanda's border town Rubavu on Friday to discuss bilateral relations.

Tshisekedi was received by Kagame at La Corniche One-Stop Border Post in Rubavu before the two leaders toured Rubavu to assess the damage caused by the recent earthquakes following the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern DRC. (Rwanda-DRC-Presidents)

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KAMPALA -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced plans to start refilling 25,000 oxygen cylinders daily to meet the rising demand from COVID-19 patients.

Museveni was speaking Friday at the country's national prayers against the COVID-19 pandemic held at State House Entebbe, 40 km south of the capital Kampala. (Uganda-Oxygen-COVID-19) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 14:15:37|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- S&P Global Ratings on Friday affirmed China's ratings at A+/A-1 with a stable outlook, according to a report from Reuters.

China was likely to maintain above-average economic growth relative to other middle-income economies in the next few years, Reuters reported.

"This is in part due to its effective containment of the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid vaccine rollout," S&P said in a note on Friday.

"We expect real GDP growth to come in at 8.3 percent this year, before moderating to about 5 percent from 2022-2024," the note added, according to Reuters. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 15:21:12|Editor: huaxia

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A colorful light show has been held in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Thousands of buildings in Wuhan have been lit to celebrate the centenary.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 16:33:40|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Friday strongly condemned certain politicians in the United States and other Western countries for their unwarranted comments on the recent closure of Apple Daily and relevant law enforcement in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

Under the disguise of so-called "freedoms of press and speech," these politicians attempted to slander the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR and destablize Hong Kong to contain China, said a spokesperson with the office, noting that such attempts are doomed to fail.

Apple Daily and its relevant personnel were suspected of conspiracy to commit collusion with external forces to endanger national security, the spokesperson said.

Their arrests and prosecution, as well as the freezing of assets, were conducted in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said, stressing the law enforcement moves are necessary and legitimate to safeguard Hong Kong's rule of law, completely irrelevant to the protection of freedoms of speech and press.

Freedoms of speech and press cannot serve as an excuse for criminal acts, nor can media outlets become an entity beyond the reach of law, said the spokesperson.

Those Western politicians' accusation is completely confusing right with wrong and misleading public opinion, the spokesperson said.

Apple Daily has long been publishing fake news to deceive the public in Hong Kong, and acting as a platform for rioters to endanger national security, the spokesperson said, calling it an instigator of and a participant in illegal "Hong Kong independence" and violence acts.

Since the national security law in the HKSAR was implemented over a year ago, the rule of law and order have been restored and residents' lives returned to normal, the spokesperson added.

As a matter of fact, the number of overseas media outlets and employees in the HKSAR has increased since the law's enforcement, which disproves the slander that "national security law is suppressing freedoms of speech and press," the spokesperson said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 16:38:18|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Seven new research centers, approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), have been established to further study, research and promote Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Eleven research centers or institutes for this purpose had already been set up earlier, said an official statement released on Saturday.

The seven new research centers were set up in the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the China Law Society, as well as in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Shandong provinces.

They will further boost the research on CPC's innovative theory and help better arm the Party with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and inspire the people, said the statement. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 17:11:33|Editor: huaxia

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Visitors take photos of an exhibit at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in south China's Hong Kong, June 25, 2021. Lunar soil brought back by China's moon mission was on display Saturday in Hong Kong.(Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Lunar soil brought back by China's moon mission was placed on display Saturday in Hong Kong.

The sample, exhibited in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, was picked up from the moon in December 2020 by the Chang'e-5 lunar probe, the first lunar collection back to Earth in more than 40 years. The probe returned with 1,731 grams of lunar soil.

The exhibition, open to the public from June 27 to July 9, also features models of the Chang'e-5 lunar probe and hundreds of exhibits to tell the inspiring stories of Chinese scientists over the last 100 years.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said it is the first time that lunar soil is displayed in Hong Kong, adding that Hong Kong can make new contributions to the future of national space technology.

Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Tan Tieniu also delivered a speech, saying that the Hong Kong tech community has a promising role to play in the country's technological development, and that Hong Kong developing into an international innovation and technology center will bring new momentum to the country's technological development.

Chief designer of the third stage of the national lunar exploration program Hu Hao said he hopes that Hong Kong scientists will actively participate in the research of the moon sample as well as in further space missions of the country.

Nancy Ip, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice president for research and development at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said Hong Kong has been an active participant in the national technological development and voiced the hope that the exhibition will inspire more young people in Hong Kong to do scientific research work.

Former chief designer for Shenzhou spaceships Qi Faren, and chief designer of Long March rockets Long Lehao, among others, also attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 17:52:49|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia is keen to have Chinese engagement in the coffee sector to boost value addition as the East African country seeks to augment its coffee export earnings, an Ethiopian official has said.

Adugna Debela, Director General of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, told Xinhua in a recent interview that as part of the ongoing efforts, the East African country has launched an initiative to lure Chinese investors to join local coffee roasters for value addition and increase direct coffee export to China.

Ethiopia, which is presently working to penetrate the Asian coffee market, had recently promoted the newly developed Ethiopian Coffee National Brand to the Chinese market during an exhibition held in China, Debela said.

Coffee export is often referred to as the backbone of Ethiopia's economy, in which the country's traditional top five coffee export destinations were the U.S. Japan, Germany, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.

The country is presently working hard to expand its reach and exploit the emerging Chinese coffee market.

"Now, the Asian market is our very good opportune market to expand and sell coffee, particularly China and South Korea," said Debela.

"We have already invited Chinese investors to work in joint-venture with our coffee roasters here in Ethiopia. A value-added coffee can be directly exported to China," he added.

Despite the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the promotion of Ethiopia's specialty coffee in China, the director-general stressed the country's keen intent to boost both Chinese engagement in the sector as well as the export of Ethiopian coffee to China.

"There is a very enabling environment now in Ethiopia, particularly to invest in coffee, so it is time for them (Chinese investors) to come and invest," he said.

According to Debela, Ethiopia's new coffee policy, with detailed benefits and incentives, has created an enabling environment for coffee roasters here in the country.

Ethiopia, which is known as the origin of Arabica coffee, is recognized worldwide for its rich coffee quality and flavor, which ranges from winy to fruity and chocolaty, making the country's coffee varieties on demand across the globe.

Ethiopia has been commissioning strenuous quality measures to enhance its coffee export earnings.

Even though Ethiopia's coffee export volume dropped this year, quality measures have enabled a significant increase in the price of Ethiopian coffee, which has increased from the previous amount of 3,700 U.S. dollars per ton to 3,900-4,000 dollars per ton, according to figures from the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority.

Ethiopia secured 854.21 million U.S. dollars from the export of coffee last year, according to the authority. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 18:43:08|Editor: huaxia

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VALLETTA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- "My father is a hero fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic in my heart," Amelie Calleja, a 12-year-old Maltese girl, first mentioned her father when talking about her own anti-pandemic story.

Amelie's father, Neville Calleja, is head of the department for public health at the University of Malta and also director for health information and research in the Ministry of Health. Neville has been kept busy since the outbreak of the pandemic in Malta.

In Amelie's impression, her father hardly had a day off during the pandemic. Her mother, Jean Calleja Agius, head of the department of anatomy and embryology at the University of Malta, has also worked extremely busy during the pandemic.

"I'm very proud of my parents because of what they have done," said Amelie in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Influenced by her parents, Amelie has a much deeper understanding of how to keep safe during the pandemic than her peers.

"It's important to put on the mask to prevent the COVID-19 virus coming into your system, keep social distance and wash hands. If we don't follow these rules, it would be even harder for us to overcome the pandemic," said Amelie.

In the eyes of peers, Amelie is a "little warrior," who constantly shares with others the know-how she has learned from her parents.

Shortly before the interview with Xinhua, Amelie was just injected with the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. She was one of the first teenagers to get vaccinated among the group of ages from 12 to 15 in Malta.

"After I was vaccinated, I couldn't wait to share my feelings with my classmates and friends and encourage everyone to get vaccinated, which is very helpful to control the pandemic," Amelie noted.

Amelie has learned a lot from her father about China's success in fighting against the pandemic and China's contribution to helping other countries to battle together.

Each country needs to help each other during the pandemic, she said, "China is one of the best countries in fighting against the pandemic. China has made a very big success in overcoming the pandemic."

Last year, Amelie attended the competition of "'Little Cultural Ambassador' at the Online Story Club for Children around the World: Fighting COVID-19 -- My Story" and won top 10 in the competition, which was sponsored by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation. Over 180 stories from 35 countries were collected for the competition.

"It is a big surprise to me. I am very proud of myself. I tried as best as I could to convey the message from one child to another," Amelie said.

Both Amelie and her father have studied Chinese at China Cultural Center in Malta for several years. She likes Chinese culture and history, as well as Chinese costumes and food. Amelie said her first trip to China with her parents in August 2019 impressed her and "opened up a whole new world."

Talking about dreams, Amelie wishes to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a doctor after she grows up. "I was considering being a pilot motivated by people who fly planes, but I want to take something else apart from just flying. I could be a doctor helping people in need," she said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 19:14:12|Editor: huaxia

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Seized drugs are burnt in Yangon, Myanmar, June 26, 2021. Myanmar ceremonially incinerated seized narcotic drugs in the cities of Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi on Saturday, marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. (Xinhua/U Aung)

YANGON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar ceremonially incinerated seized narcotic drugs in the cities of Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi on Saturday, marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

In Yangon, 25 kinds of narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals worth over 320 billion kyats (about 190 million U.S. dollars), which were seized in the lower part of Myanmar, were destroyed on Saturday morning.

The destroyed drugs included heroin, opium, stimulant tablets, methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy among others in connection with 4,030 drug cases.

In Mandalay, 36 kinds of narcotic drugs and chemicals worth over 186 billion kyats (about 110 million U.S. dollars) were destroyed on the same day, a state-run media report said.

In Taunggyi, 35 kinds of narcotic drugs worth over 562.4 billion kyats (about 340 million U.S. dollars) were burnt on Saturday, a local police told Xinhua.

Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Soe Htut, in his capacity as Chairman of Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), noted in his message that the Asian country has been faced with the challenge of illegal poppy cultivation, production and trafficking.

According to a report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Myanmar's poppy cultivation has declined significantly, he said.

The minister added that the authorities have substantially supported the livelihood of farmers and the development in areas affected by the narcotic drugs problems.

Myanmar burnt 133 kinds of seized narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals worth over 839 million U.S. dollars in Yangon, Mandalay, Taunggyi, Lashio and Kutkai last year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 20:22:18|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Tuen Ma Line, the longest railway line in Hong Kong, will fully open on Sunday, running through eastern and western New Territories and Kowloon.

Carrie Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, officiated at a ceremony celebrating the opening of Tuen Ma Line on Saturday, saying the railway line is another major transport infrastructure completed by the current HKSAR government.

The HKSAR government will continue to improve Hong Kong's railway network to make it more convenient for the public to travel, she added.

The 56 km-long Tuen Ma Line has 27 stations and connects Tuen Mun to Wu Kai Sha of the New Territories, making Hong Kong's railway network more comprehensive.

Tuen Ma Line Phase 1 was opened on Feb. 14, 2020.

One of the challenges in the construction of Tuen Ma Line was heritage conservation. A large number of relics were found when Sung Wong Toi Station was being built. The HKSAR government decided to conserve most of the important relics in situ and display the archaeological finds in the concourse of the station. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 21:34:51|Editor: huaxia

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A farmer collects apricots at a farm in Damascus, Syria, June 9, 2021. TO GO WITH Feature: Syrian farmer happy to make traditional sweet after years of war (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

by Hummam Sheikh Ali

DAMASCUS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Syrian farmer Muhammad Jaweesh is busy nowadays as it is the harvest season of apricot from which he makes the traditional Qamar al-Din sweet in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus.

The 50-year-old man wakes up early in the morning, savoring his hot tea and having a quick bite of breakfast before heading to the farm to meet with other farmers and workers to collect the golden sweet fruit.

In the same area, the man has a small factory for washing, squeezing, and making apricot juice that is spread on wooden boards to dry for five days and then taken to be cut into sheets and get packed.

The final shape is golden sheets of dried apricot paste, which is called Qamar al-Din. The name Qamar means moon and the myth has it that this sweet was named after the man who first made it hundreds of years ago.

Jaweesh feels that he is among the lucky ones to make Qamar al-Din as the sweet is believed to be originated in Syria, particularly in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus, where Jaweesh is currently working.

"We have inherited this job from our grandfathers and fathers and hopefully we could pass it to our children and grandchildren. This is a very old profession and Syria is the most famous of this profession for hundreds of years," he said.

In 2013 when the rebels took over areas close to Jaweesh's farm, he fled the area and returned in 2015 after the army secured parts of that sprawling region.

Upon returning, he found the farm burned down and the factory damaged from the mortar rounds.

The return was not easy as he had to start from scratch. His love for his job and the passion that he had to revive his family's legacy pushed him to continue without surrendering to the tough circumstances.

"When we returned, we brought new trees and we have exerted tremendous efforts over the past six years. We took care of the trees and started collecting apricots to produce this sweet," he said.

During the crisis, Jaweesh recounted that many farmers and businessmen went to Egypt to start this project. He, however, said that the way it's done in Syria is more original.

"Some business owners moved to Egypt to start this project there but they are using mechanical drying system instead of the natural one. The mechanical method doesn't produce as good quality as the one in Syria, where we are using natural drying methods," he said.

Jaweesh noted that Qamar al-Din is very important for supporting the Syrian economy as it is a very favorable import by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States in general as this type of sweet is consumed in the summer to cool off the body in hot areas.

Still, the Western sanctions have wreaked havoc on all aspects of economy in Syria and the Qamar al-Din sweet was no different.

"We are facing many difficulties such as difficulty in exporting our product as the Western sanctions are hindering money transactions through banks from outside the country," he said.

The farmer stressed that care should be taken of this sweet because it brings in foreign currency to Syria.

"As we have started anew and we got rid of terrorism, I hope that this sweet gets more attention either through marketing or getting more facilitation because this product brings in foreign currency to the country," he said.

According to official statistics, Syria ranks the third in the world in the production of apricots, after Morocco and Algeria. The amount of apricot crop production last year was 36,324 tons in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 21:47:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Political parties, political leaders and friendly individuals in other countries have extended warm congratulations on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In messages addressed to General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee or to the CPC Central Committee, they lauded the CPC's remarkable development achievements over the past century since its founding, noting that the party's successful experience is worth learning for political parties of all countries across the world. They wished the CPC another century of success.

The following is an edited summary of some of these messages.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, on behalf of the Gabonese government and people, sent warm congratulations to Xi, saying that Gabon regards China as a priority cooperative partner and a trustworthy friend, and that he stands ready to work with Xi to further deepen the Gabon-China comprehensive cooperative partnership on the basis of traditional mutual trust and mutual understanding.

Gambian President Adama Barrow said the CPC has led the Chinese people to achieve great achievements in poverty eradication and economic development, which the Gambian government sincerely appreciates. China's development path is worth learning for all developing countries, the president added.

Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed Menfi expressed firm belief that under the wise leadership of Xi, China will achieve greater progress and prosperity. Menfi said he looks forward to working with Xi to develop and strengthen bilateral relations in various fields and realize the common interests of the friendly people of the two countries.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said China, under the leadership of the CPC, has seen enormous changes over the past century and that hundreds of millions of the Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty. Martin said his country looks forward to continuing to deepen its mutually beneficial relations with China and work together to promote world peace and development.

Chairman of the People's Party and Prime Minister of Tonga Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa, on behalf of his party, extended sincere congratulations to Xi and the CPC, and expressed his firm belief that the CPC will continue to lead China and the Chinese people to a brighter future as well as in realizing a new centenary goal and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Rodrigo Pacheco, a leader of Brazil's Democrats Party and president of the National Congress of Brazil, expressed sincere congratulations to the CPC and the Chinese people, saying that China is Brazil's most important trading partner and that Brazil-China relations play an important role in promoting Brazil's economic and social development. The National Congress of Brazil, he added, will continue to work to promote Brazil-China relations. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 22:08:58|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 30,183,143 on Saturday, with 48,698 new cases registered during the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry.

The death toll increased to 394,493 as 1,183 deaths were recorded since Friday morning.

- - - -

MOSCOW -- Russia logged 21,665 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the highest daily increase since Jan. 21, taking the nationwide tally to 5,430,753, the official monitoring and response center said Saturday.

The national death toll rose by 619 to 132,683 in the past day, while the number of recoveries grew by 14,347 to 4,943,986.

- - - -

PHNOM PENH -- A new batch of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Saturday, giving another boost to the country's vaccination drive.

Speaking to reporters while receiving the vaccine at the capital's airport, Economy and Finance Ministry's permanent secretary of state Vongsey Vissoth said the vaccines were purchased from Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech.

He thanked China for supplying the vaccine to the Southeast Asian nation timely.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- Indonesia on Saturday recorded 21,095 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, marking the highest daily spike and bringing the total tally to 2,093,962, the Health Ministry said.

The COVID-19-related death toll added by 358 to 56,729, the ministry reported.

- - - -

VALLETTA -- Malta has fully vaccinated 70 percent of the adult population against COVID-19, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Saturday.

In a post on social media, Fearne said that 81 percent of the population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The available jabs are two-dose Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson variety. So far, a total of 646,651 vaccine doses have been administered.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- Director of India's premier health institute, All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi Dr Randeep Guleria said Saturday that mixing doses of two different vaccines may improve their efficacy against COVID-19 mutations.

Guleria said some data suggested that mixing COVID-19 vaccines could generate better immunity or more antibodies and is a "definite possibility" but more information is needed before a decision can be taken. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 23:19:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Political parties, political leaders and friendly individuals in other countries have extended warm congratulations on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In messages addressed to General Secretary Xi Jinping of the CPC Central Committee or to the CPC Central Committee, they lauded the CPC's remarkable development achievements over the past century since its founding, noting that the party's successful experience is worth learning for political parties of all countries across the world. They wished the CPC another century of success.

The following is an edited summary of some of these messages.

Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said that China has gone through an extraordinary journey to achieve stability, development and social progress, and has successfully lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

The two countries and their people have maintained good relations, he said, noting that the two sides should continue to push forward dialogue and cooperation in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect and jointly cope with major challenges to world peace and prosperity.

Tiong King Sing, president of the Progressive Democratic Party of Malaysia and the Malaysian prime minister's special envoy to China, said that China's comprehensive victory in fighting poverty demonstrates the CPC's outstanding leadership and strong governance ability, and sets a good example for political parties and leaders of other countries to realize their people's desire to get rid of poverty.

Bhokin Bhalakula, former president of the National Assembly of Thailand and president of the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association, said that General Secretary Xi put forward the initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind and advocated developing the Belt and Road into a road of peace, which is the right way to address global challenges.

The people of Thailand and China are deeply connected like brothers and sisters, and are always close cooperative partners that share good neighborliness and friendship, he said, adding that he hopes the enduring friendship between the two countries continue to benefit their people.

Sergey Mironov, chairman of A Just Russia-Patriots-For Truth party, said that being the world's largest ruling party, the CPC is also a genuine party of the people and has achieved the modernization of the Chinese nation.

China has made great contributions to promoting sustainable development of the world economy and safeguarding international peace and stability, the party leader said, adding that the friendly relations between the two parties will surely continue to be consolidated and developed for the benefit of the two countries and peoples.

Helal Helal, deputy general secretary of Syria's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, expressed sincere greetings to the Chinese people on behalf of the leadership of the party.

Helal said that under the leadership of the CPC, China is committed to building a world order on the basis of respecting international law, safeguarding international peace and security, and respecting the right to self-determination of people of different countries, which makes China a natural partner for all those who love peace.

Indrananda Abeysekera, president of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, said that the CPC is the most successful political party in the world, and has set an example for political parties in other countries in serving the people and realizing national development. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 23:31:07|Editor: huaxia

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-- Over the past century, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has transformed the once shattered and impoverished country into the world's second-largest economy. The CPC has led China to achieve miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, which has had profound global implications.



-- The CPC has made it clear to all that the greatest political achievement for itself is improving the well-being of the people.

-- The Party, which believes that China has no need for the model of democracy found in the West, has established a democracy that suits the country itself.

by Xinhua writers Gui Tao, Jiang Jiang, Wang Zichen and Li Zhihui



BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- At an altitude of 3,300 meters, Sonam Tsering offered a hada, a traditional Tibetan silk scarf that symbolizes purity and auspiciousness, to a guest who had come from afar -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The Tibetan herdsman, whose family previously struggled to make ends meet in a mountainous rural village in northwest China's Qinghai Province, now owns 80 sheep and 20 cattle thanks to poverty-alleviation subsidies and loans from the government.

Sonam Tsering, who had bid farewell to his former home, a dilapidated adobe structure surrounded by uneven stone walls, welcomed Xi outside his new house that is equipped with a flush toilet and a driveway that leads up to the front door.

"Thanks to the Party's favorable policies, the lives of us herders are getting better every day," Sonam Tsering said.

Herdsman Sonam Tsering poses for a photo with his grandson at a mountainous rural village in Gangcha County of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, June 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Gang)

The visit of Xi came less than a month before the world's largest Marxist party, which has seen its membership explode from 50-plus individuals to more than 91 million, celebrates its centennial.

Over the past century, the Party has transformed the once shattered and impoverished country into the world's second-largest economy. The CPC has led China to achieve miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, which has had profound global implications.

Under the CPC's leadership, the modernization goal that the Chinese people, such as Sonam Tsering, have been striving toward is no longer out of reach.

Western political theories fall short in explaining the CPC's success. For a party that has remained committed to serving the people, the country's 1.4 billion citizens are an inexhaustible source of strength.

A PARTY OF "OUR OWN"

The CPC is substantially different from Western-style political parties. In a nutshell, it is viewed by the Chinese people as "a party of our own."

Born in the early 20th century, a period when the downtrodden Chinese people were struggling against foreign invasions and internal divisions, the CPC established its original aspiration and mission -- to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. The Party has been translating the needs of the people into concrete actions ever since.

CPC members have vowed to fight for the freedom, democracy and happiness of the people. Through their sacrifices, they have played a pioneering and exemplary role, with their influence transcending the boundaries of space and time. Committed to the cause, they have never gone back on their word.

Li Dazhao, one of the main founders of the CPC and also a man of great learning, was arrested, imprisoned and tortured in 1927. At the age of 38, Li, whose articles had inspired millions of Chinese youths, remained steadfast in his beliefs even in the face of death at the hands of a warlord. The gallows where he was hanged have been enshrined as the No. 0001 cultural relic of the National Museum of China.

People visit the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Shanghai, east China, June 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

Data shows that as many as 3.7 million CPC members sacrificed their lives from 1921 to 1949 in striving for the establishment of the people's republic. This figure does not include countless such individuals who died anonymous deaths.

This spirit of sacrifice has been carried forward by Chinese Communists in the country's latest efforts to battle both extreme poverty and the COVID-19 epidemic. More than 39 million CPC members and cadres fought against COVID-19 on the front lines, of whom nearly 400 lost their lives, according to official figures.

Fully aware that poverty is incompatible with socialism, the CPC led the Chinese people to initiate reform and opening up, which changed the fate of countless individuals. Among them are Mo Yan, the peasant-turned-Nobel laureate, and Nan Cunhui, the billionaire who was once a roadside cobbler.

From 1949 to 2019, China's per capita disposable income grew at an average annual rate of 6.1 percent in real terms.

The CPC leaders have been consistent with their people-centered philosophy. As early as 1934 when the CPC-led Red Army fought against the ruling Kuomintang party to liberate the Chinese people, Mao Zedong pointed out that "We must ... solve the problems facing the masses -- food, shelter and clothing, fuel, rice, cooking oil and salt, sickness and hygiene, and marriage."

"In short, all the practical problems in the masses' everyday life should claim our attention," Mao said. Following through on his commitment, he declared the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Decades later, echoing Mao's words, Xi repeatedly stressed that "the people's aspiration for a better life is our goal."

"No matter where our Party cadres are, they will always ask the villagers 'What kind of good life do you expect to have?'" Xi said during his tour of Qinghai. "Let's work together for a better life."

Issues related to people's livelihoods, including employment, income distribution, education, social security, medical care, housing, elderly care, childcare and food safety, all weigh heavily on Xi's mind.

Aerial photo taken on Feb. 4, 2020 shows medical workers helping COVID-19 patients move into isolation wards at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

China has declared a war against pollution, as "lucid waters and lush mountains" are demanded by the people. The country has announced its ambition to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Data shows that China has contributed a quarter of humanity-caused greening between 2000 and 2017.

The CPC has made it clear to all that the greatest political achievement for itself is improving the well-being of the people.

INSEPARABLE, INVINCIBLE

In the 1930s, Edgar Snow visited Yan'an, the then center of the Chinese Communist revolution, where the American journalist found "a rocklike solidarity" among the people of the region led by the CPC. The Red Army, though ragged and poorly armed, had a charm that made them invincible.

The unity between the people and the Party observed by Snow has remained unbreakable. In old times, people volunteered to provide food to the revolutionary soldiers and even dismantled their own wooden doors to make stretchers for the fallen.

In the fight against COVID-19, hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens have responded to the call of the Party and the government to quarantine themselves to prevent the spread of the virus. The engines of the "world's factory" have been roaring and the country's daily mask production capacity rapidly exceeded 100 million.

Today, CPC members can be easily found in all walks of life, including workers, farmers, students, private entrepreneurs, Chinese employees of foreign companies and internet influencers. Despite their different ages and jobs, they all "serve the people" -- the most concise and accurate summary of the fundamental purpose of the CPC.

The Chinese people recognize the good governance of the CPC in their own ways: People raised red banners to express their gratitude to earthquake rescuers; Children stood on tiptoe to offer water to flood fighters; Octogenarians bowed to anti-epidemic medical convoys; Villagers in Xinjiang presented flowers to cadres who had helped them eradicate extreme poverty.

Poverty relief assistants Liu Ying (1st L) and He Changle (2nd L), and village officials help carry melons planted by villagers in Dongqin Village, Congjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, Nov. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

A report from Harvard University in 2020 showed that the Chinese people's overall satisfaction with the government exceeded 93 percent.

The "mass line," a methodology of the CPC that requires its members to stay close to the people, has been written into the Party's Constitution. The CPC believes in pooling people's wisdom and power.

The east China village of Xiaogang is widely hailed as "China's number one reform village." Back in 1978, 18 farmers in the poverty-stricken village took great risks in secretly signing an agreement to contract collective land to individual households. The household contract responsibility system that derived from Xiaogang was spread nationwide in a few years. The history of Xiaogang is widely cited as an example of the CPC pooling grassroots wisdom to solve national problems.

China's "whole-process democracy," a hallmark of socialist democracy that distinguishes it from Western political systems, runs through all processes including elections, decision-making, administration and supervision. All major decision-making is procedure-based and follows democratic deliberations.

In the formulation of the Party leadership's proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan, extensive solicitations of comments and suggestions from various sectors were held. Online solicitations also received over 1 million comments within a matter of weeks.

A total of 546 comments and suggestions were finally reflected in the proposals, a drafting process which Xi called "a vivid example of the CPC's intraparty democracy and China's socialist democracy."

Photo taken on April 7, 2021 shows the scenery of a lake in Wuzhuang Village of Chun'an County, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Mao Yongfeng/Xinhua)

The Party, which believes that China has no need for the model of democracy found in the West, has established a democracy that suits the country itself.

NEVER-ENDING SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Over the past century, the Party has constantly adapted to the changing circumstances with policy changes -- one latest such shift being China's adoption of the three-child policy to improve the demographic structure of the world's most populous country.

But one thing that remains unchanged is the CPC's bond with the Chinese people, a relationship often described as being as "inseparable as fish and water."

The Party sees corruption as the "greatest threat" to its survival and its relationship with the Chinese people.

In 1952, Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zishan, two corrupt senior Party officials, were executed in China, demonstrating the early anti-corruption determination of the CPC. This determination remains to the present day.

In recent years, the CPC's anti-graft watchdog has ousted corrupt officials all the way from low-level "flies" to high-ranking "tigers."

The investigation of Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, came as a shock to some outsiders who had doubted the CPC's anti-corruption campaign would ever extend its reach to such heights.

When a grassroots-level government employee failed to pay for two apples from a local salesman in Shandong Province in 2015, he was disciplined. Yet this was not a case of making a mountain out of a molehill, as shown by a well-known anecdote of Mao. In 1948, when China was beset by civil war, the Communist army chose not to take a single apple from civilians, as "they were apples of the people," according to Mao.

Underlying this commitment, Xi urged all CPC members to have the resolve and tenacity to persevere in the "never-ending" fight against corruption. In 2020, around 604,000 people were disciplined by China's top anti-graft body.

The Party not only ensures it remains principled and professional but also guarantees it stands on the cutting edge of the times.

At the launch meeting of a recent campaign on Party history learning and education, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining the Party's tight bond with the people. The campaign was the latest of the CPC's efforts to unify its members' thought, enhance discipline and boost their morale as they march ever forward.

Having embarked on a new journey, the CPC is leading the Chinese people to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the centenary of the People's Republic of China. This will be the largest modernization drive achieved through peaceful development in the history of humanity.

Recently, three Chinese astronauts, all CPC members, flew into space and entered the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, which will be their home for the next three months.

Foreign astronauts are welcomed to cooperate with their Chinese counterparts after the construction of China's space station is completed, an embodiment of the CPC's concept of "a community with a shared future for humanity."

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, June 17, 2021 shows three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship entering the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

While a century of glory has been recorded in the annals of history, the CPC stands ready to write a new chapter for the people and by the people.

(Wang Pan, Xu Yang, Zhang Zhanpeng, Li Huaiyan, Cheng Di, Yangxiu Dazhen, Miao Xiaojuan and Xu Xiaoqing also contributed to the story; Video editor: Hong Ling; Poster: Liu Hongde, Zhou Xiaoli, Zhang Boqun, Wang Jingyun) 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 23:37:36|Editor: huaxia

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Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng visit the "Red Building," once the main campus of Peking University, and learn about the history of preparation and founding of the Communist Party of China at an exhibition in Beijing, capital of China, June 25, 2021. A group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee was held on Friday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has stressed efforts to make new achievements that will stand the test of time and are worthy of the people, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

Xi made the remarks on Friday when addressing a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi said that sites and heritage related to the history of the CPC are the most precious spiritual wealth.

The CPC's revolutionary heritage is the source of spiritual strength for Chinese Communists in the new era, he said.

Xi urged efforts to safeguard the country established by the revolutionary martyrs and develop it well, calling for new achievements that can live up to the expectations of the revolutionary forefathers, stand the test of time and are worthy of the people.

On Friday afternoon, Xi led members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on a visit to the "Red Building," once the main campus of Peking University, and learned about the history of preparation and founding of the CPC at an exhibition.

Xi also led the Political Bureau members to a former residence of Mao Zedong, where he worked and lived for 17 years from 1949.

After the visits, Xi chaired the group study.

Xi stressed that sites and heritage related to the CPC's history are scattered all over China, representing the Party's glorious history and great achievements and its pursuits, sentiments, responsibilities, sacrifices, and dedication.

Xi said since the 18th CPC National Congress, he has visited basically all major sacred revolutionary sites and memorials related to revolutionary history during his inspection tours.

Each visit meant spiritual enlightenment, Xi said.

He urged efforts to educate the whole Party to consistently follow the guidance offered by scientific theories.

The extensive spread of Marxism in China gave birth to the CPC, Xi said, noting that the reason why the Party can get things done and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good is because Marxism works.

Xi called on the entire Party to stay firm in upholding ideals and convictions. "Communism is the lofty ideal of our Party," Xi said.

He stressed efforts to strengthen the belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics and overcome difficulties to secure new victories on the new journey of fully building a modern socialist country.

Xi emphasized the importance of guiding CPC members to stay committed to the Party's original aspiration and founding mission, noting that for the Party that has governed a country for a long term, nothing is more dangerous than deviating from its original aspiration and becoming out of touch with the people.

Xi also stressed education that teaches the entire Party to stick to the glorious revolutionary traditions, which are a powerful spiritual driving force for forging ahead.

Currently, China is in a crucial period of realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the revolutionary spirit must not be abandoned, Xi said.

Nor can the Party give up modesty, prudence, and its other traditions such as guarding against arrogance and impetuosity, working hard, as well as diligence and thrift, Xi noted.

The Party must maintain its courage of fearing no enemies or risks and daring to fight and win, Xi stressed.

Xi also demanded the Party to stick to self-reform, which provides a strong support for the Party's governance capacity.

He ordered efforts to advance the full and strict governance over the Party.

Xi also demanded sound protection, management and utilization of sites and heritage related to the CPC's history.

Historical nihilism should be opposed and resisted, he said.

Xi said the sites and heritage should be used to guide young people to foster ideals that carry forward the revolutionary traditions. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 23:45:07|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday expressed shock at the killing of three staff members of Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) in Ethiopia's Tigray.

"I am deeply shocked by the murder of three Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) humanitarian workers in Tigray, Ethiopia. This is totally unacceptable and an appalling violation of international humanitarian law. The perpetrators must be found and severely punished," he said in a statement.

Guterres expressed solidarity with UN humanitarian partners who are risking their lives to provide protection and relief to people in Tigray.

The trio were traveling on Thursday afternoon when the MSF lost contact with them. On Friday morning, their vehicle was found empty and their lifeless bodies were lying a few meters away, said the MSF in a press release.

Since November 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which ruled Tigray.

Guterres on Friday strongly condemned Tuesday's airstrike on the village of Togoga in Tigray, which is reported to have killed many civilians.

Guterres reiterated the need for all parties to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to ensure the protection of civilians. He called for an independent and swift investigation into this incident. He further called for an immediate end to the fighting in Tigray and for urgent steps to peacefully resolve the conflict. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 23:57:05|Editor: huaxia

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KIEV, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed in a statement Thursday night that the country attaches importance to its strategic partnership with China, and announced on Friday withdrawal of its signature on a joint statement initiated by individual western countries on the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations Office in Geneva said on its official website Friday that it has withdrawn its signature on the joint statement on human rights situation in Xinjiang at the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council on June 22.

The foreign ministry issued the statement on its website, stressing that Ukraine attaches importance to its strategic partnership with China.

It reiterated non-interference in China's internal affairs, saying that it stands ready to continue adhering to the principle of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and make efforts to promote the two countries' relations to continue moving forward. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 00:01:51|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has finalized all administrative processes and requisite payment for shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines to be part of the country's vaccination program, a government official said on Saturday.

Kennedy Malama, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health in charge of Technical Services said 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines were expected to arrive in the country in the next two weeks.

He said in a COVID-19 update that the government has also finalized the legal processes for the acquisition of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and will now be making the requisite payments.

The government, he said, will continue to acquire additional consignments of the approved vaccines in line with the approved basket of vaccines.

Zambia has approved five vaccines as part of its vaccination program. The program was being done in a phased manner. The vaccination program was launched on April 14, 2021 under the first phase of the AstraZeneca vaccine while the second dose of the same vaccine commenced on June 23.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 2,816 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours out of 10,918 tests done. This brings the cumulative cases to 146,031 while 52 people died, bringing the total deaths to 1,967.

A total of 2,554 patients were discharged during the same period, bringing the total recoveries to 121,965. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 00:03:13|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH -- A new batch of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Saturday, giving another boost to the country's vaccination drive.

Speaking to reporters while receiving the vaccine at the capital's airport, Economy and Finance Ministry's permanent secretary of state Vongsey Vissoth said the vaccines were purchased from Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech. (Cambodia-China-Vaccine)

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HONG KONG -- Lunar soil brought back by China's moon mission was placed on display Saturday in Hong Kong.

The sample, exhibited in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, was picked up from the moon in December 2020 by the Chang'e-5 lunar probe, the first lunar collection back to Earth in more than 40 years. The probe returned with 1,731 grams of lunar soil. (Hong Kong-Lunar soil-Exhibition)

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DHAKA -- The Bangladeshi government has announced the imposition of a nationwide strict lockdown for a week from Monday to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country, asking people to avoid non-essential trips.

The decision was announced on Friday night amid a resurgence in COVID-19 cases recently in the country. (Bangladesh-COVID-19-Lockdown)

- - - -

SYDNEY -- Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) on Saturday extended lockdown to more areas as local transmission in the biggest city of Sydney still increased.

From 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, a two-week lockdown will be imposed on Greater Sydney and some surrounding areas including Wollongong, Blue Mountains and the Central Coast, extending from the four local government areas announced on Friday. (Australia-Sydney-Lockdown)

- - - -

JAKARTA -- Indonesia on Saturday recorded 21,095 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, marking the highest daily spike and bringing the total tally to 2,093,962, the Health Ministry said.

The COVID-19-related death toll added by 358 to 56,729, the ministry reported. (Indonesia-COVID-19) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 02:45:34|Editor: huaxia

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Video: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Afghanistan's top leaders, as U.S. troops are withdrawing and the security situation there worsens. (Xinhua)

With U.S. forces continuing their withdrawal from Afghanistan in the coming months, President Joe Biden is limited in what he and the United States can do to prevent the security situation in Afghanistan from spiraling out of control, an expert said.

by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday met with Afghanistan's top leaders, as U.S. troops have been withdrawing from the nation and the security situation there worsens.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah met with Biden at the White House where Biden vowed a "sustained" partnership.

"Our troops may be leaving but support for Afghanistan is not ending in terms of support and maintenance of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support," Biden said at the beginning of their meeting.

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future," he continued. "Senseless violence has to stop."

The meeting came as the United States continues to pull out troops after around two decades of war in Afghanistan and as the security situation deteriorates.

Washington said it is over halfway toward the goal of pulling out troops by the Sept. 11 deadline -- the date in 2001 that sparked the two-decade U.S. war.

Over 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan over the past two decades, with 20,000 wounded, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

Meanwhile, estimates show that over 66,000 Afghan troops have been killed, and over 2.7 million people have had to leave their homes.

Afghan security force members take part in a cleanup operation against Taliban militants in Jawzjan province, Afghanistan, June 5, 2021. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)

Since the start of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan on May 1, the security situation in the war-torn country has worsened significantly.

The Taliban, according to its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, has captured more than 70 districts over the past month. In the latest development, it occupied Khash District in the northern Badakhshan province on Wednesday.

The Biden administration is planning to relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters and others, who worked with the U.S. military and feared Taliban reprisals, to safe locations as they wait for their application for entry to the United States to proceed.

Jason Campbell, a policy researcher at U.S. nonprofit global think tank RAND Corporation, told Xinhua that at this stage, with U.S. forces continuing their withdrawal in the coming months, Biden is limited in what he and the United States can do to prevent the security situation from spiraling out of control.

What Biden can do, however, is to provide public reassurance that the United States continues to staunchly support the Afghan government and its security forces, both diplomatically and financially, Campbell said.

Speaking Friday from Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the rising violence in Afghanistan is a danger, and if the Taliban tries to once again take over the country, "we'll see a renewal of a war or possibly worse."

Photo taken in Kunduz city, Afghanistan on May 26, 2021 shows people who were rescued by Afghan Special Forces from a Taliban detention center located in neighboring Baghlan province. (Photo by Ajmal Kakar/Xinhua)

Still, he added that not pulling out U.S. troops would have been a mistake, as the White House believes the Taliban would have once again begun strikes on U.S. troops, causing another escalation.

The Taliban advances have prompted the U.S. intelligence community to conclude that the government of Afghanistan could collapse as soon as six months after the complete withdrawal of the U.S. military from the country, according to a Wall Street Journal report, which cited sources with knowledge of the new assessment.

Campbell, however, said he did not see the Taliban once again taking control of Afghanistan in the near term.

Despite recent progress on the battlefield, there is evidence to suggest that at least some of the Taliban advances are primarily to achieve propaganda victories, and in a number of cases their forces have either retreated or been pushed back by Afghan forces, Campbell said.

"My sense is that the Taliban are attempting to take advantage of the current transition and build as much equity for political negotiations as they can as the U.S. force presence decreases," Campbell said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 03:54:19|Editor: huaxia

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Sajid Javid arrives at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, on Feb. 13, 2020. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)

Health secretary Matt Hancock resigned Saturday after admitting that he broke the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines during alleged affair with his aide, which reportedly caused an outrage in the country.

LONDON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has been appointed health secretary after the resignation of Matt Hancock on Saturday, Downing Street said.

Javid previously served as home secretary from 2018 to 2019 and then as chancellor of the exchequer until February last year, when he was succeeded by Rishi Sunak.

Hancock resigned Saturday after admitting that he broke the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines during alleged affair with his aide, which reportedly caused an outrage in the country.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrives at 10 Downing Street for the COVID-19 committee meeting in London, Britain, on April 29, 2020. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

In his resignation letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Hancock said that "we owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance."

"The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis," he said.

Hancock also posted a video on his Twitter account, in which he said "those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them, and that's why I have got to resign."

Hancock has been under increasing pressure to quit after The Sun newspaper on Friday published pictures of him and his aid Gina Coladangelo kissing at the British Department of Health's London HQ reportedly during office hours in May.

Hancock's resignation came after embarrassing footage emerged of the health secretary in a clinch with his aide Coladangelo on May 6, when the public were still being advised not to hug people outside their household, the Guardian newspaper reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 04:08:34|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that its Black Sea Fleet was tracking the U.S. guided-missile destroyer Ross, which entered the Black Sea earlier in the day for a multinational exercise with Ukraine.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will join 31 other ships to participate in the maritime portion of Exercise Sea Breeze 2021 starting next week, the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet said on Saturday.

Ross' participation in this year's drills is "a tangible demonstration of U.S. support for Ukraine" and part of the enduring commitment made by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to enhance maritime security in the Black Sea, said Charge d'Affaires Kristina Kvien, U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Saturday that the NATO-Ukraine drills are aimed at causing "endless" destabilization near the Russian borders and transferring weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 05:43:32|Editor: huaxia

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ALGIERS -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Saturday started consultations with the political class ahead of forming a new cabinet, official media reported.

APS news agency said Tebboune received in his office in Algiers Abou el-Fadhl Baadji, general secretary of the National Liberation Front (FLN). Baadji headed a delegation of senior officials of the party. (Algeria-President-New cabinet)

----

Istanbul -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday laid the groundwork of the Canal Istanbul, which would connect the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Erdogan said Canal Istanbul would significantly ease the heavy traffic of the 30-km-long Bosphorus Strait, one of the world's busiest waterways that divides the Asian and European parts of Istanbul. (Turkey-Canal Istanbul)

----

TEHRAN -- The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said Saturday that the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was shut down temporarily last week, will enter the circuit in the following days, official IRNA news agency reported.

"The temporary shut-down of the Bushehr nuclear power plant was due to technical issues. This problem is almost solved and the power plant will enter the circuit within the next two or three days," Salehi was quoted as saying. (Iran-Nuclear Plant-Restart)

----

JERUSALEM -- The number of active COVID-19 cases in Israel rose to 1,147 on Saturday, the highest since May 5, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, the ministry reported 175 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number in the country to 840,813. (Israel-COVID19) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 06:03:32|Editor: huaxia

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BOGOTA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Two miners were trapped on Saturday following the collapse of a coal mine in a rural area of Colombia's Boyaca department, authorities said.

Edison Aparicio, mayor of the town of Sativasur, said that the miners' state of health is unknown.

"As far as is known, the causes of the accident are due to the collapse or falling of rocks inside the mine. The trapped people ... are located 100 meters down in a straight line," said Aparicio.

According to local authorities, rescue operation began immediately after the incident. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 00:26:50|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Friday called for new approaches and effective strategies to eliminate malaria in Africa by 2030.

Mutahi Kagwe, Health Cabinet Secretary said the continent must focus on the prevention from the source and embrace the principles of primary healthcare.

"To eliminate malaria, we must start at the breeding sites where mosquitoes thrive. As such we need to spread awareness on the role of larviciding in the fight against malaria," Kagwe said in Nairobi during the launch of the Great Lakes Malaria Initiative Strategic Plan in Nairobi.

Kagwe who is also the chairperson of the East African Community (EAC) sectoral Council of Health Ministers said that infection rate and deaths are unacceptable, adding that the region intends to follow in the footsteps of Cuba, Argentina and Algeria that has eliminated malaria.

He noted that the regional countries will embark on awareness creation on the role of eliminating mosquito larvae at an early stage and also focus on behavior change at the community level.

Kagwe urged regional countries to collaborate and start manufacturing medicines locally to reduce reliance on foreign manufactured malaria supplies.

Kagwe said that through the Kenya End Malaria campaign, Nairobi will start deploying drones to spray mosquito breeding sites around Lake Victoria basin in Western Kenya.

"If we challenge ourselves to invest more in these areas, we shall surely develop more advanced techniques to aid our cause," he said.

The Strategic Plan 2021-2025 is expected to strengthen research, innovation and increase investment. The Plan outlines interventions that will address malaria intervention in the border areas of the six countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 00:42:05|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Friday received an assortment of medical supplies and equipment from various cooperating partners, including China Geo-Engineering Corporation, to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese firm donated 30,000 surgical masks.

Kennedy Malama, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health in charge of Technical Services said the government was encouraged by the unwavering support from various cooperating partners.

The country recorded 2,595 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The new cases were picked from 11,059 tests done during the period bringing the cumulative cases to 143,215. Sixty people died during the same period, bringing the total deaths to 1,915 while 3,513 patients were discharged, bringing the total recoveries to 119,411. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 09:15:39|Editor: huaxia

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HARARE, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's largest public hospital and COVID-19 medical center said Friday that it had witnessed an increasing number of patients needing admission, as the country faces a third wave of the pandemic.

"We wish to advise members of the public that our COVID Center, which is the largest in the country, has witnessed an upsurge in the numbers of COVID patients requiring admission," Parirenyatwa Hospital said in a statement.

"We would like to assure the public that the hospital is taking appropriate measures to ensure that it continues to attend and admit all deserving patients," it said.

A source at the hospital said the hospital was already discharging patients who were deemed to be in less danger.

"Appropriate clinical considerations will be taken by the clinicians as we rationalize and balance the provision of medical care to both COVID and non-COVID patients," the hospital added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 21:23:24|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, June 26 (Xinhua) -- At least one soldier was killed and three others wounded on Saturday in a roadside blast targeting Puntland region's security minister.

The state-owned television reported that the explosion targeted a convoy of Puntland State Security Minister, Abdisamad Galan near Bali Dhidin village in Bari region on the outskirts of Bosaso, northeast Somalia.

The minister survived the attack but some of the vehicles on his convoy were destroyed.

The wounded soldiers were rushed to the hospital while the convoy later proceeded with their journey.

There was no immediate comment from Puntland officials but al-Shabab, which has been fighting to topple the government, claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

The militant group said its two explosions hit the minister's convoy, killing a soldier and wounding three others.

The latest incident comes after Puntland security forces have recently destroyed terrorists' bases in the region. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 22:45:50|Editor: huaxia

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ALGIERS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Saturday started consultations with the political class ahead of forming a new cabinet, official media reported.

APS news agency said Tebboune received in his office in Algiers Abou el-Fadhl Baadji, general secretary of the National Liberation Front (FLN). Baadji headed a delegation of senior officials of the party.

Later on, Tebboune received a delegation of independent candidates who become the second largest power at the lower house of the parliament.

The consultations aim at discussing the political situation in Algeria in the light of the results of the parliamentary ballots, as to pave the way for forming a new government.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad and members of his cabinet on Thursday presented their resignation to Tebboune in accordance with Article 113 of the Constitution.

Tebboune requested Djerad and his team to remain at office until a new government is formed.

Article 113 stipulates that the cabinet resigns after the final results of the parliamentary elections are confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

The resignation of Djerad cabinet came after the announcement of the final results of the June 12 parliamentary elections by the Constitutional Court late on Wednesday.

The Constitution also stipulates in its article 103 that the government is headed by a Prime Minister when the legislative elections result in a pro-President majority, and by a Head of Government when the elections result in an opposition party majority.

Thr Constitutional Council announced that the National Liberation Front (FLN) grabbed 98 seats out of 407 seats at the lower House of Parliament, and the independent list candidates collected 84 seats, while the Islamist oriented Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) collected 65 seats, followed by the former ruling party of the National Democratic Rally (RND) with 58 seats.

The results has drawn a remarkable change in the political landscape in this North African nation, for it is the first time that independent candidates become the second power at the Parliament since the introduction of multi-party system in 1989. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 00:57:33|Editor: huaxia

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President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi (R) and Rwandan President Paul Kagame attend a press conference after their meeting in Goma, North Kivu province, DR Congo, on June 26, 2021. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed on Saturday three agreements on bilateral cooperation after a meeting between the two heads of state in Goma. (Photo by Zanem Nety Zaidi/Xinhua)

KINSHASA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed on Saturday three agreements on bilateral cooperation after a meeting between the two heads of state in Goma, capital of northeastern DR Congo's North Kivu province.

The agreements were signed during the visit of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who met with his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi in Goma on Saturday.

The first agreement signed concerns the promotion and protection of investments, while the second one relates to the avoidance of double taxation and tax evasion between the two countries. The third agreement is a memorandum on gold mining cooperation.

In a joint press conference at the end of the meeting that led to these agreements, the two heads of state appreciated the good collaboration that has existed for several years between the two countries and their peoples.

According to Tshisekedi, it is time for relations between the two countries to become friendly and fraternal.

"We have wasted so many years being antagonistic towards each other, living in tension and in a war situation, but also sharing hatred, now that's enough," he said.

On Friday, the two presidents had a two-hour meeting in Rubavu, Rwanda, where they discussed several issues, including security in the region, the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in May, and in particular Kinshasa's integration into the East African Community.

The two presidents have held many meetings in recent months, particularly during international summits. Before the Rubavu meeting, the two leaders met face-to-face on May 17 in Paris, on the sidelines of the international summit for the financing of African economies. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 01:01:27|Editor: huaxia

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Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube speaks in front of the COVID-19 vaccine from China at R.G. Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Zimbabwe, on June 26, 2021. Zimbabwe on Saturday received a shipment of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses from China as the southern African country ramps up inoculations to battle the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)

HARARE, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe on Saturday received a shipment of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses from China as the southern African country ramps up inoculations to battle the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The country is also expecting to take another delivery of vaccine doses from the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac next week.

The latest delivery of vaccines from China comes at a time when the country is registering a rebound in COVID-19 cases, prompting authorities to introduce new restrictive measures to curtail the spread of the virus.

According to the health ministry's daily update, the country on Friday recorded 911 new positive cases, the highest daily number since February.

Speaking to the media at the receiving ceremony of the vaccines at R.G. Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said treasury has set aside enough resources for the procurement of vaccines.

He noted that apart from saving lives, the vaccination drive will accelerate economic recovery.

"But it's not just about saving lives, it's about economic recovery because when people are vaccinated, when citizens are vaccinated, it's easier for companies to operate, it's easier to do business, and carrying on with business is what will revive the economy," Ncube said.

He reiterated that the procurement of the vaccines will go a long way in meeting the increased demand for vaccines at a time the country has been experiencing a spike in cases.

Speaking at the same occasion, Deputy Health and Child Care Minister John Mangwiro expressed confidence in the vaccines procured from China.

"The vaccines that are being used are not by guesswork, there is thorough scientific input both from ourselves, our scientists, Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, the international community, if you check with the World Health Organization, they are registered there, and you can see even the results that are being pronounced everywhere, I am sure you can see that this vaccination and this vaccine is working well for us," he told Xinhua.

Mangwiro noted that border towns will be prioritized when it comes to vaccine distribution, adding that vaccinations will be mandatory in some public spaces such as markets countrywide.

The arrival of the vaccines is expected to accelerate the country's vaccination exercise which has so far covered 725,582 first dose recipients. A total of 467,733 people have also received their second doses so far.

Zimbabwe is embarking on its inoculation drive mainly with Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines from China.

The country is aiming to inoculate 60 percent of its 14 million people to archive herd immunity by the end of the year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 05:38:47|Editor: huaxia

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Medical workers prepare to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to people at a vaccination site in Tunis, Tunisia, on June 26, 2021. Since the start of the nationwide vaccination campaign against coronavirus on March 13, a total of 1,705,657 people have received the vaccines, with 476,013 taking both doses, according to the latest figures published by Tunisian Health Ministry. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

TUNIS, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Health Ministry on Saturday reported 4,664 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections in the country to 403,493.

The death toll from the virus rose by 90 to 14,579 in Tunisia, while the tally of recoveries reached 346,290, the ministry said in a statement.

A total of 1,671,661 lab tests have been carried out in Tunisia so far, according to the ministry.

Since the start of the nationwide vaccination campaign against coronavirus on March 13, a total of 1,705,657 people have received the vaccines, with 476,013 taking both doses, according to the latest figures published by the ministry.

Tunisia is experiencing a new wave of the coronavirus, described by the authorities as "the most dangerous," with the appearance of new strains detected in countries such as Britain, South Africa and India.

According to the health ministry, seven of the country's 24 provinces are classified as high risk, with a rate of more than 400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in most of their municipalities. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 13:55:41|Editor: huaxia

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by Misbah Saba Malik, Li Hao

ISLAMABAD, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an important pilot project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has helped Pakistan to overcome the energy crisis and paved a way for the country's economic prosperity, Pakistani officials said.

Pakistan's Energy Minister Hammad Azhar told Xinhua on Friday that "the power plants built under the CPEC hold immense importance" for the country as they have largely solved the serious electricity shortage in Pakistan, bringing advanced technology and creating job opportunities.

Citing the example of the 660kV Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project under the CPEC, he said that it is a boon for the country's power sector because it will save energy consumption and transmit cheap electricity from the CPEC's southern power plants to the northern load centers of the country, which will further "address the issues of energy shortage and inflated price of electricity."

The CPEC's southern power plants and the transmission line project, which officially started high-power transmission Friday and is expected to be put into commercial operation later this year, will ensure the supply availability, stability and security, supporting the industrialization process in the country, the minister said.

Talking about the future of the BRI as a green Belt and Road, and the CPEC as a green corridor, he said the country is striving to achieve "the target of 30 percent renewable energy in the national grid up till 2030, and the CPEC will play a vital role for it" due to its fair contribution in renewable energy projects including hydropower, wind and solar.

On the sidelines of the high-power transmission ceremony of the Matiari-Lahore HVDC transmission project on Friday, Managing Director of the National Transmission and Despatch Company Muhammad Ayub told Xinhua that besides addressing the power crisis, the CPEC energy projects also provided a large number of direct and indirect employments to Pakistanis, thus contributing to the economic development of the country.

The CPEC's power plants are giving Pakistan electricity at the cheapest prices and when the cheapest energy will be transmitted through the HVDC line, it will save a substantial amount of electricity from getting wasted, and will eventually give cheaper electricity to the end-consumers, he added.

The official added that currently "over 18 percent of the country's electricity gets wasted due to the old transmission lines, but with the introduction of the HVDC transmission project for the first time in the country, the CPEC will help the country save its energy as the electricity wastage percentage in the Matiari-Lahore transmission line is only about 4 percent," which will make a huge difference.

In the month of June, an 18-percent increase in the demand for electricity has been witnessed by the industrial sector, indicating the growth of the industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is able to meet this demand because of the BRI which is injecting enough electricity into the country's national grid, enabling it to meet the demand of both domestic and industrial consumers.

"The CPEC projects are adding and will add more electricity in our system after the completion of the ongoing projects, and will help us generate more revenues by flourishing our industry, besides improving the lifestyle of our public," Ayub added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 14:47:39|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia recorded 2,362 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours after 11,748 tests across the country, bringing the nationwide tally to 107,262, the country's health ministry said Saturday.

Meanwhile, 12 more fatalities were reported, taking the national total to 524, said the ministry.

Mongolia's COVID-19 surge continues, and since mid-June, more than 2,000 infections and over 10 deaths have been reported daily in the country with a 3.3 million population.

Among the total confirmed cases, 68,751 have been recovered.

The Asian country launched a national vaccination campaign in late February, with the aim of covering at least 60 percent of its population. More than 1,723,800 Mongolians have been fully vaccinated.

Most of the decedents were unvaccinated, the health ministry said, urging the public to get vaccinated to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from the disease. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 19:28:12|Editor: huaxia

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People line up to register before receiving COVID-19 vaccines in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 26, 2021. Indonesia has set a target of administering two million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per day in August in efforts to curb the surge in coronavirus infections following the Eid al-Fitr holiday in May, according to President Joko Widodo on Saturday. (Photo by Horimam B./Xinhua)

JAKARTA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has set a target of administering two million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per day in August in efforts to curb the surge in coronavirus infections following the Eid al-Fitr holiday in May, according to President Joko Widodo on Saturday.

According to the president, the surge in COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country was worsened by the inclusion of the more contagious coronavirus variants of concern such as Delta, Alpha and Beta.

The daily number of two million doses marks a sharp increase over the target of 700,000 doses in June and 1 million doses in July.

"I hope that starting today the target of 1 million doses of vaccine (per day) is achieved for the entire Indonesian population and we will keep it until July. In August, we are targeting twice," Widodo said.

Indonesia has administered 25.48 million doses as of Friday nationwide, including 12.91 million as the second doses.

As of Friday, Indonesia has recorded 2,072,867 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 1,835,061 recoveries and 56,371 deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 20:13:04|Editor: huaxia

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A firefighter uses a water pipe to cool down during a fire mission at a residential area in Quezon City, the Philippines on June 26, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 20:12:25|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, June 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 46 Taliban militants were killed and 25 others wounded on Saturday in battles in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said.

The clashes occurred when the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) backed by local Public Uprising Forces and supported by the Afghan Air Force targeted a Taliban convoy and militants' aggregations in the suburban districts of Dasht-e-Qala and Rustaq on Saturday morning, the ministry said in a statement.

Among those killed in the battles were eight outstanding members of the Taliban outfit, the statement noted, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of the security forces.

Two militants' vehicles and a number of their weapons and ammunition were also destroyed, according to the statement.

The northern Afghan provinces have been the scene of heavy clashes and battles in recent weeks as Taliban militants continued their fighting against government forces and captured several suburban districts, mostly in the northern region in the Asian country.

The militant group has not yet made comment on the casualty report. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 20:36:37|Editor: huaxia

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported two new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the national tally to 259.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, Case 258 is a 38-year-old man and Case 259 is a 39-year-old woman, who both arrived in the country from Indonesia on June 13.

Investigation and contact tracing have found no close contacts as they were quarantined upon arrival.

The new cases are being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center with nine other active cases, who are all in a stable condition.

With the detection of the new cases, a total of 118 imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case on May 6, 2020. Brunei has recorded 416 days without local COVID-19 infection cases.

There have been 245 recovered patients and three deaths reported from COVID-19 so far in Brunei. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 21:23:35|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan businessmen have donated more than 10,000 oxygen cylinders to COVID-19 hospitals as the cases of the virus are on the rise in the Asian country, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said Saturday.

"Following a request from the Minister of Industry and Commerce Nisar Ahmad Ghoryani to national businessmen to assist in providing the oxygen needed at COVID-19 hospitals in Afghanistan, Afghan national businessmen Khairuddin Mayel and Kamal Nabizadah imported from abroad more than 10,000 oxygen capsules and donated them to COVID-19 hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif city and the national capital Kabul," the ministry said in a statement.

The donation of the oxygen cylinders would be helpful to ease the situation amid an acute oxygen crisis in the nation, according to the statement.

"The Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) within the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has launched a market research to prevent oxygen hoarding," said the statement.

Earlier in the day, the country's Ministry of Public Health reported 1,095 new COVID-19 cases and 56 more deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the national tally and death toll to 114,220 and 4,650 respectively. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 21:44:23|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, June 26 (Xinhua) -- A new batch of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Saturday, giving another boost to the country's vaccination drive.

Speaking to reporters while receiving the vaccine at the capital's airport, Economy and Finance Ministry's permanent secretary of state Vongsey Vissoth said the vaccines were purchased from Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech.

He thanked China for supplying the vaccine to the Southeast Asian nation timely.

"The special bond of Cambodia-China friendship has played an invaluable role to ensure that the vaccines are available on time for Cambodia to inoculate our people," he said.

Cambodia has so far acquired more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from China and the World Health Organization's COVAX Facility, Vissoth said.

Cambodia launched an anti-COVID-19 inoculation drive on Feb. 10, starting from Phnom Penh and Kandal province, before expanding to five other provinces, namely Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu, Takeo and Svay Rieng, earlier this week.

As of June 25, some 6.6 million vaccines have been administered in the kingdom, with 3.8 million people receiving their first dose and 2.8 million having completed the two-dose inoculation, according to health ministry's secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine.

Cambodia's COVID-19 infection rates continued to rise on Saturday as the kingdom reported 745 new cases, pushing the national caseload to 46,810, the health ministry said in a statement.

The country also recorded 14 new fatalities, taking the overall death toll to 523 so far, the ministry said, adding that 670 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 41,439. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 22:51:38|Editor: huaxia

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Health workers transfer a patient with high fever in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 24, 2021. The Health Ministry said on June 26, 2021 that the country recorded 21,095 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily spike since March last year when the first COVID-19 case was detected in the country, bringing the total national tally to 2,093,962. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)

By Bambang Purwanto

JAKARTA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government prefers tightened restrictions on community activities to lockdown although some have recommended that the country be fully quarantined amid the soaring number of COVID-19 cases.

The Health Ministry said on Saturday that the country recorded 21,095 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest daily spike since March last year when the first COVID-19 case was detected in the country, bringing the total national tally to 2,093,962.

Among those who recommended a lockdown is an epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono who suggested a full quarantine to stop the spread of the coronavirus, especially the new variants of concern such as the Delta Plus variant.

"There should be more efforts to prevent the spread of the new variant. Locking should be implemented in a number of districts in the country," Wahyono was quoted by Antara news agency as saying early this week.

According to him, the number of COVID-19 infections has been soaring recently as the new variants are spreading much faster.

"And therefore, a lockdown must be applied," he said, adding that the lockdown is not merely aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, but also stemming further infections of the new variants.

He said the government should increase funds for handling the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating tests for COVID-19 detection and whole genome sequencing as well as providing subsidies to the public when a lockdown is implemented.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday that the government has received suggestions from a number of parties for an implementation of lockdown, but the micro-scale restrictions on community activities was considered the most appropriate measure to contain the increasing number of COVID-19 cases.

The president said the government has studied various options for handling COVID-19 by taking into account the economic, social, and political conditions in Indonesia as well as experiences from other countries.

"The government has decided that the micro-scale restrictions are still the most appropriate to stop the spread of COVID-19 up to the village level, or to directly target the root of the problem in the community," the president said.

The government has extended the micro-scale restrictions from June 22 to July 5 in all the 34 provinces in Indonesia.

"The government sees that the policy of the micro-scale restrictions is the most appropriate policy for the current context as it can run without destroying the people's economy," Widodo said.

He said the micro-scale restrictions and lockdown should not be contradicted as they have the same essence, namely restricting people's activities to control the rate of the COVID-19 cases.

However, the policy of the micro-scale restrictions has not been applied in all areas in Indonesia, the president said, calling on governors and district heads to fulfill their commitment to implementing the policy up to the village level.

Echoing the president's remarks, Head of the Behavior Change Division of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Sonny Harry B Harmadi said that the implementation of the micro-scale restrictions is the right formulation in responding to the surge in COVID-19 cases in a number of areas in Indonesia.

The policy mainly consists of three factors, namely tightened compliance with health protocols, limiting mobility, and limiting activities according to related directives issued by the Minister of Home Affairs.

"The policy of micro-scale restrictions is better (than lockdown), because it is micro-quarantine in areas with high cases in accordance with the president's directives," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 19:12:18|Editor: huaxia

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WARSAW, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Poland started to ease restrictions on businesses further on Saturday amid dropping COVID-19 infection numbers across the country.

Starting Saturday, all public transport can run at full capacity, provided passengers wear face masks. Places of worship, cinemas and theaters are allowed to fill 75 percent of their normal capacity, up from 50 percent when they reopened on May 15. Hotels can now book up to 75 percent of their total rooms, not counting children under the age of 12.

Sporting events and concerts are allowed to receive up to 50 percent of total venue capacity, while discos and dancing clubs can reopen for up to 150 guests.

The Polish government has also adopted the definition the European Union uses for people being fully vaccinated. A person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving their last dose, the government announced on its website.

While relaxing most restrictions, the Polish government on Thursday reintroduced a mandatory 10-day quarantine period for travelers coming from countries outside of the Schengen zone out of fear of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The coronavirus mutation, which was first detected in India, is thought to be more contagious than the Alpha variant, which was first detected in Britain.

Reports over the week indicated that around 90 Polish residents have contracted the Delta variant so far.

In total, 2,879,569 Poles have been reported to have had COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Over the last 24 hours, 100 additional cases have been verified by the authorities.

As people are being vaccinated, the number of reported COVID cases has dropped steadily since April. A total of 27,621,910 vaccine doses have been administered, and 11,173,942 adults have been fully vaccinated in the country of 38 million. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 00:46:23|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- College students in Britain showcased their command of the Chinese language through speeches and cultural performances in the regional final of the 20th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition held online Saturday.

The contest consisted of five parts, including prepared speech on the theme "One World, One Family", knowledge quiz about China, three-minute artistic performance, two-minute self-made video and impromptu quiz.

Zuzanna Anna Suchcicka, a student who majors in Chinese and International Business at the University of Leeds, won the top prize out of the 10 participants after her fluent Chinese, smooth delivery and broad range of knowledge about the Chinese culture impressed the online judges.

"I'm so excited! I hope we all continue our efforts to improve our Chinese language skills," she said in a brief winning speech in Chinese, unable to contain her excitement.

Together with three other contestants, she will represent Britain to join the "Chinese Bridge" global final later this year.

"Language is a vehicle of civilization; it is also a bridge of communication between countries," said Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang in the opening remarks.

Citing such issues as global public health, climate change, preserving biodiversity, the ambassador said that "no country can do it alone; the world must work together."

"If Chinese speakers and English speakers around the world join hands to deal with global challenges, they can make greater contributions to world peace and prosperity," he added.

Kate Ewart-Biggs, interim chief executive of the British Council, said: "In an increasingly complicated world, where solutions to great challenges must come from international cooperation, studying another language really is one the most valuable things anyone can do."

The "Chinese Bridge" is an annual competition aimed at arousing the enthusiasm of students in various countries to learn Chinese and strengthen the world's understanding of the Chinese language and culture.

Since the start of the competition in 2002, it has attracted more than 1.4 million young students from more than 150 countries around the world. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 07:12:07|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden met with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah at the White House on Friday.

The visit of the two Afghan leaders came amid a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan as the U.S. military had completed more than half of the withdrawal from the war-torn country.

Biden said at the beginning of their meeting that "our troops may be leaving but support for Afghanistan is not ending in terms of support and maintenance of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support."

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future ... senseless violence has to stop," he continued.

Ghani noted that the Afghan-U.S. partnership is entering a new chapter, adding that Afghan security forces had retaken six districts on Friday.

The two Afghan leaders also met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin earlier.

The White House later said in a statement that the United States will provide Afghanistan with critical emergency medical assistance and 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX.

Biden had requested over 3.3 billion U.S. dollars of security assistance for the Afghan military next year, and other forms of financial support will also continue, according to the statement.

Taliban militants have been continuing heavy fighting against government forces since the drawdown of U.S. troops on May 1.

The Taliban, according to its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, has captured more than 70 districts over the past month. In the latest development, it occupied Khash District in the northern Badakhshan province on Wednesday.

The Biden administration plans to relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters and others, who worked with the U.S. military and feared Taliban reprisals, to safe locations as they wait for their application for entry to the United States to proceed.

Despite the grave situation on the ground, the Pentagon said earlier this week that it was still committed to the September deadline set by Biden.

Biden announced in April that all U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into its longest war.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that the main portion of U.S. forces would complete its withdrawal in the next two weeks, and around 650 troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 14:45:36|Editor: huaxia

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by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday met with Afghanistan's top leaders, as U.S. troops have been withdrawing from the nation and the security situation there worsens.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah met with Biden at the White House where Biden vowed a "sustained" partnership.

"Our troops may be leaving but support for Afghanistan is not ending in terms of support and maintenance of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support," Biden said at the beginning of their meeting.

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future," he continued. "Senseless violence has to stop."

The meeting came as the United States continues to pull out troops after around two decades of war in Afghanistan and as the security situation deteriorates.

Washington said it is over halfway toward the goal of pulling out troops by the Sept. 11 deadline -- the date in 2001 that sparked the two-decade U.S. war.

Over 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan over the past two decades, with 20,000 wounded, according to the U.S. Defense Department.

Meanwhile, estimates show that over 66,000 Afghan troops have been killed, and over 2.7 million people have had to leave their homes.

Since the start of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan on May 1, the security situation in the war-torn country has worsened significantly.

The Taliban, according to its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, has captured more than 70 districts over the past month. In the latest development, it occupied Khash District in the northern Badakhshan province on Wednesday.

The Biden administration is planning to relocate thousands of Afghan interpreters and others, who worked with the U.S. military and feared Taliban reprisals, to safe locations as they wait for their application for entry to the United States to proceed.

Jason Campbell, a policy researcher at U.S. nonprofit global think tank RAND Corporation, told Xinhua that at this stage, with U.S. forces continuing their withdrawal in the coming months, Biden is limited in what he and the United States can do to prevent the security situation from spiraling out of control.

What Biden can do, however, is to provide public reassurance that the United States continues to staunchly support the Afghan government and its security forces, both diplomatically and financially, Campbell said.

Speaking Friday from Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the rising violence in Afghanistan is a danger, and if the Taliban tries to once again take over the country, "we'll see a renewal of a war or possibly worse."

Still, he added that not pulling out U.S. troops would have been a mistake, as the White House believes the Taliban would have once again begun strikes on U.S. troops, causing another escalation.

The Taliban advances have prompted the U.S. intelligence community to conclude that the government of Afghanistan could collapse as soon as six months after the complete withdrawal of the U.S. military from the country, according to a Wall Street Journal report, which cited sources with knowledge of the new assessment.

Campbell, however, said he did not see the Taliban once again taking control of Afghanistan in the near term.

Despite recent progress on the battlefield, there is evidence to suggest that at least some of the Taliban advances are primarily to achieve propaganda victories, and in a number of cases their forces have either retreated or been pushed back by Afghan forces, Campbell said.

"My sense is that the Taliban are attempting to take advantage of the current transition and build as much equity for political negotiations as they can as the U.S. force presence decreases," Campbell said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-26 17:09:00|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The United States' flawed approach to China could cause conflict, and Washington must give up containing China and start accommodating the Asian country, said Project Syndicate in a report published on Wednesday.

With the title of Accommodating China Is Unavoidable, the report said the U.S. approach to China "is rooted in an enduring belief in the concept of absolute national security," which is a recipe for conflict as it advocates containing and confronting countries with different values or social systems, "rather than negotiating a new global compact that accommodates them."

Citing U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the report said by casting China as an existential threat, the U.S. political establishment is effectively "beating the drums" for a new Cold War, which will have no winner.

Noting the absolute-national-security mentality would certainly impede the U.S. ability to pursue mutually beneficial economic engagement and cooperation on shared challenges, the report said decisions like courting conflict with China do not reflect the will of the majority.

If the world's two largest economies are involved in a conflict, "the entire world will suffer immensely," said the report. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-27 04:13:49|Editor: huaxia

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HAVANA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Saturday reported 2,403 new cases and 12 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 179,656 and the death toll to 1,231.

The Ministry of Public Health reported that a record 11,100 Cubans have been hospitalized with the disease.

The central province of Camaguey, which reported 402 cases, now leads the country in the case incidence rate, with 360.9 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Matanzas, with 354.8, and Mayabeque, with 316.6.

Havana, which was for several months the epicenter of the disease, has seen cases decrease after an emergency vaccination campaign in the city using the Abdala vaccine candidate, with authorities aiming to vaccinate all 2.2 million people in the capital by July.

The emergency intervention is continuing in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba, and the Special Municipality of Isla de la Juventud, with the Abdala vaccine as well as another vaccine candidate, Soberana-02.

So far, 5.32 million doses of Soberana-02 and Abdala have been administered, and just over 2.55 million Cubans have received at least one dose of vaccine. Enditem




"Here, there are no winners or losers, here there is only one family that is the Peruvian people," he pointed out.









On the other hand, Castillo mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the main problems facing the country, since it has directly affected the entire population.





"We cannot generate an economic reactivation and we will not be able to carry out a decentralization process, if we do not think at this moment what to do to attack this great problem, which is the pandemic," he indicated.





On the issue of decentralization, 51-year-old Castillo said that it is necessary to join forces to close the gaps existing in the country.





"Today, facing the (Independence) Bicentennial, several families continue to light themselves with a lighter or continue to drink water from a puquio (spring of water) () We have to work on a true decentralization for the Peruvian people," he remarked.




YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS. A reporter of an international media outlet has applied to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia that he received threats from the servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces near Upper Shorja village in Gegharkunik Province.

ARMENPRESS reports the Human Rights Defender of Armenia informs that the Azerbaijani servicemen who are no inside the territory of Armenia in the mentioned section threatened to kill the reporter, including by a sniper.

It has been found that the incident took place 2 kms inside the Armenian territories, where Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen are located 600 meters away from each other. The reporter was just 100 meters away from the Azerbaijani soldiers, but the incident took place in the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

While carrying out his professional activities, the journalist noticed that the servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were behaving aggressively, heard shouts, and then noticed that they were loading their weapons, holding them in his direction, threatening to shoot.

Another Azerbaijani serviceman started behaving more aggressively and irregularly, holding a sniper rifle and threatening to kill him with a shot in the face. The international journalist stopped working in order to avoid unpredictable consequences.

The journalist of the international media informed that they had a visible badge for the Azerbaijani armed forces, that they were a representative of the press, that they had observed all the rules of journalistic work.

The serviceman of the Azerbaijani armed forces tried to hamper the works of the international reporter and prevent the spread of the materials proving the invasion of Azerbaijani forces into the sovereign territory of Armenia. The reporter has also applied the Reporters Without Borders international organization, which has already made a publication.

Due to the need for personal protection of the international journalist in connection with this particular incident, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia does not publish information about him, but they will be submitted to the relevant international bodies after a joint discussion with the journalist.
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Canada Marc Garneau has announced that Ambassador of Canada to Germany and Special Commissioner to the European Union Stephane Dion will carry out a special mission, by examining the ways Canada can support the Armenian democracy, ARMENPRESS reports, the Foreign Ministry of Canada informed.

Strong democracy in Armenia is one of the key factors for regional stability. Special Commissioner Dion has always been greatly interested in Armenias democratic achievements, Garneau said.

During the mission the Special Commissioner will examine the ways Canada can support the efforts of the civil society of Armenia, strengthen democratic institutions, add Armenias involvement in multilateral institutions and foster inclusive economic growth.

Stephane Dions work will last a few months, during which he will hold on-line consultations with interested sides both in Armenia and Canada. He will also pay a visit to Armenia to meet with members of the Government of Armenia, partner embassies, civil society groups, international organizations, the private sector and the media.

This mission underscores how important the success of democracy in Armenia is for Canada. At the end of the mission, the Special Commissioner will present a report to Minister Garneau, including suggestions on how Canada can advance implementation of democratic aspirations together with Armenia in the future reads the statement of the Foreign Ministry of Canada.

Special Commissioner Stephane Dion made a note on his Twitter page regarding his appointment to the responsible position of the mission, noting: "I am honored to have such an opportunity to strengthen the democratic ties between Canada and Armenia."
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS. The South Caucasus has a strategic imotance for the EU, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Romania Bogdan Aurescu announced in a press conference in the EU office in Goorgia.

Summarizing the visit of Austrian, Romanian and Lithuanian FMs to the 3 South Caucasian countries, he emphasized that it was the first visit of the European Foreign Ministers authorized by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrel.

''We conveyed the commitments of the EU, prioritizing the security, stability and welfare of all the 3 South Caucasian countries, as well as the EU determination to get involved in the settlement process of the prolonged conflicts in this region more actively, since it has a strategic importance for the EU'', the Romanian FM said.

Referring to the prolonged conflicts in the region, Bogdan Aurescu noted that they had a negative impact on the development of the Eastern Partnership countries.

He urged their partners in the South Caucasus to derive all possible from the tools provided by the EU Eastern Partnership to strengthen regional cooperation for the benefit of peace and prosperity.

''All three countries supported the creation of regional format comprised of the tree countries'', the Minister said.

Referring to the visit to Armenia, Bogdan Aurescu noted that during the visit they congratulated the caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of winning in the early parliamentary elections, highly assessing the democratic nature of the elections, as recorded by the OSCE/ODIHR and other observer missions.

He underscored that they had in-depth discussions in Armenia and Azerbaijan over the current situation and upcoming activities, considering the military operations of the previous year. ''We urged to act in constructive nature, since the confidence-building measures, including the release of all the POWs and providing all the minefield maps, remain a priority'', the Foreign Minister of Romania said, adding that the EU is ready to assist in any issue that can lead to a negotiated, stable and lasting solution of issues. ''I emphasized the importance of reconciliation between the two societies. This process may be difficult and time-consuming, but has no alternative'', the Minister said.
YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS. The South Caucasus region is in dire need of trust between publics at the moment, ARMENPRESS reports the Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg during a press conference at the EU Delegation in Georgia.

He referred to the meetings with caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan and the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Baku and the intensive discussions during the meetings.

"Our goal was to understand the means by which trust can be built. This visit reaffirmed what we already knew: trust is the most important resource the region needs and lacks. Our goal is to sow the seeds of that trust. We know that the wounds caused by the Nagorno-Karabakh war are still open, but we need a healing process. This visit showed that the parties realize that there is a real need for this process, they need partners to start this process. The European Union is ready to assist in any way possible way," Schallenberg said.

He noted that they highly appreciate Georgia's role in this issue with the mediation of which the release of Armenian POWs by Azerbaijan and the handing over of maps of mined areas by Armenia became possible.

"I think this trilateral cooperation is beneficial for all parties," said the Austrian Foreign Minister, noting that the EU fully supports such processes.
Prince Philip approved the portrait in 2008

A limited-edition 5 coin commemorating the life of the Duke of Edinburgh has been unveiled.

The special edition coin features a portrait of Prince Philip and is being released as part of Armed Forces Day.

The coin's design was approved by the Duke, who died in April, in 2008.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said it was a "fitting tribute" to the royal consort, who "moved and inspired so many people around the world with his decades of service" to the nation and the Queen.

"I'm proud to unveil the coin on Armed Forces Day, considering his distinguished naval career and unwavering dedication to our monarch and to his royal duties, and it is only right that he and the Queen are depicted together on both sides of it," Mr Sunak added.

Prince Philip died, aged 99, on 9 April

The coin bears the inscription "HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021" and will be struck by the Royal Mint.

Prince Philip served as the president of the Royal Mint advisory committee for 47 years from 1952 until 1999.

During his time on the committee, he oversaw the creation of the coins for decimalisation and four definitive portraits of the Queen.

The coin, designed by artist Ian Rank-Broadley, is legal tender but has been designed as a limited-edition collectable and will not enter circulation.

Mr Rank-Broadley said: "The portrait sitting took place in Prince Philip's library and you could tell he was a widely read and thoughtful person."

In keeping with royal tradition, the denomination of the memorial coin is a 5 Crown, which is typically used to mark moments such as coronations or jubilees.

The Royal Mint will also make a 50,000 donation to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, set up by the prince in 1956, to support its community work in the UK and across the world.

The commemorative coin is available as a brilliant uncirculated, silver proof and gold proof edition

Anne Jessopp, chief executive of The Royal Mint, said: "Since the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh in April, many have commented that he led a life well lived.

"He was the longest serving consort in British history, and patron or president to over 750 organisations."

"The Royal Mint has marked significant royal events for centuries and is honoured to unveil an original new coin which celebrates the life and legacy of a remarkable man."

Ruth Marvel, chief executive of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, said the coin was a "wonderful tribute" and would help "build on the Duke of Edinburgh's legacy so more young people can start their DofE Award journey and develop the skills, resilience and self-belief they will need to successfully navigate the challenges of adult life".
Italy see off battling Austria to join Denmark in Euro 2020 quarters Kasper Dolberg's double against Wales helped propel Denmark into the quarter-finals of Euro 2020

Italy overcame stubborn Austria 2-1 in extra-time at Wembley on Saturday to reach the Euro 2020 quarter-finals as Denmark breezed through by hammering Wales 4-0.

Roberto Mancini's side, who earned rave reviews after their cruise through the group phase, were made to work hard for their win and had super subs Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina to thank.

The victory means Italy have now set a new record of 31 matches unbeaten, surpassing the mark set under two-time World Cup-winning coach Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s.

Italy's fans gave a rousing rendition of their national anthem and were the more enterprising team in the first half but Austria came back strongly after the break and cursed a VAR decision to rule out a goal for Marko Arnautovic 20 minutes into the second half.

Despite multiple attempts on goal from both sides, they were locked at 0-0 after 90 minutes in London.

But Chiesa made the crucial breakthrough five minutes into extra-time and another goal from Pessina gave Italy a two-goal cushion.

There was still time for late drama when Austria's Sasa Kalajdzic pulled a goal back but Italy progress and will play the winners of Sunday's tie between Belgium and holders Portugal.

Mancini, who has rebuilt the Azzurri after their humiliating failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, said his side "deserved" the result.

"In the first half we could have scored a couple of goals and then after the break we dropped off physically," he told Italy's public broadcaster RAI.

"We won thanks to the players who came on with the right mindset and resolved the situation. I knew it would be hard, maybe even more so than in the quarter-finals."

- Emotional win for Denmark -

Earlier, Denmark eased into the quarter-finals with a 4-0 win over Wales in Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena thanks to two goals from Kasper Dolberg's and late goals from Joakim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite.

The Danes, carried by a wave of emotion, are the neutrals' favourites after overcoming the trauma of Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest in their opening game.

Story continues

They will face the Netherlands or Czech Republic in the quarter-finals after winning a knockout tie at the European Championship for the first time since they stunned the continent by winning the tournament in 1992.

It is exactly 29 years since Denmark defeated Germany in the final in Gothenburg having famously only qualified because war-torn Yugoslavia disintegrated.

"It is hard to believe that this is reality," said coach Kasper Hjulmand. "Johan Cruyff is one of my great inspirations and this was also Christian's first home after leaving Denmark.

"I am really grateful for all the support we got, and the guys are true warriors. Being in the quarter-finals now is amazing."

Wales, surprise semi-finalists at Euro 2016, found the majority of the stadium filled by Danish supporters, with fans barred from entering the Netherlands from Britain due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Robert Page's side made a promising start as Gareth Bale drilled just wide from distance, but Dolberg curled Denmark ahead with a sumptuous strike shortly before the half hour.

The Nice forward, brought into the team as a replacement for Yussuf Poulsen, then pounced on a poor clearance by Neco Williams to fire home a second just after half-time.

Maehle added a third goal for Denmark two minutes from time before Harry Wilson was sent off for a lazy challenge on the Atalanta player.

Braithwaite rubbed further salt into Welsh wounds with a fourth goal in stoppage time as Denmark became the first team in European Championship history to score four in successive matches.

"We tried to play in the second half but made a mistake to concede which killed the momentum on our side," said Wales and Real Madrid forward Bale.

"To finish how we did is disappointing... the boys are frustrated and angry, but I'd rather we go out like that, kicking and screaming, than laying off and doing nothing."

bur-jw/td
My conversations with the Emily Howland sixth grade classes would begin on June 4 at the Southern Cayuga Anne Frank Tree. I was so grateful to Diane Kulas for choosing the tree site as our meeting place. I always love reading the history of the tree and am so glad the site is open to the public (sccsannefranktree.org). I encourage all readers to make a visit.

I was looking at Anne Franks youthful photo when the first sixth grade class arrived. We began with a rapid quiz review of Annes life. Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 12, 1929, into a Jewish family. Annes father, Otto Frank, aware of the dangers posed by Hitler and the Nazi Party, moved the family to Holland in 1933, where Anne attended Montessori and public schools. Anne received a diary from her family for her 13th birthday in 1942. The family moved to the Secret Annex on July 6, 1942, where they lived until they were discovered on Aug. 4, 1944. Otto Frank was the only family member to survive the Holocaust.

We moved from family milestones to a discussion of Annes writing. On Feb. 23, 1944, Anne described the constant comfort of nature provided by the chestnut tree outside her window. The two of us (Anne and Peter) looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldnt speak. ..." Finally, we listened as Anne told of her desire to be a writer in her April 5, 1944 entry: I finally realized that I must do my schoolwork to keep from being ignorant, to get on with my life, to become a journalist, because that is what I want! I know I can write. A few of my stories are good, my descriptions of the Secret Annex are humorous, much of my diary is vivid and alive, but ... it remains to be seen whether I really have talent.
India Walton didn't start a revolution Tuesday night.

But she did give democratic competition a jolt.

That appeared to be the conclusion among political pros in the days after Walton stunned the nation with her upset Democratic primary win over four-term Mayor Byron W. Brown.

While Walton's win puts her on the path to becoming the first socialist mayor of a major American city in six decades, few saw it as a sign that progressives are taking over the Democratic Party, given that they have been losing primaries elsewhere. Instead, observers saw Walton's win as yet another signal that a dynamic candidate can knock off a complacent incumbent anytime, anywhere  which might just encourage more challengers to take on long-serving elected officials elsewhere in New York and beyond.

"It could create tremendous opportunities for insurgents," said longtime New York Democratic consultant Hank Scheinkopf. "Why? Because if this could happen in Buffalo, if you could get rid of a four-term incumbent as easily as that, then why shouldn't people try it?"

That's clearly what Walton thinks.

This is not about making India Walton mayor of Buffalo, Walton said during her victory speech. This is about building the infrastructure to challenge every damn seat.

Then again, challenging every seat is hard and expensive work. And for progressives elsewhere in recent months, it has often ended in disappointment.

Several progressives ran in New York City's ranked-choice primary for mayor  and the top vote-getter turned out to be Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former police officer who centered his campaign on getting tough on crime.

Four progressives challenged former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a moderate, in a Democratic primary for governor in Virginia earlier this month  and the moderate won with 62.2% of the vote.

And in Louisiana in April, centrist Democrat Troy Carter beat progressive Karen Carter Peterson by about 10 points in a special election for a House seat.

How, then, did Walton pull such an upset over Brown? Political observers cite the Buffalo Teachers Federation's endorsement of Walton and the Working Families Party's support for her. But they say the local mayoral primary swung on a factor that has often been missing in other primaries: a strong contrast between a dynamic progressive candidate and a strangely invisible incumbent.

"India has an electric personality; I can't say it any other way," said Brian Nowak, a Cheektowaga Town Council member who has been deeply involved in progressive politics since Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 race for the presidency. "You meet her and you get a good vibe from her."

Several sources said that other progressives who have successfully challenged Democratic incumbents in recent years were, like Walton, especially compelling campaigners  such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who ousted Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018, and Jamaal Bowman, who did the same last year to Rep. Eliot Engel.

The losers of those races had something in common with Brown. They were longtime incumbents who didn't seem to take their opponents seriously until it was too late.

Brown barely campaigned and refused to debate Walton, who barnstormed the city so vigorously that she won the support of people who don't consider themselves democratic socialists, said Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation.

"She was in contact with the community, and it wasn't just progressives; it was people in the middle of the road," Rumore said. "She was out there, working. So the message that goes out to incumbents is that people do not like to be taken for granted. And the message that goes out to people that would like to challenge incumbents is that you can do it."

That has certainly happened in the recent past.

"Success begets success," said Waleed Shahid, communications director for Justice Democrats, a group that has been behind the rise of Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive House challengers. "When AOC and Ayanna Pressley (now a House member from Massachusetts) won their primary challenges, it inspired many more people, like Jamaal Bowman, to get involved and run for office against long-time incumbents who were often seen as absent or too aligned with their corporate donors."

Justice Democrats is now backing Rana Abdelhamid, a community organizer, to challenge Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Manhattan Democrat who has served in Congress for 28 years. The progressive group is also backing House candidates in Ohio, Illinois and Tennessee.

Sometimes, though, progressives find incumbent Democrats too tough to topple. Two years ago, for example, Justice Democrats failed in an effort to find a challenger to Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat. And several sources said both Higgins and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat, are probably too active and too omnipresent in the communities they serve to draw significant challenges.

But sources said that several Democratic state legislators could see a challenge from the left, as could Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Given that so many legislative seats are gerrymandered to favor one party and so many cities so heavily Democratic, primary challenges are often the only chance voters really get to choose their elected officials, said Charlie Blaettler, elections director at New York's Working Families Party, which is more than happy to back some of those challengers.

"If you're a Democratic official who's representing your constituency and delivering for working people, then you should have nothing to be afraid of," Blaettler said. "But, you know, if you're a Democrat who's going to prioritize the interests of real estate developers and corporations and your wealthy donors above working people, then you should be on notice, because we are coming for every seat."

While comments like that won't exactly impress the Democratic Party organization, Walton's supporters tend to say the party should welcome primaries in its ranks.

"Everybody, every position, should be challenged," said former Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant. "I told people: challenge me  and if people think you'll do a better job, they'll vote for you."

Nate McMurray, a three-time congressional candidate who held a fundraiser for Walton, agreed that more primary challenges would be good for the Democratic Party  and added that Walton's win might inspire them.

"The fact that she won in such an unprecedented outsider fashion is good news for politics," McMurray said. "It shows anyone has a chance, that anyone can throw their hat into the ring.

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Maserati with Hiroshi Fujiwara, known for setting the Japanese street culture, has created a special edition of Maserati Ghibli -- Operanera and Operabianca. The cars had an exclusive global premiere in Tokyo. Fujiwara's brand Fragment that emulates street style has been incorporated in the designing of these models to make them stand out of the crowd, notes the Italian luxury automaker.

This comes under the Maserati Fuoriserie customisation program that gives customers the power to create their own Maserati according to their tastes.

Being called 'song on wheels', these special editions on the Ghibli come based on the sedan's Granlusso trim . The Ghibli Operanera and Ghibli Operabianca will be bitonal and will be available in glossy and opaque black and glossy white and opaque black. Only 175 units of these will be made for global distribution. The cars have uniform colour that applies not only to the exteriors but also to the interiors. This also includes the wheels and handles.

(Also read | Maserati's new Ghibli Hybrid breaks cover)

The interiors have contrasting silver inserts for the vertical stitching and the brand's Trident has been put on the headrests. (Maserati)

On the outside, the front grille represents the 'iconic detail of this partnership', says Maserati. Fujiwaras metropolitan style is visible in the front fascia of the car specifically in the grille and in the logo that has been uniquely adapted for the car. Also, both the Ghibli Operanera and Ghibli Operabianca get 20" Urano matte black wheels along with a specific badge with the Fragment logo on the C pillar.

Inside, the cars get a dark-themed interior in sync with the exteriors. There is premium leather and Alcantara, with contrasting silver inserts for the vertical stitching and the Trident on the headrests. For seat belts, a dark blue shade has been chosen.
The first phase of Ola's electric scooter factory is nearing completion and the company expects to start rolling out vehicles soon, Ola Group CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said on Saturday.

Last year, Ola had announced a 2,400-crore investment for setting up its first electric scooter factory in Tamil Nadu. "In just four months, this place has transformed from acres of empty rock land to the world's largest 2W factory. The Ola Futurefactory phase 1 is nearing completion! The scooters are coming soon! Great work by team @OlaElectric," Aggarwal tweeted.

(Also read | Ola electric scooter's launch inches near. Should rivals be concerned?)

He also shared a picture of him from the factory site. Upon completion, the factory will create nearly 10,000 jobs and is expected to be the world's largest scooter manufacturing facility that will initially have an annual production capacity of 2 million units.

While the company is yet to disclose the pricing and specifications of its e-scooter, Ola has stated that it is working on setting up a 'Hypercharger Network' to include one lakh charging points across 400 cities. Aggarwal had earlier said that the e-scooter was likely to be launched in India in July this year, and that Ola Electric would look at taking the vehicle to international markets, including countries like France, Italy and Germany, in this fiscal as well.

The launch of the electric scooter is in line with Ola's global vision of moving mobility into a more sustainable, accessible and connected future. Aggarwal had also welcomed the recent announcement of the Gujarat State Electric Vehicle Policy, 2021 that aims to promote the deployment of electric vehicles in the state.

(Also read | Ola unveils Hypercharger Network, world's largest charging infra for e-bikes)

"The EV revolution is coming! From Karnataka in 2017 to Gujarat just this week, 21 states and UTs are now incentivising EVs to make them affordable. We're committed to accelerating this with #OlaFuturefactory and our scooter that's coming soon," he had tweeted. Last year, Ola Electric had also acquired Amsterdam-based Etergo BV for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition of Etergo was aimed at further bolstering its engineering and design capabilities in the electric mobility space.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Arts and education nonprofit Act One has announced a new award for Arizona educators who bring art into the classroom.

The Tancer Award is meant to honor an educator who is dedicated to sharing a love of the arts with their students. Any full-time, certified pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade teacher in Arizona who incorporates art into their teaching is eligible to win the award.

It can honestly be any teacher that has some kind of connection to art, said Rebecca Young, Act Ones public relations manager. It doesn't have to be a full-fledged art teacher.

She said Act One is hoping to get nominees from across the state.

The award is named for Robert Tancer, a local art advocate extraordinaire and board member of Act One who died in April 2020.

In its announcement of the award, Act One said Tancer saw the tremendous role the teacher played in making the experience rich and educationally rewarding, and that he fervidly believed that the classroom teacher had the opportunity and responsibility to build on the field trip experience both before and after ... tying it to current life, talking about what was happening at the time of the performance, and why the message of the performance was important and relevant to today's world.

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Often, Gilbert said, that will mean burning areas near the top of drainages and canyons to stop the blaze should it try to move up hill.

Fire managers warned northern Arizona residents that there could be times when smoke is heavier than normal, not because of the Rafael Fire itself, but as fire crews burn areas of the forest around the blaze.

The burnout effort Thursday was proceeded by evacuations of South Garland Prairie, impacting about 90 homes in that area.

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Those evacuations were in part meant to accommodate the planned burns, but fire behavior analyst Dan Pearson said during a community meeting that there are also concerns about the possibility of the fire quickly moving up Sycamore Canyon and into that area.

Pearson said fire managers expect most of the fires growth to be within Sycamore Canyon and the surrounding area.

As the fire grows to the east and northeast, in the direction of Flagstaff and Oak Creek Canyon, Pearson said the blaze will be running into several areas that have experienced fire recently.
PHOENIX (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, is the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and have fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without more time, advocates foresee a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Arizona:

WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE?
Its federal transportation policy season, with the House and Senate advancing bills to fund federal surface transportation programs for the next five years. That makes it a great time to reflect on the social and environmental impacts of our transportation policy.

For decades, the federal government has spent 80% of transportation infrastructure funds on highways, with only 20% left for public transit. Such lopsided spending leads to serious adverse consequences.

Transportation is the largest and fastest growing source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of even coal or gas-fired power plants. Vehicle tailpipes also emit other toxic pollutants including nitrogen oxides. These are serious health hazards, especially for the poor and people of color, who are disproportionately exposed.

Our transportation system kills people more directly as well. Roadway deaths climbed from 33,000 in 2010 to more than 36,000 in 2019, with the growth mostly driven by pedestrian fatalities.

Our governments 80-20 policy is subsidizing sprawl and traffic, even as traffic deaths and pollution keep rising. Meanwhile, it underfunds mass transit, passenger rail and pedestrian and bicycle safety.
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Wearing a long gown with loose sleeves and elaborate embroidery while touring the ancient city wall of Xi'an, Wei Fangbing could easily pass for someone from the ancient times were it not for her smartphone.

Hailing from northeast China's Liaoning Province, Wei is a devotee of hanfu, a type of traditional garment of the Han ethnic group. The early 20-something bought the eye-catching outfit well before her trip to Xi'an, a historical city in northwest China best known for the Terracotta Warriors.

"On social media, I saw many people visited Xi'an wearing hanfu. They look very gorgeous," she said. "The outfit's retro style goes particularly well with Xi'an."

Wei is among a growing number of young hanfu fans in China who have been charmed by the traditional attire's unique design and the rich culture behind it.

According to a report by Chinese consulting agency iiMedia Research, the number of hanfu enthusiasts in the country will have surged from 2.04 million in 2018 to 6.89 million by the end of this year, with over 70 percent of the fans being Generation Z-ers aged between 16 and 24.

The ongoing hanfu craze is certainly palpable. If you walk into parks and tourist spots in cities like Xi'an, Hangzhou and Nanjing, chances are you will come across people dressed in hanfu taking selfies.

To tap into the fad, some tourist attractions have held hanfu-themed events and offered discounts and waivers for admission tickets to visitors wearing hanfu.

Last year, the ancient town of Xitang in east China's Zhejiang Province attracted some 187,000 tourists during its hanfu cultural week, including more than 86,000 visitors dressed in the traditional garment.

Zhu Keli, a researcher on new economy with the Development Research Center of the State Council, said the growing popularity of hanfu among Chinese young people arises from their increasing appreciation for traditional culture and their need to express their individuality.

The new economy and e-commerce platforms have further spurred the development of the niche market, Zhu said.

The report by iiMedia Research predicted the sales volume of China's hanfu market to exceed 10 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars) this year.

The booming market has been attracting an increasing number of young, hanfu-loving entrepreneurs.

Wu Qiuqiao, 27, owns a shop on Taobao, China's major online shopping platform, which mainly sells specially-designed hanfu for pet cats. Wu opened the shop in 2019 after quitting her previous job in Beijing to pursue her real interests -- hanfu and cats.

"I was trying to do something different, and the idea of hanfu for cats is so original and combines my top two interests," she said.

The novel idea has turned out a big success. To date, Wu's shop has garnered over 16,000 followers on Taobao, with the highest monthly sales topping 70,000 yuan.

Wu said her main concerns when designing hanfu for cats are how to make the clothing more comfortable for the animals and how to retain the original flavor of hanfu.

"I'm happy that the special hanfu can win the hearts of so many cat owners," she said.
The warriors consisted of young Crow Tribe riders who played braves from the Crow, Sioux and Cheyenne tribes. They rode bareback at high speeds while wearing full war regalia. Real Bird noted that the warriors had to be qualified to take the field.

The cavalry riders trained at the U.S. Cavalry School in Helena. The program leader, Keith Harrin, said his group was energized by being here.

We have a strong love for the horses, the land and Montana, Harrin said.

The reenactment itself is not just Custers Last Stand, but also explains the culture of different tribes in the area, and the colonization of Europeans. At one point, organizers released a stampede of wild horses, which were then herded and forced to cross the river by the Native riders.

The horses are essential to the story, Real Bird, himself a horse rancher, said. The reason the Sioux could win the battle was their quality of horses. It is a game changer.

Real Bird opened up his reenactment 29 years ago after he grew sick of the version in Hardin that came from the perspective of the U.S. Government, which eventually closed in 2015. His story is from the narrative of Spotted Wolf, a prominent Northern Cheyenne warrior who fought in the battle.
This is not the case in oil country, where the flood of workers created a strong market for housing.

McKenzie County Recorder Katie Paulson noted from Watford City that: We have a unique situation in our county as we had a multitude of sales because of the oil activities so we actually have had enough sales in the last few years to adequately measure our small town assessments in Alexander and Arnegard.

There are other small cities in oil country that benefited from current sales. In fact, there were situations in which property sold at excessive prices because of the oil activity.

For sure, none of the three methods for assessing work in dying communities where values are declining. As a result, assessments from town-to-town, county-to-county must vary widely, raising the question of equal protection under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

According to Professor Christopher Berry at the University of Chicago, who just finished a massive evaluation of property taxes: the equal protection clause requires that all property of the same class -- e.g. residential -- be taxed at the same rate.
Public school teachers in Bismarck-Mandan for years would pull out boxes of crackers or packets of instant macaroni and cheese tucked away in their desk drawers, buy something from a vending machine or make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give to students they knew wouldn't get enough to eat over the weekend.

When those students returned to classes on Monday morning, many were unable to concentrate, complained of stomach aches and dizziness, or caused disruptions in class. Food insecurity -- not having reliable access to adequate food -- was not only a troubling issue for many families, it was having a harmful impact in the schools.

It wasn't just the elementary schools, either. Teachers and social workers also were recognizing the symptoms in middle school and high school students who got the majority of their meals from the school lunch program on weekdays.

Out of necessity it needed to be a more unified effort across the school district, just because it was just too much for teachers and other school staff to try to fill those needs, Jeannette Myhre Elementary School social worker Chris Hall said. I think there was just enough people talking about it to say 'Geez, theres so many hungry kids that we should be able to do something as a community to meet that need.'

The community stepped up.

The solution

In 2006, the Community Action Program, a nationwide nonprofit organization with eight locations in the state, received the results of an annual North Dakota Needs Assessment conducted by North Dakota State University and the state Department of Commerce Division of Community Services. It showed a food insecurity issue among the homeless students in Bismarck Public Schools who rely on free and reduced meals as their main source of food each week.

Community Action Program Bismarck Region proposed a Backpacks for Kids program in 2006 to give the students food and snack items to tide them over the weekend. It was similar to a program run in Kansas. The state Commerce Department awarded an $18,000 grant to benefit 50 children at selected Bismarck schools.

Over the course of the next several years, with increased government funding and donations, the program expanded to all students at Bismarck and Mandan public schools dealing with food insecurity. Soon more than 800 bags of food were being distributed every week.

This school year the Backpacks for Kids program is helping nearly 1,700 students in 40 schools, including in Center, Stanton and Selfridge, according to Andrea Werner, executive director for Community Action Program Bismarck Region. Through March of this year the organization had distributed more than 23,000 bags of food at a cost of about $6 per bag.

With our North Dakota Needs Assessment that we do, food insecurity is right up there with housing and rental assistance needs, Werner said. I just think because of the increase that the schools are seeing every year, there are a lot of low-income families that receive free and reduced lunches, and this is an extra layer of assistance that we can give out.

By 2013, the cost of funding the program became too high to maintain, so the agency solicited the help of Missouri Slope Areawide United Way.

That organization, which now funds its own backpack program, reaches 35 schools each week with about 1,300 sacks of food going to students at Bismarck and Mandan public schools.

People do not want kids to go hungry, so were very thankful that through private donations and grants were able to fund our backpack program, Executive Director Jena Gullo said.

Each Friday afternoon the bags are left at classroom doors, and teachers discreetly place them in student backpacks.

We just want to take that barrier away from kids being successful in school, and if its as simple as providing some food for the weekend, why wouldnt you do that? Hall said.

Eating and learning

The backpack effort is directly tied to the school districts reading and math goals, according to Tamara Uselman, superintendent of Bismarck Public Schools from 2011-18.

If we want to raise scholars who are able to feed themselves and the people they love, then we have to provide them food for them to be able to do that work," she said. "If we can feed kids and at the same time teach them and work on career skills, they will be able to feed themselves and the people they love. Thats the end goal.

Finding a solution "took a group of people who didnt want to blame families for not being able to feed their kids and wanted to help families so they could make certain kids could learn," Uselman said.

I think the community who doesnt have food insecurity maybe doesnt have an awareness of how rampant that food insecurity is and how impactful it is on a kids inability to learn, she said.

Finding, packing, delivering

Finding the food to fill all those backpacks has become daunting during the pandemic, according to Gullo and Lori Hillestad, Backpack for Kids coordinator at Community Action.

Ordering food in bulk from local food warehouses is problematic, and customers left many retail and grocery store shelves bare with panic buying. Some food manufacturers are coping with labor shortages and have been unable to produce their normal quantity and variety of items.

Its been quite the hardship, Hillestad said. Ive had to struggle to get the food in, and Ive had to put in small orders more frequently.

Gullo said the local Cash Wise Foods supermarket has stepped up to fill many of the orders for her agency.

Community Action also depends on local food drives to supplement its program. For example, students from the small Apple Creek School east of Bismarck recently donated more than a ton of food.

Both Community Action and United Way rely on businesses, service organizations, youth groups and individual volunteers each week to fill the bags in an assembly line process and then deliver them to schools.

Even as the schools close for the summer months, the backpack efforts continue to deliver food sacks each week to schools for families to pick up.

Enhancing the effort

The matter of keeping students fed when they're away from school was magnified early in the pandemic when North Dakota schools closed and went to distance learning.

In the time of isolation, school cooks brought the meals to the kids.

We immediately began serving to-go meals to these families, and from several different locations, said Becky Heinert, director of nutrition services for Mandan Public Schools.

The effort was enhanced when the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the national school lunch program of free and reduced meals, extended a free meal waiver to all students through the school year.

From the back of enclosed trucks and school buses, kitchen staff from Bismarck and Mandan schools prepared hundreds of sacks of breakfast and lunch meals to hand out to children and families five days a week and for the weekend, to try to keep the children fed and to stay in contact with families.

During a normal school year, nearly 30% of Mandans public school students receive free or reduced meals; in Bismarck it's about 25%.

Theres a lot of kids that we are their only meal theyll get, said Michelle Wagner, child nutrition program director for Bismarck Public Schools. I dont think people realize that in Bismarck, but its true. If it wasnt offered to them at a free or reduced rate, I dont think that they would get anything.

USDA in April extended the universal free school lunch program through the 2021-22 school year.

For Bismarck Public Schools -- the states largest school district with over 13,200 students -- the extension is good news.

For our department its nice to know for planning purposes how we will proceed next year, and we hope to feed more students, Wagner said. This is great news for our families that have been affected by the pandemic. Bismarck Public Schools will always feed students, but now parents dont have to worry about a negative balance racking up if they dont qualify for free and reduced meals.

Wagner stressed the importance of parents continuing to fill out the applications for free and reduced meals because the requests also affect other programs in the district.

Our department is nervous that families wont fill out the paperwork because the meals are free, she said.

When the school meal program returns to normal, families who havent applied will not be in the system and eligible for free and reduced meals. A sudden surge in applications once the extended waiver is no longer available would cause a backlog and lengthy delay in processing the forms.

Summer meals

As each school year ends, the problem of child hunger doesnt go away. For the past several years, Heinert and Wagner have teamed to organize summer meals programs that are open to the public.

Before the pandemic, the meal program was a daily event full of food and activities. Last year the meals handed out were to be prepared at home. This year the plan is to serve hot meals or meals that are ready to eat, at more locations.

The summer meal program is a way for the students, families and kitchen staff to say connected, especially during the pandemic.

The cooks would get to know those families because they would come every single day, and they would know how many servings for them, Wagner said. They knew those families inside and out and they really made a connection with them. Thats the nicest thing to see, especially the relationship building.

For Heinert and her staff, attending the summer meals distribution was a revelation.

These are proud people and they dont want the handout, but some of them really need it," she said. "Thats where its hard. We dont know whats going on in their financial world. Its definitely opened our eyes.

Reach Mike McCleary at 701-250-8206 or mike.mccleary@bismarcktribune.com.

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Mike McClearys excellent series on food insecurity concludes today with an examination of child hunger in the state. Its both a depressing and uplifting story.

Depressing because this nation still struggles to feed its most vulnerable citizens -- the young. Uplifting because of the efforts of organizations and volunteers to fill the gap and feed the hungry.

McClearys four-part series provided a look at the number of people facing food insecurity and the cost of helping them, provided personal accounts of people who arent sure how they will put food on the table, and, finally, detailed the efforts to make sure children have something to eat seven days a week.

An estimated 42,000 adults in North Dakota, many with children, were dealing with food insecurity late last year. Its not a new problem, but the pandemic aggravated it by putting people out of work, closing soup kitchens, sending children home to learn remotely and making it more difficult for food programs to reach people in need.

Its shameful in this nation, the breadbasket of the world, that not everyone can afford to have access to food. Its easy to blame those who cant afford food for their plight. That, however, would be wrong.
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Serious financial problems have hit the Buffalo law firm that attorney Ross M. Cellino Jr. started last year after a messy breakup with his business partner, Stephen E. Barnes.

Cellino met with attorneys working for his firm, Cellino Law, on Thursday, telling them he would have to cut salaries because the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult to get cases.

If we want to survive as a firm and hopefully thrive in the future, drastic changes must be made immediately, Cellino told his attorneys in an email sent to them on Wednesday.

Cellino, the high-profile personal injury lawyer known for his longtime involvement in the Cellino & Barnes firm, declined to comment on his firms situation when contacted by The Buffalo News on Friday.

In his Wednesday email to employees, Cellino said he has been working since March with his managing attorneys to find solutions to the significant cash flow deficits that we are experiencing as a firm.

Unfortunately  we could not come up with a painless solution. Frankly, I am not wealthy enough to continue to personally fund the significant cash flow deficits each month. If we continue to operate as we are, would require me to liquidate all of my hard assets to keep a sinking ship afloat. It is only a matter a time before everyone would be out of a job, Cellino wrote to his attorneys.

The email said Cellino had cut TV and Radio buys in half since March in an effort to cut costs, but the financial problems had continued. He expressed concern that, if additional changes are not made to cut more costs, given our current caseload and intakes to date I will be forced to let go of no less than 50% of our lawyers and support staff.

My heart was in the right place when I aggressively solicited and asked you to join Cellino Law. I had every intention and desire to share the wealth and provide an even better life for you and your families. But circumstances have changed.  The effects of COVID has diminished caseloads dramatically, Cellino wrote.

If we want to survive as a firm, and hopefully thrive in the future, drastic changes must be made immediately. I am confident our brand is strong and we will continue to see an uptick in our case intake and grow together as a firm. While I am hopeful I have another 10+ years in my career, my goal is to leave the firm in a strong position to continue to the next generation and support all of the lawyers we have here today for many years to come. I want everyone here to live out your career at Cellino Law.

That being said, each of you needs to make the best decision for you and your family. As the owner of the firm, I have to make the best decision for the firm and for the 100+ people/families we support.

Two attorneys who attended meetings with Cellino on Thursday spoke to a reporter on the condition that their names would not be published.

When Cellino opened his new firm last year, he gave generous salaries to his lawyers, the attorneys said.

We were told Thursday that salaries would be eliminated, and we would work on a draw system, as we did with Cellino and Barnes, one of the attorneys told The News.

Under the draw system, the Cellino Law attorney explained, lawyers receive a weekly loan of money from the law firm to cover their mortgages, loans and basic living expenses. At the end of each month, the lawyers pay that money back to the law firm.

The lawyers make all their money when their cases are resolved, through settlements, arbitration awards or verdicts.

Eliminating salaries and switching to the draw system are "non-negotiable," Cellino told his lawyers in the email, adding that the law firm had reached a "breaking point" and had "no other option" but to cut attorney salaries.

After a long and often ugly battle in State Supreme Court, the two founders of the Cellino & Barnes firm  Cellino and the late Stephen Barnes  each opened his own new law firm last October.

They had been partners for more than 25 years, and Cellino & Barnes had been hugely successful due to extensive advertising on radio, TV and in newspapers.

A long-simmering dispute between the two men became public in 2017 when Cellino filed a lawsuit seeking to break up the firm. Barnes fought against Cellinos move for more than two years before finally agreeing to dissolve Cellino & Barnes, creating Cellino Law and the Barnes Firm.

Barnes and his niece, Elizabeth Barnes, died last Oct. 2, when Barnes small plane crashed in Genesee County.

The Barnes Firm continues to operate, now headed by Barnes brother, Richard; managing attorney Robert J. Schreck; and other partners.

Schreck declined on Friday to discuss Cellino Law's financial situation.

Im not commenting on anything happening with any other law firm, Schreck said. I will say that we at the Barnes Firm are doing well and moving forward. We had a solid business plan, and have stuck with it. Were getting ready to hire three more attorneys over the next few months.

Schreck added that he believes that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused less personal injury cases to be filed in Buffalo and elsewhere over the past 18 months.

Less people were driving during the pandemic, less people were getting out and doing things, said one of the Cellino Law attorneys who spoke to The News. Im certainly not hoping for anyone to get injured, but that is how our cases come to us. The pandemic definitely has had an effect on personal injury case filings.

Before the breakup, Cellino & Barnes employed 53 attorneys in its offices in New York State. Thirty of those lawyers elected to join Cellino Law, while 23 joined the Barnes Firm.

The salary offer was one reason I went with Ross, said one of the attorneys who spoke to The News. Also, Ross was more affable than Steve, easy to work with. He told us he was totally dedicated to making Cellino Law a success, no matter what it took.  What happened this week is disappointing, very disappointing.

The News asked Hugh M. Russ III, president of the Erie County Bar Association, whether Covid-19 has hurt other personal injury law firms.

Russ said some areas of legal practice have seen a "dip in activity" in Western New York, and some are "busier than ever," but he declined to comment specifically regarding the practice of personal injury law.

"We did see a drop-off in personal injury cases, especially in the first six or seven months of Covid. Things were practically at a standstill," said Florina Altshiler, a Buffalo attorney who defends companies against personal injury cases. "We are seeing the numbers go back up now, as people get out and become more active."

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Eighteen percent of Enterprise students in grades three through eight were considered proficient in English language arts during the 2018-19 school year, while 13% were proficient in math, according to the most recent state data.

At Westminster, 22% of students in grades three through eight were proficient in ELA, while 19% were proficient in math.

As a comparison, 25% of Buffalo Public School students in grades three through eight were proficient in ELA, while 19% were proficient in math.

Lawyers for Westminster and Enterprise have argued that the most recent state scores are from two years ago and are better than those at many district schools with a similar percentage of poor students.

The Board of Education had plans to bring back Westminster as a public school, just as it had been 17 years prior to being converted to a charter school.

Lawyers for the charter schools have argued that the board disregarded a number of state laws and regulations in voting to close the schools. These included failing to hold a hearing by Sept. 30 to solicit public comment about the schools' applications to renew their charters, and using an outdated framework in evaluating the charter schools, rather than using a framework from 2019 that it was required to use.

Lawyers for the charter schools also argued that the Buffalo School Board, in violation of the states Open Meetings Law, had discussed the charter schools fate in executive sessions on March 24 and 31, and did not discuss the matter in public session.

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Keith McShea News Staff Reporter Long Island native, University at Buffalo graduate, part of the breaking news and criminal justice team for two years. Hired by The News in 1999, I covered high school sports for 15 years before being named deputy sports editor. Follow Keith McShea Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
WASHINGTON  A Senate infrastructure compromise backed by President Biden slashes proposed funding to reconnect neighborhoods long divided by highways like Buffalo's Kensington Expressway.

That's just one of the objections that Rep. Brian Higgins  a Buffalo Democrat pushing for a bigger infrastructure investment  has to the emerging deal.

+2 Could Biden's green highway vision bring back Humboldt Parkway? Rep. Brian Higgins is pushing for $500M to restore Humboldt Parkway, the historic tree-lined thoroughfare that united the East Side until the Kensington divided it in the 1960s.

Saying that Senate Republicans will never deliver the five extra votes needed to pass the infrastructure compromise, Higgins said in an interview Friday: "I just think the president's being played here. And I don't think it's beneficial to Buffalo, relative to the promise of the original bill."

The compromise, unveiled by 10 senators and Biden on Thursday, devotes $973 billion to highways, bridges, water projects, broadband and other infrastructure efforts. That's less than half the size of Biden's original $2.2 trillion proposal.

Higgins was among several lawmakers who criticized the compromise Friday. But Higgins' comments stood out in part because of his anger that the compromise nearly obliterated a proposed program he had been counting on to replace the Kensington with a restored Humboldt Parkway.

Biden's original proposal called for $20 billion to be set aside to reunite neighborhoods split by highway mistakes of the past, but the compromise would set aside $1 billion for that program.

"The bill sucks as it relates to that," Higgins said. "But you can bet that whatever is in the final version of the bill  and I think it will be more  I'm going to aggressively pursue that."

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand also strongly back the Kensington project. And the backing of those two New York Democrats, along with that of Higgins, means the project still has a good chance of getting funded, said Stephanie Barber Geter, steering committee chair of the community group that's been pushing it.

"I have full confidence in Congressman Higgins and Senator Gillibrand and Senator Schumer to bring it home," said Geter, of the Restore Our Community Coalition. "I know that these levels of back-and forth-bantering always occur, that there are winners and losers. But I know that they are in the fight."

+3 Analysis: How $1.2B in new federal cash to Buffalo Niagara will be doled out The local and school aid targeted to the area under President Biden's American Rescue Plan won't come gift-wrapped. It will arrive, instead, tied together with red tape, with strings attached.

Higgins was largely alone in singling out the cut in funding to replace highways like the Kensington, but he was hardly alone in criticizing the bipartisan measure.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx Democrat and a progressive icon, tweeted a photo of the 10 senators and president who negotiated the deal  all of them white  along with an acerbic observation.

"The diversity of this 'bipartisan coalition' pretty perfectly conveys which communities get centered and which get left behind when leaders prioritize bipartisan deal-making over inclusive lawmaking (which prioritizes delivering the most impact possible for the most people)," she said.

Meanwhile, Republicans fumed that Biden had said that he would reject the bipartisan infrastructure package unless Congress also passed a much larger bill that includes Democratic priorities such as broadening access to health care and child care, while also addressing climate change.

Hearing that, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who backed the compromise, tweeted: "No deal by extortion! It was never suggested to me during these negotiations that President Biden was holding hostage the bipartisan infrastructure proposal unless a liberal reconciliation package was also passed  I cant imagine any other Republican had that impression.

But Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, said he was reserving judgment on the infrastructure compromise.

It is encouraging that a bipartisan framework for hard infrastructure like roads, bridges, and broadband has been agreed to," he said. "However, as with any proposal of this size, the precise details matter. I will wait to see the full legislative text and what it may be paired with before I make a judgement on this package.

+4 Sean Kirst: A city of voices on the Skyway: 'The priority should be people' The subject of whether to keep or do away with the Skyway ignites fierce yes-or-no emotion in Western New York, Kirst says.

Higgins also complained about the overall amount of funding in the compromise. Compared to Biden's original proposal, the compromise eliminated a number of efforts to combat climate change and trimmed the amount of money devoted to mass transit from $85 billion to $49 billion  meaning there would be less funding for projects like an idea to create a streetcar system in Buffalo.

The problem, Higgins said, was the negotiators' "silly optics" of keeping spending in the bill under $1 trillion.

"The nation's opportunity for a robust, inclusive and equitable rebirth is lost in this bill," Higgins said. "It's a capitulation."

Asked for a response to Higgins' comments, a White House spokesman stressed that the bipartisan compromise would still be the largest federal infrastructure investment in a century, and that it is just part of Biden's efforts.

"The president remains committed to his full legislative agenda  including the care economy and expanding child care, and additional investments in clean energy  and will work with members of Congress on drafting and passing a budget resolution that enacts his legislative priorities," the spokesman said.

But to hear Higgins tell it, Biden and congressional Democrats should combine a larger infrastructure effort with all those other measures and pass it with only Democratic votes. To do that, they would have to use a parliamentary strategy called reconciliation, which would allow Democrats to pass the measure in the Senate with a simple majority, thwarting Republicans from killing the effort with a filibuster.

Gillibrand has not commented on the infrastructure compromise, but she has been raising concerns for months that the two-bill approach could doom some of the Democratic Party's priorities.

"I think that would be a horrible outcome for New York State, because some of the things that we desperately need investment in are the softer pieces of infrastructure, things like affordable daycare and universal pre-K and a national paid leave plan," Gillibrand said last week.

Asked for his comments on the bipartisan compromise, Schumer's office responded with a statement that held out hope for projects such as the Kensington while not exactly saying how the Senate majority leader felt about the deal.

Rebuilding Americas crumbling infrastructure is a bipartisan issue, and Western New York has several projects that could directly benefit from this, most notably the Kensington and Scajaquada projects," the statement said. "These are transformational projects that will reconnect unjustly fractured communities and restore the integrity of our legendary park system. As we work on multiple fronts to secure a big and bold infrastructure package, we cant lose sight of the overall goal  to rebuild America and make ourselves more competitive than ever before.

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Swansea, WALES (AP)  More than 15 months into the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of seafarers vital to the global shipping industry remain stranded at sea or in ports, unable to leave their ships or get to new assignments due to global travel restrictions.

Friday is International Seafarers Day, and ships around the world, from Los Angeles to Singapore to Antwerp, Belgium, planned to blare their horns in solidarity.

Theyve been the forgotten heroes of this pandemic and theyve really been collateral damage, because it was so easy for countries to say well take nobody into our country, except, of course, they wanted the ships to come in and just discharge their cargo," said Guy Platten, head of the International Chamber of Shipping.

It's been a problem since near the beginning of the pandemic, but Kasper Sgaard of the Global Maritime Forum said the situation has worsened recently, largely due to new travel restrictions countries have imposed in response the delta variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in India.
I felt compelled to respond to the A Place to Chill editorial in The Buffalo News June 22 edition. We are two of those sweltering residents who take respite from our home in Palm Springs, Calif., to come to Buffalo for the summer. Both of us had grown up in Buffalo or the surrounding area (Orchard Park) and when we decided that we had enough of the Buffalo winters, we headed for Palm Springs.

Previously we had vacationed in Palm Springs and knew the summers were toasty; so we thought we might return to not only take advantage of the cooler summers, but also the plethora of events that Buffalo jam packs into three months, and most importantly, our wonderful, lifetime friends that we see while we are here.

We take advantage of all the festivals, the summer concerts, farmers market in Bidwell Park. We walk to the pool/gym at the JCC daily as well as restaurants and retail establishments along Elmwood Avenue. We are members of the Lexington Co-Op. There is no shopping experience anywhere in California to the likings of Wegmans. We will always be Buffalo ambassadors.

While we love the wonderful summers, we always look forward to the cool, colorful days of fall, and perhaps a Buffalo Bills game, but we always make sure we miss the first snowstorm and return to Palm Springs anticipating our next visit to Western New York.
When it comes to the fashion scene in Toronto, there are two women in particular creating major names for themselves. Nicoletta Stefanou, known for her unique tailored made garments, and Christina Rakitzis, known for her distinctive and expressive pieces; offer an unparalleled level of synthesis when it comes to their latest collaboration.

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Nicoletta Stefanou has been immersed in the world of fashion since a young age. Her grandfather came from a fashion background as a master tailor in Guyana and after moving to Canada he continued his practice working in the basement of her childhood home. This early exposure led her to follow in his footsteps and turn her dreams into a reality. She took upon studying fashion arts at Seneca College and shortly after graduating she started a fashion label of her own. Exercising her creative ability and finding inspiration from part of her Greek heritage, Nicoletta Stefanou now designs bespoke evening gowns, bridesmaid dresses, streetwear, and more recently swimwear. Utilizing her knowledge in all aspects of production, she is proud to be a one stop atelier  from designing and illustrating, pattern drafting and sampling, to the final step of garment construction.

Christina Rakitzis similarly shares a passion for creating. With a keen artistic ability, she has always found fashion as an outlet to express herself. Her first take on a clothing line began in high school when she created a brand dedicated to making affordable rave apparel for young teens. Christina turned her hobby into a career when she launched her brand Eletros Streetwear  an exclusive line that offers a blend of minimalism, street grunge, and luxury fabrics. Her goal has always been to stand out from the crowd, and her unique pieces allow for a true expression of individuality through fashion.

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Also Read | Summer 2021 Fashion Idea: Mia Khalifa Looks Pretty in Sexy Off-Shoulder Top With Skirt, Calls Herself Queen of the Southwest

With both designers sharing the vision of becoming more versatile, theyve decided to complement each others talents and collaborate on a womens swimwear line for the upcoming season. Combining simplicity and sophistication, the Oia Collection was inspired by the designers roots and love for Greece and their desire to express the beauty of their country through fashion.

The concept behind the Oia Collection was to make a bathing suit line that has very different cuts than traditional North American brands. The goal was to create a line that was flattering to all body types and comfortable for all women to feel confident and sexy while looking their absolute best. Oia is recognized as one of the most enchanted places in the world, known for their stunning sunsets - a magical hour of the day when the light makes everything look more vibrant and beautiful. The essence of this collection is to capture that same beauty and express it through a vibrant colour pallet which is representative of the stages of a sunset.

Drawing inspiration from the Empire Period of Greece, the long straps and crisscross aesthetic across the body are symbolic of fashion trends dating back to Classical Greece  an era when many garments were held up by straps and broaches. Striving to create something truly unique and never seen before, the duo of designers fashioned a unique asymmetrical, intricate cut, complimented by exaggerated O-rings to extenuate your collarbone. These bespoke cuts will not be seen anywhere else and will give you a luxurious aesthetic when worn. Feeling like a true goddess.

The upcoming collection is set to be eco-friendly and sustainable for the planet  aiming for no waste. These notable designers premiered the Oia Collection at Fashion Art Toronto  an innovative platform showcasing avant-garde runway shows, immersive media installations, performances, and more. The response from the show was remarkable, as each model strutted the runway in swimsuits colour coordinated with the succession of the stages of the sunset. Needless to say, the Oia Collection is destined to become one of Torontos premier swimwear lines and is something exciting to look forward to for summer 2021.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo/ANI)

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top officials to review the progress of vaccination and COVID-19 situation in the country and expressed satisfaction at the rising speed of vaccinations this week.

He stressed that it is important to carry this momentum forward.

The Prime Minister was informed that 3.77 crore doses have been administered in the last six days which is more than the entire population of countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Canada.

It was also discussed that 128 districts in the country have vaccinated more than 50 per cent of the 45+ population and 16 districts have vaccinated more than 90 per cent of the 45+ population.

The officers told the Prime Minister that they are in touch with state governments to explore and implement innovative methods to reach people for vaccination.

PM Modi spoke about the need to involve NGOs and other organisations in such efforts.

He directed officers to work with the states to ensure that the pace of testing does not go down as testing remains a very important weapon to track and contain rising infections in any region.

A PMO release said officials apprised PM Modi about the vaccine supply in the upcoming months and efforts being made to increase production.

"PM expressed satisfaction at the rising speed of vaccinations in this week and stressed that it is important to carry this momentum forward," the release said.

The government's centralised free vaccination policy came into effect from June 21 under which the Centre is providing free vaccines to states for inoculating all above 18 years. The Centre has decided to procure 75 per cent of vaccines from manufacturers.

At the meeting, officers also apprised the Prime Minister about the rising interest in the Cowin platform globally.

He said that efforts should be made to help all countries, who have expressed interest, in India's rich tech expertise in the form of the Cowin platform.

Officials gave a detailed presentation to the Prime Minister on the progress of vaccination in the country. He was briefed about the age-wise vaccination coverage.

He was briefed about the vaccine coverage among healthcare workers, frontline workers and the general population in various states. (ANI)
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson plans to hold an event questioning the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, June 28, according to FOX6 News in Milwaukee. This event comes after the Wisconsin Republican has repeatedly spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and publicly refused to get one himself.

In response to Johnsons event, Dr. Bob Freedland, an ophthalmologist in La Crosse and the Wisconsin State Lead for the Committee to Protect Health Care, released the following statement:

As a physician and concerned constituent of Sen. Ron Johnson, I call on him to cancel his anti-vaccine event, or, better yet, use his platform and time to hold an event encouraging people to get the safe, effective vaccine. Johnson claims, clearly in bad faith, to just be sharing the truth about vaccines, but the truth is that theyre safe, and theyre the best way for Wisconsinites to protect themselves and their loved ones from the deadly COVID-19 disease.

As our U.S. senator, Johnson has an obligation to do whats right for the health of our state and country  and thats promoting the vaccines. If he cant stop spreading misinformation and undermining the best tool we have to protect against COVID-19 and dangerous variants, Sen. Johnson needs to get out of the way and let the rest of us do our jobs.

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Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews were doing everything possible to save as many people as they could.

We do not have a resource problem, we have a luck problem, he said.

The White House said President Joe Biden, who spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the collapse, was receiving updates from Homeland Security.

Officials said they still dont know exactly how many residents or visitors were in the building when it fell, but they were trying to locate 159 people who were considered unaccounted for and may or may not have been there.

Flowers left in tribute decorated a fence near the tower, and people awaiting news about the search watched from a distance, hands clasped and hugging. Congregants prayed at a nearby synagogue where some members were among the missing.

On the beach near the collapsed structure, visitor Faydah Bushnaq of Sterling, Virginia, knelt and scratched Pray for their souls in the sand.

We were supposed to be on vacation, but I have no motivation to have fun, Bushnaq said. It is the perfect time to say a prayer for them.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday tossed out an election lawsuit brought by a conservative businessman in an effort to halt the use of absentee ballot boxes in future elections.

The 4-3 decision is another decided by conservative Justice Brian Hagedorns swing vote. Hagedorn joined liberal justices in declining to hear the lawsuit filed in March against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Madison, Milwaukee and others by Jere Fabick, a prominent Republican donor and president of Fabick Cat, the Caterpillar equipment and engine dealer.

Justices in the majority relied upon procedural reasons not to hear the case over concerns from a minority of conservative justices that the states highest court is avoiding taking on important cases.

While this court must not shrink back from deciding challenging or politically fraught questions properly before us, neither should we be eager to insert ourselves at the expense of time-tested judicial norms, Hagedorn wrote for the majority.

Hagedorn said Fabicks arguments were not cleanly presented, that the case raised novel procedural arguments that would have prevented the court from addressing the meat of the case.
The pictures of the school kids were most interesting. They and their teachers, far from having a stern and officious look, actually were smiling. They looked like they really were fond of each other. During that time (the 1910-1930s) many kids did not go to school beyond 8th grade so I am sure they made the best they could of the situation.

Also striking was the fact that many of the kids were not wearing shoes. My Dad once told me that good shoes at that time in his life were often reserved for special occasions. People talk about the depression of the 1930s but in Wisconsin the recession of the 1920s was almost as bad. Many of the kids had tin pail lunch boxes. In them held lard or butter sandwiches.

Many of the school pictures appear to have been taken in high summer. Which thinking back made sense. Spring planting was done and the fall harvest was probable a couple months off. The kids were free to go to school and getting to and from school in the summer was easier than in the winter. Public school was free and families took advantage of it.

Withee was and is a farming town. After the great cutover logging of the earliest part of the late 19th and early 20th Century, farming was the only thing left. The Amish now farm the area of French Town. We passed several Amish girls riding bicycles on their way to the store.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, did better than average in the latest Bipartisan Index. She ranked 41st in the 100-member Senate, which is her best ranking yet. Shes doing a much better job of representing all of Wisconsin, which has a healthy independent streak, rather than just Madison, her left-leaning hometown.

Baldwin, for example, has teamed with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to support family caregivers, and with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, to provide better mental health services in rural areas.

The most improved member of Wisconsins delegation is U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah. After years of being Wisconsins least bipartisan member  ranking 410th in the House in 2017, and nearly last among all his colleagues during 2015 and 2016  Grothman improved to 197th this year. Thats the first time hes been above average at working with the opposing party. We hope this encouraging trend continues. Grothman cosponsored a smart and bipartisan bill in 2019 to prevent federal government shutdowns.Wisconsins worst members at cooperating during the last congressional session were U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Janesville, who ranked 261st in the House, and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who was 60th out of 100 senators. They were closely followed by U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, at 252nd, and Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, at 242nd.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26)  After slipping back to the global money laundering watchlist, the Philippine government now needs to submit progress reports to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) "thrice a year."

The FATF - a global watchdog protecting against ill-gotten money and criminal proceeds - on Friday released its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, which included the Philippines.

The FATF also added Haiti, Malta, and South Sudan to the gray list.

This comes four years after global regulators removed the Philippines from the watchlist as the government put safeguards versus any cash gained through illegal means. The major push was the enactment of Republic Act 10927, which placed physical and internet-based casino operators under the helm of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Despite this, the AMLC said in a statement Saturday that the Philippines is not yet subjected to countermeasures.

"It is only when the country fails to meet the deadlines will the FATF call on countries to impose countermeasures against the Philippines," the AMLC said.

"Given the recent identification of the Philippines as 'Jurisdiction under Increased Monitoring' with serious AML/CTF (anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing) deficiencies, the relevant government and law enforcement agencies' sustained pledge to implement the 18 action plans within the prescribed timelines will be essential to the country's removal from such list," it added.

According to the AMLC, the action plans include the amendment and passage of AML/CTF laws, enhancement of the AML/CTF supervisory framework, reinforcement of money laundering and terrorism financing investigation and prosecution, and campaigns to increase public awareness.
Editors note: Jay Santiago is a voice actor and ADR scriptwriter who has years of experience in dubbing in English and Filipino for various T.V. shows and films.

Voice acting is Acting!

I remember these words being effusively professed to me by one of my directors on more than one occasion, almost as if it were some forgotten scripture that needed to be proclaimed on a mountaintop, and passed down to philistines.

Since both of us are film buffs, we would spend our down time gushing over our favorite performances and, on occasion, playfully lament the fact that as talents in the dubbing industry, we would never enjoy the same level of recognition as screen actors.

I never really liked the sound of my voice growing up. As a little gay kid, I remember being made to feel so small when a cousin or playmate would tease me for being soft-spoken, or for sounding like a girl (whatever that meant). Part of me wonders if the way I use my voice now was a result of learning to assimilate and be accepted by my more masculine peers at an early age. It wasnt until people complimented my voice towards the tail end of my teen years that I learned it could be an asset.

I cant remember the exact year when I first set foot inside a recording studio. It must have been sometime in the hazy years of college life or briefly before it. What I can recall is that I was there to see my Kuya, who had already been working actively as a voice actor while I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

Theres a picture of it in my head that feels so much like a snapshot from a bygone era; a group of maybe five (Kuya included) huddled together in front of a microphone, eyes at attention, waiting to leap in, armed with their respective lines of dialogue. I cant be sure which particular animated series they were working on at the time, but recalling that sight of them as I stood on the other side of the glass, I cant help but feel nostalgic, and a little sad.

When the post-COVID world happens, its hard to know when or if any of us voice actors will get to share the same microphone again, stand side by side in a soundproof space to do what we enjoy, a job that some people may have misconceptions about.

The dubbing industry didnt come to take up such a huge part of my life by design. In truth, I was so determined to forge a different path professionally, no doubt in a bid to distinguish myself from my brothers line of work. A huge part of it was also that, having grown up overseas, I wasnt as fluent in Tagalog, and didnt have much confidence that I could do justice to the localization of series and films for the discerning ears of Filipino audiences.

So I pursued a different career, joining the BPO industry in its fairly nascent stage, before pivoting to fields more aligned with my interests, and where I felt I could better apply my communication arts degree. I ended up in FM radio, and dipped my toes in the publishing industry for a spell. But at one point in the middle of my radio stint, I was recommended by a friend to a studio looking for new voice talents to work on the adaptation of teleseryes into English for international audiences. That was my first real foray into dubbing and its where Ive found the bulk of my work ever since I chose to forego a conventional day job and become a freelancer.

"[People] assume that just because someone speaks well, or has a nice-sounding voice, theyre automatically going to make a great voice actor or will excel at dubbing."

Along this meandering, sometimes dizzying, but always fun, fulfilling field Ive found myself in, Ive made lifelong friendships and have learned so much about the craft. Though I must admit, there is still a small part of me that sometimes feels like a tourist in this industry Im part of.

Many of my mentors, and even some of my contemporaries, have such deep connections to the history of voiceover work in the Philippines, particularly dubbing. Theyve worked with people who have seen the industry through the early days of analog audio editing to where it is today. Even after a decade or so in different studios, I know there is much I have yet to learn. And I recognize how indebted I am to those who came before me.

In the beginning, even with all my confidence as an English speaker, radio DJ and events host, I still needed to prove myself as an actor. I looked for copies of the very first teleserye I dubbed on YouTube the other day and couldnt help but laugh (and yes, cringe) at the choices I made in my performance.

Thats one thing that most people misunderstand about the work we do. They assume that just because someone speaks well, or has a nice-sounding voice, theyre automatically going to make a great voice actor or will excel at dubbing. I cant tell you how many times I was told in the early phases of my career that I had to be reminded to sound less announcer-y. Years working in radio will do that to you.

And since my way into dubbing was through English language adaptations, there were hurdles I needed to overcome before I could even dare to try my hand at Tagalog projects. I was fortunate enough to work with directors who were patient enough with my shortcomings when it came to my vocabulary and especially my accent and intonation.

Another misconception is that if someone is an established voiceover artist for commercials, AVPs, and other creative output, theyre immediately a shoo-in for the dubbing industry. And thats simply not the case. The process of dubbing itself takes more patience, and requires more dexterity and discipline than some people  even within the voiceover industry  realize.

In other forms of voiceover work, as in commercials, youre given a script and are asked to provide a variety of deliveries so that a selection of your best takes will be stitched together to satisfy a clients creative objective. Theres usually more wiggle room to explore different creative nuances in your vocal performance. The same can be said of voicing original animated content. The voice cast will record their lines and animators will bring them to life. Performers have more room to play when they are interpreting a script for the first time. Its easier to make those characters their own.

Now while some of the mechanics of vocal performance may be similar to a certain extent in dubbing, voice actors must now work with material that has already been produced, characters that have already been brought to life by someone else, and find a way for a story to be appreciated in a different language.

Along with the translators and directors, voice actors for dubbing have to consider the language of the source material being adapted, the proper syncing of this new vocal performance to the characters onscreen, along with the nuances of emotion delivered by the original actors performance. These are just some of the basic precepts that a voice actor whose primary focus is dubbing constantly has to abide by that dont exist in other forms of voiceover work.

Its not my place to fully litigate the merits of solely casting voice actors instead of screen actors in the localization of animated content or in homegrown animation projects. Many valid points have been made by people who genuinely know what its like to navigate this industry. These arent people who may have huge social media followings, but theyve worked on dubbing projects where they show up for work at 7 a.m. and sometimes head home from the studio in the wee hours of the following day.

So what I can say as someone who has only recently begun to find my footing in Tagalog dubbing after a decade or so in this business, is that it is hard work.

If the animated adaptation of Trese has highlighted anything, its that while there are some audience members who may have never tried to see the people behind all this work before, hopefully now, their eyes (and ears) have been opened.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26)  Former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III was an incorruptible public servant, and a fighter while he privately battled his illnesses.

That is how Rene Almendras, who also served in various positions under the Aquino administration from 2010-2016, described the late president.

In his eulogy after the 8 p.m. mass at the Church of Gesu inside the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on Friday, Almendras revealed that Aquino flatlined more than a year ago after undergoing a medical procedure.

"Nung binibigyan po siya ng anesthesia, nag-flatline po ang Presidente for a few seconds. Nagkagulo po kami. Hindi po namin alam kung anong gagawin. Buti na lang po na-revive ang Pangulo," Almendras said.

[Translation: When he was given anesthesia, the President's heart flatlined for a few seconds. We were rattled. We didn't know what to do. Fortunately he was revived.]

Almendras served as Cabinet Secretary, Energy chief, and top diplomat of Aquino. He said the former President wanted the incident - and his subsequent illnesses - kept secret.

He added Aquino was also looking forward to undergo a kidney transplant and went through dialysis and angioplasty. The 61-year-old Aquino died Thursday due to renal disease secondary to diabetes.

"We were so looking forward to the transplant. He was a fighter to the end. Kilala nyo siya, hindi sumusuko si PNoy (You know him, PNoy doesn't give up)," Almendras said.

'Wang-wang' represents abuse of power

Almendras met Aquino in their college years in Ateneo during Martial Law. He recounted that people were frightened to get close to the former President for fear of getting caught by the police. He also recalled they carefully chose places to eat so restaurant owners won't be questioned by state forces.

"Alam ni PNoy ano pakiramdam, what it is to be helpless, to be powerless. Alam ni PNoy what it feels to be api but that did not make him a bitter person," Almendras said.

[Translation: PNoy knows how it feels to be helpless, to be powerless. PNoy knows how it feels to be oppressed but that did not make him bitter.]

Aquino's experience during the Martial Law years inspired him to ban wang-wang, or the indiscriminate use of sirens, when he assumed the presidency in 2010.

"Wang wang was a representation of the abuse of power that you rightfully have," Almendras said.

Almendras also recalled the former President hates photo opportunities. He cited an instance where people questioned why Aquino did not hug the relatives of the 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force who died in a botched operation in Mamasapano in 2015.

"Sana niyakap ni Presidente yung isang namatayan. Hindi siya ganun. Hindi niya gagawin yun para pakitang tao lang (Some said the President should have hugged the relatives of the slain policemen. He's not like that. He will not do that just to show off)," Almendras said.

Almendras added that Aquino did not want to immediately proceed to places ravaged by natural calamities because he wanted local officials to focus on their rescue and relief efforts.

"Bakit tayo pupunta doon ngayon? Manggugulo lang tayo. Imbes ayusin ng mga alkalde at military yung mga taong naapektuhan, tayo pa ang aalahanin nila," Almendras recalled Aquino's order.

[Translation: Why do we have to go there now? We will only cause an inconvenience there. Instead of the mayors and the military assisting the affected people, they would be worrying about us.]

Aquino as a man of faith

Almendras also denied earlier reports that Aquino is not religious, saying the late President expressed his prayers through music.

He said Aquino was listening to religious song "Anima Christi" on the day Filipino migrant worker Mary Jane Veloso was about to be executed in Indonesia. The Indonesian government did not push through with the execution of Veloso so she can testify against her alleged illegal recruiters.

"That is how he prayed and he prayed. There will be times in the midst of problems, yun po ang sasabihin niya: 'Alam mo pre, hindi ako nakatulog kagabi pero nagdasal ako' (he would say: 'You know, I did not sleep last night but I prayed hard')," Almendras said.

As he ended his eulogy, Almendras said Aquino laid the roots for a better nation that will be enjoyed by future generations.

"Alam ng Diyos ang iyong ginawa para sa bayan at para sa Pilipino (God knows what you did for this country and for Filipinos)," Almendras said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) Former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III was laid to rest on Saturday as loved ones and supporters gathered to pay their final respects.

Aquino, 61, passed away Thursday. He was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque City beside his parents, democracy icons former president Corazon "Cory" Aquino and former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

Simultaneous gun salutes were fired as the military accorded state funeral honors to the country's 15th president. A helicopter was also sighted dropping yellow flowers around the grounds of the park.

Aside from family, friends, and colleagues, members of the public were also allowed to visit Aquino's tomb in the afternoon.

Eulogies for Noynoy: Bring back decency; continued legacy

Earlier in the day, the loved ones of the former chief executive trooped to the Church of the Gesu inside the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City for a funeral mass at 10 a.m., which was celebrated by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.

During his homily, Villegas said Aquino's death should serve as a reminder for Filipinos to elect servant leaders  to "bring back decency" in the government.

For her eulogy, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz highlighted how her brother was able to "continue" the unfinished business of their parents  both hailed globally as democracy icons.

RELATED: 'He continued our parents' unfinished business': Aquino siblings pay final tribute to ex-president Noynoy

The Aquino sisters also thanked the public for supporting their brother, who served as the nation's leader from 2010 to 2016.

Aquino died Thursday of renal disease secondary to diabetes. His remains were cremated on the same day, and a one-day public viewing of his urn was held on Friday.

Aquino  who served in the House of Representatives and Senate before eventually gunning for the presidency  had kept a low profile since stepping down from his post. He remained a bachelor and had lived in his parents' home in Quezon City.
(CNN)  George Floyd's family spoke in a Minnesota court Friday during the sentencing hearing for his killer, former police officer Derek Chauvin.

The first to speak was Floyd's 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, on video.

"I ask about him all the time," she said. "I want to play with him, have fun, go to the playground."

Someone in the video asks Gianna what she would tell her father if she could see him again.

"It would be I miss you and I love you," she said.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.

Bridgett Floyd, George Floyd's sister and founder of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, issued a statement moments later.

"The sentence handed down today ... shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously," the statement said. "However, we have a long way to go and many changes to make before Black and Brown people finally feel like they are being treated fairly and humanely by law enforcement in this country."

Here are some of the other victims' impact statements made before the sentence was announced.

Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother

Philonise Floyd asked for the maximum sentence possible because "every day, I have begged for justice to be served."

"I haven't had a real night's sleep because of the nightmares I constantly have, hearing my brother beg and plead for his life over and over again. Even saying, 'They're going to kill me, please, officer,' screaming for our mom," Philonise said in court.

He added: "I have had to sit through each day of officer Derek Chauvin's trial and watch the video of George dying for hours, over and over again. For an entire year, I had to relive George being tortured to death every hour of the day."

Terrence Floyd, brother

"On behalf of me and my family, we seek the maximum penalty," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. "We don't want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We've been through that already ... no, no, no, no."

He said if a Black man had killed a White man, there would have been little doubt about the outcome of the trial.

"If it was us, if the roles was reversed, there wouldn't be no case," he said. "It would have been open and shut. We'd have been under the jail for murdering somebody. So, we ask for that same penalty for Derek Chauvin."

Brandon Williams, nephew

George Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, called his uncle's death "truly unimaginable."

"Not only did he kill George, but he also displayed a total lack of consideration for human life as he did so. You saw it. I saw it. And millions of people across the country and the globe witnessed the act of hate," Williams said.

"The sudden murder of George has forever traumatized us. You may see us cry, but the full extent of our pain and trauma will never be seen with the naked eye."

Williams added: "The heartbreak and hurt goes far beyond any number of tears we could ever cry. Words simply cannot express the pain, anguish, and suffering that our family and friends have endured since George's murder. It has been truly unimaginable."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "George Floyd's daughter, other family members speak at Chauvin's sentencing."
It pumps $279 million into transportation infrastructure and directs $280 million to nursing homes and similar facilities, both drawing from the federal pandemic money.

House GOP leaders highlighted the $2.5 billion added to the state's rainy day fund and that much of the rest of the pandemic money was also unspent, calling it a way to prevent future tax increases. The budget contains no tax or fee increases.

"Those people who want to spend every nickel this year are setting us up for a major tax increase in the future," said Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill. "This makes sense."

House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, said he voted for it to avoid a government shutdown, but argued Pennsylvania is not in a position to claim a surplus.

"We can't afford a surplus because the requirements of this commonwealth haven't been met," Harris said.

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Among the budget legislations' other provisions are a ban on the Department of Human Services creating new programs not expressly authorized by the General Assembly, a Republican effort to control costs at the agency. It also would end overtime regulations imposed by Wolf.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month.

The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey.

Heres the situation in Pennsylvania:

WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE?
This is adoration of the Second Amendment taken to nonsensical measures. Criminals get a pass and the community, along with police, are penalized.

Missouris version fines a police department $50,000 for every officer who tries to enforce a federal gun law.

So much for backing the Blue.

For now, Kansas City police vow to press forward, issuing this statement: We will comply with whatever changes occur and enforce the law accordingly. We cannot speak to what impact this might have for our department, as that remains to be seen. We can say that we have and will continue to work with our federal partners in regard to gun crimes.

Republican legislators cite a fear of the Biden administration as the impetus. They want to counter gun reform measures like expanded background checks and keeping weapons away from those convicted of domestic violence. Polling shows most Americans support those measures.

Unfortunately, lying about the need to protect the Second Amendment often supersedes factual, detailed information.
He said the first jump of parachuting has many unknowns that come with it, like jumping out of an airplane and not seeing the ground, turning the parachute in the right direction, compensating for the wind, and landing in the right zone and position.

Lets just say after doing two of the five required jumps, this was not for me, he said.

Retzer said that overall, he learned discipline, authority, more respect for veterans and our flag, my allegiance to our great republic, and teamwork.

He said, Probably with every service member, some more than others, will have a lasting effect until the day they die. I think for me, small things like this happen every time the Pledge of Allegiance is given, that I find myself standing at attention with my left hand cuffed to the seam of my pants.

For Retzer, the transition out of the military was a bit different, but the Air Force had some classes which helped him adequately transition.

I also think it depends on how long you were in and if you had some war-time experience that would affect the transitioning, he said. I also have the support of the VA clinic.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri senators on Wednesday returned to the Capitol to work out a deal on a critical piece of Medicaid funding that's entangled in a fight over family planning services.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson called the last-minute special session after threatening to cut $722 million from the state budget July 1 if lawmakers don't reup a tax on hospitals and other medical providers. Money from the tax is used to bring in more federal Medicaid funding.

The tax expires Sept. 30.

Lawmakers didn't renew the tax during regular session after it became tied to an effort to ban Medicaid coverage of some contraceptives and block government funding for Planned Parenthood.

Lawmakers can address those issues now, although some senators on Wednesday proposed setting aside those disagreements and focusing only on the hospital tax.

Parson's call gives the GOP-led Legislature the opportunity to block Medicaid payments for abortion medications, as well as intrauterine devices and the morning-after pill when those are used to induce an abortion.
LONDON  Winston Marshall, a founding member of folk-rock group Mumford & Sons, announced Thursday that is leaving the band so that he can speak freely about political issues.

Marshall took a break from the band in March after sparking a social media storm by tweeting admiration for Unmasked, a book by right-wing writer-activist Andy Ngo that attacked far-left militant groups collectively known as antifa.

Marshall was accused online of endorsing the far right, but said Thursday that nothing could be further from the truth. I condemn unequivocally all political extremism, be it of the Right or Left.

Marshall, who plays guitar and banjo with the group, said his bandmates had invited me to continue with them, but he had decided to leave so that he could speak freely without them suffering the consequences.

Marshall said that as long as I am a member of the band, speaking my mind on the evils of political extremism could bring them trouble. My loyalty and love for them cannot permit that.

Marshall said he plans to undertake new creative projects, as well as speaking and writing on a variety of issues.
A quartet of lost pigs soon will find new homes following an uncommon legal procedure.

Located earlier this month in the area of Stony Point Road and Hammocks Gap Road in Albemarle County, the four young Vietnamese potbellied pigs were taken into custody by Albemarle police, according to Officer Mason Walsh of the animal protection unit.

In general, Walsh said, livestock being found at large is a pretty common occurrence in the county, but this situation was a bit different due to the lack of a clear owner.

Fences fail, trees fall, etc., and ACPD officers and community members are usually great at working together to quickly locate owners and resolve issues, Walsh said. The only odd thing about this situation is that we have not been able to locate an owner.

Because police have not been able to locate the owner, the county commonwealths attorney office has to follow a statutory legal procedure for the legal responsibility of the abandoned animals.

In this case, that means filing a petition to allow the animals to be given to a good Samaritan, said Jim Hingeley, commonwealths attorney for Albemarle.
Now, I'm very intentional about thinking about even the smallest of things that need to change in order to create big change, Williams said of the training.  Its slow; its painful. You have to be OK with this coming in small steps because everyone is on a different continuum and you have to respect where they are. But you have to be willing to push and expect progress.

Looking ahead to next school year, Williams said CRT is informing the class placement process.

We see this as an opportunity to reboot our school when we bring everybody back in, she said.

In a difficult school year, Williams said it was not easy for her and Underwood to keep their eye on their CRT work.

But it ended up being the most important part of the work we did this year, she said.

Underwood said CRT provided a perfect way into thinking about learning recovery in the coming school year and meeting students social-emotional needs.

That is meeting each student where they are and partnering with their families to look at strengths, she said. I just think that's so incredible. I think that will help us tremendously.
Cerullo said questions remain about how the new guidelines will work in practice.

The new guidelines say they basically zero out the guidelines if the maximum [sentence] is three years or less, if the offender shows remorse or takes responsibility for his crimes, the prosecutor said. However, so far, we have been given no information on what that means. If an offender is looking at one year and comes in and says, Judge, Im sorry, that one year goes to zero.

Thats crazy. How is a judge supposed to know if an offender is truly remorseful and what does remorseful mean in the first place? Offender A cries like a baby and offender B merely says Im sorry. Is that the same? Do they both get zeroed out? Also, what about the offender who is not remorseful at all? He comes to court and tells the judge he is not sorry. How come the guidelines dont increase for lack of remorse?

Farrar-Owens said the commission has received both positive and negative feedback about the new guidelines, and thats to be expected with any change. Certainly, if theres concerns, we would want to hear from those folks. We want this to work as smoothly as possible.

For the most part, though, Virginias judges have been providing favorable feedback, she said.

This is really something a judge has to determine at sentencing, Farrar-Owens said. A prosecutor can make recommendations and communicate that to the judge. But its really up to the judge.
Alquist CEO Zachary Mannheimer anticipates that finding and incentivizing buyers will be a straightforward process.

Well show them the numbers. Your utility costs are going to be 50% less than a lumber home, plus the affordability of it ..., he said. We know we can save at least 10% across the board versus a stick-built, likely higher than that once we look at the numbers.

Mannheimer said the only real barrier keeping 3-D-printed housing from becoming the next big thing is scalability. While they plan to construct additional homes in Williamsburg, Exmore and Stanton, Iowa, this year  with more projects planned for 2022  an additional BOD2 printer would allow a major expansion of the operation.

This is the future, and many people will not accept it, Mannheimer said. Weve been building homes the same way for a thousand years. The industry needs to adapt and change. Housing wasnt affordable before the pandemic, now its really not affordable. We have to adapt, and technology is the way to do that.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, as it calls itself, is not a republic, but it is Islamic.

Here are two definitions to make the point before moving on to a larger point.

A republic is defined by dictionary.com as a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

Irans elections put supreme power in religious leaders, not the people. In previous elections when there were public demonstrations in opposition to the government, the people were jailed, or murdered by the regime.

Radical Islam is a system of beliefs founded on interpretations of the Quran made by political leadership that seeks to impose those beliefs on its citizens and the rest of the world, by force if necessary. At least thats my definition, based on sermons Ive heard from hardline mullahs in Iran and elsewhere, along with personal observations about how those beliefs are put into practice.

Obviously, not all Muslims agree on everything, especially when it comes to politics. Neither do Christians and Jews, for that matter  but Christians and Jews are not known for wanting to eliminate nations they dont like or for forcibly imposing their will on others.
From east to west, cattle got the memo: Revolt!

And who can blame them, especially when theyre heading to their demise?

The week of mutiny began on Monday when three cows wandered into downtown Bluefield, West Virginia, and out onto some railroad tracks.

Trains had to be halted before police could finally corral the animals and haul them away.

Then at mid-week there was the herd that broke loose from a California slaughter pen and ran amok through suburbia.

As in so many cases these days, the houses had grown up around the agricultural business. Indeed, Los Angeles County, where this all occurred, is said to be the nations most populous.

One animal was killed on the hoof, as it were, when  doubtless panicked  it charged a family.

More on that escape episode later  and we promise a happy ending for at least one individual.

A couple of days later, over in Huntington, West Virginia, more cattle broke loose. This time, a transport truck overturned and dumped its bovine load.
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.

Vote

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COMMENTARY

Joint operations demand a digital battlefield. Here are key steps for delivering

The push toward technology-enabled military dominance and lethality isnt new -- it is a concept that is nearly as old as war itself. The technology certainly has changed, but the bottom line has not: Secure the decisive advantage and use it to win.

Today that warfighting imperative exists in a complex landscape thats advancing at a clip far more rapid and more fluid than in previous eras. At least part of this environment is fueled by a commercial world built on technological agility, innovation and, in some cases, near-instant obsolescence.

As the Defense Department and other government agencies look to capitalize on industrys momentum, the struggle to keep up, to operate at machine-speed and to find a way around bureaucratic log jams and technological disruption all put the U.S. at a tipping point.

The biggest competitive threat is our own obsolescence, Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, said recently at a Potomac Officers Club event. We cant operate that way. We cant win that way.

Groen repeatedly has pointed to the path industry has created for the military to follow: employ scalable artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, modernized business systems and the tools and infrastructure that enable machine-speed data integration and informed decision-making.

These are the catalysts for a joint force that operates cohesively, at a faster tempo than the enemy and with the type of synchronized, real-time common operational picture thats vital for the U.S. in the cyber domain. This is even more relevant as AI -- and the governments applications of it -- continue to mature, and as its combined with other game-changing elements.

Cybersecurity challenges ranging from data poisoning of AI to zero-day exploits in platforms and applications are the reality of operating in this high-stakes and real-time environment. That places a premium on leveraging maturing commercial ecosystems of comprehensive cybersecurity capabilities -- think extended technology suites or a security fabric that provides constant visibility, anomaly detection and, in some cases, automated fixes.

Its harder for the adversary to hide when the spotlight is shining and the computer never blinks. Bring that light to the tactical edge and watch true transformation unfold.

Powering speed and data at the foggy edge

High-performance computing (HPC) and processing is making its way to the tactical edge, though as far as some military leaders are concerned, it cant happen fast enough. With processing available closer to the edge, the pace of collecting, sorting, organizing and creating intelligence from data is dramatically accelerated. In this sense, the cloud -- where data is stored and where the tools operate to manipulate that data and create actionable intelligence -- represents the future of warfighting. But this future also hinges on speed and capability of sensors and systems at the foggy tactical edge.

Cloud-based HPC that is pushed out to the edge -- fog computing -- delivers to deployed troops the speed and ubiquitous network connectivity to help them leverage AI tools and enable functionality tailored to the specific mission. Much of that delivery of power to the tactical edge will ride on commercial technology, but once its there, operators will blend it with decades of DODs unique experience and track record of innovation.

After all, it was the intelligence community and DOD that, in moves a decade ahead of the private sector, expansively deployed sensors in the search for Osama bin Laden. This was the vanguard of instrumenting the battlefield environment -- strategically placing sensors in key terrain to find and identify those communicating with bin Laden and generating the data and analysis eventually leading the U.S. to his location.

This was exquisite technology at the time, and its what the power of data in a Joint All-Domain Command and Control context represents: convergence of information from across services, domains, platforms and applications to create decisive intelligence- and speed-driven advantage. The result: capabilities inconceivable just a few years ago, or a digital joint operating construct such as JADC2 that enables data and situational awareness to be real-time and actionable across domains and platforms.

Forward-leaning research and development efforts in industry and within DOD are focused on bringing high-capacity compute and processing to the tactical edge through a number of avenues. This includes software-defined networking, architectures built on cloud-based networking, low Earth orbit satellite communications, 5G, advanced antennas for collection and communication as well as smaller-footprint CPUs, GPUs and DPUs (data processing units) that bring more computing horsepower to a variety of air, ground and sea platforms.

These initiatives are all, at their core, about getting the entire battle environment digitized, OK? The key is speed of data, having situational awareness, getting data from sensor to shooter as quickly as you can, being as agile as you can. You dont know who the shooter might be, so you need to have that situational awareness and you need to be agile enough to move data at the speed of relevance, Acting Air Force Secretary John Roth recently said at an Air Force Association event. Digitization is the core competency that all of us need for the battlespace of the future.

To achieve that core competency, industry needs to play its part in providing high-powered, seamless and secure digital functionality at the tactical edge.
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Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd

Derek Chauvin Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune/AP Surrounded by those who have taken care of George Floyd Square, Jennifer Starr Dodd, center, reacts to the sentencing of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, at George Floyd Square on Friday in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS  A Minnesota judge on Friday sentenced former police officer Derek Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, a Black man whose desperate gasps for air beneath the knee of the white officer captured on a viral video forever changed the American conversation on race and justice.

Chauvin, who was fired after the killing and then convicted by a jury in April on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, had faced up to 40 years in prison.

In rendering his sentence, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill, who oversaw Chauvins trial, offered brief remarks, saying it was not the time to be profound or clever from the bench. He said he had based the sentence on the facts of the case and not public opinion.

The sentence is not based on his emotion or sympathy. But at the same time, I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family, Cahill said. You have our sympathies and I acknowledge and hear the pain that youre feeling.

The killing on May 25, 2020, captured on a gruesome Facebook video, shook the nation and forced a painful reckoning on issues of race and police brutality that continues to play out across a divided America. Chauvins conviction, a rarity in a country roiled by multiple high-profile cases of Black people being killed by police, was praised by Floyds family and activists as a historic moment of justice and a potential sign of change.

Before the sentencing, the court heard victim impact statements from four members of Floyds family, including the mans 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, who in a small, singsong voice spoke of how her daddy used to help her brush her teeth and play with her. I miss him, she said.

A woman off-camera asked Gianna Floyd if she wished her father were still alive. Yeah, but he is, Gianna said.

Through his spirit? the woman asked.

Yes, the little girl replied.

In the courtroom, Chauvin, who sported a freshly shaved head and wore a light gray suit, appeared to watch the video, occasionally blinking but otherwise unemotional. As three other Floyd family members approached a podium inside the socially distanced courtroom, the former officer turned his head to listen to them speak but otherwise had no reaction.

Brandon Williams, Floyds nephew, asked the judge to sentence Chauvin to the maximum punishment. Although Chauvin will be sentenced today and spend time in prison, he will have the luxury of seeing his family again, talking to them, Williams told the court. The Floyd family had been robbed of that luxury, he said. No more birthday parties, no graduations, holiday gatherings ... No opportunities to simply say I love you.

The family members were not allowed to address Chauvin directly, but Floyds brother, Terrence, looked toward the former officer and posed questions that have flummoxed even those who know Chauvin. Why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee or my brothers neck when you knew he posed no threat anymore? Terrence Floyd said, as tears rolled down his face.

Philonise Floyd, the mans younger brother who testified in the trial and who has become the public face of the familys push for justice, told the court of the anguish of having to relive his brothers death again and again through the video of his killing, of the nightmares he had on a regular basis.

I have had to sit through each day of Derek Chauvins trial and watch the video of George dying for hours, over and over again for an entire year, Philonise Floyd said. I had to relive George being tortured to death every hour of the day ... not knowing what a good nights sleep is.

Shortly before being sentenced, Chauvin approached a court lectern and spoke briefly, offering his condolences to the Floyd family. But he declined to speak at length, citing other legal matters he is facing. He did not apologize for his role in Floyds death.

I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family, Chauvin said, briefly glancing back toward Floyds siblings and nephew. Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind.

Before Chauvin spoke, his mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, appealed to Cahill on behalf of her son, describing him as a selfless public servant who had always tried to help others. She said prosecutors and the media had depicted her son as an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person ... a racist. I can tell you that is far from the truth, Pawlenty said. My son is a good man.

She pleaded with Cahill to consider a lesser sentence, arguing if her son was sentenced to a long prison term she and her ex-husband, Chauvins father, would likely die before he is released from jail. When you sentence my son, you will be sentencing me, Pawlenty said.

Both Pawlenty and Eric Nelson, Chauvins attorney, said the former officer had played the events of May 25, 2020, over and over again in his mind. Nelson, who said his client had not been scheduled to work that day but came in because the department was short staffed, said his clients brain was consumed by the questions of what if, what if, what if.

Chauvins sentence made him only the second police officer in Minnesota history to be jailed for an on-duty murder and one of less than a dozen officers nationwide.

An attorney for Chauvin, who has been held in solitary confinement at a state prison near the Twin Cities since his April 20 conviction, had argued that the ex-officer should get probation, while prosecutors sought at least 30 years, pointing to the irreparable harm his actions had on Floyd, the victims family, witnesses, the community and even the nation.

Were not looking for revenge. Were looking at the seriousness of what happened, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, whose office is overseeing the prosecution of Chauvin and the other three officers implicated in Floyds death, said ahead of the hearing.

Ellison pointed to Judeah Reynolds, who was 9 when she and her cousin, Darnella Frazier, then 17, happened upon the scene of Floyd being restrained by Chauvin and the other officers. Both girls testified against Chauvin, with Frazier speaking of her fear of Chauvin and the enduring trauma and guilt she feels over not being able to save Floyd.

What do you expect a 9-year-old child to grow up thinking about the police? What do you think people looking at the video think of the police? How much damage has been done to the trust that needs to exist between the police and the community? Ellison said. He murdered a man, but he also murdered trust.

Though the jury found Chauvin guilty on all three counts he was facing, Minnesota law dictated that he would face sentencing on only the most serious count  second-degree murder. State sentencing guidelines on that charge recommend 11 to 12 years in prison for someone with no criminal history.

But last month, Cahill ruled prosecutors had proven there were aggravating factors in the case that called for a tougher sentence.

In a presentencing memo filed this month, prosecutors asked Cahill to sentence Chauvin to 30 years in prison  about 10 years shy of the maximum sentence for second-degree murder in Minnesota  which they argued would properly account for the profound impact of his conduct on Floyd, his family and the community.

No sentence can undo the damage [Chauvins] actions have inflicted, prosecutors wrote. But the sentence the court imposes must hold [the] defendant fully accountable for his reprehensible conduct.

But Nelson, Chauvins attorney, had pressed Cahill to look beyond his previous ruling and consider his clients background, including his lack of criminal history and the unusual facts of the case. In a memo filed to Cahill, Nelson said Chauvin was the product of a broken system  though he did not elaborate.

Delving into his clients personal background for the first time, Nelson wrote that Chauvin had struggled to find passion for a particular career and had eventually decided to become a police officer, a job he held for nearly two decades.

Mr. Chauvin was unaware he was even committing a crime, Nelson added. In fact, in his mind, he was simply performing his lawful duty assisting other officers in the arrest of George Floyd.

Nelson said Chauvin had the strong support of his family and had received thousands of letters of support ... from local and international communities. He appealed to Cahill on humanitarian grounds, writing that Chauvin had been preliminarily diagnosed with heart damage and had a shorter life span because of his years as an officer.

He argued that his client was likely to be a target in prison and argued a stringent probationary sentence would be more appropriate, but Cahill rejected that argument.

Chauvin is expected to appeal his conviction and sentence. He is also facing other legal jeopardy related to Floyds death, including federal charges.

Chauvin and the other officers at the scene  J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao  were indicted last month on federal civil rights charges related to Floyds death. Chauvin was also indicted on a second federal charge alleging that he violated the civil rights of a 14-year-old by hitting him with a flashlight and kneeling on him during a 2017 arrest. Though no federal trial date has been set, all four officers are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in September for a formal arraignment.

Meanwhile, Chauvin and his ex-wife, Kellie, are scheduled to appear before a state judge Wednesday on felony tax evasion charges. The couple are accused of failing to report nearly $500,000 in income  including payments Chauvin allegedly received while doing off-duty police security. The couple have not entered in a plea in that case, which was delayed because of Chauvins murder trial.

Sentences for police officers convicted of killing people while on duty vary widely, according to data tracked by Philip Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University.

Police are rarely charged for killing people on duty, and convictions are even less common. According to Stinsons data, 11 officers  including Chauvin  have been convicted of murdering someone while on duty since 2005, with sentences ranging from more than six years in prison to a life sentence.

The Washington Posts Mark Berman contributed to this report.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High near 85F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low 69F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Sparky Jr.s fire career





short livedThe career of Sparky Jr., the playful Dalmatian puppy acquired recently by the Marianna Fire Department, ended almost as early as it began Tuesday.

He was returned to the Aquarium Pet Shop in Panama City where he had been purchased on June 18. Sparky Jr. was deaf  he would never hear the wailing of a fire siren.

A woman at the pet shop agreed to take him into her home. Jackson County Floridan, Friday, July 12, 1974

Graceville bank opensThe New Peoples National Bank of Graceville held ribbon-cutting ceremonies yesterday before an audience of approximately 100. Mrs. W. D. McRae of Graceville cut the ribbon shortly after 3 p.m., officially opening the new bank, which will open with six employees and plans to expand in the near future. Jackson County Floridan, Friday, July 12, 1974

New shopping center
A local doctor who retired to Panama City has donated nine acres to Chipola Area Habitat for Humanity.

Dr. James T. Cook and his wife gave the land on Carters Mill Road earlier this year, and Habitat says it will have a profound effect on the community as a site for affordable housing in the future.

Plans for a mixed-income single-family residential development there will be underway soon, the organization says. It is the largest private donation the organization has received in the past five years, according to Habitats Executive Director, Carmen D. Smith

The Cooks recently joined Smith at Marianna Title Services to officially transfer the property.

I wanted to give something back to the community  a doctor doing something good beyond doctoring, Dr. Cook said of the donation.

He is a retired cardiologist who currently lives in Panama City with his wife. Habitat says he is remembered fondly by residents of Marianna, who are quick to share their favorite stories about both Dr. Cook and his father.
Lipskar said the Jewish Sabbath would provide his congregation with a moment of respite to take a deep breath and gather strength as bodies begin to be recovered and identified.

This is going to be a very tough week," he said. "They just started to pull out bodies. Unfortunately, the first bodies that they took out, they were unable to identify."

According to Jewish custom, true virtue, or Chesed Shel Emes, means the entire body and all its parts, including limbs, blood and tissue, must be collected for burial.

Bodies are also not allowed to be left overnight or exposed in the open because the body is considered to be made in the image of God, so if you disrespect the body, in a way youre showing disrespect to God, said David Rose, international director of Zaka, an Israeli-based rescue and recovery organization.

His volunteer organization specializes in this painstaking work of collecting the entire body, a seemingly impossible task in disasters with mass casualties.

Usually when a person is killed, unless its an explosion, the body is complete, Rose said.
I'll be right back. I'm going to get help," Balboa said, trying to comfort the boy.

Please don't leave me, please don't leave me, the boy cried.

He was absolutely terrified. The sheer terror in his voice, that fact that his mother, that he cant find her, said Balboa, who was in town from Arizona visiting his father.

Video of Jonah's rescue has played on repeat in the news, tugging hearts as rescuers with flashlights slowly helped him out from under a pile of cement and twisted steel and carried him away on a stretcher.

Asked about his condition, Lisa Mozloom, a friend of the family told the AP, He will be fine. Hes a miracle. Mozloom said Jonah had been taken to the hospital at one point but said he was stable.

Authorities have said at least four people died in the building collapse, and with 159 still unaccounted for they fear the death toll will rise sharply. They have not publicly released the identities of the deceased, but Mozloom confirmed Fang's death.
Good afternoon! Heres a look at how APs general news coverage is shaping up in Florida. Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Miami bureau at 305-594-5825 or miami@ap.org. Ian Mader is the news editor and can be reached at imader@ap.org. Brendan Farrington is on the desk and can be reached at bfarrington@ap.org. Get a look forward at APs plans for US national and regional news coverage by subscribing to our twice-weekly newsletter. http://discover.ap.org/NationalCoverage. A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern. Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with all updates.
An investor looks at stock prices on a smartphone at a brokerage in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Finnish investment fund PYN Elite Fund continues to hold four banking stocks that have run up a lot but says they have some upside left.

"Our allocation in banks has generated good returns, but we expect them (HDB, TPB, MBB, CTG) to still perform well going forward," its fund manager Petri Deryng said in a statement.

The fund forecasts net profit growth of 37-38 percent this year for the four banks.

MBBank (MBB) launched a campaign that resulted in signing up one million new customers in just the first quarter.

The lender, along with HDBank (HDB) and state-owned VietinBank (CTG) have already announced plans to issue dividends in shares corresponding to around 30 percent of their 2020 profits.

TPBank (TPB) plans to issue 100 million shares through a private placement to hike its charter capital by 9.3 percent to VND11.7 trillion ($508 million).

Deryng said: "Vietnamese banks have achieved strong earnings growth for a long time. Their earnings growth is highly likely to become more moderate after 2021 but is nevertheless likely to remain very good."

Vietnams benchmark VN-Index has gained nearly 26 percent this year to reach 1,390 points. Some analysts have forecast a rise to an unprecedented 1,400 points this year.
HCMC urged to consider self-quarantine to ease burden in centralized camps

An official guides a man on protocols he should follow to quarantine himself at home in HCMC, February, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van.

With infections on the rise, HCMC should let people coming into contact with Covid-19 patients self-isolate, said Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son.

The move should reduce the density in centralized quarantine facilities, Son told a meeting with the city Friday.

The meeting took place at a time when the southern metropolis had recorded more than 2,300 Covid-19 cases and in 24 hours as of Friday, detected as many as 667 infections.

Currently, the city has placed more than 12,000 people into centralized quarantine aside from having 26,000 isolate themselves at home and elsewhere.

Protocols require that those coming into direct contact with confirmed Covid-19 cases, those returning from abroad and, in some cases, Covid-hit areas, to be quarantined. Since early May, authorities have extended the quarantine period from 14 to 21 days.

People in quarantine camps need to pay VND80,000 ($3.48) a day for food, with exemption for the poor.

With the number of confirmed cases rising steadily in the city, the number of people taken into quarantine in recent days has increased "sharply," causing difficulties for staff at those facilities, especially at the Vietnam National University HCMC dormitory, said Son.

"With 2,000 people in quarantine there, medical workers said they are all exhausted and that stagnant medical waste remains uncollected," he said.

The Ministry of Health had already signed a statement Thursday to allow local authorities to quarantine people who came into direct contact with Covid patients at their own residences.

Therefore, Ho Chi Mnih City should classify those people and in case anyone qualifies to quarantine themselves at home, they should be allowed to stay home.

Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy director of the citys Health Department, said the city will apply the self-quarantine method in a trial run first.

Allowing people to quarantine at home will make the process less stressful and at the same time, save administrators some effort, he said.

Tran Dac Phu, a senior advisor to the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, told VnExpress earlier this month that for the self-quarantine protocols, officials need to categorize people into two groups, high-risk and low-risk, and send only the former to government quarantine.

The high-risk group would comprise those who stayed in close proximity to a Covid patient in closed, air-conditioned places without masks, while low-risk people would have kept a distance, worn masks and met patients outdoors, he said.

But the self-quarantining option should only be allowed in areas where government facilities are overloaded, and medical personnel should be trained well to make this decision, said Phu.

Several other experts have also told VnExpress they support the self-quarantine method since having too many people in centralized camps could pose a high risk of cross infection.

However, they warn authorities should come up with effective methods to manage the people subjected to self-quarantine, maybe with advanced monitor technologies, to ensure safety.
Vietnamese in Japan are waiting patiently to get the Covid-19 shot and believe vaccination, now admittedly slow, will speed up soon.

Japan is thought to be "slow" in vaccinating people. According to Our World in Data, around 20 percent of its population have got one shot and over 9 percent are fully vaccinated.

At the same time Tokyo has been donating vaccines to several countries in Asia.

Japan has a low rate of vaccination due to certain reasons, Pham Hung An, a Vietnamese working in Tokyo, told VnExpress International.

The country approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February and implemented vaccination for health workers right after that. However, mass vaccination was only conducted from mid-June.

An said Japanese people are skeptical about the safety of Pfizer vaccine partly because the government approved it unusually quickly and newspapers have been writing about complications and deaths they cause.

He has not been called yet to get the vaccine since he lives in Chiba, around 20 km from Tokyo and not a priority area in vaccination program, he said.

"I guess it will take a long time for me to get the vaccine."

Pham Hung An is in Nara city, Japan, in April 2021. Photo courtesy of Pham Hung An.

According to Kyodo News, while Japan has secured enough AstraZeneca vaccines for 60 million people and approved their use in May, it does not intend to use them immediately in public inoculation programs due to cases of blood clots being reported overseas.

Nguyen Phuong (name changed), who lives in Osaka, said she does not think Japans vaccination program is slow but that merely the government needs to select age groups in a certain order and closely monitor people after they get the shot to ensure their safety.

In her residential area, people aged 65 and more are getting the vaccine first. People aged 20-30 are scheduled to be vaccinated in July and August.

"While I am in the waiting list, I am looking for information to be better prepared."

When asked about attitudes towards the vaccine, she said people, including Vietnamese, are not too keen on getting a shot, explaining that some fear side effects and others want to have the best possible vaccine to ensure safety.

Dang Thi Bao Tran, who lives in Kobe, said another reason for the "modest speed" of the inoculation program in Japan is that old people are not good at using the Internet to register even if they are in the priority list.

Besides, the number of hotline operators is insufficient to meet demand, she said.

She expected things to speed up in July when young and middle-aged people are vaccinated.

She herself has got two shots of the Pfizer vaccine because she works in a hospital.

Dang Thi Bao Tran is in Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, in June 2021. Photo courtesy of Dang Thi Bao Tran.

In Sakaiminato city, Truong Cuong, a Vietnamese working in a nursing home, said he does not know about the pace of vaccination but all his colleagues want to get a jab.

Local authorities are increasing the number of vaccination sites and have even canceled several Japanese tests for foreigners to take over the exam locations. Cuong is in a priority list and so got the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine, and will have the second in late June.

Not much worry

Tran said though she had high fever after getting the vaccine, she felt good and secure with her work at the hospital.

An said he does not worry much about the risk of contracting Covid, especially after knowing the disease might not be serious for young people.

Life in Tokyo has been normal for a long time now since people seem to be "tired" of the pandemic, he said. They go out to work and for other activities regardless of the fact that the number of new cases is increasing by the day, he said.

He himself has no difficulties at work and daily life except for the fact he has been unable to visit Vietnam and his family.

Phuong said she always wears a mask and follows social distancing rules to be cautious.

"But I am not too worried because I have become familiar with the new normal caused by the pandemic."
People are vaccinated against Covid-19 in HCMC, June 24, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa.

Vietnam recorded 36 new local Covid cases Saturday noon in seven localities, the Ministry of Health announced.

11 cases were recorded in Hung Yen, seven in Ha Tinh, six in Bac Giang, five in Long An, four in Bac Ninh, two in Hai Phong and one in Can Tho.

All the cases in Hung Yen, Long An, Hai Phong and Ha Tinh had made contact with existing coronavirus cases.

All the cases in Bac Giang are contained within quarantine zones and locked down areas in the province.

Two cases in Bac Ninh had made contact with Covid-19 patients, while the rest are associated with outbreaks at the Que Vo and Khac Niem industrial parks.

The case in Can Tho, a 64-year-old man, previously returned from coronavirus hotspot Bac Giang and was put into centralized quarantine.

With the Saturday noon tally, Can Tho became the 48th locality to record a Covid-19 case in Vietnam's latest coronavirus wave.

Almost two months into the new Covid wave, the fourth one and the most challenging one Vietnam has faced yet, the nation has confirmed 11,830 domestic cases.

Bac Giang Province accounts for most of the infections, with 5,560, followed by HCMC with 2,960.
Of the new cases, 54 were recorded in HCMC, eight each in Binh Duong and Tien Giang, six in Nghe An, five in Da Nang, four in Bac Ninh, three in Bac Giang, two each in Hai Phong and Dong Thap and one each in Lang Son and Thai Binh.

The cases in HCMC include 17 who had contact with Covid-19 patients, 32 are linked to the Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park in Cu Chi District and two related to the cluster that emerged from the Revival Ekklesia Mission, a Christian congregation based in Go Vap District. Three others are being contact traced.

In Binh Duong, two cases are linked to a cluster at Vietnam Housewares Co. Ltd in Thuan An Town, three linked to one at the Binh Duong Water Supply Sewerage Environment Co. Ltd, two had contact with a patient and one has an undetermined source of transmission.

All eight cases in Tien Giang had contact with a confirmed case.

The cases in Nghe An comprise five related to previously confirmed cases and one who is being contact traced, while all Da Nang cases are related to previously confirmed cases.

In Bac Ninh, one case is related to an industrial park, two are associated with the outbreak in Dai Phuc Ward and one is being contact traced. The cases in Bac Giang are associated with the outbreak in its Luc Ngan District.

One of the two cases in Dong Thap had made contact with a Covid-19 patient and the other is being contact traced; while both cases in Hai Phong have undetermined sources of transmission.

The one case in Lang Son is that of a 33-year-old woman associated with the outbreak in an industrial park in Bac Giang; and the one in Thai Binh is that of a 70-year-old man whod come into contact with a patient.

HCMC also registered for the tag numbers for 563 of the 667 patients it had detected earlier, raising the day's official tally to 845.

On Friday, Vietnam also recorded two deaths and 190 recoveries.

Since the start of the pandemic, the total number of recoveries is 5,949 and the death toll has reached 74.
An overhead crane operates along rails and has extended arms to mix trash and deliver waste from the storage tank into the incinerator.

It is expected that with 4,000 tons of waste incinerated each day, 75 MW of power will be generated. Of that sum, the plant will consume 15-20 percent and sell the rest to Vietnam Electricity Corporation (EVN), the country's sole power distributor.

The plant has five incinerators and three generator sets.

"Under favorable conditions, the plant will generate electricity after 15 days of burning waste. It is expected all three generators will operate at once in November this year," said Li Ai Jun, deputy general director of Thien Y Environmental Energy.
With Russias parliamentary elections just three months away, the Russian government has stepped up its crackdown on political opponents and critics of President Vladimir Putin.

In April, the arrest of Russian anti-corruption activist and Putins foremost critic Alexey Navalny upon his return from Germany, where he was treated for poisoning by Novichok nerve agent, resulted in the largest unauthorized protests of Putins tenure. Since then, Russian authorities have gone to great lengths to debilitate or eliminate nearly all of the country's opposition organizations.

The most significant blow to the opposition came on June 9, when a Moscow court ruled that Alexey Navalny's political offices, as well as his Anti-Corruption Foundation, were extremist organizations. As a result, the Foundation is to be liquidated and its property transferred into the ownership of the Russian Federation, while the political offices were ordered to immediately cease all activities. Anyone continuing the organizations work, or attempting to revive it, faces as much as a six year prison term.

The United States condemns the courts decision, said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price in a written statement. This designation puts staff members, volunteers, and thousands of supporters across Russia at risk of criminal prosecution and imprisonment for exercising fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Russian Constitution, and it further restricts the ability of opposition candidates to appear on the ballot in the September Duma elections. With this action, Russia has effectively criminalized one of the countrys few remaining independent political movements, said Spokesperson Price.

He noted that the dismantling of Alexey Navalnys organization is indicative of the Russian governments widening crackdown on political opposition, civil society, and independent media. Mr. Navalny himself remains in poor health, imprisoned on politically fabricated grounds.We call again for his immediate and unconditional release, he said.

We urge Russia to cease the abuse of extremism designations to target nonviolent organizations, end its repression of Mr. Navalny and his supporters, and honor its international obligations to respect and ensure human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Russian people, like all people, have the right to speak freely, form peaceful associations to common ends, exercise religious freedom, and have their voices heard through free and fair elections."
The Stefan-Boltzmann equation, as it is now known, works both ways. It expresses how much energy is given off by a surface (in unit time) and it also can tell us how much is absorbed. In this equation is a provision for the emissivity term and this parameter varies with the condition of the surface such as the roughness and color. For example, everyone knows that if you wear a black jacket on a hot sunny day you will roast more than if you wore a white one. That is because the emissivity of the black surface is much higher than the white one. A look at the chart shows the emissivity value of a painted paper surface. When illuminated by light the black surface returns much less light back to your eyes than the white one so the surface heats up more. That is because the paint used for the black surface, most likely carbon based, have electrons, atoms, or molecules that intercept and absorb more incoming electromagnetic energy than what was used for the white paint.
On March 14, Missouri governor Mike Parson signed HB 85, aka the Second Amendment Preservation Act, into law.

HB 85s first two sections can reasonably be read as nullification of a sort, insofar as they point out the unconstitutionality of a number of federal laws that violate the Second Amendment.

Oddly, however, the US Department of Justice seems more concerned with its third and fourth sections of the bill, which prohibit Missouris courts and law enforcement agencies from enforcing, or assisting with the enforcement of, those unconstitutional federal laws, and allow Missourians to those who violate the prohibition to sue for damages of up to $50,000 per occurrence.

In a letter to Parson, which the Associated Press describes but which I havent been able to find a public full-text version of, Acting Assistant US Attorney General Brian Boynton cites the US Constitutions supremacy clause against nullification. But his main apparent concern seems to be that the bill (APs words, not a direct Boynton quote) threatens to disrupt the working relationship between federal and local authorities ... noting that Missouri receives federal grants and technical assistance.
Indiana is one of 26 states that have opted out of continuing unemployment compensation from federal pandemic programs. However jobless workers in the state sued the Governor over the decision saying that he had violated state law. A similar lawsuit has been filed in Texas.

The lawsuit against Governor Eric Holcomb states that by law Indiana is required " to procure all available federal insurance benefits to citizens." Governor Holcomb ended his states participation in the unemployment programs established by Congress at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic citing the need to fill available jobs which were remaining vacant because of the overly generous jobless assistance.

Why did a judge decide unemployment benefits must continue in Indiana?

The federal enhanced benefits are due to expire the first week of September nationally but in Indiana they had ended 19 June. The programs, including a $300 weekly booster to other unemployment compensation, were last extended in March under the American Rescue Plan. In total a dozen states have already ended one, the $300 jobless worker aid booster, or all of the federal pandemic unemployment insurance programs.

Judge John Hanley of the Marion Superior Court granted a preliminary injunction on Indianas suspension of the enhanced unemployment compensation programs on Friday. He said the harm created by terminating the benefits far outweighed any risks to the state while the lawsuit is pending resolution. "A loss of housing or medical care and the inability to provide food, shelter and adequate childcare for a family constitute irreparable harm pending resolution of this cause of action and are not adequately compensable by an award of damages," Judge Hanley wrote.

Judge Hanley added that the jobless aid is instrumental in allowing Hoosiers to regain financial stability at an individual level while the state continues to face challenges presented by the covid-19 pandemic during its return to normalcy.

The Governors office will consider appealing the decision but in the meantime around 230,000 Indiana residents will be able to continue receiving their jobless benefits.

Texas Governor and Attorney General sued over states decision to end enhanced unemployment benefits

A similar lawsuit to the one in Indiana has been filed in Texas against Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Participation in the pandemic unemployment insurance programs is set to end 26 June. Around 30,000 Texans who organized over Facebook in two separate groups say that the Governor overstepped his authority when he announced in May that Texas would drop the programs.

The lawsuit alleges that under the state constitution the decision must be made through a determination by the Texas Workforce Commission and not by the Governor alone. Nearly a million Texans could lose some or all of their unemployment benefits.
Headlines:

-New factors including the delta variant and states ending federal unemployment benefits may impact possibility of a fourth stimulus check. (Full details)

-The debate over enhanced unemployment and "labor shortages," explained. (Full details)

-Workers in Indiana, Maryland and Texas are suing to keep their federal pandemic related unemployment benefits. Full details.

- US Dollar off to firm start as focus shifts to jobs data

- IRS prompts families to file taxes or, if eligible, use the Non-Filer tool ahead of Child Tax Payment date

- Biden walks back comments on infrastructure spending add-ons

- Ending Unemployment benefits costly and not having desired effect (full story)

- California Legislature prepares to pass the $262.2 billion spending plan

- Bipartisan infrastructure bill agreed and the inclusion of a fourth stimulus check (full details)

- Some non-profit organizations continue their push for an additional stimulus check (full details)

- Over half of states are ending federal unemployment benefits (full story)

- IRS has launched: Child Tax Credit Update Portal and Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant

- IRS has confirmed that the monthly Child Tax Credit payments will begin on 15 July (full story)

- Those who wish to opt out of Child Tax Credit monthly payments before they start have until 11:59 ET, 28 June

- $10 billion fund for homeowner stimulus checks (how to apply)

- You can track your third stimulus check by using the IRS' online Get My Payment tool

Have a read of some of our related news articles:
As the US economy reopens with over half the population vaccinated, businesses are searching for employees to staff their establishments but having difficulties finding willing bodies. Blaming enhanced unemployment benefits, there has been a move in over half the states to cancel the additional assistance to prod people back to work. However, workers are beginning to push back against those executive decisions.

Due to the unpreceded situation created by the covid-19 pandemic the US Congress created enhanced unemployment programs which were extended under the American Rescue Plan until 6 September. However, citing the need to get people back to work 25 Republican governors took the executive decision to end benefits early.

In Louisiana the Democrat governor reached an agreement with Republican lawmakers to do the same. So far, in a handful of other states, Republican legislatures are trying to get their states to follow suit.

Texas workers say the governors decision to stop $300 pandemic unemployment benefit is unlawful

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced in May that his state would stop participation in the enhanced unemployment benefits programs, including a weekly booster of $300 on top of other jobless aid, on 26 June. His decision was one of two dozen that followed Montanas lead to end one or all of the enhanced benefits before the 6 September expiration date.

There is no federal obligation for states to participate in the programs, however unemployed workers in Texas allege that the governor overstepped his authority in canceling the enhanced unemployment benefits. Through Facebook, two separate groups of jobless aid recipients, Texas Unemployment Updates and Unemployment Petition and Peaceful Protest, organized to stop the state from ending the financial assistance.

The 30,000-plus members among the two groups say that Governor Abbott did not have the legal authority to take the decision on his own, but that it should be determined by the Texas Workforce Commission. The lawsuit states that Governor Abbott exceeded his power when he opted out of the program, and seeks a restraining order to keep benefits from ending for nearly a million Texans. A judge was set to hear the case on Friday.

Indiana judge stops state from ending enhanced unemployment benefits

Judge John Hanley of the Marion Superior Court granted a preliminary injunction on Indianas suspension of the enhanced unemployment compensation programs on Friday. The decision reinstates payments for around 230,000 Indiana residents which stopped on 19 June. Judge Hanley said there was a "preponderance of evidence" that Governor Eric Holcomb had violated Indiana law with his decision to end the pandemic jobless aid early. Under Indiana law the state is required "to procure all available federal insurance benefits to citizens."

Judge Hanley in his ruling wrote "A loss of housing or medical care and the inability to provide food, shelter and adequate childcare for a family constitute irreparable harm pending resolution of this cause of action and are not adequately compensable by an award of damages."

A handful of legislatures push to have enhanced unemployment benefits stopped

Three states  Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin, now have legislation pending the signature of their respective states governor to end the $300 a week in extra unemployment compensation. All three states have Republican-controlled state legislatures and Democrat governors. It is expected that all three governors will veto the bills but have yet to do so.

Lawmakers in Kansas passed a non-binding resolution calling on Governor Laura Kelly to end the $300 weekly extra payment. Governor Kelly is opposed to such a move. Likewise, New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham received a letter from Republican leaders in the state House of Representatives with a similar request to encourage jobless New Mexicans to return to work. In the case of New Mexico though lawmakers asked for a one-time $1,200 return-to-work bonus once an unemployed worker has been on the job for a month, to be created in place of the weekly additional payment.
On June 26, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the Crimean Tatar Flag.

"The Day of the Crimean Tatar Flag was first celebrated in 2010 at the initiative of the Crimean Youth Center and other youth organizations. And on August 29, 2010, at the III session of the V Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people, it was decided to celebrate the Day of the National Flag on June 26, the opening day of the II Kurultay," the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN said on its Facebook page.

The telegram channel of the President's Office reports that on June 26, Ukraine remembers those who fought under the Crimean Tatar flag for the right of their people to self-identification.

"The restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people as the indigenous people of Ukraine will become a real manifestation of historical justice. We will do everything possible for this," the President's Office said in a statement.
One Ukrainian soldier died as result of shelling in Pisky area in Donbas

One Ukrainian serviceman died on Saturday, receiving an incompatible shrapnel wound as a result of shelling near Pisky village in Donetsk region.

"As of 0700 on June 26, two violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded. Near the settlement of Pisky, the enemy fired twice from 120 caliber mortars and heavy anti-tank grenade launchers. As a result of the shelling, one Ukrainian soldier received a shrapnel wound incompatible with life," the page of the Joint Forces operation reported on Facebook on Saturday.

It is reported that the Ukrainian servicemen opened fire in response.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC informed the OSCE SMM about the incident.

Over the past day, on June 25, some 12 violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded in the area of the Joint Forces operation. Russia-led forces carried out shelling in Vodiane, near Zolote-4, near Avdiyivka, Pisky, Mayorske, also fired in the direction of Hranitne.

In the area of  Katerynivka and Avdiyivka, overflights of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles of the Orlan-10 type were recorded crossing the demarcation line. UAVs were suppressed by means of electronic warfare.

There were no combat losses among the personnel of the Joint Forces over the past day.
German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen, commenting on the prospect of Ukraine's membership in NATO, noted that one of the advantages of the Alliance is Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, and everyone is afraid to be in a direct war with Russia.

"There are 30 countries cooperating in NATO, and this is a consensus organization. This consensus needs to be found. I think that Ukraine has very influential partners who support Ukraine's ambitions to become a NATO member. But this will not happen tomorrow, because, as I said, it will be a political decision. NATO has always had problems with countries at war. Of course. Because one of the advantages of NATO is the fifth article of the Washington Treaty. And everyone is afraid to be in a direct war with Russia," the ambassador said in an interview with ZN.UA, published Saturday morning.

At the same time, she said that NATO cooperates with Ukraine on a daily basis and closely monitors what is happening in Ukraine.
Head of TIC to investigate officials' actions against sovereignty of Ukraine, initiates meeting of commission on July 2

Head of the temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada to investigate the actions of officials against the sovereignty of Ukraine Maryana Bezuhla (Servant of the People faction) will initiate the first meeting of the commission on July 2.

"As a chairman of the TIC, I initiate the first meeting of the TIC next Friday [July 2], and add to the draft agenda the approval of the TIC work plan for 2021, where the first question is Wagner fighters," Bezuhla wrote on Facebook on Friday.

Bezuhla also said that the Opposition Platform - For Life faction had refused to replace its representative in the TIC, MP Renat Kuzmin.

"I am sending an official appeal to the SBU on Kuzmin. I am initiating a study of the procedure for admitting MPs to state secrets and changes to this order," Bezuhla said.

According to her, at present, any MP can obtain such a permit.

As previously reported, head of the Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia asked the Opposition Platform - For Life faction to replace Kuzmin in the TIC.

"Unfortunately, taking into account the safety precautions during the substantive preparation for the work of the TIC to investigate the actions of officials against the sovereignty of Ukraine, we do not consider it possible to work with the deputy chairman of the TIC, Renat Kuzmin," Bezuhla said.
The Constitution can and should be changed according to requirements of the time, but this can only happen in the vital interests of the Ukrainian people, and not as a result of whims or abuses of someone "above," second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005) wrote in his article in the newspaper Holos Ukrainy (Voice of Ukraine).

"It happened so, that the Constitution became the work of my entire long, ten-year presidency. Only a few weeks after my first election, I initiated a process that culminated in the adoption of the 1996 presidential-parliamentary Constitution. And a few weeks before the end of my second term, I achieved the adoption of the 'parliamentary-presidential' political reform, which is often called the 2004 Constitution. Perhaps nothing else can so revealingly demonstrate what a long way Ukraine has traveled in that decade, what profound changes it has gone through, what a meteoric rise it has made. Time has confirmed that I fought for a historically correct choice: today Ukraine lives according to the norms adopted precisely on December 8, 2004," the article of the second president says, published on the Holos Ukrainy website on Saturday.

Kuchma also wrote that the Constitution protects society and every citizen every day, but there are times when society must protect the Constitution.

"Does this mean that the Constitution should be inviolable? Of course, like any complex organism, the Constitution must develop, improve. The Constitution can and must be changed according to the requirements of the time. But this can only happen in the vital interests of the Ukrainian people, and not as a result of whims or abuse of someone 'on the top'," Kuchma says.

The second president recalls that the road to the adoption of the Constitution was long, and the process was difficult from the very beginning, since the parliament was not "too interested" in the adoption of the new Basic Law.

"There were several reasons, but among the main ones we should mention what in today's 'decommunized' Ukraine will already sound like a historical anachronism: the Verkhovna Rada was predominantly leftist, the largest faction belonged to the communists. They were not only uninterested in reforms, but did not want the success of an independent Ukraine - they hoped to return to power, they wanted their revenge," Kuchma said in his article.
Stella Moris, the partner of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, stands for a portrait during an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, (Photo : REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)

President Joe Biden must let Julian Assange go free if he wants the United States to become a beacon for a free press once again and put the legacy of Donald Trump behind it, the fiancee of the WikiLeaks founder told Reuters.



Washington has sought the extradition of Assange over his role in one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information, accusing him of putting lives in danger by releasing vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.



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He has now spent nine years in jail or self-incarceration in Britain, and both Assange's fiancee Stella Moris and the British judge overseeing the extradition request have warned he may not survive a process to send him across the Atlantic.



"If Biden really wants to break with the Trump legacy, then he has to drop the case," Moris told Reuters in an interview. "They can't maintain this prosecution against Julian while saying that they defend a global press freedom."



When Barack Obama served as president and Biden was his vice president, the U.S. decided not to seek Assange's extradition on the grounds that what WikiLeaks did was similar to journalistic activities protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.



Weeks after taking office Trump administration officials stepped up public criticism of Assange and later filed a series of criminal charges accusing him of participating in a hacking conspiracy.



The U.S. Justice Department said in February it planned to continue to seek the extradition for Assange to face hacking conspiracy charges.



Moris said the couple were planning to marry soon at the top-security Belmarsh prison where he is being held.



U.S. prosecutors and Western security officials regard Assange as a reckless enemy of the state whose actions threatened the lives of agents named in the leaked material.



Supporters pit him as an anti-establishment hero who exposed U.S. wrongdoing in Afghanistan and Iraq and say his prosecution is a politically-motivated assault on journalism that gives a free pass to oppressive regimes around the world.



WikiLeaks came to prominence when it published a U.S. military video in 2010 showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.



An effort to extradite him was launched in 2019 after he was detained in London after taking refuge in Ecuador's embassy in the British capital for seven years to avoid being extradited to Sweden.



British judge Vanessa Baraitser said in January that although she accepted the U.S. legal arguments in the case, she said Assange's mental health issues meant he would be at risk of suicide if extradited, leading to her rejecting the request.



Moris, who has two young boys with the Australian-born Assange, said the 49-year-old was very low but still fighting. She likened his treatment as akin to the way some journalists are treated in China and Saudi Arabia.



"I think there's no doubt that Julian wouldn't survive an extradition," she said.



She argued that any robust democracy had to accommodate internal dissent. "A superpower that has a free press is very different in nature from one that does not."



She said she is hopeful that the case will be viewed differently under a Biden administration, but refused to say if his legal team had held talks with U.S. officials.



Despite that hope, she said the couple were planning to marry soon inside Belmarsh, once the paperwork is done, rather than wait to hear his fate.



She said Assange had been given a huge lift recently when she was allowed to take their two sons to visit, allowing him to touch his children for the first time in over a year.



"He was happy to see us, but he's struggling," she said. "He's very low but he's fighting. He has the hope that this will end soon."


Russia warns UK and U.S. not to tempt fate in Black Sea

Russian deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov arrives for a meeting with U.S. special envoy Marshall Billingslea in Vienna, Austria (Photo : REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger)

Russia warned Britain and the United States on Friday against "tempting fate" by sending warships to the Black Sea, and said it would defend its borders using all possible means including military force.



In a statement broadcast on state television, the Defence Ministry said it was ill-advised for British and U.S. vessels to approach the coast of Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.



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"We call on the Pentagon and the British navy, which are sending their warships into the Black Sea, not to tempt fate in vain," Major General Igor Konashenkov, the ministry's spokesperson, said.



HMS Defender, a British destroyer that sailed through waters off Crimea on Wednesday, was "not more than a target" for the Black Sea fleet's defences, he said.



Russia considers Crimea part of its territory, but the peninsula is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.



Russia said on Wednesday it had fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of a British warship to chase it out of Black Sea waters off the coast of Crimea.



Britain rejected Russia's account of the incident. It said it believed any shots fired were a pre-announced Russian "gunnery exercise", and that no bombs had been dropped.



It confirmed HMS Defender had sailed through what it said were waters belonging to Ukraine.



The British embassy in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgian the South Caucasus, wrote on Twitter on Friday that HMS Defender was set to arrive in the port city of Batumi on the eastern coast of the Black Sea.



Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said separately that Washington and London were sowing strife by failing to accept Crimea was part of Russia, and that Russia was ready to defend its borders using all means, including military force.



Moscow warned Britain on Thursday that it would bomb British naval vessels in the Black Sea if what it called provocative actions by the British navy were repeated off the Crimean coast.



Russia's Defence Ministry said separately on Friday that it was beginning joint navy and air force exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, where Moscow operates an air base on Syria's coast.


Egypts House of Representatives will hold plenary meetings on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to discuss a new agenda of legislation and investigate the policies of the Minister of Justice Omar Marawan.

On Sunday, the House will discuss two new controversial amendments to Law 48/1979, regulating the performance of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC).

The amendments will grant the SCC greater powers to revise international arbitration rulings if proven harmful to the Egyptian economy and state and whether any of these rulings violate the constitution.

A report prepared by the House's Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee said the new amendments go in line with Egypt's 2014 constitution and come in light of the fact that a number of disputes are up for settlement before international arbitration courts.

The report argued that "although Article 192 of the constitution states that the SCC's jurisdiction is limited to local laws and decrees, the second paragraph of the article states that the law regulating the performance of the SCC could be amended to grant it greater powers," said the report.

According to the report, two new articles will be added to the SCC law. "The first is Article 27, which states that the SCC's jurisdiction will be extended to include rulings issued by international institutions and organisations, foreign court verdicts, and international arbitration rulings which the state is required to implement," said the report.

The second, said the report, is Article 33 which states that the prime minister will be empowered to refer the rulings specified by Article 27 to the SCC to revise their constitutional terms and see whether they can be ignored because of their breach of the constitution and lack of legislative legitimacy.

The report said the above legislative amendments are necessary to safeguard national interests against international rulings which lack legislative legitimacy and which are issued by foreign institutions and international arbitration courts. "The amendments are necessary and represent a progressive legislative step aimed at safeguarding Egypt's national security against foreign institutions and organisations and international arbitration courts which issue rulings lacking legislative legitimacy," said the report.

Ibrahim El-Heneidi, the chair of the House's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee, told reporters that the changes are necessary in order to give the SCC authority over international arbitration rulings that lack legislative legitimacy and could harm Egypt's economy. "The two new articles will give the SCC authority to revise these rulings, investigate their legitimacy, and see whether they go in line with the constitution," said El-Heneidi.

Deputy Minister of Justice Haitham El-Baqli explained that the new amendments do not provide the government with a tool to ignore international arbitration rulings.



The changes will allow the government to refer foreign agreements and international arbitration rulings to the SCC to decide whether they are constitutional. The prime minister will send a request to the SCC, saying that he believes that a certain ruling violates a certain article in the constitution or that it lacks legislative legitimacy, and will ask the court to meet to give a final say, El-Baqli said.

The House's schedule of debate on Sunday will include amendments to two laws regulating the service and promotion of military officers.

The House will also discuss a $400 million loan agreement between Egypt and the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development to supporting the country's health insurance system.

On Monday, the House is scheduled to discuss a draft law that aims to rid government offices of religious extremists and Muslim Brotherhood elements.

El-Heneidi said the Law on Non-Disciplinary Dismissal of Civil Servants 10/1972 will be amended to allow the automatic dismissal of civil servants who are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood or any other terrorist-designated organisations.

The draft law, submitted by MP Ali Badr, states that it seeks to strengthen national security and the country's administrative system against extremist and terrorist elements. "The law will give cabinet ministers a legislative tool to automatically dismiss employees and civil servants with proven links to the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist-designated movements," said Badr, adding that "the ministers of transport and religious Waqf (religious endowments) have lately complained that their ministries have a lot of Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells and that they do not have the legislative tool to dismiss them."

Atef Meghawri, head of the parliamentary group of the leftist Tagammu Party, argued that in its current form the 1972 Civil Service Law makes it difficult to dismiss state employees who espouse radical ideologies.



There is a pressing need to change this law after extremist and terrorist groups were able to infiltrate government circles in recent years, mostly in the form of sleeper cells, said Meghawri.



When the Muslim Brotherhood was in power in 2012 and 2013, its members proliferated in all government sectors. It is essential MPs move quickly to help cabinet ministers dismiss elements with suspected links to the Brotherhood or to any other terrorist-designated group.

Meghawri argued the bill drafted by Badr and approved by the Houses Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee is covered by Article 237 of the 2014 constitution which stipulates the state must combat all forms of terrorism and track its sources of funding.

The draft law, however, allows employees and civil servants to appeal their dismissal decision and return to their jobs if their names are removed from the relevant terrorist lists.

The House's Tuesday schedule will see Minister of Justice Omar Marawan facing questions from 31 MPs on the poor performance of public notary offices and the lack of services in judicial courts.
Egypts Supreme Administrative Court rejected on Saturday an appeal to a ruling banning non-specialists from issuing Islamic opinions, known as fatwas, making the ruling final, according to an official statement.

The ruling, issued earlier by the lower Alexandria Administrative Court, also bans those who are not licensed by Al-Azhar or the Ministry of Endowments from ascending the pulpits.

This means they would not be allowed to deliver the weekly Friday sermons.

The ruling targets advocates of terrorism, the statement explained, noting that the ruling is final.

The Supreme Administrative Court said on Saturday that mosques, especially small ones, have been misused to exploit poor people and their ignorance to attract supporters and spread division and dissension among people.

The court said such practices have led to arguments and physical violence that caused the loss of lives and damage to property as a result of extremist thought.

The court affirmed that mosques should never be used for political or partisan goals or for election propaganda, noting that this contradicts with the sanctity of the mosques and harms the supreme interests of the state.

The fatwas issued by non-specialists, including on social media platforms, have led to an increase in extremism among the current and next generations, the court said.

The court said issuing fatwas should be limited to the states religious institutions, warning that terrorist groups use social media to harm the state.

The court called for the legislature to criminalise the issuance of fatwas by non-specialists that do not belong to Islamic institutions.

It also called on the legislature to criminalise the use of sermons to achieve political or partisan goals or for election propaganda even if the perpetrator is licensed to deliver sermons.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has frequently called for reforming religious discourse in order to combat terrorism, especially as the country has witnessed many terrorist attacks against Christians and Muslims since 2013.

Earlier this month, El-Sisi told the heads of African constitutional courts, supreme courts, and constitutional councils that judicial institutions are imperative in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

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WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused authorities in Ethiopia on Friday of blocking ambulances from reaching scores of victims of an air strike this week, a rare case of speaking out in his official capacity about the conflict in his homeland.

Tedros, who is an ethnic Tigrayan and former Ethiopian Cabinet minister, referred in his opening remarks at a WHO briefing to the air strike this week which hit a crowded market in his native region. The federal government has been waging war against fighters loyal to the former regional authorities since last year.

"Ambulances were blocked for more than a day from attending the scene and evacuating the wounded for medical care," Tedros said.

"WHO is currently providing life-saving trauma and surgical supplies to a hospital that is treating survivors who were able to reach care," Tedros said. "Attacks on civilians anywhere are completely unacceptable and so is denying them access to immediate care, because we lose lives."

Tedros has occasionally tweeted about the conflict in Tigray, but has rarely mentioned it while speaking publicly in his official capacity as head of the WHO.

Ethiopia's government has accused him in the past of supporting its opponents in the Tigray conflict, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, which he previously represented as Ethiopia's health minister and foreign minister.

Ethiopia's military has denied that any civilians were among those killed in the air strike on the town of Togoga near the regional capital Mekelle. A military spokesman said on Thursday that all those struck were combatants, wearing civilian clothes.

Residents and doctors, however, have said that women and children were among the dead and wounded. A health official working on the response to the air strike said on Friday the death toll had risen to 64 killed, with 180 other people wounded.

The incident was one of the deadliest in months in a conflict in which the government had said major fighting largely ended last year.

It happened after residents described an increase in fighting in recent days, and fell on the anniversary of a 1988 air strike by Ethiopia's then-ruling communists that killed hundreds of civilians, an event widely commemorated in Tigray.

On Friday, Tedros also tweeted a message from medical charity Medecins sans Frontiers, which reported that three of its staff had been killed in Ethiopia.

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Niger and Burkina Faso's armies on Saturday hailed the results of joint operations against Islamist Militants forces, saying they had killed more than 100 'terrorists' so far this month.

Their joint statement came two weeks into their coordinated campaign along their common border against the forces behind a string of deadly attacks there.

Operations involving several hundred soldiers from each army have been carried out on both sides of the border, said the Burkinabe military command.

So far they have killed more than a hundred 'terrorists', destroyed around a hundred of their motorbikes and other vehicles, as well as capturing or destroying weapons, said the joint statement.

'These results have lived up to our expectations,' said General Salifou Modi, chief of staff of Niger's army, during a visit to a military camp at Dori, the capital of the Sahel region, in northern Burkina Faso.

A number of jihadists had also been arrested, he added.

The troops on the ground for Operation Taanli 'alliance' or 'cohesion' in the local Gulmacema language of eastern Burkina Faso have also had air support for reconnaissance and search operations.

The operation has focused on Tera and Torodi in Niger, as well as Dori, Mansia and Diapaga in Burkina Faso.

'In these areas, the populations will be left in peace at least for a while,' said General Moise Miningou, chief of staff of the Burkinabe army. 'We think that is what is essential.

'We are poor countries and our future lies in being able to pool our meagre resources,' he added.

That way, he said, 'we will get much better results. That's what has been done and we don't mean to stop so far down the right track.'

The two impoverished countries of western Africa have had to contend with repeated attacks from jihadists since 2015, which have claimed hundreds of lives and forced thousands to flee their homes.

The attacks have been attributed to groups affiliated to the Islamic State organisation or to Al Qaeda.

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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Saturday began consultations for the formation of a new government, a statement from his office said, following a parliamentary election marked by low turnout.

Algeria's incumbent National Liberation Front (FLN) won the most seats in the June 12 vote that saw record levels of abstention, with turnout at just 23 percent.

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Jarad on Thursday presented his government's resignation to Tebboune, who asked him to continue handling current affairs.

"In the context of broad political consultations to form a government, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received (on Saturday) the secretary-general of the National Liberation Front, Abou El Fadhl Baadji, and members of the political bureau," a presidency statement said.

"The president also received a delegation representing independents, led by Abdelwahab Ait Menguelet," the mayor of Tizi Ouzou, it added.

Ait Menguelet headed an independent list in an electorate where the participation rate was less than one percent.

Consultations are scheduled to continue until Wednesday.

The record abstention rate has been seen as a sign of Algerians' disillusionment with and defiance of a political class deemed to have lost much of its credibility.

Algeria's long-running Hirak pro-democracy protest movement boycotted the polls.

The ruling FLN, which emerged from Algeria's long struggle for independence from France in 1962 and was the country's sole party until the first multi-party elections in 1990, secured 98 of the parliament's 407 seats, beating a loose alliance of independents with 84 seats.

Third was the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), an Islamist party seen as moderate, with 65 seats, while the FLN's traditional ally the Democratic National Rally (RND) claimed 58.

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Angry demonstrators clashed with Palestinian security forces for a third day Saturday during a protest in the West Bank over the death of an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority who died while in custody.

Hundreds gathered in the city of Ramallah the headquarters of the PA to chant slogans against President Mahmoud Abbas, two days after Abbas' forces beat activist Nizar Banat shortly after his arrest.

The protesters held Palestinian flags and posters of Banat, and called on Abbas to quit. `The people want to overthrow the regime,' they chanted along with, `step down, Abbas!'

As the protesters began to march to Abbas' office compound, a group of the president's supporters blocked the rally, prompting an exchange of stone-throwing between the two sides. Palestinian security forces in riot gear fired tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters, sending many running away for cover.

Later, Abbas' supporters gathered in a counter rally, with many chanting: `People want Abbas as president.'

On Thursday, demonstrators had set fires, blocked the streets of the city center and clashed with riot police in Ramallah. Palestinians also chanted against the PA at Banat's funeral in Hebron and masked gunmen fired shots into the air. Hundreds also rallied against Abbas after Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

The crackdown comes as the internationally-backed PA faces a growing backlash from Palestinians who view it as corrupt and increasingly autocratic, a manifestation of a three-decade peace process that is nowhere close to delivering Palestinian independence.

The PA controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while its rival, the militant Hamas group, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Abbas, who was elected to a four-year term in 2005, has little to show after more than a decade of close security coordination with Israel.

The EU has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority over the years, and the US and other nations have trained and equipped its security forces. The PA is seen internationally as a key partner in efforts to revive the Middle East peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

In a series of posts and live videos on his Facebook, Banat had talked about the PA's close security coordination with Israel, seen by many Palestinians as betrayal, and its corruption. He severely slammed Abbas in April for calling off what would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years. Banat was a candidate on a slate formed of academics and PA opponents.

The PA said it formed a high-level committee to investigate Banat's death. His family said he was beaten in custody. An initial forensic examination concluded the cause of the death was `unnatural.'

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The United States and France on Friday warned Iran that time is running out to return to a nuclear deal, voicing fear that Tehran's sensitive atomic activities could advance if talks drag on.

On the first high-level visit to Paris by President Joe Biden's administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French hosts saluted a new spirit of cooperation after four years of turbulence under Donald Trump.

But the two sides said that one key Biden promise -- to return to the 2015 Iran accord that was trashed by Trump -- is at risk if the clerical regime does not make concessions during talks that have been going on for more than two months in Vienna.

Blinken warned that the United States still has "serious differences" with Iran, which has kept negotiating since last week's presidential election won by hardliner Ebrahim Raisi.

"There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the JCPOA," Blinken told reporters, using the acronym for the accord's formal name.

"We haven't reached that point -- I can't put a date on it -- but it's something that we're conscious of."

Blinken warned that if Iran "continues to spin ever more sophisticated centrifuges" and steps up uranium enrichment, it will bring nearer the "breakout" time at which it will be dangerously close to the ability to develop a nuclear bomb.

But Blinken said that Biden still supports a return to the accord, under which Iran had drastically scaled back its nuclear work until Trump withdrew in 2018 and imposed crippling sanctions.

"We have a national interest in trying to put the nuclear problem back in the box that it was in the JCPOA," Blinken said.

- Stalling as strategy? -

France -- which like Britain, Germany, Russia and China had stayed in the 2015 accord despite pressure from Trump -- also ramped up pressure on Iran to move ahead.

"We expect the Iranian authorities to take the final decisions -- no doubt difficult ones -- which will allow the negotiations to be concluded," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at the joint news conference with Blinken.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement in response: "The opposing sides are the ones who must take the decisions."

The UN nuclear watchdog said Friday it had received no reply from Tehran over the possible extension of a temporary agreement covering inspections at Iranian nuclear facilities which expired on Thursday.

Under that deal, which had allowed for some IAEA inspections to continue after Iran limited access to sites in February, Tehran pledged to keep recordings "of some activities and monitoring equipment" and hand them over to the IAEA as and when US sanctions are lifted.

But Iran's envoy to the IAEA said on Twitter that the data recording was "a political decision" to facilitate the political talks and "shouldn't be considered as obligation".

Talks have stalled in part over Iran's insistence on the lifting of all sanctions, pointing to the promises of economic relief under the accord.

The Biden administration says it is ready to lift economic measures related to nuclear work as laid out by the JCPOA -- but that it will keep other sanctions, including over human rights and Iran's support to militant movements in the Arab world.

Some experts believe that Iran had been waiting for the election of Raisi, whose hardline approach is backed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the ultimate arbiter of the Islamic republic's foreign policy.

Analysts have said Iran could strike a deal before Raisi takes office in August -- letting him take the credit for the expected economic boost but blame outgoing president Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who championed a better relationship with the West, if the situation deteriorates.

- 'Welcome home' -

Blinken, who was raised in Paris, hailed the alliance with France and sprinkled his remarks with fluent French, in a sharp change of tone after the sometimes abrasive "America First" approach of the Trump administration.

"I would even be tempted to say, welcome home!" Le Drian said as he welcomed Blinken in an ornate room of the Quai d'Orsay, the French foreign ministry.

Blinken later met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. The State Department said they looked for common ground on the challenges of Russia and China, crises in Lebanon and Ethiopia and the fight against Islamic State extremists in the Sahel.

Blinken is on a European tour that also took him to Germany and will continue in Italy, just after Biden visited the continent.

The Biden administration has looked to show unity with Europe as it looks to the rise of an increasingly assertive China as its primary global challenge.

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U.S. President Joe Biden met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his former political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, on Friday at the White House where he called on Afghans to decide the future of their country as the last U.S. troops pack up after 20 years of war and government forces struggle to repel Taliban advances.

Biden, seated beside Ghani and Abdullah in the Oval Office, called them "two old friends" and said U.S. support for Afghanistan was not ending but would be sustained despite the U.S. pullout.

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want," said Biden, saying the "senseless violence has to stop."

Ghani said Afghan security forces had retaken six districts on Friday. He said he respected Biden's decision and that the partnership between the United States and Afghanistan is entering a new phase.

"We are determined to have unity, coherence," he said.

Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Ghani said the United States' decision to withdraw troops was a sovereign one and it was Kabul's job to "manage consequences."

He added that Biden had clearly articulated that the U.S. embassy would continue to operate and security aid would continue and in some cases move on an accelerated schedule.

Abdullah said in a Reuters interview after the Biden meeting that stalled intra-Afghan talks on a political settlement to decades of strife should not be abandoned unless the insurgents themselves pull out.

"I think we shouldnt shut the door unless its completely shut by the Taliban," Abdullah said. "We cant say no to talks despite a lack of progress or in spite of whats happening on the ground." read more

The Oval Office meeting could be as valuable to Ghani for its symbolism as for any new U.S. help because it will be seen as affirming Biden's support for the beleaguered Afghan leader as he confronts Taliban gains, bombings and assassinations, a surge in COVID-19 cases and political infighting in Kabul.

"At a time when morale is incredibly shaky and things are going downhill, anything one can do to help shore up morale and shore up the government is worth doing," said Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul. "Inviting Ghani here is a pretty strong sign that we're backing him."

Biden's embrace, however, comes only months after U.S. officials were pressuring Ghani to step aside for a transitional government under a draft political accord that they floated in a failed gambit to break a stalemate in peace talks.

Biden has asked Congress to approve $3.3 billion in security assistance for Afghanistan next year and is sending 3 million doses of vaccines there to help it battle COVID-19.

U.S. officials have been clear that Biden will not halt the American pullout  likely to be completed in the coming weeks -and he is unlikely to approve any U.S. military support to Kabul to halt the Taliban's advances beyond advice, intelligence, and aircraft maintenance.

Earlier, the Afghan leaders met for a second day on Capitol Hill, where Biden's withdrawal decision met objections from many members of both parties.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, welcoming Ghani to a bipartisan leadership meeting, said she looked forward to hearing about what more can be done with U.S. humanitarian aid, especially for women and girls.

Many lawmakers and experts have expressed deep concerns that the Taliban - if returned to power - will reverse progress made on the rights of women and girls, who were harshly repressed and barred from education and work during the insurgents' 1996-2001 rule.

WORRIES ABOUT AL QAEDA

The Ghani-Abdullah visit comes with the peace process stalled and violence raging as Afghan security forces fight to stem a Taliban spring offensive that threatens several provincial capitals and has triggered mobilizations of ethnic militias to reinforce government troops.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking during a visit on Friday to Paris, said Washington is "looking very hard" at whether the Taliban are "serious about a peaceful resolution to the conflict."

The crisis has fueled grave concerns that the Taliban could regain power - two decades after the U.S.-led invasion ended their harsh version of Islamist rule  allowing a resurgence of al Qaeda. U.S. and U.N. officials say the extremists maintain close links with the Taliban.

U.S. officials respond that the United States will be able to detect and thwart any new threats by al Qaeda or other Islamists. The Taliban insist al Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan.

U.S. government sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting describe the situation as dire. Ghani, they said, has been urged to do more to step up pressure on the insurgents while U.S.-led coalition forces are still there.

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Amr Osman is director of the National Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction, and assistant to the minister of social solidarity. Osman has long been involved in drug prevention. He is a former director of the Drug Prevention Programme at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and consultant for the UNDP in Bahrain and worked on the Arab Leagues Declaration for Combating Addiction. To mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26 June he spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly about the extent of drug misuse in Egypt and efforts to limit it.

What is the best way to manage drug addiction in Egypt?

Drug trafficking is the second largest illegal trade in the world after weapons. The reason is because it is a huge money-maker. In 2014, 10 per cent of the age group between 15 and 60 years old were estimated to use illegal drugs, and 3.3 per cent of this group could be classified as addicts. Global figures for drug abuse were five per cent for the same age group.

In 2020, as a result of anti-drug campaigns, drug abuse dropped to 5.9 per cent and addiction to 2.3 per cent. In March 2019, eight per cent of state employees were drug abusers but by 2020 this figure had dropped to two per cent. Campaigns targeting school bus drivers helped cut drug abuse among this group from 12 per cent in 2017 to 1.8 per cent in 2020. The average number of public employees tested for drugs daily is 2,000. Samples are taken without prior notice in coordination with the Forensic Medicine Authority and the General Authority for Psychological Health.

What is the main role of the National Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction in reducing the number of abusers and addicts?

Collecting data is central to drawing up national plans to combat addiction. Between 2015 and 2020 the focus was to raise awareness in government and technical schools, activating the role of the media. There was the very successful Mohamed Salah campaign You Are Stronger Than Drugs. Policies are also implemented in governorates that lack drug addiction treatment services.

The fund plays a role in prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and social integration. Our work on prevention includes introducing lessons on drug abuse in primary and preparatory school curricula, and coordinating intensive awareness campaigns in schools, youth centres, cultural centres and universities, and social and mainstream media.

How successful are media campaigns?

The Mohamed Salah campaign had a very wide reach among young people, not just in Egypt but worldwide. The five campaigns we launched were translated into five languages. There were over 40 million views on social media, and the number of followers of the Funds social media increased from 5,000 to two million. The most recent campaign resulted in a four-fold increase in the volume of calls to the hotline 16023.

In 2014, the fund also began to monitor the treatment of recovery, addiction and smoking in Ramadan television dramas. We found the topics accounted for 13 per cent of dramatic content. In Ramadan 2021, the figure dropped to four per cent for smoking and one per cent for addiction. It is important to engage in dialogue with drama creators: that was the focus of an initiative presented at a World Health Organisation meeting in India and adopted in many countries.

What role does the fund play in treatment?

Treatment, rehabilitation, and social integration are key components of our work. An average of 40,000 drug addicts seek treatment annually, an indication of the confidence they have in the fund, and the fact the service is free of charge and confidential. Treatment centres have been opened, and their numbers are increasing. In 2014, there were 12 centres in seven governorates. Today there are 26 centres in 16 governorates and we hope to open three more centres by the end of 2021.

To mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, this week we launched a hotline at Sohag Psychiatric Hospital with our strategic partner the General Authority for Psychological Health. Last year we received 1,200 reports of addiction in Sohag. Now they can seek treatment close to home at no charge.

On 17 June we launched a programme under which 50 recovered addicts in Al-Azeema Addiction Centre in Minya will manufacture furniture for Al-Azeema Addiction Centre in Qena. The Qena centre is due to open in September. These recovered addicts are working hard to produce 120 beds, 120 cupboards, office furniture and doors for the new centre. In early 2022 we plan to open our largest drug treatment facility, with 200 beds and three out-patient clinics.

What other efforts is the fund involved in to reduce drug abuse?

As part of the initiative to develop and relocate slum areas, the fund undertook 18,000 visits to raise awareness in the new housing areas of Asmarat, Mahrousa, Rawdat Al-Sayed, Bashayer Al-Kheir and Sobhi Hussein. Minister of Social Solidarity Niveen Al-Qabbaj has also launched a campaign in Port Said governorate to implement comprehensive drug awareness programmes and drug prevention programmes in new housing areas, specifically addressing the young who are trained in life skills to avoid drug abuse.

Addicts are referred for treatment to the Al-Azeema facility in Port Said which was recently inaugurated by the president. We also opened three clinics in Port Said, the Red Sea and Marsa Matrouh which were visited by 1,200 drug addicts over the past five months.

New roles for the fund have also emerged, such as economic empowerment of recovered addicts through a LE5 million loan from Nasser Social Bank. Recovered addicts receive vocational training, and 3,000 have been fully reintegrated into society.

What role do volunteers play in your work?

There are 30,000 volunteers between ages 16-25 years old, up from 26,000 in 2019. An initiative with Cairo University enables us to train and grant a special diploma for demand reduction, which relies on life skills, preliminary prevention and reslience skills. Volunteers need to be locals to the area and natural leaders.

What is the cost of addiction for the country in terms of GDP?

It is an illegal trade, and therefore difficult to estimate a figure. The direct cost of treatment and prevention is very high, as are the emotional and financial costs on families.

What challenges are facing the fund?

We need to build the skills of cadres, build treatment centres for teenagers and women, and work to mobilise Egypts universities.

What makes addicts relapse?

There is stigma to drug use. All too often a recovered addict will find every door closed in his/her face, except the one back to drug use. Addiction is a chronic disease. We always advise recovered addicts to avoid houses where drugs are used, friends who use drugs and any paraphernalia that reminds them of their drug use. Family therapy is also helpful in reducing the risk of relapse.

One success story is the New Beginning initiative which offers economic empowerment to recovered addicts, offering skill building for small enterprises. Ninety per cent of its beneficiaries have remained drug free, underlining the point that regaining self-esteem is essential to kicking a drug habit.

Why are drugs so expensive?

Thanks to law enforcement efforts in Egypt. It is more difficult to trade in drugs, therefore the price is higher. Smuggling is also very difficult and high risk, which deters drug traffickers.

Where does the funding for your work come from?

The fund is financed from fines on drug dealers. These are diverted to treatment and the funds budget.

How does one avoid becoming an addict?

First, stop self-medicating and avoid unnecessary painkillers. Five per cent of drug abusers are women and we have special programmes for them.

There needs to be a correction of misconceptions, such as linking drug abuse to sexual and physical prowess or seeing them as a means to cope with stress. It is also necessary for people to avoid subversive cultures that encourage drug abuse, and for families to play a more active role in identifying drug use. Some 58 per cent of addicts come from families that missed the early signs of addiction. We also need to change media culture, which can glorify drugs. Any promotion of drugs, however light, is unacceptable.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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KYODO NEWS - Jun 26, 2021 - 19:03 | All, Japan

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is considering visiting Israel and Palestine in August, diplomatic sources said Saturday.

During the trip, Motegi would look to build a relationship with the Israeli government under new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and offer assistance to reconstruct Gaza following last month's bombing by Israel, according to the sources.

It would be the first trip to the two states by a Japanese foreign minister since Motegi's predecessor Taro Kono visited in December 2017.

Motegi will make a decision regarding the visit after assessing the situation, as Israel bombed Gaza again this month following the cease-fire agreed with the Hamas militant group in late May, the sources said.

He will consider visiting other states in the Middle East if he is able to schedule meetings after the Tokyo Olympics to be held from July 23 to Aug. 8, they said.

During the envisaged visit, Motegi plans to call for the maintenance of the cease-fire and the building of confidence between the two sides. He also plans to express the Japanese government's intention to help rebuild infrastructure in Gaza.

Motegi is scheduled to visit the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania after he attends the Group of 20 foreign ministers' gathering in Italy on Tuesday.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry is also coordinating his planned visits to Cuba, Guatemala, Jamaica and Panama in mid-July, according to the sources.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 26, 2021 - 09:57 | All, World, Japan

More American opinion leaders view China as the United States' most important partner in Asia given the countries' trade relations, but Japan is considered most trustworthy, a survey by the Japanese Foreign Ministry shows.

Asked to choose "the most important partner of the United States" among Asian and nearby countries, 35 percent of 200 opinion leaders from a range of fields picked China, 33 percent chose Japan and 9 percen

t Australia. South Korea ranked fourth at 7 percent in the annual survey.

The percentage of respondents selecting China was up significantly from 18 percent in the survey a year earlier, while those picking Japan slipped from 42 percent.

Of those who saw China as the most important partner, almost four out of five cited economic factors, with 56 percent picking trade ties and 23 percent the country's economic strength, according to the survey conducted between December 2020 and January 2021.

Japan topped the list of countries in the region seen as reliable for the United States with 36 percent of the respondents naming the country, followed by Australia selected by 30 percent. China gained just 3 percent of the votes, trailing South Korea which ranked third, picked by 17 percent.

Asked why they selected Japan, 41 percent pointed to trade ties and 33 percent cited good relations and the bilateral alliance.

Economic ties between the world's two largest economies deepened significantly after China's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, with their goods trade totaling $558.1 billion in 2019, about three times larger than that between Japan and the United States.

U.S.-China tensions became a major concern for the global economy after former U.S. President Donald Trump instigated a tariff war to reduce the trade deficit with China, accusing the Asian country of unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft.

Globally, Canada was picked as the most important partner for the United States, followed by Britain, Japan and Germany.

Britain was named the most trustworthy among the world's countries and regions, followed by Canada, Japan and the European Union.

Related coverage:

Japan defense chief seeks greater EU military presence in Asia

NATO says China poses "systemic" challenges, to enhance Japan ties

FOCUS: G-7 to be tested in following up on big promises to counter China
New Delhi:

A 23-year-old man was stabbed to death by the family members of his girlfriend in west Delhi's Khyala, following which tension gripped the area as the duo belonged to different communities, police said on Friday.

Security has been stepped up in the area to thwart any untoward incident in the wake of the incident, a senior police officer said.

The man, a professional photographer, had been in a relationship with the 20-year-old woman living in his neighbourhood for the past two-three years, they said.

The woman is a second-year graduation student and is pursuing her education through correspondence, police said.

The woman's family was opposed to their relationship and was forcing the couple to break up. They yesterday got into an argument with the man, they said.

The argument turned violent when the woman's father, mother, uncle and a minor brother caught the victim. One of them stabbed him in the neck, police said.

The police said that when the victim's mother tried to intervene in the fight and shield her son, they also thrashed her. His father was not at home when the incident took place, they said.

Also Read: Andhra Pradesh man kills son after mistaking him to be wifes lover

Though the accused fled from the spot, locals caught hold of the woman's uncle, thrashed him and handed him over to police.

Later, her father and mother were also nabbed. In the evening, the minor brother was apprehended, police said.

By the time the police were informed of the incident, the victim had been taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Police said that after post mortem, the body was handed over to the family members for last rites. The cremation happened under heavy police presence, they said.

Police said that they had not received any complaint from any of the families earlier.

The deceased was the only son of his parents. He was the sole breadwinner of the family.

Also Read: Jind rape and murder case: Suspected accused found dead in Kurukshetra

The victim's parents are elderly and not in the best of health. He used to do wedding photography.
Hyderabad:

A 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her Facebook friend at a cinema hall in Secunderabad during Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmaavat show, police said on Friday.

The incident came to light, after the rape survivor lodged a complaint with the Market police station.

The victim and the accused had met each other on Facebook. The incident happened on Tuesday, said a police officer.

According to police, the victim came in contact with the accused on Facebook around two months ago.

They had also met each other some 20 days back at Swathi Hotel near Secunderabad railway station. said the police.

Also Read: While India celebrates Republic Day, elderly man rapes 7-year-old in Uttar Pradesh



The accused has been arrested by the police and he has been identified as 23-year-old Kandakatla Bikshapathi, a driver by profession.

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Kashmir:

Three Indian Army soldiers were killed in an avalanche that occurred near the line of control in Jammu and Kashmirs Kupwara district on Friday.

Indian Army spokesperson said, The three soldiers who killed in the avalanche were part of a team posted in Machhil sector of Kupwara district.

A soldier in seriously injured in the hospital and he is undergoing medical attention at a hospital in Srinagar.

According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, the avalanche was an after effect of the earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale that shook northern India on Wednesday.

The government had issued an avalanche warning besides a level-2 (low danger) in Kupwara, which was valid for 24 hours.

Also read| J-K: 10 soldiers killed, four missing after two avalanches hit Kashmir's Gurez sector



According to government figures, around 62 soldiers posted in Kashmir have died due to natural calamities between 2007 and 2012.

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New Delhi:

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti hon Friday said Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Kashmir wont be repealed due to the deteriorating security situation in the valley.

Replying to CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami on the issue of revocation of AFSPA, Mufti said, If the situation deteriorates, the footprint of security forces will increase. If militancy or stone pelting increases, you will see more footprint of police. We dont want that to happen.

Can AFSPA be revoked in such a situation? Is it realistic? the Chief Minister asked.

Praising Indian Army amid the issue of Shopian killings of civilians, she said the Indian Army is the most disciplined force in the world and have made huge sacrifices for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian Army is most disciplined. It was instrumental in bettering the security situation... that is the reason we are here today... They have made huge sacrifices, Mufti said.

Also Read | Kashmiri students assaulted in Haryana, Mehbooba Mufti demands probe

Reacting to the questions raised by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah about the fate of an FIR registered against Army personnel over the killing of three civilians in Shopian last month, Mufti said, The Army has a great reputation, but when someone commits a wrong legal process has to follow.

She said, the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir is reaching out to Valleys youths, who have taken up arms, to bring them back into the mainstream.

Mehbooba hoped that all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir would join the dialogue process initiated by the Centres representative Dineshwar Sharma to cut through the unending cycle of violence and uncertainty in the state.

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New Delhi:

The Income Tax Department has issued few lakh notices to those who have put their funds in bitcoins and it is working to obtain taxes that are due on these investments, the CBDT chief said.

CBDT Chairman Sushil Chandra told PTI that it has come to the notice of the taxman that while many such investors did not pay advance tax on the benefits which they have accrued, some others have not explained these investments in their tax returns in the past.

The department had conducted pan-India surveys at these exchanges in December last year.

We have issued notices (to investors) and they (many of them) have agreed to pay taxes. We will definitely take taxes as far as the money is concerned which is invested (in bitcoins trade) and is unexplained, he said.

When asked about the number of such notices, the CBDT boss said that they are in few lakhs.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech yesterday, had said that all types of crypto currencies, including bitcoins, are illegal and the government will take all measures to eliminate their use.

In reply to a separate question, Chandra said he was confident that the department will not only meet but will surpass the direct taxes collection target for the current financial year.

I think the economy is very buoyant. The last quarter of advance tax payment will be much better than the third. With this particular trend when the economy is going up, the GDP is going up in the last quarter and the economy is doing better and there are no negatives, we will definitely get much better advance tax.

Therefore, I think the growth should continue at the same pace. We will definitely beat the target (of direct tax collections), the CBDT boss said.

The I-T Department has a target to collect Rs 9.8 lakh crore revenue from direct taxes by the end of this fiscal on March 31.

The survey operations conducted by the taxman on bitcoin exchanges, under section 133 A of the Income Tax Act, were undertaken to gather evidence for establishing the identity of investors and traders, the transaction undertaken by them, identity of counter-parties, related bank accounts used, among others, sources had said.

A survey action under the I-T law pertains to tax officials making a surprise visit to the business premises of the affected party but not their residential ones.

Last year, Jaitley had informed Parliament that there are no regulations governing virtual currencies in India and the RBI has not given any licence to any entity/company to operate such currencies.

The government in December cautioned investors to be wary of virtual currencies like bitcoin, saying they are like Ponzi schemes with no legal tender and protection.

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Bangalore:

In a poll bound Karnataka , Cow welfare Cell of states BJP unit organised a 24 hours Gaw Raksha Asthayama Yagna to create awareness about cow slaughter and illegal slaughter house's in Bengaluru on Friday.

The rituals of the yagna started in the afternoon at Ganesha Devasthana grounds in JP Nagar.

Siddharth Goenka, convenor State Cow Welfare Cell said ,"More than 200 illegal slaughter house's are functioning in Bengaluru.

Blood that exudates from these illegal slaughter houses contaminate water bodies. Through this yagna we are creating awareness among common man, added Goenka.

However, Congress terms the yagna as election gimmick and BJPs attempt to woo Hindu voters.

"I am happy they are doing yagna for cow but they should do yagna also for poor and unemployed people, said Rizwan Arshad, a Congress leader.

He added, Elections are near, so they want to divert the attention of people from the failure of Modi government and promises made by the BJP.

However, BJP has denied the allegations of Congress and says, This is the routine work of Cow Welfare cell.

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking to declare sexual assault, rape, outraging of modesty and stalking offences in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as gender-neutral cases on Friday, stating that they were meant to protect women rights.

Only the Parliament can change the law, a bench headed by Chief Justice Deepak Mishra to Rishi Malhotra, an advocate.

Malhotra had asked the Supreme Court to examine the validity of the sections on the same ground. To his contention even a man can be stalked or molested.

The bench relying to Malhotras contention said, This is an imaginative situation.

The word man given in the definition of the sections should be substituted with a person so that even a woman can be prosecuted, Malhotra said.

The bench hearing to Malhotras request while hearing a case of adultery said, The provisions in the IPC are affirmative provisions to protect women rights. These section stand on different footing. The POSCO Act is gender-neutral as it takes care of a child up to the age of 18 years irrespective of their sex.

The Parliament has acknowledged a woman as the victim and we cannot ask Parliament to legislate, said Justice Deepak Mishra.

Justice DY Chandrachud, another member of the bench said, The Parliament has framed this law after recognising a degree of harm against them.

Also read: Supreme Court adopts roster system for allocation of matters, Chief Justice of India keeps PIL cases



The Parliament particularly felt it is the woman who is the victim and accordingly recommended the law to deal with it, added Justice Chandrachud.

The bench also asked Malhotra to explain how can a woman stalk or molest another woman. Have you ever come across a complaint by a woman saying she has been stalked by another, the Apex Court asked.

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Palamu:

With the change in uniform from olive green to camouflage, students and villagers living in hinterlands of Jharkhands Palamu district see a ray of hope as schools are refunctioning.

During the CPI-Maoist regime, children of all age in remote villages of Jharkhand lived under the fear of guns. The government school buildings were once indoctrination centre of Maoists and hardly teachers visited the area.

But with time things have changed but guns are still present.

We wish we dont have to see these guns again. We have suffered a lot, but we know these guns will not harm us,said Shambhu Yadav, a villager of Patsara village.

Another villager said, We do not fear these guns. Our children are safe now. Maoists use to forcefully take away our children as they turned eight but now these gunmen give our boys and girls book. They teach and motivate our children to be a successful person.

Meera Devi, an elderly woman, said, The school building was used by Maoists as their propaganda and training centre. Our children then used to learn how to make bombs and fire guns from the black boards.

Now our kids like children staying in cities our learning how to read and write. We dream someday they will become officers and serve the nation, she added,

Jharkhand Police along with Central Reserve Police Force and CoBRA have managed to flush out Maoists from a major part of the district.

After dominating the Maoist hit zones, Jharkhand Police officials reopened the schools. Wiped off all Maoist propaganda graffiti from school walls and distributed books and other stationery items.

Palamu SP Indrajeet Mahata along with his officers have adopted villages. They regularly visit the hinterland and take classes.

We hope the children staying in these far off villages will not have to see our guns, said Mahata talking to News Nation.

He added, It's a compulsion for our officers and personnel to be with their weapons during their visit to these villages as we dont want to give any opportunity to the Maoist to ambush our forces."

Palamau district of Jharkhand is one of the 195 most affected leftwing districts of the country. The district since the rise of Maoism in the state has witnessed deadly attacks on security forces and civilians.

According to government figures more than 100 security personnel and more than 1000 people have lost their lives to Naxalism in the last three decades. The district has seen one of the most devilish face of CPI-Maoist. The Maoists after killing CRPF troopers had surgically implanted IEDs in their abdomen in 2013.

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Bengaluru:

North East Zone of Bengaluru Police has arrested 5 members of the notorious Bheel Gang of Madhya Pradesh who had attacked a policeman on January 17 late night and snatched the loaded rifle of one of the police constables. After the incident, a special team headed by Girish, DCP North East Zone, Bengaluru was constituted to nab the culprits.

Speaking to News Nation, T Suneel Kumar, Police Commissioner of Bengaluru said, During the investigation of this case, we found that the attack was carried by the members of Bheel Gang of Madhya Pradesh who is known for carrying thefts across the country. We formed a special team to arrest the accused and have arrested 5 persons who hail from the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh and 2 persons belonging to Bengaluru were also arrested who have helped this gang in Bengaluru. We have recovered the snatched rifle and some gold ornaments from the accused."

After arresting the 4 accused, police came to know that the head of the gang Raisingh has fled to Madhya Pradesh after the incident. This gang used to flee from Bengaluru after committing the crime. A special team was sent to Madhya Pradesh headed by ACP level officer to arrest Raisingh.

Seemant Kumar Singh, additional commissioner of Bengaluru East Zone said, "Once our team reached the village of Raisingh, villagers attacked our team but with the help of the local police our team managed to arrest Raisingh after firing few rounds in the air to disperse the violent crowd."

During interrogation, Raisingh and his five associates confessed that they have carried out more than 100 thefts in and around Bengaluru in last few months. They used to target only locked houses and at the time of the theft they used to lock the surrounding houses of the target house so that nobody could come out, added Singh.
New Delhi:

Ahead of Nagaland assembly elections, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a dig at PM Modi over the proposed Naga Peace Accord signed between the centre and an armed rebel group in 2015.

August 2015, Mr Modi claims to create history by signing the NAGA accord. Feb 2018, Naga Accord is still nowhere to be found. Modi ji is the first ever Indian PM whose words don't mean anything. #CantFindTheAccord, Rahul Gandhi tweeted from his official handle.

Rahul Gandhis swipe at PM Modi came a day after the BJP announced to contest the Nagaland Assembly election together with Nationalist Democratic People's Party (NDPP).

Also Read | Ahead of PM Modi's rally, pro-Kannada groups observe Black Day in Bengaluru

After years of peace talks, Modi govt had signed a peace accord with Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland  an armed rebel group  to end insurgency.

Under the accord, the rebellion group had accepted Indian Constitution and gave up its demand for independent "greater Nagaland".

However, last month, the ruling Naga People's Front including 10 other parties had decided not to contest the elections which is scheduled to be held on February 27.

They wanted the demand of tribal bodies and civil society groups to resolve the Naga political problem should be met first.

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Hyderabad:

A 14-year-old dalit girl committed suicide by hanging herself at her residence in Hyderabad after school authorities did not allow her to appear for final examination, state police said on Friday.

The incident came to light after the girls parents lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad on Friday. The minor had committed suicide on Thursday night.

The victim is a class 9 student. She hanged herself from the ceiling in her house at JLS Nagar on Thursday evening, said an officer of Hyderabad Police.

Police officers investigating the minors death have recovered a suicide note. The victim in her suicide note wrote, was not allowed to take the exam. Sorry mummy.

The victims sister narrating her last talks with the victim said, She told me that her principal humiliates her in front of her classmates for not paying school fees. She was made to stand outside the class the whole day and not appear for her examination.

The school management did not allow my daughter to appear for the unit test on Thursday for defaulting to school fees of Rs 2000, said the victims father.

He added that he had requested the school administration to allow his daughter to appear for her unit test. I had told them that payments would be made by weekend and they had agreed to it, the victims father added.

Also read: Girl ends life in Madhya Pradesh; family alleges harassment by man



I failed to make the payments. The school authorities should had called me rather than humiliating my daughter, added the victims father.

Malkajgiri police station inspector said, We have arrested three persons including two administrative officials and a teacher in connection to the incident. Principal of the school has also been booked.

Hyderabad Police has booked the three arrested for abetment of suicide. They have been booked under IPC Section 306, said police.

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Washington:

India and China have a "cold war-like" relationship in the making but New Delhi is unlikely to join something framed as a US-led front to contain Beijing, a former American diplomat has said.

Alyssa Ayres, who served in the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department, made the remarks last week in New York during the launch of her latest book 'Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World'.

"It is a cold war-like relationship in the making. India and China have had a strong commercial relationship, but that is increasingly less satisfying for India, for many of the same reasons the United States is dissatisfied with its trade relationship with China," she said.

To a question on India-China ties, Ayres, currently a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank, said that for a while the commercial relationship between the two countries had relegated their strategic competition to the backseat.

"I think India (is) concerned about the increasingly larger presence that China is establishing across the Indian Ocean, with a base in Djibouti," she said.

She added that India may also be concerned over China's "deep relationship" with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the investments it is making in the two countries.

Asked about the impression in the US that New Delhi is a "good bet" to contain Beijing, she said India is unlikely to be part of such an initiative.

"I think India is going to be highly unlikely to be enlisted in something framed as a US-led effort to contain China. That is not what India seeks to do. It seeks to defend its own interests. It seeks to uphold the liberal world order," Ayres said.

"India has been a big supporter of global norms, of freedom of navigation. But it also partners with China in many arenas. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), India is the number two capital contributor," she noted.

The BRICS organisation went from being just an idea in a research paper to being a real institution, she said, adding India is very active with that and the five-nation grouping has created its own development bank.

"India became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It's hedging its own bets as global governance reform lags on in the 20th-century institutions. And so where it has put some of its eggs in the new organisations basket, it has partnered with China on that front," Ayres said.

To another question, she said that there would be a measured response from India if there was a repeat of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.

"Based on what we saw with the surgical strikes of the previous year or the year before last, I would not expect a completely passive response. I would expect something measured, but much more active," she said.

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New Delhi:

Police kept a hawk-eyed vigil on west Delhis Khayala area which was gripped by tension after a 23-year-old man was stabbed to death by the family members of a woman with whom he was in a relationship.

Ankit Saxena, a professional photographer, was killed on Thursday night in the area. The womans family opposed her relationship with Saxena as the two belonged to different communities.

Four persons, including the brother of the woman, were nabbed a few hours after Saxena was stabbed to death by them.

Three accusedthe mother, father and uncle of the womanhave been sent to judicial custody. Her minor brother has been sent to juvenile home, a senior police officer said.

The woman claimed threat to her life and was sent to Nari Niketan. The family of the deceased has been given security, police said.

Local residents claimed the killing was not a fallout of Saxena being in an interfaith relationship.

A friend of Saxena said news reports suggesting a communal angle in the incident are wrong.

Delhi BJP Manoj Tiwari who met the parents of the photographer said the incident should not be given a communal angle.

He demanded that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal break his silence over the killing and announce a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the family.

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Paris:

Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan was charged with rape on Saturday, a judicial source said, following claims by two women that he assaulted them in French hotel rooms in 2009 and 2012.

Ramadan, who was arrested by French police on Wednesday, has now been charged with connected charges of rape and rape of a vulnerable person, the source said.

The accused is a Swiss citizen whose grandfather founded Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

After two days of questioning by investigators, the 55- year-old Oxford professor was brought before three magistrates who have been assigned to the case, suggesting that he is facing an extensive investigation, judicial sources said.

Women who have testified anonymously during three months of preliminary investigations might now also file rape complaints, one of the sources said.

The claims against the prominent scholar, which emerged in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal in the United States, have divided many Muslims, with his legions of fans, as well as his lawyers, saying he is the victim of a smear campaign.

But critics have long suggested that despite Ramadan's moderate tone as a familiar face on television programmes, he preaches a more radical line when addressing Muslims in Arabic.

Ramadan is the most high-profile figure to be held in France over the sexual assault and harassment claims that have rippled around the world as a result of the "Me Too" campaign.

The married father of four has denied the separate accusations from the two women.

The first was made by Henda Ayari, a feminist activist who previously practised a conservative strain of Islam. She had described being raped in a book published in 2016, without naming her attacker.

But in October, she said she had decided to name Ramadan publicly as the alleged perpetrator as a result of the "Me Too" campaign, using the French hashtag "Balance Ton Porc" (Expose your pig).

She said Ramadan raped her in his hotel room, telling Le Parisien newspaper: "He choked me so hard that I thought I was going to die."

She lodged a rape complaint against Ramadan on October 20.

Several days later an unidentified disabled woman, a Muslim convert, also accused the academic of violently raping her in a hotel room in the southeastern city of Lyon in 2009.

Vanity Fair magazine, which met the woman, said her lawsuit against Ramadan described "blows to the face and body, forced sodomy, rape with an object and various humiliations, including being dragged by the hair to the bathtub and urinated on".

During three hours of testimony in Paris on Thursday, the woman -- using the pseudonym "Christelle" -- recounted her allegations to the judge in Ramadan's presence.

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New Delhi:

The CBI today filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging a 2005 order of the Delhi High Court quashing all charges against accused persons in the politically-sensitive Bofors pay-off case.

The filing of the appeal assumes significance as Attorney General K K Venugopal had recently advised the agency against moving a petition against the high court verdict after a delay of 12 years.

Sources, however, said that after consultations, law officers were in favour of the appeal as the CBI came out with some important documents and evidence to challenge the high court order.

The agency swung into action after the Attorney General orally gave it a go ahead to file the appeal in the case in which it has cited the October 2017 interview of private detective Michael Hershman, who alleged that the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government had sabotaged his investigation.

Hershman, who is the president of the US-based private detective firm Fairfax, had claimed in television interviews that Rajiv Gandhi was furious when he had found a Swiss bank account Mont Blanc.

He had also alleged that the bribe money of the Bofors gun scandal had been parked in the Swiss account.

Sources said that the CBI in its appeal stated that further investigation was necessary in view of the reports relating to Hershmans interviews.

Further in the petition, the agency said that the high court erred in quashing the case by ignoring the evidence it collected through Letters rogatory from foreign country which was to be dealt by the trial court.

The Central Bureau of Investigation filed the appeal against the May 31, 2005 decision of the high court by which all accused, including Europe-based industrialists Hinduja brothers, were discharged from the Rs 64-crore pay-off case.

The agency will urge the apex court to condone the delay in filing the appeal.

Earlier, the Attorney General had advised the CBI to make out a case as a respondent in the petition filed by BJP leader Ajay Agarwal, who had challenged the 2005 high court order after the agency had failed to file a special leave petition (appeal) within the mandatory limitation period of 90 days.

Agrawal, who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli against the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has been pursuing the case for over a decade in the apex court which on the last hearing on January 16 had asked him to prove his locus in the case as a third party.

The CBI in the case was represented by Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh.

During the brief hearing on December 1, 2016, the agency had told the apex court that the authorities had not permitted it to immediately file an appeal against the May 31, 2005 verdict.

Sources said the agency has considered the views of investigating officers associated with the case since 1986. After the high court had quashed the case, they had studied the judgement and gave an unanimous recommendation that an SLP should be filed in the Supreme Court to set aside the May 31, 2005 order of the high court.

The investigating officers were of the opinion that a prayer should be made in the apex court for restoration of the case from the point immediately after the framing of charges in the trial court (March 26, 2004).

In the SLP, an advocate of the Centre, closely associated with the case, said the CBI has also raised objections to a superfluous remark of Justice R S Sodhi (since retired) who while quashing the case said that the investigation had caused the exchequer nearly Rs 250 crore.

However, later on an RTI application filed by Agrawal, the CBI had said that it had spent nearly Rs 5 crore on investigation in the Bofors case.

Justice Sodhi (since retired) of the Delhi High Court on May 31, 2005, had quashed the CBI case in the Bofors pay-off scam.

Before this, another judge of the high court, retired Justice J D Kapoor, had on February 4, 2004, exonerated late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the case and directed the framing of charge of forgery under section 465 of the Indian Penal Code against Bofors company.

The Rs 1,437-crore deal between India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm howitzer guns for the Indian Army was entered into on March 24, 1986.

Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990 had registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the IPC and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.

It had alleged that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.

The first charge sheet in the case was filed on October 22, 1999, against Chadda, Ottavio Quattrocchi, the then defence secretary S K Bhatnagar, Ardbo and the Bofors company. A supplementary charge sheet was filed against the Hinduja brothersS P Hinduja, G P Hinduja and P P Hindujaon October 9, 2000.

A special CBI court in Delhi on March 4, 2011, had discharged Quattrocchi from the case saying the country could not afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which had already cost Rs 250 crore.

Quattrocchi, who had fled from here on July 29-30, 1993, never appeared before any court in India to face prosecution. He passed away on July 13, 2013. The other accused persons who died are Bhatnagar, Chadda and Ardbo.

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New Delhi:

BJP suffered a major jolt in Rajasthan ahead of state elections to be held later this year as the Congress snatched two Lok Sabha and a Assembly seat from the ruling saffron party in the high-stakes bypoll elections on Thursday.

While, in West Bengal Trinamool Congress won in the Noapara assembly and the Uluberia Lok Sabha seat.

In Rajasthan, The Congress won the Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats by 84,414 and 196,496 votes respectively. The Congress snatched the Mandalgarh Assembly seat by 13,000 votes from BJP.

Soon after the results were announced Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan.

The results are considered to work as a booster for the Congress, which had only won just 21 seats in the last assembly elections.

In West Bengals Uluberia Lok Sabha seat, the ruling party won by a margin of around 474,000.

The death of Congress MLA Madhusudan Ghose necessitated the Noapara Assembly by-poll in North 24 Parganas district, while the death of two-time TMC MP Sultan Ahmed had left the Uluberia seat in Howrah vacant.

The results prove people have voted overwhelmingly for the waves of development that Mamata Banerjee unleashed, said Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee.

BJPs West Bengal unit after the results claimed that Congress and CPI has no presence in the state and they are the only competitor to the ruling TMC.

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New Delhi:

Reacting to the humiliating defeat in bypolls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Thursday advised state BJP leaders and workers to work harder.

We have worked tirelessly over the years, with the people of #Rajasthan as our centre of attention and shall work harder, with renewed fervour and dedication, taking our beautiful State to new heights, Raje said.

With Assembly polls due later this year, BJP suffered a major setback in Rajasthan as Congress snatched two Parliamentary and one Assembly seat from the ruling party in by-elections.

Congress won Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha seats and taken back Bhilwaras Mandalgarh assembly constituency.

In Alwar, Congresss Karan Singh Yadav defeated BJPs Jaswant Singh Yadav by 196,496 votes.

Also Read | Congress trounces BJP in Rajasthan bypolls, bags 3/3 seats

In Ajmer, Congress candidate Ragu Sharma defeated BJPs Ram Swaroop Lamba won by 84,414 votes. Sharma garnered 611514 votes against Lambas 527100.

Reacting to partys victory, Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted, Well done Rajasthan Congress! Proud of each and every one of you. This is a rejection of the BJP by the people of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot demanded Vasundhara Rajes resignation on moral ground after the defeat and said that the result was a mandate against her govts policies.

Apart from Rajasthan, BJP had to face major defeat in West Bengal as well where TMC candidates won on both Uluberia Lok Sabha and Noapara Assembly seat.

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New Delhi:

IIT Bombay on Sunday morning has issued a statement clarifying that the Institute has not banned non-veg food in the campus as reported by few publications.

A letter was issued to the caterer of a cafeteria atop Civil Engineering Department for purely health and safety reasons as he was serving stale food, read the statement released by IIT PRO.

Earlier, a circular was released by the Institute authorities intimating students and mess authorities that non-veg food items have been strictly banned and such items should not be served in the cafeteria.

Students were also instructed to use separate plates for non-vegetarian food in the hostel mess.
New Delhi:

Waseem Rizvi, the controversial Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board Chairman on Friday made a statement suggesting that those Muslims who oppose the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya must go to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

This comes at a time when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Babri Masjid/Ram Janambhoomi dispute from February 8.

"Those who are opposing the Ram Janambhoomi temple in Ayodhya and want to build the Babri Mosque there... People having such fundamentalist mentality should go to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Such Muslims do not have any place in India," said Rizvi who offered Friday prayers at the disputed site and met Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram Janambhoomi.

"Those who want to spread Jehad in the name of the mosque must go and join the forces of Abu Baqar Baghdadi, the ISIS chief in Syria," said Rizvi.

Fundamentalist Muslim clerics are trying to destroy the country. They must migrate to Pakistan and Afghanistan, he added.

The remarks have not gone down well with the Shia clerics who have demanded that he be arrested for trying to communalise the atmosphere.

"Rizvi is a criminal involved in grabbing and illegal selling of Waqf properties," said President of Shia Ulema Council Maulana Iftekhar Hussain Inquilabi.

"He has been charge-sheeted by the CB-CID and to save himself from the claws of the law he is enacting a big drama," he said.

"During the rule of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, he was patronised by Mulayam Singh Yadav and then minister Azam Khan. Now, during the BJP government, he wants to be spared," added Inquilabi.

(With PTI inputs)

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Srinagar:

Four persons, including two CRPF personnel, were injured in a grenade attack in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Saturday, the police said. Militants lobbed a grenade at a CRPF party in Batagund area of Tral, a police official said

Four persons, including two CRPF jawans, were injured in the incident, he said. The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway, the official said.

Earlier, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district in the end of last month.

Notably, India has witnessed a total of 881 ceasefire violations in 2017 along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir.

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New Delhi:

The Press Club in Islamabad on Sunday witnessed massive protests by thousands of Azadi (Freedom) chanting Pashtuns who undertook a Long March demanding justice for Naqeeb Mahsood, a Pashtun killed in a fake police encounter on January 13 in Karachi.

The Long March was joined by more than 10,000 Pashtuns from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.

The protestors allege gross human rights violations against the Pashtun community by the Pakistan Government.

They said the Police had presented false accusations against Naqeeb including that he had connections with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and ISIS which were contested by his family and relatives.

Subsequently, an inquiry commission was set up by the government of Sindh province to investigate the matter. The commission said that Naqeeb was innocent and was killed in a fake police encounter.

A protester while addressing a gathering said, "The people of this region are not the terrorists, but this government is a terrorist, which represents the elite class of Punjab."

(With ANI inputs)

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New Delhi:

The Chief of Staff of US Air Force will take a sortie on India's indigenous light combat aircraft, the Tejas, from the Jodhpur Air Force station on Saturday morning.

This will be the first time, the head of a foreign military is flying Tejas and the move will somehow silence the critics of home grown fighter jet.

Goldfein along with General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, Commander of US Pacific Air Force, landed in New Delhi on Thursday to strengthen military ties between the two nations. The top brass of the United States Air Force already had several rounds of discussion with key functionaries of IAF, including Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa at Air Force headquarters.

The top ranking US military officer had reached India on Thursday on an official visit to deepen relations. "There is already a strong relationship between our two air forces and I'm looking forward to making it stronger," he wrote in a Facebook post shortly after being welcomed at Air Headquarters in the national capital.

He also referred to the IAF's acquisition of the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft that is capable of lifting tanks to the border with China and Pakistan.

"The IAF operates the second largest C-17 fleet in the world and continues to mature their fleet operation to support regional mobility needs," the US Air Force Chief said.

For the Tejas that is being inducted in the Air Force, it is also seen as the biggest endorsement of the fighter that has been in the making for more than three decades.

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Anik Rayhan Apon is a Bangladeshi Musician, Gamer & Entrepreneur. Born on 4th July 1995 in Tangail, Bangladesh. He was introduced to the music industry to launch his first soundtrack Miss Your Pain on Spotify 1st. After some days he releases his music on different music platforms like Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, JioSaavn, and many other international platforms like Deezer, Tidal, and Napster. You get Anik Rayhan Apon music on Tiktok, Instagram, or Facebook From his childhood, he was interested in a creative field. At the age of 15, he started learning several graphical software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator to express his creative thoughts and imagination through his manipulations.

Anik Rayhan Apon was born on 4th July in 1995 and is a Bangladeshi by nationality. He is a pass out of Government Titumir College and now pursuing his music career. But his journey to this success was not that easy. His path was tough where he had sacrificed all of his leisure activities. And now he is finally a great music artist whose songs can are released on various online platforms like Official Spotify Page, Official YouTube Artist Channel, and Apple Music. Not only this, he also has a huge fan following on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc



Music

Anik Rayhan Apon releases soundtracks in different categories. Now those tracks are available on different music platforms like Google, Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, and many more.

Marketing is a big deal

He says before you create any content you need to figure out how you will market it in the first place. Being a digital marketer and content creator himself he believes in overlooking these factors. He mentioned its necessary to create content that the audience wants and will like more. But marketing is a big deal. Anik Rayhan Apon is a human with multiple skills. And he is excelling in every field. He himself being an influencer, gamer, musician tried his hands in the field of business.

Anik Rayhan Apon has also helped some international clients and brands to grow their business on social media through Instagram marketing. He will also introduce video content and is currently working on it. Moreover, he plans to start his own digital agency by the coming year giving all services to his clients right from image building to branding to building its social media presence. He said,

Competition is always good

Anik believes in healthy Competition. He says that if one has good competition it encourages them to do even better and bring the best outcome.

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Mumbai: Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is in the news these days. Two more close ones have been arrested yesterday. In a statement last Friday, he said, "He cooperated fully with enforcement directorate (ED) officials who met him during searches of his premises under a money-laundering investigation against him.'' Deshmukh expressed hope that "the truth will come out.'' Talking to reporters in Mumbai, he also said, "I will continue to cooperate with the investigating agencies in the future also. The truth will come out.''

On the other hand, officials said in Delhi, "The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided the premises of him and his (Deshmukh's) associates in Nagpur and his (Deshmukh's) associates in Mumbai as part of a money-laundering probe against Deshmukh on charges of bribe of Rs 100 crores.'' Further, the officials also stated that "raids are being conducted under the provisions of prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) and these places include Deshmukh's residence at GPO Chowk in Nagpur and residence of his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in Mumbai.''

You must be aware that Anil Deshmukh has claimed that "former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had made false allegations of corruption and misconduct against him after he was removed from office in March. Singh made false allegations against me when he was removed from office. The CBI is investigating the case and I will cooperate.''

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Bangladesh government make calls for nationwide hard lockdown from Monday for seven days amid a dramatic surge in COVID-19 infections. The decision is made in a bid to stem the spread of cases rising dramatically in nation.

The government released a notification on Friday, the Information Ministry said that all government and private offices, except for emergency services will remain closed during the lockdown. As per the Dhaka Tribune updated, all kinds of transports, except for those carrying emergency supplies, ambulances and vehicles for healthcare services and media, will remain suspended from Monday. Meanwhile, no one will be allowed to leave home without emergency purposes during hard lockdown call. The sudden announcement of going into lockdown comes after the national COVID-19 advisory panel on Thursday recommended imposing a nationwide shutdown for two weeks. Bangladeshs State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain told the media that they were already set to impose a complete shutdown.

Talking about the CORONA update of nation, on Friday, the death toll from COVID-19 rose by 108 which is the second-highest single-day jump since the pandemic unfolded last year in Bangladesh. The caseload surged by 5,869 according to the latest government data while daily infection rate rose to 21.22 per cent.

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New Delhi: Everyone is aware of the devastation caused by the second wave of the global epidemic Corona virus in India. Thousands of people have lost their lives here. But now India has intensified its attack on corona. With the launch of a new immunization phase in India on the occasion of International Day of Yoga, the pace of vaccination has now increased.

About 3.5 crore vaccines have been administered in India this week, a record in itself. More than 80 lakh people were vaccinated in India one day (on June 21). This figure is equal to the population of Switzerland. Data from the Union Health Ministry said that more than 3.3 crore people have been vaccinated between June 21 and June 26. Earlier, the weekly immunization record was 2.47 crore doses, which was recorded between April 3 and April 9.

Maharashtra on Friday became the first state to give covid-19 vaccine doses to more than 3 crore people. In Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal also, the vaccine figures are between 2 crore and 3 crore doses. The new immunization phase was launched in India on the occasion of International Day of Yoga. Under this, several states organized mega vaccination camps. With the help of this, the one day immunization figure on 21st June has crossed 80 lakh.

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TEL AVIV: El Al Israel Airlines Ltd., the flag carrier of Israel, has announced the launch of two direct flight routes to Morocco starting from July 25, the first of its kind between the two countries. Accordingly, the airline will conduct flights between Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv and the Moroccan cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh, Xinhua news agency quoted the airline as saying on Friday.

El Al's historic direct routes to Morocco follow the normalisation agreement signed between the two countries in December 2020. The airline said flights to Morocco would take about five hours on each direction, and ticket prices would start at $499 for a round trip.

"Morocco offers a winning combination of breathtaking desert landscapes, historic cities, impressive architecture, colourful markets, fine food and warm hospitality," El Al stated. Also on July 25, the second-largest airline in Israel Israir will start direct flights between Tel Aviv and Marrakesh. The third-largest airline Arkia will launch the same route on August 3.

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The Israeli Health Ministry has reimposed a requirement for masks to be worn in enclosed public places, following a surge in Covid-19 cases since the rule was dropped 10 days ago.

The head of Israels pandemic response taskforce, Nachman Ash, told public radio the requirement came after four straight days of more than 100 new cases per day, with 227 cases confirmed yesterday. We are seeing a doubling every few days, Ash said. Another thing that is worrying is that the infections are spreading. If we had two cities where most of the infections were, we have more cities where the numbers are rising and communities where the cases are going up. He said.

He also said the rise in cases was likely due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, first identified in India. The country has also seen one of the worlds most rapid and comprehensive vaccine rollouts. Some 5.2 million people in the country have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Israel became a pioneer in Covid vaccinations after the then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu obtained millions of doses from Pfizer in exchange for sharing health data on their impact.

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Mumbai: BJP seems to be aggressive on the issue of cancellation of OBC reservation in local body elections in Maharashtra. The party is going to launch a strike and agitation across the state today. Former Chief Minister and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis also made a blunt point at the BJP executive meeting held in Mumbai last Thursday. He said that if the proposed five Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections are not pushed ahead, the BJP will field only OBC faces in every seat. You must be aware that the Supreme Court, after looking into reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in March this year, had ordered that reservation cannot be made on more than 50 percent of the total seats in local bodies in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra government could not make a strong argument in the Supreme Court.

Due to this, political reservation for OBCs has been canceled. On the other hand, Devendra Fadnavis said, "The state government should set up a Backward Classes Commission and submit data for OBC reservation. If the Government needs our help, we are fully ready to cooperate with them. But perhaps this Government had no intention of giving reservations to OBCs."

Know the whole matter- The Supreme Court had quashed Article 12 of the Zilla Parishad Act of the Government of Maharashtra. During that time, the court had said that reservation has been fixed according to the population and no more than 50 percent reservation can be given in any case. Further, the Supreme Court had also clarified that "OBC cannot be given more than 27% reservation. Elections should be held in the Zilla Parishad following this constitutional limit. Maharashtra had filed a review petition in the court following the Supreme Verdict canceling the reservation but the court has also quashed it.''

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The Persian beauty and Australian citizen graduated in Architecture and also studied visual arts after moving to Sydney, Australia. She is gradually making her name worldwide with her unique sense of art and ability to see things beyond the usual. She is a deep thinker yet open-minded and has consistently honed her skills as an artist and as a model. Her style of art is modern abstract and modern contemporary. However, modelling is her job now. Walking the ramp and working with different stores in Australia have brought her to the forefront of the modelling world.

The brown-eyed, jet black hair scintillating beauty has been making her mark in the modelling industry and enthralling people with her work as a model, artist and painter of modern art. Nafas Hussey has even had a few expeditions in Iran and in Sydney and now plans to do more of her art expeditions around Australia while keeping her aim intact to make waves in the modelling industry.

They say all world's an art, and they say that right. Who can deny that the one up there is the greatest of all creators and artists who created the world on his canvas. We have seen the rise of many human beings in the world of art, where they get an outlet of expression to display their deepest emotions and feelings and, in the process, also connect with the audiences they cater to. The easier this sounds, the more difficult it is to make it huge in the art world. You need to have an artist's eye to see even the most extraordinary things in perhaps the most ordinary spaces and create something that can spellbound audiences in ways more than one. One name that has been buzzing high lately in the same is Nafas Hussey. She is one gorgeous girl who sees beauty in everything and tries to put across her feelings and thoughts through her modern art on the canvas.

Wait a minute, if you think Nafas Hussey is only excelling as an artist in modern art with her paintings, let us tell you, she has proved her mettle also in the world of arts with her innate skills and passion as a fashion model and artist. Her sharp features, killer looks and physique all exude her unique vibe and tenacity, which helps her stand apart from many others in the industry.

follow her on Instagram @nafas.hussey.

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You may have seen many videos till date but the videos we are going to show you today will not stop you laughing. This video is from Zambia. In fact, the video of a TV anchor here is fast going viral on social media. You can see that here the TV anchor started telling in the middle of the live news bulletin that the channel was not paying him salary. Well, this video is going to be a big choice for people whose salaries are late. The video is said to be from KBN TV news anchor Kakinda Kalimina.

His office was disturbed when he accused the channel of withholding the salaries of employees. In fact, while reading the news headlines, he changed the track midway and raised the issue of salary. As part of the information received, the anchor had not received salary for the past several months and due to this he started speaking in a live bulletin emotionally. Kabinda Kalimina reportedly levelled serious allegations against the channel's management.

"Apart from the news, we are all human beings and we should get salaries," he said during the on-air show. Unfortunately, KBN TV have not paid us salaries. Nobody else, including Sharon and I, have got salary. We should get salary. The channel had fired Kabindi Kalimina after the video went viral. In addition, KBN TV Chief Executive Kennedy Mambwe has described the anchor as an alcoholic. He says this is a short cut way of getting publicity.

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FILE PHOTO: Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to attend a court hearing in Vancouver

By Moira Warburton

VANCOUVER (Reuters) -Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's request for a publication ban on new evidence her legal team received from HSBC has been denied by a Canadian court in her U.S. extradition case, a lawyer involved in the case said on Friday.

Meng, 49, was arrested in December 2018 for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's business dealings in Iran, causing the bank to break U.S. sanctions.

She faces a Canadian government extradition attempt on charges of bank fraud in the United States.

Canadian prosecutors had fought her request for a publication ban on documents relevant to her case received from HSBC via a court in Hong Kong. The documents were provided on the condition that Meng make a reasonable effort to keep them private.

The British Columbia Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the request, said Daniel Coles, the legal counsel representing a consortium of media outlets - including Reuters - who argued against the publication ban.

The reasons for the denial were not made public, pending issues relating to a previous publication ban, Coles said.

Prosecutors representing the Canadian government had argued that "to be consistent with the open court principle, a ban must be tailored" and details should be selectively redacted from the public, rather than the whole documents.

Meng has been under house arrest in Vancouver for more than two years and fighting her extradition. Meng has said she is innocent.

Alykhan Velshi, vice president of corporate affairs at Huawei Canada, said in an emailed statement the company accepts the court's decision, adding that "the truth in these documents can now come out."

The Canadian government and HSBC were not immediately available for comment.

The open court principle requires that court proceedings be open and accessible to the public and to the media.

It is unclear what documents Huawei obtained from HSBC, but defense lawyers argue they are relevant to Meng's case. Hearings in the extradition case are scheduled to finish in late August.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Toronto; Editing by Howard Goller)
Michael Saylor, CEO and founder of MicroStrategy has criticized Chinas ongoing action against Bitcoin (BTC), saying it will prove to be a trillion-dollar mistake.

Appearing on Bloomberg Technology, the entrepreneur told Emily Chang, China had 50% market share of bitcoin and they were generating $10 billion a year, in a business that was growing 100% a year, year-over-year.

He went on to opine that the Chinese governments crackdown has squeezed the [bitcoin] industry out of China.

Mr Saylor also said that this action is a tragedy for Chinese miners. Over the last few weeks, the crackdown forced miners to move their operations overseas, with the United States proving a popular destination. More specifically Texas, due to their cheap energy prices and pro-crypto government. Reports indicate that Bitmain, Blockcap, Argo Blockchain, and Great American Mining are rumored to have moved their operations there.

In addition, Francis Suarez, Mayor of Miami, said earlier in the month that his city would welcome the displaced miners.

MicroStrategy increases BTC holdings

Emily Chang also dedicated part of her interview with Saylor to discuss the current BTC dip. On June 21, MicroStrategy added a further 13,005 BTC to its already considerable holding, which now totals at over 100,000 BTC. Valued in excess of $3 billion.

Asserting that the CEO had bought the dip, Ms Chang then asked if he had considered the possibility that the dip was actually part of a prolonged slide.

Mr Saylor answered that Chinas rushed exodus of capital and mining is currently driving the crypto market dynamic.

He went on to refer to his companys own strategy as long-term and assessed that BTC is for property what the iPhone is for music.

Bitcoin is the dematerialization of property, he explained. Were sucking the value out of gold and real estate and other property assets and collectibles and art. Were putting it on a blockchain, were giving it to the people. Its a long-term trend; its a million times more efficient than hauling your property around on your back.

The CEO later took to Twitter to reiterate some main points from his interview. In one tweet, he said If you want to give joy to 5 billion people, you need digital music. If you want to give knowledge to 5 billion people, you need digital books. If you want to give wealth to 5 billion people, you need digital property.
NEW ORLEANS, June 26, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF continues its investigation into First American Financial Corp. ("FAF") (NYSE: FAF).

On May 24, 2019, KrebsOnSecurity.com reported a massive data exposure by FAF involving approximately 885 million customer files. Then, on October 22, 2020, FAF disclosed that, in relation to the 2019 data security breach, "[i]n September 2020, the Company received a Wells Notice informing the Company that the [Securities and Exchange Commission] enforcement staff has made a preliminary determination to recommend a filing of an enforcement action by the SEC against the Company."

Recently, the Company reached a settlement with the SEC over the breach that included a $487,616 fine.

The Company has been sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing.

KSFs investigation is focusing on whether FAFs officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to FAFs shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of FAF shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-faf/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nations 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.

Story continues

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210625005505/en/

Contacts

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850
MOSCOW, June 24 (Reuters) - Britain's ambassador will be summoned to the Russian foreign ministry on Thursday, the ministry's spokeswoman said, after an incident in which Russia said it fired warning shots at a British destroyer in the Black Sea.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Britain of lying in its reaction to the incident in comments that were broadcast on state television. Britain has accused Russia of giving an inaccurate account of the incident. (Reporting by Maxim Rodionov; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Alison Williams)
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - June 26, 2021) - Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Koninklijke Philips N.V. ("Philips" or the "Company") (NYSE: PHG). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Philips and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On June 14, 2021, Philips issued a voluntary recall of certain of its Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi-Level PAP) and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices, as well as mechanical ventilators, after finding that the sound abatement foam used in the devices can degrade and become toxic, potentially causing cancer.

On this news, Philips' stock price fell $2.25 per share, or 3.98%, to close at $54.25 per share on June 14, 2021.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88826
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The United Way says that a family of four needs to make $78,000 just for survival, he said, so we needed to come up with a sustainable way of helping get food to families who are in that group, especially those who make considerably less than that but above the poverty level. Yes, we have kind sponsors who provide donations to help accomplish that, but to be truly sustainable, we believe we need a separate and continuing revenue source.

For that, enter Kelley Robinson, a local chef and former operator of a food truck in the area, who has joined Hub of Hope to be the executive chef. Shes now overseeing the cooking of hundreds of meals a day at the organizations kitchen center in Southpoint and will supervise the restaurant at Cosners Corner, which they hope to open later this year, where food will also be prepared for the Food2Go operation.

Details on the name of the restaurant and what sort of food it will offer are still being discussed.

She and Stinson said that the group researched different sorts of restaurants connected to feeding the poor. Some give meals away, while others charge as much as the customers can pay.
We have created banners, sashes and flags for what we hope will be a good number of women who will walk the parade in honor of the passage of the 19th Amendment 100 years ago, Cunningham said.

Other marquee events, such as the Kennedys Cruisers on Main: Car, Truck and Bike Show, rodeo at Christensen Field and Chautauqua Tent will return.

A full list of events for the three-day celebration can be found at: http://www.johncfremontdays.org/2021-jcf-day-schedule/.

Preparation for the festival has been a scramble for Cunningham and the volunteers who help bring John C. Fremont Days to life. The group only announced its intention to host John C. Fremont Days in March, Cunningham said.

As you can remember in January and February, things still didnt look very good in this country, he said. In March, we made the call. It seemed like we were getting better, so this has been compressed. Theres no doubt about it.

Now, Cunningham and his team are hustling to the finish line and are excited to see the Fremont staple return. The moment will also be bittersweet for Cunningham, who is retiring from his position as the boards president after this summers event.
"But in general, the State Fire Marshal Agency is always concerned about fire safety and firework safety regardless of what types of consumer fireworks are being sold," he said.

Cantrell noted that Nebraskans transporting fireworks into the state from Missouri remain a larger risk than the use of pyrotechnics like bottle rockets. Like Chenowith, the fire marshal is unconvinced tourism habits will change.

Reed Martin, the owner of Watson Fireworks in Missouri, is counting on those forecasts coming true.

Martin said around 60% of his annual business comes from Nebraskans seeking fireworks asylum in his spacious warehouse about 11 miles south of the Missouri-Iowa border.

"I don't foresee it changing too much," Martin said. "It's just kind of a tradition for a lot of people to come down to Missouri and look at our selection no matter if they're legal in Nebraska or legal in Missouri."

This tradition annoys Chenowith, but he doesn't dwell on it. Instead, he shrugs.
As a veteran and former city council member, I'm appalled by the city's attorney, the mayor, and the city administrator's attempt to limit public speaking and input into the process of city governance. The city attorney stated his changes to the city code were unsolicited and self-initiated ideas that he discussed with, and got support from, the mayor and city administrator; the goal -- imposing efficiency over transparency.

I understand that under the proposed 3-reading rule change, the public would give up 66% of its speaking opportunity because the public would only be allowed to speak at 2nd reading; and that's not guaranteed, because the mayor is being granted absolute authority to decide if and when the public can speak.

Proposing that citizens go through their council representatives, instead of speaking for themselves, and being denied the right to pull items from the council's consent agenda, which the city administrator controls, while also requiring five councilmembers to concur in the removal of any items for discussion, is the ultimate insult, not only to the public but to elected councilmembers who should have an unimpeded right of removal.

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Local aid officials in north Afghanistan said on June 26 that thousands of families have been displaced as government troops battle Taliban militants for control of the key city of Kunduz.



Taliban militants have already captured districts that surround Kunduz, which has briefly fallen under insurgents' control at least twice in recent years.



"About 5,000 families have been displaced by the fighting," Ghulam Sakhi Rasuli, director of the Kunduz Refugees and Repatriation Department, told AFP.



He said thousands of families had fled the province.



Militants who already controlled major swaths of the country have made rapid gains since U.S.-led international troops officially began their withdrawal on May 1.



The push has given Taliban fighters new control over dozens of districts three months before the international pullout is scheduled for completion.



U.S. President Joe Biden told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, at the White House on June 25 that "Afghans are going to have to decide their future."

But Biden vowed that "were going to stick with you and were going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need."



Ghani said Washington's decision to withdraw "has made everybody recalculate and reconsider" as the partnership between the United States and Afghanistan enters a new phase.



Peace talks between Afghan government officials and the Taliban, launched in Qatar in September 2020, largely broke off when Biden announced the pullout of U.S. forces by September 11 following a May 1 deadline the previous U.S. administration had agreed with the Taliban.

Based on reporting by AFP
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Health leaders propose ARPA-H

Leaders of the federal health and science community are looking to establish a health-based research agency, with the same flexible and nimble approach to innovation and experimentation as the Defense Departments Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

ARPA-H would work to foster broad creative solutions in health and medicine, focusing revolutionizing the prevention, treatment and cures for cancer, infectious diseases and other intractable illnesses. Unlike DARPA, which focuses on military solutions, ARPA-H will need to create breakthrough innovations that serve an entire ecosystem and all populations, according to commentary published in the journal Science by National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Eric S. Lander and others.

As part of the Biden administrations budget proposal, ARPA-H would be part of NIH, funded with $6.5 billion over three years. It would support transformative research that is too risky for commercial investment. ARPA-H would collaborate with other federal health agencies to identify critical needs and opportunities and to partner on complex projects that interact, for example, with public health infrastructure or medical regulation, the authors wrote.

Some of the potential ARPA-H technologies envisioned include cancer vaccines, development of molecular ZIP codes that allow drugs to target cell types and small, highly accurate, inexpensive, non-intrusive wearables to monitor blood pressure and blood sugar, the authors said.

Through bold, ambitious ideas and approaches, ARPA-H can help shape the future of health and medicine in the U.S. by transforming the seemingly impossible into reality, the authors wrote. Ultimately, ARPA-H will strive to propel us towards one goal: to directly improve the health of all Americans faster than was ever imagined to be achievable. The time to do this is now -- we cannot afford to wait.
Sometime in 1908, Frank Lloyd Wright was actually in Mason City. He probably stood on the corner of East State Street and Federal Avenue with lawyers James Markley and James Blythe and discussed their ambitious plan for a new City National Bank to be built across the street. Their project would include offices for their firm, a much-needed hotel, retail spaces, rental offices and a restaurant.

In 1908 that corner was the original location of the City National Bank that was built in 1873 of native limestone in the Italianate Style. Frank Lloyd Wrights design for the new commission would be radically different. It would be a strong box on the exterior with the banking functions built in the center of it.

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A model of the interior of Wrights design for the City National Bank is on display at the Robert E. McCoy Architectural Interpretive Center. Go to www.stockmanhouse.org for hours.

During Mr. Wrights current visit to Mason City to celebrate his 154th birthday this month, he will be stationed at the corner of East State and Federal Avenue once again until the end of next week, presently the location of Moorman Clothiers. Mr. Wright will take an interest in what he finds there!
Jenny Turner, the owner of the dog who attacked the post carrier, says there has been an overreaction to the entire situation.

Turner says that after her dog, Jay, got the loose the second time, Jay and her other dog ran to the post carrier, but didn't actually touch her.

"They were always at least a foot away from her (the post carrier)," Turner said. "I had a neighbor see the whole thing, and she even gave a testimony to the city council."

Since the incident, Turner says she has installed an electric fence to keep her dog from getting out again, but the post office and city and county officials won't come to see that the new fence will keep her dogs contained.

"I said I'll do whatever you need to do to me, you'll never have to step foot in my yard, but please just give the people around their mail back," Turner said. "But, it seems like that won't happen."

Turner also says she takes full responsibility for letting her dog get loose, and is very appreciative of the Hampton City Council and the post office, understanding this is a difficult situation for all involved.
Three of Coyles victims reported to Miller's office that he abused them when he was a priest in Sanborn or Armstrong in the 1970s and 1980s. One said church officials did nothing after his mother told them in 1981 that Coyle was a sexual predator. The church provided Coyle financial assistance for years and in 2018 quietly moved him to a senior center near a Fort Dodge school.

Another man reported that he was a boy when the Rev. George McFadden sexually abused him in the early 1980s in LeMars  just one of at least 48 credible allegations against McFadden.

Both Coyle and McFadden, who was removed from the priesthood in 2001, no longer live in Iowa, according to the report.

Others who cannot face prosecution include a former priest at a state institution for troubled juveniles who was accused of sexually abusing teens in the 1980s and 1990s and fired for indecent contact. An administrative law judge later found the allegations were undetermined and church officials accepted that finding. The priest, who was not identified in the report, is retired but still has duties with the Dubuque diocese.
Many Americans felt relief and joy at the announcement that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in many situations. This is a huge victory in our fight against COVID-19, but our fight is not over. We must continue to keep our families, and our most vulnerable members safe to get back to what we missed most over the last year.

What we know about COVID-19 vaccines so far is they protect you, and your loved ones from getting sick or becoming seriously ill. All three of the currently approved vaccines are free, highly effective and are being closely monitored for safety. Every day more and more people are getting vaccinated, but there are some who understandably have questions and concerns about the safety and side effects from the vaccines. Everyone should ask questions and learn about the COVID-19 vaccines from trusted, reliable sources, like your family doctor, to help you make an informed choice.
I recall a trip many years ago. Mr. Walleye Gary Roach, Outdoor Writer Jeff Murray and I took a Canadian fly-in trip to a lake 300 miles north of the closest road. We caught many, many big and bigger northern pike and lake trout. It was memorable.

But I also remember fondly fishing with Gary on Lake Mille Lacs and Lake of the Woods in Minnesota. Closer and easier to get to, and those trips were equally memorable. The people are just as important and memorable as the place.

Some Canada fans suggest that theres always something different around the next island and there are always new areas to explore. Point taken and agreed to.

But, again, back in my memories: I had the opportunity to spend lots of time with fishing pioneer Ron Lindner back in the mid-80s. Ron and I headquartered at Camp Fish near Walker Minnesota a lot back then. We would leave Camp in the morning, boat in tow, and would head to a lake. It was always a different lake. We would fish that lake a couple of hours, put the boat back on the trailer, and travel a few miles to another lake. We would do this four or five times a day. Lots of exploring and lots of nice memories. People, not places.
Kim Roberson, president of the Danville chapter of the Virginia Educators Association, suspects some teachers may have been burned out from the rough school year that balanced online and in-person classes.

I think there were some teachers who decided, well, its time to go ahead and retire, she said.

Jessica Jones, president of the Pittsylvania chapter of the Virginia Educators Association, is somewhat concerned about the vacancies in the wake of the pandemic  especially with science and career and technical education (vocational) positions.

I think there are teachers taking on additional classes to assure that the students are actually able to get their science classes taken care of, she said.

However, Jones agrees that it is not an issue specific to this year. Instead, it is part of the larger trend of teachers leaving.

I would say Ive noticed an uptick in individuals leaving. I wouldnt say thats unusual, she said. Thats something thats been happening in the county over several years.

Teacher shortages across the nation have been driven by low pay and stressful work environments.
Whenever the Southern Baptist Convention gathers in times of trials and turmoil, one thing is certain  someone will preach a sermon that makes a difference.

Thats how Southern Baptists do what they do. These sermons may not produce as many headlines as SBC elections or fiery debates about hot-button social issues. But the sermons matter.

The big sermon during the 2021 convention in Nashville came at a logical moment  when SBC President J.D. Greear gave his farewell address just before tense voting to elect his successor.

In this defining moment address, the leader of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, offered a stinging quote about an elephant that has camped in the SBC fellowship hall.

We have to decide, Greear said, if we want our convention primarily to be a political voting bloc or if we want it to be a Great Commission people. ... Whenever the church gets in bed with politics, the church gets pregnant, and the offspring does not look like our Father in heaven.

America is important, he stressed. But America is not the whole picture for believers striving to build churches around the world. God has not called us primarily to save America politically. He has called us to make the Gospel known to all, said Greear.
With the creation of June 19th (Juneteenth) as a federal holiday, Democrats have one more claim to be the party of civil rights and equal opportunity for African Americans, though most Republicans also voted for the holiday. That claim has been promoted for decades by a compliant media, academia and high-profile politicians, but the facts say otherwise.

From Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 to the mid-20th century, members of the Democratic Party, dominant in the South due to its opposition to civil and political rights for African Americans, were on the wrong side of civil rights.

Federal troops finally brought the news of emancipation to Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, meeting resistance from plantation owners. This is the same year the Ku Klux Klan was founded. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate Army general and a Democrat, was the first grand wizard of the KKK, though he tried disbanding it in 1869 after growing critical of its excessive violence.

The Klan, which numbered 4 million members at its peak, dedicated itself as History.com notes, to an underground campaign of violence against Republican leaders and voters (both Black and white) in an effort to reverse the policies of Radical Reconstruction and restore white supremacy in the South.
Rogers says we are seeing restrictions on voting rights today at loggerheads with the freedom that was achieved on Juneteenth.

Then again, the pushback against the advances of Black people is as American as fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Rogers, for example, explained that Reconstruction did not begin immediately after the Civil War.

As Rogers explains, the restoration of the rights of Southern states to do everything but enslave freed those states to enact Black codes and vagrancy laws, putting shackles on people in different ways to recreate slavery and make it more difficult for people who had now earned their own freedom to actually be able to enact that freedom.

It was only until two years later, in 1867, that Reconstruction, and the federal occupation of the South, launched a period of unprecedented Black progress. That success was cut off at the knees when the federal government decided that Southern appeasement mattered more than Black lives and abandoned the South, launching a reign of terror.

Today, as we strive to more greatly enact our freedom, Black lives and national unity feel precarious.
We realize we stated these data points in negative numbers  which may rile some of you who like to thump the tub of positivity  but this is a negative point. We are a week shy of July 4, and we are weak and shy of sealing off the virus from our public.

Yes, its good that our testing positivity rate is down to a remarkable 1.6%. That we are below community spread of 5% is one of the key reasons that you can go to games and festivals and movies and out to dinner these days and show your smile in the process.

And you can thank those who have committed to all our good health for pushing those numbers down. This progress hasnt happened because the virus has abated and stopped mutating. Its not because you were so diligent with your masks and distancing  although those were and remain imminently important for the unvaccinated  but its because thousands have gotten vaccinated and continued to urge family, friends and neighbors to do the same thing.

We drive home our points yet again  if only these words could convert  because the virus does continue to mutate, and this variant known as Delta  short for its scientific classification  is causing quite an upheaval in various locales. In Israel, for example, a public mask requirement had to be reinstated to guard against this highly contagious and rapidly moving variant.
GREENSBORO  Shortly before noon on Friday, Sophia Alvini-Moore hugged her mother goodbye.

They had driven on Thursday from their Delaware home to Guilford College, summer home to the Eastern Music Festival. Now, her mother was driving back.

Alvini-Moore, 17, will spend five weeks studying cello with professional musicians and performing public concerts in small chamber music groups and a larger orchestra.

Ive never been to a festival at this level or for this duration, Alvini-Moore said before walking to the cafeteria for lunch. Im going to have a lot of exposure to orchestral repertoire Ive never seen before. Every single piece we are playing is new to me.

She was among the high school and college students and professional faculty from around the country who checked in Friday for the classical music festival, which is marking its 60th anniversary season.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival has been scaled back this year, with fewer students and faculty and smaller audiences.

The number of students has been reduced from the usual 300 from around the globe. Likewise, the number of faculty artists has been downsized from what typically is a complement of 75.
GREENSBORO  Isolation, fear and anger.

Summer 2020 started in a bad place.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended America.

And soon, rage would ignite that tinderbox.

A shocking image came from the same social media people were using to connect to news and neighbors.

It broke through the clutter and galvanized millions: An amateur cell-phone video showing the agonized death of George Floyd.

I remember I was sitting on my phone one day and I saw the video of George Floyd come across my timeline, said Anthony Morgan III, a local community activist.

The pandemic gave Morgan time to sit with his thoughts. And the footage disturbed him.

I remember it made me feel a certain type of pain in my heart.

Floyd, a Black man, died on Memorial Day in Minneapolis after being pinned to the ground by the knee of Derek Chauvin, a police officer.

Floyd pleaded with the officer, repeating: "I can't breathe."

The incident went viral, sparking an outcry for an end to police brutality against Black people.

Protests erupted in Minneapolis, then across the entire country.

Greensboro was no exception, due in part to Morgan.

After seeing the Floyd footage, he felt compelled to help, and while usually he would channel those emotions into his music, this was different.

I felt like it needed to be an action and that I needed to take that energy that I felt to the streets.

So he did.

On May 30, 2020, Morgan and a crowd met outside the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in downtown. They marched all day, the crowd of protesters swelling as they chanted, blocked intersections on Gate City Boulevard and even shut down a section of Interstate 40.

They called for justice. For Floyd. For Black people.

That was then.

A year later, the justice Morgan and many others demanded seems out of reach. The progress they wanted has come  but it's hard to pinpoint. The change they need is happening  but it's not easy to spot.

A year later. Things are still changing.

A year later. Whether or not that's for the better depends on who you ask.

****

Anthony Morgan leads protest Anthony Morgan leads a chant of the names of Black men killed by police during a protest on May 30, 2020, at the intersection of Gate City Bou

Some said it was frustration in the fight for justice that fueled the violence and destruction Greensboro and cities across the country saw.

More than a year later, many issues divide the city. But activists and elected leaders believe the city has made progress in righting some wrongs that sent marchers to the streets.

Morgan wasnt involved in violence that broke out downtown on the night of May 30. Thats not how he prefers to go about initiating change. After marching in the hot sun all day, he and many protesters went home. But some stayed out, joining a second group downtown.

On Elm Street that night, the cordial relationship that existed between police and protesters all day shifted. Police brought out riot gear and deployed pepper spray. Businesses were vandalized, property stolen.

Authorities later suggested it was a small group of outsiders that caused the damage, but few arrests were ever made.

A curfew was put in place days later, which only seemed to further frustrate protesters who wanted their voices heard.

Casey Thomas, a 32-year-old community activist with the group Guilford For All, said the city's decision to institute a curfew was disappointing. After seeing an inspiring number of young people organizing together, the curfew came across as an effort to shut down those voices.

"Curfews are a way for the city to be able to say that its fine for us to lock these people up," Thomas said. "That its fine for us to hurt these people."

But the city said it was in response to the "escalating violence" over the first weekend of protests.

As demonstrations continued, downtown Greensboro businesses boarded their windows. The businesses on Elm Street, all covered in plywood, made one store indistinguishable from the next.

Then came the art.

Paint covered the plywood  dedications to Black men and women who lost their lives to police brutality. The familiar words chanted by protesters  "no justice, no peace"  adorned some of the wooden boards. So, too, were pleas for change, understanding and love.

The art, seen as a peaceful expression of frustration, later inspired street murals by Black artists, including a "Black Lives Matter" mural on Elm Street.

City Council members would later see that as the positive outcome of a distressing weekend of destruction. And it was a beginning, they believe, of a year of healing, though many protesters still feel frustration.

"I believe our city was changing well before the protests happened," Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter said. "The city's been proactive. It helped prevent some of the major disruptions that other cities were experiencing.

"I truly believe if we had not begun those proactive conversations and outreach into the community that we may have had a worse outcome."

****

One particular incident both Thomas and Morgan agree needs the city's attention: the Marcus Smith case.

"Chief (Brian) James wasn't in leadership at that time, which I fully understand," Morgan said, "but that is still an issue that's going on that's kind of holding our police department back from being this full, amplified version of what it could be."

Smith, 38, has become known as Greensboros George Floyd," or in other words, yet another Black person who died at the hands of law enforcement.

Smith, homeless at the time of his death, was experiencing a mental health crisis when officers bound his legs and feet behind him on Sept. 8, 2018. A state medical examiner said he died of cardiopulmonary arrest caused by a variety of factors, including prone restraint at the hands of police, cardiovascular disease and drugs and alcohol in his system.

Smith's family is suing Guilford County, the city of Greensboro, eight officers and two paramedics, alleging they violated Smith's constitutional rights by improperly restraining him and failing to treat his medical issues.

"It didn't have to go down that way," Morgan said, "and we can change things to make it right."

Every Monday, a group gathers outside of City Hall, calling for the city to settle the lawsuit.

There are other local incidents that have drawn criticism from the community, like the shooting death of Fredrick Cox Jr., an 18-year-old who was shot and killed by an undercover Davidson County Sheriff's Office detective at a High Point funeral last year.

Despite an SBI investigation that yielded no evidence to support that Cox was in a gang or had fired a weapon, a grand jury chose not to indict the detective who killed Cox.

His family continues to call for justice and answers.

"When you delay justice you become part of the problem," Morgan said.

When it comes to Smith's case, Thomas said his killing was "abhorrent." The handling of the case should be baffling, she said, but it's not.

"Because it's the kind of behavior we've come to expect," Thomas said.

****

Last summer, Morgan continued to hold protests, drawing crowds, his displays sometimes shutting down sections of major roads.

Protests related to the Black Lives Matter movement in Greensboro have dwindled, but Morgan's desire for change and unity remains strong, similar to other local activists. But they're going about it in other ways  rallies, community outreach and voting education.

Morgan said he has seen change in the city.

"I've definitely seen just a difference overall in culture," he said. "Just the way that we interact with people here in the city of Greensboro."

Morgan said he believes that, for the most part, the Greensboro Police Department is full of great officers that want to "do a good job." There are still changes he'd like to see like more "protecting and serving" and less "policing."

Overall, though, Morgan believes the city and police are headed in the "right direction."

Thomas, however, thinks the city has a long way to go.

"The biggest thing that I have learned about the city following the George Floyd protests, following all of the organizing that weve been doing around policing and accountability, is that we absolutely have to build people power," Thomas said.

It's voting, Thomas said. It's making sure the right people are in power. It's signing petitions. It's people rallying together for the same cause.

"In the last electoral cycle, we flipped the county commission to get from a 5-4 Republican majority to a 7-2 Democratic majority," Thomas said. "It's not perfect, but it's made big strides."

There are plenty of policies that activists like Thomas would like to see adopted to limit what she deems unnecessary interaction between police and the community  policies that would keep officers from being able to harm people and remain on the right side of the law. Policies that would keep homeless from being arrested for simply having nowhere to go. Policies that would decriminalize marijuana.

Proper funding keeps programs Thomas would like to see expanded from reaching their full potential, like the Cure Violence program  an initiative that sends people into neighborhoods to interrupt violence between residents before it can start. The program's efforts in the Smith Homes area and the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive corridor have led to a decrease in violent crime there.

But attempts by activists to garner change don't always end in success.

Last year, when Thomas and others fought for City Council to adopt a written consent policy  a policy that would require officers to get written consent before searching a person, car or residence  they didn't think they were asking for too much. The policy would not have affected an officer's ability to search with probable cause or if an officer feels their safety is in danger.

"This isn't something that is a radical, left-wing thing," Thomas said.

When it came time to put it to a vote, elected officials decided against adopting it.

That proved one thing to Thomas:

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"We have to build the power to be able to take them out and put new people in."

****

Council members don't see their vote in September on written consent as a policy failure. Far from it.

They were divided about whether the policy would provide too much of a distraction for officers already struggling with potentially dangerous situations during traffic stops. The measure failed by a 5-4 vote.

Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, a tireless advocate for the Black community, was one who voted against it. But not for obvious reasons, she said.

She was not so much concerned about police convenience, she said, as she was concerned that police all too often use petty offenses as an excuse to make unnecessary traffic stops of minorities.

Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann, who also opposed the measure, said, "to have to go through that signed consent step places an undue burden on an officer in what can be a critical situation."

Mayor Nancy Vaughan said the alternative measure that was passed by council, to require police to get a motorist's verbal consent on a body-worn camera video, would provide more indisputable proof and be more convenient for officers.

Abuzuaiter, one of council's more outspoken advocates for police, said the city is on the right track, making changes before the Floyd protests and continuing those outreach efforts in the past year.

"I think Greensboro is always attuned to feelings in the community," she said. "The manager, the city employees, the police  they have been trying all along to help bridge the gap in our community to help those who are underserved.

"While the looting and violence that happened was unfortunate, we did not experience the level of destruction that other cities had."

****

Council members defend the ways they've recognized concerns of protesters, saying that even before the protests, the city and police chief changed things in ways that made a difference in the past year.

But some say the city should be doing more.

Councilman Justin Outling, who is running for mayor against Vaughan, says city leaders have let down residents by failing to vote as a council to make these changes.

Case in point: Greensboro council never took a formal vote on any of the "8 Can't Wait" policies.

Protesters in Greensboro and across the country called for eight policies  known as "8 Can't Wait"  to be adopted immediately. Some police policy changes partially address those suggestions but, in many cases, Outling says they don't go far enough and leave unanticipated loopholes.

According to the 8 Can't Wait website, Greensboro has fully adopted only one of the provisions in the list  a requirement for police to de-escalate the potential use of force  and has either partially or not adopted at all the remaining provisions.

Outling said that after Floyd's death, Vaughan said council would hold a work session to discuss adopting "8 Can't Wait." But the work session never took place and the list never appeared on a council agenda last year.

"It has very straightforward policies and even our revised policy differs from '8 Can't Wait,'" Outling said. "For example, '8 Can't Wait' has an outright ban on chokeholds. Our new policy is, no chokeholds, no strangleholds  unless we really need it."

"I'm not saying our standard is wrong, but let's not confuse the public into believing we've made changes where we haven't."

Outling blames Vaughan for the lack of action. He said she could've asked for that work session, but chose to allow police and other city departments to make the changes council should've approved. Other city councils, like in Charlotte, have taken action on "8 Can't Wait," and that makes Greensboro look bad, Outling feels.

Vaughan believes the city's response is comprehensive and more thorough than what 8 Can't Wait allowed.

"Nobody's going to support police brutality, but the police chief and City Council were active in looking at 8 Can't Wait and going beyond that," she said. "It would've been easy to check those boxes and say we did it."

Abuzuaiter said council is not the place to make police policy changes, even if, as Outling said, a new chief could reverse any policies James puts in place.

"I don't believe it's appropriate for us to have him change policies and directives," Abuzuaiter said. "A new police chief could change those things. But also a new City Council could change those things. I entrust it to our police chief to make sure what was done in the '8 Can't Wait' was adopted by our police department. I don't believe any chief will come in and change those back to the way they were before."

In the wake of Smith's death, the entire police department is going through racial equality training, Vaughan said, and improving the way police interact with the mentally ill is a top priority. It's one of the many things Vaughan said the city has done to enhance policing and make it safer for the public and officers.

These changes, she said, began after Smith's 2018 death and well before Floyd's death.

The city now offers the "Take Me Home" program in which families with a mentally-challenged or disabled person can register with the city so officers know before they respond that a person may react unfavorably to flashing lights or have an aversion to being touched, for example.

"This is all voluntary and it is confidential and a family can fill these forms out to let the police department know what they could be encountering," Vaughan said. "All I know is that we're having really meaningful discussions throughout the community and I believe that we have significant changes that have been driven by those discussions.

"You can support police and neighborhoods and activists at the same time. We all want the same thing. We all want everybody to be safe."

****

Chief Brian James won't comment on the Smith case, or any case that's still in litigation.

But when he thinks about the past year  one marred by a pandemic, a record-shattering number of homicides and a contentious relationship between supporters of the Smith family and the police department  James said he doesn't think of the protests as a setback.

James, who became chief in January 2020, said there was no "playbook" to go by when protests began. Despite that, he's pleased with how the department handled the protests.

"We actually facilitated the ability of people to exercise their First Amendment right. I think my officers and my department ... I think we did it very well."

James acknowledges the damage caused by a small group of people on South Elm Street during the protests, and though police did a "thorough investigation," he said when it comes to arrests, "we didn't make many."

He attributes the lack of arrests to the "chaos and confusion" that came along with the looting and damages. Video footage was limited, James said, and even with it, it was hard to identify "who did what."

Many of the people police did identify were not from Greensboro, James said, though they were protest participants earlier in the evening.

James thinks the relationships he and the department have with community members "played a large role" in police being able to "handle everything peacefully." A Greensboro native, James said he has longstanding relationships with many of the activists who came out and organized amid the protests. He said the protests opened the door to contact with community members that the pandemic inhibited for months.

Greensboro Police Chief Brian James Greensboro Police Chief Brian James discusses what has changed in the city since the local protests last year after George Floyd's death at th

"You'd be surprised how many conversations there were that weren't captured by media or even on social media ... how many conversations that actually took place between the protesters and the officers that actually helped to bridge gaps."

After the death of Floyd and just one day before protests began in Greensboro, James held a press conference. He condemned the actions of Chauvin, along with the behavior of the other officers that stood by while Floyd was killed. He called the charges against Chauvin "completely appropriate" and said the incident "left a stain on law enforcement nationwide."

After protests began in Greensboro, James held a second press conference, during which he announced policy modifications made in a direct response to Floyd's death.

One of those modifications included prohibiting the use of chokeholds and strangleholds.

"We never authorized chokeholds," James said. "We didn't teach them, but the policy didn't specifically spell out that you couldn't use them."

James said more than 40 policy modifications were made in 2020, but that many of the things the nation and community were calling for, Greensboro police "already had in place."

****

Larger change within the department came with the institution of new programs and services.

The Behavioral Health Response Team was one of those changes. The unit has been in place since January and is comprised of trained counselors that ride along on mental health calls.

The group is a direct response to the Smith case. After he died, many argued the tragedy could have been avoided had someone that night been trained to deal with a mental health crisis.

It's a program James would like to see expanded. For now, a single squad works Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until about 9 or 10 p.m., James said. Those are the hours that police receive the most calls related to mental health issues. When the team isn't available and a mental health call is received, Guilford Metro 911 makes an effort to dispatch an officer who has crisis intervention training.

The department is also making it a point to expand mental health services for officers.

"And actually, we're doing it after the first year of service," James said. "Because that first year of service you see a lot of things that you've never seen before."

James said he wants policing to become an attractive profession again, the past year having turned many away from pursuing a career in law enforcement. Recruiting has become difficult not only in Greensboro, but across the country, James said.

With the city on par to match last year's homicide record, working together as a community is key in deterring more violence  violence that often leads to increased policing and tense interactions between community members and officers. It's one of the reasons why James is working on community outreach, like the police department's new summer jobs program for teens. He hopes it will keep young people productive during what is often the "most vulnerable part of the year."

If a community is struggling, James said, "oftentimes, crime follows."

****

The demonstrations last year "really shined a light for a lot of people on what they see as inequities throughout the city and that's not a bad thing to uncover," Hoffmann said.

She said in the 10 years she has served on council, the city has come to recognize that civic and business investment should be going into the neighborhoods and business districts of east Greensboro.

Arts programs, the emphasis on a large multipurpose building project at the Windsor-Chavis Community Center and other projects will bring needed attention to that part of the city, she added.

"I've said this before," Hoffmann said. "I hope I live long enough in Greensboro so that we don't talk about east Greensboro and west Greensboro. We just talk about Greensboro."

Councilwoman Hightower, who represents east Greensboro, remains skeptical that council has done enough to rid her district of the embedded problems its residents fight daily.

"While the police chief might have said, 'We've done things,' it's still a struggle to have investment in our community. We talk around the police and we talk about giving them more resources," Hightower said. "Where are those resources that need to go into the community?"

During the most destructive part of the George Floyd demonstrations, Hightower said, Black-owned businesses were hardest hit.

And the city might not have gone far enough to help rebuild or heal, she said.

"Have we done some stuff? Maybe. Could we have done better? Yes," she said. "Our community is still fractured."

A look at the 2020 protests in pictures:

Contact Jamie Biggs at 336-373-4476 and follow @JamieBiggsNR on Twitter. Contact Richard M. Barron at 336-373-7371 and follow @BarronBizNR on Twitter.

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North Oak Academy has run into far more difficulty getting approvals from Durham city leaders.

National Heritage Academies sought to incorporate the planned school's property into city limits and asked for water access in November. The request was rejected by the Durham City Council.

"Let's just say it's no secret that I believe that charter schools have been detrimental to Durham Public Schools in many ways," Mayor Steve Schewel said at the November meeting. "I think they have been re-segregating, and I think that they have also really taken so much of the good parental and professional energy out of our public schools."

"And that has been damaging," he added.

In addition to requiring providing water and sewer, the legislation also says that municipalities have to approve annexation requests from charter schools if the property is eligible.

Charter school 'martyr'

National Heritage Academies returned in May to ask Durham to extend water and sewer lines to the school site. It was again rejected even after Bill Brian, the company's attorney, threatened legal action against the city.
Yeas: Manning

Bank loans: The House has passed a resolution disapproving of and voiding an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regulation issued in October 2020 that required a federally regulated bank to originate a given loan in order to be considered a lender. The vote on Thursday, June 24, was 218-208.

Yeas: Manning

Small business loans: The House has passed the LGBTQ Business Equal Credit Enforcement and Investment Act. The bill would require the reporting by financial companies of data for loans provided to businesses owned by non-heterosexuals. The vote on Thursday, June 24, was 252-176.

Yeas: Manning

Employer discrimination: The House has approved a resolution to disapprove of and void an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule that revised the agencys process for settling claims of discriminatory practices by employers by providing the employers with the factual and legal basis for finding that the practices occurred. The vote on Thursday, June 24, was 219-210.

Yeas: Manning
They are fearless and have a determination that they will not stop and will not be stopped, said state Rep. Amos Quick of Greensboro. They are willing to challenge entire systems.

They are standing on the work of past generations in the movement, just as his generation had done before them, said Quick, who also serves at the House Democratic Whip.

We were building the airplane as we were flying it, Quick said of those previous generations. They are now flying the plane and getting us to some wonderful destinations.

Quick, who pastors the 106-year-old Calvary Baptist Church, said that includes changing the conversation about structural systems put in place to maintain inequality. While the veterans of the movement continue working on problems they see, they say the protesters bring an energy to the movement.

In Greensboro, the largely peaceful protests downtown spread to other parts of the city and temporarily shut down Interstate 40 with the foot traffic. But make no doubt about it, Quick and other veteran civil rights leaders say, there is a certain pride in watching the youngsters lead. There is room  and need  for them.
While the report from the firm of Morabito Consultants did not warn of imminent danger from the damage  and it is unclear if any of the damage observed was responsible for the collapse  it did note the need for extensive and costly repairs to fix systemic issues with the building.

It said the waterproofing under the pool deck had failed and had been improperly laid flat instead of sloped, preventing water from draining off.

"The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replaced the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially," the report said.

The firm recommended that the damaged slabs be replaced in what would be a major repair.

The report also uncovered "abundant cracking and spalling" of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage. Some of the damage was minor, while other columns had exposed and deteriorating rebar. It also noted that many of the building's previous attempts to fix the columns and other damage with epoxy were marred by poor workmanship and were failing.

Beneath the pool deck "where the slab had been epoxy-injected, new cracks were radiating from the originally repaired cracks," the report said.
Messing wasnt sure what landed in the hayfield across from her home, but it was round, orange and as big as a swimming pool, according to the report.

I know this sounds crazy  but the first thing I could think of was a flying saucer, Messing was quoted as saying.

Messing was adamant that she didnt drink or smoke pot, according to the article, and told the reporter she went to church and didnt believe in that stuff.

What she described as a circle the size of a swimming pool with orange windows was gone after she called authorities.

She and her mother walked to the field the next day and noticed the grass was flat in the shape of a circle.

Messings mother, Jackie Rijfkogel, said she, too, didnt know what they saw.

The sad part is when you watch that stuff on TV theres an ending. But when something happens to you in real life, theres no ending, Rijfkogel said in the article. It leaves you hanging.

In a follow-up story, Wanda Locklear, who ran a daycare center in Raeford, said she spotted a balloon near the Antioch Fire Department on N.C. 211, not too far south of where Messing reported her sighting the day before.
The tank that collapsed had the West Hills College Golden Eagle emblem on it.
Author and self-proclaimed worlds foremost drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs once said, The drive-in will never die.

And while the physical theaters, with towering screens as big as the West Texas sky and rusted, crackly speakers that somehow seem to make movies sound better, are fewer and further between now than they ever have been, the vivid memories of those hot summer movie nights live on.

In the back, there was always a party on the weekend, former theater owner Catherine Graff said, adding with a chuckle, I dont know how many kids Ive talked to who said, I was made at the theater.

Graffs father, Tom, bought the theater in 1978, which her family owned up until its sale in May.

The theater was built by Bill Sharp, Ed Misener and Vernon Paddock in the late 40s. According to Sharps obituary, the trio removed old grapevines, paved the theater lot, installed speakers and built the snack bar and the screen.

The theater officially opened on Thursday, Oct. 20, 1949, showing the films Susie Steps Out and Red Canyon.

The Miseners sold the theater to local entrepreneur George Peterson in 1955.

Catherine was 21 when her father, who owned several theaters throughout the state, bought the Kings Drive-in. The first film shown under the new management was The Lifeguard starring Sam Elliot.

The theater became a true family business  Catherine worked in the concession stand on weekends and her parents lived in a bungalow built under the screen. In addition, the theater, then nearing three decades old, underwent a facelift.

After renovating the snack bar, playground and screen, then-manager Ed La Roque, told the Sentinel, Weve done more business in one week than the previous owners did in a month.

The theater, ahead of the curve of the industry, also switched from stationary speakers that attached to car windows to using Cinema Radio to broadcast the films soundtracks over the radio to be picked up by vehicles.

Eventually, most drive-ins will probably go this route. Its the wave of the future, Tom Graff told the Sentinel in 1978.

The switch couldnt have happened sooner for Harvey Brown, a native of Hanford who now lives in Portland, Oregon, who told the Sentinel about a speaker faux paus he committed one night in the 60s.

Regretfully one night after the movie, I forgot to put the speaker back on its pole and drove away. I ripped it right out. I was so afraid that I would go to prison, that I sped home. It did look real cool in my bedroom, Brown wrote in an email. Still feel bad about it.

In the late 70s and early 80s, the drive-in made an effort to become more family-friendly by discontinuing its late-night X-rated features and showing more PG-rated films.

However, the drive-in is inherently a place to party. Its ingrained in its very DNA. From its beginnings as a cheap way to offer the Greatest Generation to spend some time post-WWII to its heyday as ground zero for 50s B-movie schlock and, later, 70s grindhouse exploitation, the only y crime that a night at the drive in could commit is to be boring.

Catherine recalls movie-goers hauling sofas in the back of their trucks and handfuls of teens emerging from trunks, thinking theyd gotten one over on the management that probably always knew and never seemed to mind.

As kids, we went to the drive-in, but my brother had to take me and my best friend. Most of the time he would hide us in the trunk of his car so he could pocket our money to buy snacks. Ive always remembered this. I turned 83 yesterday and I can still remember doing this a few times. I laugh at the things we did, Teresa Gonzales-John said via Facebook.

By the end of its run, the Kings Drive-In, like most drive-ins around the country, primarily screened family-friendly films as a way to offer a full night of family fun on the cheap. And while the drive-in may be remembered by many as the first place they saw a monster movie or had their first kiss, for just as many, the drive-in was a place for the family to get together for memorable night.

Adventures were expensive for a family of seven back in the sixties. We would load up the station wagon with pillows and blankets for family discount night. Typically big religious epics like The Ten Commandments. Mom prepared a homemade delicious feast for us -- corn dogs, popcorn, candy and soda pop, Sally Stites said via Facebook. Lifelong good memories of the drive-in.

And while many have memories of weekends spent at the drive in, Catherines daughter, Emma, can say she spent her entire childhood there.

I literally spent my childhood there with a giant 50-foot flat-screen television in my front yard. It was cool, said Emma, who worked at the theater until its closure in 2012.

The marquee, which faces 14th avenue, still advertises the theaters final show. The musical Pitch Perfect and the Liam Neeson action film Taken closed the theaters illustrious 63-year run.

In addition to years of wear-and-tear and vandalism, the industrys inevitable switch from 35mm film to digital projection were the writing on the wall, marking the end for the theater. Movie studios phased out the use of film reels in favor of digital copies in the early 2010s.

That made it very difficult, Catherine said. We just couldnt do it.

In order to upgrade to digital, the theater would need a total re-do, Graff said, adding that upgrading to digital projectors and sound systems would cost around $2 million and that a second screen would likely need to be added to even begin to break even.

It was very depressing, but we knew it would happen. Thats just the way it is, she said. We really enjoyed it, we had a lot of fun and we did well, but sometimes things just become obsolete.
Every place has a name, and every name has a story  including the towns, streets and sites right here in Kings County.

Old articles, historical records and local history experts can point us to the origins of the names Hanford and Lemoore residents see everyday.

Both Hanford and Lemoore were first established as railroad towns, but received their names under different circumstances, said Bill Black, local historian and board member of the Sarah Mooney museum.

Below are the origins of a number of local names and their namesakes.

Kings County

Kings County was named for the Kings River, which runs through Kings Canyon and between Lemoore and Lemoore Naval Air Station, according to the Kings County Historical Society.

Hanford

Before the Southern Pacific Railroad came through and officially established the city of Hanford, the area was a sheep camp, according to Black and a Hanford Sentinel article.

The town was named after James Hanford, who was an auditor for the railroad and was active in promoting and selling town lots in the city.

Lacey

Lots of sites in Hanford share the name Lacey, including the milling company, medical plaza, animal hospital and, of course, Lacey Boulevard  Hanfords modern thoroughfare.

Theyre all named after H.G. Lacey and his family, who purchased the milling company and electric company in 1892. The Lacey family still runs the milling company today.

Among many contributions to the city, H.G. donated a modern-day equivalent of $30,000 to build a road between Hanford and Lemoore. Eleven years later it was named in his honor, according to a pictorial history book about Lacey Milling Company.

Other streets

Porter Street was named after W.S. Porter who was a fruit grower and former South American coffee plantation owner. He owned the northwest portion of Hanford.

Irwin Street is named after a former county surveyor, E.P. Irwin.

David Douty Colton was an executive of the Southern Pacific and inspired Douty Streets name.

Redington was named after a San Francisco druggist who owned property interested in Hanford.

Bush Street is named after E.E. Bush, who brought a gas and power company to Hanford in 1903 until 1929 when natural gas was brought in.

Other

Coe Park gets its name from Charles H. Coe, a real estate developer who also served as mayor of Hanford and was on the school board of trustees.

Lemoore

Unlike Hanford and most other railroad towns, Lemoore more or less named itself. Several settlers and ranchers already owned land in the area before the railroad arrived, and it had to purchase rights from many of them to lay tracks and form their town.

There are two historical accounts of who developed the name Lemoore.

According to Black in 1874 a man named Benjamin Hamlin opened a drug store and filed for a post office to be established. He filed under the name Lakeville, which was rejected.

He also wrote to his friend Lovern Lee Moore about the development opportunities around water, the railroad and cheap land.

A year later Moore came to the area, purchased 160 acres and began a subdivision. He named the dirt and developed roads in his subdivision, including Lemoore Avenue, Bush St, Skaggs Street, Larish Street and Champion Street.

Hamlin refiled for the post office under the name Lemoore, after Moore.

However, according to a historical pamphlet by the Kings County Historical Society, it was Moore who filed for the post office under the name La Tache, which was rejected and he refiled under the name Lemoore, named after himself.

Black said railroad settlements usually name their own towns, but the cards were stacked against them and they named the town Lemoore.

Streets

A number of streets in Lemoore were named after the original land owners who the railroad had to buy rights from. Armstrong Street, Hill Street, Follett Street and Fox Street were original owners and the streets are near their original land holdings, Black said.

Others

Tachi Palace is named for the Yokut Tribe, called the Tachis, who resided near where Lemoore High School stands today, according to the history pamphlet.
Not far from Downtown Hanford stands a flour mill which is woven into the history of the city itself.

The Lacey Milling Company has stood at the corner of 5th and Redington streets for more than 130 years and has its history outlined in a 2016 pictorial history book published by the company itself.

The book details the history of the mill, as well as how the business and its owners have helped shape Hanford, the Valley and California.

Origins of the Lacey Milling Company

In 1874 Horatio Gregory Lacey moved his family from Kansas to Visalia after a grit mill he was a partner in was destroyed in an explosion. After the move, he worked at a sawmill near Sequoia National Park.

Thirteen years later a farmer and local financier, J.H. Johnson built a steam-operated mill called the Hanford Flour Mill. He also purchased a 50-year-old electric utility for Hanford out of Tulare County.

In 1892 the Laceys purchased the milling company and electric light facility from Johnson for $50,700, which equated to a more than $1.4 million deal today.

At that point Horatio and his son, Orra Mell, built the Hanford Electric Light and Power Company, which supplied light and power to the mill and residents of Hanford. Early ads for the power company touted the ability to run an electric fan during the Valleys hot summers.

It was announced in the Hanford Sentinel in 1898 the Hanford Electric Light and Power Company would be purchasing a 150-horsepower generator which would produce as much power as the San Joaquin river, allowing the mill to run in dry years as well.

In 1916 disaster struck when a fire burned down the wooden mill. The office building was saved, and replaced five years later. The mill was reconstructed in brick and the company then became Lacey Milling Company.

Recent History of Lacey Milling Company

While most cities used to depend on local mills for their flour and animal feed, many of those businesses have closed their doors. After the closure of Capitol Milling in Los Angeles, Lacey Milling Co. is now the only independent family-owned mill in California.

After testing different types of wheat, Lacey chose to only use California-grown wheat and developed a number of variations of flour, both white and whole grain.

When commercial tortilla bakeries started in the area, Lacey flour became the flour of choice and the production of tortillas is now the main use of bakery flour from Lacey Milling.

Lacey Milling also produced dairy feed up until 1982. They became affiliated with Coast Grain Company in 1961, but left the market when the dairy feed business declined 20 years later.

Since 1916 there have only been two non-family members who served on the Lacey Milling Company board, and nine of the 16 directors and officers carried the surname of Lacey.

Other impacts and interesting history

While the Lacey family brought Hanford power, light and a steady business, they and their companies have impacted the area in other ways.

Most visible is Lacey Boulevard, which is dedicated to the Laceys after Horatio donated $1,000, or almost $30,000 today, to the building of a good road between Hanford and Lemoore.

Horatio also lobbied against a 1913 legislative proposal to outlaw men with one arm from driving. He cited the driving skills of his son Loren, who had lost his left arm in a train accident while working for the Central Pacific Railroad.

Horatio was referred to as The Grand Old Man of Hanford, and was known for his contributions to the community and his patriotism.

A 1906 Hanford Sentinel article said after the Great San Francisco earthquake he was the first in Hanford to send aid in the form of 30 barrels of flour and served as chairman for a committee sending aid emergency supplies.

Horatio also purchased a number of American flags for local businesses, including a large flag to be lifted on a 100-foot pole at Courthouse Square for the Flag Day parade at the beginning of Americas involvement in WWI.

Hanford Electric Light and Power was sold shortly after the fire at the mill, but because the San Joaquin Light and Power Corporation wouldnt pay the asking price, they sold it to Mount Whitney Power and Electric Company.

That sale is why Hanford gets its power today from Southern California Edison while surrounding areas are covered by Pacific Gas and Electric.

Lacey Milling has also been featured in a number of movies, music videos and other video presentations, including a horror movie starring Brian "Kato" Kaelin, known for his involvement in the O.J. Simpson murder trails, and a music video for John Cougar Mellencamps Walk Tall.
After fasting and prayer, we felt this was approved by the Lord, he said.

Hatch said a meeting house was built on the site in 1990. He spoke of the new temple and its mission.

This Helena, Montana, temple will assist in proclaiming the gospel to the world, Hatch said.  No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecution may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble ... but the truth of God will go forth, boldly, nobly and independent till it has penetrated every continent  swept every country and sounded in every ear until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah will say the work is done.

Nancy Freeman told the audience temples have provided her with comfort and healing power during challenges in her life.

"Those who do temple work will be blessed in all aspects of their lives," she said, adding later that attending the temple has never been a sacrifice, because she feels she has been blessed.

Officials said construction should be quick as much of the temple will be pre-built and then assembled onsite.

Bret Romney, president of the Helena Stake, thanked those who attended.
Chuck Denowh, of the United Property Owners of Montana, said the extended season dates should be implemented in all hunting districts where elk are over population objectives. Likewise, Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, advocated for the increase in late shoulder seasons, saying the recent legislative session heard testimony from many landowners concerned about elk overrunning their property.

In the past, some hunters and conservation groups have expressed concern that landowners with large elk populations dont allow cow elk hunting during the regular season because they are leased to outfitters who make money from clients pursuing bull elk, not females that are worth less money.

We still have not seen the information from last season on how close they came in any of those units to meeting the 50% harvest during the general season, he said. So youre asking people to make comments without any information on how were doing. And its clear youre just throwing out the rules with the shoulder seasons. This has nothing to do with performance criteria, and it has nothing to do with the definition of a shoulder season. The data is simply not there to make an informed decision, and its clear the guidelines for these have been shelved.
The Illinois State Board of Education has submitted its proposed rules for how schools can restrain students who exhibit dangerous behavior. Read them yourself >>>
MCLEAN  Both sides of Interstate 55 between the McLean and Shirley exits opened Saturday afternoon after at least 16 hours of road crews working to mitigate flooding and collapse caused by heightened water levels of nearby Timber Creek.

The southbound side of I-55 reopened before noon on Saturday and the northbound side opened at 2:35 p.m., the Illinois Department of Transportation said on social media.

Funks Grove Township highway road commissioner Russ Broadfield said traffic was being diverted to US Old Route 66, which runs parallel to I-55. This would be the plan again if the road becomes flooded again as more rain falls this weekend, he said.

He added that motorists should continue to expect bottlenecks and closures in the area as local road and IDOT crews continue to to clear lanes of debris and water.

"I think it's just a mess," Broadfield said.

Photos posted on social media early Saturday by the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Fire Protection District showed areas of the state highway covered by water and by chunks of pavement, likely dislodged by flash flooding.

Emergency responders from the district were dispatched at 11 p.m. Friday to a point along Timber Creek, near the Funks Grove Rest Area, for a report of a sinking vehicle with four people trapped inside.

According to an account of the rescue posted on the district's social media page, responders first arrived from the south, finding the vehicle inaccessible.

One person was clinging to a tree and three people who tried to rescue that person also ended up needing help, McLean County Sheriff's Sgt. Luke Werts said, adding he could release no more details of the incident.

The Hudson dive team and the MABAS 41 Water Rescue Team  staged at the Bloomington Fire Department headquarters  were both deployed to the scene. Responders in the meantime approached via US Old Route 66 toward Shirley to reach the vehicle from the other side of Timber Creek.

Rescue crews in boats reached the vehicle at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and by 2:48 a.m. all four victims and responders were out of the water. The four were transported to the hospital with no reported injuries.

Contact Timothy Eggert at (309) 820-3276. Follow him on Twitter: @TimothyMEggert

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DECATUR  There was a culmination of circumstances that drove the wives of some Decatur police officers to address the Decatur City Council on Monday  a man firing a handgun at a police squad car last week perhaps the most pressing reason.

But theres also a lingering concern that brought them to city council chambers: Decatur police officers have been working without a union contract for more than a year-and-a-half.

You need to hold the city manager accountable for approving a fair and safe contract and continue working diligently on that contract, Tara Daniels, the wife of a Decatur police officer, told council members Monday night.

City officials and the Decatur Police Benevolent and Protective Association, the labor union that represents more than 200 currently sworn and retired police officers, continue to negotiate the terms of a new contract that would retroactively take effect Jan. 1, 2020.

We continue to have negotiations with the police union and city council recently had an executive session to discuss where it's at with them and to give additional parameters to me as I try to seek a resolution, said City Manager Scot Wrighton. Neither side has walked away from the table and negotiations have not broken down.

Wrighton, not wishing to negotiate a contract through the media, declined to specify what issues were at play, but said that they were predictable and some of the same issues that have come up in the past in Decatur and with police unions across the country.

K.C. Kohn, president of the Decatur police union's labor committee, confirmed Friday that the two sides are currently in the mediation phase.

"There is a mediation session scheduled for next week where both parties will again meet with a federal mediator in an attempt to reach a resolution to the expired contract," Kohn said. "Both sides continue to work together during this process. The PBPA is hopeful that a resolution will be reached in the near future."

Shane Voyles, an attorney with the Illinois Police Benevolent and Protective Association whos represented the Decatur police union in past negotiations, said he is not currently involved and does not get involved until negotiations reach impasse. He declined further comment.

Lengthy contract negotiations between police unions and cities are not uncommon.

In Springfield, for instance, police officers went more than two years without a contract, with major sticking points including salary and the citys insistence on including a clause requiring new hires to live within Springfield city limits.

The residency issue has been a major hang-up in past negotiations in Decatur as well. Police officers went more than three years without a contract before coming to terms in 2018.

The two sides came to agreement on every issue except one  residency.

The current agreement requires officers hired before May 1, 2013, to live within 40 miles of Decatur, and those hired after that date to live in Macon County or any municipality that extends into Macon County. Officers employed before 1997 do not have to comply.

But city officials have insisted on including a residency provision that would require all new hires to live within Decatur city limits during their first five years with the department.

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The city and union at the time decided to leave that issue up to an arbitrator with the Illinois Labor Relations Board. But, Wrighton confirmed that the parties agreed to fold it into the current labor negotiations instead.

As such, the issue remains on the bargaining table as the two sides work toward resolution.

Decatur city leaders have been pushing residency for years, citing the personal stake in the community it would give city employees while boosting population in a city where it's steadily declined over the years.

Later that year, IAFF Local 505 Fire Association, the bargaining unit representing the city's firefighters, agreed to the five-year residency requirement for new hires.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 and Local 268, which represents more than 100 city employees, agreed to the five-year residency provision in 2017.

After five years, employees would be able to move anywhere within Macon County or 15 miles of Decatur corporate limits.

The police union is now the only holdout.

The police contract covers all working conditions, including salaries, training, hours, uniforms, equipment, sick leave and vacations. Officers are currently working under the terms of the last contract, which expired Dec. 31, 2019.

Another issue possibly in play is Wrighton's creation of community liaison officer positions to handle low-priority calls and sex offender registration, complete paperwork and monitor social media.

These officers are not sworn, not members of the union and cheaper than employing a regular officer to handle the same duties.

The ILRB has not ruled on the subject.

In any case, city officials said they hoped for a quick resolution to negotiations.

We don't want to repeat, and I'm sure nobody wants to repeat, the last round of contract negotiations, said Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe. So I think both sides would really like to just get this settled and move on.

The city is also in negotiations with the firefighters union on a new contract. The last contract was a three-year deal, which placed the union on the same bargaining timetable as the police union.

AFCSME's contract with the city runs through the end of 2022.

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More than 50 teen campers and adult staff members caught COVID-19 during an outbreak at a Central Illinois church summer camp earlier this month, and at least one person was hospitalized, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Although all campers and staff were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, the state health department said only a handful of them had gotten inoculated against the virus, which has killed more than 600,000 in the United States.

The camp also didnt require masks, according to the state health department.

The camp was not checking vaccination status and masking was not required while indoors, said a state health department news release. All campers and staff went home and were asked to be tested and told to quarantine.

While the states news release doesnt name the camp, a Pike County Health Department statement warned about a recent COVID-19 outbreak of at least 50 confirmed cases at Crossing Camp in Rushville, a church camp located in Schuyler County, about four hours southwest of downtown Chicago.

Public health officials urged all individuals (adults and children) who visited the camp during that time period to get a PCR test for COVID-19, even if you have no symptoms, according to the Pike County Health Department.

This is the second instance this month of possible community exposure to COVID-19 linked to the church affiliated with the camp, The Crossing, a multi-campus, nondenominational church, with locations in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.

The downstate Adams County Health Department recently warned of possible community exposure to COVID-19 at a conference held June 18 and 19 at a churchs Quincy location, according to media reports; the health department required those in attendance to quarantine for 10 days after their last exposure.

The church did not immediately return the Tribunes requests for comment.

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Crossing Camp is billed on its website as a powerful and life-changing event.

The four-day camp was from June 13 to 17, for eighth graders and high school students, and featured gifted speakers and worship leaders, according to the website. The cost was $200.

A packing list on the site includes items such as a sleeping bag, sunscreen and a Bible, but does not mention bringing a mask.

On its registration page, the website also says another session scheduled for younger students has been postponed, citing the recent outbreak at the teen camp.

Due to a recent outbreak of COVID-19 related to Student Camp June 13-17, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our 4th & 5th grade Crossing Camp, the website said, adding that this session is rescheduled for August. We were so looking forward to spending time with your campers this weekend, but we believe the best way to value and love our students, difference makers and staff is to delay camp until a safer time.

While Illinois reopened earlier this month following more than a year of strict pandemic protocols, public health officials have warned that those who are not vaccinated should still wear masks and social distance  particularly while indoors  to guard against contracting and spreading the virus.

Although the virus is far less prevalent than it was earlier in the pandemic, with a statewide positivity rate of less than 1% and more than 70% of Illinois adults having received at least one vaccine dose, public health officials have cautioned that those who are not vaccinated are at still at risk.

Of particular concern is the delta variant, a COVID-19 strain with 84 identified cases in Illinois, according to the state health department.

As more transmissible and dangerous COVID-19 variants spread, including the delta variant, largely among people who have not been vaccinated, IDPH continues to encourage all residents 12 years and older to be vaccinated, the state health department said in the news released.
FRANKLIN GROVE, Ill. (AP)  For a look at how the Prairie State once looked and got its nickname, explore The Nature Conservancys Nachusa Grasslands, about 164 miles north of Decatur.

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.

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.

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.



Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Fans and foes can agree on one thing about Rodney Davis  he is a master politician.

Thats intended as a compliment for the U.S. Representative from Taylorville. Republicans dont survive in blue-state Illinois unless theyve managed to walk the line well or have a favorable district map. Davis hasnt had help from the mapmakers.

No favors will be done for him again this time around as Congressional districts change to reflect the mess that continues to be the 2020 census. Illinois lost a seat in the House of Representatives, a best-case scenario considering flight from the state. Davis last two races have been decided by the thinnest margins this side of the Macon County Sheriff 2018 election. Those two factors alone would be enough to make Davis reconsider his possibilities.

Reporter Brenden Moore explored the possibilities in a column this week. Davis has been stepping up his direct critiques of Gov. J.B. Pritzker while injecting his opinion on state legislative matters.

Illinois GOP chairman Pat Brady told Moore the party needs "a candidate that can win both upstate and downstate," with Davis representing "our best hope" of achieving that.

I think Rodney fits that perfectly because I think he'll do very well downstate given his roots and I think he's a guy who's a conservative, so he can win the primary, but can also do well up in the suburbs  meaning he's a conservative thinker but doesn't scare suburban voters away like we've done in the past."

Davis spokesman Aaron DeGroot said Davis' "intent and preference is to run for Congress again," where he would continue to climb the ranks of the House Transportation Committee and potentially be in line to chair it in a few years if Republicans retake the majority.

The ultimate decision doesnt belong to Davis alone. Money matters, and the Republican gubernatorial nod will go to those who most please those with deep pockets.

Davis wont make a decision until he sees how the map is drawn. Theres a lot of wait-and-see and concern between now and when theyre finalized.

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Changes in health care and insurance regulations drove some doctors and nurses out of the medical profession. They couldnt afford to stay in business, and they couldnt do the things they viewed as their jobs.

The SAFE-T Act, a major criminal justice reform backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in February. That measure mandated body cameras and changed use-of-force guidelines for law enforcement, created a new police certification system, expanded detainee rights and ends the use of cash bail in Illinois.

The law was signed in spite of strenuous objections from police around the state.

Those objections are starting to hit close to home.

Friday was the last day for Don Koonce to serve as Shelby County sheriff. In his resignation letter, Koonce said, "This decision was not an easy one for me to make, but (was) reaffirmed by the imminent change in police reform. It is my hope that Illinois legislators dive deep into this reform, and make sweeping changes. The safety of the public is at risk."

Also this week, at least a dozen spouses of Decatur police officers attended the Decatur City Council meeting. Their concerns included higher staffing levels, harsher sentences for violent offenders and greater public displays of support for their spouses. Criminals feel emboldened by criminal justice reform efforts at the state level while the department faces understaffing.

There may be fantastic and logical reasons behind the actions of the legislature. But OKing the SAFE-T Act without the input and over the objections of law enforcement officials showed tunnel vision. The law shouldnt prevent officers from doing their work.

That the legislature is already reconsidering and reworking the act shows the effort to have it passed was quick and not fully considered. Lets hope legislators listen to police and try to understand we consider them the good guys.

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A federal agency has awarded four Southwest Virginia law enforcement agencies thousands of dollars in grants and loans for the purchase of new patrol vehicles.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced $280,000 in federal funding for patrol vehicles in Dickenson County, the city of Norton and the towns of Gate City and Tazewell. The USDA is investing a total of $185 million to equip, rebuild and modernize essential services in rural areas of 32 states, including Tennessee and Virginia. The investments will benefit 3 million rural residents, according to a USDA news release.

Public safety is among the most important responsibilities of local governments, but purchasing equipment can strain the budgets in rural communities, said U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.

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Griffith said the funding will help law enforcement officers perform their duties.

A grant of $50,000 has been awarded to the Dickenson County Sheriffs Office for two patrol vehicles. Sheriff Jeff Fleming said he continues to work hard to use grant opportunities to fund the department with patrol vehicles.
WHAT IS THE AFFORDABILITY IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS?

Demand greatly outpaces supply in many of North Carolinas rental markets, stemming from a shortage in affordable housing. Cathy Robertson, chair of the property management division for the North Carolina Association of Realtors and vice president of a Winston-Salem-based property management company overseeing 800 housing units, said she sees somewhere between eight and 12 applicants for every one property T.E. Johnson & Sons posts online.

We have the lowest inventory in history, and thats a long history of our company, Robertson said of the company that has served the Winston-Salem area since 1928.

U.S. Census data shows the median monthly gross residential rent in the state was $931 in 2019, up by 6% from 2015. Over that same five-year stretch, rent rose in urban areas by 12% in Wake County, 13% in Mecklenburg County and 14% in Durham County.

ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS?

Its difficult to say how much homelessness is likely to increase, though there are some data points that suggest a substantial rise may soon be on the horizon.
Quarantines are not the most effective measure to curb spread of Covid-19

London [UK], June 26 (ANI): The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has urged against European Union (EU) states reimposing quarantine measures on arriving British holidaymakers.

"With more than 60 per cent of British adults now fully vaccinated, they should be able to enjoy quarantine-free travel to the EU," said Virginia Messina, WTTC Senior Vice President.

"Quarantines are not the most effective measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 and there is no need to reintroduce them especially given the increasing vaccination rates across Europe," she said.

Messina said imposing an EU-wide quarantine will extinguish any hopes of bringing back significant summer travel, which is a critical season for most European markets.

This will significantly damage these countries' economies like Germany where the UK is the fourth largest source market.

"It will also deal a significant economic blow to countries like Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Malta where the UK is also the biggest source market -- and Italy -- where quarantines have recently returned for inbound British travellers," she said.

According to WTTC, the travel and tourism sector contributed 10.4 per cent to global GDP in 2019, a share which decreased to 5.5 per cent in 2020 due to ongoing restrictions to mobility.

In 2020, 62 million jobs were lost, representing a drop of 18.5 per cent, leaving just 272 million employed across the sector globally, compared to 334 million in 2019. (ANI)
Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian (Photo Credit - Reuters)

Beijing [China], June 26 (ANI): China's foreign ministry has dismissed US President Joe Biden's statement on the closure of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper and asked Washington to stop interfering in the country's internal affairs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Friday that Hong Kong falls under China's internal affairs. He urged Washington to respect facts and stop obstructing law enforcement in the special administrative region, reported NHK World.

Zhao said that US actions are interfering in China's internal affairs and referred to the arrests of the paper's senior members for allegedly violating the national security law of Hong Kong.

He said the law is aimed at cracking down on a handful of people who are seriously harming national security and safeguarding the rights and freedom of a large number of people in Hong Kong, including freedom of the press.

Zhao also said it is distorting facts to call a probe into a media outlet and its senior officials a crackdown on press freedom, reported NHK World.

When Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily closed its doors after 26 years due to government crackdown, US President Joe Biden on Thursday termed it as a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world.

In a statement by the White House, the US president noted that through arrests, threats, and forcing through a draconian National Security Law that penalises free speech, Beijing has insisted on wielding its power to suppress independent media and silence dissenting views.

"Independent media play an invaluable role in resilient and prosperous societies. Journalists are truth-tellers who hold leaders accountable and keep information flowing freely--and that is needed now more than ever in Hong Kong, and in places around the world where democracy is under threat," he said.

Apple Daily on Wednesday announced that it is shutting its operations earlier than expected, after 26 years of service, and will stop publishing online from midnight and its management decided to run its last print edition from today.

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Earlier on Wednesday, Hong Kong's national security police detained the paper's lead editorial writer on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, the first such arrest under the Beijing-imposed legislation.

Since the arrest of five of its top executives last Thursday, Apple Daily has lost nearly half its workforce. But those remaining on Tuesday vowed to carry on through the end. The Hong Kong police had raided Apple Daily's headquarters and arrested the executives.

The closure of the newspaper was heavily condemned by the international community, with many saying that the Hong Kong government undermines media freedom and pluralism. (ANI)
EAM S Jaishankar with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Photo Credit - Reuters)

Athens [Greece], June 26 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and congratulated the country on its two hundredth anniversary of independence.

"Thank you, Prime Minister. First of all, I bring the greetings of Prime Minister Modi," Jaishankar who is on a two -day visit to Greece said.

"It is of particular privilege to be here on the two hundredth anniversary of your independence. It is, therefore, a statement of support, solidarity, friendship with Greece," he was quoted as saying in the Greek City Times.

"We actually started our discussions yesterday and I agree with you, we have a very comfortable relationship, but so far not an ambitious relationship. There is much more we can do," Jaishankar stressed.

The External Affairs minister said that "One part is, of course, the bilateral, natural connection between Greece and India. I believe, however, that a broader context also stems from the fact that our relationship with the EU as a whole is progressing."

Jaishankar said that Greece is a very important, influential Member State. "I would say, advocate our cause within the EU. But you are also in many ways, a meeting point between many of our relations in Eastern Europe and Russia on one side, the EU on the other," he was quoted as saying.

"We have a strong interest in the Gulf and the Middle East. So looking at all of this, strategically I would say, there are many, many aspects to this relationship that we should be exploring more effectively," Jaishankar said.

"I hope over the course of my stay that we can do that," the EAM said.

Welcoming Jaishankar, Greece PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed special importance that Greece attaches to its relations with India.

He highlighted that the relationship between the two countries has not developed in the way that it should have in the past, but that there are huge prospects for the future.

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Mitsotakis also emphasised that he has personally visited India many times and has the highest admiration for the biggest democracy in the world, before stressing the ancient and civilisational ties between the two countries, reported the local Greek media.

"I think this is an opportunity to move our bilateral relations forward," Mitsotakis said.

During the meeting, the prospects of establishing a Strategic Cooperation in an area of mutual interest that the two countries will choose were discussed; it will give new impetus to the already excellent bilateral relations, reported local media.

Greece's accession to the International Solar Alliance, an Indian initiative, was also announced. Mitsotakis referred to the positive contribution of this initiative to the utilisation of solar energy.

Particular emphasis was placed on the importance that both Greece and India attach to issues of respect for International Law, the Law of the Sea and the principles of the United Nations.

Mitsotakis also referred to India's current term in the United Nations Security Council, as a non-permanent member, acknowledging the importance of the participation of India in the decisions of the Organisation.

Also PM Mitsotakis announced Greece's candidacy for the period 2025-2026 to the United Nations Security Council.

It was also stressed that cultural cooperation is an important aspect of bilateral relations, with an emphasis on cultural heritage issues, while the presence of the two countries in the Forum of Ancient Cultures was underlined, reported Greek City Times.

Mitsotakis expressed his satisfaction for the implementation of the Indian proposal to place a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the building of the Indian Embassy.

The unveilings will be made by the Indian Foreign Minister during his visit here, reported Greek City Times.

The visit of the Jaishankar is his first to Greece and takes place shortly after the EU-India Summit, where important decisions were taken on issues of common interest. (ANI)
murder charge against main accused, associates (Eds: With more inputs) Kolkata, Jun 26 (PTI) Kolkata Police on Saturday included the charge of attempt to murder along with other sections of the IPC against a man who allegedly impersonated as an IAS officer and organised COVID-19 vaccination camps together with three of his associates, officials said.

Debanjan Deb, 28, and his accomplices have also been charged with criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating.

He was arrested on Wednesday for masquerading as a joint commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and operating a immunisation camp in Kasba area, where actor and Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty had also got her jab.

According to a top source in the state government, the decision to include the attempt to murder charge against all the four was taken at the 'direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee'.

The West Bengal government has also set up an expert committee to examine the effect of fake vaccination administered to people at the camp and take corrective action, a senior police officer said.

The four-member panel will be submitting a detailed report very soon, a health department official said.

Health camps were also organised by the government for those who had been given the shots at the camps run by Deb.

'Initial findings suggest that people were administered antibiotic Amikacin instead of Covid vaccines, and it had no major impact on their health,' a health department source said.

The department also released a set of SOPs for operating Covid vaccination centres or camps under non- government initiative.

Earlier in the day, Kolkata Police arrested the three associates of Deb. Two of them were found to be signatories to a fake bank account that was registered against the name of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, officials said.

The third was on the payroll of Deb and had actively taken part in the vaccination camps, they said.

'One is a resident of Salt Lake while another is from Barasat. Both were called for questioning before they were arrested,' a senior police officer said.

Story continues

The 'employee' of Deb hails from Taltala.

All four of them were produced in a local court on Saturday.

Three more cases have been registered against Deb at Kasba Police Station, he said.

The TMC MP, who was invited to attend the camp, was the first to raise alarm after she did not receive the customary message sent to those who are inoculated. PTI SCH RBT RBT
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo/ANI)

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing a review meeting on Saturday to discuss the progress of the COVID-19 vaccination drive across the country.

As many as 31,50,45,926 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far in what has been billed the 'world's largest vaccination drive', including 61,19,169 in the last 24 hours.

India started the world's largest vaccination drive on January 16 this year in a phased manner with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated first. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started on February 2. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for those over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

India launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 from April 1. Phase 3 of the vaccination drive was started on May 1 for the beneficiaries belonging to the age group 18-44.

As many as 48,698 new COVID-19 cases, 64,818 recoveries, and 1,183 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Saturday.

The total number of positive cases now stands at 3,01,83,143, including 2,91,93,085 recoveries and 3,94,493 deaths.

There are currently 5,95,565 active cases in the country, 1.97 per cent of the total caseload. Yesterday, there were 6,12,868.

The recovery rate stands at 96.72 per cent, while the death rate is 1.31 per cent. (ANI)
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand on Sunday announced new restrictions centred around its capital in a bid to tackle the country's worst coronavirus outbreak.

The new measures, which will be implemented for 30 days from Monday, include a ban on restaurant dine-ins in Bangkok, the capital, and five surrounding provinces, according to a document published in the country's royal gazette.

Shopping malls in Bangkok and the five provinces must be closed by 9 p.m., and parties or celebrations, or activities involving a gathering of more than 20 people will be banned for the same duration, the document said.

It also said construction sites in the six areas will be shut down and workers' camps will be sealed off to contain clusters. The order followed the emergence of more clusters in construction camps in the capital, which has 575 such sites housing about 81,000 workers.

Since May, 37 clusters have been found in Bangkok camps.

Authorities will set up checkpoints in Bangkok and the five provinces to limit travel and relocation of construction workers, the document said, adding that there will also be checkpoints in the country's four southern provinces near Malaysia.

#BangkokLockdown was trending on Twitter in the early hours into Sunday, with internet users criticising the timing of the announcement and saying they were taken by surprise by the new measures.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Friday he wanted to avoid the word lockdown and that specific businesses and activities would be targeted to contain the virus.

(Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Dan Grebler)
TORONTO (AP)  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he has urged Pope Francis to come to Canada to apologize for church-run boarding schools where hundreds of unmarked graves have been found, and he said Canadians are horrified and ashamed by their government's longtime policy of forcing Indigenous children to attend such schools.

Indigenous leaders said this week that 600 or more remains were discovered at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which operated from 1899 to 1997 in the province of Saskatchewan. Last month, some 215 remains were reported at a similar school in British Columbia.

From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools, most run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, in a campaign to assimilate them into Canadian society.

Indigenous leaders have called for Pope Francis to apologize  a demand echoed again Friday by Trudeau, who said the pope should visit Canada to do it.

I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness, Pope Francis, to impress upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil Trudeau said.

I know that the Catholic church leadership is looking and very actively engaged in what next steps can be taken.

Following that discovery of the British Colombia remains, Francis expressed his pain and pressed religious and political authorities to shed light on this sad affair. But he stopped short of a formal apology.

Don Bolen, archbishop of Regina, Saskatchewan, posted a letter to the Cowessess First Nation on the archdioceses website this week in which he repeated an apology he said he made two years ago.

Nearly three-quarters of the 130 residential schools were run by Catholic missionary congregations, with others operated by the United, Presbyterian and Anglican churches, which earlier apologized for their roles in the abuse.

Story continues

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology in Parliament in 2008 and Canada offered billions of dollars in compensation as part of a lawsuit settlement between the government, churches and the approximately 90,000 surviving students.

The government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was rampant in the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages. Thousands of children died there of disease and other causes, many never returned to their families.

This was an incredibly harmful government policy that was Canadas reality for many, many decades and Canadians today are horrified and ashamed of how our country behaved, Trudeau said. It was a policy that ripped kids from their homes, from their communities, from their culture and their language and forced assimilation upon them.

Trudeau said many Canadians won't be able to celebrate as the country marks its birthday on July 1.

Canadians across the country are waking up to something that quite frankly that Indigenous communities have long known, Trudeau said.

The trauma of the past echoes very much today.

Indigenous leaders have called the residential schools a system of cultural genocide.

A search with ground-penetrating radar at the Marieval school resulted in 751 hits, indicating that at least 600 bodies were buried in the area after accounting for a margin of error in the search technique, said Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess First Nation, whose lands today include the school.

Delorme said the search continues and the numbers will be verified in coming weeks.

He said the gravesite is believed to hold both children and adults, and perhaps people from outside the community who attended church there.

Delorme said that the individual graves had once been marked, but that the church at some point removed the markers.

Last month the remains of 215 children, some as young as 3, were found buried on the site of what was once Canadas largest Indigenous residential school near Kamloops, British Columbia.

On Friday, the MIssionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which operated 48 residential schools in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, including those where the bodies were recently found, said it will disclose all historical documents it has.

It said in a statement that it already has worked to make the documents available through universities, archives and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but that the work is not complete because of provincial and national privacy laws.

A National Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued a report in 2015 that identified about 3,200 confirmed deaths at schools, but noted the schools did not record the cause of death in almost half of them. Many died of tuberculosis, an illness symptomatic of the deplorable living conditions.

In the United States, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced this week that the federal government is launching an investigation into its past oversight of Native American boarding schools there. She said it will review records to identify past schools, locate burial sites and uncover the names and tribal affiliations of students.
YSRC rebel MP Raghu Ramakrishna Raju. [Photo/ANI]

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, MP from Narsapuram in Andhra Pradesh, has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urging him not to entertain disqualification plea against him made by YSRC parliamentary party leader Vijayasai Reddy.

Raju, who wrote the letter on Friday, stated that his critical evaluation of the state government's decisions was not dissidence but dissent.

Reddy had written to Birla on Wednesday about the petition moved earlier by the party seeking Raju's disqualification and said there was "inaction" from the office of the Speaker.

He said that the party had submitted a representation in July last year seeking disqualification of the MP citing provisions in the constitution and rules concerning defection.

He said the party delegations had also met the Speaker several times.

Reddy urged the Speaker to act with urgency on fresh disqualification petition which would be filed by the party in due course and said it "would not be desirable to let a member of the Lok Sabha continue to attend the house when he should legally, morally and ethically be out of it". (ANI)
Atrium Health is fortunate to have partners across the region, such as Covenant Presbyterian Church, to help deliver fresh, healthy food to the children who need it, said Asha Rodriguez, vice president and facility executive at Atrium HealthCabarrus. In the programs first four years, nearly 50,000 meals have been served, helping to ensure area children continue to receive balanced nutrition each day, which is essential to promoting growth, cognitive development and healthy eating habits all summer long.

Atrium Healths Summer Food Bus will deliver free meals provided by Lincoln County Schools to those age 18 and younger, Monday through Friday, through Aug. 6. Each day, children will receive a to-go bag with their lunch and also breakfast items for the following morning. On Fridays, children will receive meals for the day and additional meals for the weekend.

Atrium HealthUnion will help supplement Union County Public Schools summer feeding program schedule by providing curbside meals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 6-9 and from Aug. 9-20.

Stanly County Schools is partnering with Atrium Health to provide meals July 5-8 and Aug. 16-19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of North Second Street and Hawthorne Avenue on the campus of Atrium Health Stanly.
ROME (AP)  Police in riot gear on Saturday blocked streets to try to thwart gay Pride marchers in Istanbul, while thousands turned out joyfully in Paris and elsewhere in Europe after pandemic privations  although setbacks against LGBT rights tempered some of the celebratory air.

Authorities have banned Istanbul Pride events since 2015, citing public security, and more recently, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The Cumhuriyet newspaper said at least 25 people were detained.

Pandemic concerns forced cancellations of Pride events in Lisbon and postponement of London's usually heavily attended event.

In Berlin, demonstrators set off on three routes toward the central Alexanderplatz in a format meant both to avoid bigger gatherings during the pandemic and to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community.

In Italy, thousands of Pride celebrants rallied in Rome and in some smaller cities.

With a proposed law to combat hate crimes against LGBTQ people stalled in the Italian Senate for months, the Vatican and right-wing political leaders have been lobbying to eliminate some of the provisions, citing fears the legislation will crimp freedom of expression.
DECATUR  Christopher and Michael Trummer took parallel paths to the priesthood.

They spoke to the Rev. John Titus, chaplain at Eastern Illinois University, a week apart, neither one knowing the other was considering the priesthood.

Father Christopher, 30, is actually the elder by a little more than a year, but the second to be ordained, on June 12. Father Michael, 29, was ordained on June 19, 2020 and serves as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Decatur.

We actually joined (the seminary) at the same time, Father Michael said. I had more credits that would transfer for a philosophy degree.

We both worked and we were both in school at the same time, Father Christopher said. We did some work and some college prior to deciding to go to seminary.

Father Michael was studying chemistry at Eastern Illinois University after having previously attended Lake Land College, and had more general education courses, while Father Christopher was studying automotive technology at Lake Land, and none of that transferred, he said with a chuckle.

We both ended up applying (to seminary) at the same time, Father Christopher said. You have to talk to the diocese, to the vocations director, and we both contacted him a week or two apart.

Father Christopher was living on his own, and Father Michael was still living at home in Neoga with their parents, but both were busy with school and work and saw each other only occasionally, which is why they hadn't compared notes.

We were both getting more involved in our faith, Father Christopher said.

When Father Michael visited Titus, he found out his brother had already been there.

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It's not common for brothers to serve at the same church, and this assignment is only temporary for Father Christopher, who will leave for Rome in September to continue his post-graduate studies in theology. But in the meantime, the two are enjoying spending time together.

They didn't always plan to be priests, Father Michael said. During high school, he expected to marry, have kids and the house with the tire swing in the front yard, as he phrased it, but along the way, he realized that life was not what he was called to live.

For Father Christopher, he served in the military and for a while thought he wanted to make that his career. He knew he wanted to serve in some way, and eventually he realized that serving God and the church was where he belonged.

For priests, a life of celibacy frees them to go where they are needed and for their congregation to become their family, Father Christopher said.

They are the sons of John and Margaret Bitsy Trummer of Neoga, and have an older brother, Jonathon, 32, and Michael's twin, Katrina. Both siblings are married and both have boy/girl twins.

The brothers attended the same seminary in Indianapolis for about two years, and were roommates.

We even had bunk beds, Father Michael said. He went to seminary in St. Louis for his graduate studies while Father Christopher went to Rome for his.

Decatur was short a priest, Father Christopher said, which is how he was assigned to Lourdes, and he also spent some of his seminary training at the same school in Rome with the Rev. Michael Friedel, who is Lourdes' senior pastor. Having familiar faces to help and answer questions during his first few months of priesthood is comforting, he said, and living in community, so they can pray and eat together and support each other, is ideal.

I'm going to be a priest and thrown into the world of the parish and all that involves, he said. Obviously you spend a lot of time in preparation, and have a lot of knowledge, and you've studied a lot, but you don't have a lot of practical experience.

For many years, as church attendance has declined and there's been a shortage of men entering the priesthood, it has been more common for priests to serve a parish alone, and live alone, Father Christopher said, but that can be isolating and is not the way it was meant to be. Now more men are entering the priesthood  Father Michael's class of eight was the largest one for a decade in the Springfield Diocese  and, Father Christopher said, perhaps the tide is turning.

We still believe that faith is important, he said.

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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Advocates for congressional term limits have an easy target: representatives and senators so easily reelected that they can elevate their own and their donors' interests above those of their voters. Adding to this worry over real or perceived self-interest, with or without actual corruption, is concern about our long-serving elected leaders' reduced capacities to govern as they age.

But the advocates  whether good-government reformers, conservative originalists, thoughtful independents, or combinations of the three  keep missing the bull's eye. And they miss by a decade or more. They anchor their proposals with a two-term limit in the Senate, which they should consider doubling if they want positive governing change.

Such 12-year limits have dominated congressional term-limit proposals ever since they began emerging in the latter half of the last century. The problem targeted decades ago was congressional "rigidity" or "inertia;" today it is swampiness. Now as well as then, such short limits would fail to fix the problem and would cause serious additional harm.

First, limiting congressional tenure to a dozen years would shift governing and policy expertise outside the institution; further empowering lobbyists and special interests would serve neither representational nor national interests. Second, such short tenures, combined with periodic partisan rotation of institutional control, would weaken the legislative branch internally and diminish its ability to check the executive branch. (There are additional drawbacks as well.)

So where does the real tenure problem lie? With the long-serving veterans who choose not to leave. Their extended service constrains the institution's succession pathways and, more frequently than anyone likes to acknowledge, produces less skilled governance. Limits of four Senate terms would address both challenges.

We must first deflate the notion of citizen legislators, who serve the nation briefly before returning to their states to continue their careers. This was the norm before the Civil War, when 40% of representatives would not run for reelection after any given Congress. The 20th century, particularly after World War II, saw the importance of the federal government grow and careers in Washington become attractive. Since 1900, the share of members not running for reelection averaged just 11.5%.

But such careerism is not the problem. The country's development and the nature of its challenges require that national effort and expertise be deployed. Rather, it is the unwillingness of senior members to relinquish power.

By the end of the 19th century, only nine people elected to Congress had ever served 30 years or more; at the start of the 21st Century, fully 5% and then 6% of the institution  28 members in 2007, rising to 34 in 2009  was made up of 30+-year veterans. Today, 7 percent of senators have reached the three-decade threshold and the average age of all senators is over 64, the highest ever.

What's wrong with such long tenures and the senators' correspondingly advanced ages? First, less-than-capable leadership does become more common. Recall your reaction to seeing eight-term Sen. Patrick Leahy preside over the second Trump impeachment trial, or the contributions of now seven-term Sen. Charles Grassley or six-termer Diane Feinstein during the Judiciary Committee's last two confirmation hearings for Supreme Court justices. Second, our more senior members of Congress can be a bit out of touch; think of their questions about Facebook's operation during Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in 2018.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, such senior senators block the ascension of three- and four-term colleagues who are fully capable of leading the body.

But our core electoral structure is eroding and, like your favorite underappreciated bridge or critical pipe, needs repair if not replacement. Vetting and debating longer term limits would get us one step closer to addressing this foundational issue, which, whether in years or decades, will demand our attention and action.

Rick LaRue writes at Structure Matters.

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Abrahamic religions are monotheistic. Each sacred text reveals a Creator who is merciful, forgiving and promises salvation as a gift of a new life with certain conditions. The theological definition of salvation includes deliverance from sin and its consequences.

A brief overview of the three Abrahamic Religions reveals the importance of the gift of salvation. Fundamental to the Jewish path to salvation is the belief that God, Yahweh, is the source of salvation. Righteousness, free will, and repentance are important in Jewish beliefs. A righteous life includes the adherence to ethical beliefs and laws as described in the Torah. For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity. Righteousness, free will, and repentance are obvious in this passage from Proverbs 24:16.

Christianity deals with the concept of original sin which requires redemptive love for individual salvation. To obtain eternal life, a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as the redeemer is necessary. God through his sacrifice of Jesus provided the payment for sins. A profession of faith will give the gift of redemption but will also lead the Christian to a new life of good deeds and intentions. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Q: I wonder why we have picked June 19 to celebrate the end on institutionalized slavery in the United States. I know that on that day in 1865 the Union Military entered Galveston, Texas, and informed the slaves there that they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued by President Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863.

However, this only freed slaves who were in the states which at that time were in open rebellion against the Union. There were slaves in other states and territories. Specifically, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri had slaves.

These slaves were unaffected by Lincoln's proclamation. The day institutionalized slavery ended in the United States was Dec. 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified. This amendment ended all forms of involuntary servitude except for convicted criminals.

It seems to me that Dec. 6 would be a more appropriate day to celebrate the end on institutionalized slavery in the U.S. After all, following June 19, 1865, slavery still remained legal in the United States for about the next 6 months.

 R.F.

Answer: Daniel Prosterman, a history professor at Salem College, explained some of context for why abolition is celebrated as Juneteenth, on June 19th.
Wesley Hutchins, who sits on the town council in Walkertown, is familiar with the story of what happened with the El Maguey request, although he wasnt on the council at that time.

I dont have strong feelings either way, he said. I am kind of down the middle. I know you would have revenue from sales. I know that there are folks opposed to it. I would like to know what some of my other constituents think about it.

Hutchins does find it odd that any county action on mixed drinks would automatically apply in the incorporated places. It doesnt usually work that way, he observed.

The municipalities govern their own jurisdiction, he said. And here the county is saying we are going to do it countywide. What if the citizens of our municipality say we dont want that?

County attorney Gordon Watkins said its true that many county decisions affect only the unincorporated parts of the county. In fact, some commissioners said they assumed that was the case when the discussion on the county board started.

Watkins said there seems to be no loophole on this issue that would allow the county to apply permission for mixed-drink sales only in the unincorporated areas.
Only after senators tuned in later to Bidens second news conference, where he outlined the path ahead, did frustrations mount and frantic phone calls begin.

At the press conference, Biden was asked what he meant by having the two packages move through Congress to his desk in tandem.

If they dont come, Im not signing. Real simple, Biden said.

Senators from the group were never told of such an explicit linking of the two packages, the two people familiar with the discussions said.

It never came up in their talks with the White House advisers or with Biden himself during Thursday's meeting of the group of 10 key negotiators, they said.

Theres a lot of conversations taking place right now as to what the president meant," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in an interview with a Fox affiliate in New Orleans shared by his office.

Cassidy noted that the president may have misspoken and said he hoped "it wont be as if we crafted something just to give the president a point of leverage to get something that Republicans disagree with.

Ten Republican senators would be needed to pass the bipartisan accord in the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance most bills.
The firm recommended that the damaged slabs be replaced in what would be a major repair.

Some of the damage to the concrete in the parking garage was minor, while other columns had exposed and deteriorating rebar. It also noted that many of the buildings previous attempts to fix the columns and other damage with epoxy were marred by poor workmanship and were failing.

Beneath the pool deck where the slab had been epoxy-injected, new cracks were radiating from the originally repaired cracks, the report said.

These were all problems that should have been dealt with quickly, said Gregg Schlesinger, an attorney specializing in construction defects and a former construction project engineer.

The building speaks to us. It is telling us we have a serious problem, Schlesinger said in a telephone interview Saturday about the new documents. They (building managers) kicked the can down the road. The maintenance was improper. These were all red flags that needed to be addressed. They werent.

In a statement Saturday, Morabito Consultants confirmed its report detailed significant cracks and breaks in the concrete, which required repairs to ensure the safety of the residents and the public.
The state ran one of the most aggressive sterilization programs in the country from 1929 through 1974, rendering barren more than 7,600 men, women and children on often flimsy evidence that they were mentally or physically unfit to reproduce.

Democratic Gov. Mike Easley apologized for the forced sterilizations in 2002, but it took about another 10 years for legislators to set up a compensation program. By February 2018, about 220 applicants had each received three payments totaling $45,000 from those considered qualified by the N.C. Industrial Commission.

Krawiec said during the June 10 floor debate that she considers allowing abortions to take place for any of the three reasons cited in the bill as eugenics in its worst form.

Nothing could be more stigmatizing than ... for anyone to lose their life because of their race, or because of their disability.

We want to eliminate this atrocity so that North Carolina no longer participates in that practice, Krawiec said.

On Friday, Krawiec said that Im saddened to see that the governor vetoed HB453.

Babies should not have to pass a genetics test to earn the right to be born.
Given that the bill restricts emergency executive authority, it is likely that Cooper would choose to veto the bill if it clears the legislature.

The bill would require school boards to define masking policies by an Aug. 1 deadline. If no policy has been adopted by the deadline, students will not be required to mask. If a masking policy has been adopted by that deadline, the policy must be reconsidered for a vote each month.

North Carolina students deserve a safe learning environment in which they can thrive, but what works for one school district may not work well for another, said House speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, referencing Republican talking points about Coopers pandemic emergency executive orders.

Local school boards, with input from parents and teachers, are best suited to determine what works best for their own students.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools doesnt have a specific comment on the pending legislation, spokesman Brent Campbell said.

What I can say is we will always consult and collaborate with state and local health officials to provide the best guidelines and regulations possible that keep student and staff health and safety at the forefront.

Background
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working to expand at-home testing resources and offer more residents the ability to get paid to go in for their shot. Any North Carolina resident may receive a Pixel by Labcorp COVID-19 test kit that is shipped overnight to their home at no cost. Participating sites in 38 counties are now offering $25 cash cards to anyone 18 or older who gets their first shot or drives someone to get vaccinated.

The governor's goal to get two-thirds of North Carolina adults at least partially vaccinated is months away from happening at the current rate, as only about 50,000 residents got their first dose in each of the last three weeks.

State health officials on Friday pointed to Bladen County as a particularly problematic area, given that only one in three residents are fully vaccinated and 36% have gotten at least one shot. The vaccination rates in some nearby counties are even worse. State data shows roughly one in five Hoke County residents and one in four residents in both Robeson and Cumberland counties are fully vaccinated.

Whats happening in Bladen County is preventable, Cohen said in a statement. More than 99% of new COVID-19 cases in North Carolina are in people who are not fully vaccinated. Vaccines are working.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, as it calls itself, is not a republic, but it is Islamic.

Here are two definitions to make the point before moving on to a larger point.

A republic is defined by dictionary.com as a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. Irans elections put supreme power in religious leaders, not the people. In previous elections when there were public demonstrations in opposition to the government, the people were jailed, or murdered by the regime.

Radical Islam is a system of beliefs founded on interpretations of the Quran made by political leadership that seeks to impose those beliefs on its citizens and the rest of the world, by force if necessary. At least thats my definition, based on sermons from hardline mullahs in Iran and elsewhere, along with personal observations about how those beliefs are put into practice.

Obviously not all Muslims agree on everything, especially when it comes to politics. Neither do Christians and Jews for that matter, but Christians and Jews are not known for wanting to eliminate nations they dont like or for forcibly imposing their will on others.
What do you get when you cross opioid drug addiction with N.C. Medicaid?

Relapse.

This is the situation that faces one of my patients, Melissa (not her real name).

I saw her last Monday.

She had been doing great, but recently was beset by financial stress  from getting a full-time job.

She lost her Medicaid (because she was making too much money) and cannot qualify for Obamacare (because she was making too little); this puts her in a tight financial situation. Her addiction treatment medication  buprenorphine plus naloxone  costs about $20 a day without insurance.

So she could not afford the medication and had severe cravings and withdrawals when she was off of it. She confessed to using pain meds off the street over the weekend since she had run out.

I strongly affirmed her honesty and openness. She will talk with her addiction therapist and recovery group about her relapse as well.

Melissa is a hard worker. Abandoned by her abusive husband, she is mother of two young children and struggles to make ends meet. Part of her struggle to do the right thing is to remain abstinent of pain pills.
Lawmakers dont even have to do the technical work to convert the plan into actionable legislation. Both the Governors Recommended Budget and HB 946 would fully implement the first two years of the plan.

Nor can lawmakers cry poverty. The Governors Recommended Budget showed legislators how the first two years of the Leandro Plan can be implemented without tax increases. Since that document was released, the states revenue forecast has improved. As a result, legislators have unprecedented availability that could be deployed to meet North Carolinians needs. They could fund the first two years of the plan more than six times over without raising a single penny of additional taxes. While the plan envisions gradually ramping-up funding over seven years, legislators could fund the entire slate of reforms and investments next year, again without raising taxes. We can also look to the money the Senate plan leaves unspent: $5.5 billion over the next two years, which is three times whats necessary to fund the first two years of the Leandro Plan.

Senate leaders have no excuses to point to. There are no difficult trade-offs to navigate. They have simply decided to ignore their constitutional obligations to North Carolinas students.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Friday said an expanded number of small oil refineries can seek an exemption from certain renewable fuel requirements.

The high court ruled 6-3 that a small refinery that had previously received a hardship exemption from complying with Clean Air Act requirements may obtain an extension of that exemption. That's even if the refinery let a previous exemption lapse.

The case involved amendments to the Clean Air Act made in 2005 and 2007 that require transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain specified amounts of ethanol and other biofuels, which are produced by farmers. Small refineries were exempt from that requirement until 2011.

The program is called RFS, for Renewable Fuel Standard.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said the decision "is disappointing and hurts farm families across the state.

Regardless of the courts decision, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can still take steps to enforce a robust Renewable Fuel Standard,'' he said in a statement.

He urged the Biden administration to "stop the broad use of waivers by refineries.
Community college seems like an oasis of affordable opportunity: Its cheap! Its nearby! And you can just see the number in your bank account ballooning with the salary boost from your new degree or certificate! But proceed with caution. Without a strategy, community college can also be a bonfire of wasted time and money.

The key, says Pamela Eddy, a professor of higher education at William and Mary, is to articulate your motivations and goals, and then  this is the hard part  see if they realistically line up with a community college program near you. If youre keen on enrolling, do so for one of these five reasons, which typically provide the most bang for your buck:

1. You want to nail down an avocation

Not sure whether youd like nursing or pipefitting or paralegaling? Community college is the place to affordably sort that out. We often see first-time college students that are coming directly out of high school, unsure of the area that they want to go into, so they go to a community college to experiment and take a number of different courses to figure out where that fit is, Eddy says.

2. You need a workplace credential or skill
She ended up spending the next 21 months in custody, including time in jail, in an immigrant detention center and in the Lincoln Regional Center. The latter was to evaluate if she was mentally competent to stand trial. The evaluation showed that she was competent but had difficulty understanding the court process because of language and cultural differences and lack of education.

Juana eventually resolved the charges for using false documents and taking the children out of Nebraska in violation of the custody agreement with HHS. She was granted asylum, which allowed her to stay in the U.S., and was released in February 2020.

The State Supreme Court concluded that Juanas criminal offenses did not affect her fitness as a mother and were unlikely to happen again.

Her lengthy stay in jail and detention was at least partially due to her vigorous defense of her right to remain in this country with her children, and we do not fault her for the vigor of that defense, the court said.

Chief Justice Mike Heavican added in a concurring opinion that HHS had failed in its responsibility to make reasonable efforts to reunify the family. He acknowledged the trying nature of child welfare jobs but implored HHS to do better.
OMAHA  Omaha police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection to a mans March fatal shooting.

Police arrested the 15 year old Friday on suspicion of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony in the shooting death of 59-year-old Larry Thompson.

Officers on March 12 were called to a north Omaha neighborhood where they found Thompson, of Omaha, suffering from gunshot wounds, police said in a news release. Thompson was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

The 15 year old has been detained at the Douglas County Youth Center.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Omaha World-Herald.

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"You can get the same stuff in Nebraska," he said.

It's unclear what affect the new laws  which level the playing field between the state and its southeastern neighbor  will have on I-29 tourism or on Nebraska's economy.

It is clear that the relaxed regulations aren't playing much of a role in the operations of Christopher Cantrell, the state's fire marshal.

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Cantrell said his office has largely left fireworks law enforcement up to municipalities since about 2010, when the Fire Marshal's Office and Nebraska State Patrol stopped implementing checkpoints near the state's southeastern border.

In Lincoln, where the sale of fireworks is only permitted July 3-4, bottle rockets remain illegal.

The new laws don't present any new concerns, Cantrell said. But his office's old concerns haven't faded.

"We would stress that local conditions, local regulations and really good ol' Nebraska common sense should really guide people's use of fireworks," Cantrell said, later noting annual worries.

"But in general, the State Fire Marshal Agency is always concerned about fire safety and firework safety regardless of what types of consumer fireworks are being sold," he said.
That effort has led to the identification of 343 of those men  with more to follow in the coming weeks and months pending results from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Delaware, said Kelly McKeague, the accounting agencys director.

The effort, he said, exceeded expectations.

Most of these 343 sailors and Marines cannot be found in history books or documentaries, but their own acts of heroism are not lost to history, McKeague said.

He cited the story of Leo and Rudolph Blitz of Lincoln, one of six sets of brothers (and the only identical twins) who died aboard the Oklahoma.

McKeague said Rudolph Blitz was on the deck of the battleship soon after it was struck by as many as eight Japanese torpedoes in the opening minutes of the attack.

Instead of abandoning ship, Rudolph told a shipmate he was going below decks to find his twin, who was on duty running one of the ships generators.

The Oklahoma sank within minutes. Neither of the Blitz brothers was ever heard from again.

They were identified based on a DNA match with their 93-year-old sister, Betty Pitsch, and buried in Lincoln in 2019.
The first featured stop is Omaha, just in time for the College World Series.

All the locals can show off everything they like to do, Bunnell said.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate has been generating social media content through her jobs in New York for years, starting with an internship at The Late Show With David Letterman and then her work for a record label. Her campaigns have produced more than a billion hits on YouTube.

She also loves to travel, and soon realized that slick media campaigns dont tell the real story of a destination. For example, when she would ask places to share a video so she could understand the difference between a basic tour of a wildlife preserve in South Africa compared with the deluxe model, she was met with confusion and resistance.

What she also discovered is that fellow travelers much prefer user-generated content.

As I was traveling the world, I was seeing the industry of travel was still a dinosaur when it comes to video, she said. Im trying to bring transparency to travel, through honest video. User-generated content gets four times more clicks than a promotional video.
KENOSHA  The first warm days of summer are upon us and the Kenosha Community Sailing Center (KCSC) is ready to get everyone on the water. The sailing center offers a huge array of sailing courses for both adults and children all summer long. They also rent single kayaks, tandems and standup paddleboards by the hour, so there is no shortage of ways to enjoy Kenoshas beautiful harbor.

Jim Buck, president of the sailing center, is happy KCSC can add to the positive activities helping Kenosha recover from 2020.

There are lots of reasons to take a sailing course with us, but one of the best reasons is simply to enjoy the lake. We are so incredibly fortunate to live on Lake Michigan, said Buck.

Kids love being on the water. We get them outside and moving, breathing fresh air and soaking up the sun," said Bettie Wescott, KCSC's youth education director. "Sailing teaches them to act independently and work as a team, in a fun way. We are proud of what we teach and what the kids accomplish.
WATERFORD  For more than 30 years, it has been a favorite summertime place for ice cream in Downtown Waterford.

Now, after closing temporarily and nearly facing demolition, the landmark spot known as Uncle Harrys is back.

New operators with deep roots in Wisconsins dairy industry are treating customers to homemade ice cream, and they have even bigger plans for the historic property.

Community leaders are cheering the revival of Uncle Harrys, as well as the prospect of making it a destination that draws visitors with more than just sweet desserts.

Its a mainstay in our community, Village President Don Houston said. And this owner is working hard to bring it back.

Overlooking Main Street from its location at 100 S. Jefferson St., the business originated in the 1930s as a gasoline station. Built in a distinctive architectural style, the Tudor-shaped structure turns heads with its bright red roof and its cottage-like appearance.

In the mid-1980s, owner Harry Dembrowski renamed the establishment Uncle Harrys, and started dishing up ice cream instead of pumping gas.

Residents in Waterford and the surrounding area made Uncle Harrys a popular spot to cool off on hot summer days with something creamy and delicious.

Randy and Gina Wrycza with kids at Uncle Harry's ice cream parlor in Waterford On one of their frequent family trips to Uncle Harry's ice cream place in Waterford are, from left, Paisley Wrycza, 2, Gina Wrycza, Paige Wryc

Its got that hometown feel, said Randy Wrycza, who makes the drive with his wife and kids a couple of times a month from the neighboring Town of Waterford.

Its just really good ice cream  a good variety of flavors, Wrycza said. And its close to home.

The property changed hands a few years ago, and the buyer hatched plans for bulldozing Uncle Harrys to make way for condominiums or other new residential uses.

Local historic preservation advocates rallied to oppose the redevelopment and to save the ice cream parlor from a wrecking ball.

Judy Gambrel, a member of the preservation group, said the nearly 90-year-old building is unique in Waterford because of its architectural design. In addition, Gambrel said, it represents a period in American history when gasoline stations were in their glory days.

She called Uncle Harrys a treasure, adding: It is a very significant historical site in Waterford.

The redevelopment plans fizzled out, and Uncle Harrys closed its doors temporarily for several months.

The business and property soon found a new owner in Jay Noble, who along with his brother, John Noble, has years of experience operating a cheese plant near Sheboygan.

The brothers grew up in the Town of Dover, and they were looking for a way to relocate their business closer to their Racine County hometown.

Through his connections in the dairy industry, Noble has acquired the ingredients needed to offer homemade ice cream at Uncle Harrys for the first time in many years. The parlor now features more than 20 flavors, including frozen yogurt and sorbet, and homemade waffle cones.

Noble has presented the village with plans for expanding the ice cream parlor to make room for cheese production. In an adjacent building most recently operated as a hair salon, he intends to open a hamburger stand where customers can enjoy hot food before picking out their ice cream.

The plans include creating an outdoor dining area overlooking Main Street from beneath a decorative overhead pergola. The as-yet-unnamed hamburger stand could open later this year, depending on how quickly renovation work is completed.

Noble, 43, recalls visiting Uncle Harrys for ice cream as a child himself. He said it is exciting now to own the property and to be working to revive and expand the operation.

Its a very well-known landmark, he said. We want to make these improvements and turn that corner into a real destination for Waterford.

Noble has acquired the property through a company called Waterford Hill Properties LLC.

Village officials have approved a development agreement that requires Noble to update the property with buried utility lines, new signage, improved landscaping and better traffic management.

Village Administrator Zeke Jackson said not only is the proposed hamburger stand a welcome new addition in Waterford, but the resurrected ice cream parlor is perfect for summertime.

This community loves Uncle Harrys, Jackson said.

Lynn Smith, who moved into the area six months ago, said she already has become an Uncle Harrys regular. Smith said she is impressed to find a place that makes homemade ice cream.

You can tell its fresh, she said.

Another customer, Greg Grueneberg, lives in the Town of Norway, but he stops at Uncle Harrys whenever he is driving through Waterford.

Grueneberg said the quality of the ice cream is higher than in other places. He also appreciates that Uncle Harrys is locally owned.

I like to support local and small businesses, he said. Plus, I love ice cream.

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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."
The Legislatures Joint Finance Committee (JFC) recently rejected numerous budget items designed to help the people of Wisconsin.

With $2 billion surplus in state revenues and possibly more, there is no justification for this.

The JFC is refusing billions of federal dollars ear marked for Wisconsin. For example, $1.6 billion federal dollars are available if BadgerCare is expanded and $1.5 billion if public schools are funded at current levels.

By refusing to do either, we run the risk of losing more than $3 billion. These are our tax dollars!

Inadequate funding of public education affects the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families in our communities. Significant numbers of students attending public schools have experienced trauma and need mental health services. Many students have special education needs and many are English language learners. Providing appropriate services for these students is costly.

Governor Evers budget asked for two-thirds funding for public schools and increasing special education aid to 50%.

By not providing adequate funding, school districts may be forced to increase property taxes or continue to shortchange our children and families.
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

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Saturdays sailing kicks off the cruise lines return to business with Carnival vessels already scheduled to depart from other ports next month.

This is an emotional day for me. When I stepped on board the ship, I was proud. Its a beautiful ship, said Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain, after expressing condolences to the victims of the Surfside building collapse, less than 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) south of the port.

Celebrity Cruises had unveiled the $1 billion boat in December 2018  betting on luxury cruising, offering a giant spa and multifloor suites. The seven-night cruise will sail for three days in the Western Caribbean waters before making stops in Costa Maya, Cozumel and Nassau.

The ship is led by Capt. Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a cruise ship, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

You can truly feel the palpable sense of excitement and energy amongst the group as we prepare for our welcoming of our first guests, McCue said. I've never honestly seen a group so excited to get back to work.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Alaska:
LINCOLN  Nebraska Farmers Union sent written remarks to the U.S. Postal Service Tuesday opposing USPSs proposal to permanently slow down First-Class Mail delivery. The letter also supported National Farmers Unions well documented in depth comments that also opposed the permanent slow down.

NeFU s written remarks pointed out that most of Nebraska is a large sparsely populated state with very erratic high-speed internet broadband connectivity that heavily relies on prompt and reliable mail delivery service to keep farm, ranch and rural communities for business and prescriptions.

NeFU President John Hansen stated in the comments, We reject the notion that we ought to settle for second-rate slow mail service. When we get slow and erratic mail service, we dont just passively accept it. Instead, we look for prompt and sustainable solutions. The proposed USPS proposal is a blueprint for an unacceptable future for Nebraska, and we vigorously oppose it.

Hansen explained the reasons NeFU felt so strongly about the need to offer official comments about the USPS proposal, Rural Nebraska has already seen a substantial deterioration of mail service.
A column in the Omaha World-Herald by Jeremy Aspen caught my attention. He argued that the solution to dissatisfaction with our government is to repeal the 17th Amendment and have U.S. senators appointed by state legislatures. This would certainly cause more problems than it could ever solve.

Aspen argues in his column that the cause of dissatisfaction with our government is that states lack enough political power. He writes, We have weakened our Legislature, making it less consequential and prompting fewer Nebraskans to take an interest in it. He seems to believe that giving the state Legislature the power to appoint senators would give the Legislature gravitas, forcing people to pay attention to state politics.

A major flaw in Aspens argument lies in history. Aspen points to the Founding Fathers, The Electoral College clearly shows the extreme lengths the Founders took to avoid a purer democracy. The problem? The Electoral College was a compromise between slave states that wanted Congress to elect the president, and those who wanted direct election. Put simply, the Founding Fathers didnt design the Electoral College.

The flaw with plans to restrict democracy in order to save it, is that they think the solution is the problem.
According to the criminal complaint, Weis vehicle collided with a delivery truck operated by Belling at the intersection of Airport Road and Breezy Point Road shortly after 10 a.m. The crash caused Bellings vehicle to roll onto the drivers side. Belling was extracted from the vehicle and transported to a local hospital with severe pelvic injuries that resulted in his death eight days later.

Weis told La Crosse police the crash occurred after she became lost on French Island. Weis said she made a U-turn on Breezy Point and headed westbound. The complaint says video surveillance from a nearby business shows Weis running a stop sign at Airport Road without stopping or decelerating. Police estimate she crossed the intersection at 34 mph. Weis vehicle came to rest against the bottom of Bellings truck. She was transported to a local hospital with a leg injury. The complaint says she displayed no signs of impairment at the scene, and the blood test she gave voluntarily recorded no evidence of intoxication. Police concluded that while Weis speed was an aggravating circumstance  inattentive driving appears to be primary factor in the crash.
NRA not formed to defend African Americans against KKK

The false claims circulated after President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making June 19 a federal holiday. The holiday marks the date Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. Although the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places until after the end of the Civil War in 1865. The passage of the act created extensive conversation on social media, which included historical misinformation. A post falsely claiming a relationship between the formation of the NRA and enslaved Black people circulated on Facebook and Twitter following the June 17 signing of the bill. According to reporting by the AP, the KKK was created by Confederate veterans, not the Democratic Party. "The KKK was a guerrilla terrorist organization. So to talk about the KKK in terms of open party affiliation doesn't make a lot of sense because we're talking about a different kind of entity all together," said Joseph Lowndes, professor of political science at the University of Oregon. "There were Democrats in the South who were supportive of the KKK. And there are Democrats who weren't. The NRA was also not formed to help defend Black people against the KKK. "The National Rifle Association was formed in New York City in 1871, by a group of former Union Army officers and veterans. They formed the NRA in order to improve marksmanship skills among the New York National Guard in anticipation of future wars," said Frank Smyth, author of "The NRA: The Unauthorized History." "They had nothing to do with the KKK or freed slaves." Smyth added that NRA co-founder William Conan Church, in his book "Ulysses S. Grant and the Period of National Preservation and Reconstruction," never mentioned the NRA helping or arming freed slaves who were being abused and killed during Reconstruction. It also isn't historically accurate to claim that Republicans "freed slaves from Democrat slave owners." "It was the Union Army, not the Republican Party, that freed slaves from the Confederate States of America. It was not a Republican versus Democrat thing," Lowndes said. "The Republican and Democratic parties ceased to function within the rebelling states. And there were plenty of Democrats who fought in their Union Army to end slavery as well." Furthermore, the Republican Party of today bears little resemblance to the one that originated in the North in 1854. "The idea of Republicans being the party of Black equality is only true if you get in a time capsule and go back 100 years or more," says Lowndes. "After the Civil War, the Democratic Party was the dominant party in the South and represented the maintenance of the Jim Crow segregationist political order. But after 1964, white Southern Democrats switched parties."
The court rejected those arguments, noting that in Pennsylvania, Giuliani failed to "provide a scintilla of evidence for any of the varying and wildly inconsistent numbers of dead people he factually represented voted in Philadelphia during the 2020 presidential election."

Giuliani was the primary mouthpiece for Trump's lies after the 2020 election, standing at a press conference in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia on the day the race was called for Biden and saying they would challenge what he claimed was a vast conspiracy by Democrats.

The lies around the 2020 election helped push an angry mob of pro-Trump rioters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a shocking effort to stop the certification of President Biden's victory. And since that time, Republicans have used that lie to push stricter voting laws nationwide.

The suspension comes as Giuliani is under scrutiny by federal prosecutors over his interactions with figures in Ukraine while he was trying to get that country to launch an investigation of Biden's son.

Federal agents raided Giuliani's home and office in April, taking electronic devices including phones and computers.
The town's council approved it, and after a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, unveiled the new sign Thursday on Isley Brothers Day in front of a crowd numbering in the hundreds.

I've lived in Teaneck since 1976 and I thought, Ive never really done anything to improve the town'" until making the connection that some of the Isley Brothers had lived there, Buckman joked Thursday.

Former bandmates and neighbors offered reminiscences of befriending the brothers in the 1960s and 70s. Neighbors recalled swimming in Ron Isley's family's backyard pool all summer long and never being turned away, or hearing the groups new songs before they were released to the general public. They painted a picture of a close-knit neighborhood that just happened to have a world-famous band hanging out down the block.

Ron Isley was overcome with emotion after hearing all the tributes.

It's beyond words for me to express my level of appreciation and gratitude, he told the crowd. I love you people, and I thank you for loving me, for loving us and for loving the Isley Brothers.
I was proud to support Donald Trump, Vos said. I think he did a good job as president, I think he is still relevant, but I dont think he is the only person that Republicans want to rally behind, because conservatives have a lot of voices, not just one.

Not enough

Some conservatives who have most vocally opposed the partys turn toward Trump say it has done little to truly move toward the future and that refusing to do so could threaten its long-term viability in Wisconsin.

The Republican Party has consistently with one voice pretty much said that either the election was stolen or at least questionable, which is a denying of reality, but that is the Republican Party of Wisconsin today, Wigderson said.

Wigderson said he expects the party to do well in Wisconsin in 2022 given that the GOP can rally around defeating Democrats. But beyond that, he said the partys stance on elections will alienate suburban voters and threaten to make Republicans a minority party.

Wigderson said the partys convention this weekend is symbolic of the partys transition from Paul Ryan to paranoia.
Fascinated by the concept of time travel, Lititz author Sherry V. Ostroff takes readers from 17th century Scotland to the New World of Manhattan.

Her newest book is her third, and it is the second in a series that interweaves the multi-generational story of two young women separated by 300 years, yet bound by a few mysteries.

The new book is called Mannahatta and is based on the Native American word for Manhattan, which means many hills.

It continues the saga of Hanna and Anna, one a modern-day woman in New York and the other in long-ago Scotland. The contemporary character of Hanna works to uncover Annas past, as she makes her way to colonial Manhattan aboard a Scottish ship that docked in Manhattan.

Mannahatta is the sequel to Ostroffs earlier book, Caledonia, which was published in 2019. Like Caledonia, Mannahatta is written as two stories that parallel each other.

The ancient character is the one who experiences the event. The modern-day character discovers the hidden story, said Ostroff, while pointing out that many authors of historical novels use imaginative reconstruction to tell the story.

Mannahatta is the second and last book in this short series, she said.

Ostroff, who first became interested in the history of Scotland, used her research to write Caledonia, which is the name used by the Roman Empire for Scotland. She learned about Scotlands desire to create a trading colony in the New World. That colony was located in present-day Panama in Central America.

The goal was to carve out an overland trading route to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, with 1,200 colonists setting sail on five ships in 1698. In less than a year, 900 perished, says Ostroff. The colony was a failure and the remaining colonists returned to Scotland.

Its that kind of historic background that piques the imagination of this writer of historic fiction. She combines historic facts with fictional characters that might have lived in that time.

A retired teacher since 2002, Ostroff loves to learn new and old things. Unlike many writers who are urged to write what they know, Ostroff writes what she learns and imagines. Its not hard to immerse herself in the soul of a woman living in another time and place.

Ostroff is originally from Philadelphia but has lived in Lancaster County for 49 years, six of those years in Lititz. She earned her bachelors degree at Temple University, then her MA degree in history at Millersville University. For 30 years, she taught in the School District of Lancaster, at Price and Burrowes Elementary Schools and Reynolds Middle School. She also taught American History at HACC at the Lancaster Campus.

In many ways, her books are educational, compellingly teaching history. She has been inspired by writers like James Michener, author of Hawaii and The Covenant; Leon Uris, author of Mila 18 and Exodus; and Diana Gabaldon, author of the wildly popular Outlander series, which became an equally popular TV series.

I truly enjoy the research. Its a treasure hunt with many rewards, says Ostroff. Like the time I uncovered an interesting anecdote that fit the scenes at sea in Caledonia. I was touring the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth, England. I learned that Admiral Horatio Nelson died at sea, during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Based on his final instructions and his fear of being buried at sea, his body was stuffed into a barrel filled with alcohol, so it could be preserved until the ship made it back to England. It didnt go well. Those are the historical gems I want to share with my readers.

Ostroff also enjoys sharing her discoveries with those who attend her speaking engagements at places that include Manheim Township Public Library, Barnes & Noble, Traditions of America, where she lives, Homestead Village, York Jewish Community Center, Messiah Village Book Group, Carlisle Library Book Group, Lititz Womens Club, Woodcrest Villa, Highland Presbyterian Church, the Iris Club in Lancaster, and Brethren Village Book Club.

Her earlier book Caledonia has been awarded a Chanticleer International Award, Chaucer Division for Historical Novel Pre-1750s, IndieBrag Medallion Honors, and an Indie Diamond Book Award, First Place, Adult Fiction.

Her first book may be the one closest to her heart. Its heroine is not an imaginary character. It is her own mother, who escaped from Eastern Europe in the 1920s. Her non-fiction The Lucky One was published in 2016, and is based on her mothers memoir.

My mother handed me her handwritten memoir shortly after she retired, but I sat on it for almost 30 years before I started writing. The delay was a result of my mothers passing, working full time, and not being sure how to present her story, said Ostroff. Today, her handwritten memoir is permanently housed at the Yivo Institute in New York City. Yivo is a history museum for Eastern European Jewry. A copy of the book is in the library as well as the Library of Congress and the National Library of Israel.

Now that Ostroff has published her third book, she is thinking about her next project.

I found that the lockdown during the pandemic was a perfect catalyst for writing. I finished Mannahatta six months sooner. I never minded the long days of going nowhere, says Ostroff.

Married to her high school sweetheart, she looks forward to spending time with their daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. She is also hoping to travel as soon as it is safe to do so. It might just involve some time traveling.

Sherry V. Ostroffs books are available at Amazon.com in paperback and e-book formats. The books are free for Kindle Unlimited members. For more information, including excerpts, check sherryvostroff.com.

Laura Knowles is a freelance feature writer and regular contributor to the pages of the Lititz Record Express. She welcomes feedback and story tips at lknowleslrc@gmail.com.
A Manheim Township police officer fired multiple shots at a man who nearly struck officers twice with a vehicle in Lancaster Township on Friday night, according to the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

Two officers arrived the 300 block of Waterford Court at around 8:30 p.m. following reports of a stolen vehicle, the district attorneys office said in a news release. There they found the vehicle, driven by 32-year-old Corry Maurice Brooks, of York.

Brooks attempted to flee when officers approached him, accelerating the vehicle in reverse and striking a police cruiser, according to the news release. Brooks then accelerated toward an officer, who took cover behind a tree. He then continued into a grassy area where he then backed up toward the officer, striking the tree.

The officer fired multiple shots at Brooks as he fled from the scene, the district attorneys office said.

Brooks later crashed a short distance away in the 100 block of Second Lock Road and fled the scene on foot, according to the news release. It is unknown if Brooks was injured during the incident.

The incident is being investigated by the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office, which reviews all police shootings in Lancaster County. District Attorney Heather Adams will make a final determination on the use of force upon completion of the investigation.

Brooks will be charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, the district attorneys office said. He is already wanted on numerous warrants including felony strangulation and flight to avoid apprehension stemming from separate incidents.

Anyone with information as to Brooks whereabouts is urged to contact Manheim Township police at 717-569-6401 or submit a tip through CrimeWatch.
Lancaster Countys three poorest schools are set to get an extra boost in the 2021-22 state budget to prop up low-income districts following the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of a more than $6.5 billion investment in K-12 education.

The Ephrata Area School District, Columbia School District and School District of Lancaster are among the states 100 poorest school districts slated to receive a piece of a $100 million Level Up supplement using federal COVID-19 relief dollars.

In addition to this increase, all county districts will each receive an increase as part of a $200 million increase in education spending. This is nowhere near the $1 billion Gov. Tom Wolf pitched in his February 2021-22 budget proposal, though House Republicans say they have received Wolfs agreement on the full budget package.

2021-22 school district increases Below is a breakdown of proposed basic education funding by school district, per a House Appropriations analysis, and their percentage increase over the 2020-21 school year: Cocalico School District: $7.81 million, a 2% increase

Columbia Borough School District: $8.5 million, a 14% increase

Conestoga Valley School District: $5.3 million, an 11% increase

Donegal School District: $7.9 million, a 6% increase

Eastern Lancaster County School District: $5 million, a 6% increase

Elizabethtown Area School District: $9.3 million, a 1% increase

Ephrata Area School District: $11.1 million, a 9% increase

Hempfield School District: $14.1 million, a 6% increase

Lampeter-Strasburg School District: $4.6 million, a 2% increase

School District of Lancaster: $67.1 million, a 5% increase

Manheim Central School District: $7.6 million, a 5% increase

Manheim Township School District: $6.7 million, an 11% increase

Penn Manor School District: $12.6 million, a 5% increase

Pequea Valley School District: $3 million, a 3% increase

Solanco School District: $10.6 million, a 3% increase

Warwick School District: $10.7 million, a 5% increase

Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster city, said on the House floor he would support the budget because of the $100 million investment program into the states poorest schools. This investment would help get the School District of Lancaster closer to getting equitably funded. With the Level Up supplement for the states lowest income schools and the state education funding increase, the district will receive an extra $3.3 million for a total $67 million.

This makes up about 10% of $25 million in additional funding the School District of Lancaster should be getting if all spending went through the basic education formula.

Because we dont fund education at the levels we should at a state level, theres a lot left to be desired, Sturla said. Ill be first to admit that I think this budget lacks a lot, but Ive worked for the past seven years trying to get some form of Level Up funding.

Non-public schools, public school foundations and Pre-K programs also will get a $40 million increase under the budget plan unveiled Friday, making $225 million in tax credits available to businesses and corporations. Businesses can funnel a portion of their tax dollars into these tax credits to allow low-income students to attend a private or religious institution or a higher-performing public school.

Education committee chair Sen. Scott Martin, R-Martic Township authored sweeping legislation that had been fast-tracked to increase these tax credits and reform charter school regulations. Some of these tax credit increases were added to the state budget proposal, but the big charter school reforms are on the backburner until the fall.

Martin said late Friday he had mixed feelings about the state budget agreement, including about the funding split out from the rest of the education spending for the states poorest schools. He said hes worried that an additional fund siphoning off money from using the main equity formula distorts the purpose of its use.

Anytime I see more money going through the Basic Education Formula, its a good thing, Martin said. None of us will be happy until the [equitable funding formula] is fully funded.

In the first round of federal coronavirus relief, Pennsylvania did not use its basic education formula to distribute its money. The basic education formula was enacted in 2016 to allocate all new education spending with consideration for whether a school is located in a rural area, if the area has high concentrations of poverty, and if students are native English speakers, among other criteria. The goal is to direct more funds to schools with higher needs that also serve communities without robust tax bases.

Instead, districts with the highest need received the least funding per student, according to a December analysis by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. If state officials had used the formula last year, the School District of Lancaster wouldve received an additional $1.5 million, and Columbia Borough School District wouldve received an extra $142,200, according to the report.
When: Upper Leacock Township supervisors meeting, June 17.

What happened: The board presented Imants Nick Ekis with a plaque of appreciation in recognition of his 14 years of service to the township. Ekis resigned from his post as chairman of the Upper Leacock Planning Commission following his move to a retirement community outside the township.

School Drive intersection: Township officials will be meeting with the state Department of Transportation in July to review safety concerns over the Glenbrook Road (Route 772) intersections with School Drive and Route 23.

Leola Community Pool: Along with many other pools, Leola is experiencing a shortage of lifeguards. This has led to the pool being closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The township has contracted with the Lancaster Family YMCA to manage the day-to-day operation of the pool and will receive a credit for the days its not open.

Resolution: The board signed a formal resolution authorizing the sale of the townships community building on Hillcrest Avenue in anticipation of settlement later this month. The building was sold by public auction earlier this year to Veritas Academy for $3.2 million.

Meeting room acoustics: The township used the services of a professional acoustics company to study how speech intelligibility could be improved in its meeting room at 161 Newport Road. It recommended installing a series of sound absorption panels.

Cybersecurity services: Township Manager Michael Morris has contacted the townships insurance company to conduct an independent evaluation of its security system as far as vulnerability to email exposure, phishing, and similar risks. Morris said in these days of cybercrime its important the townships assets and various funds be protected from internet intruders.

Next meeting: Supervisors will meet July 15.
Note: For timeliness, the letter is being published online only.

This is an open letter to state Sen. Ryan Aument and state Rep. Steven Mentzer:

I am a Lancaster County Court Appointed Special Advocate. The Pennsylvania Legislature is currently working on the budget for fiscal year 2021-22, and I am asking you to support a budget request for $1.8 million to fund the statewide CASA organization.

In case you are unfamiliar, CASA staffers are trained volunteers who are the eyes and ears of the judge in cases where any child is taken out his or her home for whatever reason.

These children can be scared, angry, depressed, oppositional  and the list goes on. CASA volunteers are assigned a child or a sibling group and watch to see that they are receiving services, going to school and having parental visits if allowed. CASA volunteers are caring adults who meet with the child or children during the phases taking them up to either family reunification or an adoption.

Pennsylvania is one of only three states that does not provide funding to its state CASA organization. As part of the National CASA/GAL Association, CASA in Pennsylvania is dedicated to recruiting, training and retaining a high-quality volunteer system by establishing county programs, raising public awareness and using evidence-based training programs.

The CASA program is important to our community and I ask that you support the budget request for $1.8 million. This will help caring, dedicated and extensively trained CASA volunteers bring about positive changes in the lives of children who have experienced abuse or neglect.

Joseph Manning

Lititz
British Empire Maneuvers Itself into Position To Dominate Ukrainian Defense Policy

June 25, 2021 (EIRNS)The British Empire is maneuvering to control crucial elements and forces of Ukrainian defense policy, in order to dominate that policy. Since 2015, the British have sunk multiple hooks into Ukraines Defense Ministry and Armed Forces, and the June 23 deployment of the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender to violate Russias maritime border around Crimea in the Black Sea should be seen in this context. That naval deployment, severely condemned by the Russian government, whose military dropped high explosive fragmentation bombs in the Defenders path of movement, could have escalated to potentially nuclear levels.

The June 24 Morning Briefing reported that on June 22, the U.K. and Ukrainian governments signed an agreementon the deck of the HMS Defender in Odessafor a British $1.7 billion sale of eight Barzan-class fast-attack missile boats to the Ukrainian Navy. The June 22 Defense News reported that at the same time, that British military contractors, including missile maker MBDA, sensor builder Thales, and project management consultancy Royal Haskoning DHV, are in touch with Ukraine to help Ukraines military.

Further, in 2015, Britain initiated Operation ORBITAL, the codename given to the U.K. Armed Forces deployment in Ukraine after Crimea voted to reunite with Russia in 2014. Several hundred British troops, according to the Ministry of Defense are training Ukrainians in medical, logistics, counter improvised explosive devices; anti-armor; counter-sniping; and maritime capacity building: diving, firefighting, damage control and sea surveillance, according to the program. But it is likely that the training goes further. The British have reportedly trained 18,100 Ukrainian troops in British methods.

At the same time, the British undertook a parallel mission for the Ukrainian Navy, attempting to integrate it into NATOs mission. On August 19, 2020, U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace defined its objective, The Maritime Training Initiative will enable even closer collaboration with the NATO Alliance and Armed Forces around the world, and allows us to build on Ukraines new NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status. Wallace threatened that its mission would engage in combatting threats in the Black Sea. Now the British are building combat ships for the Ukrainians, even as the U.S. is purportedly holding back funds for lethal weapons for Ukraine.

Finally, the British made an agreement with Ukraine to help set Ukraines defense policy firsthand. A position was created for a high-ranking British military officer to serve as Special Defense Advisor to sit on Ukraines Defense Reform Advisory Board, which is shaping its military rebuilding and defense posture. For the last few years, this position has been held by retired British four-star Gen. Sir Gordon Messenger, former Deputy Chief of the British Defense Staff. Messenger is not only a Commander of the British Empire, but a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, one of the highest elite orders of Britain, which is headed by Queen Elizabeth II.

This British apparatus is dominating Ukraines defense policy.

The British takeover of Ukrainian defense policy evokes historical parallels to the Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902-1922. Like Britains current arrangements with Ukraine, the Anglo-Japanese Treaty was aimed against Russia. Ships for the Imperial Japanese Navy were built in British shipyards and Britain aided Japan during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) by denying access to coaling stations to the Russian Baltic Fleet as it sailed around the continent of Africa and across the Indian Ocean to fight the Japanese. The British Naval Attache in Tokyo, Adm. William Pakenham, spent much of the war aboard the Japanese battleship Asahi, which had been built in Scotland, to direct the assault upon Russia.
Russians Warn British, Next Time Shots May Hit Intruder Vessel

June 25, 2021 (EIRNS)The Russians are not fooling around. Russian officials are making clear that should there be another provocation such as that by the Royal Navys HMS Defender on June 23, the shells and bombs will land on the deck of the intruder. It is impossible to hide the indignation over the U.K. Ministry of Defenses statement that the mentioned destroyer allegedly conducted an innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters. I have to warn the ex-ruler of the waves, that next time, such a decision is taken, bombs will be dropped not ahead of the target, but on the target, head of the Russian delegation to the security and arms controls negotiations in Vienna Konstantin Gavrilov warned in a statement issued at the June 23 OSCE meeting on cooperation in security and was published on June 24, reported TASS.

Gavrilov was backed up by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. We may appeal to common sense and demand respect for international law, he said, reported the Guardian. But if it does not help, we may drop bombs not only in the path [of the ship] but also on the target itself, if colleagues do not understand.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made very clear that the Russian Federation regards the intrusion into Crimean territorial waters by the HMS Defender to be a very deliberate provocation. We consider that the British destroyer has carried out provocation. Moreover, we regret as this was deliberate and prepared provocation, he said. Of course, we are concerned over the actions of the British vessel. We consider such actions unacceptable, they are in violation of international law.

Peskov reported that Moscow will take appropriate diplomatic measures. It is better to address [this question] to the Foreign Ministry. You know that there were contacts with British diplomats and military diplomats there, he said, responding to the question whether Russia would apply to international organizations in connection with the incident. Of course, Russia will do what it should do in this situation through diplomatic channels.

At the same time, Peskov refused to speculate on what effect the incident might have on U.K.-Russian relations going forward. We do regret that such an incident took place, and we regret that it was obviously prepared. However, we would not like to portray this as a trend. We would not even like to assume that such provocations may become systematic, he said.

During his remarks at the Moscow Conference on International security, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned yesterday that the incident will have unpredictable consequences. Yesterday, we saw an illustration of an obviously deliberate incident, which may have the most serious consequences, including from the point of view of the escalation of actions that could lead to absolutely unpredictable consequences, he said. According to Grushko, Western countries choose a spiral of confrontation instead of cooperation with Russia. This situation is explosive, even if all parties remain prudent. Unintentional incidents, which can result in a real conflict, are not ruled out, he stressed.

Grushko said that he hopes that the West will learn from the incident. In this case, we demonstrated with our military and political actions that we will ensure our interests 100%, there can be no doubt about that, Grushko said.

In the military sphere, all decisions should be weighed. I am sure that yesterdays incident will be the subject of professional inquiries. ... If we talk about our general approach to such incidents, our position is well known. We offered all NATO states to join the talks on improving the existing agreements on avoiding or preventing dangerous incidents, including those of an accidental nature, at sea, in the air, or in contact zones in general,

Grushko concluded.

Britains Ambassador to Moscow Deborah Bronnert was called to the Foreign Ministry but left without comment, refusing to answer reporters questions as she departed, reported TASS.

The Ambassador was presented with a decisive protest regarding the violation of the Russian border and the provocative and dangerous actions of the Royal Navy ship in the Russian territorial waters, which Russia views as a blatant violation of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. A special attention was drawn to the fact that, should similar provocations happen again, the responsibility for their potential consequences will rest entirely with the U.K.,

Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, afterwards.
European Union leaders are in a dispute with Hungary over a law the Hungarian parliament passed last week.

The law bans sharing information about homosexuality or sex change operations with people under 18 in school sex education programs, movies or advertisements.

EU leaders clashed with Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban Thursday during an EU leaders meeting in Brussels.

A majority of the EUs 27 leaders said Hungarys law is discriminatory and goes against EU values. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Orban to respect LGBT rights or to consider leaving the EU.

It was about our values; this is what we stand for," Rutte told reporters on Friday. "I said 'Stop this, you must withdraw the law and, if you don't like that and really say that the European values are not your values, then you must think about whether to remain in the European Union.

Several people told The Associated Press that the meeting in Brussels got very tense and emotional.

Hungarys president signed the law Wednesday. The government says the law will protect children. But critics say it is unfair to homosexuals. The law will take effect in about two weeks.

Speaking in Brussels, Orban said he would not withdraw the law. He said it does not target gay people.

Its not about homosexuality, its about the kids and the parents, Orban said. I am defending the rights of homosexual guys but this law is not about them.

Orban has been in power since 2010 and is facing an election next year. He has pushed laws that support what he says are traditional Catholic values.

EU members Hungary and Poland have disagreed with other EU countries before. Their governments often support policies considered conservative by other EU members.

The EU has disapproved of laws that Hungary has passed affecting reporters, judges, immigrants and academics.

Xavier Bettel is the Prime Minister of Luxembourg and is openly gay. He said the EU should fight the law. He also said Hungary should be subject to an EU rule that decreases money for countries that pass anti-democratic laws. The new rule has not yet been tested.

Seventeen out of 27 leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, signed a joint letter stating their support of protecting gay rights.

"We all made it very clear which fundamental values we follow, she said.

Bettel said the only country other than Poland to support Orban during the meeting was Slovenia.

He said it was time for the EU to use its new rules.

"Most of the time, money is more convincing than talk," Bettel said.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story based on reporting from The Associated Press and Reuters. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

homosexuality n. being sexually attracted to people of the same sex

LGBT acronym Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender

academic  n. a person who is a teacher in a college or university

fundamental  adj. forming or relating to the most important part of something

convincing adj. causing someone to believe that something is true or certain
Award-winning American film director Steven Spielberg has just signed a new deal with Netflix. The movie streaming service is joining forces with Spielbergs production company, Amblin Partners, to make several films each year. The partnership is a big step for Netflix as it faces competition from other streaming services.

The deal announced Monday does not specifically include any movies that Spielberg will direct himself. For example, in December, he will release the musical film West Side Story with Disneys company 20th Century Studios. Amblin also has a separate deal with Universal Pictures for film releases.

In a statement, Spielberg said that storytelling will always be at the center of everything we do. And when he and Netflixs Ted Sarandos began talks, he knew this would be great way to tell new stories and reach new audiences. The statement goes on to say that the partnership will be very satisfying for Spielberg personally, and he cannot wait to get started with the Netflix team.

Amblin Partners takes its name from a 1968 film short by Spielberg. The company has helped produce many films outside of those made my Spielberg, including 1917 and Green Book. Netflix and Amblin have worked together in the past on television series. They also worked together on The Trial of the Chicago 7, a film directed by Aaron Sorkin. It was co-produced by Amblin and sold by Paramount Pictures to Netflix during the pandemic.

Spielberg has in the past been known as someone who opposes movie streaming. A headline from the news website Deadline.com on Monday asked if hell had frozen over. The expression suggests that the impossible has happened: Spielberg finally accepts the streaming of movies. But in 2019, he said that he was not against it, adding that people have mistakenly believed that about him.

In 2019, several news stories reported that Spielberg compared streamed film releases to made-for-television movies. He said such films should compete for television awards, or Emmys, not film awards, or Oscars. That year, Spielberg said he is a firm believer that movie theaters should be around in the future. He also said that, whether on television or in a theater, what matters is a great story and everyone should have access to great stories.

Also that year, in an email to the New York Times, Spielberg wrote that people should have the chance to share a film experience at theaters. He said movie theaters enable crowds to laugh, cry and be afraid together, so thatthey might feel a little less like strangers. His email also said he wants movie theaters to survive and to remain important to American culture.

Since then, the lines between streaming and theaters have become less clear. For example, Netflix has presented some of its most popular film releases in theaters for a week or more. And traditional film companies like Disney and Warner Brothers now send their movies to theaters and to streaming services.

Netflixs Ted Sarandos said, Steven is a creative visionary and leader and, like so many others around the world, my growing up was shaped by his memorable characters and stories. He added that Netflix is honored and pleased to be part of this period in Spielbergs filmmaking history.

Im Alice Bryant.

The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

stream - v. play continuously as data is sent to a computer over the Internet

audience - n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something or watch something

headline - n. the title written in large letters over a story in a newspaper

hell - n. the place where the devil lives and where evil people go after they die according to some religions

access - v. to be able to use, enter, or get near something

visionary - n. a person who has clear ideas about what should happen or be done in the future

character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show
The delta variant is a version of the coronavirus that has been found in 80 countries since it was first discovered in India. It got its name from the World Health Organization, which names important variants after letters of the Greek alphabet.

Viruses always mutate, and most changes are not worrying. There is concern, however, that some variants might change enough to be more transmissible, make people sicker or avoid the protection of vaccines.

Experts say the delta variant spreads more easily because of mutations that make it better at connecting to cells in our bodies. In the United Kingdom, the variant is now responsible for 90 percent of all new infections. In the U.S., it represents 20 percent of infections, doubling in the past two weeks. Health officials say it could become the countrys most common type as well.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the top disease expert in the U.S.

The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19, he said.

Dr. Jacob John studies viruses at the Christian Medical College at Vellore in India. He said there is not enough data to be sure whether the variant makes people sicker. And studies have shown that vaccines work against variants, including the delta variant.

Researchers in England studied how effective the two-dose AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were against coronavirus variants. The vaccines protected those who got both doses, but were less effective for those who got just one dose.

The American state of Missouri is seeing a sharp rise in delta variant cases because many people are not getting vaccinated. Over 53 percent of Americans have received at least one shot, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But many parts of Missouri are well below 40 percent. One county is at just 13 percent. Fauci said there is a real danger of big increases in cases in areas around the U.S with low vaccination rates.

That is why experts say it is important to be fully vaccinated. And it is why they say making vaccines available worldwide is so important.

But it is not clear yet how long vaccines provide protection against disease.

Mehul Suthar is with the Emory University Vaccine Center. He said the current vaccines are designed to work against one spike protein on the coronavirus. The spike protein is the part of the virus that attaches to human cells and is targeted by vaccines.

Suthar said if the virus mutates enough over time, vaccines might also need to change to improve their effectiveness.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story from reporting by The Associated Press. Susan Shand was the editor.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

mutate  v. to cause (a gene) to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal : to cause mutation in (a gene)

transmissible  adj. able to be transmitted, or spread

eliminate v. to remove (something that is not wanted or needed) : to get rid of (something)
Hello! Summer in the United States is a popular season to hold outdoor celebrations. Today, we answer a question from Egypt about the word party.

Here's the question:

Question:

This word party has many meanings. It changed according to the context. Please give me more details and examples.

Taha, Egypt

Answer:

Dear Taha,

That is a great word to learn. You probably learned first that party is a noun meaning a celebratory social event. When we have a party, we invite people to gather. Usually, we serve food and drinks. We might also play music, sometimes for dancing. We also sometimes set up games or other fun activities for our guests. Here is an example sentence using party defined that way:

Im having a Fourth of July party  would you like to come?

A political party

During election campaigns, a political group may ask you to vote for its candidate for a government office. Such groups are also called parties. A party is a group of people working together for a political purpose. Here is an example:

Chinas President Xi Jinping leads the countrys Communist Party.

A related word is partisanship. It means loyalty to ones political party. When the two parties agree on something, it is called bipartisanship. An example of this was last weeks vote by every member of the U.S. Senate  in both parties  to make a new federal holiday.

The U.S. Senate showed bipartisanship in a vote by all members to make June Nineteenth a federal holiday.

A legal term

When lawyers write a contract, they use party to describe the people or groups involved in the legal case. They may say,

Both parties must agree to any changes in this contract.

Another more formal use of party is to describe any one person or group. At a restaurant, the host may announce,

A table is ready for a party of four.

When 191 countries signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, they became Parties to the agreement.

Just anyone can be a party

The word party sometimes appears where you could also use anyone or a person.

Interested parties may now buy tickets for the school concert.

I bought my car from a private party on the internet.

A group with a purpose

In disasters, you may hear reports of a rescue party or a search party going to help the victims.

After the earthquake, many countries sent special search and rescue parties to help find the victims.

One note: these are all definitions of party as a noun. People also use it as a verb meaning celebrate. Listen to this example:

When COVID-19 stops spreading, my friends and I are going to party together --- in person!

Thanks for writing us, Taha!

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com

And thats Ask a Teacher.

Im Jill Robbins.

Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

___________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

host  n. a person who is entertaining guests socially or as a job

concert  n. a public performance of music

Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
This is a community calendar. To accommodate demand for the print edition, we ask that items be brief and include time, date, place, address, 
Mapel was commissioned to create and paint all 50 of the state quilts.

In 2018 she said each barn quilt is made using MDO, or Medium Density Overlay, board which has a resin pushed into both its top and bottom surface.

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Working as a team, Mapel and her husband Ray cut out the boards and prime them. Ray drew the design on the board and Mapel labeled it showing what colors are to be used and where. Yellow Frogtape were used to separate areas of differing colors when paint was applied to ensure crisp lines.

Once painted, the boards are sealed twice with a sealant which also takes care of the edges. "I think the sealing is just as important as the color part, as that will ensure the longevity of the project to stand the test of time Mapel said.

The barn quilt trail and 50 state display caught the attention of the NEBRASKAland Foundation.

The NEBRASKAland Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation with the Governor as the honorary chairperson formed to enhance the pride Nebraskans share in the Good Life and to display this quality of life to guests visiting the great state of Nebraska, according to their website. It was established in 1962.
MONTREAL  Victor Hedman wants nothing to do with talk about how the Tampa Bay Lightning can secure their place in NHL playoff lore by becoming the second team in 22 years to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
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When I read over the plan, one of the most glaring problems is the idea of building high-density apartments that are studio and one and two bedrooms. This means that families can no longer rent in South Madison because it wont meet the needs of larger families. According to this same document, South Madison median household income is $35,000, compared to other households in a 10-minute driving radius with an income of $52,763 and city of Madison household incomes of $63,045. The housing mix in South Madison is 21% homeowners and 70% renters. The mix of homeowners versus renters within a 10-minute radius is 36% to 44%. There is a greater concentration of home prices less than $200,000, however, the sale price trend is quickly rising.

What that means is it becomes critically important to keep affordable housing in South Madison, where residents' average incomes are just over half of incomes earned by most Madison residents.

South Madison was once the only place people of color could live. Now it is the most affordable area in the city to live. But how long will that last before gentrification, which is when rich take over, occurs in South Madison.

Pia Kinney James wants us all to care about the South Madison neighborhood and come out and speak in defense of keeping South Madison a great and affordable place to live. The South Madison Plan should reflect the earnest needs and desires of the residents living there. What happens in South Madison will eventually affect all of Madison.
CHICAGO (AP)  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. But it's not clear yet what Chauvin's experience will look like.

AN UNUSUAL START

Since his April conviction, Chauvin has been held at the states only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights.

Thats unusual  people dont typically go to a prison while waiting for sentencing. Chauvin is there for security reasons.

Most state prisons have a unit to separate inmates from the general population for safety or security.

But Oak Park Heights has what the Department of Corrections calls Minnesota's most secure unit to separate individuals from others in the prison for disciplinary or security reasons.

HOW DOES THAT UNIT OPERATE?

Photos provided by the state show an empty cell in that unit has white cinderblock walls, slim rectangular windows, a metal toilet and sink and a thin mattress on a fixed bedframe.
Ernst said this book of poetry is something from the heart and writing it lifted her spirits during the pandemic.

Immigrant stories often inspire me, and I decided it was time to send this book into the world, she said.

An increased interest in poetry has been a trend that Berg has seen for a while at her store. Im not sure what it is and its not any one type of poetry ... its just poetry, she said. People spend quite a bit of time just looking at our poetry books.

Jennifer Chiaverini, a Madison author who writes mostly historical fiction, said she wrote her latest book, The Womens March, in 2020, a tumultuous year that witnessed a devastating pandemic, new challenges to womens rights, and threats of voter suppression, but also the centenary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the election of an extraordinarily qualified and experienced woman of color as vice president.
Assistant District Attorney Alex Goulart said Beggs was homeless and was staying at his grandmothers home at the time of her death.

According to the criminal complaint:

A family member, said in court to be one of Kathleen Beggs eight sons, told investigators he arrived at her home on West Mineral Point Road in the town of Center, just north of Footville and about 12 miles west of Janesville, as usual around 5:30 a.m. to bring in her newspaper.

But when he pulled into the driveway, he noticed the homes exterior lights were on, which was unusual. Jamie Beggs then came out of the house and asked the man if he could see the demons.

The son walked into the house and saw a couch had been moved into the kitchen, and Beggs again said there were demons in the house and asked the man if he could see them.

The man told Beggs to move the furniture back where it belonged before his grandmother woke up, but when he went to her bedroom, she wasnt there. After looking around he asked Beggs where she was, and Beggs said she was in the garage.

Thats where the man found his mother, covered in coats and blankets, then called 911 after moving a coat that covered her face.
How are the courts handling eviction hearings?Legal Action of Wisconsin, which provides free legal services to low-income people, has twice asked the state Supreme Court to halt all eviction proceedings in light of the CDC moratorium. The conservative-leaning court refused both times, saying in its latest denial in May that the Legislature, not the court, should decide whether to tilt the balance in eviction proceedings in favor of tenants.

How affordable is housing in the states major rental markets?Wisconsins rents are relatively low compared with the rest of the countrys. As of May, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis metropolitan area was $1,545, which was the same as last year, according to a report released June 16 by Realtor.com.

Are evictions expected to create a surge in homelessness?Thousands of Wisconsin residents fear they could be evicted soon, according to a survey the U.S. Census Bureau released June 16. A little more than 16,300 Wisconsin adult residents surveyed said they felt it was very likely they would be evicted within the next two months. Another 23,000 said they felt it was somewhat likely they would be evicted. Only about 7,000 of those respondents said they were employed. The survey did not break down responses by specific metropolitan areas in Wisconsin.

Brennan said its difficult to project how many people might lose their homes. The DOA set up a system this spring to monitor eviction filings in court, and the state will share that data with local housing advocates in the hopes that they can reach out to tenants and let them know about the government aid.
"These REPUBLICAN 'leaders' need to step up and support the people who elected them by providing them a full forensic investigation," Trump said. "If they don't, I have little doubt that they will be primaried and quickly run out of office."

Vos, LeMahieu and Kapenga didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Wisconsin Republicans have made efforts to investigate the November election results, despite recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties affirming President Joe Biden's win.

Vos has hired retired police officers to "to investigate 'potential irregularities and/or illegalities' in the 2020 presidential election.

Republicans have also ordered a review by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and they have passed several bills tightening rules for absentee voting, measures Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is all but certain to veto.

A group of Wisconsin Republicans also traveled to Arizona recently to observe an audit being conducted there, but Vos has said he doesn't anticipate a similar one being conducted in Wisconsin because he has hired retired police officers instead.
The legacy of Donald Trump, the positive policy victories, are going to be foundational, but the people youre going to see on the ballot are not going to be pushed through the lens of are they Donald Trump, Kleefisch said. They will be judged as individuals.

Even so, most Republicans credit Trump with infusing new energy into the party, and say they would welcome him to campaign for Republicans in Wisconsin next year, even though doing so may further alienate voters in the Milwaukee suburbs and elsewhere.

As Republicans attempt to sort out how to move beyond the Trump years, many think the party can embrace Trumps legacy and even campaign assistance, while also picking up more of the voters whom he alienated.

If anyone can do that, many strategists say it would be Kleefisch, who herself is a suburban mother from southeastern Wisconsin.

I think you can unite (Republicans) pretty easily around two things: in opposition to Governor Evers, and in support of someone who both parts feel very comfortable with, and I think thats Rebecca Kleefisch, said former GOP Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen.

Vos said the party in the gubernatorial race wont need to worry about a candidates style turning off voters.
This Madison Express editorial ran on June 30, 1841, seven years before Wisconsin became a state. The weekly Madison Express became the daily Wisconsin State Journal in 1852:

We trust the extra session of Congress will do something for our territory. We have roads partially made, which require further appropriations to finish them. It is the decided interest of the United States to give us good roads and good harbors, and thus add to the speedy sale and improvement of its lands.

Various reasons strike the mind why our roads should be perfected with as little delay as possible. One of the most prominent is that it would help to fill our territory with inhabitants; always ready to defend our borders in the event of a dispute with England or the (American) Indians.

The transporting of soldiers to the west would be enormously expensive: Whereas, by making good roads  removing obstructions from our streams, and forming harbors along our lakeshore, we would induce active hardy freemen to settle here, who would be ever ready to quiet our disputes with any assailing power. The lands, too, would sell with great rapidity, if there were proper facilities for reaching them. ...
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AP

Chauvin gets more than 20 years

JULIO CORTEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS Jennifer Starr Dodd, center, and other supporters react to the sentencing of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd on Friday at George Floyd Square, where Floyd was killed, in Minneapolis. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA, ASSOCIATED PRESS Attorney Ben Crump hugs the Rev. Al Sharpton as he walks into the Hennepin County Government Center for the sentencing of former police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday in Minneapolis. JIM MONE, ASSOCIATED PRESS The Rev. Al Sharpton, right, with hand on coat, along with family members of George Floyd, leads a prayer before entering the Hennepin County Government Center for the sentencing of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday in Minneapolis for the May 2020 death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis. COURT TV, POOL VIA AP In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing Friday at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvins knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

The punishment  which came after Chauvin broke his yearlong silence to offer condolences to the Floyd family and express hope that they eventually have some peace of mind  is one of the longest prison terms ever imposed on a U.S. police officer in the killing of a Black person.

Still, Floyd family members and others were disappointed. The sentence fell short of the 30 years prosecutors had requested. And with good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could get out on parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

Just because its the most time doesnt mean its enough time, said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis protest leader.

In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said the family had gotten some measure of accountability but is hoping Chauvin gets the maximum at his upcoming federal civil rights trial. Crump said this was the longest sentence a police officer has ever received in Minnesota.

But he added: Real justice in America will be Black men and Black women and people of color who will not have to fear being killed by the police just because the color of their skin. That would be real justice.

Outside the courthouse, a crowd of about 50 people clasped hands or placed them on each others shoulders. The reaction was subdued as people debated whether the sentence was long enough. Some cursed in disgust.

At George Floyd Square, as the intersection where Floyd was pinned to the pavement is now known, members of the crowd broke into applause, and several said, Well take it.

Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. He showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.

The fired white officer was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Bystander video of Floyds arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond, as well as demands for overhauling police departments and the disciplining of officers.

On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand  an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial, where his words could be used against him.

I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind, he said without further explanation.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson had asked that Chauvin be let off on probation, saying the former officers brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if? What if? What if?

Chauvins mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, pleaded for mercy for her son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man, she told the judge, adding: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.

I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank, in asking the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines, said tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life, Frank said.

Floyd family members had tearfully asked the judge to impose the maximum, which was 40 years.

Afterward, Floyds nephew Brandon Williams said the sentence was insufficient, when you think about George being murdered, in cold blood with a knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds execution-style in broad daylight. LaTonya Floyd, George Floyds sister, said of the punishment: Thats nothing. Thats nothing. He should have got the max, period.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvins three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvins request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved out of Minneapolis.
Twin Falls streets will fill with artwork for the 11th annual Art & Soul in the Magic Valley competition hosted by the Magic Valley Arts Council. Melissa Crane, Magic Valley Arts director, said there are 199 adults and nearly 100 youth artists participating. The artists come from 38 cities in Idaho, 11 states, and two countries. Art will be on display at 98 venues across town.

The art will be up for two weeks while the community will vote for their favorite pieces.

This is an event you will never forget, Crane said.

Such an array of incredible talent is something to behold, she said.

How do you register to vote?

Anyone interested in voting must first register in person at the Magic Valley Center for the Arts, 195 River Vista Place. Registration is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday through July 10. Voter registration closes July 10 at 6 p.m. and voting closes the same day at midnight.

Crane said people can enjoy Art & Soul in several ways but the easiest method is to register first before seeing the entries. Voters must be at least 16 years old and bring a valid form of ID.
Its inspired the community to honor the arts more than it ever has, LaMure said.

As Art and Soul grew, it became too much for Hoag to handle on his own. He partnered with the Magic Valley Arts Council for the events third year, and turned it over completely to the group the year after.

But he remains engaged in the planning of the event and helps out wherever hes needed. He runs the website through which people vote for their favorite pieces and places flags around the city indicating the venues where art can be found.

Hoag came up with the idea for flags after using balloons the first year of the event.

I about killed myself keeping the balloons inflated, Hoag said.

After spending years traveling around the country entering his work into art shows, Hoag shifted his focus supporting and promoting the local arts community. This event is one of the main ways he accomplishes this goal.

I know artists who have sold their work as a direct result of Art and Soul and without it, nobody would have ever seen their work, Hoag said. It has increased the visibility of arts in the community.
If this task force had gotten together and reached out to student leaders, community leaders in education, they would have learned a lot more about the truth, said Graf Kirk, an incoming senior at Boise State University. And I would recommend that be the next thing they do.

Students hope they can get members of the task force to listen to them now.

It would be great if they could just truly listen, like active listening, and not just have their values (imposed) on students education, Alvarez said. I dont know if theyre going to give us a chance at this next meeting for anyone to speak up because their agenda has been chaotic  so if theyre not going to hear us out, then maybe there will be other messages to get across what were feeling.

Rajbhandari said fear is preventing task force members from listening to what this group has to say.

What McGeachin and the indoctrination task force and the Idaho Freedom Foundation are most scared of is student voices and education itself, Rajbhandari said.

Students who are part of the effort are hoping to raise awareness about whats happening with the task force, and to educate others about what is going on in their schools.
IDAHO FALLS  A Bechtel-led team is contesting the U.S. Department of Energys decision to award the Idaho Cleanup Project contract to the Jacobs Technology Inc. group Idaho Environmental Coalition, according to a Bechtel source who spoke on background.

The Bechtel subsidiary, Idaho Remediation Company, lodged a protest with the DOE on June 15, according to the Government Accountability Offices website. Idaho Remediation Company was formed in November 2015 according to Delawares Department of State Division of Corporations website.

The U.S. Department of Energys Office of Environmental Management has sent a letter of intent to extend Fluors contract with the Idaho Cleanup Project for up to 90 days, according to Ann Riedesel, Fluors director of communications. Fluor, which has held the contract since 2016, chose to not protest the DOE decision.

Idaho Environmental Coalition was supposed to take over the project from Fluor on Oct. 1.
Fremont County had 13,099 residents and 9,186 housing units as of July 2019.

If Cluff discovers an owner is renting without a permit, whether through a resident complaint or other methods, the focus is on compliance rather than punishment. People almost always choose to get a permit after they are contacted, he said, and fines and other penalties are rarely necessary. No set of rules is perfect, he said, but Fremont Countys procedures have worked pretty well for the most part.

The peace and tranquility of the area  is gone

Ken Watts, a resident since 2010, is chairman of the Island Park Preservation Coalition, a local advocacy group. Watts said transient rentals have caused a tremendous amount of conflict in the community. He said he has submitted complaints to the county about short-term rentals in his area that went unanswered, including one last July. Cluff said he was aware of the complaints but could not comment on current investigations or pending enforcement efforts.

Watts said the rental across the road from his home costs $735 per night, and he knows others cost more than $1,000 per night. Those prices often attract big groups and multiple vehicles parked in front of the home, along with a lot of noise and sometimes people shooting off guns or yelling at neighbors.
TWIN FALLS  What began with several dozen Catholics in a fledgling town has now grown into a community of some 2,000 believers.

St. Edwards Church celebrates its centennial on Sunday.

Our parishioners are very happy to celebrate this milestone, the Rev. Julio Vicente said Wednesday. We expect a lot of people.

Twin Falls Catholic pioneers first worshiped at a home in the new town, longtime parishioner Pat Marcantonio recently wrote in a history of St. Edwards. For several years, Masses took place in other homes, schoolhouses, and even a hotel.

The towns first Catholic church building was erected in 1905 at Second Avenue and Fifth Street East (now Ketchum Street East), just a block from Bickel School. A year later, the church recorded 350 baptisms and 105 marriages, Marcantonio wrote.

Fifteen years later, the parish broke ground for the construction of St. Edwards on a lot across the Sixth Street from the east corner of City Park.

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She had chosen that a large portion of her estate would go to Clover Christian School. Karla knew how important it is that a young child come to know Jesus at an early age. Our mission here at Clover Christian School is to bring the message of Jesus to as many children as possible. Karla and so many other people through our annual Oktoberfest and individual donations have blessed our School throughout the years. Matthew 28:19--God says --Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Karla chose to obey this commandment. Karla chose to give all she had to ensure that our mission at Clover will continue. Clover says Thank You Karla Meier -all the students that ever attended Clover Thank You. All those who believe that Jesus Christ is their Savior --Thank You. All those currently attending Clover School-Say Thank You Karla Meier -You have blessed us and God has blessed us.
An unusual element of Virginia law -- created to protect against political manipulation of voting power -- is that cities can't annex property --and the tax base that comes with it -- from a county, but a town can. That's one of the reasons Martinsville had considered reversion -- its growth has been stymied.

"We were able to offset annexation," Lyle said of the memorandum. "They could have annexed up to 10 miles outside the city limits and taken all of our tax-based industries."

Joe Bryant, the supervisor for Collinsville District and the host of the meeting at which Lyle spoke, was one of two supervisors who voted against the MOU. But he admitted if the two localities had not come to an agreement, an extended litigation was not "going to be pretty."

"This MOU is probably the best thing that the county could have done and hopefully by waiting, this 10-year time frame, the city is doing good and will have no reason to annex," he said.

Jail effects

One of the big changes brought on by reversion is that the city's jail would close and its inmates sent to the county, which next year will open a sprawling, 400-bed facility on the former DuPont campus.
The bank expects to record a total pretax charge of approximately $1.5 million for costs associated with impacted employees, impairment of an operating lease asset, the write-down of branch facilities and other net costs during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021, the release stated.

In the letter sent to customers of the affected branches, those with a safe deposit box are asked to visit their branches before Sept. 3 to close their boxes and move their items elsewhere.

If you have a safe deposit box but do not have anything in it, the letter asks that you return the keys to your local branch and sign a closure form.

If you have lost your key, you are asked to call your branch and arrange for an appointment to open your box. You will need photo identification to do this, and there will be no charge for lost keys. If you choose to move your box to another HomeTrust branch, the bank will extend a year of free rental.

As for all customers of the affected branches, the release says that the bank expects to service customers of the closed branches through its remaining network of 32 branches and digital banking services.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt.

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Milley said it is important for military members to be open-minded and to be exposed to unconventional ideas.

"I've read Mao Zedong," he said. "I've read Karl Marx. I've read Lenin. That doesn't make me a communist. So what's wrong with understanding, having some situational understanding, about the country for which we are here to defend?"

Alluding to Waltz's criticism of the academy for offering instruction on white rage, Milley said, "I want to understand white rage, and I'm white." He went on to say that he wants to understand why an overwhelmingly white group of rioters assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and tried to "overturn the Constitution of the United States of America. What caused that? I want to find that out." A number of those who participated in the insurrection were current or former members of the military.

West Point doesn't offer a course specifically on "white rage," but it does offer an elective social science class for seniors on "the politics of race, gender and sexuality," which deals with various racial issues.

Milley went on to say that future military leaders, such as those being educated at West Point, need to understand what is happening in the country and how society might be influenced by various ways of thinking.
The crackdown comes as the internationally-backed PA faces a growing backlash from Palestinians who view it as corrupt and increasingly autocratic, a manifestation of a three-decade peace process that is nowhere close to delivering Palestinian independence.

The PA controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while its rival, the militant Hamas group, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Abbas, who was elected to a four-year term in 2005, has little to show after more than a decade of close security coordination with Israel.

The EU has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority over the years, and the U.S. and other nations have trained and equipped its security forces. The PA is seen internationally as a key partner in efforts to revive the Middle East peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

In a series of posts and live videos on his Facebook, Banat had talked about the PAs close security coordination with Israel, seen by many Palestinians as betrayal, and its corruption. He severely slammed Abbas in April for calling off what would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years. Banat was a candidate on a slate formed of academics and PA opponents.
We drive home our points yet again  if only these words could convert  because the virus does continue to mutate, and this variant known as Delta  short for its scientific classification  is causing quite an upheaval in various locales. In Israel, for example, a public mask requirement had to be reinstated to guard against this highly contagious and rapidly moving variant.

And maybe you heard this week that the Virginia Department of Health said Delta has now been found in Virginia. The most virulent strain of the virus  which existing vaccines deter  is being breathed around among some of our neighbors.

This is what VDH said in its release:

VDH is reporting 41 cases of this variant that have been identified in four of the five health regions since March 2021. Some variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been classified as variants of concern because they may increase the risk to human health.It is likely that these variants are more common in our communities than the number of reported cases suggest. This is because not all COVID-19 positive samples are tested to see what variant type they are. Therefore, it is important now, more than ever, that we all continue following public health recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Manufacturers, Julphar, based in the UAE, has announced it sold its 51 per cent stake in Alpha Pharma, a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, Zawya reports.

The company announced the transaction to be completed in the third quarter of 2021, in in a disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).

The operation will reduce Julphar Groups consolidated total assets by 10 percent to 12 percent.

The management does not expect a material impact [of the sale] on the operations of the Group, the company said. Julphar and Cigalah Group launched in 2017 Alpha Pharma in the Saudi city of King Abdullah Economic City. The health care distributor produces up to 1 billion tablets, 300 million capsules and 30 million bottles of syrups and suspensions per year.
In this April 28, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden greets Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as Biden arrives to speak to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Many working-age people assume that Medicare covers just about every kind of health care that an older person may need. But it doesn't. Some of the biggest gaps involve dental, vision and hearing services. Now Democrats are trying to make those benefits a standard part of Medicare under massive legislation expected later this year to advance President Joe Biden's domestic agenda. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives are leading the push. Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool

Many working-age people assume that Medicare covers just about every kind of health care that an older person may need.

It doesn't.

Some of the biggest gaps involve dental, vision and hearing services. Medicare does not cover dental cleanings or root canals. It doesn't cover everyday eyeglasses and contact lenses. It doesn't cover hearing aids.

Now Democrats are trying to make those benefits a standard part of Medicare under massive, multifaceted legislation expected later this year to advance President Joe Biden's ambitious domestic agenda.

Many consider such as expansion of the program overdue. But that doesn't mean it will be easy.

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS?

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and other progressives are leading the push for dental, vision and hearing coverage. Their goal is to provide a comprehensive benefit available to as many Medicare recipients as possible without delays such as an extended phase-in period.

But adding more benefits to Medicare is expensive, and the idea will have to compete with other priorities on Democrats' health care wish list.

Republicans are expected to unite in opposition to the far-reaching Biden agenda legislation into which Medicare benefits would get spliced. Democrats would have to pass the bill under special budget rules allowing a simple majority to clear the Senate.

"It's way too soon to handicap the odds," said Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

HOW WOULD THE NEW BENEFITS BE PROVIDED?

The simplest approach seems to involve making dental, vision and hearing coverage a component of Medicare Part B, which pays for outpatient care.

Part B is voluntary, but the vast majority of Medicare's more than 60 million beneficiaries sign up. There's a premium, and most people now pay $148.50 a month. While not cheap, that's actually considered a good deal because taxpayers cover 75% of the overall cost of the insurance. Premiums would be expected to rise with richer benefits, but the cost would be spread broadly.

On a side note, most people with private Medicare Advantage plans now have some level of dental coverage, but that can vary greatly. If dental, vision and hearing benefits were standard under Part B, the Medicare Advantage plans would have to provide them as well.

WHAT KINDS OF SERVICES WOULD BE COVERED?

Though details will take a while to flesh out, comprehensive dental coverage would include regular preventive care such as cleanings and X-rays, minor work such as fillings, and major work including root canals, crowns and dentures.

Vision coverage would include eyeglasses and contacts, plus the needed exams and fittings. Hearing coverage would include hearing aids and their maintenance, as well as audiology services.

HOW MUCH WOULD THIS ALL COST?

Again, that's unclear because key details such as the scope of benefits and cost sharing by Medicare beneficiaries haven't been determined.

But a 2019 bill from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., carried a price tag of almost $360 billion over 10 years.

Of that, $238 billion would have paid for dental care, $30 billion would have paid for vision care, and $89 billion would have paid for hearing services, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

The coverage expansion was part of broader legislation that would have empowered Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. Some of the savings from drug costs would have been plowed back into the program.

Pelosi's bill passed the House, but went nowhere in the Senate. Democrats are still using its approach as a template.

WHAT'S THE NEED?

Dental, vision and hearing are considered integral to good health.

An older person with hearing problems who cannot afford hearing aids may find herself in a deepening state of isolation that can exacerbate depression. Dental infections can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body.

But a 2019 Kaiser Foundation report found that nearly 2 out of 3 Medicare recipients had no dental coverage, and nearly half had not seen a dentist in the past year. About 1 in 7 had lost all their teeth.

Black and Hispanic enrollees were far less likely to have visited a dentist in the past year.

"It is obviously a big, gaping hole in the Medicare program," said David Certner, legislative director for AARP.

WHY DOESN'T MEDICARE COVER DENTAL, VISION AND HEARING?

Experts say the reason probably dates back to 1965, when the program was created.

It was modeled after the kinds of private health insurance that were then most commonly available. And those were built around hospitalization and visits to the doctor's office.

Another big gap in coverageretail pharmacy prescription drugswasn't addressed until 2003.

WHAT ELSE ISN'T COVERED BY MEDICARE?

Long-term care.

Explore further Many shades of meaning behind 'Medicare-for-all'

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Germany on Friday classed Portugal and Russia as so-called coronavirus variant countries, banning most arrivals from both nations.

From Tuesday, only citizens and residents of Germany will be allowed in from the two countries, with air, rail and bus companies prohibited from transporting other passengers.

Those allowed to enter from Russia and Portugal will be subject to a two-week quarantine, regardless of whether they can provide a negative COVID-19 test.

Both countries are currently reporting a surge in cases over the Delta variant.

Fourteen other countries have already been placed in Germany's highest-risk "virus variant" category.

They include Britain, India, South Africa and Brazil, where highly transmissible strains of COVID-19 are circulating.

German health authorities have issued repeated warnings about the Delta variant, which was first detected in India and is prevalent in Britain.

Robert Wieler, who heads the disease control agency RKI, has said the Delta variant is expected to become the dominant strain in Germany by the autumn.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged fellow EU leaders to take a firm line on travel from Britain to prevent the variant spreading in the bloc.

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Russia's Euro 2020 host Saint Petersburg on Saturday reported the country's highest daily COVID-19 toll for a city since the start of the pandemic.

Official figures said the city, which has already hosted six Euro 2020 matches and is due to host a quarter final on Friday, recorded 107 virus deaths over the last 24 hours.

Russian news agencies said this was the highest toll of any Russian city since the start of the pandemic.

Saint Petersburg was where dozens of Finland supporters caught coronavirus after they travelled to the city for their team's defeat against Belgium.

Earlier this week city officials banned food sales in the Euro fan zone after restricting numbers and ordering the closure of food courts in shopping centres.

Saint Petersburg reported 817 new cases on the first day of June, but that number has steadily increased over several weeks to 1,247 on Saturday.

Local media published photos and video of thousands of people flooding the streets of Saint Petersburg as part of celebrations marking the end of the school year, with few anti-virus measures being respected.

Euro 2020 matches have gone ahead with spectator numbers capped at half, but are still drawing upwards of 26,000 people.

Russia as a whole has seen an explosion of new coronavirus cases since mid-June driven by the highly infectious Delta variant first identified India.

The nation reported 21,665 new infections on Saturdaya 25 percent increase over the last week and the highest daily figure since January 21, but still below the record of 29,935 December 24.

'One thing is needed'

The dramatic rise in infections come as officials in Moscow are pushing vaccine-sceptical Russians to get inoculated after lifting most anti-virus restrictions late last year.

"To stop the pandemic, one thing is needed: rapid, large-scale vaccinations. Nobody has invented any other solution," Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin told state-run television on Saturday.

"To fundamentally solve this problem, you need to be vaccinated or go to a lockdown," he was cited as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russia reported 619 new coronavirus deaths nationwide on Saturdaythe highest daily toll since Decemberbringing the total to 132,683 fatalities since the pandemic began.

But officials in the sixth-worst hit country the worldand the hardest in Europehave been accused of downplaying the severity of the outbreak in the country.

Under a broader definition for deaths linked to coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat at the end of April said that Russia has seen at least 270,000 fatalities since the pandemic began.

Just 21.2 million out of a population of about 146 million had received at least one dose of a vaccine as of Friday, according to the Gogov website, which tallies COVID figures from the regions and the media.

 2021 AFP
Ambassador of Belarus A.Molchan meets the Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Labour of Grenada

On June 24, 2021, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Andrei Molchan met with Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Labour of Grenada Peter David.

During the talks, the sides discussed prospects of comprehensive interaction between Belarus and Grenada, focusing on the development of bilateral cooperation in agro-industrial complex, including through supplies to Grenada of Belarusian agricultural machinery.

The Grenadian side expressed interest in developing interaction with Belarus in the fields of education, tourism, healthcare and informed about the intention to accredit the Ambassador of Grenada to Russia concurrently in our country.

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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus M.Barysevich meets the Honorary Consul of Belarus in Myanmar

On June 25, 2021, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Mikalai Barysevich met with Honorary Consul of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Dr. Aung Moe Mint.

A substantive exchange of views took place on ways to expand and intensify bilateral cooperation in various areas.

Aung Moe Mint was awarded the jubilee medal 100 Years of Diplomatic Service of Belarus for long-term and effective work at the post of Honorary Consul of Belarus in Yangon.

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Stanford: We tried to prepare for it. In the fall, we conducted a survey that gave us some insight into what would make people more comfortable taking the vaccine when it became available. Then in December, I got vaccinated. I'd had Covid, so I'd thought about not getting vaccinated because I knew I had antibodies, but I took on that responsibility because people were following my lead. Then, when we started vaccinating, we had one day where we ran out of vaccine, so I said to the city, "This hesitancy in the Black community, we are not seeing it." They were lined up.

But there are people who have concerns -- understandably -- and it's not my job to persuade. It's my job to educate and allow you to make an informed decision about your health. So, I listen to what the reason is why they're not getting vaccinated -- sometimes it's lack of education, sometimes it's fear, sometimes they can't even tell you why. Sometimes the questions they have, there are no answers for. So, I just state the facts and I'm honest with them. But you're more likely statistically to die if you're African American and you contract coronavirus. That is a fact. Regardless of how much money you make or not, regardless of comorbid conditions or not. I tell them, "You have to weigh the risks and benefits" and I'm available to listen and answer. It's not a one-time conversation for some people. Some people need to come back and watch a couple of people get it. And then they're like, "OK, Doc. I'm ready."
The groups also raised a number of other objections to the new forest plan, including the way it reviewed snowmobile and off-road vehicle routes, how it calculated harm to bears and fish for management purposes and how the overall plan was approved.

However, Molloy left the Flathead Forests forest plan in place, noting that both sides agreed the new plan was, on the whole, better for people and animals than the 1986 plan it replaces.

That means six forest projects currently in the works should stay active. They include the Taylor-Hellroaring, Hellroaring Basin Improvements, Crystal Cedar and March Madness blowdown salvage projects.

If the revised plan were vacated, the economic impact on defendant-intervenors and on the local communities that depend on approved projects for employment could be severe, Molloy wrote.

That included 575 wood industry jobs with an annual payroll of more than $40 million, along with at least eight other forest projects developing under the new forest plan. Instead, Molloy relied on the Forest Services testimony that any project under the revised plan would have to be examined individually; if the project impacted roads, grizzly bears or bull trout, the project would require a site-specific consultation and a biological assessment with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
June 28 is the 107th anniversary of when a tubercular anarchist, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie Chotek of Serbia, in 1914. It was the straw that broke the camel's back which sparked World War I. "The House of Cards" of European treaties collapsed into a new kind of war  industrial war, with before unheard-of carnage.

As a boy I viewed creepy antique military weapons in a Helena museum, mystified on how the human race could be so insane. I've learned that "the Great War" was so deadly that in one day at the Battle of the Somme, German gunners killed some 21,000 British soldiers.

Seemingly, wars are Gods' design to control human population.

The advent of the prospect of nuclear war and MAD  Mutual Assured Destruction  has caused this check, against huge wars, to end so now world population is at 7.7 billion and climbing.

I remember when in 1978 it topped four billion when I was 17 years old.

Calculations indicate that "God's green earth" can perpetually sustain a maximum of 1.9 billion humans as it was in 1920. We have Malthus' predicted exponential growth, a recipe for inevitable catastrophe.

Lee Onishuk,
The plaintiff also alleged in the lawsuit that Hussein called her my girl and asked if he could see her tattoos.

The other plaintiff alleged that during her more than two years of employment with Hussein, he would repeatedly tell her we should get naked, ask about her sex life and make comments about his own, the filing said.

She said Hussein would regularly put his hands on her backside, and that the behavior happened on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis, the lawsuit alleged.

She said he had put his hands down her pants on several occasions, and about four times he put his hand down her pants and tried to touch her private area, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiff said in the filing that she had to grab his arm and physically remove it from her pants before he could touch her private area.

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Around August, the plaintiff said Hussein came up behind her, grabbed her breasts and grinded his pelvis into her backside.

In his response to the lawsuits, Hussein acknowledged that he had pleaded guilty to assault on a female in McDowell County in a case brought up by one of the plaintiffs, but otherwise denied wrongdoing.
Dunn confirmed that account, saying McCarthy "committed to us to taking it serious.

In addition to Clyde, other Republicans have increasingly made statements defending the rioters and have spread conspiracy theories about what happened that day. Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar has repeatedly insisted that a Trump supporter who was shot and killed that day while trying to break into the House chamber was executed. Others have suggested that the Justice Department should not be charging the insurrectionists with crimes.

And last week, the 21 Republicans voted against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered major injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones. McCarthy voted for the measure.

Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot and killed, and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies. In addition to Sicknick, two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed.

Fanone made clear that the last several months have taken a toll. He said he was mentally and physically exhausted and that he felt isolated.
Winston-Salem police investigated and eventually learned that Johnson had been using crack cocaine. Johnson and his wife, the grandmother, had been caring for the child while the parents were away. The mother had to work and the father had gone out of town.

Johnson had been using cocaine that he had kept in his clothes, and it is believed that the child became exposed to the cocaine while she slept on top of his clothes, Chavious said. She said family members did not know Johnson was using cocaine.

Johnson told Winston-Salem police that he had a small gathering and one of the people who attended brought a water bottle containing tequila, Chavious said.

On Jan. 3, 2020, Johnson was making baby formula using two half-empty water bottles. Johnson used the water bottle that had tequila, Chavious said.

Doctors consulted with the hospital's child abuse team, which determined that the girl had an altered mental state, difficulty breathing and dehydration and had hypoglycemia. The team concluded that exposing the girl to alcohol and cocaine was consistent with medical neglect and that the girl consuming such high levels of those two things could have led to her death, Chavious said.

The girl, who is nearly 2 years old, is doing fine, she said.
I like so many Montana hunters have been blessed to enjoy a lifetime of world-class hunting and fishing. Its why so many of us live here, and it speaks to the decades of work that Montanans have put into conserving and managing our public wildlife for the benefit of everyone.

But after this legislative session it is clear that Montana is on a different path, one that disregards science and places the ability for some to profit off of our wildlife as the highest priority. As we have seen in other states this will mean less opportunity for public hunters, and more exclusive access for those who can pay.

This last legislative session brought numerous wildlife bills that had little to do with fair chase hunting and everything to do with killing and commercialization of our public trust wildlife. Whether it was one of the many bills brought forward to reduce elk populations, declare war on predators or bills that allowed new means or seasons to kill wildlife, they were just wrong.

Already we have seen opinion pieces and statements erroneously linking hunting advocacy groups to the support of long held unacceptable practices approved this past session such as baiting, bounties, spotlighting, running bears with hounds and hunting elk in the dead of winter.
A deadlier, more transmissible variant of the coronavirus first detected in India is the likeliest explanation for the current surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations in Gauteng.

This is according to Professor Shabir Madhi, director of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytical Research Unit at Wits University, who was speaking to news channel eNCA.

All indications unfortunately are that we are probably dealing with the spread of a new variant  the Delta variant in particular, Mahdi stated.

This, combined with waning immunity among those who already caught the virus, is the most probable reason for the surge in Covid-19 cases in South Africa, he said.

Mahdi explained that the Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the Beta variant of the coronavirus.

The Beta variant is the one that was first detected in South Africa, and which was most prevalent during (and after) South Africas second wave of Covid-19 infections.

It is also more virulent  meaning that it results in a greater likelihood of developing serious disease, he said.

On Friday evening, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported that there were 18,762 new Covid-19 cases identified in South Africa, bringing the positivity rate to 25.5%. There were also another 215 Covid-19 related deaths reported.

Of the new cases reported in South Africa, Gauteng accounted for 11,777 of them  nearly 63% of all new cases.

The magnitude of this is completely unexpected and the worst part is that this is not yet the peak of these hospitalisations, said Mahdi.

In all likelihood, the peak of the hospitalisations will only occur in the next 23 weeks, including the number of people that are dying. That number is going to continue increasing, which is really concerning.

While the NICD has not yet released data on which variants of the coronavirus are most prevalent in this wave of infections, Mahdi said that they are expecting some data from the agency next week.

He explained that another factor likely contributing to the surge of cases in Gauteng was that those who had previously caught a different variant of the virus may have lost some of their immunity over time.

Gauteng also did not have as severe an outbreak as other provinces during South Africas second wave of infections.

This means there are probably fewer people in Gauteng who were recently infected compared to the countrys coastal regions, which were hit the hardest during the second wave.

A study conducted in Gauteng before the peak of the second wave last year found that around 30% of the population had been infected and developed antibodies for the coronavirus.

However, these individuals may have started losing their immunity.

The only way to explain what were currently experiencing is probably the seeding of the new [Delta] variant coupled with the waning of immunity, said Madhi.

But importantly, individuals that have been previously infected  by and large  will still remain protected against severe disease.

Mahdi said that the most important thing that can be done to slow the rate of transmission of the virus is to simply ban all mass gatherings.

It doesnt matter whether youre ten or fifty people  in a poorly ventilated space those ten or fifty people are going to contribute to hundreds of other infections particularly if theyre not wearing face masks, he said.

Management of mass gatherings is probably [our] single most effective tool.

Asked if a protest organised by the EFF outside the head office of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) in Pretoria was a superspreader event, Mahdi said: Absolutely, unfortunately.

He said that the EFFs demonstration showed that South Africa needs to reconsider whether it goes into election mode.

If that is the type of behaviour that we should come to expect of political parties then we are just setting ourselves up for another disaster.

The EFF marched on Sahpras offices to protest the fact that the organisation has not yet approved the Russian Sputnik V and Chinese Coronavac vaccines for use in South Africa.

Sahpra announced on 21 June that its evaluation of the Coronavac vaccine, which is manufactured by Sinovac, is at a very advanced stage.

It said that the application for the use of Sputnik V in South Africa is a rolling review. As data becomes available to the applicant it is submitted to Sahpra, the regulator stated.

Sahpra only reviews products submitted to the regulator by a local applicant. If no application has been submitted, no regulatory review can be undertaken, it added.

Thus, there is no Sahpra decision on, for example, the Sinopharm and Moderna vaccines which have a WHO Emergency Use Listing, as there have not been any applications for these vaccines in South Africa.

Please ignore any message doing the rounds on any level changes. NCCC is only scheduled to meet next week 29th  phumla williams (@mirriamp) June 25, 2021

Several experts have called on the national government to urgently increase the lockdown alert level in South Africa  further restricting alcohol sales and mobility, and strict restrictions on gatherings.

However, many have warned against a hard lockdown. Experts advising the Gauteng Command Council have suggested that a hybrid between the restrictions of a level 3 and a level 4 lockdown would be most effective.

[A level 5 lockdown] will have a disastrous effect on the economy and peoples livelihoods. Its also quite late in the pandemic trajectory to expect to see a big impact, Doctor Mary Kawonga said at a public presentation of the Gauteng Command Council on Thursday.

Hopes that President Cyril Ramaphosa would increase the lockdown alert level before the weekend were dashed by a statement from the Director-General of the Government Communications and Information System, Phumla Williams.

Please ignore any message doing the rounds on any level changes, William posted on Twitter.

NCCC is only scheduled to meet next week [Tuesday, 29 June].
Hospital capacity in South Africas industrial hub of Gauteng is at risk of being breached by surging Covid-19 cases within days.

The densely populated province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, accounts for the bulk of the countrys infections during the ongoing third wave, and health resources are already stretched.

Weekly hospital admissions are almost as high as they were during the height of the first wave in July, and the total number of cases is forecast to be twice as large as during the first two waves.

Yet at current staffing levels, only about 100 of about 1,000 extra beds that have been specially equipped for Covid-19 in Gauteng are able to be used, according to Shabir Madhi, a professor of vaccinology at Johannesburgs University of the Witwatersrand.

It seems the province forgot to budget or employ staff to manage those facilities, Madhi said. It needs to happen by this weekend or else we are going to be in deep trouble.

The situation has been exacerbated by the closure of one of the provinces biggest hospitals. The Charlotte Maxeke facility in Johannesburg was shut down in April after a fire.

There has been a terrible delay in reopening the hospital, which is completely unacceptable, Gauteng Premier David Makhura said in a presentation Thursday.

Any more delays will cause severe health risks to the population of the province. In the meantime, we continue to expand human resources and bed capacity, he said.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa this week acknowledged that more beds and medical workers are needed even after he deployed military personnel in the province on Monday to help healthcare workers conduct mass-screening and testing.

They are opening up as many hospital beds as they possibly can, Ramaphosa said on Tuesday at a media briefing.

Complacency in measures such as wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings prompted the president to warn that further restrictions may be implemented.

Gauteng already has a huge problem, said Angelique Coetzee, chairwoman of the South African Medical Association. As a doctor, just phone any hospital to say you have a Covid-19 patient that needs a bed and you wont find one.

Even if the government found another 2,000 beds, there are no personnel to staff them.

The country initially imposed strict lockdown measures, partly helping South Africa get through its first two waves of the coronavirus without major hospitals having to turn people away.

But a slow vaccination rollout means only about 4% of the national population has had any shots, just as the arrival of mid-winter leads more people to gather indoors. Mask wearing and restrictions on gatherings remain law but are rarely enforced.

The countrys biggest private hospitals, Mediclinic International Plc, Netcare Ltd. and Life Healthcare Group Holdings Ltd., have joined calls for more vigilance and self-regulation in communities as both patient numbers and the severity of their conditions increase.

Still, Madhi believes further lockdown measures would be too late.

We are already close to a peak in the infection rate, he said. We expect the peak in hospitalizations to come in three to four weeks.

Coetzee also said she is seeing reinfections, and there isnt enough evidence yet to show that a previous case of Covid-19 protects a patient against acute disease.

Yet the level of fatalities may prove to be lower. Medical staff know more about how to treat the disease, and equipment such as ventilators are being moved more quickly to areas under the most pressure.

Richard Friedland, Netcares chief executive officer, said his hospital has done everything possible to prepare for the increase in cases.

We have substantially increased our Covid-19 bed capacity, contracted more resident medical officers and clinical associates and made every effort to ensure that we have adequate supplies of oxygen, the appropriate medication, as well as personal protective equipment to last us through this surge, he said.

Now read: Deadlier coronavirus variant ravaging Gauteng
Were going to do it next year, Lecourt said on Friday.

So it goes in the world of prescribed burns. Palladini recalled a Snell ranch burn that took about three years to make a reality.

These require patience and perseverance, he said.

Setting up the aborted PUC forest control burn cost about $6,000, Lecourt said. Still, much of that money was spent on planning that will translate to the future prescribed burn, whenever it happens.

Lecourt described the prescribed burn as a return to the past, to a natural regime where the land burned at times. He sees prescribed burns as helping to solve Californias fire problems.

The Land Trust prescribed burns were done by Cal Fire, which sees a public benefit, Palladini said.

Another route is to use a local prescribed burn alliance or PBA. Private landowners and land managers help each other with the work, along with other interested individuals and experts. A burn boss oversees the process.

"Being a part of your local PBA is similar in concept to a barn-raising or a calf-branding: neighbors help neighbors implement burns by providing labor, equipment and skills," the California PBA says on its website.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have agreed to extend the state's eviction moratorium through Sept. 30. Lawmakers will vote on the proposal next week, and Newsom has said he will sign it into law.

WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION?

California says it will pay off 100% of eligible tenants' unpaid rent from April 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021. To be eligible, tenants must earn 80% or less of the area median income, an amount that varies depending on where they live. The money  $5.2 billion  comes from the federal government. People who are not eligible to get the money can still qualify for the eviction ban if they pay at least 25% of what they owe by Sept. 30. Landlords could take these tenants to court to recoup that money, but they could not evict them for it.

HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS?

Tenants are protected from evictions through Sept. 30. After that date, if a landlord tries to evict someone, the tenant will have 14 days to apply for rental assistance. If the tenant refuses to apply or is denied eligibility and has not paid at least 25% of what is owed by Sept. 30, the tenant can be evicted.
Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, also in the group, said the package would contain money for addressing wildfires but was unclear whether raises were included. If not, Tester said raises would be addressed in next year's federal budget.

This is dangerous work, folks need to be paid for it. Were going to need to hire people to do this work, he said.

Still, officials at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said they face a potential shortage of firefighters this year because the $13 starting wage isnt enough.

Theres not technically a shortage of firefighters because we always overprepare, said Jessica Gardetto, a fire center spokeswoman with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and a former wildland firefighter. But its a concern right now. We're seeing people taking jobs at local businesses that pay the same or more than starting fire positions.

She also said the length of time firefighters spend in the field has been increasing. That can be a problem for seasonal firefighters who are college students and need to get back to class.

In the past we had fire seasons, now we have fire years, she said.
The scrappy Apple Daily, one of the most widely read papers in Hong Kong, constantly campaigned for expanded suffrage. Beijing had promised this expansion in Hong Kongs Basic Law, when the territory was returned by Britain to China in 1997. The law included gradual expansion to universal suffrage for choosing Hong Kongs chief executive, a promise Beijing kept delaying and now has junked.

When I met Lai in November 2019 at his airy, sunlit home on a Hong Kong hillside, his paper was a major supporter of the huge pro-democracy protests that had exploded over a proposed law to allow extradition of Hong Kongers to be tried in mainland Chinese courts. Hong Kong democrats prize their independent courts which operate under a British common law system, not Communist Party control.

Lai was (presciently) worried that some students had turned violent, out of frustration, and that Beijing would use this as an excuse for a crackdown. I have written that we cant take the law into our own hands, he said.

But the basic problem, he went on, was that Beijing had no grasp of why pro-democrats wanted their freedoms. Rule of law is a basic Western value, he said, over tea and biscuits. Beijing looks at this through the prism of very different values. Their idea is to suppress the violence, not to solve the problem.
4. Lastly, your implication that this has anything to do with segregation is insulting and sounds like the company line from Pacaso. We are opposed to the intended use of the property, not to those who might have purchased it. What if that family who bid on that home were POC? Do you think that Pacaso would have let the home go to them so that we could possibly see some real progress in adding diversity to this valley? I doubt it.

Your assertion that restricting timeshares keeps Napa inaccessible to new, diverse residents is laughable, and also a Pacaso company line. At the original estimated sale in the $500k range, it's very likely that a family of color, or a family with two fathers, or two mothers, could have purchased that home.

The homes that Pacaso has sucked up in St. Helena are small homes with values that are now obscene because of second home and vacation buyers and, as LLCs, will never house a family full time again. None of the children of those time shareowners will attend school in St. Helena.

Pacaso may not carry all the blame but they are a contributing cause and they cant even acknowledge it. Maybe you should have gotten a few more facts before you jumped in to be Pacasos cheerleader.
According to a November 2020 Napa Valley Register article "Napa (is) on track for first Chick-fil-A." At the time of this article, a lease had not yet been signed, and as soon as it does, the Planning City Planning Commission and then our City Council will decide on the approval of this restaurant.

As many know, the CEO and owner of Chick-fil-A, billionaire named Dan Cathy and son of the founder of Chick-fil-A, likes to mix his brand of Christianity with politics of discrimination and is a lifelong activist against the rights of people who are lesbian, gay and transgender.

After decades of donating millions each year to prevent equality for LGBTQ+ people, Chick-fil-A made headlines in 2019 that starting in 2020, its corporation would stop donating towards charities with anti LBTQ+ stances. Sounds good? However, there is a catch.

This has not stopped the owner and CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy, from making his own high-dollar donations to the National Christian Charitable Foundation (NCF) that has bankrolled the opposition to The Equality Act, which would expand civil protections to LGBTQ people. In other words, Dan Cathy's campaign of hate has not stopped, he simply hides behind others.
Caucasus Heritage Watch calls on Azerbaijan to stop destroying Armenian cemeteries

Armenia acting deputy PM Avinyan attends EBRD online meeting

Israel carries out airstrike at weapons manufacturing site in Gaza

Catholicos Aram I addresses Pope Francis on issue of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan

Avagyan: Authorities should ask Russia peacekeeping commander to talk with Azerbaijan to return convicted Armenians

US troops depart from their main Afghanistan base

Armenias Sarkissian to Belarus Lukashenko: Friendship of our peoples will still be basis for increasing cooperation

Two new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Zas: Situation in southern Armenia does not comply with CSTO charter provisions

125 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Biden announces several key nominations

UK teen allegedly kills 2 sisters in deal with the devil

Armenia high-tech industry acting minister meets with Catalonia parliament speaker

Newspaper: Armenia outgoing legislature majority faction MPs are dissatisfied

EU to allocate over 1.5bn to Armenia for five programs

Newspaper: It is known who will head Armenia "I Have Honor" bloc parliament faction

Global food prices soaring at their fastest rate

Hikmet Hajiyev's slip of the tongue - "Zangezur corridor" in exchange of a land route for Armenia towards Russia

Bloomberg: US asks Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to accept refugees from Afghanistan

Armenian bailiffs killed in Sochi posthumously awarded Order of Courage by Putin

Armenian court to continue examination of appeal against arrest of doctor Armen Charchyan on July 6

Turkey reaches no agreement on Kabul airport issue

French military neutralizes several ISIS leaders in Sahel

Putin, Macron discuss Nagorno-Karabakh

Baku court sentences 2 Armenian POWs to 4 years in prison, 12 captives to 6 months in prison

Bishkek offers Baku to create Council in "5+3" format at level of Presidents of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan

Ambassador: US ready to provide support to peaceful normalization and reconciliation of Azerbaijan and Armenia

Man detained in Afghanistan for carrying explosives in musical instrument

Armenia government sets up inter-agency commission to eliminate consequences of drought or water scarcity

Armenia Shirak Province deputy governor sacked

Cyprus authorities change rules of entry for tourists

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another Armenian soldier found in Fizuli region

'Armenia' bloc representative: Many police officers from Yerevan voted in Shurnukh and other villages of Syunik Province

'I Have Honor' bloc also applies to Armenia Constitutional Court regarding results of snap parliamentary elections

Mitsubishi Electric president resigns amid document forgery scandal

'Armenia' bloc representative: Petition submitted to Constitutional Court for impossibility of judge's participation

Erdogan: Turkey will maintain its presence in Azerbaijan and take what belongs to it

French government denies concealment of radiation levels in Pacific Ocean after nuclear tests

Boeing 737 cargo crew rescued after falling into water

Digest: EU commissioner to visit Armenia; Armenians discover 97kg heroin, Turkey citizen detained

Old school in Geghhovit village of Armenia's Gegharkunik Province being renovated

Yerevan Police solve loan office robbery case

India confirms 400,000 deaths from COVID-19

Russia FM says there is significant progress in talks over Iran's nuclear deal

Boeing 737 cargo crashes near Honolulu

Sham trial continues in Baku, prosecutor demands sentencing 12 Armenian POWs to 2 years in prison

Armenia acting PM dismisses Vayots Dzor Province deputy governor

Armenian analyst: Armenia needs to understand what it can offer China through One Belt One Road project

Over 100 organizations urges Biden to stop using drones

Armenia Constitutional Court registers Zartonk party petition to invalidate snap parliamentary election results

Attorney: The two grounds for keeping Armenian doctor Armen Charchyan under arrest no longer exist

Dollar still dropping in Armenia

Lawyer Aram Vardevanyan to represent Armenia bloc at Constitutional Court

Armenia acting Deputy PM visits construction sites in Yerevan

YouTube deletes video about hate speech against Armenians posted by Turkey President's spokesperson

Armenia acting justice minister receives Kazakhstan Ambassador

European Commissioner plans visits to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia

Four new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

IMF sharply raises its forecast for US economic growth to 7%

Fan Yong: We work to draw Chinese investors to Armenia

Body implementing proceedings completes case of Armenian doctor Armen Charchyan, sends it to court

Macron warns of American-style culture dangers

Armenia Shirak Province village veterinarian commits suicide

Facebook to start warning some users that they may have seen extremist content

July in Armenia will be as hot as in June, says chief meteorologist

China ambassador to Armenia: We are waiting with pain in our hearts for return of captives

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are included in Belt and Road Initiative, says China ambassador to Yerevan

China envoy to Armenia refutes Azerbaijan media report

US worries China is building over 100 new ICBM silos

Armenia State Revenue Committee discovers 97kg heroin, Turkey citizen detained

Armenian captives 'trials' continue in Azerbaijan

Chief meteorologist: June heat in Armenia is absolute record-breaking in meteorological monitoring history

Ombudsman informs CoE Commissioner for Human Rights on urgency of Armenian captives return from Azerbaijan

Australia announces drastic reduction in number of people who will be allowed to enter country

Armenia Seismic Protection Department activities terminated

Outgoing MP attends OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session, speaks about Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

118 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia bloc petition already at Constitutional Court

Seven villagers with symptoms of anthrax are hospitalized in Gyumri

Yerevan hosting international conference on 100th anniversary of Communist Party of China

Armenia President visits US ambassador

130 countries support introduction of global minimum tax for multinational corporations

New Zealand to ban most single-use plastics by 2025

Al Pacinos rental home in Beverly Hills to be demolished?

Newspaper: Armenia Investigative Committee dismissals have interesting backstory

Newspaper: Why Armenia ex-President Sargsyan calls 7 "I Have Honor" bloc MP candidates to him?

World Bank pledges $20bn in funding coronavirus vaccine purchases, deployment

Newspaper: Why is coronavirus-related reality in Armenia being kept secret?

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
I am 99-percent convinced that there will be a Turkish military base in Azerbaijan. Political scientist Vladimir Lepekhin, Director of the EurAsEC Institute, told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He explained that the presence of this Turkish military base will be systemic. According to him, this is connected not only with the fact that strengthening in Azerbaijanin South Caucasusis important for Turkey, but it is important for the latter also in terms of showing an offensive policy; moreover, a policy that bears fruit.

"For Turkey, which today pursues a line of unification of Turkic states under its auspices, including in the post-Soviet space, it is very important to strengthen its influence in the countries of Central Asia, as well as in the Caucasus, including the North Caucasus," Lepekhin said.

Therefore, any step that shows the strength of Turkey and the weakness of Russia is of fundamental importance for Ankara, the analyst added.

"I believe there will be no direct reaction in Russia to the emergence of a Turkish [military] base in Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, Moscow has not developed a vector aimed at counteracting Turkish expansion. On the contrary, we often see uncoordinated and illogical actions by Russia towards Turkey. Apparently, it is connected with shared economic intereststransportation of [natural] gas, construction of a nuclear power plant, etc. The influence of Turkish corporations which have strengthened in Russia leads to the fact that Russia does not have a clearly expressed and tough position on Turkish expansion toward the Caucasus and Central Asia. However, it should be noted that this risk is gradually being acknowledged," the political scientist added.

On May 15, the Presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev, had signed the "Shushi Declaration," after which Erdogan had not ruled out the establishment of a Turkish military base in Azerbaijan.
A judge sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to 22-1/2 years in prison on Friday for the murder of George Floyd during an arrest in May 2020, video of which galvanized a national protest movement against racism, Reuters reported.

A jury found Chauvin, who is white, guilty on April 20 of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a Black man.

Chauvin's sentence was one of the longest given a former police officer for using unlawful deadly force in the United States, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office prosecuted the case, told reporters. Successful prosecutions of police officers in such cases have been rare.

At the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden, who has spoken several times with the Floyd family, said the sentence seemed appropriate.

Both Floyd's brother Rodney and his nephew Brandon Williams criticized the sentence as a "slap on the wrist."

"We were served a life sentence," Williams said outside the courthouse. "We can't get George back."
Economic and political support also will continue in Afghanistan. The statement came from US President Joe Biden before his meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the White House reported.

Before the talks, which was also attended by Afghanistan High Commission for National Reconciliation Chair Abdullah Abdullah, Biden said: Well, its good to see two old friends. We met many, many times in Afghanistan for long hours. And theyre welcome here. Theyve had a chance to meet with theall the major players of the administrationfrom the Secretary of Defense, to the CIAacross the board. And its good to have them here in the White House.

Biden noted that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan does not end the partnership between Afghanistan and the United States, on the contrary, it will continue in the context of economic and political assistance, as well as support for the Afghan armed forces.

Theyre doing important work of trying to bring about unity among Afghan leaders upacross the board. Andand they have toAfghans are going to have to decide their future of what theywhat they want. What they want. But it wont be for lack of us being a help. Theres going to be aand the senseless violence that has to stop, but its going to be very difficult. But were going to stick with you. And were going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need, Biden added.

For his part, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked the Americans for their service to Afghanistan with "honor and dignity." He also thanked the US leadership, noting that the US" has not spared any effort in blood or treasure" over the years.

Ghani called Biden's decision to withdraw the US troops as historic. This decision, he stressed, has made everybody recalculate and reconsider.

We are entering into a new chapter of our relationship where the partnership with the United States would not be military, but comprehensive, regarding our mutual interest. And were very encouraged and satisfied that this partnership is taking place, he added.

Were determined to have unity, coherence, national sense of sacrifice, and will not spare anything. Just for your information: Today, the Afghan Defense and Security Forces have retaken six districts, both in the south and the north. Its showing our determination, Ghani stated.

He Afghan president stressed that "in moments of great transition, things happen," but all odds will overcome.
The United States has warned Iran that time is running out to return to a nuclear deal, voicing fears that Tehrans sensitive atomic activities could advance if talks drag on, Al Jazeera reported.

On the first high-level visit to Paris by President Joe Bidens administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French hosts saluted a new spirit of cooperation on Friday after four years of turbulence under Donald Trump.

But the two sides said one key Biden promiseto return to the 2015 accord on the Iranian nuclear program trashed by Trumpwas at risk if Tehran does not make concessions during talks that have been going on for months in Vienna.

There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the JCPOA [i.e., the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], Blinken told reporters.

Blinken warned that if Iran continues to spin ever more sophisticated centrifuges and steps up uranium enrichment, it will bring nearer the breakout time at which it will be dangerously close to the ability to develop a nuclear bomb.

We have a national interest in trying to put the nuclear problem back in the box that it was in the JCPOA, Blinken said.
One of the questions most frequently asked to me during the [election] campaign, at various platforms, was: "How do you see the process of settlement of the Artsakh issue? From which point should start? On what basis? etc. Analyst Tigran Abrahamyan, a former security adviser to the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President and an MP candidate from the opposition "I Have Honor" bloc of Armenia, wrote about this on Facebook.

"In fact, the current authorities [of Armenia] either do not speak or make some incoherent wording about this key issue for Armenia and Artsakh.

And there is no public demand, too, to make understand or find out what the authorities will do in connection with this process.

The authorities, of course, have a position in connection with this issue, which will not be made public.

The views of Armenia and Azerbaijans authorities coincide, with some detailed differences, on this matter: there is no Artsakh issue, the matter is closed.

Those who think that the Artsakh matter, or its settlement, refers only to Artsakh Armenians are grossly mistaken.

The Artsakh matter has a direct link with the personal security of Armenia and any Armenian living in Armenia, and such an inglorious closing of the topic is a direct threat to each of us," Abrahamyan added, in particular.
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry reiterated that an agreement in the talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal will be achievable if the US honors its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) commitments in full and stops using sanctions as a negotiating leverage, Tasnim reported.

It is the United States that must make its decision and return to the JCPOA by removing illegal sanctions [on Iran] and effectively fulfilling all its commitments under the JCPOA, Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Friday.

He stressed that Iran had never left the JCPOA to return to it.

The United States and the Europeans know best that Iran made its decision when, despite the US unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, imposition of illegal and oppressive sanctions against the Iranian people and inaction of Europe, it remained in agreement and kept the JCPOA alive, Khatibzadeh added, responding to a question about the position announced by the US and French foreign ministers that they are waiting for Iran's decision to return to the nuclear deal.

He said that during the Vienna talks, whose sixth round has come to an end, it was repeatedly stated that it was the US that had upset the balance of the JCPOA and that practically prevented the implementation of the deal in a fully non-compliant manner, Press TV reported.

It has also been repeatedly emphasized that Iran is fully prepared to suspend compensatory measures and resume the implementation of its obligations under the JCPOA if the US fully implements them, the Iranian spokesman noted, adding that other parties of the deal are well aware of Iran's position.

Our position has not changed since the beginning of the Vienna talks. We demand the full removal of US sanctions in a verifiable manner, and then the cessation of compensatory measures and the resumption of Iran's commitments, Khatibzadeh stressed, saying that it is the opposing parties that have to make their decision.
Over 70 House Democrats are urging US President Joe Biden to reverse the Trump administration's "abandonment of longstanding, bipartisan US policy" relating to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including support for a two-state solution, Middle East Monitor reported.

The letter, sent to the White House and signed by 73 Democrats, calls on the Biden administration to formally withdraw former US President Donald Trump's failed "deal of the century."

With a total of eight demands, the lawmakers focused on Trump's policy changes which they said brought Israelis and Palestinians further away from a two-state agreement, citing Israel's 11-day bombardment of Gaza last month.

"This outbreak of violence was a painful reminder that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has no military solution and can only be resolved through diplomacy and a negotiated two-state solution that guarantees the civil and political rights, safety, and self-determination of both peoples," the lawmakers wrote.

"Toward that end, we urge you to reverse the previous administration's policies," they added.

The letter also requests that the White House quickly reopens the US consulate in Jerusalem, reissue State Department and customs guidance to clarify that settlements are inconsistent with international law, and oppose the forced expulsion of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and throughout Palestinian territory.
A criminal case has been launched into a foreign reporter being threatening with a weapon by Azerbaijani soldiers on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border a few days ago. Gor Abrahamyan, Adviser to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia (RA), on Saturday informed about this on Facebook.

Making a reference to the statement of the RA Human Rights Defender, today the media had published information about obstructing the work of an international reporter carrying out his professional activity, threatening him with a weapon in the Vardenis region of Gegharkunik Province, at the area 2 kilometers from the state border of Armenia to the interior of the country.

According to the RA ombudsman and the media outlets that published his statement, the incident took place on June 15, 2021, when the international reporter was carrying outwith another reportercoverage and other journalistic work at the respective RA territory, 100 meters away from the Azerbaijani servicemen, the latter showed aggressive conduct, loaded their weapons, and held [them] in the direction of the reportersthreatening to fire. In order to avoid unpredictable consequences, the international reporter stopped his work. According to the available information, the reporters of an international medium had a press representatives logo visible for the Azerbaijani servicemen, and observed the rules of journalistic work.

The publications were sent from the RA Gegharkunik Regional Prosecutor's Office to the Gegharkunik Regional Investigation Department of the RA Investigative Committee in order to prepare materials () and to initiate a criminal case.

As a result, a criminal case has been initiated and accepted for proceedings," the adviser to the Prosecutor General of Armenia wrote, in particular.

Armenia ombudsman: Azerbaijan soldiers threaten to kill international reporter near Gegharkunik Province village
Canadian Foreign Minister Mark Garneau stated that the Special Envoy of Canada to the European Union and Europe, Stephane Dion, will take on the mission to explore possibilities for more effective support of Armenian democracy, Canadian Foreign Ministry reported.

"Building on the joint work of recent years and long-standing people-to-people ties between our countries, Canada is committed to cooperating with Armenia to further its democratic progress, which is of critical importance not only for Armenian society but for the region.

Special Envoy Dion will examine options as to how Canada can encourage the ongoing efforts of Armenian civil society, strengthen democratic institutions, grow Armenias engagement with multilateral institutions, and promote inclusive economic growth. The goal is that as a result of this mission, the support of Canadian society for the benefit of Armenian democracy is durably consolidated.

His work will take several months and will include virtual consultations with a range of stakeholders in Canada and partners in Armenia. COVID-19 travel permitting, he will also travel to Armenia to meet with senior members of Armenias government and key departments, as well as with partner embassies, civil society groups, international organizations, private sector representatives and local media. He will also meet with Members of Parliament and civil servants involved with the Canadian-funded Parliamentary Centre project.

This mission underscores the importance Canada attaches to the success of Armenian democracy. The Special Envoy will report his findings to Minister Garneau following the mission. This will include recommendations to guide Canadas future engagement with Armenia toward further realizing its democratic ambitions," the MFA said in a statement.

According to Garneu, a strong democracy in Armenia is one of the building blocks for stability in the region. Special Envoy Dion has always shown a great interest in the democratic success of Armenia, and his profound grasp of democratic development will ensure that he will serve Canadians well in this mission."
When Frimpong Nana Asamoah began his doctoral studies 5,000 miles from his home in Ghana, he assumed hed rarely hear his native language. So, he jumped at the opportunity to help two other University of Miami graduate students learn Akan/Twi this fall.

Oh wow! This is for me, Asamoah remembers thinking when he opened the email announcing that the Directed Independent Language Study (DILS) program was looking for native speakers to converse in the most prevalent dialect in his West African homeland. When I saw the message, I was really pleased. I was very happy to know people in the U.S. want to learn my mother language.

In Asamoahs case, the people happen to be fellow graduate students who also are pursuing Ph.D.s in African history and have research interests in Ghana. But it took the College of Arts and Sciences DILS program to bring them and their mutual linguistic interests together.

As soon as I heard about the program, I knew I had to take advantage of it, said Giltrecia Head, a Tallahassee native who earned her masters degree in American dance studies at Florida State University. A lot of my work looks at cultural connections in African-American culture preserved from Africa, and certain archives in Ghana require me to have some competency in the language. So, to be able to study Twi at UM is amazing and convenient.

Since launching DILS in Spring 2009 with just three languagesHaitian Creole, Levantine Arabic, and Russianfounding director Maria Kosinski has matched hundreds of students who were interested in learning a language the University does not offer for credit with international graduate students like Asamoah who are eager to help them learn it.

Earning a small stipend to serve as language partners, the graduate students meet with up to five students twice a week to engage in hour-long discussions designed to improve oral competence and comfort in the target language. They are not teachers in the traditional sense; their students are expected to study on their own, with materials provided by DILS. But by correcting grammar and pronunciation during real-life conversations, language partners are the backbone of the program.

I rely entirely on willing and able international graduate students, said Kosinski, who is currently looking for language partners in Swahili and Vietnamese for the fall semester. They are usually very gifted and super-enthusiastic people who care about sharing their language. Thats a big factor in DILS successthat the University of Miami attracts so many talented graduate students from around the world.

Since DILS inception, an average of nearly 70 students from across the University have applied to learn a language on their own every semester. And, over the years, Kosinski has managed to find language partners for nearly 40 of the languagesfrom Hawaiian to Hindi, Korean to Quechua, and Swedish to Zulu. But after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the world last March, applications dropped to just nine for the Fall 2020 semester, and the program was suspended.

When DILS returned with online sessions in Spring 2021, only 33 students applied, and finding them eligible language partners was challenging. But even though it has yet to be decided if DILS sessions will continue on Zoom, or on campus, this fall, Kosinski expects applications, which are due by July 30, to increaseespecially given the growing interest in languages. According to data compiled by the free Duolingo language app, more than 30 million people around the world set out to learn a new language during the first weeks of the pandemic lockdown.

Kosinski, who says shes embarrassed she knows only four languages, is not surprised. Learning a new language is not only about gaining linguistic competence but about experiencing a sense of connectedness, she said. I think the pandemic heightened that need. But we always have students who want to learn the language of their families, or for their research, for study or work abroad, or just personal enrichment.

The daughter of Kenyan immigrants, sophomore Caroline Mwenda said connecting to her family roots was her primary motivation for applying to DILS to learn Swahili. But after switching majors to health policy and management last semester, she began thinking about working in Kenya to strengthen its heath sector, making learning the language even more important.

I tried to do it on my own with Duolingo, but I know itd be so much better with real-life conversations, said Mwenda, who is hopeful Kosinski finds her a Swahili language partner. So, when I heard about DILS I said, Thats exactly what I want to do because I really want to learn it, but without the pressure of being graded.

The absence of grades was a big draw for Christian C. Steputat, a doctoral candidate in structural and materials engineering who, after three semesters of DILS sessions, can speak Russian at an upper intermediate level.

I wanted to learn Russian because Russia is the source of significant engineering research and producers of unique construction materials in my area of interest, Steputat said. But a Ph.D. program is very intense. And thats the beauty of DILS, we dont get grades for it, so theres no added pressure. And it really works. What you get out of it is critical and fluent speaking abilityhow you really interact with people. You dont learn words nobody uses anymore, and you communicate on a cultural level.

Although DILS students arent graded on their progress, their language study is noted on their transcript if they take the oral proficiency tests administered by an outside examiner who specializes in the target language.

And now Asamoah, who was named best Twi student at Steadfast Academy, his junior high in Obuasi, Ghana, said hes looking forward to helping future Twi speakers impress those examiners.

This is not work for me, he said. We are supposed to correct grammar and pronunciation, but we are talkingwhich is fun. And Ill be helping others who want to do research in my homeland. So, thats rewarding.

Learn more about the Directed Independent Language Study. You can fill out an application to study a specific language, but you must submit it by July 30. To apply for a position as a language partner, contact Maria Kosinski at DILS@miami.edu.
Security suspect flew secessionist flag, court told

A three-judge panel is hearing the trial of the first national security suspect in the High Court. File photo: RTHK

Prosecutors of the citys first national security suspect have told the High Court that a protest flag the man flew displayed a slogan that "connotes Hong Kong independence".



The suspect, Tong Ying-kit, allegedly drove his motorcycle into police officers in Wan Chai on July 1 last year  the day the national security law came into effect  while flying the flag that said Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times in Chinese.



At the beginning of Hong Kongs first national security trial, the 24-year-old Tong pleaded not guilty to inciting secession, terrorism and an alternative charge of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.



The trial is being heard before three judges designated to handle national security cases, after the secretary for justice ordered it go ahead without a jury  citing concerns over the personal safety of jurors and their family members.



Prosecutors opened their case against Tong by citing expert opinion in alleging that the slogan printed on the flag connotes Hong Kong independence, or separating Hong Kong from the Peoples Republic of China, altering the legal status of the SAR and subverting state power in the citys political language.



They said that Tong, by flying the flag while driving from Eastern Harbour Crossing to Wan Chai, had intended to encourage others to commit acts of secession.



Tongs alleged act was meant to be seen, they said. Tong knew the police wanted to stop him, they added, but he failed to stop or leave and instead continued what he was doing in the area.



The prosecution also said they found in Tongs mobile phone a file stored on Google Drive named Liberate Hong Kong. They said he had messaged a person on July 1 last year saying he intended to go to a cafe described as a safe spot in Causeway Bay while acknowledging there were roadblocks at cross harbour tunnels.



Prosecutors told the judges to consider the conduct and state of mind of the defendant in the social context at the time.



They said the incident took place the day immediately following the introduction of the national security law, adding that theme of the anti-extradition protests since June 2019 was no longer a live issue.



The acting deputy director of public prosecutions, Anthony Chau, said Tong committed the incitement act at a place where protests were widespread in previous months.



And, he said, for a period prior to the incident there had been heated debate in the community as to the meaning of the words.



Before the hearing began, justice Esther Toh said it had come to the courts attention that someone had taken photographs in the courtroom prior to the hearing, which is prohibited under the law, and the judiciary had reported the case to the police.



The trial is scheduled to last 15 days, with 22 witnesses expected to testify.



The hearing continues.
Associated Press

Immediately after the bombshell announcement that Justin Marks had purchased Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team, the outgoing owner took the soon-to-be new boss back to the shop to address a room full of anxious employees. The work begins next week for the co-owner of Trackhouse Racing, who struggled to find a charter for the team's first year of competition and balked at paying the escalating costs of NASCAR's equivalent of a franchise. Kaulig Racing last month bought a pair of charters for what the industry believes to be at least $10 million apiece, and after crunching the numbers, Marks just couldn't justify the spend.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is considering lifting sanctions on Iran's supreme leader as part of negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, a former U.S. official and two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

U.S. and Iranian negotiators have discussed the possible move in indirect talks in Vienna, as part of a wider set of compromises that would see the United States return to the 2015 pact and Iran once again abide by restrictions on its nuclear program, the sources said.

"I think that's definitely an Iranian demand," said Vali Nasr, professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies who worked as a diplomat in the Obama administration. "And I think the U.S. is open to it."

In June 2019, after a U.S. drone was shot down by Iranian forces, former President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and officials appointed by him, banning the ayatollah from travel to the United States or any financial transactions with U.S. companies. The sanctions are almost entirely symbolic, as the supreme leader does not travel abroad and he and his inner circle have no assets in the United States, experts and former U.S. officials say.

Although the sanctions have had no material effect on Iran's economy or its nuclear program, officials in Tehran view the measures against the country's most powerful figure as unjustified and as an affront to Iran, two people familiar with the matter said.

Removing the sanctions on the supreme leader might help the Biden administration as it tries to persuade Tehran to accept a number of difficult compromises in the negotiations, according to Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think tank.

"At the end of the day, what is a more significant priority  curbing Iran's nuclear program or imposing sanctions that in practice have almost no impact?" Vaez said.

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But the sanctions on Iran's supreme leader carry politically charged meaning in Washington as well, and Biden could open himself up to accusations of caving to a dangerous adversary. Republican and other opponents of the 2015 nuclear deal would likely condemn any move to lift the sanctions as a sign of weakness towards a regime that they say is sowing havoc in the Middle East.

Iranian President Rouhani's chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi was quoted in Iranian media saying the U.S. had already agreed to lift sanctions on some of Iran's senior leadership, but U.S. officials denied that account.

Asked about lifting sanctions on the supreme leader in a briefing with reporters, a senior State Department official on Thursday left the door open to the move but said nothing had been agreed so far.

"We are still working through all these issues, and that includes the issues of sanctions that you mentioned," the official said.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), introduced limits on Iran's uranium enrichment and other nuclear work in return for easing economic sanctions. Former President Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018, arguing it was skewed in Iran's favor and imposed an array of sanctions that have severely damaged Iran's economy.

Asked about the option of lifting sanctions on the supreme leader, a State Department spokesperson told NBC News that "the precise nature and sequence of the sanctions-related steps that the United States would need to take to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA objectives is a subject of the talks."

The spokesperson added: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."

Since the U.S. pulled out, Iran has increasingly flouted the deal's restrictions on its nuclear activity, blowing past limits on uranium enrichment and reducing the potential "break out" time needed to build a nuclear weapon. The Biden administration says the United States is ready to return to the deal if Iran once again complies with the nuclear restrictions.

After six negotiating rounds in Vienna, the two sides say they have made progress but there are still key issues left to resolve.

"We still have serious differences with Iran with regard to returning to mutual compliance with the JCPOA. Our teams are going back for a seventh round of indirect negotiations in the coming days," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. "We'll see if we can bridge the differences, but they're real, and we have to be able to bridge them."

The contours of a possible deal have emerged, and it's increasingly clear both sides will have to sacrifice some of their original demands and goals, according to former U.S. officials and Western diplomats.

Despite Iranian appeals, U.S. officials have indicated that some sanctions imposed by the previous administration will remain in place if they are not inconsistent with the JCPOA. Iran has also asked for a guarantee that the deal will not be abandoned by a future U.S. president, but the Americans have indicated no such guarantee is possible under the U.S. political system.

For its part, Biden administration has demanded a commitment to engage in follow-on talks to bolster and expand on the existing JCPOA, but Iran has virtually ruled that out, saying they are only interested in renewing the 2015 accord.

The policy experts negotiating in Vienna have hammered out most of the issues, and now political leaders in Washington and Tehran have to make a decision to take the final step, Nasr said. "It's come down to political issues in both capitals. Not technical issues."

It remains unclear if leaders in both countries are ready to make the necessary compromises to clinch the deal, he added.

With a new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, preparing to take office in Iran after elections this month, his allies in the regime will be pushing for a deal now or not at all, so that the outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani, is tied to any concessions made to the Americans, Vaez said.

"I have a strong sense that the Iranian system knows by now what it takes to get this deal done, and knows that it requires painful concessions," Vaez said.

"My sense is the leadership would much prefer Rouhani would be the one making the concessions on his way out of the presidential palace, rather than having Raisi burdened by them upon his arrival."
This weeks White House Report Card finds President Joe Biden ending a week that both of our graders called mixed at best.

It was highlighted by an uninspiring border trip by his vice president, a potential infrastructure deal, and what appears to be the end of voting reform, a project he had also assigned to Kamala Harris.

Conservative analyst Jed Babbin put a focus on the presidents creepy whispering press conference and woke Pentagon brass in grading a D-. Democratic pollster John Zogby, grading a B-, asked without answering, Is he a transitional or transformational president?

Jed Babbin

Grade: D-

It was a strange week, bordering on the weird for Biden and his team with the on-again, off-again deal on infrastructure, his Thursday Creepy Joe news conference, and his Pentagon leadership continuing to compete for the most woke among the top generals and admirals. And then, theres the disrespect hes receiving from Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

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The most important lesson of the week will be lost on congressional Republicans who thought they had negotiated an infrastructure deal worth more than $1 trillion with Biden. The lesson is that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can veto any deal Biden agrees to. The Republicans, always willing to lead with their chins, thought they had a deal with Biden until he said (obviously on Pelosis orders) that he wouldnt sign any infrastructure bill unless a separate bill was passed at the same time giving more funding for human infrastructure, global warming baloney, and more. The GOP wont learn the lesson. Theyll keep dealing with the monkey rather than the organ grinder.

Bidens big announcement of his anti-crime policy flopped so badly that it didnt make news for more than an hour. Biden promised to drive gun dealers who violate rules out of business, but he didnt say much of anything else. There was no mention of cracking down on the year of riots and gun violence in big cities, though there was a passing mention of hiring more police.

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Bidens Thursday news conference, in which he leaned over the podium and answered reporters questions in whispers, was enough to get Creepy Joe to trend on Twitter. It was just plain weird.

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Bidens woke generals and admirals continue to boast their wokeness rather than their ability to command, which is very much in doubt. Resignations among the military havent yet hit their peak of the Clinton years, but soon, they will probably exceed it. Meanwhile, the further results of Bidens meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and NATO are entirely evident. Iran and North Korea have both rejected overtures of negotiations, and the Russians had a fleet exercise 35 miles off Hawaii, which they bragged was to practice sinking aircraft carriers. Joe just dont get no respect.

Meanwhile, Harris finally visited the border: She visited El Paso, Texas  which, yes, is on the border but is also hundreds of miles away from the places she could have seen the real crisis firsthand. Nothing to see here, people. Just move along.

John Zogby

Grade: B-

A mixed week for Biden.

There were three big losses  failure to pass the voting rights bill, a public announcement from the newly elected president of Iran that he would not meet with Biden nor slow down the country's nuclear development, and the spread of the delta strain of the COVID-19 virus.

But there was one very big victory: the 7-2 Supreme Court decision refusing to hear a state-driven challenge to Obamacare. And two potential breakthroughs with a possible compromise on about half of the president's infrastructure initiative and very possibly police reform.

The president and his party's leaders did demand that the other half of the infrastructure proposal be accomplished through reconciliation by a simple majority. As of today, we cannot be sure if the original compromise will pass. But it did fulfill a campaign promise to at least try to achieve compromise with the other side. Also, Biden can move on expanding the Affordable Care Act via reconciliation. Is he a transitional or transformational president? We will have to wait and see. The obstacles are great, but this week, we caught a glimpse of some opportunities.

Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His weekly podcast with son and partner Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter @ZogbyStrategies

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Tags: Washington Secrets, Biden Administration, Border Crisis, Joe Biden, John Zogby

Original Author: Paul Bedard

Original Location: Biden Report Card: Creepy Joe is just plain weird
LONDON (AP)  Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party formally endorsed Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader on Saturday, a position that will likely see him become the country's first minister.

Donaldson received 32 votes of the partys 36-strong electoral college, which is made up of the party's 28 lawmakers in the Northern Ireland assembly and its eight members of parliament in London.

The 58-year-old, who leads the party's caucus in the U.K. Parliament in London, was the sole candidate in the election, which follows a chaotic two months for Northern Irelands largest party.

Donaldson had narrowly lost in the previous election last month to Edwin Poots, who resigned last week after colleagues revolted over a deal to appoint new leaders to the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing administration. Poots, a social and religious conservative, didn't attend the meeting on Saturday.

I believe that todays decision is an important first step in building the unity of my party, in rebuilding the strength of my party, in providing the leadership that Northern Ireland needs at this time," Donaldson said. Its been a difficult and a bruising period for the DUP, we all acknowledge that and weve all played our part in that."

Donaldson, who will become the official party leader next week when the DUPs ruling executive meets to ratify his appointment, has has made clear his intent to return from London to Belfast to assume the first ministers job. However, the timeline for that move remains unclear.

Donaldson said Paul Givan, who was appointed by his predecessor Poots, will remain first minister for the time being.

The DUP, which is rooted in the fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church, opposed Northern Irelands 1998 peace accord. It later became reconciled to it and has shared power with the Irish Republican Army-linked Sinn Fein. The power-sharing relationship has often been strained, and the U.K's departure from the EU last year has shaken the political balance in Northern Ireland.

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Donaldson said one of his key priorities would be to right the wrong of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit trading arrangement between the British government and the European Union that has seen customs and border checks imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. Thats angered Northern Irelands unionist community who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken ties with the rest of the U.K.

This protocol is doing enormous harm to our economy, to confidence, to political stability and thats why I believe that weve got to find another way of doing things that doesnt do the harm the protocol is doing to Northern Ireland, Donaldson said.

The British government retains an array of powers affecting Northern Ireland, but the Belfast assembly can make laws in areas including agriculture, education and health.
HBO host Bill Maher criticized social media and search engine companies for suppressing and blocking stories about the origins of the coronavirus over this past year, specifically the lab leak theory.

"Facebook banned any post for four months about COVID coming from a lab. Of course, now, even the Biden administration is looking into this," Maher said Friday during a panel discussion on his show Real Time.

The liberal host accused big tech companies of going out of their way to block any information about the lab leak theory.

"Google  a Wall Street Journal reporter asked the head of Google's health division  [the reporter] noticed that they don't do auto-fill searches for coronavirus lab leak the way they do it for any other question, and the guy said, Well, we want to make sure that the search isnt leading people down pathways that we would find to be not authoritative information, Maher said.

SINGLE MOST QUALIFIED MRNA EXPERT SPEAKS ABOUT VACCINE RISKS AFTER HE SAYS YOUTUBE BANNED HIS VIDEO

"Well, you were wrong, Google and Facebook!" he said.

"He said, 'We want to ensure the first thing users see is information from the CDC, the WHO'  thats who I'm checking on!" Maher continued, saying search outlets should allow people to research and fact-check claims and guidance from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The WHO has been very corrupt about a lot of s***, and the CDC's been wrong about a lot of s***. This is outrageous that I can't look this information up!"

The host then said social media companies were continuing to censor content surrounding this drug ivermectin.

They threw Brett Weinstein off YouTube  or almost threw. Hes one strike away, Maher said.

He added: "YouTube should not be telling me what I can see about ivermectin. Ivermectin isn't a registered Republican  it's a drug! I don't know if it works or not, and a lot of other doctors don't either."

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Earlier in the discussion, Maher addressed a relationship of sorts between Democrats, Silicon Valley, and China.

"China does bad things," he said before listing the country's most recent controversies. "Liberals don't want to say anything because [the Chinese are] Asian and [the liberals] don't think very clearly about this, so they conflate it with anti-Asian hate crimes here. It has nothing to do  one has nothing to do with the other."

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Tags: Big Tech, Coronavirus, Bill Maher, Wuhan Lab, Media, News, Technology, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical Industry, Social Media

Original Author: Lawrence Richard

Original Location: Bill Maher blasts Big Tech for blocking Wuhan lab leak theory: 'You were wrong!'
BATUMI, Georgia, June 26 (Reuters) - The British destroyer Defender, which angered Russia by sailing through waters off Crimea, docked at the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on Saturday.

Russia said it had fired warning shots at the Defender, and later threatened to bomb British naval vessels in the Black Sea if there were further "provocative" actions off Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The peninsula is still recognised internationally as part of Ukraine.

The Defender's commander, Vince Owen, said the British navy was committed to "providing reassurances and security in the region, and incredible deterrence to those who seek to undermine global security".

The ship has visited Istanbul in Turkey and Odessa in Ukraine as part of a tour of duty that will take its carrier group through the Suez Canal and on to East Asia.

Owen said Britain and its allies and partners such as Georgia, which hopes one day to join the Western NATO alliance, were committed to ensuring "Black Sea regional security, stability and prosperity and Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty".

Russia said it had dropped bombs in the path of the Defender on Wednesday as it was passing by Crimea, in what Moscow considered an incursion into Russian waters.

Britain said the Defender had sailed through waters belonging to Ukraine, and that any shots fired had been part of a pre-announced Russian gunnery exercise. It said no bombs had been dropped.

(Reporting by David Chkhikvishvili in Batumi; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Jun. 25After a spate of 16 robberies in late May and early June, a new initiative by the Spokane Police Department helped cut down residential burglaries in the Westgate neighborhood to zero last week, officers say.

According to an SPD news release, most of the robberies occurred when residents left their garage door and cars open, giving burglars a perfect opportunity to steal credit cards and other valuables.

Property theft from cars or garages can occur even when residents step inside for a few minutes or work in their backyard, and many of these burglaries happen during broad daylight, according to the SPD.

After the uptick in robberies, SPD patrol officers canvassed the Westgate neighborhood near Nine Mile, noting open garage doors at night and during the day.

Neighborhood Resource Officer Keith Cler then visited the neighborhood, eventually contacting over 40 people to remind them to close garage doors.

Since Cler's visit on June 16, there have been no robberies in the neighborhood, the police department said.

The simple but effective fix is a reminder that today's thieves only need the smallest of opportunities from unsuspecting residents, police said.

"Spokane has changed and people who never had to lock their doors are finding they need to now. It's unfortunate, but it's a reality of the time we are in," Cler said.
The Biden administration is under pressure from a major business group and diplomats to scrap a travel ban on Europeans, as investment from the continent in the United States plunged by nearly a third last year.

While countries in the European Union have reopened their borders to Americans who are vaccinated or test negative for Covid-19, the United States has not reciprocated, to the frustration of the business world.

The US Chamber of Commerce on Friday urged Washington to allow the return of European travelers "as soon as possible."

"The resumption of safe transatlantic travel is critically important for our nation's economic recovery, as in-person business engagements and international tourism will help drive economic growth and job creation for Americans across the country," said Marjorie Chorlins, the chamber's senior vice president for European affairs.

Travelers from the Schengen zone, Britain and Ireland have been banned from entering the United States since March 2020.

Also banned from entry are travelers from South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Iran.

- 'Interconnected' -

The EU ambassador to the United States, Stavros Lambrinidis, told AFP that Brussels is "pushing" for reciprocity, and emphasizing the positive impact such a move would have on both economies.

"Our economies and people are deeply interconnected, and our vaccination rates are the highest in the world -- it would be crucial to safely open up this side of the Atlantic too as we both kick-start our economies," he said.

During President Joe Biden's visit to Europe last week, the EU stressed that the bilateral economic relationship is the largest in the world, making up a whopping 42 percent of both global GDP and global trade in goods and services.

But beyond trade, huge investments are at stake.

- 'Backbone' -

"Mutual investment dwarfs trade and is the real backbone of the transatlantic economy," noted a 2021 joint report from the US Chamber, AmCham EU, Johns Hopkins University and the Wilson Center think tank.

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Mutual investment "has become essential to US and European jobs and prosperity," it added.

Europe accounted for more than 60 percent of foreign direct investment flowing into the United States in the first three quarters of 2020.

But compared to the same period from the previous year, investments from the continent plunged to $81 billion in 2020 from $120 billion in 2019, a drop of 32.5 percent.

On Friday, during a visit to France, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed hope that Europeans will soon be able to visit the United States again.

"I hope that this will happen quickly. We really want to. I hope it will be a matter of weeks rather than months," he told an online forum in fluent French.

But he pointed to the rise of the Delta variant, which first emerged in India and has caused renewed concerns in Western countries.

"We are of course worried about the Delta variant and following its movement closely," Lambrinidis noted.

He pointed out that vaccinated people are "well protected" against the variant. Instead of closed borders, he called for speeding up inoculation campaigns, masking and social distancing.

For their part, airlines insist traveling by plane remains safe.

"Numerous scientific studies have validated that air travel presents a low transmission risk," a United Airlines spokeswoman said.

"As the vaccine becomes more widely available, now is the time to implement a reopening strategy for the benefit of both the economy and the traveling public," she added.

In a sign that United is optimistic about the reopening of US borders, it recently added flights to destinations in France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Iceland and Portugal.

Dt/acb/reb
MINNEAPOLIS  The 22 and a half-year sentence Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, received Friday fell below the 30 years prosecutors had sought for his crime, but it may still provide some closure.

"For once, a police officer who wrongly took the life of a Black man was held to account," Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump said in a joint statement with the family. "While this shouldn't be exceptional, tragically it is."

The statement added, "This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability."

Hennepin County Court Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin about two months after he was convicted of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He still faces federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights.

At a news conference after the hearing, Crump thanked "millions of Americans" for raising their voices about police accountability and calling for justice for Floyd.

"We can breathe just a little easier today, and we thank you for that," Crump said.

George Floyd supporters wait outside the Hennepin County Government Center during the sentencing of former Minneapolis Police Office Derek Chauvin. (Ben Brewer / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"Federal charges are still pending," Crump said. "It is still attainable to get maximum accountability for George Floyd."

Terrence Floyd said the months of nationwide protests that erupted after his brother's death brought about change.

"The way we got here is because of your fight and our fight together," he said at the news conference. "You hit the streets, and we're thankful for y'all."

Another of Floyd's brothers, Philonise Floyd, said, "I begged for justice for my brother, some type of accountability."

"We're still fighting," he said. "That's something I can't stop."

George Floyd's youngest brother, Rodney Floyd, called the sentence "a slap on the wrist."

Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton, leader of the National Action Network and an MSNBC host, urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

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"We got more than we thought only because we have been disappointed many times before," Sharpton said. The sentence, he said, "is longer than we've ever gotten but shorter than we've gotten in the past."

Tara Brown, Floyd's cousin, also implored lawmakers to pass meaningful police reform legislation.

"We are keeping active and we want to make sure that you stay in the fight," she said. "Please keep fighting."

In an appearance on MSNBC, Cedric Alexander, the former president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, called the verdict "closure to that case."

Alpha Wallace, 62, a resident of Cumming, Georgia, who was visiting Minneapolis this week with friends, said they made a collective decision to stop at the Hennepin County Government Center to hear Chauvin's sentence and show their support for Floyd's family.

"It could happen anywhere," she said. "And it has."

Wallace said she is hopeful Chauvin's sentence will serve as a deterrent for police misconduct and that it leads to police accountability.

"Hopefully, it will continue that if someone is wrongfully killed by a police officer, the officer won't get away with it," she said.

Wallace was among dozens of people who gathered outside the courthouse awaiting the sentencing. But there was less celebration when the decision came than there had been in April when Chauvin's conviction was announced.

Many said they weren't fully satisfied with the verdict and believed it should have been stiffer.

"I just wanted him to get enough time so he could never get out," said Carl Cage, 66, a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota.

He believes Cahill missed an opportunity to make a statement.

Floyd, a Black man, was handcuffed facedown as Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck for 9 minutes May 25, 2020, outside Cup Foods convenience store, where a store clerk suspected Floyd had tried to pass a fake $20 bill.

Floyd said multiple times that he couldn't breathe  pleas Chauvin ignored. Minneapolis police initially said in a statement that Floyd died after he "appeared to be suffering medical distress." The statement did not mention that Floyd had been restrained on the pavement.

Image: Jennifer Starr Dodd and other supporters react as a sentence of 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd is announced. (Julio Cortez / AP)

A cellphone video posted to Facebook by bystander Darnella Frazier, who was 17 at the time, was widely viewed and shaped much of the public's understanding of Floyd's arrest and final moments. Chauvin and three other officers who were at the scene were fired the day after Floyd's death. Frazier won a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation this month for the footage.

The case has been closely watched, including by police officers.

Branville Bard Jr., the police commissioner in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said he expected Chauvin to get a longer sentence because his killing of Floyd was "such an egregious breach of trust."

But Bard said the sentence would have an impact on police officers by signaling that "jail time could be the cost you pay for failing the oath you took to protect."

That could have a positive effect, making officers "less likely to violate the publics trust," he said.

Bard said he planned before the end of Friday to send a message to all members of his department "asking them to reflect on the sentence and how it just reinforced the need to maintain that professionalism that we take pride in."

An officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., said the sentence would have a limited effect on street-level officers because they saw what Chauvin did as far outside the bounds of normal police behavior and nothing they'd do themselves.

"I don't know a single officer who thought Derek Chauvin was innocent," the D.C. officer said.

But the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said many rank-and-file officers are more concerned with the pending trials of three less experienced officers, including two rookies, who have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter for failing to stop Chauvin.

Convictions of those younger officers could prompt many officers to quit and dissuade many potential police recruits from joining the force, he said.

"If they are found guilty, I really worry about what's going to happen in terms of policing," the D.C. officer said. "We already have so few people who want to do this job, and if we come to the point where rookies end up with criminal convictions and prison sentences, I just don't know what's going to happen to the profession."

Meanwhile, Diane Goldstein, a retired lieutenant with the Redondo Beach Police Department in California and the executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, a nonprofit organization that advocates for improving public trust of police, said the sentence will resonate.

"I think the sentence sent a message to law enforcement that they will be held accountable for murders like this," she said. It will have a deterrence value on law enforcement. I think cops will think about it."

"We have an obligation to make sure this doesnt happen again," she said, "and if it does, that officer will be held accountable for their actions."

Janelle Griffith reported from Minneapolis. Dennis Romero reported from San Diego. Jon Schuppe reported from New York.
Associated Press

The former host of the To Catch a Predator TV series turned himself in Friday after a Michigan judge issued a warrant for his arrest for no-showing at a court hearing to explain why he had not given a defense lawyer more footage of a police sting operation. Chris Hansen, 61, checked in at the Shiawassee County jail in Corunna  65 miles (104.61 kilometers) northwest of Detroit  was released and has 14 days to produce the full video, prosecutor Scott Koerner said. Hansen later posted a photo of the county courthouse on Instagram and said all matters had been resolved.
By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado man who fatally shot a gunman who had just killed a police officer was himself slain by a responding officer who apparently mistook him for the cop killer, authorities said on Friday.

Johnny Hurley, 40, was shot while holding a rifle belonging to a 59-year-old man who moments earlier had fatally ambushed police officer Gordon Beesley, police in the Denver suburb of Arvada said in a statement.

Hurley shot Ronald Troyke with a handgun. It was unclear why he picked up the dead man's weapon.

The tragic series of events unfolded on Monday afternoon after Troyke's brother called police saying he feared his sibling was going "to do something crazy," the statement said.

Beesley and another officer went to Troyke's apartment but were unable to locate him. Minutes later Beesley responded to a report of a suspicious man in Arvada's Olde Town Square.

Video footage released by police shows Troyke getting out of a pickup truck with a 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun and approaching Beesley.

Police said Troyke called out to Beesley, who is seen turning toward the gunman, and the officer was shot twice with no time to take "defensive action." Police did not release video of the actual shooting.

Troyke then shot out windows in nearby patrol cars before running back to his truck and retrieving an AR-15 rifle, police said. He headed back to the plaza, where he was shot by Hurley.

Police also released excerpts from a four-page handwritten manifesto that Troyke left in his apartment, in which he vowed to kill as many police officers "as I possibly can."

"I just hope I dont die without killing any of you pigs," he wrote, according to police.

Beesley, 51, was a father of two and a 19-year veteran of the police force.

An online fundraiser set up for Hurley's family described him as a "Good Samaritan" and true hero.

The Jefferson County District Attorneys Office is investigating the incident.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin issued an apology to an artist who city police officers detained and investigated as a possible intruder in the art center apartment where he was living.

I would like to apologize to you for your harrowing experience with Columbia Police Department officers, Benjamin wrote in a letter to artist John Sims. We expect that when guests are visiting our city, they are made welcome, their safety and wellbeing are ensured, and all aspects of their visit make them wish to return.

Sims, who is Black, is a Florida-based artist who is the artist in residence at 701 Center for Contemporary Art on Whaley Street. He lives in an apartment in the upper story of the art center.

In the early morning of May 17, Columbia police officers entered the art center, saying they found a door open and were looking for a possible intruder. When they found Sims in his upstairs apartment, the officers pointed their guns at him and handcuffed him for about eight minutes while they ran his name through a criminal database.

Chief Skip Holbrook defended his officers after the incident, saying they acted properly and within protocol and only erred when they didnt allow Sims to take photos.

The art centers director issued a statement, saying that Sims race was the main reason he was detained.

Sims said he thought white supremacists were after him when he heard people searching the art center. He actually called police to report that people were in the art center before he knew they were officers.

Sims art scorns Confederate symbols like the Confederate flag. In one piece, he places Confederate flags in a noose. The intent is to take, confront and confiscate symbols and signs of white supremacy and the Confederacy, Sims said at a June 17 rally at the State House.

At the rally, artists and activists memorialized the nine people killed by a white supremacist at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston in 2015 and spoke out against public Confederate symbols, which they said create a culture that allowed the killings. Sims AfroConfederate Battle Flag adorned the State Houses stairs during the rally.

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Benjamin toured Sims exhibit at the 701 art center with the artist.

In his letter, Benjamin thanked Sims for the tour.

Now more than ever, the work you are doing is necessary and important, Benjamin wrote. A robust and frank dialogue around the history of race, racism and oppression is more important now than ever. The dedication and passion that you exhibit, despite all of the obstacles you have faced, is inspiring.
Latin America woke up on Friday morning with front-page coverage in major newspapers of the Surfside building collapse, a tragedy that has underlined the deep ties between Latin America and Miami, a door to the United States for many migrants and visitors from the region.

Argentinas La Nacion plastered a large, aerial photograph of the destroyed Champlain Towers. Ultima Hora in Paraguay declared the tragedy a blow to the countrys presidential family, its missing relatives likely lost in the rubble. El Pais in Uruguay told its readers about the three countrymen who are missing.

As of Friday afternoon, the Miami Herald had identified at least 36 people from Latin American nations  including Colombia, Uruguay, Cuba, Chile, Venezuela, Paraguay and Argentina  and Puerto Rico who had been reported missing by friends, officials and family following the buildings collapse.

Among the most high-profile missing persons following the collapse are the sister and brother-in-law of Paraguayan first lady Silvana Lopez Moreira Bo. Sophia Lopez Moreira Bo and her husband Luis Pettengill had been visiting Miami with their three young children and Lady Villalba, a domestic worker. The family owned units 703 and 1010 at the Champlain Towers, according to public records.

You feel like you are nothing. You want to do so much but you cant do it, you have no strength, Yuby Cartes, an aunt of Pettengills, told the Miami Herald. Im staying here until I learn something.

The sister of the first lady of Paraguay, along with her family, is reported to be among the missing

Cartes said that Lopez Moreira Bos and Pettengills parents were traveling to Miami Thursday to await news. The Associated Press reported that the first lady would also be traveling to Miami on Thursday. However, Paraguayan diplomats in Washington, Asuncion, and Miami did not confirm after repeated requests for comments whether Lopez Moreira Bo had arrived.

The Paraguayan Consulate in Miami released a statement on Friday morning acknowledging that six Paraguayan nationals remained missing after the collapse, but did not identify them by name.

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More details of the missing continued coming in the hours after the tragedy.

Claudio Bonnefoy Bachelet, a cousin of Alberto Bachelet, father of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, is among those missing. He lived in unit 1001 with his wife Maricoy Obias-Bonnefoy, who is also missing after the collapse. Known as Maria, she moved to the U.S. from the Philippines in the 1970s and lived in Washington, D.C. She moved to Miami after retiring from a job at the International Monetary Fund, said her niece Irene Obias-Sanchez.

Four of the missing Argentinians belonged to the same family. 48-year-old Graciela Cattarossi lived in unit 501 with her parents, Gino Cattarossi and Graciela Ponce de Leon, and her 7-year-old daughter Stella, said Monika Kramlik, a friend of the family. Graciela Cattarossis sister, Andrea, was visiting at the time of the collapse.

The Cattarossi family in an undated photograph.

Graciela is a wonderful single mom, with many, many friends who love and care about her and her sweet daughter Stella, Kramlik wrote in an email. We are praying that they are found safe.

The elder Graciela Ponce de Leon is a Uruguayan national. Graciela Cattarossi, named after her mother, is an accomplished lifestyle photographer.

And on Friday morning, diplomatic officials from Venezuela and Uruguay told the Herald that they were looking for missing citizens.

Brian Fincheltub, director of consular affairs at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., said there are six Venezuelan nationals missing after the condo collapse.

He described them as four individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 and a couple between the ages of 65 and 75. Many of their family members are out of the country, he added, and authorities are in contact with the relatives of the missing.

Eduardo Bouzout, the Uruguayan consul in Miami, said three Uruguayans were missing after the collapse. Two are a couple that did not live in the city, but were vacationing in a second home. They had been there for a month and a half.

The third national is Graciela Ponce de Leon, the 82-year-old Uruguayan woman who resided in the Surfside building with her Argentinian husband, daughter, and grandchild.

Bouzout said consulate officials searched local hospitals but had not found any of the missing Uruguayans, and that they were in constant contact with the Argentinian consulate because the countries share missing citizens. Still, he said, he remains hopeful.

Hope is the last thing you lose, he said.
Robbie and Priscilla converted a 1998 Thomas school bus into a mobile home. Going Boundless

Robbie and Priscilla converted a 1998 Thomas school bus into their dream tiny home on wheels.

The DIY conversion has an open plan kitchen and lounging area, bedroom, bathroom, and outdoor deck.

In 2019, the couple traveled to 137 cities from Orlando to Nova Scotia with their cat Mr. Beebles.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The average school bus journey doesn't instill much excitement but for Robbie and Priscilla, the 1998 Thomas school bus they converted into a mobile home has taken them to incredible places.

The couple, known by their Instagram handle Going Boundless, spent a year and a half building a dream mobile home that would allow them to enjoy travel without the guilt of leaving behind their beloved cat Mr. Beebles.

"We were our happiest when traveling when exploring new places when trying new foods when immersing ourselves in new cultures," Priscilla told Insider. "It left us thirsty for another memorable experience," she added.

In 2017, the couple began renovations to the school bus, or "skoolie," with plans to explore the US and Canada while managing their business remotely.

Robbie and Priscilla in front of their 1998 Thomas school bus before they converted it into a mobile home. Going Boundless

Priscilla described the decision to opt for a school bus rather than a traditional RV as a conscious one, hoping it would allow them to create a real home in the 7-foot by 30-foot space. The mobile home has an open plan kitchen and lounging area, bedroom, bathroom, and even an outdoor deck.

"We wanted it to look and feel more like a tiny house than an RV. We love tiny homes and admire the lifestyle of those who live in them, so we thought, why not build one on wheels?" she said.

"We even added an actual house door to give it that welcoming look," she added, noting that their other homely features include a wood-burning stove, real brick wall, quartz countertops, a farmhouse sink, a washer and dryer combo, and a real glass shower door.

The inside of Robbie and Priscilla's school bus before it was converted. Going Boundless

The couple said they have not yet added up the final amount for the renovation and homely touches but kept costs down with a lot of DIY. "We haven't added up all of the receipts yet, but we definitely saved a lot of money doing the work ourselves," they told Insider.

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While the DIY approach saved Robbie and Priscilla money, it was not without its challenges. "We almost quit altogether two times," Priscilla said.

"At one point, we actually had listed our gutted bus on Craigslist because our windows were leaking and we couldn't figure out how to stop the leak," she added.

Once they had taken care of the domestic problems, the couple's excitement at finishing their project was cut short when the bus' engine blew a head gasket and was in the shop for months.

In March 2019, after months of endless planning, Robbie and Priscilla finally got behind the wheel and simply "went with the flow," heading up the East Coast.

The front half and driver's seat of Robbie and Priscilla's bus conversion. Going Boundless

"We were on the road for almost 10 months and traveled all the way up to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. We visited 137 different cities on that trip. We didn't have an itinerary," Priscilla said.

As 2020 unfolded, they were set to venture into South America. The couple was able to visit Brazil before COVID-19 caused them to cancel a lot of their plans. "We were actually supposed to be on the West Coast at this time, but our schedule is a little off from being home unexpectedly for 4 months," she said.

As international travel starts to return to normal, with the EU ruling last week to lift restrictions on non-essential travel for US visitors, Priscilla and Robbie can start to look further afield for their next adventure.

Mr. Beebles in front of the storage, bed, and washer and dryer combo in Robbie and Priscilla's bus conversion. Going Boundless

"One day, hopefully not very far from today, we will continue our long-term travels abroad," said Priscilla. "For now, we plan on finishing the US and Canada with our buddy Mr. Beebles."

Read the original article on Insider
(L) Officer Michael Fanone (R) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy CNN / Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

DC officer Michael Fanone met with Rep. Kevin McCarthy to discuss his experience during the January 6 insurrection.

Fanone asked McCarthy to denounce conspiracy theories and GOP lawmakers who downplayed the Capitol riot.

When asked if McCarthy agreed to his requests, Fanone said, "Not in my mind, no."

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone said on Friday that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did not agree to the officer's request to denounce House GOP members who downplayed the Capitol riot.

Fanone was among the Washington, DC, MPD and US Capitol Police officers who were on duty on January 6 when a mob of pro-Trump supporters breached and stormed the building.

On Friday, Fanone and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn met with McCarthy to describe their experience during the Capitol siege and ask hi mto denounce members of his caucus who voted against legislation honoring the officers who were at the building during the insurrection.

"I asked McCarthy to denounce the Republicans that voted against the Gold Medal bill that would recognize and honor my coworkers and colleagues that fought to secure the Capitol on January 6," Fanone told reporters at the Capitol.

Bodycam footage captured Fanone being assaulted during the Capitol insurrection, and at one point, he could be heard pleading, "I have kids." Prosecutors said Fanone was hit several times with a stun gun, dragged down steps, and beaten with a flagpole. He also had a heart attack, he said. Fanone told CNN he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the incident.

Fanone also said he asked McCarthy to denounce Rep. Andrew Clyde's statement regarding the riot. In May, Clyde compared those who breached the Capitol to tourists and said describing the riot as an insurrection is "a bald-faced lie."

"I found those remarks to be disgusting," Fanone said, adding that he asked McCarthy to publicly denounce conspiracy theories claiming the FBI had a role in the January 6 riot.

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When asked if McCarthy agreed to his requests, Fanone said, "Not in my mind, no."

After speaking with McCarthy, Fanone came out of the building and told reporters, "I need a drink," seemingly to illustrate what he described to be a difficult conversation with the house minority leader.

"This is not something I enjoy doing. I don't want to be on Capitol Hill. I want to be back home with my daughters," Fanone said, when asked why he said he needed a drink. "But I see this as an extension of my service on January 6, so many of my coworkers and colleagues like Harry are still at work, still doing their job, still fulfilling their oath."

"So I'm trying to do the best job that I can to fulfill mine and support them," he continued.

A representative from McCarthy's office did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

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Read the original article on Business Insider
Rescuers are still searching for survivors in rubble of the collapsed Florida apartment tower, but pressure is building -- from families of missing residents to the state's governor -- for answers on how such a disaster could have occurred.

A wing of the oceanfront complex suddenly pancaked on itself around 1:30 am (05:30 GMT) Thursday, with 55 apartments collapsing in a cloud of dust, leaving 159 people still missing on Friday.

Completed in 1981, Champlain Towers South was due to be recertified this year in line with Miami-Dade county safety regulations -- which require a review every 40 years -- and roof work was ongoing as part of that process.

But county officials stressed there was no indication of a causal link between the refurbishment work and the collapse, which so far has a confirmed death toll of four.

In addition to the loved ones of the dead and missing, and those who are suddenly homeless, "there's a lot of other people throughout this community and really throughout Florida who want to know, well, how could a building just collapse like that?" Governor Ron DeSantis said.

He called for a "timely" explanation, adding that families "have a right to know."

Mike Salberg, who is waiting for information on five missing family members, including his parents, echoed the sentiments.

"I want answers," the New Yorker told AFP. "The families are sidelined."

- Settling -

Attention has turned, however, to a study led by Florida International University's Shimon Wdowinski, based on space-based radar data, which found signs of land subsidence at the site between 1993 and 1999.

"I don't know if the collapse was predictable. But we did detect that the building moved in the 1990s," the environment professor said on CNN.

"It's very subtle. It's two millimeters per year but it's still detected by the satellites," he explained, describing what was happening as a "slow process" of settling, rather than sinking.

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"In this case, it's a very localized signal of that building," he said.

"And it means that it's not necessarily the building moved into the ground. It can be that the building moved within itself -- if there were some kind of structural damage within the building."

- 'Going to take some time' -

FIU cautioned in a post on its website that "land subsidence in and of itself likely would not cause a building's collapse."

The university also noted that the subsidence observed in Surfside was significantly slower than other parts of the planet Wdowinski has studied -- Mexico City, for example, is subsiding at a rate of 15 inches per year, 2,000 times higher.

Another of the university's experts, Atorod Azizinamini, chair of its civil and environmental engineering department, cautioned in an online video that it was too soon to speculate on a cause.

He said structural engineers would collect vast quantities of data on the building's design plans and construction methods, take samples of steel and concrete, look at signs of corrosion, examine the foundation for signs of settlement, and try to detect any unusual event before the collapse.

"Once we have all the information we can simulate exactly different scenarios, and we can pinpoint how the collapse took place," Azizinamini said. "Unfortunately that is not going to be happening in a matter of days, weeks."

"It's going to take some time."

But Matthys Levy, a consulting engineer and professor at Columbia University interviewed by USA Today, said even the minor subsidence detected could have an impact.

"A millimeter may seem like a small number, but when you add them up over many years, it becomes a big number," Levy said -- who pointed to the fact that one part of the building is still standing as potentially significant.

If one part of a building is well-founded and the other is not, he explained, it can cause distortion in the floor slabs and "suddenly, you get cracking, breaking and fracturing."

That can lead to what is called progressive collapse -- as happened during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.

"If one part of the building fails, it drags the rest with it," Levy said. "There's nothing there to stop it, there's no strong elements to hold it back. It's a cascade."

US media have separately reported that a 2015 lawsuit from an owner alleged that the building's management failed to maintain an outside wall, resulting in water damage and cracks.

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mex
Jun. 25SCIOTO  One Wheelersburg dog's living conditions are so dire that they have to sleep on top of its dog house. Others with local tags have been found on the Kentucky side of the river.

These stories are too typical for two Scioto County dog activists and now they are seeking change.

On Thursday, Shirley Dunn and Janey Jenkins Hiles spoke before the Scioto County Commissioners with one request in mind: bringing an animal control officer to the county.

"We have terrible, terrible animal neglect issues here in southern Ohio," said Hiles, a Lucasville resident. "For the most part, nobody seems to care."

Hiles is very active on social media in the promotion of animal rights, regularly posting in the "Lost and Found Pets of Scioto County" Facebook page. The neglect issue is one she said has not garnered sufficient attention over the years and has worsened especially in Portsmouth.

When the Portsmouth Daily Times reported on three area residents facing charges for animal abuse charges in 2018, she said it was the first time local media had brought the problem to light.

"Animal abuse has been kept as a deep dark secret here in our county," she said in a June 2018 post. "Now with the help of this article as well as felony charges it is out in light of day for all to see."

Dunn has encountered the aforementioned Wheelersburg dog for the past three years. The situation, no protection from the weather and unclean drinking water, is one that "tears her heart up."

"That poor baby dug a hole under his dog house, trying to get under the shade," the Wheelersburg resident and life-long dog lover said. "These drug addicts don't care."

Commissioner Bryan Davis said the issue is one the board is well-aware of and discussions with Sheriff David Thoroughman ongoing. As a dog owner himself, it is upsetting for him to see the prevalence of maltreatment.

"Unfortunately, we do have some people that don't care about animals," he said, where other crimes like child neglect and illegal dumping are also taking place at the same locations. "I'll assure you, and I've assured you before, I'm a dog lover, I'm an animal lover."

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To afford an animal control officer, however, more revenue needs to be brought in from dog licensing tags. Ohio Revised Code 955.01 requires all dog owners to purchase a license in the county in which the dog resides.

According to the Scioto County Auditor website, there are multiple prices for dog licenses based on the term of tag. For one-year new licenses or renewals, the base fee is $12 with an online fee of $2. Three-year tags cost $39.25, $3.25 online fee, while permanent tags cost $128 with $8 for the online fee.

Despite it being state law, Hiles said many don't purchase tags either out of a lack of knowledge or purposefully cutting corners. The penalty for not registering, the law states, should be assessed by the auditor should be "in an amount equal to the registration fee for one year" in addition to the registration fee.

The revenue brought in from dog tags is low, Davis said, not enough to run the Scioto County Dog Shelter on Arrowhead North Run even. What would help that situation, Hiles suggests, would be more stringent enforcement of the penalties.

Currently, she argues, that is not the case. Davis and Commissioner Cathy Coleman said citations are being given, but there are many doors to be knocked on.

"It is the law," Hiles said. "It's the same reason you have car tags- maintain the roads. The same thing with dog tags- maintain the dogs."

Reach Patrick Keck (740)-353-3101 ext. 1931, by email at pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com, or on Twitter @pkeckreporter.  2021 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.
The Daily Beast

FBIA former cop accused of taking part in the Capitol riot was granted a pre-trial release in the weeks after his arrest, on the condition that he not own any guns.But in the months since, he has secretly bought at least 34 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunitionincluding armor-penetrating roundsand tried to disguise some of the payments as being for wedding photos, according to an FBI search warrant affidavit filed Friday.Now prosecutors are asking a judge to revoke Thomas Robertson
The Coyote Store / The Coyote Store

We here at GOBankingRates want to help get our nations small businesses back on their feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. To do that, were highlighting readers favorite small businesses around the country, and shining a spotlight on what makes them special to their customers and their towns.

2021 Small Business Spotlight: Check Out Our Small Business Stories, Plus the Nominated Businesses Near You

In this edition of our Small Business Spotlight series, were featuring The Coyote Store in Gail, Texas. Owner Leslie Justice transformed the 32-seat cafe, located in one of the least-populated counties in the United States, into a popular 1,600-seat music venue and travel destination that has captured the heart of country music lovers and visitors from across the nation. Here, we chat with Justice about how she went from having a criminal justice career to owning a music venue, the sacrifices she made to stay open during the pandemic and why your best lessons as a business owner will come from listening to others.

Read: Single Mom Makes Custom Candies as a Sweet Side Hustle

Was there a particular moment or experience that inspired you to start your business?

I never really planned for my career to bring me back home to the Coyote Store. My grandmother, newly widowed at an early age, purchased it back in 1992. She ran it for years. I was raised working in the store  my sister and I started working there at the ages of 9 and 12. After leaving home, I started my family, worked through grad school and had a career in the criminal justice system. I found myself feeling unfulfilled. I didnt particularly enjoy my work.

Gods timing is impeccable. When my grandmother abruptly announced that she was closing the family business, a long-time cafe and general grocery in my hometown community, I felt compelled to come home. I wanted to take care of my family, [return to] the community I had grown up loving and leave the stress of my current life behind. Being of independent nature, the concept of working for myself was exciting. I liked the idea of having control over my own destiny and my own schedule. I never could have dreamed where my decision to purchase the store from my grandmother would end up taking me.

Story continues

Check Out: Arizona Couple Turns a Family Ranch Into a Lavender-Filled Oasis

What did you take from past experiences or jobs that you knew you wanted to be a part of your new business?

My work experiences included working in the federal prison system, community outreach programs, juvenile detention, education institutions and on state investigations. Years of experience in strict work environments crafted my self-discipline to work harder for myself. The idea that working for oneself is easier is a myth. One must work harder and be completely committed to his or her work in order to be successful as an independent business owner.

Nearly 20 years of working with diverse populations helped me to develop social skills and the ability to see the world from different perspectives. That aided my customer service skills. Also, my work history is one of working in environments and with situations that were sometimes unpleasant at best. I feel like that seasoned me to withstand hard times. I guess you could say it helped me to develop a thick skin.

More Small Businesses: A Zero-Waste Store Grows in Brooklyn

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a business owner?

Serving the people of our community that have loved and watched over me since I was a child, and seeing them celebrate the success and the phenomenal story that is the legendary Coyote Store. Their loyalty and support are not something we see as much of these days: customers that faithfully support their local small businesses. That happens here. Celebrating the traditions of yesteryears and watching those traditions propel my business is exciting. The customer base and that loyalty to tradition are what has propelled The Coyote Store in evolving from a 32-seat cafe, located in the 43rd least populated county in the nation, to a 1,600-seat music venue that people from across the nation visit. That is special and means the most to me.

Keep Reading: Meet the Ohio Grandmother Who Launched a One-of-a-Kind Candle Company During the Pandemic

How has the pandemic affected your business?

It nearly killed it; however, we made as many provisions as we could to keep the lights on. We used pallets to enclose our patio so that we could continue trying to serve customers outside during the winter. We reduced our hours and our menus. I took a part-time job and used those funds to preserve the store. Ours was a business that received no government funding or aid during the pandemic. That makes us even more proud of having survived it.

How can people continue to support your business during this time?

Now that the state of Texas is open, and because we are an outdoor venue in wide-open spaces, we encourage friends to visit our partner at outhousetickets.com and get tickets to see the country music legends we all know and love. Stop by during business hours and take the grand tour, hear the story of Coyote Country and get one of our old-fashioned West Texas hamburgers.

Support: Louisiana Woman Turns Her Passion for Creating Gift Baskets Into a Small Business

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business?

Be prepared to sacrifice. To be successful will require that you sacrifice your time, your mind and resources to make it. Expect rainy days  they will happen, but they will pass. Love people  no great thing is accomplished alone. Dont be too proud to accept help and measured advice. Talk to people, listen to people and appreciate them. The most valuable knowledge you will acquire will come from the lessons you learn in dealing with others.

More From GOBankingRates

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Last updated: June 2, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: A Family-Run Cafe in West Texas Transforms Into a Legendary Country Music Venue
An FBI agents admission he baselessly targeted a Chinese Canadian researcher in an economic espionage probe is driving calls for a federal investigation into the Justice Department's conduct under the China Initiative.

Why it matters: Asian Americans, concerned about racial profiling amid heightened U.S.-China tensions, raised the alarm about the program early on as the DOJ has sought to root out the Chinese governments efforts to steal intellectual property.

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Three House members sent a letter to the DOJ Inspector General last week, calling for a probe into "alarming" allegations of FBI misconduct.

Since 2018, when former President Trump officially launched the China Initiative, the DOJ has brought charges in over a dozen cases, mostly against researchers of Asian descent.

Catch up quick: Last week, FBI agent Kujtim Sadiku said he used a Google-translated webpage to implicate Anming Hu as having ties to the Chinese military in meetings with Hu's bosses at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Hu had been fired as a result, Knoxville News Sentinel reports.

When asked if Hu was actually affiliated with a Chinese defense company, Sadiku said, "Based on that summary translation [shared with UTK] and my bullet point in my outline, no," court transcripts show.

Hu, a Chinese-born nanotechnology researcher, is the first person to stand trial as part of the China Initiative. The FBI spied on Hu for nearly two years but could not corroborate claims of spying.

He was instead charged with fraud for allegedly concealing part-time work for a Chinese university to secure federal funding. (UTK officials testified that they knew of the connection.)

His case ended in a mistrial. The DOJ has not said whether it will pursue a new trial.

What's happening: Civil rights groups are demanding the case be dropped.

When authorities are unable to pin a suspect on economic espionage, they turn to charges of fraud to convict them on "administrative errors or minor offenses such as failing to disclose information and other activities that are not illegal under the pretext of combating economic espionage," the group Advancing Justice-AAJC claims, noting that nearly 30,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Biden administration to halt the program altogether.

It's part of a larger pattern, the group says. Prosecutors have accused researchers of crimes like stealing trade secrets or federal funds before dropping the most serious, if not all, charges.

Scientists are concerned the initiative could have a chilling effect on academia.

The other side: Adam Hickey, the deputy assistant attorney general for the DOJ's National Security Division, did not comment on Hu's case but told Axios that economic espionage and the "failure to disclose foreign funding or foreign commitments" are both priorities for the DOJ.

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The latter "implicates conflicts of interest that might undermine the research," Hickey said.

"This is not about finding Chinese people who are doing bad things," he said, pointing to some DOJ cases that investigated the Chinese government's alleged attempts to coerce people of Chinese descent. "[It's] about protecting everyone who's here from exploitive exploitative activity."

The China Initiative has successfully rooted out some researchers who pled guilty to stealing trade secrets.

The FBI declined to comment.

What they're saying: Revelations from Hu's trial have heightened criticism of the program.

Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), in calling for an investigation into FBI conduct, said the program "can result in the unfair and unjustified suspicion of those who are of Chinese descent."

Amnesty International invoked the U.S's history of criminalizing Asians in a letter to the White House: The "use of generalizations" based on race, ethnicity, religion or national origin "is not only a counter-productive and ineffective form of policing, but also violates human rights."

Yes, but: Tech transfer is "very much a hazard for U.S. national security," says the Center for a New American Security's Ainikki Riikonen, whose research focuses on emerging technologies and international competition.

The DOJ's approach is key, she noted. Having a separate research security initiative not specific to China would help the DOJ "frame its work to the public in a way thats precise, proportional, and at a lower risk of stoking these harmful narratives" of Chinese disloyalty, she said in an email.

Worth noting: Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters this week that the DOJ will counter Chinese espionage while respecting the rights of Chinese people in the United States, per Bloomberg. He did not indicate whether the initiative would end.

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The FBI has released more information about a man who they say exchanged gunfire with agents who were trying to apprehend him in Lexington Thursday.

A wanted poster released by the FBI said Anthony Tony Lee Cotton, 37, should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Cotton, who has ties to Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, is wanted for alleged involvement in the armed robbery of two Dollar Tree stores in Michigan on May 16 and 23, the agency said.

A warrant for Cottons arrest was issued in Wayne County, Mich., Thursday, charging him with interference with commerce by robbery.

On Thursday afternoon, Cotton allegedly exchanged shots with FBI agents near the intersection of New Circle Road and Eastland Parkway. He was last seen on Gatehouse Place, off Liberty Road, and multiple law enforcement agencies were seen searching for him in the Woodhill Drive area in the afternoon and evening Thursday.

Cotton is 5 feet 10 inches tall and 185 pounds.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Cotton has tattoos including the name Sheila on the right side of his neck, a picture of a cross and Tony on his forearm and two dice and lucky seven on his upper right arm. He has scars from gunshot wounds on his right arm, right leg, left arm and left leg.

Anyone with information about Cotton is asked to call the local FBI.

1 man charged, 2 others wanted by Lexington police in separate murder cases
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
The end of one of the wildest and tight-lipped recruiting journeys is close to ending, but not without a final, surprising twist.

Five-star 2021 defensive line prospect J.T. Tuimoloau finally got to visit Ohio State last weekend and seemed to have one whale of a time. He followed that up with a mid-week visit to Oregon and was supposed to finish things off in Tuscaloosa with Nick Saban and Alabama. However, the trip to the Crimson Tide program has now been canceled with the Tide no longer being in the five-team race according to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports. Tuimoloau will now choose between his four other finalists, Oregon, Washington, USC, and yes  Ohio State.

Im going to focus on the four schools Ive visited, Tuimoloau told Huffamn. Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, and USC.

The Buckeyes have long been thought to be the slight leader for the premier prospect from the state of Washington, but it was thought to be a very razor-thin lead. And with as quiet as Tuimoloau has been about the process, having Alabama as the last destination on a whirlwind tour in June was thought to be a problem for the other schools vying for his services.

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Tuimoloau is apparently now ready to end this well-thought-out and thorough process and doesnt need to take an unneeded trip to Tuscaloosa.

Its just a feeling Ive had for a while now and after getting back from my official visit to Oregon, we decided not to take the trip to Alabama, Tuimoloau told 247Sports.

According to Huffman, the No. 2 defensive line prospect and third overall recruit in the class according to 247Sports will now go into decision mode with his family, and that theres a feeling hes had for a few weeks that will need to be sorted out.

I think I have a pretty good idea of what each of the four schools Ive visited offer and now Im going to discuss things as a family and come to a decision, said Tuimoloau.

There is no official timeline for the announcement, but if indeed Tuimoloau is canceling high-profile visits and talking about feelings hes had, you can bet that well hear something very soon. Especially seeing how most of Ohio States 2021 class is already accounted for and either enrolled or on the way. Whether or not it has the highest-rated defensive prospect ever to commit to OSU as a part of that group or not remains to be seen.

Story continues

Related

Jack Sawyer changes number. Could this mean J.T. Tuimoloau is heading to Ohio State?

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a COVID-19 testing site, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. First responders and people over 65 years-old began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday during a trial run of the site which will open to seniors at a later date. Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press

DeSantis signed a law mandating public universities survey students and faculty on their political beliefs.

Scholars and advocates said the law is "disgraceful" and could lead to bizarre classroom instruction.

For instance, "intellectual diversity" could be used to mandate professors teach creationism alongside the science of evolution.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, signed a new bill into law on Tuesday that requires the state's public universities to survey faculty, students, and staff on their political beliefs to measure "viewpoint diversity" and fight student "indoctrination."

The Republican-passed law aims to determine "the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented" in classrooms and whether students "feel free to express beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom," according to the bill's text. And it mandates that students "be shown diverse ideas and opinions, including those that they may disagree with or find uncomfortable."

It remains unclear how the state will use the information it gathers, but free speech scholars and advocates are concerned DeSantis and the legislature will retaliate against universities and their faculty for political reasons. The governor, who's built a national profile with his Trumpian politics, suggested on Wednesday that the state will cut funding for schools it deems "hotbeds for stale ideology."

First Amendment experts say the Florida law is unconstitutional and will do the opposite of what it purports to. Instead of promoting free speech, they fear it will both suppress certain viewpoints and undermine academic freedom, as well as force professors to waste time introducing discredited science and theories. And the effort comes amid DeSantis' broader crackdown on free speech, including Black Lives Matter protests and the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

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Undermining free speech and academic freedom

Critics of Florida's new law fear DeSantis and the GOP-run state legislature will intimidate universities and chill speech on campus. Micah Kubic, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, said the law is unconstitutional because there is no "overwhelmingly compelling government interest" to warrant suppressing the speech of professors and students.

"This is a really disgraceful move that undermines the First Amendment, that will chill speech on campuses, and I think that trying to brand it as somehow a defense of free speech is an ultimate 'up is down' moment," Kubic told Insider. "Everything about it is designed to chill and intimidate, not to actually cultivate an environment of free speech or dissent."

He added, "Ron DeSantis disapproving of what you think is not a compelling government interest."

The ACLU is waiting for more clarity on what the survey will look like and how it will be implemented before making decisions about its legal strategy. Kubic said "all options remain on the table."

While all public universities are already required to respect the First Amendment, the values of freedom of speech are inconsistent with academic freedom, said Robert Post, a constitutional law professor at Yale and former dean of the school. Professors differentiate between good and bad ideas, and truth and falsehoods, in ways that are inconsistent with promoting "intellectual diversity." While the government must protect all speech equally, universities regularly grant tenure to faculty, grade students, and award grants - all actions that involve discriminating between ideas.

"We train students to become competent in their disciplines and that, of course, means it's not a marketplace of ideas, it's an educational ground for the creation of competence," Post told Insider. "All ideas are not equal, if you care about competence."

Requiring "intellectual diversity" in the classroom is akin to mandating a discredited theory like creationism be taught alongside the established science of evolution, Post said. Political science departments shouldn't hire liberal and conservative professors, they should hire good political scientists, regardless of their personal political beliefs. He fears that the law will empower politicians "who think politics should override truth" and compared the phenomenon to Joseph Stalin's partnership with the Soviet biologist Trofim Lysenko, who pushed Marxist-approved agricultural pseudoscience that helped drive the country's deadly famines.

Black Lives Matter protest in Miami, Florida on June 7, 2020. Mo Grossi/MediaPunch /IPX

A broader effort to suppress speech

The new law is one of a series of measures DeSantis and his GOP allies have taken to crack down on free speech and regulate education. This spring, DeSantis signed a law that dramatically heightened criminal punishments for protesters. Last week, he preemptively barred Florida schools from teaching about systemic racism and the history of slavery through the lens of critical race theory and The New York Times Magazine's "1619 Project."

There are a slew of reasons why classrooms are increasingly a battleground for political culture wars. Education polarization in electoral politics has deepened in recent years. College-educated voters were key to President Joe Biden's 2020 victory and the gap between how college-educated and non-college-educated Americans vote widened last year and is particularly pronounced among white voters. In the 2020 election, Biden won 54% of college-educated white voters, while former President Donald Trump won 63% of non-college white educated voters, according to an analysis of the election results by the Democratic data firm Catalist.

As the country becomes more educated, this widening polarization could present an ongoing challenge for the Republican party across the country. Asserting more control over what is taught in public schools might be one way for the GOP to reverse this trend.

But Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said this particular effort may well backfire. He thinks faculty and students alike will largely reject the survey and simply refuse to participate in the state's efforts. The media headlines are the point, he argued, and the GOP's effort will fail on a practical level.

"Professors are going to boycott it purely because this is a state messing with the education of young people," he told Insider. "I just know as a dean, trying to get my faculty to respond to any survey - you know, professors are very busy people and they also do not take to authority well."

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Jun. 25Former Idaho Rep. John O. Green was sentenced to federal prison for six months on Tuesday after being found guilty last year of a felony charge of conspiracy to defraud the federal government.

The former representative from Post Falls was ordered to pay nearly $680,000 in restitution and will be on probation for 3 years after his imprisonment ends. He has appealed the sentence, handed down in U.S. District Court in Texas, to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Green was sentenced along with Thomas Selgas, an inventor Green co-conspired with when he represented Selgas as an attorney about 22 years ago.

According to court records, Green allowed Selgas to put money in his attorney-trust account to avoid detection by the Internal Revenue Service.

Selgas received an 18-month sentence on Tuesday, and must pay back $1.3 million in restitution.

The day after the verdict, Idaho House of Representatives voted 65-0 to remove Green from his seat. The Idaho State Constitution does not allow those convicted of felonies to hold civil office.

The House seat formerly held by Green is currently held by state Rep. Doug Okuniewicz, who won election in November.

The case has lasted for almost three years. Green filed two motions for a new trial in 2020, but both were denied.

The former state representative is currently not in custody.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews work on victims of the fatal balloon crash at Unser and Central SW in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, June 26, 2021 (AP)

Four people have been killed and one badly injured after a hot air balloon crashed into a power line in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In a tweet, the Albuquerque Police Department wrote: Unfortunately, 4 individuals died as a result of their wounds from the hot air balloon crash. One additional individual was transported to a local hospital and is currently in critical and unstable condition.

The crash knocked out power in the area for about 13,000 people, Albuquerque police said.

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Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told the Albuquerque Journal the injured person was in pretty bad shape.

He said: Its just a very tragic situation. Our officers who arrived first on scene had a tough time when they saw what they saw. These things are just horrible anytime they happen.

A spokesperson for energy company Powering New Mexico said: Everyone at PNM is deeply saddened by these tragic losses. Were thinking about the family & friends affected by todays event. Well continue to do everything we can to support 1st responders in this evolving situation.

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4 die in hot air balloon crash in New Mexico's largest city

Virgin Galactic gets FAA's OK to launch customers to space

Kentucky to allow college athletes to earn off likeness
WUERZBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Authorities in Germany were investigating on Saturday what prompted a man to go on the rampage with a knife in the town of Wuerzberg on Friday, killing three women and seriously injuring five other women.

Officials said the suspect, whose rampage was halted when police arrested him, was a 24-year-old Somali immigrant who had had mental health problems in the past. As is the practice in Germany, they did not name him.

Officials assume the suspect was acting alone, but are still investigating whether there was any Islamist motive for the attack, regional Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told a news conference.

Herrmann cited one witness as saying that before starting his spree the suspect had shouted "Allahu akbar", an Arabic phrase that means "God is great" and that is often associated with acts of Islamist militancy when used by attackers.

"The indications of radicalisation, in this case Islamism, and of psychological problems do not necessarily rule one another out ... this must be the subject of further investigation," Herrmann said.

The man went into the kitchen department of a store and asked an assistant where the knives were, regional police president Gerhard Kallert said. He seized a knife and stabbed and killed the saleswoman and two more women in the shop.

He then injured five other women seriously, as well as wounding a child, in a bank and on the street.

He was cornered by passers-by before the police shot him in the thigh, Kallert said.

Police found the man's phone and pamphlets with hateful messages during a search of the homeless shelter, but were still evaluating them, Kallert said, adding that it was not yet clear whether the suspect had purposefully targeted women.

One of the injured was still fighting for her life, while two had been released from hospital, police president Martin Wilhelm told the news conference.

Residents laid flowers and candles outside the store.

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The suspect had lived in Wuerzburg since 2015, the year Germany opened its borders to more than a million migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty.

He was registered as living at a facility for the homeless and had twice this year been put into compulsory psychiatric treatment, once after a fight with fellow residents involving a knife but no injuries, prosecutor Wolfgang Gruendler said.

Five years ago, Wuerzburg, an ancient city of 130,000 people some 100 km (62 miles) south-east of Frankfurt, was the scene of a knife attack on a train by a 17-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker in which five people were injured, two seriously.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Friday said his country is experiencing an 1861 moment, like President Lincoln after he met with President Joe Biden, while emphasizing that Americas decision to withdraw its troops was a sovereign one.

Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, head of the countrys High Council for National Reconciliation, met with Biden in Washington, D.C., as the U.S. military largely withdraws from Afghanistan. Ghani said the leaders did not bring up the possibility of delaying the troop withdrawal when they met.

We respect that decision, he said at the post-meeting news conference. Our course is to manage the consequences and to ensure that the people of Afghanistan rise to the challenge.

The meeting between the leaders comes amid concerns that the Afghan government could collapse within months of the U.S. withdrawal.

The Afghan leader appeared resigned to the decision and spoke in both somber and positive tones. He brought up the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan, which will continue to operate, and Americas continued financial support for the country. He also said Biden will ensure that the Covid-19 vaccine makes its way to the Afghan people as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic in tandem with growing Taliban advances.

Of the 1861 moment Ghani described, he said Afghanistan is rallying to the defense of the republic, determined that the republic is defended. It's a choice of values, the values of an exclusionary system or an inclusionary system. We are determined to have unity, coherence, national sense of sacrifice and will not spare anything."

Biden told the Afghan leaders that though U.S. troops are leaving the country, America will still support Afghanistan through economic and political means, as well as helping the country maintain its military. The U.S. is expected to leave some 650 troops in the country.

The senseless violence has to stop, but its going to be very difficult, the president said. But were going to stick with you and were going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need.

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Biden told Ghani and Abdullah they are doing important work by trying to bring about unity among Afghan leaders and said Afghans will have to decide what they want from their future.

And they both got very difficult jobs, Biden said of the leaders. Every time I think Ive got a tough job, I think of Mr. President.

Throughout the day, Ghanis message was one of perseverance as the Taliban advances in Afghanistan. He said the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces had retaken six districts that day.

Let us understand that in great moments of transition, things happen, Ghani said at the meeting with Biden. But you will see that with determination, with unity and with the partnership, we will overcome all odds.
A group of Senate Republicans on Friday pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop requiring masks for fully vaccinated people on public transportation.

Why it matters: The CDC lifted mask requirements for fully vaccinated people in nearly all indoor spaces last month. Transportation is one of the few exceptions.

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What they're saying: In a resolution introduced on Friday, Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called on the CDC to lift mask requirements for people on public transit including airplanes, trains, buses, rail systems, airports and train stations.

The lawmakers argued it "would incentivize a greater number of individuals to receive the COVID19 vaccine."

"Over 150 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated and mask mandates have been lifted across the country. But the CDC inexplicably still hasnt lifted the mask mandate for public transportation," Cruz said in a statement. "Its long past time for President Biden and the CDC to follow the science."

The big picture: The Transportation Security Administration has extended orders to enforce mask mandates through Sept. 13.

Masking has become a frequent cause for unruly behavior on airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration has received over 2,300 reports of passengers refusing to wear masks as required.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines, supports the sustained mandate, Reuters reports.

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A man who took down a gunman that killed a cop was fatally shot by a responding officer, police said.

Johnny Hurley was holding the suspect's AR-15 when the responding officer shot him.

Hurley's actions were dubbed "heroic" by the police.

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A "heroic" man who took down a suspect was fatally shot by a responding officer while holding the gunman's rifle at the scene, according to the Arvada Police Department.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon downtown in Arvada, Colorado, when the suspect, later identified as Ronald Troyke, shot and killed Police Officer Gordon Beesley with a semi-automatic shotgun, according to police.

Minutes after, the suspect continued shooting in the air and at windows of patrol cars, police said. Footage released by the department shows the suspect then went back to his vehicle to grab an AR-15.

Police said the suspect then headed back towards Arvada's Olde Town Square before he was confronted and shot by Johnny Hurley with a handgun. According to USA Today, Hurley was shopping nearby before he got involved. A responding officer arrived at the scene, saw Hurley holding the suspect's weapon, and shot him.

"Our police department and community's view of Mr. Hurley's actions are heroic," Arvada Police Chief Link Strate said in a video statement. "It is clear that Mr. Hurley intervened in an active shooting that unfolded quickly in a busy commercial area in the middle of the day, and he did so without hesitation. Mr. Hurley's actions saved others from serious injury or death."

During their investigation, police said the suspect had a note with multiple anti-cop messages, including: "My goal today is to kill Arvada PD officers" and "I just hope I don't die without killing any of you pigs."

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A GoFundMe was set up for the Hurley family earlier this week. The family also released a statement that described Johnny as "a wonderful human being with a great enthusiasm for life," KDVR-TV reported.

Story continues

"We are deeply moved by the outpouring of love from the community and are grateful for the support of the Arvada Police Department and their partners," the statement said. "We don't yet have all of the information about what happened to Johnny, and we look forward to learning the outcome of a thorough and independent investigation.

Police said a Critical Incident Response Team is investigating Hurley's death, and the killing of Officer Beesley is being investigated separately by the department.

Read the original article on Insider
Jun. 26Honolulu firefighters today responded to an emergency call for a hiker who became light-headed while hiking the Diamond Head Summit Trail this afternoon and could not make it back down.

The Honolulu Fire Department received a 911 call at 12 :25 p.m. today, and five units with 16 personnel responded, arriving just seven minutes later.

An 18-year-old woman who is a Hawaii resident was hiking up the trail with a companion when she became light-headed and could not continue.

Rescue specialists hiked up the trail and found the patient at 12 :44 p.m. The woman tried to stand to see if she could walk back down the trail, but became dizzy seconds later.

HFD placed the patient on a stretcher, and the Air 1 helicopter airlifted her to the landing zone inside Diamond Head crater. The woman was transferred to the care of Emergency Medical Services at 1 :02 p.m., but declined medical treatment or transport.

Her companion continued down the trail by foot, escorted by the rescue specialist.

HFD recommends that all hikers bring a fully charged cell phone, with an external battery pack, in case of an emergency, along with snacks and adequate water. Hikers should also know their physical abilities and limitations, and select trails that they can enjoy safely.
PRAGUE (AP)  Hundreds of people gathered in a northern Czech town on Saturday to honor a Roma man who died after a police officer responding to a call about an altercation knelt on his neck.

Police said the preliminary investigation showed no link between the police intervention and the mans death. But the angry participants, displaying banners that read Roma Lives Matter, condemned the police.

Video footage shows one police officer kneeling on the mans neck for several minutes in the northern city of Teplice on June 19. The man, who hasn't been officially named, later died in an ambulance.

Roma activists and participants of Saturdays gathering rejected the police explanation. The protesters later marched to a local police station.

Roma have long suffered racism and discrimination in eastern Europe and continue to face huge hurdles in employment and education.

Some compare the Roma man's death to the killing of George Floyd, a Black American man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

Europes main human rights body, the Council of Europe, Amnesty International and the governments envoy for human rights all called for a thorough and independent investigation while the countrys deputy ombudsman said she will launch a separate probe into it.
An illegal immigrant accused of abandoning her baby in a bathroom trash can at a California park was arrested Thursday and told law enforcement that the baby was conceived after she was raped in Guatemala, police said.

The 22-year-old woman, whose name has not been released for safety reasons, admitted to investigators that she gave birth to the child June 9, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. She abandoned the newborn two days later at a park in Lynwood, California, out of fear, she said.

VIDEO SHOWS YOUNG CHILD ABANDONED BY SMUGGLERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER

A neighbor of the woman was asked to review the surveillance video of the suspect and identified the young mother.

"The sheriffs department has received many inquiries about adopting this baby, including from our own personnel," said Lt. John Adams of the LASD Special Victims Bureau. "Weve had detectives here at our unit, weve had fire personnel, weve had nurses that treated this baby at the hospital inquire about adoption. Needless to say, this baby is quite the celebrity at this point."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Los Angeles County has a Baby Safe Surrender program, which means that a mother can surrender her baby at any fire station or hospital in the county legally with no questions asked.

Her bail is set at $100,000 for suspicion of cruelty to a child likely to produce great bodily injury or death.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Los Angeles, California, Crime, Immigration, Guatemala, Law Enforcement, Law, Rape

Original Author: Haley Victory Smith

Original Location: Illegal immigrant accused of abandoning baby in trash can says she was raped before coming to US: Police
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A senior executive at Twitter India has quit amid growing tensions between the social media firm and the government.

Dharmendra Chatur was only recently appointed as the company's interim resident grievance officer.

His was one of three positions that every large social media firm is expected to fill under controversial new digital media rules.

Twitter has not commented on the resignation but Mr Chatur's name is not displayed on its site as per the rules.

The new rules, officially called the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, were announced in February.

They require social media firms to appoint three full-time executives, all Indian residents - one for compliance, another for addressing user grievances, and a third for round-the-clock co-ordination with law enforcement bodies.

Firms must also remove content within 36 hours of a legal order, and use automated processes to take down objectionable material such as pornography.

The ministry of information technology had said that two of the new officials Twitter appointed were not employees, that its listed office address was that of a law firm, and that it hadn't given details about the third hire, the chief compliance officer, who is criminally liable for non-compliance.

Twitter has not responded to a query about the compliance issue, barring a terse statement that an interim chief compliance officer had been retained, and that "Twitter continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines".

But Mr Chatur's resignation complicated matters further, especially as it comes just days after the firm's managing director earned a temporary reprieve from court from a police summon. The order currently protects him from arrest, but the case is still open.

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the rules are designed to prevent abuse of platforms

The trigger was a video - allegedly showing a hate crime - shared on the platform: a 72-year-old Muslim man was beaten up and his beard cut off. Many, including prominent journalists, shared the video.

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Police in Ghaziabad city, near the national capital Delhi, said religion was not a motive and that the attackers were unhappy about an amulet the Muslim man had sold them. They arrested six people for the attack.

They also registered a complaint, under serious criminal charges, against Twitter India, news website The Wire, three journalists and three politicians of the opposition Congress party for sharing the video with "an intention to provoke communal unrest". All six are Muslim, although non-Muslims also shared the video.

On 21 June, Twitter restricted 50 tweets, most of them with the contentious video, in India. The company's India head offered to meet the police over a video chat. But they sent another notice asking him to appear in person.

It's rare for social media company executives to be summoned over posts on their platforms. Like phone companies, these firms are "intermediaries" whom Indian law does not hold responsible for posts on their sites - if they comply with the law and take down content when legally required to.

But India's federal government says Twitter could lose that intermediary protection for failing to comply with the new IT rules.

"The Indian government is making an example of Twitter, to send a strong message to all foreign companies," journalist and digital rights activist Nikhil Pahwa said. "It has China envy. It wants to exert more control over foreign players operating on the internet in India."

Losing "intermediary" status can make life very difficult for social media firms. Religious sentiment is easily hurt in India - for example by a cartoon about a cow, considered holy by Hindus - and could open the floodgates to thousands of complaints implicating the platform and its executives. The case against Twitter could be the first of many.

Whodunit? Tracing the sender

Twitter is not the only company at odds with the government. Last month WhatsApp sued the government over the rules, which it says force it to violate user privacy. With more than 400 million Indian users, a fifth of its global customers, the Facebook-owned app is India's largest messenger platform.

WhatsApp is objecting especially to a rule that demands that it trace the originator of a message, which the firm says will force it to break encryption and read and store every message. Not so, government officials say: WhatsApp must find a way to do this without breaking encryption. But even that would need WhatsApp "to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent" in a database, which would break encryption and undermine people's right to privacy, the company said in a statement.

This rule would affect other encrypted platforms, such Signal and Apple's iMessage. For now, though, the government's attention is fixed on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp has over 400 million users in India, a fifth of its global user base

This rule was first drafted in 2019 in the wake of dozens of rumours forwarded on WhatsApp: about child abduction, cow slaughter and other news that turned out fake but resulted in lynchings. The government wants WhatsApp to assist investigations into fake news and other crimes, including terrorism. But giving up encryption to help solve crime is a Faustian bargain, privacy activists say.

'Big Brother state'

The United Nations is worried too. The UN's special rapporteurs expressed serious concern that India's new IT rules could lead to human rights violations and suppress freedom of speech. "Intermediaries will over-comply with takedown requests to limit their liability," they said in a letter.

The letter also says that the new rules provide power to censor journalists. But even before these rules, journalists have faced censure and criminal charges.

As it happens, the rules do cover publishers of news in a separate, exhaustive section, administered by another ministry - information and broadcasting. The compliance burden is onerous, and includes grievance redressal and content takedown processes. The National Broadcasters Association has urged the government to exclude digital news from mainstream media houses from the ambit of the rules. The government has refused.

The intermediary rules have resulted in other lawsuits. Thirteen media outlets have challenged them, saying they sought to "usher in an era of surveillance and fear". A lawyer in Delhi sued Twitter for non-compliance with the rules and in Chennai, singer and artist TM Krishna petitioned the court, saying the rules affect his rights as an artist by imposing a chilling effect on free speech and his right to privacy.

One of the first petitions against the rules was filed by lawyer Sanjay K Singh in March. Mr Singh told the BBC that the rules go against his constitutionally protected right to free speech. He points to a landmark ruling against a draconian IT rule, 66A, that made posting "offensive" comments online a crime.

The Supreme Court struck down 66A, and said that intermediaries should not be forced to evaluate thousands of demands to pull down content, but must act on lawful requests to remove specific content.

"These new rules go against the letter and spirit of that ruling," Mr Singh says. "It appears that what they really want to do is take down content critical of the government." His case is still ongoing.
Jun. 25WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden has invited the governors of several Western states to the White House next Wednesday to discuss wildfires and the historic drought gripping the American West, but the governors of Washington, Idaho and Montana will not be in attendance, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, was invited to the June 30 meeting but will not attend because it falls on the same day the state will end its COVID-19 restrictions, his office said. Psaki would not say whether Govs. Brad Little of Idaho and Greg Gianforte of Montana, both Republicans, had been invited to meet with the other state leaders, members of Biden's cabinet and officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Psaki said the meeting will focus on "how the federal government can improve wildfire preparedness and response efforts, protect public safety, and deliver assistance to our people in times of urgent need."

"He feels it's really important to engage directly," she said of Biden, "to really discuss what the hold-ups are, what the challenges are. How can we help be better partners from the federal government? So this is an example of that."

Five Democratic governors  Oregon's Kate Brown, California's Gavin Newsom, New Mexico's Michelle Lujan Grisham, Colorado's Jared Polis and Nevada's Steve Sisolak  are set to attend the gathering, along with two Republicans, Govs. Mark Gordon of Wyoming and Spencer Cox of Utah.

Spokespeople for Little and Gianforte did not immediately respond when asked whether the two Republicans were invited or wanted to attend. After Psaki's briefing, a White House official wrote in an email, "We invited Western governors from states that were impacted and the President is looking forward to meeting with a group of Governors' with a range of perspectives to best inform the discussion about federal-state partnerships on addressing wildfires."

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The meeting comes as the Western U.S. faces severe drought and 56 large wildfires have already burned roughly 617,000 acres across 13 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In remarks on Tuesday, Biden said he would convene the meeting of state and federal leaders because "extreme weather doesn't confine itself ... to state lines. These crises require proactive federal responses."

"The drought in the West is just astounding, when you take a look at it," the president said. "Fires have already started, and flooding. So we're in for a tough season, but I think we've got to be prepared and have every resource available to make sure we're there for the American people."

After wildfires devastated Malden and Pine City last September, then-President Donald Trump ignored Inslee's request to declare a major disaster, blocking federal aid to the Whitman County towns for months, because of a feud with the Washington Democrat. Two weeks after Biden took office, he approved aid to help local governments across Washington recover from the fires.

Days later, his administration denied a separate request for individual assistance that could have helped residents rebuild after FEMA determined the fire that destroyed roughly 80% of homes in the two towns "was not of such severity and magnitude to warrant the designation."

Biden also said Tuesday he was shocked to learn how little federal wildland firefighters are paid, vowing to increase pay that starts at as little as $13 an hour for one of the most dangerous professions in the country.

"That's going to end in my administration," he said. "That's a ridiculously low salary to pay federal firefighters."

Asked what the White House could do to boost firefighters' pay, Psaki said Congress should raise the federal minimum wage, adding that Biden "will continue to advocate for additional support and assistance for the men and women serving as firefighters around the country."

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Orion Donovan-Smith's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Jim Bakker and his southwestern Missouri church will pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a lawsuit that accuses the TV pastor of falsely claiming a health supplement could cure COVID-19.

Missouri court records show that a settlement agreement was filed Tuesday. It calls for refunds to people who paid money or gave contributions to obtain a product known as Silver Solution in the early days of the pandemic.

The settlement also prohibits Bakker and Morningside Church Productions Inc. from advertising or selling Silver Solution to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure any disease or illness. Bakker, in the agreement, does not admit wrongdoing.

Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued Bakker and Morningside in March 2020. Schmitt sought an injunction ordering Bakker to stop selling Silver Solution as a treatment for COVID-19 on his streaming TV program, The Jim Bakker Show. The lawsuit said Bakker and a guest made the cure claim during 11 episodes in February and March of 2020.

Schmitt said in a news release on Wednesday that Bakker has already made restitution to many consumers, and must pay back another $90,000 to others.

The hour-long Jim Bakker Show is filmed in southwestern Missouri. The consent agreement notes that during the program, Silver Solution was offered to those who agreed to contribute $80 to $125.

Bakers attorneys  Derek Ankrom and former Democratic Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon  said in a joint statement that Bakker and Morningside Church Productions are pleased to put the matter behind them so they can continue the important work of Morningside Church. They noted that the agreement includes no findings whatsoever that our clients violated any laws or misled consumers.

Nixon had previously claimed that Bakker was being unfairly targeted by those who want to crush his ministry and force his Christian television program off the air, and that Bakker did not claim that Silver Solution was a cure for COVID-19.

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The lawsuit cited a discussion on the program on Feb. 12, 2020, in which Bakker spoke with Sherrill Sellman, referring to her as a naturopathic doctor and a natural health expert.

This influenza that is now circling the globe, youre saying that Silver Solution would be effective? Bakker asks. Sellman, according to the lawsuit, replies: Well, lets say it hasnt been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it has been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours.

Yeah, Bakker says.

Totally eliminate it, kills it. Deactivates it, Sellman replies, according to the lawsuit.

Also in March 2020, U.S. regulators warned Bakkers company and six others to stop selling items using what the government called false claims that they could treat the coronavirus or keep people from catching it. Letters sent jointly by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission warned the companies that their products for treating COVID-19 were fraudulent, pose significant risks to patient health and violate federal law.

Silver Solution, a form of colloidal silver, consists of silver particles suspended in a liquid. The solution is often described by manufacturers as having the power to boost the immune system and cure diseases. But it has no known benefit in the body when ingested, according to officials with the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a federal scientific research agency.

Experts say ingesting colloidal silver can have serious side effects. The NCCIH says it can turn skin blue when silver builds up in the bodys tissue.

Nixon, who served two terms as governor from 2009 to 2017 and is now a partner at the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis, said Bakker immediately complied with orders to stop offering Silver Solution on his show and ministry website after receiving the warning letters from the FDA and FTC.

Meanwhile, Arkansas attorney general filed a lawsuit similar to Missouris in June 2020. That case is still pending.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks to reporters in May. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A judge ordered the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to promptly turn over records on thousands of cases of deputy misconduct and on-duty shootings after finding the agency had failed repeatedly to honor a public records request filed by The Times.

The department has 90 days to turn over records first sought by the newspaper in 2019, shortly after lawmakers passed a landmark police transparency law that made public previously confidential records about law enforcement officers. Under the law, Senate Bill 1421, shootings or other serious uses of force by officers, as well as confirmed cases of sexual assaults or acts of dishonesty by police, must be disclosed.

The Times requested records on all cases that fell within the scope of the new law, and under the state's public records law, the department was required to provide them. However, while the department has identified more than 6,000 incidents that are likely to fall under the law, it was slow to begin producing records and then handed over files on only a small fraction of the incidents. The Times sued for the release of the records last year.

"This Well get it done when well get it done [approach]  is not acceptable under the Public Records Act, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff said in court Friday.

Beckloff said the Sheriff's Department had engaged in "consistent feet dragging." Considering the pace at which the agency was releasing records, Beckloff said it would have taken decades for the Sheriff's Department to comply with The Times' request.

An attorney representing L.A. County said in court Friday that Beckloff's order to release the remaining records within 90 days was unrealistic. Representatives for the Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to a request for further comment, and county officials declined to comment.

"The order is an excellent and much-needed step in remedying the overwhelming failure of the Sheriffs Department to disclose these records over the past 2  years," said Kelly Aviles, an attorney representing The Times. "We are pleased that the court recognized the importance of prompt disclosure of these important records related to misconduct and serious uses of force."

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While L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has claimed the department is "more transparent than ever before" under his leadership, the agency has repeatedly fought the release of records related to deputy misconduct and use of force during his tenure.

In 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California sued the department on behalf of the relatives of people killed by deputies, after the agency withheld information related to those shootings. Last month, a Times report detailed how the department's policy governing the release of the identities of deputies who open fire on duty was out of step with a 2014 California Supreme Court ruling and the policies of most other large law enforcement agencies in the state.

Villanueva, who had previously explained the secrecy around shootings by claiming that many of his deputies faced credible threats after shootings, changed the policy two weeks after The Times' report.

Law enforcement agencies and unions throughout California have repeatedly tried to stymie the release of records under the disclosure law.

In 2019, the union that represents L.A. County sheriff's deputies tried to block the release of records related to incidents that predated the law, a move that was blocked by a judge. Earlier this year, a judge ordered the Oakland Police Department to release thousands of pages of records subject to disclosure under SB 1421 in response to a lawsuit filed by two Bay Area reporters. The California Highway Patrol was also sued by KQED last year over allegations it had failed to release similar records.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A project to build express toll lanes on U.S. 69 in Overland Park can officially move forward after a panel of Kansas lawmakers and Gov. Laura Kelly granted final approval to the project Thursday.

The bipartisan panel granted the project, which is part of the statewide Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, unanimous approval.

This project isnt just for Overland Park though we appreciate Overland Parks work on it, said Speaker of the House Ron Ryckman, an Olathe Republican. Its for the entire region.

On Monday, the Overland Park City Council voted 10-2 to add the express toll lanes to help fund the expansion of the highway, sending it to the state for final approval. The highway will be widened to six lanes from 103rd to 151st streets, with tolls collected only on one lane in each direction. The other lanes will remain free.

On Wednesday, the Kansas Turnpike Authority board unanimously approved the plan and will provide the tolling services, said Ann Melton, a KDOT spokeswoman.

KDOT officials vowed that the highway expansion will now be the departments top development priority.

We really expect this to be a huge investment for the future, said Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach.

The state and city will work together on details, with a goal to begin construction in 2022, said Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz.

The first phase includes construction north of 151st Street, at a cost of $300 million. The toll revenue would pay for Overland Parks $20 million contribution to that work. It could take until 2042 to collect that sum.

Plans call for the highway to eventually be expanded south to 179th Street.

The highway will have the first express toll lanes in Kansas. The model can be found in other metro areas, like Denver and Dallas. Typically, the far left lane is the only one tolled.

Tolls would be collected digitally, with drivers charged after their K-Tag or license plate is scanned.

Rates would fluctuate, rising when there is greater demand. KDOT estimates that rush hour toll rates likely would be between 25 cents and 32 cents per mile, lower than the national average of 56 cents.

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When studying the feasibility of the project, KDOT determined the express lanes option would be $85 million cheaper than a traditional widening, which would have required more roadwork and bridges to be constructed.

The entire project is estimated to cost $655 million.

The stretch of U.S. 69 is the most congested four-lane highway in the state, according to a traffic analysis. Officials expect traffic volume to double by 2040, as more people move to southern Johnson County.

In addition to adding the new lanes, the project includes reconfiguring the interchanges at Blue Valley Parkway and at Interstate 435. Improvements would be made to cross streets and pavement, and bridges would be reconstructed.

The idea of adding tolls on the highway has gained some opposition from residents, who worry the system favors the wealthy and will not meet future traffic needs. Others, though, have favored the model that charges only those who wish to pay the toll for a faster commute.
(Bloomberg) -- The land of sub-zero yields is suddenly back in favor as the Federal Reserve breaks ranks with its global peers.

The European Central Bank is content to keep pumping liquidity into bond markets even as the Fed starts discussions to taper pandemic stimulus. Thats sparked the biggest divergence in short-dated U.S. and German government bonds this year -- and AllianceBernstein and Jefferies International are betting its just the start of a regime shift that will flow through to bonds across the curve.

The ECB is still in it for the long haul, said John Taylor, a fund manager at AllianceBernstein. Hes selling short long-dated Treasuries and is overweight the belly of the European curve, particularly in Italy. We think at this stage, the likely move higher in U.S. yields outright and versus Europe is sufficient to be underweight.

This week, public pronouncements from officials on both sides of the Atlantic made it clear that the Fed is leading the global race to rein in the extraordinary measures put in place during the coronavirus crisis. Inflation and growth are accelerating quicker than policy makers were expecting in the U.S., while in Europe those pressures are more subdued.

Its a contrast ECB President Christine Lagarde took pains to underline, saying the risks of an inflation spillover to Europe are limited. European policy makers have pledged to continue bond-buying at a faster pace through the third quarter even as the recovery kicks into gear.

After Lagardes reassuring words halted a bond selloff in Europe on the Feds hawkish shift, the gap between German bunds and two-year Treasury notes moved wider. Now fund managers are betting the divergence trade will percolate through to 10-year benchmarks -- and beyond.

The two are in a different monetary cycle phase, said Mohit Kumar, a managing director at Jefferies International. Hes targeting the 10-year yield premium to widen to 200 basis points, from 166 basis points currently. The Fed has let the cat out of the bag on tapering and eventual rate hikes.

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The Fed is expected to move gradually, with rate liftoff expected in 2023, and no decisions on tapering asset purchases for several more months. At the ECB, officials avoid even talking about exiting programs for fear of upsetting a delicate balance of low yields that have kept many of the regions companies afloat through the pandemic.

Others are advising clients to buy up the debt of peripheral nations that stand to benefit most from ECB largesse. Strategists at Barclays Plc recommend buying Spanish 10-year bonds as a tactical trade given the ECBs relatively dovish stance.

Primary markets are also about to get an influx of new debt as the European Union returns for another tranche of debt under the so-called NextGenerationEU program that saw it raise 20 billion euros earlier this month.

The ECB has been pointing to very big differences with the U.S. and will be very reluctant to jump on the bandwagon, said Ronald Van Steenweghen, a money manager at Degroof Petercam Asset Management. Euro rates will likely to move less in tandem with U.S. rates than before.

Here are some key events in the bond market taking place next week:

Debt sales next week from Italy, France, Spain and Belgium total about 25 billion euros according to Commerzbank AG strategists who also expect a second NGEU offering. Bond redemptions from Germany and Italy total 32 billion euros, while both also pay coupons of about 7.2 billion euros.The U.K. sells 3.5 billion pounds of new three-year bonds and the BOE will buy back 3.4 billion pounds of debt across three operationsInflation numbers dominate the coming weeks data releases, with German numbers on Tuesday followed by the euro areas flash estimate on Wednesday; U.K. data is mostly second-tier and backward lookingECB speakers are headlined by President Christine Lagarde on Tuesday and Friday; Jens Weidmann, Luis De Guindos and Francois Villeroy on Monday and TuesdayBOE Governor Andrew Bailey gives the annual Mansion House speech on Thursday; Andy Haldane speaks on Monday and Wednesday

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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A suspected gunman was killed by police Saturday afternoon in Winthrop, Massachusetts after he allegedly crashed a stolen semi-truck into a building, shot and killed two bystanders, then was gunned down by responding officers, Massachusetts State Police told WFXT, the Fox-affiliated TV station in Boston.

People who live near the scene told WBZ-TV that a man leveled a brick building with a truck and gunshots were heard as he ran away from the crash.

Two bystanders, a male and a female, were shot and killed after the crash.

"We are investigating whether the male may have been trying to engage the suspect to end the threat. The female and male are both deceased," Massachusetts State Police told WFXT.

"Winthrop Police arrived on scene within moments and shot the suspect. The suspect also is deceased."

One police officer was also taken to a hospital but was not seriously injured.

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At least one other SUV appeared to have wrecked near the scene as well, WZB-TV reports.

"There are multiple injured people and motorists are asked to avoid the area to allow first responders unrestricted access to the scene," Winthrop Police said.
A major new food-and-drink destination has arrived in downtown Boise.

Western Proper opened at 4 p.m. Friday, June 25, at 610 W. Idaho St. Empty in recent years, the 10,500-square-foot space is the former home of The Old Spaghetti Factory, which closed in 2013.

Reinvented as a multifaceted entertainment space, Western Proper is an offshoot of Garden City brewery Western Collective.







And once things are fully up and running, it has big plans.

Western Proper will be a craft coffee and breakfast spot. A lunch and dinner restaurant with upscale Western fare. A full-liquor bar. A 400-capacity music venue with a legit stage. A game center with four miniature bowling lanes, Skee-Ball, sports on TVs and more. And a Wi-Fi and laptop hangout.

But not all that this weekend  not quite yet.

The bar, restaurant, game center and music venue has taken over the former Old Spaghetti Factory space.

For the next week, we are 21+ only, opening at 4 p.m. daily and staying open until midnight on weekends and 10 p.m. on weeknights, Western Proper explained on its Facebook page. We will ONLY have beverages, no food, for our first week. Please plan accordingly!

Dinner service will start next week  stay tuned for updates on our delicious food program. Lunch and breakfast will come soon after that.

Our artisanal coffee program will also start next week. You will be able to enjoy our incredible array of espresso beverages all day long.

Miniature bowling is part of the game.

Western Collective and Western Proper owner Cary Prewitt told the Idaho Statesman this spring that he was struck by the potential of the spot. I was like, This has got to be the last massive space available downtown for the foreseeable future. Theres nothing else down there near 10,000 square feet that has that kind of feel.

With spacious outdoor patios in front of roll-up garage-door windows, Western Proper will beckon Boiseans from early morning to late night. Once the business is fully operational, minors will be welcome  except in the Cowboy Bar, a lounge immediately to the right as patrons enter.

We want to do everything big and do it well, Prewitt said.

Online: @westernproper, westernproper.com.
A gigantic fossilized skull that was hidden in a well in China for 90 years has just been discovered by scientists  and it's making them rethink human evolution.

The skull was originally found in 1933 by Chinese laborers building a bridge in Harbin, a northern Chinese city, during the Japanese occupation, researchers said. To prevent the skull from falling into Japanese hands, it was wrapped and hidden in an abandoned well. It was only rediscovered in 2018 when the old man who originally hid it told his grandson, shortly before his death.

The remarkably well-preserved fossil has been labeled a new human species, Homo longi, by Chinese researchers. The species has been dubbed "Dragon man," for the northern Chinese province where the skull was found, Heilongjiang  or in English, the "Black Dragon River" region.

Map shows the location that the Harbin cranium was discovered. / Credit: Qiang Ji

In a series of three articles published in research journal the Innovation on Friday, scientists posited that the skull belonged to an approximately 50-year-old man. He would have had a wide nose to allow him to breathe uninhibited during heavy activity and probably would have been built sturdily to withstand the frigid regional winters, researchers wrote.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Harbin cranium is its massive size, which, at 9 inches long and more than 6 inches wide, is significantly larger than the modern human skull.

The skull also has a cranial capacity of approximately 1,420 milliliters or 48 fluid ounces. That falls into the cranial capacity range of modern humans, but the skull also possesses many primitive features that make it a unique link between modern humans and Neanderthals.

A photo of the Harbin cranium. / Credit: Qiang Ji

Beneath the thick brow ridge, the face has large square eye sockets, but is delicate despite its size.

"It differs from all the other named Homo species," researchers wrote, noting that it has a mix of ancient and modern features like a "gently curved" but "massively developed" brow ridge and low, flat cheekbones with "shallow" depressions beneath them. And compared to today's more modern, round skull, researchers said the Harbin cranium was long and low.

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The international research team, led by Professor Qiang Ji at the Hebei Geo University in China, used geochemical techniques to date the skull to at least 146,000 years old.

An illustration of what the

When the scientists compared the fossil to 95 other skulls using a software program, they found that the Harbin cranium and a few other Chinese skulls seemed to form a new branch that was closer to modern humans than Neanderthals.

The Chinese team said they think the Harbin cranium is sufficiently unique that it qualifies as a new species. However, others are not convinced. Professor Chris Stringer, a research leader at the Natural History Museum in London who also worked on the project, told the Guardian that the skull may be similar to another skull found in China in 1978.

He said, "The important thing is the third lineage of later humans that are separate from Neanderthals and separate from Homo sapiens."

Samantha Power on Vice President Kamala Harris' immigration comments

Deaths of 3 young children in East L.A. called "suspicious"

Father grieves son killed in Surfside building collapse as rescuers search for survivors
Images showed Matt Hancock in a clinch with aide Gina Coladangelo in his central London office early last month

Matt Hancock should face the sack as Health Secretary over breaching Covid rules to conduct an affair if public anger matches the backlash against Dominic Cummings's trip to Barnard Castle, Cabinet ministers have warned.

Tory MPs urged Boris Johnson to "pull the plug" on Mr Hancock and expressed their frustration to party whips over the Health Secretary's "hypocritical" behaviour.

A Cabinet source told The Telegraph that while Mr Johnson was "standing by" Mr Hancock at present, "it could unravel pretty quickly". The frontbencher added: "If there is a Barnard Castle moment, he is going to be under quite a lot of pressure."

A senior government source said public reaction was being monitored and could determine Mr Hancock's fate.

The Health Secretary was accused by senior lawyers of having "likely" broken the law, not just Covid guidance, after images of him in a clinch with aide Gina Coladangelo in his office in early May were published.

At the time the image was captured, said to be May 6, the nation was in step two of the roadmap out of restrictions. Hugging was banned under the guidance, while socialising indoors between people from different households was illegal bar limited exceptions.

Mr Hancock's wife, Martha, was seen leaving the family home on Friday night with what appeared to be overnight bags, though it was not clear where she was going.

Martha Hancock - Anthony Upton

The Health Secretary apologised for breaching social distancing guidance and the Prime Minister sought to draw a line under the episode by saying he accepted the apology and the matter was "closed", Number 10 said.

However, there were mounting questions over the details of Ms Coladangelo's appointment as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care, paid 15,000 a year. Cabinet ministers said that while Mr Hancock was safe for now, he could be forced out if more details emerge that draw into question what has happened with Ms Coladangelo.

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A minute of CCTV footage of the pair was released by The Sun on Friday night, appearing to show Mr Hancock checking the coast was clear before Mrs Coladangelo approaches him and they embrace. Pictures were also released showing the pair on a dinner date in West London last month.

Claims the couple had been "all over each other" in the office this week also emerged.

It also emerged that Ms Coladangelo's brother is an executive at a private healthcare company that has been awarded NHS contracts worth millions of pounds since she became an adviser to the Department of Health. Sky News reported on Friday that Roberto Coladangelo is an executive at Partnering Health, which provides urgent and primary care services and has been awarded at least two NHS contracts.

A spokesman for Partnering Health said the company "has been operating for over 11 years and at all times has secured contracts through the robust tender and procurement processes put in place by local clinical commissioning groups. At no time have any contracts been awarded outside of these rigorous processes".

There is mounting anger over the incident among the Cabinet and Conservative Party.

One Cabinet minister privately said Mr Hancock's behaviour reinforced a feeling of "us and them", with ministers failing to abide by rules they forced voters to adhere to.

The minister said that while it "looks very, very bad", Mr Johnson was "standing by him [Mr Hancock] at this moment" but added: "This could unravel pretty quickly if the affair started before she was appointed or after. That is relevant. If there is a Barnard Castle moment, he is going to be under quite a lot of pressure."

The minister added of Mr Hancock: "I don't know how he has got the energy  dealing with a pandemic and doing that on the side."

Another well-placed government source said that Downing Street was yet to sack Mr Hancock because it "doesn't want to go 'Back to Basics'", referring to a 1993 speech by John Major, then the prime minister. It promoted traditional values such as "neighbourliness, decency, courtesy", but became the subject of ridicule when a succession of ministers were caught up in scandals in its wake.

However, the source added that would change if it became clear that there was public anger over the incident comparable with that over Mr Cummings's trip to Barnard Castle during lockdown.

More than half (58 per cent) of UK adults think Mr Hancock should resign, a snap poll by Savanta ComRes showed on Friday.

Baroness Foster of Oxton, a Tory peer, accused Mr Hancock on Twitter of having "used emergency powers to impose these punitive restrictions leading to horrendous consequences across society without debate yet ignored them himself & at work!"

Backbench Conservative MPs contacted their whips about the Health Secretary. One texted: "You don't need me to tell you what I think." Another said that "children have missed out in so many ways" and that Mr Hancock's behaviour was "so hypocritical", while a third MP said the Government "is looking ridiculous now, I am sorry to say".

It has also been noted that Mr Hancock said last May last year that he was "speechless" at the "extraordinary" behaviour of Prof Neil Ferguson, who was revealed to have met his "lover" in his home in breach of social distancing rules.

The senior scientist, whose research paved the way for the first lockdown, admitted he had undermined the regulations and the Health Secretary said at the time: "I think he took the right decision to resign  I think the social distancing rules are very important and people should follow them."

Adam Wagner, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, said it was "quite likely" that Mr Hancock had broken the law, not just social distancing guidance.

He told Sky News: "The only exception [to the law against people from different households socialising indoors] which could even arguably apply here is that what they were doing was reasonably necessary for work purposes, but it's quite difficult to understand how what we see in the picture could have been reasonably necessary for work purposes."

Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor for the North West, told The Telegraph: "Arguably there is a case to answer that Matt Hancock broke the law, given the regulations at the time. Mr Hancock's behaviour couldn't possibly be seen to be an exception for work."

On Friday night, a source close to Mr Hancock said: "No laws have been broken. The Health Secretary and Ms Coladangelo were both in the department for legitimate work purposes."

Downing Street also insisted Ms Coladangelo's appointment "followed correct procedure" but refused to confirm other details.

The Telegraph understands that the affair started in May, according to friends, and Ms Coladangelo's appointment to the board "significantly predates" it.

It is the latest scandal to engulf Mr Hancock after he was accused by Mr Cummings of lying to the Prime Minister over whether patients were sent from hospitals to care homes at the height of the pandemic without being tested for Covid.

A senior Tory MP added: "I don't think his position is tenable  it is not the affair. It is when you are putting in regulations and advice for people to live their lives by, when you advocate for it or vote for it, you shape it and then you don't do so yourself.

"For the PM to say it is a closed matter ... When you start to make exceptions for special categories of people like international VIPs and government ministers, it risks throwing away the goodwill we built up because of the success of the vaccines programme.

"I am very surprised he has not simply resigned. What will follow from this is [whether there was any breach of] the ministerial code. He made that appointment as secretary of state."

A former Tory minister said Mr Johnson had to sack Mr Hancock, saying: "His position is completely unsustainable. Boris has been through this before with Cummings and he lost an awful lot of political capital by supporting Cummings.

"Boris cannot afford to expend any more political capital on Matt Hancock. We already know he thinks he is hopeless. Boris should make sure he leaves now  he should get rid. Boris is going to get slaughtered over this if he does not get rid of him.

"What he can't afford is a re-run of Cummings. I am bracing myself for the avalanche of emails I am going to get from constituents asking 'why is the man still there?'. Boris should chop him immediately  today."

A Number 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister retained full confidence in Mr Hancock, but refused to confirm that the Health Secretary had not broken the law.

Separately, it also emerged on Friday that Mr Hancock was facing an investigation over whether he had breached House of Commons rules by failing to declare a family link to an NHS supplier earlier this year.

Kathryn Stone, the Commons standards commissioner, disclosed that she had started an investigation into whether he had breached the MPs' code of conduct. A note on her website said she was looking at whether he had failed to make a "registration of interest under Category 7 of the Guide to the Rules [Shareholdings]".

This would a breach of part 14 of the code which states that "members shall fulfil conscientiously the requirements of the House in respect of the registration of interests in the Register of Members' Financial Interests". If Mr Hancock is found to have committed wrongdoing, he could be forced to apologise to the Commons.

The Telegraph disclosed in April how he had a controlling hand in the organisation that awarded his sister's firm potential access to NHS contracts. He was listed as one of two "persons with significant control" over NHS Shared Business Services, which in 2019 awarded his sister's company, Topwood Ltd, a place as a potential supplier to NHS trusts.
Even while staring down the barrel of a potential 30-year prison sentence for murdering George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin couldn't bring himself to say the two simple words to the Floyd family on Friday that might have suggested he had a glimmer of remorse.

I'm sorry.

Instead, Chauvin offered his "condolences" before floating some bizarre assurance that the family would find enlightenment and tranquility somewhere down the road.

"Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind," Chauvin said from a Hennepin County courtroom, moments before he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing, Friday, June 25, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis.

It was, we hope, the final insult from a man who has, from the moment Floyd encountered him last Memorial Day and the world witnessed his actions via video, leaned in  literally  to his contemptible behavior.

This is history: Derek Chauvin is guilty of murdering George Floyd. Black lives do matter

Floyd died under the crush of Chauvin's body on May 25, 2020. Floyd said "I can't breathe" at least 27 times as Chauvin pushed his left knee onto Floyd's neck, repeatedly readjusted pressure and held it there for nine minutes and 29 seconds. Floyd cried for his mother and cried for his life. Chauvin smirked as he listened to Floyd's pleas and those from onlookers. But he never let up.

'Particular cruelty' vs. 'selfless man'

During sentencing proceedings Friday, Chauvin proved to be vile right until the end.

Chauvin, 45, was convicted on April 20 of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Prosecutors had requested a 30-year sentence, while defense attorney Eric Nelson sought probation for his client.

Last month, Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill agreed that Chauvin should face a higher sentence because his crimes involved abusing his position of trust and authority while killing Floyd in the presence of children. Cahill found Chauvin treated Floyd with "particular cruelty" because of the "prolonged nature of the asphyxiation."

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EDITORIAL: Derek Chauvin's 22.5-year sentence is welcome step in march toward racial justice

A makeshift memorial for George Floyd including a mural cards and flowers on June 1, 2020 his seen near the spot where he died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minn.

Chauvin appeared to have little public support during the three-week trial that led to his conviction. Rarely did anyone appear in a chair reserved for a family member or friend who wanted to be inside the courtroom, which had limited access because of COVID-19 restrictions.

But Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, spoke Friday, insisting that she wanted America to know she supports her son. She characterized him as a "quiet, thoughtful, honorable and selfless man." She asked Cahill for leniency.

"When you sentence my son, you will also be sentencing me," she said. "I will not be able to see Derek, talk to him on the phone, or give him our special hug.

Accountability? Yes. Justice? No.

I would like to note that Chauvin stripped Floyd's loved ones of all of those familial niceties, too. And, much worse, Floyd is dead.

I can't help but assert that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Not once did Pawlenty address the Floyds or express any sorrow for their loss. Not once did she display empathy. Not once did she seem embarrassed or contrite for her son's actions.

Chauvin sentence not enough: Put police oversight in the hands of the people.

But Chauvin will be held accountable. It started with the conviction and it ended Friday with a lengthy prison sentence. I won't quibble with Cahill's decision; he went above sentencing guidelines. Derek Chauvin will have years to think about his laundry list of uncaring actions during incarceration. Is it justice? No, of course not. Justice would mean that systems are in place to ensure that state-sanctioned murders can't be committed against any American.

Today, we will embrace accountability. Tomorrow, we begin work anew.

Though Chauvin didn't have the heart or decency to offer Floyd family members a heartfelt apology for the loss of their father, brother, uncle, friend, I extend these words to them in his callous stead.

I'm sorry.

National columnist Suzette Hackney reported from Minneapolis for six weeks during the Derek Chauvin trial, embedded with the community. Her final dispatch explored the healing still to be done.

Hackney is a member of USA TODAYS Editorial Board. Contact her at shackney@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @suzyscribe

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: Chauvin, mom Carolyn Pawlenty don't express remorse at his sentencing
Rescue workers located no more survivors overnight on Friday

A fire has hindered rescue efforts to the 159 unaccounted people from a Surfside residential building collapse, officials said.

Its a very deep fire. Its extremely difficult to locate the source of the fire. So, theyve been working around the clock, these fire rescue teams, these brave men and women, under the rubble to fix this problem so they can get on, but it is hampering our search efforts, said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levina Cava during a Saturday news conference.

The smoke has been the biggest hindrance to the rescue workers.

Officials are now working to locate and extinguish the fires while continuing to try and locate anyone who might be alive.

Obviously, the smoke itself is the biggest barrier right now to proceeding in those areas. So, we created a trench using heavy equipment to try to isolate the fire and continue searching for victims in the part of the pile that we can access. No further victims have been found, Ms Cava said.

There was no new update on survivors overnight, the mayor added.

Rescue workers are trying to find the 159 unaccounted people from the collapse of the 12-storey Champlain Towers South building.

There have been four people confirmed dead and 127 people accounted for since the building collapsed on Thursday.

City officials are now working to determine the safety of other buildings in the area that are 40 years or older.

The collapsed building has a sister building called Champlain Towers North building.

Residents have been allowed to stay in the building but an evacuation was up for consideration amid concerns that it could have similar structural issues as the south building, given they were constructed at the same time with similar plans.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was asked during a Saturday press conference if residents should feel safe living in the sister building following the collapse.

He said an evacuation was up for consideration given the similarities, given the same age.

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But Mr DeSantis would not state what he recommended. Instead, the governor said that it would ultimately be up to local officials like Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett on what to advise residents.

Ive recommended that that building be evacuated pending a thorough structural investigation, Mr Burkett told CNN on Saturday.

Because I dont think people need to live with the possibility, or the thought that their building may collapse, he added.

It was unclear if this recommendation required approval from other city and state officials before taking place.

The cause of the Champlain Towers South building is not yet known.

Read More

Rescuers focus on detecting sounds of survivors in rubble

Miami building collapse: Condo was sinking for decades and undergoing inspection, researchers say

Boy pulled out of rubble after Miami building collapse
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel continue search and rescue operations in the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Fire officials are asking Miami residents to stay indoors after the 12-story condo collapse.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said on Twitter that the collapse has led to "smoky conditions."

At least four people are dead because of the collapse, which happened early Thursday.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Miami-Dade fire officials are urging residents to stay indoors after a condominium collapse, warning of harmful "smoky conditions."

"If you live near the area of the #SurfsideBuildingCollapse, you may be experiencing smoky conditions, which can affect those with respiratory conditions," the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a tweet late Friday night.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The fire department advises Miami residents to stay indoors and keep all windows and doors shut while running their air conditioning units.

At least four people are dead after the collapse in Surfside on Thursday, with more than 150 unaccounted for or missing. President Joe Biden on Friday signed an emergency declaration for Florida, giving authority to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief. Dozens of fire and rescue units, including FEMA, have since responded to the scene.

Officials on Friday said they remained hopeful that they'll rescue survivors from the rubble.

"We will continue search and rescue because we still have hope that we will find people alive," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a press conference.

"That is exactly why we are continuing," Cava continued. "That is why we are using our dogs and our sonar and our cameras, everything possible to seek places where there may still be people to be found."

Following the collapse, information emerged questioning the infrastructure and integrity of the 12-story building.

The building in 2018 showed signs of "major structural damage," and an engineering consultant found evidence of "abundant" cracking and fragmentation in the building's columns and beams, according to an inspection report.

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The son of a woman who is now missing told CNN she heard creaking noises the day before the collapse.

Pablo Rodriguez said his mom called him the day before and said "she had woken up around 3 [or] 4 in the morning and had heard like some creaking noises. They were loud enough to wake her."

And a 2020 study found that the land around the building had shown signs of sinking decades ago.

Read the original article on Insider
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has found himself in a strange and uncomfortable position for a politician with his record on abortion: on the wrong side of anti-abortion activists.

Only two years ago, he signed a ban on ending pregnancies after 8 weeks, one of the nations most restrictive abortion laws, which remains blocked by a federal court. He was endorsed last year by Missouri Right to Life, a leading anti-abortion group.

But the staunchly anti-abortion Republican is now pleading with lawmakers to break ranks with Right to Life over the renewal of a hospital tax that provides $4 billion a year for Missouris Medicaid program.

On the radio Friday, the former senator sounded stunned and surprised at his predicament.

Theres just so many things going on right now with this, its just kind of unbelievable its happening, Parson told 97.1 FM in St. Louis.

Abortion has plummeted during Parsons time in state government. His first year in the House, 2005, Missouri recorded nearly 8,000 abortions. By 2019, the number had dropped to fewer than 1,500. The decline occurred as lawmakers, including Parson, tightened restrictions and the number of abortion providers dwindled.

Yet despite his achievements and past experience in the Senate, where he served for six years, Parson was at risk of being outmaneuvered by anti-abortion activists and the chambers most conservative senators.

Right to Life and a group of hard-right senators are demanding the hospital tax extension be paired with a ban on Planned Parenthood, which operates Missouris sole abortion clinic, receiving any Medicaid dollars. Federal law already prohibits Medicaid from paying for abortions, though Planned Parenthood also provides cancer screenings, sexually-transmitted infection screenings and other services.

Parson called the General Assembly into a special session this week to renew the tax, known as the Federal Reimbursement Allowance or FRA, and promised steep budget cuts on July 1 if lawmakers fail. The governor and some GOP senators had negotiated an agreement that restricts Medicaid coverage of birth control and blocks Planned Parenthood from receiving any reimbursements through the Uninsured Womens Health Program (UWHP), a state-funded initiative administered by Medicaid.

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Anti-abortion critics of the deal say it doesnt go far enough because Planned Parenthood already doesnt receive reimbursements from the UWHP. Missouri Right to Lifes executive director, Susan Klein, told senators during a Thursday hearing that their votes would be part of their legislative scorecards.

Susan Klein was up there yesterday telling legislators were going to rate your votes if you dont vote on this in a committee hearing. Ive just never seen anything like this, Parson said in the radio interview. Were leading the nation in fighting abortion and its like were almost looking for a problem to create.

Klein and other opponents of the GOP compromise, including Lake St. Louis Republican Sen. Bob Onder, contend the danger is real and must be dealt with now. They fear Medicaid could potentially cover abortions if the Hyde Amendment, the federal prohibition on spending tax dollars for abortion, expires. President Joe Biden didnt include the provision in his budget proposal, although Congress has approved it continuously for decades.

On Friday, the Senate in a 28-5 vote approved a bill that removes the controversial birth control and Planned Parenthood language. But the bill must still pass the House, where opponents will have another chance to fight it.

Klein said she appreciates Parson including pro-life protections in his special session call. Still, I dont think were there yet, she said Thursday of the initial compromise between Parson and Republicans.

Missouri Right to Life has concerns about the language, Klein said.

Onder, a one-time Senate colleague, was scorching in his criticism of the governor.

In an interview with KCUR on Wednesday, he said Parson was doing exactly what a pro-abortion Democrat would want to do, which is keep the money flowing to Planned Parenthood. He has since softened his comments, suggesting the governor is being misled by his administration.

Unfortunately, the governors getting some bad advice from the Jefferson City swamp, Onder told 97.1 on Friday.

The questioning of Parsons anti-abortion credentials has infuriated his allies. Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lees Summit Republican, defended his record and said the purity test we keep having is just off the charts.

If we keep subdividing, eventually we will lose it all, Cierpiot said.

Parson said in the radio interview that hes been pro-life all my life. He said he believes just as much in protecting unborn children as newborn children, a possible reference to Medicaids coverage of some infants.

But this is just kind of a bizarre situation thats going on so hopefully level heads are going to come about and try to deal with this issue, Parson said.

Onder has accused Parson of taking a bullying tone with senators in recent weeks. In public, the governor has taken a hardline stance during the FRA debate.

Sen. Bob Onder, a St. Charles Republican.

While the tax doesnt expire until Sept. 30, Parson has promised sharp budget cuts on July 1 if it isnt renewed, fueling an atmosphere of urgency in the Capitol. He had also indicated he wouldnt call a special session without a compromise on the taxs renewal.

Parson at first glance would appear well-situated to navigate the current crisis. A senator from 2011 until January 2017, he is familiar with the complex politics of the Senate.

But through term limits and elections, just five of Parsons one-time Senate colleagues, including Onder, remain in office.

Onder said he reached out repeatedly to the governors office in the final two weeks of the regular session in an effort to head off the need for a special session. He said he spoke with members of the governors staff but not Parson himself.

Parson on Friday confirmed the two hadnt spoken, though he appeared under the impression the senator was claiming to have met with the governor.

Sen. Onder, Ive been a colleague of his, Parson said. Hes telling the media weve been having conversations at the last two weeks of the session about this issue. It literally never happened.




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Mitsubishi could make a long-awaited comeback to the world of rally racing in the coming years. It's open to injecting more performance into its range, but its need for speed won't spawn a new version of the Lancer Evolution.

Speaking to investors during a shareholder meeting held in Japan, company boss Takao Kato explained the first step towards making quicker, more exciting cars was reviving the Ralliart brand in May 2021. "We plan to expand [Ralliart] to a wide range of models as genuine accessories first, but we will also consider involvement in rallies," the CEO stated, according to Japanese publication Response. Crucially, a racing program has not been approved yet.

How a potential return to rallying would be orchestrated remains to be seen. In the past, Mitsubishi's rally superstar was the Lancer Evolution (pictured), which retired without a successor in 2015. The firm's current range consists of crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks with the exception of the Mirage, which is likely too small to credibly turn into a rally car. While it's tempting to speculate a return to racing will bring the Evo back to the range, even without a Lancer to build it on, Kato doused cold water on the years-old rumors mapping out the nameplate's future.

He stressed a next-generation Evo is not in the pipeline, even though Mitsubishi's shareholders are requesting one. "Electrification is expensive, and we're still not strong enough. We ended the previous fiscal year with a big deficit," Kato said. "First, we need to revive the company. Then, we'll look into putting out the cars fans are waiting for."

His plans to revive the company include launching a number of mainstream models in rapid-fire succession. The Mirage, the Eclipse Cross, and the Outlander Sport recently benefited from an array of updates, most of which were reasonably well received, and the new Outlander was unveiled earlier in 2021 with dramatic improvements.

Story continues

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A Separate Reality Records / A Separate Reality Records

We here at GOBankingRates want to help get our nations small businesses back on their feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. To do that, were highlighting readers favorite small businesses around the country, and shining a spotlight on what makes them special to their customers and their towns.

2021 Small Business Spotlight: Check Out Our Small Business Stories, Plus the Nominated Businesses Near You

In this edition of our Small Business Spotlight series, were featuring A Separate Reality Records, a record store in Cleveland. A veteran of the music industry, owner Augustus Payne decided to start his business after having cancer and realizing that life is too short to not be doing what he loves. Here, we chat with Payne about what he learned from his previous years working in the music business that helped him with his new endeavor, why he finds his job so rewarding and how he adapted his business to pandemic times.

More Stories: A Texas Photographer Captures All of Lifes Meaningful Moments

What did you take from past experiences or jobs that you knew you wanted to be a part of your new business?

Ive been involved in many different areas of the music business over the years  everything from working at a recording studio to DJing, playing in bands to working at a record label. I knew intense focus was the key to success in any area of life.

Read: A Zero-Waste Store Grows in Brooklyn

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a business owner?

I love waking up in the morning and getting after it. Theres nothing I like more than meeting and sharing new music with others.

Check Out: Japanese Burger Restaurant Provides a Respite for Patrons Amid the Pandemic

How has the pandemic affected your business?

It definitely made me refocus my priorities. I shifted to an online-only business during the pandemic.

How can people continue to support your business during this time?

By coming to see the store at 11221 Detroit Ave. in Cleveland, or by checking out my website, ASeparateRealityRecords.com.

Story continues

Read More: This Midwest Mom Credits Her Daughter for Inspiring Her Bath & Body Business

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own business?

Follow your heart  it wont lead you wrong. Remember, music is the healing force of the universe.

Do you have a small business you want to see in this spotlight? Just let us know.

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This interview has been edited for clarity.

Last updated: June 7, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Music Industry Vet Opens a Record Store in Cleveland
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Chris Mueller and Nani scored seven minutes apart late in the second half and Orlando City beat Inter Miami 2-1 on Friday night.

Orlando (6-1-3) won for the third time in seven days. Miami (2-6-2) has lost four in a row.

Nani outran the defense on the right side for a long ball and sent it across the goal for Mueller's one-touch finish in the 73rd minute to tie it at 1. Nani scored his third goal in three games in the 80th with a strike from the corner of the 18-yard box.

Miami forward Gonzalo Higuain, a second-half substitute, scored his fifth goal of the season in the 67th. He took three touches from the top of the box and slotted it inside the far post.

Orlando goalkeeper Brandon Austin made his third straight start in place of Pedro Gallese, who is on international duty with Peru.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Reuters

WINNIPEG, Canada (Reuters) -Protesters have toppled statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II in the Canadian city of Winnipeg as anger grows over the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in unmarked graves at former indigenous schools. The action took place on Canada Day on Thursday, when traditionally celebrations take place across the country. However, many cities scrapped events this year as the scandal over the indigenous children made Canadians confront their colonial history.
Jun. 25The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University will not require students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination before returning to campus for the 2021-22 school year.

Here's why.

The Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees determines which immunizations will be required before enrolling at a college or university in Mississippi.

As of right now, only the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is required for all students before registering for classes, according to IHL policy. Students participating in health education programs must also show proof of a Hepatitis B vaccination, and international students must show proof of a test screening for tuberculosis.

IHL Board policy requirements do not currently include the COVID-19 vaccine.

An amendment to that policy would be required before Mississippi's eight public universities have the authority to require the COVID-19 vaccine or any other vaccine not already mandated.

Both universities do, however, encourage students to be fully vaccinated when they return. The universities have touted several benefits for those who opt to receive the vaccine.

"Vaccinations are our best defense against the spread of COVID-19," the MSU COVID-19 Task Force wrote in guidance to students.

Fully vaccinated students at UM and MSU will not be required to quarantine if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19, unless they begin showing symptoms of the virus themselves.

Those who have been fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear a mask or practice social distancing on college campuses, but unvaccinated individuals will be encouraged to continue masking.

For Ole Miss students who contract COVID-19 or are in close contact with someone who has COVID and need to quarantine while at school, "your in-person classes will not switch to online delivery during your time away from class," Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Charlotte Fant Pegues said in a letter to students.

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"Missing up to two weeks of class could have a major impact on your grade, especially if you miss a test," the letter went on to say. "Please consider this possibility, along with other benefits of being vaccinated, as you prepare to return to campus in the fall."

For college students seeking COVID-19 vaccination, appointments can be scheduled at Mississippi State Department of Health walk-in sites across the state at covidvaccine.umc.edu.

On-campus vaccination appointments at UM are currently full, but MSU students can schedule an appointment by visiting covidvaccine.msstate.edu.

blake.alsup@djournal.com
MULTAN, Pakistan (AP)  Pakistans counterterrorism police made more arrests Saturday in connection with a car bombing earlier in the week that killed three people and wounded 25. The attack in Lahore was near the residence of a convicted militant leader linked to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Investigating officer Ahmed Wakeel said police arrested a man from the Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab province who sold the car used in the Wednesday blast.

The explosion took place outside the residence of anti-India militant leader Hafiz Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the U.S. Justice Department and has a $10 million bounty on his head. Saeed was unharmed in the powerful explosion in Lahores Johar Town neighborhood.

Wakeel said two other men were picked up in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who were allegedly involved in rigging the explosives in the car. Police now have five suspects in custody in connection with the blast.

On Friday, security forces arrested Pakistani national David Peter at the Lahore airport as he tried to fly out of the country. His arrest led to the arrest of another man from the eastern city.

Wakeel also said investigators found evidence of involvement of the Indian secret service in the attack. He didn't elaborate.

Saeed is the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

Last year, Pakistan sentenced Saeed to 15 years in prison in a terror-financing case, but he was never charged in connection with the Mumbai attacks. He has been serving his term at home under a government order.

Saeeds Lashkar-e-Taiba was active for years, mainly in Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in its entirety.

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and they have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence in 1947.
Pakistan's prime minister sparked protests this week after suggesting during an interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan that there would be fewer sexual assaults in the country if women dressed modestly.

The big picture: When asked by Swan if the clothes women wear could provoke acts of sexual violence, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said: "It depends on which society you live in. If in a society where people havent seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them."

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Khan's comments drew nationwide protests and calls for a public apology, according to the Washington Post.

Driving the news: Some women in Pakistan responded to Khan's comments by sharing photos of the clothes they were wearing when they were sexually harassed, per the Washington Post.

Women also shared anecdotes about inappropriate behavior they have experienced, even when dressed conservatively in traditional headscarves and shalwar kameez.

At a protest on Saturday, women were encouraged to bring clothing that they or somebody they know were wearing when they experienced sexual violence.

What they're saying: This is dangerously simplistic and only reinforces the common public perception that women are knowing victims and men helpless aggressors, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and more than a dozen other civil society groups said in a statement published on June 24.

For the head of government  a government that claims to defend the rights of women and vulnerable groups  to insist on this view is simply inexcusable.

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RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Saturday deployed security forces to confront protesters who took to the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank after one of President Mahmoud Abbas's biggest critics died in custody.

Nizar Banat had been arrested by PA forces who broke into a relative's house where he was staying in the early hours of Thursday and hit him repeatedly with a metal rod before arresting him, according to Banat's family.

Banat's death has sparked three days of protests in the occupied West Bank and calls from the international community for an inquiry.

On Saturday, Palestinian security officers lined the streets and blocked protestors by hitting them with their fists and with clubs, Reuters video showed.

The officers, some wearing riot gear, others in plain clothes, also fired tear gas and attacked journalists, according to witnesses. There were no official figures on how many people were arrested or injured.

The spokesman for the PA security services, Talal Dweikat, said the committee investigating Banats death had begun its work and urged people to wait for the results. He did not comment on Saturday's violence.

The Palestinian journalists' union condemned attacks by security forces against journalists covering the protest.

"The targeting of journalists by security men is a new, grave development in the onslaught on freedom of expression and the media," the union said in a statement.

Banat, 43, was a social activist who had accused Abbas's PA of corruption, including over a short-lived COVID-19 vaccine exchange with Israel this month and Abbas's postponement of a long-delayed election in May.

Banat had registered as a parliamentary candidate for that contest.

The crowd marched through streets waving Palestinian flags and pictures of Banat and calling for an end to Abbas's 16-year rule.

"We want a total political reform that will truly reflect the interests of the people," said protester Esmat Mansour.

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Human rights groups say Abbas regularly arrests critics. A Human Rights Watch official said Banat's arrest was "no anomaly".

Abbas and the PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, reject accusations they are corrupt and that they arrest people for their political views.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Christina Fincher and Daniel Wallis)
Universal Pictures

As of this week, all of us have the opportunity to see culture at its peak: In F9, the ninth installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Vin Diesel drives his franchise to the moon. Ludacris and Tyrese Gibsons forever bickering characters Tej and Roman are the ones who make the giant leap into the cosmosand as they do, the film taunts us with its audacity.

As long as we obey the laws of physics, Tej says, well be fine.

Oh, really?

In boldly bringing this franchise where no drag racer has gone before, director Justin Lin made sure to consult with experts. Im on the phone with scientists, learning about fuel and physics, he told The Hollywood Reporter. It was great, having the scientists on the other line going, Wait, what? What are you trying to do? I love it.

So, how legit was the end result?

After emailing a healthy chunk of the New York University Physics faculty (you know, mostly the ones who seemed like they know things about space) I spoke with Masha Baryakhtar, a postdoctoral fellow specializing in particle physics who will soon join the University of Washington in a faculty position. Aided by detailed and not at all confusing explanations of the films stunts from this whiplashed Fast fanatic, Baryakhtar offered her expert opinion on several of the films stuntsincluding, yes, that rocket-car.

Thats RECORDING ARTIST Vin Diesel to You, Chumps!

Sending a car to space on a rocket is not a totally outlandish notion; as Baryakhtar pointed out, Elon Musk launched a Tesla into space in 2018 with a dummy passenger named Starman because he thought it would be cool to send some extra junk into space.

But in that case, Baryakhtar said, it took a whole big rocket ship counting down with a huge explosion, and then you kind of launched the car out of that. So if you just tell me that a rocket took a car to space, it takes a lot of work and a lot of moneybut in principle, its actually been done, right?

Among the chief concerns in modifying a rocket-car? Keeping the passengers from exploding in a vacuum. A first step, Baryakhtar said, would be strong insulation around the car. The insulation seen in the film does not look particularly thick, but the car did have a heat shield.

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Any glass surface, like a windshield, Baryakhtar added, would be a hazard. (The car in the film appears to have modified windows.) And the final hurdle would be making sure theres actually enough fuel to steer the vehicle afterward. No spoilers, but rest assured F9 has that angle covered.

Okay, but what about the other stunts? If one were to, say, be driving across a rope bridge that happens to rupture behind them, could they make it to the other side by vroom-vroom-ing as fast as they can like Dominic Toretto? Not exactly, Baryakhtar said. Theyd drive into a cliff.

Okay, okay. But what about the one where they dash through a minefield where the explosives are spaced something like maybe 10 feet apart?

If youre going very fast you cant turn in true sharp angles, Baryakhtar said. Because then you would fly out; you wouldnt have enough friction holding you down.

One could feasibly navigate a minefield slowly, Baryakhtar said, but not at the speed Dom and his crew tend to like.

By the time I got to Dom driving off a cliff, launching a grappling hook from his car, and then rappelling around a mountain, Baryakhtar had begun to crack the physics of the Fast universe. All of these examples, she said, could work kinematically. Its just a question of, like, how big the force is going to be on the people inside the carand if theyll all get totally smashed up.

All of these things, theres a grain of truth to them, Baryakhtar admitted. But theyre taken to the extreme. Thats what I would say.

All right, one more: What are the chances that someone could go straight through a billboard while fighting on the back of a moving semi and just keep on truckin? Response: I would say thats a pretty clear no.

Okay, but what if that person is John Cena? Oh, well then yes.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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DENVER (AP)  Johnny Hurley was hailed by police as a hero for shooting and killing a gunman they say had killed one officer and expressed hatred for police in a Denver suburb. But when another officer rushed in to respond and saw Hurley holding the suspects AR-15, he shot Hurley, killing him, police revealed Friday.

The disclosure helped clarify what happened on Monday when three people  Hurley, Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley and the suspected gunman, Ronald Troyke  died in a string of shootings in the historic downtown district of Arvada, an area with popular shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

According to a timeline and video released by police, Troyke, 59, ambushed Beesley after he pulled his truck into a parking spot near Beesley's patrol car as Beesley was responding to a report of a suspicious person.

The video shows Troyke running toward Beesley down an alley. When Beesley turns around, Troyke raises his gun and fires at him as two people stand nearby, police said. Beesley falls to the ground in the video.

According to the video, apparently from a surveillance camera, and a police narration of it, Troyke grabs an AR-15 rifle from his truck and is carrying it when Hurley confronts him and shoots him with a handgun. When another officer arrives, Hurley is holding Troykes AR-15 and the officer opened fire, police said.

Hurley's shooting of Troyke and the officer's shooting of Hurley are not shown on the video.

Police had not previously confirmed Hurleys role or said who shot him. In the video posted Friday, Police Chief Link Strate described Hurley as a hero whose actions likely saved lives. He didnt offer an apology but called Hurleys death by a responding officer equally tragic to Beesleys killing.

The threat to our officers and our community was stopped by a hero named Johnny Hurley, Strate said. Johnnys actions can only be described as decisive, courageous and effective in stopping further loss of life.

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In a separate statement, the Arvada Police Department said: Finally, it is clear that the suspect bears responsibility for this tragic sequence of events.

The unnamed officers shooting of Hurley is being investigated by a team of other area law enforcement officers led by the district attorneys office. The district attorney will use the findings to decide whether the officer was justified in using deadly force or whether the officer should be charged with a crime.

That officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Police say Beesley was targeted because he was an Arvada police officer. The department on Friday released excerpts from a document written by Troyke in which he said he planned to kill as many Arvada police officers as he could, seeing his actions as a way to hold police accountable.

We the people were never your enemy, but we are now, it said.

About 40 minutes before the shootings, Troykes brother called police asking for them to check on him because he said his brother was going to do something crazy. Beesley and another officer tried finding Troyke at his home near downtown but were unable to, police said.

A teenager then called police to report a suspicious person  an older man who walked up, made a weird noise and showed him a condom. Thats the call Beesley was responding to when he was shot and killed.

Hurleys family issued a statement late Friday saying they were thankful for support from the city and police and were waiting for the outcome of the third-party investigation into the shooting that killed the 40-year-old.

A witness had said this week that Hurley was shopping in the area on Monday when he heard gunshots and ran out to confront the shooter with his own gun.

He did not hesitate; he didnt stand there and think about it. He totally heard the gunfire, went to the door, saw the shooter and immediately ran in that direction, Bill Troyanos, who works at the Army Navy Surplus store in downtown Arvada, told Denver news station KMGH-TV.

Troyanos said he heard Hurley fire five or six shots. The gunman fell against a parked vehicle, he said.
Jun. 26If you are concerned about a child being neglected or abused, call Maine's 24-hour hotline at 800-452-1999 or 711 to speak with a child protective specialist. Calls may be made anonymously. For more information, visit maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/reporting_abuse.

Police notified the Maine Department of Health and Human Services at least twice of potential instances in which 3-year-old Maddox Williams' father was neglecting him and committing crimes with the child present before he was killed this week, court records show.

The Stockton Springs boy died Sunday from blunt force trauma and his mother, Jessica Trefethen, 35, has been charged with his murder. He appeared to have only been in his mother's custody since early March after his father, Andrew Williams, was arrested. Williams is currently incarcerated at the Knox County Jail on charges unrelated to the child's death.

Court records from different criminal cases paint a disturbing picture of the boy's unstable life up until March, the last time on record that protective workers dealt with Maddox while he was alive. His repeated contact with the state echoed two high-profile child deaths in 2017 and 2018  one of them in the same town  that focused public attention on the child welfare system and led to legislative reforms.

While Maddox was in his mother's custody at the time of his death, his father raised him for the first two years of his life, Williams' attorney Steven Peterson said in a Wednesday court filing that Trefethen and Williams had recently been working to resolve parental rights.

Maddox's time with his father was punctuated by brushes with police. Around 8:30 a.m. on March 7, police were called after a clerk at a Warren convenience store noticed a man who appeared to be intoxicated driving a four-door Cadillac with children in the car who did not appear to be secured in car seats.

When a Knox County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived, he found the vehicle at a nearby home. Williams was playing with Maddox in the front yard. But when the deputy approached and began to talk to Williams, he noted that he was slurring his speech and standing off-balance to the point where the deputy thought he would fall with his son. Both Maddox and his 10-year-old half sister were present while Williams was being questioned.

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"It should be noted that while I was questioning Andrew, he was attempting to watch his toddler son," Deputy Brandon Sterling wrote. "I also noticed his son only had one shoe on and it was the wrong foot."

Williams told the deputy that he hadn't consumed any alcohol that day. That was true, according to a toxicology screening conducted after Williams' arrest, but Williams was otherwise impaired, under the influence of benzodiazepines, Xanax and suboxone. Williams said he was on medication for depression and anxiety, court documents show. He told police that he had a prescription for suboxone.

After arresting Williams, Palmer notified DHHS "about the interaction with Williams and the children's involvement," according to his report. That was at least the second time that Maddox had been present while his father had interactions with police.

In January 2020, Williams allegedly burglarized a home in Rockland while carrying Maddox. DHHS responded to that incident and worked with Rockland police to help locate a guardian for Maddox after Williams was arrested, according to court documents.

It is not clear what Maddox's custody arrangement was immediately afterward. Several extended family members declined comment Friday on the boy's life. A DHHS spokesperson declined to say whether or not the agency had involvement in Maddox's life. It is unclear exactly how involved child protective workers were.

In the case of Marissa Kennedy, a 10-year-old also from Stockton Springs killed by her mother and stepfather in February 2018, the state fielded 25 reports of abuse or neglect but only confirmed abuse after she died. Four-year-old Kendall Chick of Wiscasset, who died at the hands of her grandfather's fiancee in December 2017, was the subject of several similar reports, but the state closed out her child welfare case 10 months before her death.

Following his March arrest, Williams wrote a letter to the court asking for a bail hearing. He said he could not afford the $5,000 cash bail initially set for him. Williams said he has been working with DHHS, though does not specify in what capacity. Williams did not mention Maddox specifically in the letter.

"While sitting in jail, I am losing my apartment and not able to support my family, continue therapy and treatment," Andrew Williams wrote in a letter to the court on Feb. 11, 2020. "I have an open case with DHHS that can not also be handled while [incarcerated]."

This week, Williams asked to be released from jail for 30 days to handle Maddox's funeral arrangements and grieve with his family for the loss of his son. But a judge denied the request on Friday. Williams may be able to attend his son's funeral, though, since Maine law allows for an incarcerated individual to request to attend a funeral under some circumstances  including the death of a child  under the supervision of a corrections officer.

In court Friday, Peterson said there was a dispute between the families of Williams and Trefethen as to who was going to take custody of Maddox's body for funeral arrangements. He said the dispute was resolved Thursday. Williams' mother is handling the funeral arrangements.

Peterson said he expects Maddox's funeral to take place in Rockland next week.
Police investigators had a black Chevrolet Suburban towed from the Murdaugh property the morning after Paul Murdaugh and his mother, Maggie, were found shot to death, the owner of the towing company told The Island Packet Thursday.

The Colleton County Sheriffs Office called S&S Super Lube in Walterboro at 6:13 a.m. June 8, asking for a vehicle to be towed. A driver with the company arrived at the Murdaugh property, donned gloves and drove the Suburban to the tow truck, then hauled it to the Colleton County Sheriffs Office impound lot, according to S&S Super Lube owner William Sherrill.

The black vehicle was parked near dog pens on the Murdaugh property, he said.

However, its still unclear who owned the vehicle, why it was towed and how its connected to the Murdaugh double homicide. Sherrill said he did not know who owned it. He said his company did not have records on the vehicle because they towed it to the police lot.

Colleton sheriffs officials refused to say whether the vehicle is still on the impound lot.

The Colleton County Law Enforcement Center home to the sheriffs office as seen on Tuesday, June 7, 2021.

Contacted by a reporter, SLED spokesperson Tommy Crosby said investigators are getting any and all forensics from the crime scene. This includes looking at vehicles. However, he said he did not have specific information about the type of vehicle towed from the scene.

Sherrills statement to The Island Packet is partially confirmed by a redacted police report released Monday by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.

Page 7 of Murdaugh Police Reports

Page 7 of Murdaugh Police Reports

Contributed to DocumentCloud by Kacen Bayless (The Island Packet)  View document or read text

Colleton County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Dathan Varandoe, in his redacted case action report, wrote he escorted the tow service (S&S Super Lube) with the [redacted] back to the Colleton County Sheriffs Office where I secured it in the impound lot.

Police investigators escorted the vehicle  one car in front and one behind  on the way to the impound lot, Sherrill said.

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The driver from the towing company had to wear rubber gloves and was told not to touch the vehicle, he said.

Sherrill said the driver didnt notice any blood or bullet holes on the vehicle.

Sherrills interview with The Island Packet shows the black Chevrolet was among the evidence police discovered at the property where Paul Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh were found shot to death the night of June 7. SLED and the Colleton County Sheriffs Office remain tight-lipped about what was found at the murder scene.

More than two weeks after the high-profile murders, SLED has announced no suspects and released only scant details about the investigation.

The side of the Colleton County Sheriffs Office on June 24, 2021

The police reports released by SLED indicate that police discovered vehicles at the property, but information about the vehicles is completely redacted.

Sherrill said the black Suburban was the only vehicle his company towed from the Murdaugh property after the murders.

S&S Super Lube has towed vehicles from crime scenes before, Sherrill said. He lauded the way investigators went through the Murdaugh crime scene with a fine tooth comb.

Its not too often they get credit for things, he said. These guys, they did their job in a professional way.
Families awaiting word of their loved ones near the site of the Surfside condo collapse got a late-night surprise.

Pop star Joe Jonas arrived Thursday to pass out pizzas at the reunification center set up at the Surfside Community Center on Collins Avenue. A blurry picture of the music star was tweeted by El Pais correspondent Antonia Laborde.

He arrived around 10:30 p.m., the Washington- based journalist told the Miami Herald Friday morning. The families didnt react. They are very affected. Im not sure they even recognized him.

Number of missing in Surfside condo collapse rises to 159, Miami-Dade mayor says

We dont know why Jonas was in South Florida. His social media doesnt mention the Champlain Towers South collapse, in which four people are reported dead so far.

The 31-year-old former boy-bander  whose actress wife Sophie Turner gave birth to daughter Willa last summer  just listed their Los Angeles mansion for $16.75 million, so its possible they are looking into real estate here.
Photograph: Joe McBride/Getty Images

The long awaited report into UFOs issued by the US government was released on Friday, but for those wishing for confirmation that the Earth is being visited by alien intelligence, it did not provide much evidence.

Or indeed, any at all.

At just nine pages long the report  called Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)  was issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and described the run-ins that the US military has had with strange objects in the skies.

As expected it made no mention of aliens  though it did not dismiss the idea either  and did warn of the potential national security threat from the phenomenon, which was the main motivating factor behind the commissioning of the report.

Here are the key takeaways.

Related: It came out of the sky: US releases highly anticipated UFO report

They are real  whatever they are

Whatever the US military is encountering do seem to be real objects  in at least some of the incidents being reported. Most of the UAP reported probably do represent physical objects given that a majority of UAP were registered across multiple sensors, to include radar, infrared, electro-optical, weapon seekers, and visual observation, the report said.

They are a threat

Forgetting little green aliens, the US military  as is its wont  is genuinely concerned that the encounters with UAPs are a national security risk, especially if they represent a hitherto unknown technology in use by rival states. UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to US national security  UAP would also represent a national security challenge if they are foreign adversary collection platforms or provide evidence a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology, it said.

They are advanced

In a section headed A Handful of UAP Appear to Demonstrate Advanced Technology the report said that in 18 incidents, described in 21 reports, observers had spotted movements of UAPs that were puzzling. Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernable means of propulsion. In a small number of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings, it said.

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No mention of aliens

Sorry, folks, but the report makes no mention of aliens at all.

In fact, it says: Our analysis of the data supports the construct that if and when individual UAP incidents are resolved they will fall into one of five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, USG or industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catchall other bin.

That other section is likely where alien hunters will seek to focus their attention.

More analysis is needed

The report concludes that much more study is needed.

The majority of UAP data is from US navy reporting, but efforts are under way to standardize incident reporting across US military services and other government agencies to ensure all relevant data is captured with respect to particular incidents and any US activities that might be relevant, the report said. The UAPTF is currently working to acquire additional reporting, including from the US air force (USAF), and has begun receiving data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Hello, Im Daniel. I am a citizen of Planet Earth.

Thats what I often say when I introduce myself to new people.

I could also use a more-precise description: Im an openly gay man; a non-dogmatic practicing Jewish-Venezuelan immigrant; a foreign-born American citizen; single; vegetarian; journalist; progressive; spiritual; idealist . . .

There are so many labels that, sometimes, even I cannot fully answer, Who am I?

I was born under the mantle of Judaism in a predominately Catholic country, queer in a staunchly conservative community, fair in a mestizo and machista society that deemed me far too effeminate. When I decided to move to the United States almost 25 years ago, partially to break free of the closet, I was suddenly also singled out as Hispanic  one with a last name and skin that didnt fit the stereotype.

Being a minority within a minority within a minority made me yearn for the kind of belonging that usually comes from being with your own kind. I was compelled to find it in small doses  a little here, a little more there, but never entirely. This peculiar space granted me a peculiar view of society. Most people are comfortable categorizing others according to a system of singular identities.

Only after lengthy soul-searching did the puzzle pieces of my self begin to fall into place. Two experiences helped me understand that societys imposed labels didnt represent me accurately. In a workshop at the Osho Meditation ashram in India, we were assigned to put aside whatever we had learned about ourselves. We began to peel away, like an onion, all the layers of labels: religion, ethnicity, nationality, profession, beliefs, looks, even the first label our parents placed on us at birth  our names  until we reached our consciousness, our true self.

On another occasion, I attended a retreat for LGBTQ Jews in upstate New York. To an outsider, our entire group may have simply fallen under the gay Jews category. But within our group, there were assimilated pork-eating Jews joining a Jewish social event for the first time, alongside blushing, closeted Orthodox Jews attending their first gay activity. We were not a monolithic group.

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The same goes for the LGBTQ community. Our sexual orientation or gender identity is certainly significant, and we ought to celebrate it with pride. But it doesnt define us as individuals. Naturally there is an experience, a universal language, that unites us, and we share a common responsibility to defend our rights and care for each other. But that does not mean we should pigeonhole ourselves.

Although Ive had to overcome painful rejection and discrimination because of my multiple-minority status, my reality has also shaped my identity, work ethic and values in a positive way. I can establish strong emotional connections with almost anybody experiencing vulnerability. I pursued journalism as a career to expose injustice, find solutions, sound the alarm about potential dangers and issue a call for reflection.

Labels keep us from fully enjoying life in a meaningful and authentic way. Yes, I am gay, Latino, Jewish, immigrant and all of the above, too.

But simply being a citizen of Planet Earth is liberating. It gives me more freedom to be myself.

Daniel Shoer Roth is an el Nuevo Herald audience growth editor.
A return to Guaranteed Rate Field did not help the slumping Chicago White Sox.

The Seattle Mariners hit three two-run home runs  two by Luis Torrens and another by Jake Fraley  and beat the Sox 9-3 on Friday in front of 32,189 fans.

The Sox have lost six of seven, while the Mariners won for the ninth time in 11 games.

Every team has stretches where they struggle, whether its offensively, defensively, pitching, and right now it seems like were struggling (every way), Sox starter Carlos Rodon said.

The left-hander allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and four walks in five innings in the teams first opportunity to play in a fully opened Guaranteed Rate Field since 2019.

The job of the starting pitcher, all of us, is to put our team in the best position to win, Rodon said. As we all know, pitching wins ballgames. Five innings and three runs isnt really going to do it.

The Sox, who went 1-5 on their recent trip to Houston and Pittsburgh, fell behind quickly Friday on Torrens two-run home run in the second.

Sox designated hitter Yasmani Grandal, who has been on a tear, hit a solo home run in the bottom of the inning. Grandal has hit safely in five straight games and in seven of eight. He has a .308/.379/.577 slash line (8-for-26) with one double, two home runs and seven RBIs in his last eight games.

A two-out, RBI single from Mariners left fielder Jake Bauers made it 3-1 in the third.

Rodon exited after the fifth having thrown 104 pitches.

They work deep counts, they fouled off pitches, Rodon said. Feel I got in a couple of counts when I was ahead, they work it back to 3-2 or work a base hit or work a walk. Definitely made it tough today to put them away. They battled.

Fraley hit his two-run home run off Jose Ruiz in the sixth. Torrens hit his second two-run homer in the seventh off Zack Burdi, stretching the lead to 7-1.

The Sox had six hits Friday, two from third baseman Yoan Moncada, who also had two RBIs. The Sox are slashing .192/.270/.304 (43-for-224) with 15 extra-base hits in their last seven games. They have been outscored 45-18 during that span.

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It was a struggle, manager Tony La Russa said. I do think their starter pitched well and their relievers threw the ball well. Didnt make it any easier for us.

The game was a struggle. Carlos has been so sharp, command was a little bit off and they were ready to hit, and they took advantage.

The Sox hit into three double plays (Grandal, Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu). After going 3-for-22 with three walks on the trip, Abreu was 0-for-3 and reached by getting hit by a pitch Friday.

Hes so hard-nosed about playing with whatevers sore, La Russa said. Theres hurt and sore, you know? It sure seems to me hes dealing with some pain issues that he wants to play through. Were going to talk to him about theres still three-plus months to go and at some point, is it better to back off a little bit if you can identify whats sore.

It just seems to me thats hes  and a lot of guys are watching  atypical stuff for him, at-bats. I wouldnt doubt hes got some aches, so were going to talk to him, do the right thing by him, thats for sure.

Despite their tailspin, the Sox remain two games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.

Its that time of the year where weve just got to get out of this funk and move on from it, Rodon said.
Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, a journalist, former opposition lawmaker and son of ex-president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, has been arrested on charges of undermining Nicaragua's sovereignty, the National Police said Saturday.

Chamorro is just the latest opposition figure to be detained five months ahead of a presidential election in which President Daniel Ortega will likely seek re-election.

In raids that began on June 2, security and paramilitary forces have arrested at least 20 opposition figures, including five leading presidential candidates -- one of whom is Chamorro's sister Cristiana Chamorro, a favorite to face Ortega in November's poll -- as well as journalists, businessmen and a banker.

Pedro Joaquin Chamorro was arrested late Friday and faces charges of "inciting foreign interference," "asking for interference" and "applauding" sanctions against Nicaragua, the National Police said in a statement.

The charges are based on a law initiated by Ortega's government and approved by the legislature in December purportedly to defend Nicaragua's sovereignty -- a measure widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.

Chamorro's brother -- journalist and magazine director Carlos Fernando Chamorro -- announced on June 21 that he was forced to leave the country due to the government's political persecution.

Violeta Chamorro, president from 1990 to 1997, has been at home for two years suffering from various ailments. She is 91.

A firebrand Marxist in his younger days, Ortega led his Sandinistas in 1979 as they toppled a corrupt autocratic regime -- a move that drew popular applause at the time -- and seized control of the country.

He ruled until 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has twice won re-election. His vice president is his wife, Rosario Murillo.
ST. PETERSBURG  If Officer Pavel Kuznetsov had pulled his head to the left instead of the right while scuffling with an armed man, the sheriff said, he would have been shot in the head on Saturday.

Kuznetsov and fellow St. Petersburg police Officer Ronald McKenzie were fortunate they werent seriously injured or worse during a violent confrontation with a man accused of violating a stalking injunction, said Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

The man they were trying to arrest was 23-year-old Austin Kingos, according to the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. McKenzie fired at Kingos and wounded him in the left leg, the sheriff said. The armed and wounded man tried to run away and had to be chased down by the officers.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries and that night was booked into the Pinellas County jail.

Officer Kuznetsov literally heard the round whiz by the side of his head, Gualtieri said.

Based on that angle, based upon the statements, based upon the physical evidence, the sheriff said the bullet likely missed the officers skull by less than an inch.

Gualtieri compared Saturdays incident to the situation involving Daytona Beach police Officer Jason Raynor, who was shot in the head earlier this week. The man wanted in that shooting was captured early Saturday in Georgia and the officer remains in critical condition.

The St. Petersburg shooting took place outside Kingos residence at 10795 Fourth Street N near Gandy Boulevard about 3:30 p.m.

McKenzie approached Kingos while he was in his van to arrest him on a charge of violating a stalking injunction that the Sheriffs Office said was filed against him by his former girlfriend. McKenzie approached the vehicle and asked Kingos for identification, the sheriff said, but KIngos became fidgety.

The officer tried to subdue him. Kingos threw his legs out of the van and tried to run away. The sheriff said McKenzie continued to wrestle with Kingos as another officer, Kuznetsov, came to help with the arrest.

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During the struggle, Gualtieri said Kingos pulled a semiautomatic pistol from his waistband and fired one or two gunshots, causing Kuznetsov to shift his head.

The gunshot or gunshots missed both officers, Gualtieri said, and instead struck a nearby apartment building that was occupied. No one there was injured.

McKenzie drew his pistol and fired seven rounds at Kingos while he was still in the van, the sheriff said, striking him. But Kingos still managed to flee out the vans passenger door and then run down the street.

Both officers ran after him. Finally, the sheriff said Kingos dropped his weapon and raised his arms at the intersection of 108th Avenue N and Fourth Street N. Thats when the officers realized he had been shot. McKenzie and Kuznetsov gave Kingos first aid until paramedics arrived to take him to a hospital. He is expected to survive.

The Pinellas County Use of Deadly Force Investigative Task Force is investigating the shooting and the actions of the St. Petersburg officers involved. The countys law enforcement agencies no longer investigate their own officers in incidents in which they use force against someone. The task force was formed in 2020 by a consortium of agencies to take over those investigations.

St. Petersburg police Chief Anthony Holloway did not discuss the investigation but offered his support to the officers involved in the incident.

Were very fortunate, he said. To hear the officers say that the round went past him, right over the shoulder, it really makes you think that these men and women put their lives on the line every day. Within an instant, they can lose their life.

McKenzie has spent six years with the St. Petersburg Police Department and Kuznetsov has served for three years. Neither has been involved in a shooting incident before, Gualtieri said. Both have been placed on paid administrative leave.

Kingos had a minor criminal history before Saturday, the sheriff said. He now faces two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, battery on a law enforcement officer and misdemeanor charges of violation of an injunction for protection, violation of an injunction against repeated violence and resisting an officer. He is being held in jail without bail.

Gualtieri said he did now know how Kingos obtained the gun he used or if it was stolen, but said his former girlfriend had recently lodged several complaints against him. Investigators will obtain a search warrant to obtain the officers shell casings inside the van.

Were very thankful because this could be a very different discussion we could be having, the sheriff said. Were thankful he didnt take one to the head.
Sweden is getting ready to welcome back American tourists.

The country, which first established a ban on non-essential travel from countries outside the European Union and European Economic Area in March, is planning to open its borders to U.S. tourists starting June 30, according to an online post from Swedens Ministry of Justice.

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers 18 and older will be required to present proof of a negative COVID test taken 48 hours prior to arrival.

The updated policy comes shortly after the EU added the U.S. to a list of countries for which it suggests travel restrictions should gradually be lifted. The list applies to all American tourists, vaccinated or not, for nonessential travel.

Sweden is planning to open its borders to U.S. tourists starting June 30. Pictured here: Gothenburg, Sweden.

As of Saturday afternoon, there were 378 new COVID cases reported in Sweden in the last 24 hours, according to data from the World Health Organization.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies Sweden as a COVID-19 very high Level 4 tier, and recommends against travel to the country. The agency adds that if travel is a "must," Americans should make sure they are fully vaccinated before arriving.

Sweden still enforces a number of COVID restrictions. Businesses are open, but enforce physical distancing. Restaurants, bars and catering establishments may remain open until 10:30 p.m. And masks are recommended on public transportation for those traveling between 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. on weekdays, according to Visit Sweden, the countrys official website for tourism and travel information.

New guidelines from EU: EU recommends lifting Europe travel restrictions for all US tourists, vaccinated or not

Have COVID vaccine, will travel: These are the countries open to fully vaccinated Americans

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sweden is set to open its borders to U.S. travelers on June 30
People protesting Wednesdays forceful arrests of two Black men in Rock Hill descended on the citys downtown Friday for a third-consecutive, and quieter, night.

The crowd of about 50, many of whom said they were part of the South Carolina Black Activist Coalition, kicked off the demonstrations with a press conference in the parking lot of the York County Library off Black Street, a few paces away from the Rock Hill Police Department.

Those who spoke made several demands. Among them: The two officers shown in the viral Facebook live video of the arrests of brothers Rickey and Travis Price should be terminated, they said, and Rickey Roderick Price, who was denied bond Thursday, should receive a second bond hearing.

Rock Hill Police Chief Chris Watts told reporters Thursday afternoon that two police officers have been placed on administrative leave, and South Carolinas Law Enforcement Division has begun an independent investigation into the incident.

Justin Hunt, who said he graduated from Winthrop University, now lives in Charleston and attended the first two nights of protests, told reporters he doesnt want to see his friends, his family members, treated differently because of the color of their skin.

The reason to protest is not to compromise, but to make a demand for the rights that were promised to us when we were born an American citizen, he said, adding with a hoarse voice, This is what tired people sound like.

Latarshia Hinton, who said she knows the Price family personally, said Rickey Price showed compliance in the video. She told reporters she did not believe Prices car should have been searched.

But he was still willing to put his hands behind his back, and let them put handcuffs on him without resisting. So there was no need for what they did, she said. He wasnt arrested, he was mauled like a dog.

Around 8 p.m., the group of about 50 left the library parking lot and moved to Fountain Park on Main Street. They then marched to the doors of the Rock Hill Police Department, chanting, No good cops in a racist system! and All cops are bastards!

Check back for updates on this developing story.
One Spanish and two Ethiopian employees of the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have been "brutally murdered" in Ethiopia's war-torn northern Tigray region, the organisation said Friday.

The trio "were travelling yesterday afternoon when we lost contact with them. This morning, their vehicle was found empty and a few metres away, their lifeless bodies," the international aid group said in a statement.

"No words can truly convey all our sadness, shock and outrage against this horrific attack."

The conflict in Tigray began in November, when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops in to oust the dissident regional leadership, promising a swift victory.

But the fighting continues nearly eight months later, and has triggered a humanitarian crisis which the United Nations warns has left 350,000 people on the brink of famine.

MSF, or Doctors Without Borders, named the Spanish victim as 35-year-old aid coordinator Maria Hernandez from Madrid.

She started working with MSF in 2015 in the Central African Republic and had since worked in Yemen, Mexico and Nigeria.

The other victims were Yohannes Halefom Reda, a 31-year-old coordination assistant who had joined MSF in February, and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, also 31, who had been a driver for the charity since May.

"We condemn this attack on our colleagues in the strongest possible terms and will be relentless in understanding what happened," said MSF, which was founded in Paris but is headquartered in Geneva and has several global affiliates.

"Maria, Yohannes and Tedros were in Tigray providing assistance to people, and it is unthinkable that they paid for this work with their lives."

- 'Horrific' -

The UN called for Ethiopia to launch a swift investigation into the killings.

Ramesh Rajasingham, the UN's acting assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, described the attack as "outrageous and saddening".

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"Authorities must now promptly investigate these reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law," he added.

The United States echoed the call for an independent investigation, saying it was "appalled and deeply saddened" to hear about the "indefensible" killings.

"The Government of Ethiopia ultimately bears full responsibility for ensuring the safety of humanitarian workers and free and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price added.

The European Union's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said the bloc condemned the aid workers' killings "in the strongest possible terms", adding: "This atrocity is another horrific example of the escalation of the conflict in Tigray."

In a tweet, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya expressed her "great sadness" and said she was in contact with Ethiopian authorities to "clarify" what happened and repatriate Hernandez's remains.

The Ethiopian foreign ministry confirmed that three humanitarian workers had been killed in the Abi Adi area, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the regional capital Mekele, adding that the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) operate in the region.

Violence in the area has increased in recent days.

On Tuesday at least 64 people were killed and 180 injured in an air strike on a market in the Tigray region.

The Ethiopian military admitted carrying out the attack on the town of Togoga, but said it had targeted rebel fighters, not civilians.

Details of the bloody attack were slow to emerge partly because soldiers initially blocked emergency workers from accessing the area.

World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is from Tigray, condemned the attack, saying attacks on civilians were "completely unacceptable".

"Ambulances were blocked for more than a day from attending the scene and evacuating the wounded for medical care," he said.

mg-md/kjl/har/reb/je
Netherlands TikTok Claim (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Former TikTok employees say the hugely popular video app is closely controlled by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, raising privacy concerns that the government in Beijing could leverage the app to collect personal information about Americans as part of its sprawling digital surveillance apparatus.

Former employees told CNBC in a new report that key decisions and meetings usually ran through China, and user data was stored inside the country as well. For some, this raises privacy concerns, since Chinas National Intelligence Law requires Chinese companies to support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work.

If the legal authorities in China or their parent company demands the data, users have already given them the legal right to turn it over, Bryan Cunningham, executive director of the Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine, told CNBC.

TikToks user agreement informs customers their data could be shared with a parent, subsidiary, or other affiliate of our corporate group, and the company defended its privacy practices.

We employ rigorous access controls and a strict approval process overseen by our US-based leadership team, including technologies like encryption and security monitoring to safeguard sensitive user data, a TikTok spokeswoman said in a statement.

The app has only been around internationally since 2017, but already has 92 million users in the US, many of them teenagers and young adults. It is now the second most popular app among teens in America, only coming in behind Snapchat.

Its not the first time the company has come under scrutiny. Previous reporting from CNBC, The Guardian, and others showed TikTok moderated videos about topics controversial or critical of the Chinese government, including Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, and the mass detention of Uyghur Muslim in concentration camps. It has since said it stopped moderating these topics.

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The Trump administration also took aim at TikTok, with former secretary of state Mike Pompeo accusing it of feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party. The White House tried to force a merger between TikTok and a US company, before the Biden administration called off the attempt.

Intelligence officials in the US have also pushed for access to user data from tech companies, repeatedly calling for backdoors in popular apps and services.

Read More

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Viral TikTok shows nearly $3m bill charged to insurance for four-month hospital stay to treat Covid

Dutch group launches data harvesting claim against TikTok

UN could move on Uyghur report without China approval
After more than a decade, authorities thought theyd arrested the man responsible for killing a couple in a Polk County traffic crash from 2007. As it turns out, they arrested the wrong guy.

On Monday, Florida Highway Patrol announced they had arrested Brian Dale Andrews, who fled the country before he could be prosecuted for driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content nearly four times the legal limit, according to a news release. Following the arrest in Mexico and his return to the United States on Wednesday, officials determined that the man in custody was not the man they were looking for.

Troopers said on Friday that the man they arrested identified himself as Brian Andrews to Mexican authorities, but was in fact another fugitive named Ernest McBride. He had warrants for his arrest in Arkansas and Missouri. Fingerprint comparisons confirmed that McBride was not who he said he was, troopers said.

Authorities are still searching for Brian Dale Andrews, now 43, from Frostproof. Troopers said Andrews killed Danny and Patricia McCown on June 30, 2007, when Andrews Cadillac flew over a median on U.S. Highway 27 and struck the McCowns vehicle just north of County Line Road in Avon Park.

Andrews had two DUI charges on his record before the crash in Florida  one in 2001 and the other in 2004. He faces charges of two counts of DUI manslaughter, DUI property damage and two counts of driving with a suspended license involving a death related to the 2007 crash.

Troopers received an anonymous tip that Andrews was spotted in Mexico. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Florida Highway Patrol at 813-558-1800.
Jun. 26UPDATE: June 28, 2021

It has been brought to our attention that Barbara McElroy was a co-recipient of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award along with her husband, Joe.

Service was ingrained in Barbara as she watched her parents serve in the Methodist church and her father participate on the school board.

Barbara served at Troup elementary, working with children with special needs, and Troup Middle School, teaching language arts. She co-chaired the Accelerated Schools Project with Kitty Badger at the Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, making Troup Middle School a leader in education. Barbara also founded the Tiger Learning Center to provide assistance to all learners.

This duo, Barbara and Joe McElroy, have brought many blessings to both the school and community.

The Troup Chamber of Commerce recognized city, school and community members who have demonstrated their dedication and leadership and contributed to Troup community.

The Troup ISD Lifetime Achievement awards went to Joe Paul McElroy and James and Nadine Branham.

The offspring of two past recipients, McElroy was awarded the 2020 Lifetime Achievement award. He was chosen for his consistent support of youth and community events. He was also selected for his involvements in many community organizations including the Troup ISD school board. During his time on the board, he worked on strategic planning to build the framework for the school's future, inviting Joe Randolph of Texas Scholars to present Texas' needs in the form of an educated workforce. His efforts were noted as having made Troup ISD one of the most sought after places for the education of children and the board, during his tenure, was selected as Region VII Board of the Year.

McElroy was described as having a servant's heart whose favorite phrase when something needs doing is, "Make Haste."

James and Nadine Branham were the 2021 recipients of the Lifetime Achievement award. James taught government and history before become junior high and later elementary principal. Nadine began her career teaching second grade before instructing fifth-grade students primarily in science, social studies and health. Both Branhams expected the best their students could produce and over the years have taught multiple generations of the same family.

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Son Alan recalled a time when his grades from A&M arrived in themail and he handed the letter to his dad. After seeing the low grade point average, his father told him, "If that's the best you can do, that's all we can expect." Apparently those words had a motivational effect as Alan was on the Dean's List shortly afterwards.

Although the Branhams have retired from TISD, they are active members of First Methodist Church and continue to volunteer in the community.

The late John Phillips was honored as the 2020 Municipal Employee of the Year. He served as the city's public works director, beginning his employment with Troup in April 2008 as a water and wastewater operator. He was named Public Works Director on December 28, 2010 and served the city until his death in November 2020. He was recognized for his management of both finances and staff. Accepting the award in his memory was his wife, Kathy Phillips.

The late Stuart Bird was named the 2021 Joe Layne Family Community Builder. Sharon Bird accepted the award on his behalf. Bird's educational career spanned 47 years and began in the band hall. After serving as band director, Bird also became superintendent and interim superintendent in several school districts. He also served on the Troup Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for several years and was elected board president in 2019. Bird and his wife even opened their home for the Membership Appreciation Fish Fry.

The legacy of both Phillips and Bird live on in the community through their contributions and the people whose lives they touched.

Others honorees included:

Gene Cottle, 2021 Municipal Employee of the Year;

Jason Jones, 2020 Police Officer of the Year;

Eboni Taylor, 2021 Police Officer of the Year;

Steve Voigt, 2020 Volunteer Firefighter of the Year;

Michael Gilliam, 2021 Volunteer Firefighter of the Year;

Barbara Barton, 2020 Citizen of the Year;

Cory Melton, 2021 Citizen of the Year;

Austin Bank, 2020 Business of the Year;

Troup Auto Service, 2021 Business of the Year;

Eleanor Caeron and Julietta Jarvis, 2020 Joe Layne Family Community Builder;

Mandy Lovelady, 2020 District Teacher of the Year;

Samantha Weeks, 2021 District Teacher of the Year;

Charitie Wright, 2020 Elementary Teacher of the Year;

Cherish Hultberg, 2021 Elementary Teacher of the Year;

Janna Lacy, 2020 High School Teacher of the Year;

Paulette Mayo, 2021 Middle School Teacher of the Year;

Amanda Griffin, 2020 Paraprofessional of the Year; and

Shana Laska, 2021 Paraprofessional of the Year.

"The Troup Chamber of Commerce was so excited to be able to come together again in person to honor our community leaders, volunteers and educators. There was a great turnout," said Suzanne Loudamy, Executive Director of the Troup Chamber of Commerce. "It was doubly honoring to be able to award both the 2020 and the 2021 award recipients."
Nicholas Kamm/Getty

Early this month, as Donald Trump delivered his keynote address to the North Carolina Republican Partys annual convention, the former U.S. president noticed something: His greatest crowd-pleaser of the night didnt come when he attacked President Joe Biden, trashed Dr. Anthony Fauci, or repeated his lies about the 2020 election being stolen from him. It came when he railed against critical race theory, declaring that it should be banned from being taught to schoolchildren and government staff.

In the days after he left the stage in North Carolina, the twice-impeached ex-president delightedly remarked to those close to him that he drew the biggest, loudest applause from the Republican crowd specifically when he started going after CRT, according to two people familiar with the matter.

He was going to talk a lot about it anyway; now, he mentioned a few times that he wants to talk about it even more, one adviser to Trump recalled.

The coming days and months should prove no different, with Trump planning on delivering yet another red-meat-hurling speech on Saturday evening, with plenty of time devoted to dumping accelerant on the flames of the culture wars and asserting his continued, solidified sway over the GOP.

But his return to the rally circuit also serves another purpose: scaring off potential competition for holding dominant power over the Republican Party, and keeping himself positioned as the 2024 GOP frontrunner.

In [recent] conversations that Ive had with him, he has said that he wants to be everywhere to remind people, not just Republicans, that hes still in charge, a person close to the former president said, paraphrasing Trump. The message is a pretty straightforward one: I am still leading this party, and if you want to try to challenge me for that, it will get ugly.

This weekend, Trump is set to put that message into action by embarking on a new series of campaign-style rallies, with Saturday nights event scheduled for Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington, Ohio. He will be there in part to support Max Miller, Trumps former aide and a current GOP House candidate who is challengingCongressman Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican who voted to impeach Trump in the wake of the bloody Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

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Ohio County Axes Dominion Voting Machines After Outrage by Trump Fans

Its not even halfway into the first year of the Biden era, but the ex-president is already behaving, and campaigning, as if hes preparing to take another run at the White House in 2024. However, no formal announcement has been made about his plans for the next presidential contest.

His overwhelming popularity in the GOP and among the base of conservative voterseven after the deadly MAGA riot, and Republicans losing the House, Senate, and White House on his watchis something that Trump is determined to preserve. And hes trying to maintain his iron grip on the party and conservative movement just as other prominent Republicans appear to be angling to inherit the throne.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, Trump has repeatedly inquired this month about his standing in the polls of potential 2024 Republican contenders, asking advisers about how his numbers stack up against the likes of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Trumps former VP Mike Pence, ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trumps onetime ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, and others.

Close advisers have routinely assured Trump that he is a shoo-in for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, should he ultimately run, and that any of the other heavy-hitters in the party would be crushed if they took him on, according to three people with knowledge of such recent conversations. Still, Trump is keeping a watchful eye, in the event any of his current allies end up growing dissatisfied with being relegated to the ex-presidents 2024 running-mate considerations.

DeSantis political future, for one, has been of keen interest to Trump, particularly in the past few months, as the former president has watched from afar to see who could emerge as a formidable competitor, if he chooses to seek the GOP nomination, again. In a straw poll of attendees held late last week at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Colorado, DeSantis actually beat Trump for the top spot, besting the ex-president by nearly 3 percentage points in the question of who theyd prefer to see as the next leader of the free world.

[DeSantis] would be the first to say that if President Trump gets in, that he would win the nomination and would clear the field, and so I dont ever see it being a 2016 primary scenario, Mark Meadows, Trumps former White House chief of staff, told the Washington Examiner, shortly before that straw polls results posted online. That being said, Gov. DeSantis wont evenhes asked over and over and over again every time Im in his presencehes been asked, Are you running in 2024? His answer has been consistent: He is running for reelection for governor of the state [of Florida].

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ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd that gathered for a Pride parade in central Istanbul on Saturday, detaining some of those seeking to take part in an event banned by local authorities.

Reuters TV video showed police in riot gear pushing and dragging people, some waving rainbow flags as they assembled for the event in a side street off the city's central Istiklal Avenue.

Some 20 people, including a photo journalist, were detained, according to media reports.

Turkish authorities have repeatedly banned Pride events in recent years. Before then, thousands of people used to take part in the parade on the Istanbul street.

Turkey has long been a candidate to join the European Union but its accession process has been languishing for years amid tensions over a variety of issues including human rights.

On Thursday, a majority of European Union leaders vowed to continue combating discrimination against the LGBTI community in a joint letter amid a standoff with Hungary, whose parliament last week approved a bill that bans the distribution of material in schools deemed to promote homosexuality or gender change.

(Reporting by Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Umit Bektas and Dilara Senkaya; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Mark Potter)
Stonewall at 50

Demonstrators carry signs calling for protection of the LGBTQ community from discrimination as they march in a picket line in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 1967. Credit - John F. UrwillerAP

It is generally hard to know when a social revolution has achieved its goals. In the case of the American gay rights revolution, however, it appears that this is an easy one to call. At least as far as the national media is concerned, the view that gay rights have been decisively won has become conventional wisdom. Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution is one of the best-known journalistic accounts of the struggle for gay rights in the U.S. That books premise is pointedly echoed by a 2019 article in The Atlantic titled The Struggle for Gay Rights is Over. But Americas gay rights revolution seems unfinished or incomplete in the absence of a national reckoning with the countrys shameful history of systemic discrimination and violence towards the LGBTQ community. The absence of this reckoning makes the U.S. an outlier among Western democracies with a history of repression of homosexuality.

In recent years, the idea of gay reparations, broadly understood as policies intended to make amends for the legacies of systemic gay discrimination and violence, has become something of a global phenomenon. In 2017, the British Parliament enacted Turing Law, a legislation that conveyed an apology and a posthumous pardon to those convicted of gross indecency, a criminal charge intimately associated in British history with the persecution of gay men since the Victorian era. It honors Alan Turing, the famed computer scientist credited with breaking German military codes during World War II. In 1952, Turing was convicted of gross indecency, after confessing to a homosexual relationship with another man, and forced to undergo chemical castration. Britains example has been emulated by Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand. Germany has offered financial compensation to those who faced prosecution under Paragraph 175, the infamous portion of the German Penal Code that criminalized same-sex attraction dating to 1871; it also built a national monument to the victims of the so-called Gay Holocaust, the unknown number of gay males who perished in Nazi concentration camps. As part of a policy of moral rehabilitation, Spain has pledged to wipe clean the criminal records of some 5,000 gays and lesbians imprisoned under the homophobic laws of the Franco regime.

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Given the variety of gay reparations available, which one should the U.S. embrace? For the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., the most prominent American organization demanding gay reparations, the United States should emulate the British example. In particular, the Mattachines, whose name references a pre-Stonewall gay rights organization that fought for acceptance of homosexuality within the legal and medical establishments, want an acknowledgement and an apology from the US Congress for the Lavender Scare, the witch-hunt of homosexuals triggered by President Dwight Eisenhowers 1953 executive order banning perverts from working in the federal government. That order occasioned the firing of thousands of federal employees on the suspicion of being homosexuals and forced many to undergo lobotomies, insulin-induced comas, and gay conversion therapy with the aim of changing their sexual orientation at federal institutions such as Washington, D.Cs St. Elizabeths Hospital. An acknowledgment and apology, the Mattachines contend, will be a giant step toward realizing full citizenship for gay people, a type of ethical citizenship that is not only concerned with rights and responsibilities but also with repairing indignity and degradation.

Its hard to disagree with the Mattachines demand for an apology not only for the Lavender Scare, but also for the many other indignities and degradations that the American gay community has endured at the hands of the government, such as dont ask, dont tell. That notorious 1993 policy forced gays and lesbians to keep their homosexuality a secret if they wished to remain in the military. By the time it was lifted in 2011, some 13,000 service men and women had been dismissed from their jobs for their unwillingness to comply with the policy. As suggested by the Western European experience, an apology to the LGBTQ community is often a gateway for other reparations, including rehabilitation and compensation. Moreover, an apology would be grounded in historical precedent, an important point since it would lend legitimacy to the apology. Past apologies in American history include the Acknowledgement and Apology for Mistreatment of Native Hawaiians (1993); the Acknowledgement and Regret for the Chinese Exclusion Laws (2012); the apology given to Japanese Americans sent to internment camps during World War II (1988); and the apologies for the institution of slavery and Jim Crow laws issued by the House of Representatives (2008) and the Senate (2009).

Finally, as the most popular and least controversial form of gay reparation, an apology is unlikely to trigger a backlash from the traditional foes of the LGBTQ community. The Christian Right has met every gay rights breakthrough in American history with a vigorous pushback. After the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the touchstone of the contemporary gay rights movement, moral crusaders like Phyllis Schlafly, Anita Bryant, and Jerry Falwell declared war on homosexuality. Lawrence v. Texas, the 2003 Supreme Court decision that struck down all remaining sodomy laws across the US, launched a wave of state constitutional amendments banning gay marriage and an unsuccessful attempt to ban gay marriage in the US Constitution. Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage, triggered the claim that marriage equality would undermine the civil rights of Christians. This claim, in turn, gave rise to religious freedom restoration laws intended to address Christian victimization. These laws allow for discrimination against LGBTQ people as long as this discrimination is rooted in sincerely held religious beliefs.

All of this said, gay reparations in the U.S. should not begin and end with an apology. Any apology or act of remorse should be supplemented with a truth commission tasked with chronicling the systemic discrimination that the LGBTQ community has endured over the course of American history. Truth commissions are nonjudicial bodies entrusted with the task of investigating a particular event or history, usually one involving human rights abuses, premised on the view that shedding light on the truth is critical to overcoming trauma, to say nothing of avoiding history repeating itself. In some cases, a truth commission is a means to an end, as was the case of the truth commission that investigated Argentinas infamous Dirty War. The commissions final report, Nunca Mas (Never Again), opened the way for the successful prosecution of the top brass of the Argentine military on human rights charges. But in other cases, as in South Africas Truth and Reconciliation providing an unvarnished chronicle of the truth (usually from the victims perspective) is an end in itself.

Brazil and Canada provide contrasting examples of how a truth commission can be employed to make amends to the gay community. In 2011, the Brazilian Congress created a truth commission to examine the human rights abuses committed by the military regime in place between 1964 and 1985. Due to the insistence of activists, the Commission became the first one in the world to incorporate LGBTQ repression. Presented in 2014 to President Dilma Rousseff (herself a victim of the military regime), the final report found that: Although there was no formalized and coherent state policy to exterminate homosexuals, the states ideology of national security clearly contained a homophobic perspective that represented homosexuality as harmful, dangerous, and contrary to the family. This view legitimized direct violence against gay people, violations of their rights and of their way of living and socializing.

Canadas gay reparation policies were set into motion by Grossly Indecent: The Just Society Report, an accounting of the repression of sexual minorities in Canadian history released in 2017 by the Egale Human Rights Trust, Canadas leading LGBTQ organization. At the heart of the report was the so-called gay purge, a policy of government-sanctioned discrimination that lasted until the 1990s, and that caused thousands to lose their government jobs and face prosecution because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. The report demanded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologize to the LGBTQ community and make reparations to the victims of anti-gay discrimination. In November 2017, Trudeau expressed shame and sorrow and deep regret for the things we have done that I stand here today and say we were wrong. We apologize. I am sorry. We are sorry. The apology came with a payout of $85 million to the victims of those purged from the government because of their homosexuality. According to Canadian media reports, the payout represents the largest financial commitment by any national government for past wrongs committed against sexual minorities.

Despite the seemingly uncontroversial nature of an apology to the American LGBTQ community and a truth commission to document systemic anti-gay discrimination and violence, no one should expect smooth sailing for either proposal. Reparations are inherently difficult, stemming from their perception as exclusionary and divisive. Those making the case for reparations invariably uphold themselves as a historically repressed minority deserving of reparations. Inevitably, this victimization invites others to wonder whether they, too, are deserving of reparations. In the case of the United States, discussions about gay reparations are made more difficult by the unaddressed legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws.

None of this, however, should deter American gay activists from demanding some form of reparation. Indeed, it behooves American LGBTQ rights organizations like Human Rights Campaign and others to capitalize upon this moment of national reckoning with racial injustice to remind the public of the painful legacy of anti-gay laws, policies and practices and how this legacy intersects with other forms of oppression in American history. LGBTQ people of color are more likely to be victims of discrimination and police violence than the wider LGBTQ population. The impressive gay rights advances of recent decadesespecially the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 and the extension of anti-LGBTQ discrimination protection under the 1964 Civil Rights Act in 2020 (all victories won at the Supreme Court) are something to celebrate and take pride in. But these victories cannot remove the stain that the history of anti-gay discrimination and violence has left on American democracy. The removal of this stain can only come from a formal reckoning with this history.
Venezuelan opposition leaders meeting with Biden administration officials this week sought to find out whether the Latin American nation can get relief from U.S. sanctions in exchange for free elections safeguards during upcoming talks with Nicolas Maduros regime organized by Norway, sources familiar with the situation said.

U.S. sanctions against state-run oil company PDVSA and high-ranking members of the regime are about the only weapons left in the arsenal of Venezuelas weakened opposition, led by former Congress President Juan Guaido, as the Maduro regime continues to solidify its grip on the country, the sources said, speaking under the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the negotiations.

Opposition leaders held meetings this week with key legislators, as well as the State Department, Treasury and White House officials, to iron out details of a new road map to deal with the Venezuelan crisis.

Bidens team has been relatively quiet on its view of upcoming negotiations, but has said that Maduro would have to make significant concessions before the administration considers easing sanctions.

In addition to discussing items such as help in obtaining humanitarian aid, COVID-19 vaccines and carving a path to free and fair elections, opposition leaders were particularly interested in finding out if they can dangle easing sanctions to persuade the regime into making concessions during the negotiations  something Guaido already said he would request of the Americans when he first announced in May that he would seek a pact with Maduro in order to save the nation.

Suspending the sanctions is of foremost importance to the regime, and probably is the main reason they would decide to attend a negotiating table, said a high-ranking opposition official. And It is one of the issues the delegation came here to discuss. Now the Biden administrations position is that even though they are willing to consider the possibility, this would only happen if there are real guarantees on the part of the regime that it would move towards a democractic transition.

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The talks with Maduro are a highly unpopular proposal in Venezuela, because the regime has traditionally used them successfully to gain time and dispel growing opposition.

But opposition leaders said they are needed at this point, given Venezuelas economic collapse and the coronavirus pandemic.

People are dying, said another Venezuelan opposition leader exiled in Miami. Everyone is right when they say that unless the regime is removed from power we will never solve this. But we need to come to terms with Maduro right now to obtain the COVID-19 vaccines and the humanitarian aid we need to try to keep more people from dying.

The Guaido delegation met on Wednesday with some of its most vocal supporters on Capitol Hill, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, as well as Florida Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.

A source with knowledge of the discussions told McClatchy that sanctions relief was not part of the agenda at the meeting with Menendez and Rubio, who both expressed cautious support as the Guaido team gears up to formally engage the Maduro regime in negotiations.

As the situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate, we must remain vigilant, Rubio said in a statement after the meeting. Maduro has a long track record of manipulating negotiations to his advantage, gaining international legitimacy, and dividing the opposition.

While the group did not discuss a timeline for the start of talks, the clock is ticking for Guaido, whose term as interim president comes to a close at the end of the year.

A second source familiar with the discussions said the Guaido delegation sought firm, public support from its congressional allies, as well as from the Biden administration, ahead of the expected negotiations, given how little leverage Guaido has entering the anticipated talks.

Its no understatement to think that the Guaido team needs the leverage that the U.S. brings to the table, the source said.

The team met with State Department officials  including Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, No. 2 in the department  on Thursday.

Sherman emphasized the urgent need for time-bound, comprehensive Venezuelan-led negotiations to restore democracy, human rights, and the rule of the law in Venezuela through free and fair local, parliamentary, and presidential elections, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The Deputy Secretary also reaffirmed the United States will continue to coordinate with international partners and with Venezuelans to support efforts to address the humanitarian needs of the Venezuelan people.

Venezuela, in the throes of an economic contraction worse than the U.S. Great Depression, badly needs humanitarian aid. Between 2013, when Maduro took office, and 2019, the economy shrank by more than 63%, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Years of economic mismanagement and corruption, along with a drastic fall in oil prices, fueled skyrocketing hyperinflation that rendered many salaries nearly worthless.

More than 5.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country in recent years to escape what has been characterized as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region, and after an initial slowdown in 2020, migrants are now on the move again, with hundreds leaving each day across the porous border with Colombia.

The desperation is such that a little more than half of the Venezuelan Americans living in Florida would be open to an easing of sanctions if the Biden administration found a way to get the money directly to the people rather than Maduros regime.

An Atlantic Council survey released in May found that 51 percent agreed that the U.S. government should eliminate economic sanctions on Venezuelas oil sector if oil revenues were used to import food and medicine and Maduros government was prohibited from accessing or managing the money.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photos Getty

Nothing reminds you of your own impermanence quite like watching Angelina Jolies children grow up. One moment its 2005, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are Caught Together! On Vacation (per Star magazines explosive cover line), with the actress cradling her infant son Maddox on a Kenyan beach.

Next thing you know, its 2021, and Maddox is a grown adult, attending college, studying biochemistry, and executive producing a film with his mom. They grow up so fast.

After a contentious divorce that has included domestic abuse allegations, Brangelina are no longer. Last month, a judge granted Pitt joint custody of their six children. (Jolie plans to fight the decision.) An obsession with the pairone the media has always, undeniably amplifiedendures.

I Hate That I Care About Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt

The same goes for Jennifer Aniston, the so-called third wheel in the early-aughts most intense celebrity love triangle. Today, the actress and Smartwater enthusiast is in a really peaceful place. Truly! She just went on the cover of People to talk all about it.

And so, here we are again: Jen and Angelina, seemingly everywhere, and us seemingly still interested. It feels like a great celebrity/time boomerang.

Some Aniston highlights in case you missed them: at 52, she is back to eating carbohydrates, telling the magazine shes no longer afraid of the bread basket. Sometimes she eats pasta, a sandwich, tooas long as its done in moderation.

Whats more, Aniston refers to her ex-husband Pitt as her buddy. They are still in touch and theres no oddness at all about it, so there. Sometimes they even run into each other at award shows, like they did at the SAGs last year. Pitt was seen clutching Anistons hand backstage after they both won awards, and two months later we were all in lockdown. Have we considered a connection?

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Aniston told People that she isnt interested in getting married again, but shes open to falling in love. But do not expect to see her on Raya anytime soon. Shes not one for online dating, according to the magazine. Im just going to stick to the normal ways of dating, she said, which is kind of rude, but fine.

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So Aniston is living her best life, watching sunsets, hanging out with her dogs, meditating, and slathering on Aveeno moisturizer. Its a continuation of her longtime brand: unbothered and breezy. Jen, not Jennifer.

The People cover, filled with her typical celebrity healing soundbites (I believe in humanity), comes across as a victory lap of sorts. It is the ultimate rich person flex to be able to command attention with such little scoop; here, Aniston is allowed her woo-woo profile. She reveals nothing, but remains charming. The so-called girl next door on Friends has grown into the type of fun aunt who you always want to visit to share a bottle of Chianti and the best gossip.

Jolie is also busy again. Shes promoting her new film, Eternals, and deftly navigating the paparazzi attention that comes with it.

Page Six snapped her entering her ex-husband Jonny Lee Millers Brooklyn apartment, carrying only her Louis Vuitton purse and a pricey bottle of Peter Michael wine. If youre wondering, Jolie arrived at Millers home totally alone without so much as a bodyguard to see her inside.

Jolie also revealed to Time that Zahara, who is Black, experienced medical racism during a recent surgery. I have children from different backgrounds, and I know when there was a rash that everybody got, it looked drastically different depending on their skin color, Jolie said. But whenever I looked at medical charts, the reference point was always white skin.

Jolie added, Recently my daughter, Zahara, whom I adopted from Ethiopia, had surgery, and afterward a nurse told me to call them if her skin turned pink.

This week Jolie spent some time in midtown with her daughter Zahara, who is 16. They shopped at Gabriela Hearsts boutique and left the store with an extra-large bag to tote all their purchases.

Its somewhat jarring to look at photos of the both Jolie and Aniston from this week; they do not look much different than they did 20 years ago. Both women have rightfully complained about paparazzi attention, but their tabloid permanence is still impressive.

They continue to deliver the shots readers want to see: Jolie, willowy in a billowing dress, walking down a street with her piercing beauty and Aniston, with perfectly tousled hair and a megawatt smile, probably on a beach.

For inherently sexist reasons, the two women will always be connected by a man they both married. But the attention was never really about Brad Pitt. We followed the breakup and Brangelina years because Jolie and Aniston played their celebrity roles perfectly, and were expertly branded as recognizable, reliable types.

Putting them in boxes might have been the work of the media, and it might have been unfair. But they have played along, and both possess the same stamina for fame that an Olympic athlete has for their sport.

Theyre still working, though they dont have to: Anistonan endorsement queenhas a new collagen brand shes promoting and just filed the much-discussed Friends reunion. Jolie has two films and an excellent wardrobe shes currently parading around New York. It has been nearly two decades after the breakup that rocked grocery store magazine aisles. By all accounts, both women appear to have moved on. Our continued love affair with them proves just how much we have not.

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Few took William Blake seriously as an artist and poet in his lifetime

One day in 1801, when William Blake was living on the Sussex coast, he went on a long country walk when he got into an argument with a thistle.

The artist, poet and musician, who experienced beatific visions throughout his 69 years on Earth, wasn't wandering lonely as a cloud, like some of his Romantic peers.

On this occasion, the prickly plant he encountered also took the form of a hectoring old man. For all Blake could see, the two were inseparable.

The London shopkeeper's son (who didn't go to school) would also regularly see God, angels and demons, and often spoke with the spirit of his dead brother Robert. His wife Catherine once commented: "I see very little of my husband, he's always in paradise."

These divine and mind-bending experiences informed Blake's world view and inspired his deeply philosophical illustrated texts like Jerusalem and Milton.

As a result, though, he was deemed mad by much of 18th and 19th Century England, and died penniless and largely unheralded.

Nowadays, he is widely considered one of UK's most influential and respected artists and poets. And in a new biography, William Blake vs the World, author John Higgs argues we are now far better placed to understand what was going on inside his head.

'Mythological system'

"Blakeans have been touchy about the subject historically," Higgs tells the BBC. "There was the one exhibition he gave in his lifetime and it sold no paintings, and it got one review which referred to him as 'an unfortunate lunatic'. And so this accusation of madness followed him around in his day.

"Van Gogh scholars are quite happy to admit he had mental health issues, and that adds to their understanding of him. [But] Blake scholars have been traditionally keen to insist that he was not mad, that there is reason and logic and worth in this system that he created - this mythological system."

A portrait of Urizen, the embodiment of restricted thought, reason and law, from William Blake's The Book of Urizen

He adds: "I think now we're in a position where we can say, yeah absolutely he was [sane]. But there was a period where he had poor mental health. In his letters there were references to melancholy, as a disease, and depression, and also later incidents that show signs of paranoia."

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Those mental health issues arose around the year 1800. "It was just a period in his life and you can see at the end of his life how he had come through it, with the help of his wife, and was just in a very blissful state," Higgs continues.

Blake's high regard for contrary states, as evidenced in his Songs of Innocence and Experience and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, suggests he knew that what goes up must come down.

Slip inside the eye of your mind

The key to achieving timeless bliss, he believed, was to re-balance the imagination (or The Four Zoas) so the left-brain - the part that deals with logic, reason and language - was less dominant, unlocking the potential of the right side, which deals with creativity, emotions and physical pleasure.

The polymath underlined the importance of viewing things through one's mind's eye, rather than merely through the organs on either side of your nose. In his book, Higgs cites the work of neuroscientist Dr Adam Zeman, who has studied the imagination for decades. He first described in 2015 the condition of aphantasia, where some people were found to be unable to visualise mental images. In other words, they had no mind's eye.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, those with extremely vivid imaginations were said to have hyperphantasia.

Dr Zeman, who released his latest research findings last month - with the help of his colleagues at the University of Exeter and around 70 volunteers willing to have their brain activity scanned - agrees with Higgs that rather than meaning he was unhinged, Blake's visions strongly suggest hyperphantasia.

"[Blake] seems to live in the world of his own imagination to a great degree," Dr Zeman says. "Some people [with hyperphantasia] say that it is hard for them to be sure whether they've imagined something, or it actually happened because their imagining is very vivid."

Neither extremes, which are believed to affect millions of people around the world, are viewed as disorders, he notes. They are more like interesting variations of perspective, each with their own pluses and minuses.

Hyperphantasics tend to be more open and have abundant mental imagery, research shows, but can be more vulnerable to emotions that images fuel - like regret, disgust or longing.

Aphantasics tend to be more introverted, have thin autobiographical memoires - relying more on facts - and often miss being unable to picture loved ones they have lost. However, many highly imaginative people, including Pixar animations co-founder Ed Catmull, Mozilla Firefox co-creator Blake Ross and leading scientists Oliver Sacks and Craig Venter have all lacked imagery.

Urizen measures out the material world in The Ancient of Days, taken from Europe a Prophecy by William Blake

There is some evidence to suggest that very vivid imagery can put people at the risk of psychosis, Dr Zeman says, if they lose sense of the boundary between what's real and what's imaginary - which Blake's contemporaries clearly thought he had done.

But he thinks Blake, who died almost 200 years ago, may have been an early adopter of the increasingly accepted idea in psychology and cognitive neuroscience today that "all our experience, in a sense, is imaginative".

"Although we aren't aware of it, a huge amount is happening in our brains all the time to enable us to see, hear or make sense of anything," Dr Zeman says. "An experience itself is a creative act, let alone the echo of experience that you get in the mind's eye.

"I think Blake had a sense that all of all our whole mental lives - not just the mind wandering, daydreaming, creativity and the artistic sense, but simply having an experience - is a creative and imaginative act."

Or as Blake himself put it: "The imagination is not a state: it is the human existence itself."

Albion contemplating Jesus crucified in William Blake's engraved poem Jerusalem

The limited, rational or logical part of our brains, which Blake characterised as Urizen, is actually only a model of how we understand the world, Higgs explains.

"We think it's real, we think it's true," he says. "When it feels under threat, it lashes out and tries to defend itself.

"You can see on social media, people have a desperate need to be thought of as right. For Blake, it's all about being able to step outside that and just see the rational brain for what it is, as a sort of quite limited small part of a much larger mental experience."

Albert Einstein once remarked on "the stubbornly persistent illusion of the passing of time", which was also depicted by Blake in the form of Los.

The artist's conviction that concepts like time, God, heaven and hell were all internal creations, Higgs feels, also salvages theological debates for today's more secular UK society.

"If you know someone who has been living through hell, the idea that Blake was in paradise becomes a little bit more plausible," he says.

The doors of perception

William Blake is by no means the only historical figure to have reported on such ineffable experiences. And his apparent capacity to access parts of the imagination that were beyond the realm of the average person, and the importance he placed on free love, sex and bashing the establishment, were of great appeal in the swinging late 60s.

Jim Morrison's band The Doors even named themselves after a famous line from a Blake poem: "If the doors of perception were cleansed then everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite."

The Doors attempted to break on through to the other side

The likes of Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley championed the use of psychedelic drugs to help achieve Blake-like states of consciousness.

For people with aphantasia, Dr Zeman notes, hallucinogens sometimes help them to generate imagery, but it doesn't seem to outlast the drug effect. Higgs compares the practice, as well as that of transcendental meditation, to "micro-dosing in Blake's eternity".

It's not impossible that Blake may have dabbled in magic mushrooms, the author concedes, but recreational use was not believed to have been common at the time, and he had been chronicling his visions from childhood until old age.

William Blake's Albion Rose, circa 1793

Blake believed we could all work on our imaginations, just like our abs or biceps, and aspire to joining him in "eternity".

Dr Zeman's studies suggest that while it may be possible to strengthen the mind's eye, ear or fingertip with magnetic pulses, there is a biological and possibly genetic limit to how far along the imagination spectrum each individual can travel. But we should celebrate that difference, he says, and not medicalise it.

He is hopeful that one day we will be able to know it better, and ultimately solve the age-old Cartesian conundrum of how consciousness can be generated from that grey, jelly-like lump of tissue in our heads.

To give Blake the final word on the matter: "What is now proved was once only imagined."

William Blake versus the World, by John Higgs, is out now
A woman was killed when an SUV crashed into a Crenshaw home during a police pursuit early Saturday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A woman was killed and a man seriously injured when an SUV crashed into their Crenshaw home during a police chase early Saturday.

Officers from the Southeast Division were driving to the South Traffic Division around 1:20 a.m. when their patrol car was rear-ended at Hobart and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.

When the officers got out and approached the vehicle that rear-ended them, the driver fled, speeding north on Western Avenue, police said.

The officers pursued the vehicle as it traveled west on 39th Street. When the suspect reached Buckingham Road, he tried to turn and lost control, crashing into the bedroom of a home, police said.

Two residents, a man and a woman, were trapped under the SUV. Paramedics responded and pronounced the woman, Aida Villavicencio, 86, dead at the scene. The man suffered head trauma and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, authorities said.

A suspect injured in the crash was taken into custody and taken to a hospital for treatment, investigators said.

Police identified him as Eliseo Ixchopcalel, 26, and said he had been booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter. He was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, arrest records stated.

A Los Angeles police sergeant visited the scene Saturday morning and gave a floral arrangement to a family member of the woman who died.

LAPD Sgt. Brodie Seagrave presents a flower pot to a grieving family member of the woman who died. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A gunman opens fire on a male with two children in the line of fire (NYPD)

A suspected gang member who was allegedly involved in a shooting in the Bronx that sent two children diving for cover has been arrested by New York police, officials said.

Micheal Lopez, 27, was arrested on Friday at his stepfathers home in Harlem, New York.

He faces charges of attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and weapons charges  with further charges anticipated.

If convicted, Mr Lopez could face up a maximum of 25 years in prison.

It took days for the suspect to be apprehended. But what we really needed was for the public to come to us immediately to let us know who the suspect was, so that we could get him off the streets as soon as possible, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.

Mr Lopez has connections to the Make it Happen Boyz gang, and he already had a history of crimes related to guns and violence in New York City, said Chief of Detectives James Essig during a news conference on Friday.

The man was on parole until 2023 on a 2014 attempted murder charge. He also had several open cases against him from 2020, including a knifepoint robbery in the transit system.

How does an individual, released to parole, get arrested for knifepoint robbery and is walking around on the streets? NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said. And is that justice for those little kids? So I would ask, where are the laws for those kids? Because somehow theyve been forgotten in this.

Police said they were still looking for another suspect who was believed to be Mr Lopezs accomplice during the shooting incident.

Surveillance footage captured the moment on 17 June when a suspect opened fire in the Bronx.

Two children, a 10-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother, were sent running for cover and somehow avoided being shot during the incident.

The suspect fired a dozen shots in total, with the intended target a 24-year-old man.

The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the leg and lower back. He was taken to the hospital and expected to survive from his injuries.

Neither child was physically injured during the incident.
The camps property includes the pools, the youth house, kids cottage, old camp office and most of the acreage going toward Morningside Drive.

The forest will be placed in an easement to be held by the Virginia Outdoor Foundation, and two Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grants totaling $280,780 have been awarded to aid in the gift of an easement on the property.

Bonnette said the $1.1 million has come from the community and is a combination of individual and corporate gifts, as well as a grant from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation.

Everybody is just so excited to see that we have 47 acres and [founder] Bev Cosbys mantra was, Where will the children play? and so well be able to preserve this land for future use and the majority of the land will go into a conservation easement, she said. Im about preserving the past and in holding on to it. Its kind of sacred ground out here with our history and Bev was just so progressive in his time, and we just want to continue that legacy.

She said the grant is significant because the camp will be able to own the land it already was using and the $100,000 put their fundraising over the edge to make that dream a reality.
Ive always had a connection because hes been sitting on my shoulder since I was born, and I feel Im just like him, she said. Growing up, her mom told her hero stories, but she never knew what to believe.

I never thought I would cry because I never met him, she said. I never touched him. He gave me life, and he died eight months later.

But standing at the monument, she was struck by the care of the Bedford community, who built a memorial for men they had never met.

Im not a selfish person, but I feel like this memorial was made for me, she said.

Iacopetti only found out about the memorial in 2019 when she stumbled across an archived newspaper article about its dedication in 2002. In it, Larry Lynch, one of the last surviving firsthand witnesses of the crash, was quoted describing the events of that night  a 13-year-old watching the sky turn red over his familys Bedford County farm.

On Tuesday, Lynch, now 84, was beside her as she placed the wreath, and he held her hand as they approached the dais.
"The changes to absentee voting were not made in a vacuum," Clarke said. "These changes come immediately after successful absentee voting in the 2020 election cycle, especially among Black voters. SB 202 seeks to halt and reverse this progress."

In Georgia, drop boxes were permitted last year under an emergency rule prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. State Republicans have defended the new law as making drop boxes a permanent option for voters and requiring all counties to have at least one. But critics say the new limits mean there will be fewer drop boxes available in the state's most populous communities.

For the entire metro Atlanta area, Democrats estimate the number of drop boxes will fall from 94 last year to no more than 23 for future elections based on the new formula of one drop box per 100,000 registered voters.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson applauded the administration's step and said Georgia's law was a "blatant assault on the American people's most fundamental and sacred right, the right to vote."

The law already is the subject of seven other federal suits filed by civil rights and election integrity groups that raise a number of claims under the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in voting.
AICHI (TR)  Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested a 29-year-old man who had a teenage girl sign a contract to be his slave before paying her for sex, reports the Sankei Shimbun.

On February 13, Tadahiro Daimaru, a company employee, allegedly paid 50,000 yen in cash to the girl, then 13, to engage in sex at a Nagoya City love hotel.

According to the Kitazawa Police Station, Daimaru met the girl, who lives in Aichi Prefecture, via Twitter around January.

At the time of their encounter, he had the girl sign and seal a so-called slave contract at the time of their encounter.

Included in the four-page document, which the Daimaru wrote, were dozens of requirements, including that the girl pledge eternal love to the suspect and serve as his exclusive slave.

During the session, Daimaru filmed the act with his smartphone. At one point, he choked her around the neck, police said.

Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the anti-child prostitution and pornography law, Daimaru admitted to the allegations.

The arrest is not the first for Daimaru, a resident of Saitama Prefecture. In March, Saitama Prefectural Police arrested him for engaging in sex with another girl while knowing she was a minor.

During that investigation, the Nagoya incident surfaced, police said.
Police in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, have arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of corpse abandonment after she placed the dead body of her newborn infant son in a coin locker for baggage.

The body, wrapped in a towel, was found in the locker at a shopping center at JR Ofuna Station by a security guard on June 4, Sankei Shimbun reported. An autopsy revealed that the infant had been dead for several months.

Police said Sachiko Ito, whose address and occupation are unknown, has admitted to the charge. Ito emerged as a suspect after police reviewed surveillance footage of the locker area.
Miyagi Prefectural Police on Wednesday arrested three people for allegedly posting so-called fast movies, or illegally edited short version of copyrighted films, on YouTube.

The prefectural police department suspects that the three, including Kenya Takase, a 25-year-old man from Sapporo, violated the copyright law.

Two others arrested are Nana Shimoda, 25, who lives with Takase in Sapporo, and Takayuki Suga, 42, from Tokyo.

This is the first arrest in Japan for the online posting of fast movies, according to the police. Fast movies, edited without permission of copyright holders, are each about 10 minutes long and give brief explanations about the stories.

The three are suspected of creating shortened versions of five movies whose copyrights are held by film distribution companies and others and posting the fast movies on YouTube without their permission between June 7, 2020, and July 21 the same year, according to police.

The police suspect that the trio posted more than 100 fast movies online.
Congress may never agree on a plan to pay off student loans, but Iowa Western Community College is forgiving $2.1 million of current students debt with the help of federal relief funds, officials announced during an Iowa Western Board of Trustees meeting Monday.

Debt relief is an allowable use of the funding colleges received as federal pandemic relief, according to Eddie Holtz, vice president of finance at Iowa Western. The provision applies strictly to student debt incurred since the U.S. outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020.

If people were enrolled in anything after March 2020 and still owe us, were forgiving it  We know a lot of people are struggling to pay their bills, he said. Were not picking and choosing. Anyone that qualified, were canceling their debt.

Hopefully, clearing their slates will help students continue to study at Iowa Western and earn a degree, Holtz said.

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He cautioned that unpaid bills from before the pandemic will still be reflected on peoples credit reports and must be paid off before they can enroll at Iowa Western again or obtain transcripts from the college.
A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items:

COURT OF APPEALS: Three judges are being recommended for appointment to the Iowa Court of Appeals.

The 17-member State Judicial Nominating Commission interviewed applicants for the opening Friday and forwarded the three finalists to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who will make the appointment within 30 days.

The finalists are Judge Mary Chicchelly of Cedar Rapids, Judge Gina Badding of Carroll and Judge Joel Barrows of Bettendorf.

The commission has eight commissioners elected for Iowa lawyers and nine commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate.

The Iowa Court of Appeals does not preside over trials, but hears appeals of cases heard in Iowas district courts.

OPIOID DISPOSAL: Iowans will have a safe, cost-free way to dispose of medications in a new program starting Thursday.

MedOne will facilitate the program, which will give patients two drug disposal kits every 30 days at no cost.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
A beef-processing plant planned for Mills County would bring up to 750 jobs to the area and have an estimated annual economic impact of $1.1 billion, officials announced during a press conference Friday in Glenwood.

Cattlemens Heritage plans to build a $325 million, 1,500-head-per-day facility in Mills County along Interstate 29 near the Mills-Pottawattamie County line, according to a press release from the newly formed corporation. Construction would begin in spring 2022 and wrap up in late 2023.

Cattlemens Heritage will fill a critical gap between the conglomerates and the outdated, undersized lockers and plants that arent equipped to meet the needs of consumers, producers or retailers, said project developer Chad Tentinger, founder and owner of TenCorp. Inc., a cattle industry construction firm with offices in Des Moines and Marcus.

Jobs at the plant will have an average annual wage of $55,000 plus benefits, Tentinger said.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, who participated in the announcement, said the facility will be a welcome addition to the states agribusiness infrastructure.
Many LPN graduates, along with their family and friends, shed a few tears of joy as they received their diplomas Friday.

The licensed practical nurse program at Mid-Plains Community College commencement and pinning ceremony took place at the McDonald-Belton Theater in North Platte. Fifteen students completed the program at the North Platte, Valentine and McCook campuses.

Student commencement speakers Mackenna Turner and Jordan Marie Lewis offered their thoughts on the accomplishment.

Hey guys, congratulations on making it here today, Turner said. All the hard work, time and effort have paid off. We can all stand together and enjoy all of our accomplishments.

Turner said they have gained important knowledge.

We learned that the ABCs were more than just letters in the alphabet, Turner said. We learned that washing our hands isnt always the answer.

We learned to teach our patients to eat well and get plenty of rest. Meanwhile, we learned to survive on few hours of sleep and lots of caffeine.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Lewis thanked the professors of the nursing program for sharing the expertise they gained over years of experience.
Lee Countys chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will bring together politicians, educators, law enforcement and more to its community roundtable discussion on Saturday.

The event will be held at the True Deliverance Holiness Church at 936 North Donahue Drive in Auburn from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and will cover topics including accessing federal funding through the American Rescue Plan, voting rights, the reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence and more.

Laticia Khalif, the local NAACP chapters first vice president, said the event will be free and open to all and will focus on uplifting the community through education on topical issues.

[The NAACP] is charged with leading the fight for equity, equality and justice. Our No. 1 goal as an organization is to ensure that black lives are a priority in all spaces, Khalif said. That comes from being educated and having knowledge, and that is exactly what this roundtable discussion is designed to doget all the right people in the room so that we can learn and be educated.
Well, as it turns out, he wasnt  by a long shot! There were 14 men who served as our President prior to Washington. Going back as far as 1774, our only form of national government was the Continental Congress and/or The Congress of the Confederation. When each session convened, a president was elected who served until the next session and was, consequently, our President for a time! It was only after the United States were formed and a Constitution was adopted that George Washingtons election was ratified making him officially our President!

Down through the years, very little light has been focused on this fact, which is also a vital part or our American Heritage. Detailed information on this issue is available online at the link below. The Westin Hotel of Annapolis, Md., also has portraits of all 14 men displayed in the lobby.

Now you know! Have a safe Independence Day!

James W. Anderson

Talladega
Multimedia Reporter

Staff writer Harry Funk, a professional journalist for three-plus decades, has been on the staff of The Almanac since 2015. He has a bachelors degree in journalism and master of business administration, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 61F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
never gonna be enough.

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Viola's right. He will be out before 2030. Disgusting!

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I thought they said he had to serve a min of 15yrs? Or did I misunderstand?

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You are correct. He has to serve 2/3rds of his sentence (which is about 15 years) before he would be eligible for parole.

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here's hoping he dies in prison

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HOPE HE DIES

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Its not enough, but hopefully he gets murdered in prison with something rusty.

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honestly they'll probably put him in protective custody "for his own safety"

coward

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Fuck that. Destroy him

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then i hope his brain rots in solitary

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then i hope he loses his sanity and suffers.

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I've seen stories of prisoners getting murdered in PC. Sooo where there's a will there's a way. There are some really motivated people in prison.

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Or a broom handle like with Dahmer!

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Normally I'm against violence in prison -- like when people wish rape on prisoners. That's not what prison's for, or it *shouldn't be* what prison's for, and shouldn't be what prisoners experience. Violence and rape are never justified.



...I mean, but. BUT. This man here in particular murdered a man in broad daylight for no logical or justifiable reason while other people begged him, literally BEGGED HIM, to stop. He seriously kneeled on another human being's chest, back, and neck and watched other people beg him for George Floyd's life (not to mention what George himself said!), and he did nothing. Well, not nothing: he continued to murder him.



So, yeah, I can't sit here and pretend I'm not hoping the same damn thing.



Also, I hope when he does get out (because realistically, he will get out) I hope he lives the rest of his life in absolute fear. I hope everywhere he goes, he's reminded of what he is and that he isn't allowed a moment of peace. (While, at the same time, I don't wish having to live or work or exist near him on anyone.)

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Nothing will bring Floyd back and I hurt for his family and loved ones. Chauvin deserved a way longer sentence. I hope they fry him on the tax evasion charges and the civil rights case and then I hope he rots in prison for the rest of his life. Racist subhuman scum.

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His mother speaking.....rage. "I was always convinced of your innocence," you raised a racist piece of shit, with your dusty ass hair.

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Guess we know why she raised a murderer

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She legit raised my blood pressure. Everything was about her. And acting like she would never see or speak to or touch her son again when she can do that on visitors day.

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and then she has the nerve to say he'll miss out on his life. WHAT ABOUT THE MAN HE FUCKING MURDERED?

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I get that parents love their children in a way and with a depth of connection I (no kids, can't have them anyway) will never understand but how can you -- if NOTHING ELSE -- have watched that video and be convinced of anything but the reality that he is an absolute murderous monster?



Though, I imagine she probably didn't watch it. Ignorance is bliss and whatever.

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Blind loyalty to family is so toxic, and partly how men like him end up the way they are, because their parents always excused their behavior or straight up denied it instead of holding them accountable.

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holy shit the part where she said she won't be able to hug him or whatever...Gianna Floyd will never hug her dad again, and your son is why, so sit down

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She said he was her favourite unless hes an only child and that was an inside joke, can you even imagine your mom announcing to the world that your racist, murdering piece of shit sibling is her favourite.

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I'm surprised that it was this long, tbh

I thought he'd only get like 10-12 or so, so the fact that it's almost double that is satisfying

I know it doesn't bring George back, but 22 years is a long time

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Gianna giving a statement was so heartbreaking. You could tell that she didn't get the full extent what happened, which obviously makes sense. I feel so sad for her that one day she's going to fully realize what happened. Fuck Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd and what Chauvin did to his daughter as a result.

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i hope she never ever sees the video. the good thing about this case was all the footage and that video that was recorded, but i hope she never ever has to see it. (i hope she's never seen it.)

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Same. She doesn't need to see it at all.

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Derek Chauvin says in brief statement before sentencing: "I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind." https://t.co/1pe5DBkZ8g pic.twitter.com/bhiAlHYoML  CBS News (@CBSNews) June 25, 2021 fucker had the nerve to say this shit

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What does that even mean? What other information?

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maybe he's referring to the trial of the other cops??? idek

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probably his lawyers told him to keep his mouth shut, he still has other trials to go through

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information? girl please fuck him. he is pure evil.

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Probably some shit like "oh he really WAS stealing 20$ so it was totally justified to KILL him."



wrong, bastard.

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lol go die, he never showed any sympathy for his family until the verdict was read. asshole.



i hope the other cops join him when they're on trial.

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How fucking dare he speak to them

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He hasnt ever looked or sounded remorseful, hes a psychopath. Is he still trying to justify the murder? He can rot!

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Shouldve been the maximum sentence tbh. Shouldve been 50,000,000,000,000 years + beyond the millennium. Suffer and die scum. 

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i thought ontd was for the abolition of prisons and now yall are like 22 years isnt long enough

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what's the point of them being there then if scum like this gets less jail time than a drug dealer?

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what does that have to do with anything? i don't think drug dealers should be doing 20 years in prison either



its just strange to me how many people's principles seem to abandon them in these cases. if you don't believe in your values when they're being tested, they're not really your values at all



Edited at 2021-06-26 01:09 am (UTC)

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When people are THIS guilty of such heinous crimes I just straight up want them dead. Fuck jail.

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What would your suggestion be for a murderer to face federal punishment? This is honestly not intended to be a gotcha moment.



Edited at 2021-06-26 01:25 am (UTC)

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And against the death penalty except if they could be the arbiters of it, then it is ok.

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Vitamin D low? There are supplements for that. You dont have to come out from under your bridge or leave your cave. Safer too! Pandemic and all.

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Scum like this guy are what prisons are for. Not minor drug offenders and homeless people.

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i'm not 100% for the abolition of prisons (tho i do think the us prison system is ridiculously flawed and there are a large amount of people in prison who dont need to be there) but i do think we need to get rid of the death penalty. lots of these criminals would probably rather have the death penalty than life in prison - let's not give them the easy way out. (not that this guy GOT life in prison. should have at LEAST been the 22.5 years with no parole.)







Edited at 2021-06-26 01:59 am (UTC)

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ONTD is a community with a very large amount of members. We don't all have the same opinions on things. Unless you're talking about (and naming) specific members who've said they're for the total abolition of prisons and are now here saying something else, I don't see how this is relevant or even appropriate, give the topic at hand.

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Do you believe this is the post to talk about the alleged hypocrisy of some members ? Or maybe you know that but just wanted to act smug

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This is the post you choose this for

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You know ONTD is "for" whatever their friends / favorite Instagram accounts post to their stories

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You're not wrong (though this is the wrong post to say it maybe?). So many leftists I know want to abolish prisons yet cheer for prison sentences so long as it's the correct person. I can't align it either in my mind

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ONTD is only for the abolition of prison when people they like go to prison, like they're only anti-law enforcement until they want the cops to investigate/arrest people they don't like, and anti-death penalty until someone does an heinous enough crime.

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Hope he gets fucking killed in prison

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die die die!

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Murderers like him make me wish we still had the electric chair. I want his death to be as painful as possible. And I sure as shit don't want my tax dollars going to their housing or meals or protection. Just fucking end him. Hopefully a lifer will do us the favor.

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Also, you are wasting way more tax dollars on someone that is sitting on death row:



https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2014/05/01/considering-the-death-penalty-your-tax-dollars-at-work/?sh=81dfd50664b3 Not to reply twice to you, and I understand why you feel this way but the death penalty is inhumane in all circumstances, even this one. If we have any punishment system, it should be about rehabilitation. So many people (including guilty people) manage to better themselves, find peace both with the victims families and with themselves, find ways to give back - all while incarcerated. Many are found innocent after the fact. Humans are fallible and the system is abused.Also, you are wasting way more tax dollars on someone that is sitting on death row:

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Who said anything about death row? I'd have his ass shipped off to his - deservedly - inhumane death the second he was sentenced.



And I'm not talking about the possibly innocent people here. I'm talking about the PROVEN, on camera, murderous cops of unarmed people.

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yeah, i completely agree. our prison system is fucked enough as it is, wishing pain on anybody doesn't make you any better, and that includes the death penalty. the us is the only western country that still has it, and the only country that focuses on punishment over rehabilitation. it's awful. i hate this piece of shit as much as the next person, but wishing him death or that he gets killed/hurt in prison doesn't make me any better.

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I get that, but if you're so entrenched in the white supremacy of America where you are white, join a gang (the cops), and try to get away with killing a black man...I agree the system isn't perfect and there's a much better chance it's going to victimize an innocent instead of people like Chauvin (who is a POS, just incase critical thinking took a holiday for this post).

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yeah IA. plus a lot of the completely "irredeemable" criminals (serial killers, mass murderers, etc.) would probably prefer the death penalty to life in prison, so idk why we should give them the "easy way out" so to speak.





like if this POS Chauvin had been given a harsher sentence (which he should have been tbh) and it came down to the death penalty or life in prison, I wouldn't be surprised if he would have preferred the death penalty as opposed to 40-50 years still in prison as an ex-cop.



Edited at 2021-06-26 02:00 am (UTC)

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Yea I don't believe in it ever, even if the system was perfect and an innocent person was never wrongfully sentenced, I think it's just hugely hypocritical and unethical.

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The electric vehicle (EV) boom is now expected to come five years earlier than originally anticipated, in 2033, according to new research.

Based on new Ernst & Young AI analysis for supply and demand, experts are suggesting that EV sales will surpass those of traditional vehicles by 2033, with Europe reaching this point in 2028, China by 2033, and the U.S. by 2036. The research suggests that non-EV sales could plummet to as low as 1 percent of total vehicle sales by 2045.

While Europe will be the first to achieve record EV sales, due to increasing vehicle demand China will likely lead the way through to 2050.

Pressure from governments across Europe and in China for companies to meet green policy expectations means increasing fees for car manufacturers buying and selling gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. The goal of net-zero has spread around the globe, meaning many automakers are making the switch earlier than anticipated.

President Trumps withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which was re-joined by the U.S. under President Biden in January, meant the easing of fuel regulations. While the U.S. will catch up with China and Europes EV market, this will likely happen at a slightly later date.

The regulatory environment from the Biden administration we view as a big contributor because he has ambitious targets, EYs global advanced manufacturing and mobility leader, Randy Miller, stated in an interview.

As several big car manufacturers jump on board the EV boom, we are seeing an increase in public interest in making the switch. The availability of reliable car brands now developing EV models is a shift from the Tesla-dominated market of previous years.

In addition, the millennial demographic that previously rejected car ownership for environmental reasons, as well as city living, has been influenced by the pandemic to move away from public transport and car-sharing. The potential for EV makers to tap into this environmentally-conscious market is significant.

Just as this research comes out, Volkswagen announces an expected record year for its EV sales. Relatively new to the market, VW sold almost half as many EVs as Tesla in 2020, a figure that is expected to rise substantially in 2021. WV sold 231,600 electric-powered vehicles in 2020, up from 73,600 the previous year.

Seeing the acceleration of the EV market, various cities and states around the world are now making the uptake of EVs easier through financial incentives, as governments encourage consumers to switch away from petroleum and diesel-powered cars.

Related: Can The Middle East Survive Without Oil?

Just this week, major petroleum consumer India announced plans to subsidize EV purchases to encourage making the switch, putting the countrys National Electric Mobility Plan into practice. The state of Gujarat will be giving subsidies to EV buyers and will exempt owners from vehicle registration fees.

The states Chief Minister explained of the move, The EV policy announced today will be in force for four years. We want to promote EV usage as well as promote Gujarat as a destination for the production of EVs. We are aiming to cut 600,000 tons of carbon emission every year.

India is the fifth largest motor vehicle manufacturing country in the world, with the automotive industry contributing around 7.1 percent to Indias GDP, meaning that the creation of hubs such as these could make it a global leader in EV production.

With the EV boom coming early, it appears that major automotive brands and states around the world are working hard to get ahead of the curve to ensure their stake in the ever-expanding EV market.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The U.K. continues to stand by its oil and gas commitments even following this months G7 climate change conference in Cornwall, international pressure to move away from fossil fuels, and the ceasing of operations by other North Sea states.

Energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan stated this week that the U.K will consider offering new offshore oil and gas licenses over the coming years. This comes after the country suspended new licenses in the North Sea in September last year due to pressure to strengthen its environmental policies.

Despite still heavily relying on oil, with an average production of 1 million bpd of offshore oil, the U.K. aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Trevelyan stated during the Global Energy Transition 2021 online conference, "We are not issuing any new licenses this year but we're not saying absolutely never." Further, "If there was a very good case, and there was a strong evidence base behind it, then we continue to say at this point that we will be willing to consider new licensing because as a government we have to make sure that we can ensure the security of supply and a stable transition."

It is expected that the government will favor innovative low-carbon oil projects as it strives to balance ongoing demand with green policy objectives.

Related: Reuters: U.S. Agrees To Lift Iran Oil Sanctions

As Britain will host the United Nations COP 26 climate talks in November there is increasing pressure on the government to establish a clear strategy on its transition towards renewable energies and to restrict any further exploration in its North Sea oil fields.

Norway-based Solstad is one of the companies benefitting from the U.K.s North Sea oil, as, this week, an unnamed operator awarded Solstad Offshore ASAs PSV Sea Falcon an 18-month term contract, which will commence in the third quarter of 2021. Its sister vessel Sea Forth is already working for the same operator.

However, despite positive activity for oil and gas in the region, North Sea operations are drawing more attention from environmental activists following a judgment on a serious Apache gas leak from a North Sea platform in 2014.

After a long trial, Apache Beryl has been fined $550,000 by the Aberdeen Sheriff Court for failing to take adequate measures to prevent a fire and explosion as well as lacking the risk assessment on the depressurization of gas lift wells, necessary to carry out operations safely.

Mounting pressure because of the COP 26 conference means environmentalists are now calling on the government to put a halt on the development of a new oil field, Cambo, off the coast of the Shetland Islands, which is being earmarked for approval, where around 150 million barrels of oil would be extracted.

Siccar Point Energy, of which Shell has a 30 percent stake, hopes to operate the 1,100-metre underwater project, one of Europes deepest fields.

The new Cambo field would provide enough oil for production through 2050, however, Scotland has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2045. Campaigners argue that the field would produce and burn ten times the oil equivalent of Scotlands annual carbon emissions.

However, the U.K. government maintains that its stance on North Sea production is simply in response the countrys needs. "We are working hard to drive down demand for fossil fuels, however, there will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas," the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy told Reuters in response to emailed questions.

As the U.K. makes no obvious attempt to curb North Sea production and license provisions despite international pressure, it will have to tread carefully in the lead up to the COP 26 climate talks if it wants to be taken seriously as a key international player in its net-zero and other environmental objectives.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The United States and France have warned Iran not to draw out nuclear talks, a day after an interim agreement for the UN nuclear watchdog to monitor Tehrans atomic activities expired.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Tehran are holding discussions to extend a temporary agreement on monitoring nuclear activities that expired on June 24.

If it is not extended, six weeks of negotiations in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could descend into crisis, diplomats said.

"This remains a serious concern," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a news conference in Paris alongside his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on June 25.

"The concern has been communicated to Iran and needs to be resolved," he added.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is expected to update the UN bodys Board of Governors on the matter at some point on June 25.

The interim monitoring deal was struck in February for three months, then extended by a month on May 24.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump trashed Iran's nuclear deal with six world powers in 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions on Tehran.

Iran responded by gradually breaching restrictions on centrifuges and uranium enrichment set out in the deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Related: Solar Has An Unlikely New Enemy

In response to ongoing sanctions and the assassination of a nuclear scientist last year, Iran announced in February that it was scrapping some of the deal's inspection and monitoring measures.

While the temporary inspections regime eased some concerns, the reduced compliance has made it more difficult to detect a secret nuclear facility or activities, if there were any.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seeking to revive the JCPOA, but a sixth round of indirect talks in Vienna adjourned on June 20 with key issues still unresolved.

The negotiations have largely stalled over technical details and demands from Iran that all sanctions be lifted.

"We still have significant differences with Iran," Blinken said, warning that if too much time passes the JCPOA will remain moribund.

"There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the JCPOA," Blinken said.

"We haven't reached that point -- I can't put a date on it -- but it's something that we're conscious of."

Blinken warned that if Iran "continues to spin ever more sophisticated centrifuges" and steps up uranium enrichment, it will lessen the "breakout" time needed for Tehran to develop a nuclear bomb.

France -- a remaining party to JCPOA alongside Britain, Germany, Russia, and China -- also called on Iran to advance the talks.

"We expect the Iranian authorities to take the final decisions -- no doubt difficult ones -- which will allow the negotiations to be concluded," Le Drian said at the joint news conference with Blinken.

Separately, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said reviving the nuclear deal with Iran is "within reach.

Earlier this week, Irans outgoing President Hassan Rohani and other top officials signaled progress had been made in negotiations.

By RFE/RL

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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Hilda Noriega's daughter-in-law described her as an extremely loving and sweet person, who built a life with her husband and raised a family after coming to the U.S. from Cuba in 1960.

She was just one of those people who from the first time she met a person she instantly loved that person and that person instantly loved her, said Sally Noriega, who rushed to the scene of the collapse with her husband, Carlos Noriega.

There, they found a reminder of the particularly strong bond Hilda Noriega shared with members of her church group. As they stood trying to hold onto hope amid the rubble, Carlos Noriega noticed an envelope peeking out from under his shoe.

On the outside it was addressed to Hilda and the card had butterflies on it and it was a birthday card signed by her prayer group, said Sally Noriega. They had taken her out for her birthday and they all signed the card.

Sally Noriega said the family does not know what to make of the card found among so much debris and chaos.

But, we are a family of faith, she said. Well just leave it at that.



MYRIAM CASPI NOTKIN and ARNOLD NOTKIN
But Quinns defense team says the alleged victim was old enough to consent to the acts, and there was plenty of reasonable doubt in the case.

The closing arguments in Quinns case came after a 10-day trial in Furnas County District Court where Quinn, 57, of Oxford was charged with four counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child, two counts of human sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of manufacturing-visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, two counts of possession-visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, two counts of enticement by electronic communication device and one count of child abuse in connection to the girl.

The case prompted Sen. Ben Sasse to ask U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to examine the case to determine whether federal authorities need more tools to fight this scourge.

In his letter, Sasse describes the defendant and others involved in the case as child rapists. Quinns defense team has said Sasses actions could jeopardize their clients ability to get a fair trial.

During a seven-month period in 2019-20, Corey OBrien with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, representing the prosecution, said Quinn wielded skills in manipulation, power and control over the girl and scorched a path of destruction across Furnas County.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Friday said an expanded number of small oil refineries can seek an exemption from certain renewable fuel requirements.

The high court ruled 6-3 that a small refinery that had previously received a hardship exemption from complying with Clean Air Act requirements may obtain an extension of that exemption. Thats even if the refinery let a previous exemption lapse.

The case involved amendments to the Clean Air Act made in 2005 and 2007 that require transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain specified amounts of ethanol and other biofuels, which are produced by farmers. Small refineries were exempt from that requirement until 2011.

The program is called RFS, for Renewable Fuel Standard.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said the decision is disappointing and hurts farm families across the state.

Regardless of the Courts decision, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can still take steps to enforce a robust Renewable Fuel Standard, he said in a statement.

He urged the Biden administration to stop the broad use of waivers by refineries.
Under the guise of consumer protection, Nebraska has made it illegal for electric vehicle manufacturers, like Tesla, to sell directly to consumers. Dealer franchise laws, which ban direct sale, are a decades-old policy implemented to protect consumers from vertical integration and monopolization. In todays age of limitless information at your fingertips, and healthy competition in the auto industry, this restriction is far past its expiration date. It does nothing but impede consumer choice while providing no consumer protection value. Thats why many EV manufacturers have opted out of the dealership model entirely. And, we know from the success of direct-to-consumer platforms in the used car market (where direct sale is legal) that online purchasing is on the rise.

Beyond the ban on direct-sales, Nebraska also punishes EV consumers with higher license and registration fees. The standard registration fee for vehicles in Nebraska is between $15. For consumers making the eco-conscious choice to buy and register an EV, the registration cost is over 500% higher, at $75. This is incredibly discriminatory, and a much better approach would be to simply treat EVs on par with standard passenger vehicles.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday received letters of credence from five envoys at the Jubilee House, Accra.



They are the ambassadors of Russia, Sergei Berdnikov; Carl Michael Grans from Sweden; Ethiopias Hadera Abera Admassu; Lamidosa Lamatou Bala Goga of Niger; and Jamaicas High Commissioner Esmond Reid.



At separate ceremonies, President Akufo-Addo, welcomed them warmly and wished them a pleasant stay and a successful tour of duty.



Recounting the long-standing relations between Ghana and their respective countries, he assured the envoys of the governments commitment towards strengthening ties, boosting trade, investment and economic cooperation towards mutual benefits.



When he met the Russian Ambassador, President Akufo-Addo noted the key role played by the former Soviet Union in the decolonization of Africa, and the strong ties between the citizenry in the periods just after the countrys independence.



He said though relations between Russia and Ghana had not always been very pulsating over the years, with current developments, especially Russia prioritising its foreign policy to deepen ties with Africa, the situation would improve.



The President spoke of the huge investment opportunities in many sectors of the Ghanaian economy, which Russian investors should embrace for the common good of the two countries.



He said Ghana would work closely with the Russian Federation on the UN Security Council for the greater good of the world, and expressed the hope that President Vladmir Putin would include Ghana his foreign visit to Africa.



On his part, Ambassador Berdnikov congratulated the President on his reelection as president of Ghana, Chair of the ECOWAS, and the countrys election to serve a two-year term on the United Nations Security Council.



He admitted that although relations between Ghana and Russia had slowed during certain periods, he was optimistic that there would be encouraging developments in Soviet-Ghanaian relations, especially in trade, economic, technical and scientific cooperation, which would strengthen for mutual benefits.



After receiving the credential of the Nigerien Ambassador, President Akufo-Addo recalled the long-standing relations between the two countries, saying that the Nigerien Community had become a social part of Ghana.



He said Nigeriens in Ghana, often called the Zamrama people, had, for many years, contributed to the socio-economic development of Ghana.



The President noted that the immediate past President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, had worked very well to deepen bilateral relations, and praised him (Issoufou) for his role in gathering support for the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AFCFTA), which is currently headquartered in Ghana.



He said the current Nigerien head, Mohamed Bazoum, was also making a mark as President and expressed the commitment to explore ways to deepen the cordial bilateral relations.



The President also gave the assurance that he would leverage Ghanas new position on the United Nations (UN) Security Council to champion the concerns of Africa.



He pledged to articulate the concerns of Africa on the Council by consulting leaders within the region, and the continent, to define the common position in the Council's deliberations.



The Nigerien Ambassador thanked the Government and people of Ghana for accommodating his countrymen and pledged to explore ways to deepen relations.



On meeting the Ethiopian Ambassador, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the relations between the two countries dating back to the days of Emperor Haile Selassie and Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.



He said he had good working relations the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and praised the role he also played in getting Ghana to host the AFTCA.



The President expressed the hope that Ethiopia would surmount its current democratic challenge and urged the country and its neighbors to find amicable solutions to the issues of the Nile Basin for the peaceful development of the region.



He pledged the support of his administration to the Ambassador.



With the Swedish envoy, President Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that bilateral relations and economic cooperation would be strengthened during his tenure.



He was optimistic that both countries would find more common grounds to deepen relations.



To the Jamaican High Commissioner, the President also expressed the hope that his time in Ghana would improve and economic and socio-cultural ties.

Source: GNA









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Togo has agreed to study a Provisional Maritime Boundary Line, proposed by Ghana, as part of efforts by the two neighbouring countries to delimitate their final maritime boundary.



This agreement was reached in a joint communique issued at the end of the Seventh Meeting of the Joint Technical Committee of the Ghana-Togo Maritime Boundary Delimitation Committee, held in Accra from June 22 to 25.



The Communique was signed by Brigadier General Emmanuel W. Kotia, the Co-ordinator of the Ghana Boundary Commission/Head of Ghanas Delegation, and Mr Dammipi Noupokou, the Principal Negotiator of the Togolese Delegation.



It said the Minutes of the Sixth Meeting, held from 23rd to 25th March 2021 in Lome, Togo, was adopted and signed.



It said the report on the Coordinates of Pillar 1, presented by the Joint Technical Sub-Committee, was adopted and signed.



Upon the presentation of the Provisional Maritime Boundary Line by Ghana, the delegation from Togo took notice of Ghanas proposed line and requested for time to examine it before the next Plenary Meeting, it said.



The Communique said based on Togos decision to study Ghanas proposed Provisional Maritime Boundary Line, the two Parties agreed to defer further discussions on the Provisional Arrangements to the next Plenary Meeting.



It reiterated the parties agreement to set up a Joint Sub-Technical Committee for the delimitation of the final Maritime Boundary; saying the Sub-Committee shall submit its report at the next Plenary Meeting in Lome.



It said the next Plenary Session would take place in Lome, Togo from July 27 to 30.



The three-day meeting aims at resolving, amicably, the outstanding issues on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the two neighbouring countries.



Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, the Minister of National Security, in his closing remarks, said while the focus of the Accra Meeting had been primarily on the two nations common maritime boundary, it was worth highlighting that Ghana and Togo continued to cooperate on various issues, especially relating to land boundary issues.



He said efforts would, thus, be made to continue to collaborate with Togo on all land issues to get them resolved amicably.



At this stage, I wish to recommend the establishment of a Joint Technical Committee for Land Boundary between our two countries, Mr Kan-Dapaah said.



The Joint Committee shall jointly resolve all land boundary issues amicably for the peaceful co-existence of the two countries.

Source: GNA









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Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has called on the Russian Ambassador-Designate to Ghana, Mr Sergey Berdnikov, to assist in ensuring the speedy delivery of the Sputnik V vaccines to Ghana to help fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.



She said Ghana had already placed an order for 15 million doses of the Sputnik V Vaccine, which was pending.



Madam Botchwey said this when she received Open Letters from Mr Berdnikov, who was born in 1966 and has been in active diplomatic service since 1991.



He served in the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Offices in Vienna (UNOV) from 1994 to 1998, and from 2002 to 2006.



He further served in the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in New York from 2008 to 2013. The Ambassador-Designate is a father of two.



During the meeting in Accra, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey congratulated Mr Berdnikov on his appointment as the Ambassador of Russia to Ghana.



She recalled the historic relations between Ghana and Russia dating back to 1958 when Ghana, as a young independent State, established diplomatic relations with the then Soviet Union.



The Minister acknowledged Russia's consistent contribution towards the socio-economic development of Ghana, particularly in the area of capacity building, through scholarships to Ghanaian students to study in Russia (over two thousand beneficiaries to date).



She said to further enhance the bilateral relations, technical teams of Ghana and Russia were earnestly preparing to host the Fourth Session of the Ghana-Russia Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation later this year.



Madam Botchwey said the exchange of high-level visits, included the visit of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Sochi, in October 2019, to participate in the Russia-Africa Summit.



Also the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to Moscow in August 2019, and the visit to Ghana by Mr Mikhail Bogdanov, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in February 2021, had raised the level of the bilateral relations to a higher pedestal.



She briefed the Ambassador-designate on the economic agenda of the Government, which was predicated on the transformation of the structure of the economy from commodity-exporting to an industrialized economy.



Ghana's economy, even in the face of the global pandemic of COVID-19, continues to show resilience and a much faster rate of recovery than originally envisaged, she said, and urged the Russian envoy to encourage investors from his country to consider doing business in Ghana.



She said Ghana was among the most attractive destinations on the Continent for Foreign Direct Investment, and that the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was expected to boost economic growth, with Ghana as the entry point.



Madam Botchwey bemoaned the activities of pirates along the Gulf of Guinea, saying it is a major security concern to countries located in the zone because it largely served as a trade route between that region and the rest of the world.



She called for Russian support in the areas of intelligence sharing and logistics.

Source: GNA









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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region has appealed to Ghanaians to participate in the ongoing Population and Housing Census (PHC) 2021.



Mr. James Gunu, Regional Secretary of the Party underscored the importance of the exercise, which he said would help the Party better serve the people when it wins back power in 2024.



We strongly believe Ghanaians will derive the full benefits of the 2021 census only when the NDC wins election 2024, the Regional Secretary said in a communique issued by the NDC in Volta at the end of its post-election retreat in Ho and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).



The Party, in the communique, said some entities were allegedly using the census exercise to fuel tribal and xenophobic agenda and must be checked.



We, however, caution that those allegedly moving from house to house inquiring as to the nationality of people (asking whether they are Togolese or not) to put a stop to the said uninformed act.



The retreat was organized under the auspices of the Volta NDC Parliamentary Caucus and the National Secretariat of the Party, to review the just concluded general elections.



The National Chairman and other top executives of the Party were at the retreat and all stakeholders including traditional leadership were commended for their roles in ensuring a successful election.



While commending its support base for helping secure almost all parliamentary seats in the Region, the Party continued to lament shortcomings observed during the elections.



The Party sympathized with individuals who lost their lives and those who were affected by border closures during the electioneering period.



The Partys MPs were commended for undertaking social intervention programs in their constituencies and were asked to expand them to cover more people.



The retreat called for an urgent revival of the welfare scheme of the Party at the constituency level towards the social-economic advancement of the people.

Source: GNA









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Efia Odo, a social media biggie and 10 other members of the "#FixTheCountry" campaigners, arrested Friday by the Police, have been granted bail, a police source told the Ghana News Agency.



Their arrest came shortly after a High Court hearing on whether or not the group should be allowed to stage a street protest, adjourned proceedings to 1330 hours for ruling.



The police said while the court was in session, some of the campaigners, including Odo, allegedly pitched camp in front of the Court complex with placards and causing nuisance.



The source said after the court proceedings, the protesters were joined by their colleagues who were in the courtroom, with some taking photographs, necessitating their arrest by police officers from the Accra Regional Command.



"#FixTheCountry" is a hashtag being used by some Ghanaians who declared their intention to protest, on May 9, 2021, to express displeasure over the failure of successive governments to improve the living standards of Ghanaians.



The police, however, on Thursday, May 6, 2021, obtained a restraining order from the High Court, presided over by Mrs Justice Ruby Aryeetey, against the protest march until the restriction on public gathering is lifted.

Source: GNA









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"Well-built men, 18-30, who would like to be eaten by me" was the typical advertisement Armin Meiwes took out on personals Web sites [source: Harper's]. After hundreds of false starts, he found a willing partner in 43-year-old Bernd-Jurgen Brandes. The two men met on March 9, 2001. It would be an odd night for both of them.

With Brandes high on painkillers and schnapps, yet consenting, Meiwes removed the man's penis with a knife. He flambeed it, and the two ate it together. Bleeding heavily, Brandes took a bath. He eventually lost consciousness, whereupon Meiwes slit his throat, butchered him and ate a little more of the man's flesh. Over the course of the next few months, Meiwes consumed 44 pounds of Brandes' dead body [source: Speigel].

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The cannibal was eventually arrested and tried amid a media frenzy. But at the time of Meiwes' prosecution, Germany, like some other Western nations, had no law prohibiting cannibalism. Instead, Meiwes and other cannibals like him, including serial murderers Albert Fish and Jeffrey Dahmer, was convicted of the killing, not the eating. Murder is illegal; cannibalism exists beyond the law. It is taboo.

Cannibalism is as old as civilization, and likely older. The Kemites believed that Osiris their god of agriculture, gifted them with crops to prevent them from cannibalism. Greek mythology contains myriad tales of cannibalism, beginning with Chronos, the father of all gods. The Hebrews wandering the African desert resort to cannibalism in the Old Testament [source: Lukaschek].

Cannibalism is ancient, and yet -- as Meiwes, Dahmer, Fish and others remind us -- it's modern as well. It could be latent in every one of us: Recent events show that when the chips are down, even the most civilized humans will resort to cannibalism to survive. Yet, we recoil from the thought of others consuming human flesh and refrain from exploring the possibility of our own ability to cannibalize others.

But cannibalism was a part of life and death for cultures around the world. Those that gave it up as a practice did so unwillingly. And if history is any indicator, an end to cannibalism has not come. As Ted Turner predicted, in the face of climate change, those left to survive will resort to cannibalism [source: AJC]. Turner isn't an authority on the subject of anthropophagy (the clinical term for cannibalism), but he may not be far off. People have shown that we will eat one another in times of strife.
View of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant in Altamira, Para State, Brazil.

When climate researcher Dailson Bertassoli went to measure greenhouse gas emissions at the Belo Monte hydropower plant in Brazil, the first thing he noticed was the bubbles.

Developers have built hundreds of hydroelectric plants in the Amazon basin to take advantage of the allegedly "green" energy generated by its complex of rivers.

But climate researchers now know hydropower is not as good for the environment as once assumed. Though no fossil fuels are burned, the reservoirs release millions of tons of methane and carbon dioxide as vegetation decays underwater.

So called run-of-river (ROR) dams like Belo Monte along the Xingu River, which have smaller reservoirs and channels allowing reduced river flow, were meant to address the problem, but a study Friday in Science Advances found that has not been the case.

Bertassoli's team studied methane and carbon dioxide emissions during Belo Monte's first two years of operation and compared the results to levels prior to the reservoirs being filled, finding a threefold increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

"Once you have the flooding of dry land, the organic matter that was trapped in the soil starts to degrade," the professor of geology and climate change at the University of Sao Paulo told AFP.

These were the source of the bubbles he saw at one of the plant's reservoirs.

"Instead of a natural river, we now have a reactor that favors the production of methane," he added.

And as fellow author and climate researcher Henrique Sawakuchi pointed out, these "smaller" reservoirs are still quite large, with the largest on a partly dammed river where dead trees stand starkly white amid vast stagnant green channels.

Sawakuchi's brother Andre Sawakuchi, a University of Sao Paulo professor focusing on climate change and river systems who also participated in the study, added that this analysis highlights two issues to consider when building hydropower plants in the region.

One is the local environmental impact on aquatic species unique to the area," he told AFP. "The other is the social impact to indigenous communities that live along the river."

Checkered history

Indigenous and environmental groups protested the Belo Monte's proposed construction back in the 1990s, causing it to be abandoned before being revived again as an ROR plant in 2011.

Environmental groups protested the loss of the forest that had to be cleared for the site while indigenous groups resisted the loss of flooded land and redirected or siphoned natural river flow.

Andre Sawakuchi argues it is important to keep the Amazon flowing, despite increasing energy needs, and not to "disrupt this natural cycle with hydropower plants of any type.

"This is the pulse of the river," he said. "With a hydroplant, there is no more pulse."

The authors concluded in their study that if Brazil must continue to build ROR dams along the Amazon, then it is important to at least avoid flooding vegetation, thereby increasing greenhouse gases.

A 2019 study by the Environmental Defense Fund found that some of the world's hydropower plants are carbon sinksmeaning they take in more carbon through photosynthesis by organisms living in the water than they emit through decompositionwhile others are net emitters.

"There is no utopia here," Bertassoli said. "Especially for countries that look so hard at hydropower as a sustainable 'green' answer to their energy needs."

Explore further Calculating the albedo-climate penalty of hydropower dammed reservoirs

More information: Dailson J. Bertassoli et al, How green can Amazon hydropower be? Net carbon emission from the largest hydropower plant in Amazonia, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Dailson J. Bertassoli et al, How green can Amazon hydropower be? Net carbon emission from the largest hydropower plant in Amazonia,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe1470

 2021 AFP
To find out if predation changes the composition of the community of invertebrates, researchers enclosed some of the panels with a mesh cage. On the Pacific side of Panama, predation was greater than on the Atlantic side, and some species were only found in enclosed panels on the Pacific, rarely on open panels. Predation was also greater in the tropics than further north. The results of this study indicate that conserving the biodiversity of a site and protecting the predators may limit marine invasions. Credit: STRI

What makes a successful invasion? What keeps invaders out? Are some geographic locations more vulnerable to invasion than others?

Smithsonian marine biologists and colleagues at Temple University tested predictions about biological invasions, first in Panama and then in an experiment of unprecedented geographic scale. Their results are published in companion papers in the journal Ecology.

Night and day, oil tankers, yachts and cargo ships stacked with shipping containers ply the 80-kilometer (50-mile) waterway through the jungles of Panama between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean: about 40 ships every 24 hours. But even though the Canal is fed by freshwater rivers that empty through the locks on each end, a system that generally prevents fish and smaller marine invertebrates from hopping from ocean to ocean, some still manage to get through, clinging to the hulls of ships. Other invading species arrive from far-flung ports, dumped with ballast water as ships prepare for transit.

"Panama is a major shipping hub that provides amazing opportunities to test key ideas about marine invasions by studying two very different oceans at the same latitude," said Mark Torchin, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), "I can check sites in the ocean in front of my lab at the Pacific entrance to the Canal and then drive to the Atlantic coast in an hour to check sites there. Where else in the world can you do that?"

Since the Canal opened in 1914, the human population of the world has catapulted from 2 billion to almost 8 billion. And as people move around the globe, other organisms move as well. Fish breeders in the United States imported carp from Asia to clean their ponds; now Asian Carp have worked their way up the Mississippi River system to Canada, destroying natural bird and fish habitat along the way. Likewise, cane toads were introduced in Australia to control beetles, but because they have no natural predators there, toad numbers exploded. But most invasions are inadvertent, as animals (or viruses, for that matter) hitch rides on boats or planes.

"We have very practical reasons to test ideas about the success of invaders in different locations as we learn how to predict and manage invasions," said Amy Freestone, associate professor at Temple University and research associate at both STRI in Panama and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Maryland. "With these paired experimental studies, we wanted to know if marine invaders are equally successful in all environments and how important predators are to keep them in check."

First the team asked whether marine invaders are more successful in one ocean basin compared to the other. Is the proportion of non-native species higher in the less-diverse Pacific compared to the more-diverse Atlantic as theory predicts? And is there asymmetrical exchange between oceans in Panama, with more species introduced from the Atlantic to Pacific than in the opposite direction?

To find out, they suspended PVC panels as habitat patches for colonization. About the size of patio tiles, panels were placed in the water at 10 different sites near each end of the Panama Canal. They waited for 3 months for marine invertebrates to colonize the panels. Then they removed these standard collectors, photographed the results and identified the species on the panels, classifying them as either native, non-native or species of unknown origin.

They found more non-native species in the less-diverse Pacific where there were 18 non-native species, 30% of all Pacific species, than in the more-diverse Atlantic where there were 11 non-native species, 13% of all Atlantic species. And there was a higher influx of invaders from the Atlantic to the Pacific than vice versa.

Along the way they reported 9 new non-native sessile invertebrates in the Pacific and 7 in the Atlantic that were previously unknown from these areas. One of the important contributions of this project was a collaboration with the Panama Canal Authority (Autoridad del Canal de Panama, ACP) and the Panama Maritime Authority (Autoridad Maritima de Panama, AMP), with support from Panama's Secretariat for Science and Technology (SENACYT) to create an online database called Pan-NEMO of non-native species as part of the National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS).

Mark Torchin, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and research manager, Carmen Schloeder, harvesting a sample of marine invertebrates in Panama. Credit: STRI

The team also combed through previous scientific papers, pulling together the cumulative record of all non-native marine species reported to date in Panama. They found the same thing: eight times more non-native species were reported from the Pacific than from the Atlantic in this area.

Next they looked for evidence of a concept called biotic resistance, the idea that, in biodiverse environments, it is harder for invaders to gain a foothold because they have to compete with the natives and survive alongside native predators. To test effects of predators, they compared caged and uncaged panels in two companion studies. They suspended uncovered panels, panels with mesh cages to keep predators out, and panels with mesh along the sides but open at one end at 3 sites per ocean, waited three months, and then identified the invertebrates and weighed them.

Predation substantially reduced biomass and changed non-native species composition in the Pacific, but not on the Atlantic coast. Some of the dominant non-native species were particularly susceptible to predation in the Pacific, supporting the hypothesis that predation reduces the abundance of certain non-native species.

Based on the results of the Panama experiments the research team secured funding from the US National Science Foundation to also test the idea that predation is stronger the closer you get to the equator and to find out how it impacts communities of marine invertebrates. To do this, they put out PVC panels, with and without cages at 12 sites in 4 regions: subarctic, Ketchikan, Alaska; temperate, San Francisco, California; subtropical La Paz, Mexico and tropical Panama City, Panama.

"These projects not only provide interesting data," said Carmen Schloeder, research manager in the Torchin lab and co-author of both studies, "but also a great experience working for extended periods of time in different environments with collaborators from many different cultural backgrounds. I'm proud to be part of a diverse core team which includes many women: to be able to work with and learn from inspiring colleagues is an essential part of science. "

Results of the second experiment showed that indeed, predators closer to the equator were more diverse, predation rates were higher, predators were larger and they spent more time interacting with their prey. Predation is a much more important force in the tropics than further north. In the tropics, the effects of predators were obvious: they reduced the biomass on the plates and changed the composition of the organisms. In the North, this didn't happen. Communities of marine invertebrates are hit harder by predators in the tropics.

"We show that predators are a critical component of these marine ecosystems, particularly in the tropics, and can limit the abundance of introduced species," Freestone said. "Protect the predatorsthat is, protect these diverse environmentsand you are protecting the world's oceans from invasions by species that may radically alter the balance of marine ecosystems."

"Healthy ecosystems resist invasions," said Gregory Ruiz from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). "Along with global efforts to reduce organism transfers by ships, conservation of native predator populations plays a critical role in biosecurity to prevent new invasions."

Explore further Fish invasions follow Panama and Suez canal expansions

More information: Amy L. Freestone et al, Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics, Ecology (2021). Amy L. Freestone et al, Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3428 Mark E Torchin et al, Asymmetry of marine invasions across tropical oceans, Ecology (2021). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3434 Journal information: Ecology
MOREAU  In 2014, Patrick Killian was faced with a decision: Either sell his 300 dairy cows or lose his family farm.

He was just months removed from constructing a new barn for the animals when milk prices began to slip. Sensing a dramatic shift in the market, Killian opted to sell the cows in a bid to preserve his 500-acre farm along Burt Road, which has been in his family since the 1950s.

Selling the cows was one of the hardest things Ive had to do, Killian said. My family was devastated.

Three days after selling the cows, Killian said milk prices dropped dramatically. He made the right decision.

Today, he maintains just 30 beef cattle and five Holsteins, which his 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, shows at various county fairs throughout the summer. An aspiring veterinarian, Killian hopes to one day pass the farm on to her and his 14-year-old son, Brock.

But seven years after ending his dairy operations, Killian is struggling to hold onto his farm  a growing trend that threatens to disrupt the towns thriving agricultural industry.

The barn he built in 2014 is now filled with hundreds of dairy cows from a nearby farm as part of a lease agreement. The acres of fields  where Killian helped plant various crops as a child  are now used to grow hay and corn under the same agreement.

The agreement provides some revenue, but its become increasingly difficult to pay taxes and cover operating expenses. Fuel and feed prices have increased, diminishing returns and aging equipment is in need of costly repairs.

Were on the brink of extinction based on what and how were doing, Killian said.

But Killian believes hes found a solution to his predicament: solar panels.

Hes hoping to lease around 80 acres of his land, which sits just yards from a major transmission line, to Boralex, a Canadian clean-energy company with offices in South Glens Falls.

The company is seeking to construct a 20-megawatt community solar farm in a sprawling field hidden by towering trees and shrubs currently used to grow hay.

The panels would be decommissioned after 25 years, but income from the agreement would give Killian the stability needed to not only pass the farm onto his children, but begin repairing aging facilities and restart the milking operation he ended in 2014.

We have an opportunity for a bright future, he said.

Several other farmers in town have made agreements with another local solar developer, Renua Energy, in a bid to save their own farms.

But a proposed local law that would regulate solar energy in town would keep Killian and the others from harvesting the suns rays.

A provision in the law, which has been more than a year in the making, prevents solar farms from being constructed on land that has been designated prime farmland  land with the best characteristics for growing crops  by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Killian is now seeking to have the language removed, and he has gathered hundreds of signatures via an online petition opposing the law ahead of a public hearing on Tuesday.

Hes hoping the language is removed so he can move forward with his plans to save his land before hes forced to sell to one of the dozens of downstate developers seeking to develop the property.

Ive got six months before I have to make a decision, he said.

An economic driver

Farming is a major economic driver in Moreau, but farmland has grown increasingly scarce over the years as farmers cease operations and sell their land to developers.

Supervisor Todd Kusnierz said the law would ensure farmers can take advantage of opportunities associated with solar while protecting prime farmland.

The goal of the draft law the board has put before the public for comment is to provide a level of protection for the most valuable land, Kusnierz said.

He added the law is subject to change based on public input.

But for Chris Barden, one of farmers seeking to lease his land to Renua, the law as written could mean the end of his 30-acre farm his family has owned since the 1800s.

Hes fielded multiple offers from downstate developers seeking to purchase the property, which sits adjacent to the Wilton town line and butts up against the Northway.

So far, Barden has resisted the offers, but with costs on the rise, maintaining the property has become increasingly difficult.

For someone to continue farming, you either have to have very deep pockets or you have to have a huge farm and do it by volume, and even then youre squeaking by in most cases, he said.

But Barden said he doesnt want to be the generation responsible for losing the family farm.

Instead, he hopes to pass it onto his children and believes leasing a portion of the property to Renua would allow him to do just that.

The company is seeking to construct a 5-megawatt solar farm on about 16 acres of his property. The remaining land would be used to either house cattle or grow crops.

Its a unique opportunity available to only a handful of farmers in town due to their proximity to transmission lines and the electrical grids current capacity limitations, said David Byrne, president of Renua.

Were not looking to put these everywhere, he said.

Barden, meanwhile, said he doesnt understand why the town would draft a law that would prevent him from using his land as he sees fit, especially if his intentions are to preserve farmland.

It seems like the town cares more about farmland than it does farmers, he said.

A declining industry

Thousands of acres of farmland are lost each year to developers as farmers sell their land in the face of fluctuating prices and diminishing returns.

Moreau has been no exception.

The Moreau Farmland Protection Plan, drafted in 2014, highlights the extent of the loss.

The study found that the number of livestock farms in town decreased from 26 to 19 between 1996 and 2012, resulting in the loss of more than 500 acres.

Vacant farmland increased by 34% during that same period, growing from 705 acres to 945. The number of crop farms remained steady over that same period.

If these declines were to become a continuing trend, such losses may significantly impact the local farming industry given the high value of these farming operations, the study reads.

Guy Swears, a fourth-generation farmer who grew up in Moreau, has witnessed the decline first-hand.

Growing up in this town, I can recall at least 40 working full-time dairy farms. They werent big, but they were working full-time dairy farms and these families made a living on their land at that time, he said. Now we have one.

Swears is afraid hell soon be contributing to the downward trend.

He currently leases his 36-acre farm along Old West Road for just $30 an acre, barely enough to pay the property taxes. He estimates hell be forced to sell the property in two years and has already fielded multiple offers from downstate developers.

But an agreement with Renua to lease 19 acres of his property to construct a 5-megawatt solar farm would be a game-changer, Swears said.

The arrangement would allow him to hold onto the property, which would ensure the land can be farmed by future generations instead of used to build housing.

The panels would be removed after 25 years, while the remaining land would continue to be farmed, Swears said.

This is an opportunity for us, I think, to look at new streams of income and just make ends meet. Farmers feed the world, so weve got to try to do something  whatever cleaver things we can come up with just to stay afloat, he said.

Differing opinions

But Kusnierz, the town supervisor, sees things differently.

He believes solar panels would prevent prime farmland from being used and would further exacerbate the decline of the towns agricultural industry.

If farmers dont have access to that farmland, there wont be as many farms. There wont be a healthy and vibrant agricultural community, he said.

Kusnierz added that the proposed law would allow most farmers in the agriculture district to lease their land, and would limit panels being placed on just 25% of land designated as prime farmland.

He added that under current town laws, solar farms are prohibited everywhere except the industrial park.

Were not banning solar on all agricultural land, were just limiting its placement on those soils that are classified as prime farmland, Kusnierz said.

Asked about the potential of farmers selling their land, Kusnierz said farmers would be within their rights to do so, but noted there are also opportunities to sell the property to other farm operations.

We have farmers coming from outside the town of Moreau using that land because land is such a scarce resource and these are such large operations, he said. If they want to keep it in agricultural production, there are farmers willing to buy it or certainly lease it.

Still, Kusnierz said the Town Board will listen carefully to what the public has to say before giving final approval to any law.

Were not going to rush to have a law that doesnt have the support of those most impacted, he said.

Tuesdays public hearing is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at the Moreau Town Hall.

Chad Arnold is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls and the town and village of Lake George and Washington County government. Follow him on Twitter @ChadGArnold.

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NEW YORK  Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to New York state to settle claims that the pharmaceutical giant helped fuel the opioid crisis, Attorney General Letitia James said on Saturday.

The drugmaker also agreed to permanently end the manufacturing and distribution of opioids across New York and the rest of the nation, James said in a statement announcing the settlement.

The company helped fuel this fire, but today theyre committing to leaving the opioid business  not only in New York, but across the entire country, she said.

The deal involving a lawsuit brought by James in 2019 removes Johnson & Johnson from a trial that is slated to begin next week on Long Island  part of a slew of litigation over an epidemic linked to nearly 500,000 deaths over the last two decades.

In its own statement on Saturday, Johnson & Johnson downplayed the attorney generals announcement. It said the settlement involved two prescription painkillers  developed by a subsidiary and accounting for less than 1% of the market  that are already no longer sold in the U.S.
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Background checks blocked a record high 300,000 gun sales SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  The number of people stopped from buying guns through the U.S. background check system hit an all-time high of more than 300,000 last year amid a surge of firearm sales, according to new records obtained by the group Everytown for Gun Safety.

To promote peace across the resort, Dunston and other community activists collaborated with Parents Engaging Parents, an organization that promotes civic awareness and proactive community advocacy, to hold a Unity in the Community Parade on Saturday.

Altorice Frazier, the organizations executive director, said he hopes to hold similar events in other cities across the state.

We really want this to pick up and show theres two sides to Atlantic City, and the bigger side is unity, Frazier said. There may be violence, but theyre not the only city dealing with this.

One thing most everyone agrees on is that the Atlantic City Police Department is severely understaffed.

The city currently has 270 officers  the same number it had in 1978 when casino gaming was introduced in the resort, interim Officer-in-Charge James Sarkos said Monday.

And heres the real ask for the governor in the state of New Jersey: Lets increase the number of police officers here in the great city of Atlantic City. Lets get them back to old levels. Lets get the salaries up, Small said.

Tom Forkin, the Republican nominee for mayor, has expressed the same concerns.
TRENTON  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month.

The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rent.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in New Jersey:
New Jersey could become the first state in the country to appoint an official anti-hunger advocate if a bill that was approved by the Legislature on Thursday is signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

A so-called Food Insecurity Advocate would consolidate the responsibility of oversight of food aid programs that are administered across several state agencies.

This is remarkable and groundbreaking. Its not being done anywhere in America, said Adele LaTourette, director of Hunger Free New Jersey, a leading statewide advocacy group headquartered in Bergen County. It will get people in social services on the same page, working in the same direction.

Asked whether Murphy was expected to sign the bill, a spokesperson said the governor doesnt comment on pending legislation.

For decades, LaTourette said, theres been a lack of coordination and communication among state agencies administering federal programs such as food stamps (now known as SNAP for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children).

You have all these departments with different acronyms serving the same population who dont speak the same bureaucratic language and dont understand how each other functions, LaTourette said.
Forty years after he left the Oval Office, most Americans associate this most enigmatic recent president with his humanitarian projects on behalf of Habitat for Humanity or his efforts to wipe out Guinea worm disease in Africa. Pundits quip that he is the only ex-president to have used the White House as a steppingstone to more worthy achievements. We dont think of him as a shrewd, pragmatic or ruthless politician.

This is a mistake. Carter had an uncanny political sense, meaning that he knew exactly what voters wanted to hear. He proved this by the fact that he got himself elected president as a liberal Southern white man.

But heres what was unusual about him. Once he took office as president, he repeatedly told his aides that he didnt want to hear their arguments about what was politically expedient. Instead, he was determined as president to use his brain and his judgment to figure out what was the right thing to do  and do it, regardless of the political consequences. Once in office, Carter thought politics was sinful, said his vice president, the late Walter Mondale. The worst thing you could say to Carter if you wanted him to do something was that it was politically the best thing to do.
MVC closings a burden to Cape senior citizens

Regarding the recent story, Lawmakers push for full services at all MVC offices:

My first response was about how wonderful Cape May County responded to the vaccine crisis. I laughed so hard tears ran down my face, and then I got mad. The article said, Cape May County has had one of the strongest vaccination programs in New Jersey and the CDC reports that 64% of the countys adult population is fully vaccinated.

I am 71 years old and my husband is 76 and we had to travel to Atlantic City to get vaccinated. We drove some neighbors who are older than us to Atlantic City. They were terrified of getting COVID.

MVC spokesman William Connolly stated that splitting up services at the MVC has proven more efficient and resulted in less of a wait for customers. Who would rather get in their car and drive to Runnemede (85 miles) than drive to the North Cape May MVC? If I had to wait one hour there, it would be preferred over a 4 hour round trip. Were talking gas and time.

I live in North Cape May and am five minutes from the MVC office there. Connolly should get his head out of the sand. There are a ton of seniors in this area who cannot make those long trips to either get vaccinated or get their cars registered.
Patrick J Wolfe

Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science

Miller Family Professor of Statistics and Computer Science

Faculty appointment in electrical and computer engineering

A native of the Midwest, Patrick J. Wolfe is a 1998 graduate of the University of Illinois with degrees in electrical engineering and music and holds a 2003 doctorate from the University of Cambridge.

Dean Wolfe specializes in the mathematical foundations of data science.

After teaching at Cambridge and Harvard, he joined the faculty of University College London (UCL) in 2012, where he became the founding executive director of its Big Data Institute. He is currently a trustee and non-executive director of the Alan Turing Institute, the United Kingdoms national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.

He has received research awards from the Royal Society, the Acoustical Society of America, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was named the inaugural IEEE Distinguished Lecturer in Data Science.

A past recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House while at Harvard, Dean Wolfe provides expert advice on applications of data science to a range of national and international entities and organizations.

To request a speech or appearance by the Dean of Purdue's College of Science, complete this form.
A frequent contributor to this page wrote a letter thanking President Joe Biden and other national Democrats for helping advance conservatism. I guess I am curious as to what that even is today. Is conservatism supporting the belief that denying the right to vote to those opposed to you is better than democracy? Is it the full-throated support of right-wing zealots attacking police officers at our nation's capitol and attempting to overthrow the government? Maybe its the way a couple of our local Republican legislators do absolutely nothing to contribute to legislative talks, but instead sit outside of the chambers holding inflammatory Facebook Live events. Nope, I got it, its using the United States Senate to write, rewrite and rewrite again their rules to benefit only the the Republican Party, whether or not the people would prefer they be in the majority or the minority.
The Delta variant -- which has been found to be more transmissible than others -- now accounts for about 29% of cases in Missouri, more than any other state, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And vaccination rates in Missouri remain below average, CDC data shows. About 38% of the state's population is fully vaccinated, compared to nearly 46% of the US population overall.

Vaccine outreach

With Springfield having less than 38% of people fully vaccinated, health officials are resorting to creative approaches to gain the trust of the community.

Health clinics along with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department have hosted vaccination clinics at fire stations, LGBTQ+ community centers and a local Juneteenth celebration. Local breweries have also hosted recurring events in which attendees can get a shot and a beer for free, motivation for some.

"I don't really have any other answer other than I was scared of a new thing," said Will Branch.

An arborist by trade, Branch, 37, said his family had been careful about quarantining throughout the pandemic. Branch and his wife, Gina, in part, wanted to keep safe since one of their two young children is a heart patient.
Wednesday, June 23

First identified in the U.S. in March, the COVID-19 Delta variant spread gained momentum. According to the CDC, Delta represented 0.1% of cases in April, 1.3% of cases in early May, and jumped to 9.5% in early June.

Now the CDC estimates the Delta variant accounts for 20.6% of COVID-19 infections.

Scott County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Louis Katz said the variant is present in the upper Midwest and has been confirmed in Iowa by the State Hygienic Laboratory.

The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed last week 64 cases of the Delta variant.

"Bad news is that the Delta variant that was first recognized in India, is on pace to become dominant in the US over the next several weeks."

Katz described Delta as a more potent variation of the earlier evolutions of the virus.
The vehicle was tracked by On Star and Moline Police were able to take Sandberg into custody after a pursuit during which the victims Terrain was severely damaged. Sandberg also had the victims wallet. The Kelly Blue Book value of the vehicle at the time was about $14,000.

Sandberg was charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with aggravated fleeing, a Class 4 felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of one to three years.

At the time Sandberg stole the GMC Terrain at gunpoint, he was serving 30 months on probation. During a hearing in Rock Island County Circuit Court on Aug. 21, 2020, received the sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of meth delivery of less than five grams, a Class 2 felony for which he could have received a prison sentence of three to seven years. He received a concurrent sentence of 30 months on probation for a charge of possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony.

However, with charges pending in Henry County, Illinois, and Scott County the charges against Sandberg for fleeing Moline police in the stolen Terrain were dropped and he was unsuccessfully discharged from probation on the meth conviction during a hearing Feb. 25 in Rock Island County Circuit Court.
Davenport police have arrested a man in connection with two separate shooting incidents in the city, one of which occurred in October of 2019, and the other in March of this year.

Demarcus Donnta Hanes Jr., 25, is charged with two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon. The charge is a Class C felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 10 years.

Hanes also is charged with one count of going armed with intent, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years, and two counts of carrying weapons, an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of two years.

According to the arrest affidavits filed by Davenport Police Detective Bryan Butt in the 2019 incident, at 8:10 p.m. on Oct. 4 in the 1200 block of Brown Street, Hanes had gotten into an argument with the victims son. Hanes left the victims residence and then pointed a small black handgun at members of the victims family.

As Hanes began walking away the victim followed him. Hanes turned around and fired one shot at the victim. Hanes then ran from the scene. No injuries were reported.

The second shooting incident occurred at 4:47 p.m. March 28 in the 3700 block of Bridge Avenue.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Judge Peter Cahill told George Floyd's family members that I acknowledge and hear the pain that youre feeling before sentencing a former Minneapolis police officer to 22 1/2 years in prison for murder.

Cahill didnt speak at length during Derek Chauvins sentencing hearing Friday, but instead issued a 22-page memorandum explaining his rationale for the sentence. He said it was not the appropriate time to be profound or clever.

His sentence was 10 years above the presumptive penalty under state sentencing guidelines. Cahill told Chauvin that his penalty was based on your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to George Floyd.

Cahill said his ruling wasn't based on emotion or sympathy, but he acknowledged the widespread pain that Floyd's death has caused for the community.

I acknowledge the pain not only of those in this courtroom, but the Floyd family who are outside this courtroom and other members of the community, Cahill said. "It has been painful throughout Hennepin County, throughout the state of Minnesota, and even the country.
But Soderbergh did walk away from the experience  a satisfying and unique one, he says  with a gnawing sense of a larger existential crisis for movies. Ratings, like they have for most pandemic award shows, plummeted.

I just look at it as a larger issue than the specifics of what our show looked like, and that is: How do we make people care about the movies the way they used to?" Soderbergh says. To me, this is the real question that needs to be confronted.

But the conditions, and the opportunities of streaming, are also ripe for a protean, fast-working filmmaker like Soderbergh. He recently shot his third film for HBO Max, KIMI," a pandemic-set thriller with Zoe Kravitz. No Sudden Move, a period crime film for adults, is very much the kind of movie that before the streaming flood gates opened would have been unlikely to get made.
"(Illinois State Police) won't have to duplicate those efforts or the expenses," Pearson said.

The state has already made progress on reducing the backlog, Kelly said. Since December, the agency has processed more new applications than it received, and the backlog of roughly 70,000 is going down by a few thousand each month.

"We're getting closer and closer to doing them within 30 days," Kelly said.

The prospect of eliminating the backlog was one reason the rifle association took a neutral stance on the bill rather than opposing it. Bryant, the state senator, said she would have liked to support the bill for the same reason, but voted no because of what she says are onerous new restrictions on private gun sales.

"There's some good stuff in it," Bryant said, "but just like any attempt at a bill that's controversial, they always throw something in at the end that almost makes it poison."

Sale or transfer of any firearm through an unlicensed dealer would be subject to a background check through Illinois State Police or a federally licensed firearms dealer. The dealer must keep the record for 20 years and may charge up to $25 for the service. Dealers keep those records pursuant to federal law anyway.
CHICAGO (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, has been the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and have fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing that they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rent.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they would face eviction within the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Illinois:
A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, has been the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and have fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing that they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rent.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they would face eviction within the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Iowa:
This is the second instance this month of possible community exposure to COVID-19 linked to the church affiliated with the camp, The Crossing, a multi-campus, nondenominational church, with locations in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.

The downstate Adams County Health Department recently warned of possible community exposure to COVID-19 at a conference held June 18 and 19 at a churchs Quincy location, according to media reports; the health department required those in attendance to quarantine for 10 days after their last exposure.

The church did not immediately return the Tribunes requests for comment.

Crossing Camp is billed on its website as a powerful and life-changing event.

The four-day camp was from June 13 to 17, for eighth graders and high school students, and featured gifted speakers and worship leaders, according to the website. The cost was $200.

A packing list on the site includes items such as a sleeping bag, sunscreen and a Bible, but does not mention bringing a mask.

On its registration page, the website also says another session scheduled for younger students has been postponed, citing the recent outbreak at the teen camp.
By providing additional USDA assistance and grants for American processors to launch or expand their operations, our Butcher Block Act would both help protect the U.S. meat industry and increase market opportunities for American livestock producers," she said.

In Kansas, the Tyson Foods' Holcomb beef processing plant was seriously damaged by a fire on Aug. 9, 2019 putting the plant out of operation for nearly a year. That, plus the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, seriously undermined the nation's ability to process enough product to suit consumer demand. Zippy Duvall with the American Farm Bureau Federation said the Butcher Block Act will benefit small processors to step up and assist to stabilize the cattle market.

The Holcomb plant fire and the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a one-two punch to our nations cattle growers and the volatility in the cattle markets that followed drove home the need to find solutions to the challenges facing the industry," Duvall said in a statement. "We appreciate Congressman Johnson and Congresswoman Spanberger for introducing the Butcher Block Act, which aims to diversify processing and create a more resilient food supply chain."

The Butcher Block Act is also supported by the United States Cattlemen's Association and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

From coast to coast, were hearing the same need from our producers. More hook space to alleviate the chokepoint in our supply chain must be a part of any solution aimed at putting more of the beef dollar in the pockets of cattle farmers and ranchers, said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. The Butcher Block Act takes important steps to fund the growth of regional and independent packing plants, giving farmers and ranchers more opportunities to get their cattle sold and processed. NCBA thanks Congressman Johnson for his bipartisan leadership on this critical issue for South Dakota ranchers.

Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Augostine Rosales said hed likely be dead if it wasn't for the Cornerstone Rescue Mission.

Rosales never thought he or his siblings would amount to much of anything growing up poor with an alcoholic mother in Rapid City and later in Colorado.

He spent 15 years in prison and got out in 2013. In 2019, he became homeless trying to keep up with child support and paying $1,000 a month in rent.

Rosales said he worked at Que Pasa for four years as the cook when things went south. He quit in January. In December 2019, he applied for a job as the cook at Cornerstone.

Thats when Justin Schofield... interviewed me, Rosales said. He said youre not going to be a cook. I said, OK, what am I going to be? He said, Youre going to be a supervisor. I said OK. He sat there and told me he believes in giving people second chances. Im sitting on four felonies. Ive done 15 years in prison.

Rosales is now the lead supervisor for the mens mission.
Carson, who used to be an in-home care provider, said she personally knows at least three in-home workers who had to close their business because of the pandemic.

The childcare industry has lost hundreds of thousands of workers nationwide. About 166,800 fewer people were working in child care in December 2020 than had been in those jobs at the same time in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In 2020, child care workers in South Dakota had a median hourly wage of $10.39, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or the equivalent to making about $21,600 per year if working full-time.

Bethesda of Aberdeen, a daycare facility in northeastern South Dakota, chose to limit its capacity to the children of employees for the long-term care facility but was able to keep all of its daycare workers, said April Wirth, operations director of the daycare.

The daycare is almost back to its pre-pandemic capacity, and Wirth said she expects to need additional workers soon.

The decision to close care to the community was tough, she said, and the facility still hasnt regained all of the children who were formerly enrolled.
On the night of April 20, 2010, Anderson was the officer on duty when was notified of some disturbing chatter on radio frequencies used by mariners.

"There was a charter boat that was a half mile away from an oil rig that saw a massive explosion. It was the Deepwater Horizon," Anderson said. "The Air Station was launching helicopters but they didn't know where this oil rig is located."

Anderson said once one of the watchmen notified him, he rushed to the watchroom, not even fully dressed as it was the middle of the night.

"We start trying to figure out where the oil rig was at, because there are thousands of them in the Gulf," Anderson said. "There was so much chatter on the radio and we were the closest radio signal from his charter boat. I told him to give me the position, so I call the position directly in to the air station and they hung up on me three times.

"Finally, I got ahold of this lieutenant on the phone and I barked, 'Sir, do not hang up. I have the exact position of this oil rig.' That was instrumental. If that charter boat hadn't called in and if I hadn't been able to get the position of the Deepwater Horizon, they wouldn't have been able to save as many lives as they did."
Theres no word strong enough to describe what happened [to Matthew], and theyve taken that and put it toward helping people. Its so incredible, she said. I cried every time I watched their segment. You never get used to hearing it; if you do, its a problem.

She met all of the people featured in the documentary organically: some at the marriage equality celebration, others at Black Hills Pride. She instantly connected with them and ended up becoming friends with all of them. Willis even accompanying one of the women from the state marriage equality case, Nancy, to her first chemotherapy appointment this week.

Willis interviewed more people than were in the film; she told everyone up front that they could pull out of the project at any time if they were uncomfortable. She also had to cut some interviews out because those people moved away, and the point of the documentary was to follow peoples journeys in the Midwest. LGBT people from rural areas frequently move to cities, which are typically more accepting of nontraditional life paths in ways rural communities are not.

All of the people interviewed in the film are white; which Willis said has been hanging over her. She did interview two queer Native American women, but when they both contracted bad cases of COVID-19, she had to stop filming them  something she regrets.
A new chapter is set to begin soon at Fort Owen State Park.

On July 1, the gates will officially open to one of Montanas smallest state parks that preserves a place with a long and storied past.

For the first time since the state took ownership in 1937 from the Stevensville Historical Society, visitors will have more than a couple of parking places to choose from.

Those who chose to make the trip will travel on a brand-new asphalt road to the entrance of a recently completed parking lot large enough for 13 cars and an RV or two.

The park theyll visit remains much the same as its been for years. The only original structure still standing is a portion of the East Barracks that was constructed out of adobe bricks. It was built sometime in the 1840s or 1850s.

The changes have just started for the location of the first permanent white settlement in Montana.

Its a brand new chapter and we are excited to be able to share it with people, said the parks manager, Maci MacPherson.

A new interpretive plan is in the works to enlighten visitors of Fort Owens importance to Stevensville, Montana, and Native Americans.
Too often people try to stereotype what it means to be gay. People need to realize that being gay is just one aspect of who he is and it doesnt define him, Reid said.

In the early days, he worried his personal life would turn into a scandal. Over the years, he has been told flat out that he was denied jobs because he was on the wrong side of politics to be gay.

Townley Goldsmith-Ray, executive director of Greater Richmond SHRM, a chapter of the national Society for Human Resource Management, has been married to her wife for 16 years.

She values the opportunity she has to influence how businesses develop inclusive environments for members of the LGBTQ+ community through her affiliation with the Greater Richmond SHRM.

For too many LGBTQ+ employees, discrimination is a way of life and has a real human cost.

It leaves people feeling afraid to be who they are, being wary of their co-workers, having to tolerate bullying or offensive jokes, and experiencing higher levels of stress and other detrimental effects on their physical and mental health, Goldsmith-Ray said.

For her own experience, Goldsmith-Ray has thrived in workplaces where she has been able to bring her full authentic self.
ARLINGTON  The Arlington County school system is removing police officers from its school hallways. Arlingtons School Board unanimously approved the change Thursday, The Washington Post reported.

Arlington schools Superintendent Francisco Duran said that starting this fall, law enforcement agencies will respond to emergencies in schools but will no longer have school resource officers stationed there.

I know there are some in the community that are anxious about the changes, Duran said.

Duran based his recommendation to remove police officers on the findings of a work group that examined the school systems relationship with the Arlington County Police Department.

Many large school systems have curtailed or eliminated the use of police officers in schools after a white Minneapolis police officers murder of George Floyd, a Black man, a death that fueled national protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

Alexandria City Schools is the only other school system in the Northern Virginia region that has formally voted to remove school resource officers from its public schools, WTOP reported.
After a series of meetings, the Louisville downtown revitalization team released an action plan on June 1. Per the citys website it focuses on clean and green efforts, safety, public infrastructure improvements, events, and marketing.

What most stands out is the presence of hard deadlines for goals to be achieved  completion windows of 30 days, 60 to 90 days, or 120-plus days, depending on the project. Items will be addressed through funding streams including the city budget, ARPA funds and private money. An advisory group will continue to help the city and its downtown business partnership implement key resources.

The Downtown Revitalization Teams work isnt about bringing downtown back to what it was; its about making it better by ensuring that our downtown is vibrant, clean, safe, equitable, and inclusive, so that everyone feels like an essential part of, and is welcome in, downtown, Fischer said in a June statement.

We know the Coliseum is an eyesore. We know these blighted, city-owned properties can be something better. But the solution to create a cohesive, vibrant downtown Richmond that welcomes everyone is not inside one draft plan or series of public meetings. And cities across the U.S. are facing the same issues we are.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eviction protections end after July 31 and some state eviction protections end after June 30, an important state eviction protection will remain.

Of its original $1.1 billion, Virginias Rent Relief Program (RRP) still has $850 million in unspent funds. Based on past expenditures, that is enough to pay rent arrears for more than 170,000 tenants. With so much in available funds, no tenant in Virginia should be evicted for nonpayment of rent until after the last dollar has been spent.

Even after June 30, all landlords still will be required to provide 14-day nonpayment notices to tenants who are late on rent. This is an increase from the past 5-day nonpayment notice. This requirement continues through June 30, 2022.

Also after June 30, landlords with more than four rental units must offer payment plans to tenants late on rent. This is a change from the past when such plans were not required to be offered. This requirement also continues through June 30, 2022.
CRT states historic facts;

some might be disturbing

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

I agree with Robin Williams, in her June 23 Letter to the Editor, that parents want students to have knowledge and not indoctrination. Unfortunately, her canards surrounding this critical issue cannot go unaddressed.

No Virginia public school system currently teaches critical race theory (CRT)  so please, stop pretending as if they all do. If they did, every child today would know about the Tulsa Race Massacre and Jim Crow laws; and they dont. Frankly, if it had been taught for the past 20 years, one could make the case that we'd be in a far better position today with diversity, equity and inclusion.

Unproven and unprovable theories about race and oppression of people based on the color of their skin? A simple internet search turns up plenty of scientific research proving the above. Williams' simple sentence about this turns a blind eye to what is true in this country, despite having made some progress in the past 50 years or so. I believe blind eyes will continue the divisiveness, not alleviate it.
Senate urged to pass

DREAM Act for minors

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

The U.S. Senate should pass the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act). This bill would allow young adults brought to the United States as children, the so-called "Dreamers," to stay here and become citizens if they play by the rules.

"Dreamers" are as American as you or I. Some have no idea they lack legal documentation until they try to obtain a drivers license or apply for college. Under the DREAM Act, they would be able to pursue the American dream and attend school and work as well as serve in the military without fear of deportation.

Voters on both sides of the aisle strongly agree that "Dreamers" should be allowed to stay in the U.S. Three-quarters of Republicans support allowing "Dreamers" to work and go to school in the U.S., including two-thirds of former President Donald Trumps supporters.

The DREAM Act will offer a helping hand to a small group of young people who came to this country under extenuating circumstances, have spent years contributing to their communities and know no other home but the U.S. The Senate should pass this common-sense bill as soon as possible.
Unlike the Allens and Branches, for example, neither of the Sheppards  brothers John and Nicholas  lived in the section they developed.

The Sheppard family was originally from Buckingham County, said Chris Novelli, an architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Nicholas Sheppard was a doctor in Henrico, and his brother never lived in Richmond.

And unlike the Allens and Branches, the Sheppard brothers didnt take an active role in developing their property.

As a result, a large number of builders and developers worked independently in the Sheppard section, and its overall character is more diverse than the other two sections.

The Allen tract, for example, is marked by townhouses on relatively narrow lots, and their uniform mass, scale and setback from the road give the section an urban vibe. By contrast, houses in the Branch section feel more suburban, with wider lots and a greater variety of mass and scale.

The Sheppard section, in some ways, offers a combination of the other two sections urban and suburban characters, as well as featuring a higher percentage of apartment buildings.
A nonprofit is seeking to evict Roanoke City Council member Robert Jeffrey from his rented office at a senior apartment complex, according to court papers.

Jeffrey, a magazine publisher, said Friday the case is meritless, but he plans to leave anyway. The rent has been paid, he said.

The plaintiff, Carroll Carter, said there is something going on but declined to elaborate.

Carter filed suit June 11 on behalf of the Northwest Neighborhood Environmental Organization, or NNEO, which owns the McCray Court senior complex on Ninth Street Northwest. Jeffrey, CEO of Jeffrey Media, publishes the monthly lifestyle and issues magazine ColorsVA and uses an office there. He also managed McCray Court at one time, but resigned several months ago over issues with Carter, he said.

In the filing, the nonprofit NNEO seeks a court order to terminate Jeffrey Medias tenancy of the office over an alleged breach of lease for reasons other than nonpayment of rent. The filing gives no further explanation of the reasons for the eviction request. Jeffrey has been served with the unlawful detainer action. A July 15 hearing has been scheduled in Roanoke General District Court.
Now that I am retired, I discover I have been teaching critical race theory for the last 40 years without knowing it.

I think this is because as an undergrad at UVA it was just assumed that if you were smart enough to get in Mr. Jeffersons University, you knew that American political, judicial, educational, and religious systems were riddled with racism, just as they were with prejudice against women, gays, and other groups, including Sally Hemings.

It was the 1960s. It wasnt like institutional racism wasnt visible; if anything, it was so visible many white Americans didnt even see it. Like today.

UVA too had few women and Blacks because you cant just legislate away racism, patriarchy, and homophobia. Thats what institutionalized means: Everything around and within you has always been the way it is. Black people like to sit together in the back of the bus, dont they?

However, Im not as startled to find that CRT is popularly linked to Marxism, because if you dont have good evidence or cogent arguments just trot out that old war horse and the cultural militias will erupt in gunfire.

But does anyone even read Marx anymore? I thought he went out of favor with postmodernism, like Freud with the cognitive scientists.
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CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
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Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for murder of George Floyd

Judge Peter Cahill told George Floyds family members that I acknowledge and hear the pain that youre feeling, before sentencing a former Minneapolis police officer to 22 1/2 years in prison for murder
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
Rodenkirchen traveled to Glasgow in 2016. She likes how the university structures its curriculum and how students are afforded hands-on opportunities the first week of class. Participating in the extramural studies, or EMS, is something she has thoroughly enjoyed.

These studies are placements we have to plan and complete throughout the entirety of our degree, Rodenkirchen said. We are given a lot of freedom to tailor the placements towards our own interests. For example, because Im interested more in small animal medicine, I chose to see practice in a variety of small animal clinics around the world. These placements also help us apply what we learn in the classroom to real life. It has been especially helpful for me as a tactile learner.

Rodenkirchen said she has been able to broaden [her] perspectives on veterinary medicine, as well as explore and appreciate different cultures, and create friendships and connections with people from all over the world. In fact, shes so connected to Scotland, she doesnt plan to go far after graduation.

Having this international community opens the door to so many new opportunities, she said. I have just accepted a job offer to work in a small animal general practice here in Glasgow. Scotland won my heart, so Ive decided to stay for a bit longer.
FLORENCE, S.C.  The smells of popcorn, barbecue and beer and the sound of live music once again filled the 100 block of South Dargan Street Friday evening.

People filled the blocked-off street in downtown Florence to attend the first Florence After Five event since 2019.

Lisa Hawkins, a teacher at Lucy T. Davis Elementary School, was one of the people attending the event.

She said she was glad the Florence After Five events had returned. She said it was exciting to get back out in the community and get some fresh air. Hawkins added that she was wearing her mask at the event as recommended by the event organizers.

Hawkins said she had attended the Florence After Five events since they began.

Im a teacher and I enjoy being out here in the afternoon and evening, Hawkins said.

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Tim Hagen was another person attending the event.

He said he decided to attend because of the nice weather  the Weather Channel listed Florence with a temperature of 80 degrees as of 6:11 p.m.  and it was the first Florence After Five event since 2019. Hagen said he hoped the event would help the community put COVID-19 in the rearview mirror.
On June 8, the British demanded a surrender, which was rejected and led to British troops landing on what is now Isle of Palms. On June 28, warships advanced on the fort and started firing just before noon; the forts guns responded. Soon, three ships tried to sneak between the island and mainland to fire on the unprotected rear of the fort and block reinforcements. But they ran aground. While two later were freed from sandbars, one eventually was set afire.

The cannonade continued through the evening, but the little fort survived with little damage, in part because of how the interwoven fibers of the palmetto logs, plus the thick berm of sand, absorbed the shock of British volleys.

The non-pliable wooden ships, however, werent as lucky. Several were damaged in the nine-hour battle, and British troops had more than 200 casualties, compared to 40 patriots. It wasnt long before the Royal Navy withdrew and the unnamed fort was named to honor Col. William Moultrie, its commander. Now, the site is part of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park.
Australia's largest city Sydney entered a two-week lockdown Saturday to contain a sudden coronavirus surge and Russia's Saint Petersburg announced a record death toll, as several European nations lifted restrictions despite the global spread of a highly contagious Covid-19 variant.

While vaccination drives have brought down infections in numerous -- mostly wealthy -- countries, the rise of the Delta variant, which first emerged in India, has stoked fears of new waves of a virus that has already killed nearly four million people.

Bangladesh announced that it would impose a new national lockdown from Monday over the variant, with offices shut for a week and only medical-related transport allowed.

Sydney's normally bustling harbourside centre was nearly deserted after people were ordered to stay home except for essential trips.

New Zealand, citing "multiple outbreaks" in Australia, announced a three-day suspension of its quarantine-free travel arrangement with its larger neighbour.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the suspension would give officials time to consider measures "to make the bubble safer, such as pre-departure testing for all flights" between the two countries.

Sydney's new restrictions apply to some five million people, along with hundreds of thousands of others living in nearby towns.

Many are reeling from the shock of the sudden outbreak, in a city that had returned to relative normality after months with very few cases.

"We've been struggling to get back from the lockdowns of last year," said Chris Kriketos, 32, who works at a bakery in central Sydney.

"Today just feels like another kick while you're slowly getting up."

- Highest Russian city toll -

Globally, the pandemic is still slowing down, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting the lowest number of new cases worldwide since February and decreasing deaths attributed to Covid-19.

Story continues

But concerns over the Delta variant have prompted new restrictions in countries that had previously managed to bring the virus under control.

"There is currently a lot of concern about the Delta variant," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a Friday press conference.

"Delta is the most transmissible of the variants identified so far, has been identified in at least 85 countries and is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations."

Russia's Euro 2020 host Saint Petersburg on Saturday reported the country's highest daily Covid-19 death toll for a city since the start of the pandemic.

Official figures said the city, which has already hosted six Euro 2020 matches and is due to host a quarter-final next Friday, recorded 107 virus deaths over the last 24 hours.

Russia has seen an explosion of new cases since mid-June, driven by the Delta variant, which has now spread to Europe.

Spain nonetheless brought an end to mandatory outdoor mask-wearing on Saturday, a year after the rule was first introduced during Europe's devastating first wave of the virus.

The decision came despite the announcement of a major coronavirus cluster in Madrid, traced to a student trip to the holiday island Mallorca, with more than 2,000 people ordered to self-isolate.

The Netherlands also ended its rules on outdoor mask-wearing, while easing restrictions on indoor dining and reopening nightclubs to people who have tested negative.

And Switzerland scrapped most of its remaining coronavirus restrictions on Saturday, after Health Minister Alain Berset said this week that the country's use of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines gave adequate protection against the Delta variant.

- Challenging target -

But Delta is so contagious that experts say more than 80 percent of a population would need to be jabbed in order to contain it -- a challenging target even for nations with significant vaccination programmes.

While several studies have shown that vaccines are slightly less effective against Delta, they are still highly effective -- but only after the second dose.

Israel, which has one of the world's most successful vaccination campaigns, has seen infections linked to the variant surge since dropping a requirement to wear masks in enclosed public places 10 days ago.

After four days of more than 100 new cases a day, the health ministry reversed the decision.

The head of Israel's pandemic response taskforce, Nachman Ash, said the rise caseload was not yet matched by a parallel rise in hospitalisations or deaths.

Infections are also surging at an alarming rate in at least 12 countries in Africa, with the Delta variant fuelling unprecedented hospitalisations, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has warned.

According to the WHO, only one percent of Africans are fully vaccinated -- the lowest ratio globally.

burs-gle/jfx/kjl
Haiti, Malta, Philippines and South Sudan were placed Friday on a "grey list" of countries under increased monitoring to counter money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Financial Action Task Force, an international organisation that coordinates global efforts to crack down on money laundering and terrorism financing, said nations on the list are working with it to correct deficiencies in their financial systems.

The additions bring to 22 the number of countries currently under increased monitoring by the intergovernmental watchdog, which was created in 1989.

Malta becomes the only EU nation on the list dominated by African and Central American and Caribbean countries.

Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela earlier this week criticised the FATF's decision, but he pledged to improve oversight on financial crimes.

"While I consider this decision as one which is unjust, our country will continue to build on the many reforms we have already done", Abela said.

"Instead of complaining, we will see this challenge as an opportunity", he told journalists, pledging to respect the watchdog's decision.

The move comes one month after the Council of Europe's anti-money laundering body, Moneyval, cited Malta's improvement in combating money laundering, according the country higher international compliance ratings in certain areas.

Inclusion on the list can have negative consequences, making it more difficult to attract foreign investment.

For Malta, it could hit its gaming and banking sectors which are key to the economy.

Malta has long been dogged by charges of laxity on corruption, the focus of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia's investigations before her 2017 murder.

Two senior politicians were forced to step down following the 2016 international Panama Papers scandal that revealed widespread corruption and financial crime.

On Friday, the FATF removed Ghana from its grey list.

Story continues

The FATF did not add or remove any countries from its "blacklist" of countries whose efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing are seen as seriously lacking.

Only Iran and North Korea are on the FATF's blacklist.

Nations are urged to take steps to apply measures to protect the international financial system from risks from blacklist countries.
A 2018 engineering report warned of "major structural damage" to the building that collapsed near Miami. It's unclear whether that caused the collapse.
HONOLULU (AP)  Three Honolulu police officers appeared in court on Friday to face charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old Micronesian boy, the first cases of their kind against law enforcement in the city in more than 40 years.
Derek Chauvin used brief comments at his sentencing hearing Friday to offer condolences to George Floyds family, and said he hopes more will come out in the future that gives them some peace of mind.
PHOENIX (AP)  Arizona voters will be asked next year to amend the state constitution to give the Legislature more power to change citizen's initiatives they have approved.

The Legislative referral approved by the Republican-controlled House on Friday and previously approved by the Senate would amend the Voter Protection Act. That constitutional provision was approved by the state's voters in 1998 after lawmakers overturned a 1996 initiative legalizing medical marijuana.

The act prevents lawmakers from changing a law passed by initiative unless the change both furthers the purpose and obtains a 3/4th vote of the Legislature. Republicans in the Legislature have chafed for years about their inability to change voter initiatives because of the constitutional provision.

Under the proposal approved with only Republican support by the House and Senate, lawmakers would be able to make any changes they want to an initiative if any part of it is declared unconstitutional by the state or U.S. supreme courts.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvins knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky's second-largest city has joined Breonna Taylor's hometown in banning the use of no-knock warrants.

The Lexington council voted 10-5 to ban no-knock warrants after more than three hours of debate Thursday night, news outlets reported.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton signed the ordinance into law on Friday, making it effective immediately, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Last year, the Metro Council in Louisville, Kentucky, voted to ban the controversial warrants, which permit officers to enter a home or residence without knocking. Taylor  a Louisville emergency medical technician studying to become a nurse  was fatally shot by police as officers burst into her home while conducting a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home.

In Lexington, the new ordinance also sets out requirements for how knock-and-announce warrants are executed.
DENVER (AP)  Johnny Hurley was hailed by police as a hero for shooting and killing a gunman they say had killed one officer and expressed hatred for police in a Denver suburb. But when another officer rushed in to respond and saw Hurley holding the suspects AR-15, he shot Hurley, killing him, police revealed Friday.
Some organizations that help Iowans in need of housing or shelter are worried about an influx of new people in need once the moratorium lifts. The Salvation Army of Waterloo/Cedar Falls recently noted it was forced to combine its womens and mens shelters into one facility, citing a critical staffing shortage. Theyre looking for two full-time employees and at least four part-timers to be able to adequately staff two shelters again for 24 hours a day.

Until the positions are filled and trained --- they hope by the end of the summer --- Major Shannon Thies said the organization is leaning on its partners, like Operation Threshold and Jesse Cosby Center, for help for families before they get to the point of needing shelter.

Were thankful it has been extended another month to help them get through difficult times, Thies said.

Not all local officials agree the eviction moratorium has been helpful. Justin Stotts, executive director of the North Iowa Regional Housing Authority, said the program may just be kicking a problem down the road, rather than addressing it.
The delay prompted Nebraska Appleseed, which supported the bill, to issue a statement Thursday calling for the agency to find ways to process applications while the updates are in progress.

This law was intended to help Nebraskans, especially as they recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic, Eric Savaiano, Nebraska Appleseed's Economic Justice Program manager for food and nutrition access, said in a statement.

By delaying implementation, those trying to reenter the workforce are at risk of immediately losing SNAP eligibility," the statement continues. "Holding back essential food benefits for nearly two months can feel like a lifetime for many struggling to feed themselves and their loved ones, especially as pandemic assistance like extended unemployment insurance benefits end.

McCollister doesn't believe the delay so far has been unreasonable or intentional.

He assumes HHS will follow the intent of the law, he said. A memo he received from HHS staff, shared with The World-Herald, included the July 11 date.
The officials confirmed they also have spoken with UNMC Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold about the possibility of including the inpatient facility within Project NExT  the planned multibillion-dollar teaching hospital on the UNMC campus that would have wings devoted to training health care workers to respond to national disasters.

The VA said in a statement that the discussions to date have centered on learning more about Project NExT, its parameters and whether a VA facility could become part of it.

At this point, the discussions have not gone beyond high-level strategic conversations, the statement said.

Gold agreed its still too early to say whether a new inpatient VA facility could be part of Project NExT. It ultimately will be up to the VA to decide whether to pursue that option or instead build a facility on its own campus near 42nd and Woolworth, about half a mile from UNMCs southern edge.Gold was part of the planning group for the new outpatient center, so he said hes familiar with the unique medical needs of veterans.
Stringer, who was not involved in the Science research, said the fossils were less complete than the Harbinskull, but it was definitely plausible that different types of humans co-existed in the Levant, which was a geographical crossroads between Africa, Asia and Europe that today includes Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan and other countries in the Middle East.

Concealed treasure

The Harbin cranium was discovered in 1933 by an anonymous Chinese man when a bridge was built over the Songhua River in Harbin, according to one of the studies in The Innovation. At the time, that part of China was under Japanese occupation, and the man who found it took it home and stored it at the bottom of a well for safekeeping.

"Instead of passing the cranium to his Japanese boss, he buried it in an abandoned well, a traditional Chinese method of concealing treasures," according to the study.

After the war, the man returned to farming during a tumultuous time in Chinese history and never re-excavated his treasure. The skull remained unknown to science for decades, surviving the Japanese invasion, civil war, the Cultural Revolution and, more recently, rampant commercial fossil trading in China, the researchers said.
Luca might be a movie about sea monsters, but where the sound of Pixars films is concerned, its the closest thing to one set in the real world. True, teenage Luca lives underwater with his fish-finned family, but when he steps out of the water and into an Italian fishing village, he becomes a human boy in the very recognizable 1960s, a time period fixed by the pop music that is frequently blaring from tiny portable radios. Where an American coming-of-age movie set at the time would be scored with the rebellious tumult of early rock n roll, Lucas soundtrack leans on the sounds of artists like Gianni Morandi and Rita Pavone, whose brassy anarchy has a flavor all its own. We talked to director and co-writer Enrico Casarosa, who based the story on his own childhood memories, about picking the songs and breaking Pixars unwritten rule against needle-drops. The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Sam Adams: Looking back over the history of Pixar, its only a slight exaggeration to say they basically just dont use pre-existing musicthe closest thing is the use of Hello, Dolly! in Wall*E. Did you encounter any opposition pitching Lucas period songs?

Enrico Casarosa: Its funny, I didnt know that. I hadnt thought about it. Ill say that in the inception of it, when I imagined the movie early on, I felt like with the genre of movies like Stand by Me or Breaking Away, theres something about summer where you do need that radio on and that these songs become part of the background. One of the reasons that I loved to put it in that time period was because I love the music that we have there in Italy. I didnt grow up with it, so its probably more like what my mom would listen to, but its just so wonderful, these songs.

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With a few exceptions, the songs all come from around the same time period, the early to mid-1960s, which is about 20 years before you were a teenager. Why did you pick that period?

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Nowadays, theyre trying to make the 80s pretty cool, but if I told you some of the 80s songs that you would have to put there, I dont think thatd be terribly inspiring. I also was trying to really convey this small-town life, which is a little more valid in that timeespecially in that area where there was so much tourism later on. We also loved the beautiful vehicles. Theres something about 1959 Vespasthey were just perfect, beautiful. Even in terms of the plot, we have sea monsters under an island, and were like, Actually, it would make sense that this is a time where they havent been discovered yet. Scuba wasnt so popular at the time.

Quartetto Cetra, Un Bacio a Mezzanotte

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This songs from 1945, which is a little before Lucas time frame, but those opening notes, which we hear before we see anything in the movie, are so effective at dropping you into the past and world of memory.

I thought that the charm was felt pretty quickly. In one of the screenings, the first time we tried the first song you hear over the credits, I remember someone saying, Oh my god, that is doing so much. Im just kind of ready. Youre already in this mood and this place. We were so happy that we found that. The idea here is that it would be a little more old-fashioned, like the fishermen. It was actually our sound designer, Justin Pearson, who put it on one of our playlists, and the first time hes like, Do you want to listen to this? Im like, Oh my gosh. Theres a little bit of romance in there. Theres a kiss that hes talking about, a mezzanotte, so theres even a talk of night, which I like, putting us in this kind of quiet mood.

Maria Callas, O Mio Babbino Caro

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That is from Gianni Schicchi, the Puccini opera. My mom was a big opera and classical music person, and I had a nice playlist of opera to think, What are the ways that we can use that? Theres such drama. Its beautiful. We tried a few different other versions and not a single one had the pathos that Maria Callas has in her voice. And of course, we put a dramatic, slow-motion kind of moment over it.

Theres also the reference in the lyrics to a town called Porta Rossa, which is close to the name of your fictional village, Portorosso.

Does she say that though?

She did.

[Looking it up] Porta Rossa, there you go. Thats amazing. Id even forgotten.

Edoardo Bennato, Il Gatto e la Volpe

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This plays over the montage when Luca and Alfredo are building a ramp for their makeshift scooter, and it gives the scene a great, lighthearted energy. But if you understand the lyrics, which are sung by the tricksters in Pinocchio, its a bit of a hint that Alfredo is the smooth talker whos going to get him into trouble.

Thats our exception [from 1977], in terms of time period. We considered options, and thought, Do we want to keep it in the 50s and early 60s? But the more I thought about it, theres just something so special about that song. Its certainly more something I grew up with. There was something conspiratorial. The song is talking about actually being swindled by the cat and the fox, but in the song, hes actually talking as an artist who is being conned by two managers. But the way that it makes me feel, its much more like the cat and the fox would become Alberto in my mind, so its a much more positive, Come with me, were going to have some fun trouble.

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Con men always have a good pitch.

Thats right. First of all, just bringing Pinocchio in the middle of it felt really great. And then just something joyous and lets get in trouble together, a vibe that I love. Its been really fun to see it being used in our trailers, which is not something I ever thought when we chose it.

It might just be an accident, but in addition to the song about Pinocchio, theres a Disney connection to Quartetto Cetra, who apparently sang on the Italian dub of Dumbo.

Oh, wow. I didnt know that. Edoardo Bennato also did an album called Lisola Che Non Ce, which is The Island That Doesnt Exist, or Neverland, from Peter Pan. Songs about Captain Hook. He was very inspired by fables, and by Disney as well.

Gianni Morandi, Andavo a Cento Allora

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This ones my favorite. It has this aggressively upbeat, almost grating energy thats perfect for the introduction of your villain, Ercole.

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Its a nonsense song, and it couldnt be better. Theres just something smarmy and wonderfully silly about it that just fit our silly villain. Theres something in-your-face about it. Then I love how it wraps up as he parks his Vespa, which our animators absolutely knocked out of the park.

Mina, Tintarella di Luna

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That ones Giulia. Tintarella Di Luna has been used quite a bit, but theres just something so beautiful about that Mina song. Its so iconic, and it had a nice energy to it. Honestly, we tried out many songs and they were working, so it goes a little bit into what you can get the rights for and what you cant. But Tintarella felt very wonderful for her, because shes such a nonstop character.

Gianni Morandi, Fatti Mandare Dalla Mamma a Prendere il Latte

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Its really a joke, but theres something kind of romantic about it. Its almost opening into a romance. It worked really well with the falling in love with the idea of owning that Vespa. And Fatti mandare dalla mamma, which is actually, again, more of a romance-y kind of summery song: Tell your mom to send you to get the milk, so you can see me. Its very kind of teenager-y.

Its a pretty silly song in some ways, but its also so rooted in that kind of small-town existence: The big plan you have for your romantic rendezvous is to get your mom to send you out for milk.

Yeah. Theres no way to see that girl in any other way. That feels very culturally correct.

Rita Pavone, Viva la Pappa col Pomodoro

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Moving on to Tuscan bread soup.

Yeah, la pappa col pomodoro. That one was a fun one because again, another montage, another opportunity for us. We tried so many on this one and we wanted energy, because its one of those moments in the movie where theyre trying hard to train and the relationships are getting frayed. Rita Pavone kind of reminds me of Giulia because she was also a ginger and she had this strong tomboy energy. She eats a lot of pasta, and the song is talking about the pappa col pomodoro, so it felt really fun to mix the two.

Ill also say whats interesting about that song, it was written by Nino Rota [who composed the scores for numerous Fellini movies and The Godfather]. And if you look it up, the zither player is Anton Karas, from the soundtrack of The Third Man. I love that it had this vague connection to the movies. It has this still Italian-ish medley, but theres also, of course, a little bit of Eastern European vibe.

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With that one, theres a wonderful video too. Its her singing and dancing around the fountain, which feels a little bit like the square of our town.

Ive been watching a lot of those clips. Its not quite as good as the Fatti Mandare one where theyre doing the dance with milk bottles, which is kind of unreal.

Its incredible.

Mina, Citta Vuota

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This is Mina again, and its a cover of Gene McDaniels Lonely Town, which is kind of a melancholy note to send the movie out on. It plays over the end credits, where you use the My Neighbor Totoro device of continuing the story through a series of still drawings. How did that whole sequence come together?

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When we have a screening at Pixar, they come and ask you, Do you want any walkout song? I remember choosing that song as a walkout song at one of our screenings. I remember thinking that was a really good walkout sound. Theres just something about that felt like the ending of something. When we considered it and we started putting the visuals together, which was one of the last things we did, we tried a few different ones. I really wanted something that speaks about friendship and thought it would be great if theres some thematic connection, but I kept on coming back to this one. I think the reason is that theres the right feeling here. The lyrics are not really connected thematically: Theyre more about being lonely because of a romantic connection. But it always gave me this little bit of a melancholic, sweet but sad feeling. I remember having conversations like, Well, if I had exactly that feeling in a song that talks about friendship, even better, but the ones that had that were either more modern or didnt quite give me the same emotion.

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Were there songs you wanted and couldnt get or couldnt find a place for?

We had a couple that were a little hard to get. Adriano Celentanos 24,000 Baci. 24,000 kisses. For some reason his rights were tricky. There was also another one by Rita Pavone that I absolutely loved and it was very quirky. We opted to go actually with Pappa Pomodoro, but that one was really fun: Datemi Un Martello, which is a wonderfully strange cover of  what is it? Give me a hammer or something like that?

If I Had a Hammer?

That was fun. A runner-up to Pappa col Pomodoro, the same artist and very unusual. She was talking about using the hammer, and there was jealously involved, which we did like, because we had a jealous Alberto. But some of the lyrics are a little violent. That sometimes will make your decision for you because youre like Someone is going to look up the lyrics. It might be a little strange. And it gets even more complicated because the original is connected to the civil rights movement if Im not mistaken.

Yes, of course.

And was like, that girl, she stole my man, and now Im going to  She was a very scolding lover.

I cannot wait to hear that.

Youre going to enjoy it because we were like, I love that song. And then we looked it up and were like, Oh, this might be a problem.
An expert on how data and algorithms are changing work responds to Janelle Shanes The Skeleton Crew.

The Skeleton Crew asks us to consider two questions. The first is an interesting twist on an age-old thought experiment. But the second is more complicated, because the story invites us to become aware of a very real phenomenon and to consider what, if anything, should be done about the way the world is working for some people.

The first question explores what it would mean if our machines, robots, and now artificial intelligences had feelings the way we do. (Recall the Haley Joel Osment child A.I. that was created to suffer an unending love for its human mother while society dies around it.) The Skeleton Crew offers an interesting twist because the A.I. indeed has feelings just like us, because it is, in fact, us: The A.I. is a group of remote workers faking the operations of a haunted house to make it seem automated and intelligent.

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Its a fun take on the trope. That the A.I. actually is real people with real feelings underscores the villainy, heroism, or oblivious indifference of other characters around them. The villains interact with the A.I. in murderous ways, and their fear of it is their ultimate downfall. The badass damsel in distress graciously thanks the A.I. for saving her life before she knows that its humans. The billionaire is oblivious to the actual workings of this world hes created, whether it is shoddy A.I. or real people, and he ghosts as soon as his moneymaking is in question. Interestingly, the crowds of people who go through the haunted house seem most interested in seeing whether they can break the A.I. and prove its not actually intelligent (recall the Microsoft Tay release). Perhaps this represents our human bravado, wanting to prove were a little harder to replace than A.I. tech companies think we are.

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The second question, less familiar and comfortable, is queued up when Bud Crack, the elderly Filipino remote team manager, says to his team: Im trying to explain things to them. What we are. Theyre confused.

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Before theythose operating in expected, visible roles in societycan offer any kind of assistance, they need to wrap their minds around the very existence of remote workers faking the operations of A.I. In this case, the 911 operator has to get from her belief that the House of A.I. is run by an advanced artificial intelligence to a new understanding that there is a frantic remote worker in New Zealand who has been remotely controlling the plastic Closet Skeleton in the House of A.I. and is now the only person in the world with (remote) eyes on a dangerous situation.

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This fictional moment mirrors an actual reality that is detailed in the award-winning book Ghost Work by Mary Gray, an anthropologist at Microsoft Research and a 2020 MacArthur Fellow, and Siddharth Suri, a computer scientist at Microsoft Research. Ghost work refers to actual, in-the-flesh human beings sitting in their homes doing actual paid work to make A.I. systems run. Most machine learning models today use supervised learning, where the model learns how to make correct decisions from a dataset that has been labeled by people. Ghost work refers to the paid, piecework data labeling that humans do so the models can learn correct decisions: for instance, labeling images, flagging X-rated content, tagging text or audio content, proofreading, and much more. You may have done some of this data labeling work for free by completing a reCAPTCHA identifying all the bikes or traffic lights in a photo in order to sign in to different websites.

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The decade or so of academic research emerging around this topic gives an opportunity to understand these work conditions as well as the experiences of people who go into and out of participation in these platforms. Three themes connect into the Skeleton Crew story, and offer some visibility into this work experience.

First, many but not all of these work settings are subject to algorithmic management, which includes functions such as automated hiring and termination and also gamification of performance evaluation, with scores linked to wages. Here in Silicon Valley, such automated management functions are framed as enabling scale, because human supervisors or evaluators are no longer needed. In The Skeleton Crew, the automated management functions that monitored the workers success at scaring visitors, among other things, had a hostility that was rivaled only by [the] profound shoddiness. In the story, as in many settings, people working on these platforms experience autotermination with no recourse as particularly cruel. I suspect many of us have encountered some form of algorithmic cruelty, such as getting locked out of an online account or getting scammed by a fake flower website, with no options for recourse, no phone number to call, no humans to talk to. Now imagine that your income and livelihood were subject to such automated systems and dehumanizing responses. Or, per Hatim Rahmans research, imagine losing income and professional status on an automated platform for reasons that will never be explained to you and indeed seem to be intentionally opaque. The Skeleton Crew suggests that the shoddy systems and dehumanizing treatment are completely unnecessary and almost puzzlingly so, perhaps because the billionaire company needed to pretend like there were not humans operating the system. The real-world examples of people or companies faking A.I. operations are strange, but not uncommon. One New Zealand company seems to have faked a digital A.I. assistant for doctors, with nonsensical interfaces such as clients needing to email the A.I. system. The founders chided a questioning reporter for choosing not to believe. But companies dont have to make explicitly false claims about A.I. to engage in ghost work. Some academics and activists, including Lilly Irani, have argued that many human-in-the-loop automated systems such as Amazon Mechanical Turk rely on the invisibility of the people involved because it seems to make the technology appear more advanced and autonomous than it actually is, and the rhetoric and system design try to create invisibility of the human work.

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Second, despite some of these cultural conditions and system designs, these work settings, like almost any, are collaborative and social and meaningful. Take, for example, the Uber and Lyft drivers banding together to game the algorithmically managed prices. Such collaboration is common, even on the purposefully individualistic crowd platforms. Another of Gray and Suris research papers showed the collaboration network created by people working on Amazon Mechanical Turk, where they as crowdworkers collaborated to ensure best wages and create social connections (see also the Turkopticon system). Similarly, the Skeleton Crew actively collaborated to create workarounds within the dysfunctional system, including dividing up the Closet Skeleton shifts because the gamified Scare-O-Meter was so bad for this role that it typically meant no wages (until, hilariously, one of them realized the Scare-O-Meter registered a mop as a frightened human face and the whole team could get paid for Closet Skeleton shifts again). Because of their collaboration and how they had clawed their way together through this bizarre system, it would have been catastrophic to lose a co-worker in what might seem like individualistic jobs.

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Third, The Skeleton Crew gives insight into these work worlds through its lively examples of how amazingly good humans are at improvisation and at developing situated expertise, capabilities that remain difficult for automated systems. Lucy Suchman and colleagues have several books and articles that analyze humans improvisation and situated expertise, and The Skeleton Crew illustrates these ideas with fun details: The team figures out how far the Dragonsulla has advanced through the haunted house by spotting a bit of her star eyeshadow in the malfunctioning bizarro A.I. profiles on the wall; Cheesella knows she can eject one of her cheap plastic skeleton hands to distract the bad guys and also thinks to pull the fire alarm when she realizes her remote-controlled skeleton self has no way of communicating with the people in the room. The Skeleton Crews understanding of the idiosyncratic context, and the collaborative improvisation that it took for its members to expertly use the setting to thwart the attack, offers a fun and realistic take on how groups of people work together, even when completely remote and even when mediated through virtual communication.

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These themes in the story give us insight into these work conditions and start us thinking on the more complicated second question the story asks us to consider: As society begins to better see and understand the potential cruelties of ghost work conditions, is there anything that can to be done? Gray sometimes likens the current moment to when society began to really understand the realities of child labor and the urgent need for more protective laws. She argues that what is needed is regulationspecifically, regulation that recognizes a new form of employment that does not fit in full-time employment or fully in part-time employment or even clearly in self-employment. Such regulations involve getting the new classification of employment right, and also ensuring needed provisions and benefits for all kinds of relevant work, even as technologies and jobs and employment statuses change. Pressing for this new employment classification, and related provisions and regulations, requires us to see work conditions that have not been easily visible, and also for companies to recognize that these are not merely temporary work conditions on the way to automation and to take action. Hopefully The Skeleton Crew helps begin or continue this awareness and conversation.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
This story is part of Future Tense Fiction, a monthly series of short stories from Future Tense and Arizona State Universitys Center for Science and the Imagination about how technology and science will change our lives.

Aroha had been a closet skeleton for two weeks now, the longest anyone had managed to hold the position. At first the job had been utterly undoable, but she and her co-workers had hacked in some wed-totally-be-fired-for-this improvements. Now she had a subroutine that injected just enough idle movement to give her breaks without incurring any timeout penalties, plus a camera feed monitoring the hallway outside her basement closet. It gave her minutes at a time to stretch her legs and make herself tea, ready to hop back into her chair as soon as the next guests approached. The GhostChat running in an unofficial chat window kept her from feeling too isolated.

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Princess Morgue: was that the big dude???

DarthSugar: flew across his path and jiggled in his face and he jumped backward 10 feet :D

hey cheesella i want to hear the house SHAKE when they get to closet skeleton

btw i think my wings busted again

Cheesella: ugh did one of them get grabby

i will slay them

DarthSugar: nah just a panic flail

i misjudged the distance

wish they put stereo vision in the drones

The only sign of A.I. was a few functions meant to keep Aroha and her co-workers in line.

That was a relief; destructive guests sucked, and there wasnt much the workers could do about them except hide until they made their way out of the haunted house. Although the House of A.I.s official selling point was an advanced A.I. that could read facial expressions and produce an individually customized haunted house experience, some people seemed to be mostly attracted by the prospect of messing with the A.I.

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But there was no A.I. Customers had been promised one, back when House of A.I. had been selling tickets a year in advance, attracting celebrity investors, buying and renovating an actual abandoned mansion on a tiny private island. But it turned out that no money on Earth could build the A.I. that the Houses billionaire founder had envisioned. The developers tried to buy time by hiring Aroha and her co-workers to control the haunted house robots, patching in a hacked-together remote interface where the A.I. was supposed to be. They were meant to be replaced with the real A.I. once they had provided enough training data. But launch day came and went, and two years later the only sign of A.I. was a few functions meant to keep Aroha and her co-workers in line, functions whose hostility was rivaled only by their profound shoddiness. Like the Scare-O-Meter. Damn, she hated the Scare-O-Meter.

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Mayhem Chicken: how bad is your wing? can you keep going?

(NO cheesella do not slay them)

It was one of the House of A.I.s selling points, among the very few that it really delivered on, that there were no human employees physically on the island. Even Mayhem Chicken, the closest thing they had to a supervisor, lived in the Philippines. The developers had promised their A.I. would eventually handle security and on-site repair, but since that hadnt yet materialized, life as a plastic skeleton was precarious. Aroha was already mentally calculating how much time shed have between guests, whether there was time for her to dash upstairs and try to fix DarthSugar. If DarthSugars drone were busted, shed get no scares at all till the Monday maintenance visit. That would mean a lot of wage penalties. At worst, the system might even autoterminate DarthSugar, which would suck on so many levels. The five remaining House of A.I. robot operators had clawed their way together out of the chaos of the early days, learning the caprices of the Scare-O-Meter and the other scoring systems. To lose a co-worker would not only be a tragedy, but would jeopardize their delicate system of hacks and workarounds. Without the five of them coordinating, nobody would have a job for long.

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DarthSugar: i think its just my wingtip. i can ignore it

Princess Morgue: is it just a flesh wound

DarthSugar: i dont want to go on the cart

GhostChat devolved into Monty Python quotes while Aroha sat back in relief, flexing her fingers and taking a sip of tea. An emergency repair would have been an iffy proposition, although much more practical ever since one of the weekly maintenance workers had finally seen their note and left a small toolkit for them. Aroha returned her attention to her camera, which was now showing the next guests rounding the corner toward her closet, bunched up and nervous.

When they opened her closet door, she lay slumped in the corner for a long moment until she saw them begin to relax. Then she jumped, and they shrieked and scrambled over one another as she climbed to her feet and took two steps forward, her eye sockets flaring with red lights. She had gotten good at appearing to advance without actually moving forward; it made her look scary while keeping her out of arms reach. They bolted for the exit, their curses already beginning to crumble into laughter.

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In her vision, the Scare-O-Meter blinked red. EMOTION DETECTED: JOY. BAD SCARE. BAD SCARE. Aroha sighed and directed her camera at the Very Scary Mop in the corner. Rapidly the Scare-O-Meter began to climb. Nobody had liked being Closet Skeleton because the lighting was terrible and the Scare-O-Meter could see just well enough to register that guests were present, but not well enough to see their faces and register a scare properly (not that it was that accurate even in good lightingno wonder an A.I. built to maximize Scare-O-Meter performance had failed). Being Closet Skeleton had meant accumulating so many bad scares that the job paid almost nothing. The setup was ludicrous, but since they were filling in for a missing A.I. program, nobody had built in a way for them to complain. Theyd been reduced to dividing Closet Skeleton shifts among themselves, trying to spread out the damage. Then one day Aroha had noticed that the Scare-O-Meter would sometimes register the mop in the corner as a terrified human. The ability to cancel out the bad scares was a game-changer.

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DarthSugar: nice one cheesella!! heard that

Cheesella: SLAIN

Mayhem Chicken: remember vips at 22:00

Princess Morgue: got it

DarthSugar: got it

Bud Crack: Got it.

Aroha too typed, got it, and took a sip of tea while she checked her computer clock and converted San Francisco time to New Zealand daylight saving time. VIPs at 22:00 gave her a good half-hour for dinner while they cleared out the other guests. She wondered who it would be this time. House of A.I. sometimes got real celebrities, since it was expensive and nobodymaybe not even the billionaire founderknew how deeply crappy the A.I. really was.

She was finishing her curry when the GhostChat leapt to life.

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Mayhem Chicken: vips are here

omg omg its DRAGONSULLA

DarthSugar: omgggggggg heart heart heart skull

Princess Morgue: skull skull skull heart

Bud Crack: Who?

DarthSugar: DRAGONSULLA

Princess Morgue: DRAGONSULLA

DarthSugar: ALL BONES ROT

Aroha knew who Dragonsulla wasa metal rocker who used her fame to fight back against the white supremacists who kept trying to claim Ancient Metal as theirs. Shed even had to tighten security at her concerts after one of them tried to bring in a gun. One of Arohas friends had a Dragonsulla poster on her wall, the one with Dragonsulla standing in a cathedral knee-deep in blood, looking like she was about to tear it down. Or maybe like she would stand there for thousands of years until it crumbled around her. Aroha didnt listen to metal herself, but the poster had power.

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Mayhem Chicken: shes here with a photo crew, sweet

DarthSugar: hey i got booted

Princess Morgue: me too nooooo i need to see dragonsulla!!!

Mayhem Chicken: i cant reconnect!

Was Aroha the only one still connected? She could still see her hallway camera feed and still move her limbs. Why her? Then she remembered.

Cheesella: im still connected. the wifi signals so bad down here that closet skeleton has a dedicated router. something must be wrong with the one the rest of you are using. will it fix itself?

Princess Morgue: not likely. someone probably has to manually push the button to restart our router

DarthSugar: ugh its docking me for inactivity. im TRYING, ok

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Cheesella: i can do it. wheres the router?

Princess Morgue: ground floor, in the closet between the crypt and the spider room

hurry

i think i fell over when i lost connection

gonna look real silly when Dragonsulla encounters napping axe skeleton

Aroha left her closet and headed upstairs. Everything was still in Haunted House Mode, the lights, soundtrack, and even the fog still active. Whatever had gone wrong, it must be just affecting the one router. She took the most direct route, using access corridors to shortcut the winding paths, popping in and out of concealed doorways. She kept her head down by habit as she passed each A.I.-generated portraitthe Scare-O-Meter sometimes registered those as human and would hand out bad scares. When she passed through the guest-facing areas, generated ghosts began to follow her, then stopped, then started to follow her again, stuttering, the face-tracking algorithm confused. At one point she stepped over Princess Morgue, whose empty eye sockets stared at the ceiling, foam ax still attached to one of her hands.

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The door to the router closet was already ajar. Metal and plastic were strewn across the floor, and the router itself was lying among them, several deep gouges in its case.

Aroha sat forward in her chair, heart beating quickly. She took a screenshot and sent it to GhostChat. Then she backed away and hid against the wall among some prop skeletons. She needed time to think.

DarthSugar: holy shit

Princess Morgue: did somebody STAB the router??

Aroha adjusted her headphone volume and now she could hear the floor creaking as someone much heavier than a robot skeleton moved nearby.

Cheesella: theyre still here. i can hear them.

She realized she was sitting very still, typing gingerly. She was 10,000 kilometers from whatever was happening, yet she could feel herself sweating, feel her hands tensing up on the controls.

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Youre the only one left, she told herself.

Cheesella: im going to see

gonna look real silly when Dragonsulla encounters napping axe skeleton

She wondered how loud her feet were, how loud her servo motors were, whether her chassis made any sort of constant hum. There was so much she might not hear, being located so far from her body, relying on cheap headphones. It had never mattered before.

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The crypt was lined with skeletons that looked pretty similar to her own body, so she edged slowly out along the wall, ready to freeze. About six paces down the hall, standing framed by a heavy archway, were two people with their backs to her, one heavy, one thin, both white, both youngish. They had guns, she saw with an acid twist of fear running through her stomach. The big black angular kind that Americans used for mass shootings. She took a screenshot and sent it to GhostChat.

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DarthSugar: holy SHIT

Princess Morgue: i recognize those neck tattoo assholes. they were in here last week

they kept trying to mess with me. i had to take a photo and play Threat_of_litigation.mp3

DarthSugar: ME TOO

Bud Crack: Can someone zoom in on those tattoos for me?

Aroha thought she knew what kinds of tattoos they would be. Their look, their swagger, their annoying haircuts, all screamed white supremacist. These assholes must have scoped out the place last week, then hidden somewhere today before the house was cleared for Dragonsulla. There was only one path through the House of A.I., so now all they had to do was wait for her to come to them.

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DarthSugar: oh shit oh shit what do we do

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Mayhem Chicken: call for help. BC youre in seattle right? can you call 911?

Bud Crack: I can do that. Calling now.

DarthSugar: how long will it take them to get there

its on an island right

is there a boat

is there a helicopter

how will they get there in time

Mayhem Chicken: im sure they have a helicopter

Princess Morgue: theres no way theyll get there in time even with a helicopter. its 20 minutes tops from the entrance to the router closet. less if were not there to interact.

DarthSugar: BC are they picking up??

Aroha skimmed GhostChat, most of her attention on her camera, watching the two wait with their guns. Her hands still clenched the controls, but her earlier fear had distilled into rage. Their goal was clear. For them to win would be unthinkable.

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They had missed one skeleton, and now there would be hell to pay.

She wanted to fling herself at them and wrestle their guns away. But she was a plastic skeleton, and probably weighed 10 kilos at most. They would bat her away as easily as if she were a coat rack. She couldnt even block a bullet. She needed a different way

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Cheesella: we have to make sure she never gets to them. gonna sneak away and intercept her

DarthSugar: YES

Mayhem Chicken: we need to know where she is

Princess Morgue: we need the cameras back. maybe my sister can hack into Cheesellas closet connection. i can call her

Mayhem Chicken: do that

Without intel, Aroha would have to guess which shortcut to take, but first shed have to get away without the gun-toting assholes noticing. Fortunately she was still against a wall of other skeletons, and the two mostly had their backs turned. She tapped the controls slowly, delicately, trying to make her motion imperceptible.

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It was at that moment that the Scare-O-Meter realized she was in the presence of humans and decided to read the emotions of the backs of their heads.

EMOTION DETECTED: SORROW. BAD SCARE. BAD SCARE.

That would have been merely annoying had it not triggered its occasional help be scary routine that unleashed a loud, eerie screech.

She froze as the gunmen whirled around, weapons raised. After a long moment of silence, the larger one ran to her corner and stopped, listening, completely unaware that a skeleton within arms reach was watching him.

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I didnt see anyone, Asshole Number One said to the smaller gunman. Are we sure we disabled the A.I.?

We stabbed the hell out of that box. Maybe that noise was just part of the soundtrack.

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Its creepy.

Shut up. Shes probably getting close by now.

Asshole One stayed in the corner of the two hallways, looking occasionally back down the hall past her. Some of his nervousness seemed to register with the Scare-O-Meter, which quieted down the longer he stayed in viewit tended to be the most accurate on white men.

Princess Morgue: oh thank god my sister answered her phone

im going to see if she can get us camera or our bodies back

DarthSugar: i wish we could see whats happening

Mayhem Chicken: cheesella please tell us when you make it to dragonsulla

if you can

BC has the antiterrorists on the phone

he can update them

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Cheesella: Scare-O-Meter sabotaged me. im still in the crypt with them. they know something happened but dont know which skeleton i am

DarthSugar: oh crap

Cheesella: BC what do the antiterrorists say? do they have ideas?

Bud Crack: I

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Im still explaining things to them. What we are. They are confused.

Aroha guessed it might take them a while to get from the House of A.I. is run by an advanced artificial intelligence to to avert disaster we must rely on a single plastic skeleton controlled by a frantic woman in New Zealand. In the meantime, keeping Dragonsulla away from the gunmen still seemed like the best plan.

Asshole One was close enough to her that Aroha was still tempted to grab the gun from him. They would destroy her, but it might take long enough and make enough noise that it would alert Dragonsulla. Or maybe Dragonsulla would just think it was part of the soundtrack.

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Cheesella: i need to get away from them. need to find her somehow

DarthSugar: wait are the AI portraits still working?

that was a third party app

i think they use cellphone signal

Mayhem Chicken: OH

so the website would still be updating!

can you go see?

Aroha had completely forgotten about the terrible A.I. portraits. They were supposed to learn the faces of the guests as they walked by, then optimize a blank fleshy blob until it started to look like them. The resulting faces would follow guests from frame to frame around the house, the resemblance growing stronger with every encounter. Later, guests would be able to view and purchase their photos online.

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In theory, they could figure out how far Dragonsulla had gotten by checking the website to see which mirrors had begun to display her face. Unfortunately, after about a year, an update had broken the optimization algorithm and now the faces were masses of orifices, far too many mouths and far, far too many eyeballs. The creepiness factor had definitely increased, but now the faces were unrecognizable. Maybe DarthSugar could still manage it.

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Aroha took a deep breath and loosened her grip on the controls. She was still stuck in the hallway with a couple of murderous terrorists, but she realized she wasnt really alone with them. She had a team.

Cheesella: i think i can get away from them

gonna jettison a hand

It was a trick she had discovered by accident and occasionally amused herself with on slow nights. Taking careful aim, she jerked her arm sharply. Her hand flew off and hit the door release panel.

The two gunmen whirled to face the opening door.

Theres no one there, Asshole One said after a moment. What if its the A.I.?

Its not the A.I., Asshole Two said. We disabled it.

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How do we know, though?

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Fine. Lets go check it out.

The moment they disappeared around the corner, Aroha made her retreat.

In the next room she stopped among heaps and curtains of spiderwebs, arranging herself in a vaguely menacing pose next to a 3-foot jumping spider. Now that she had faded into the background spookiness again, she considered her options. Freaking the hell out of the gunmen was one attractive prospectshe knew enough shortcuts that she could keep getting ahead of them, keep drawing them farther down the maze, hopefully faster than Dragonsulla was advancing toward them.

Cheesella: ha got away from them

up one room now

plan?

DarthSugar: FOUND HER

garbled image but i would know that eyeshadow anywhere

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wow she hasnt gotten far at all. shes still in statuary hall

Mayhem Chicken: so we have a lot more time than we thought

thats really good

i was afraid she was almost to them

are they still staying put cheesella?

Cheesella: they went one room farther when i opened the door

they havent come back up yet

Bud Crack: The antiterrorists say try to get to Dragonsulla and get her out of the house. Top priority.

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Cheesella: got it

DarthSugar: blood room shortcut?

Cheesella: yup

She liked this plan betterless risk of an abrupt end to her intervention, or of them growing suddenly suspicious and doubling back to intercept Dragonsulla. She left the realm of the spiders and moved quickly to the blood room, where blood and viscera oozed from the original crown molding and sheeted down the blanked windows. The blood room shortcut, an opening in the side of a huge fireplace, was one of the secret passageways that was original to the mansion, its corridor wallpapered rather than plywood and running straight down the length of the wing. Her bony feet sank into original carpet as she hurried.

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Princess Morgue: my sisters hacked in! do we want bodies first or cameras

Bud Crack: They say cameras.

She came out in the statuary hall between two bleeding gargoyles. It was the biggest and best room in the mansion, and the lighting engineers had worked wonders here. Candles flickered from columns and deep recesses, disappearing overhead into mist and swirling crows. Statues were everywhere, dramatically lit, some with extra limbs or talons or glowing eyes. Up on a platform beneath the largest statue, a single, featureless stone, stood three people. Two had their backs to Aroha as they adjusted cameras on tripods and tilted giant silvery light-bouncing screens. And the third was Dragonsulla, wearing tall boots and a long black coat, her eyeshadow rimmed with stars, her hair a shocking white. She was stunning.

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Dragonsulla noticed Aroha and her expression brightened.

Aroha wished her body came with a voice box, or any sound file other than screeching and Threat_of_litigation.mp3.

Oh, hello! Can you understand me? Ive never met an advanced A.I. before. Dragonsullas voice was low and hoarse. Thanks for being patient. We couldnt help stopping for pictures here. This room is   she gestured expansively.

Aroha flailed her skeleton arms in a shooing motion, trying to turn them back. The Scare-O-Meter flashed unhappily in her vision.

Its all right, said Dragonsulla kindly. You dont need to try to scare me. My individually personalized haunted house experience is going to be mostly me gawking at the scenery and taking pictures. Its terrific how they kept so much of the original mansion.

Aroha wished her body came with a voice box, or any sound file other than screeching and Threat_of_litigation.mp3.

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Dragonsulla gave her a friendly wave and then resumed working with her photographers.

Princess Morgue: ha i can see you cheesella!

and theres dragonsulla!!

Mayhem Chicken: where are the gunmen

theyre not by the router closet anymore

DarthSugar: uh-oh i think i found them

theyre coming fast toward you cheesella

only a few rooms away

Bud Crack: They say get her out of there now.

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Get her on the other side of a heavy door.

Mayhem Chicken: the doors dont lock

Bud Crack: I know. Explaining.

Aroha stood for several frustrated seconds trying to think of a way to use her plastic skeleton body to convey urgency, to do something at them that they wouldnt interpret as an A.I.s single-minded attempt to be spooky. She could probably manage to kick over a tripod, but only another haunted house worker would know how out of the ordinary it was to touch a guest or their stuff. Then she saw the far wall.

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Dragonsullas eyes tracked Aroha as she crossed the room, then widened as she stopped before the fire alarm and pulled it.

Red lights whirled and a piercing wail filled the room. The houselights came up, and the other lighting effects disappeared, all except for a clearly lit exit sign. The San Francisco Fire Department did not allow a haunted house to mess around when it came to the fire alarm.

With her remaining hand, Aroha gestured emphatically at the exit sign.

Dragonsulla hurried to help the camera crew begin to pack up, the three of them twisting tripod knobs and collapsing screens.

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Aroha paced, playing her scary screech sound file at increasingly frantic intervals, which did seem to make them work faster. Their arms full of gear, the three made their way to the exit door, reaching the threshold just as the first heavy footsteps sounded from the other end of the room. Dragonsulla was holding the door for the photographers, and about to go through herself, when the first of the gunmen came into sight. She froze for only a split second before she slammed the door.

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Now Aroha turned to face the gunmen. She screeched and flashed her eyes red, arms raised into their faces. They yelped, swore, and twisted, and began to fire at her at close range.

If she had been there in person, the sound and flash of the gunshots would have been overwhelming. Filtered through the saturation limits of her camera and microphone, they were merely sounds, background to her increasing sense of calm determination. She was expendable. And as a skeleton she was mostly air. The bullets were blasting into heavy wood behind her, ripping the occasional chunk from her frame as she slowly advanced. There was a spray of sparks as a bullet shot out the red lights of one eye socket, but her camera was in her nose, and she could still see them backing away from her. Her upraised arms were blasted beyond recognition, sparking and dangling finger bones.

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Asshole One was screaming, It wont die! It wont die!

Asshole Two had just enough presence of mind to shoot for her feet, and a lucky shot blasted away her ankle and sent her sprawling. She disengaged her autogait and began to mash keys, trying to crawl toward them.

Leave it! Shes getting away.

The A.I.s still alive! Its still coming!

Just this one bot. If it has more robots, where are they? He kicked her hard and the camera view swung as she slid across the floor. Lets go.

Then he screamed and raised his gun again as a bat-winged drone flew at his face, and another skeleton swung a giant foam ax, knocking the gun from his grip. The other gunman suddenly found himself with a bat drone in his face as well, and he backed wildly away, spraying bullets until he tripped over Princess Morgues ax. Mayhem Chickens butler skeleton was there among them, deftly reaching in to slide the guns out of their reach. Someone began to play Threat_of_litigation.mp3.

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Freeze! It was a new voice pitched at perfect American law enforcement cadence, straight out of the movies. Raise your hands and face the wall.

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Aroha took a deep breath and then another, unclenching her hands from the controls, watching the anti-terrorist squad handcuff the two gunmen. The other skeletons came to cluster around her mangled body.

DarthSugar: hell yeah cheesella you were awesome. r.i.p. chassis but all hail cheesella.

Mayhem Chicken: were gonna be so fired

Princess Morgue: but were heroes??

especially Cheesella

Mayhem Chicken: were also cheating hackers who know too much

Soon the officer had a phone, which she was using to relay questions to GhostChat through Bud Crack. It was clear they were each going to be separately, extensively interviewed. It was also clear they were not going to be paid for any of that, and probably not even for this shift, with their Scare-O-Meter ratings in shambles. And yes, probably fired after that.

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From her floor-level camera view where she lay collapsed, Aroha saw a pair of high boots stride into view, followed by two people in jeans and sneakers. One of the jeans wearers crouched down to Arohas level and a camera flashed in her lens.

Are you OK, maam? All of you? The officers voice was gentle. I know that was a lot. We can get you some blankets and hot drinks.

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First I need to thank the A.I., Dragonsulla said. And apologize for bringing all that with me.

When the officer explained the situation, Dragonsulla was first surprised, and then quietly, intensely angry.

That anger blazed forth two days later in an interview, with Bud Crack sitting next to Dragonsulla and looking uncomfortable in a suit. (Theyd all known BC was old, but they hadnt quite realized how old.) House of A.I. had in fact fired them all while trying to cover up the fact that they existed, and this was the interview during which Dragonsulla was officially not having it.

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Of course House of A.I. was free to fire any of them since they were contract employees, so Dragonsullas indignation had no direct effect. But the CEO owned other businesses that traded on his reputation as an A.I. expert, and he did not like being caught with fake A.I. that was really remote workersparticularly workers with names and faces and heroic stories. So after that interview, he officially washed his hands of the House of A.I., putting the island and mansion and business up for sale.

Six months later, Dragonsulla stepped from a boat, moonlight catching her white hair, as the band and the audience and all the skeletons cheered. She glanced up at her mansion, grinning and shaking her head at herself, as if not quite believing that this was happening. But then she turned and punched the air with a fist and planted her feet.

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That was the signal for Aroha and the others to clamber onstage, taking their places behind her, making use of their new articulated wrists and ankles. Mayhem Chicken had had her hands full getting robot skeletons repaired and upgraded, getting new ones built, getting a dozen new employees trained to use them. DarthSugar and Bud Crack had kept their tiny bat drones but added stereo vision and speakers. They used them now to buzz the crowd with hilariously low-pitched metal growls.

ALL BONES ROT.

ALL BONES ROT.

ALL HAIL CHEESELLA!

Read a response essay by Melissa Valentine, an expert on how data and algorithms are changing work.

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It may be the end of the 2021 breeding season in North America, but the Standardbred breeding business is flourishing with the news the top trotting stallion Royalty For Life has been sold and is moving to Ohio.

Standing the 2021 breeding season at Tara Hills Stud Farm, Royalty For Life will move to Dublin Valley Farms in Fredericksburg, Ohio in what has been reported as a seven-figure deal.

Euro Stall SE is the reported purchaser of the stallion. No official word on what Royalty For Lifes stud fee will be in Ohio. Brokering the deal was JC International out of Auckland, New Zealand.

Dublin Valley Farms, owned by Robert Hershberger, already stands the stallions Enterprise, Volstead and Nothing But Class. Now Royalty For Life joins the stallion roster, but its for a different reason that farm owner Robert Hersherger is excited about.

I do not know how well he (Royalty For Life) will be accepted as a harness racing stallion for next year, Hershberger explained. But as a Standardbred stallion standing to breed for show horses and roadster horses, he should be outstanding.

I think that this will be a different twist for the Standardbred industry. Hershberger said. The roadster horse show business has grown by leaps and bounds and is now the hottest equine sport. It has been around for quite some time in competition, but in the last year or so it has really taken off. Recently a Standardbred mare was sold for $230,000 as a roadster horse."

That horse was Izzies Elegance, a daughter of Royalty For Life.

Its exciting for the roadster show horse world, Hershberger added. They are the ones who will really want to breed to him. He will be the hottest thing to happen here in Ohio and the driving horse world. The show horse world is a new angle for the Standardbred in North America. It is a huge deal here in the USA the last couple of years.

We cant wait to get him and breed him for the show horse people and the Standardbred harness racing people too. Royalty For Life is going to make a big splash. This is another great new venue for the Standardbred horse.

For more information about Royalty For Life at Dublin Valley Farms visit dublinvalleyfarms.com or contact Joe Yoder at 330-473-5863.

Royalty For Life raced predominantly at ages two and three, compiling the excellent record of 14 wins and seven placings from 30 starts for earnings of $1.6 million  an average of more than $54,000 per start.

As a two-year-old he displayed tremendous early speed, winning seven times from 14 starts.

He captured the $328,000 International Stallion Stakes at Lexington in 1:54.4, five New Jersey Sire Stakes events and finished runner-up in both the elimination and $600,000 final of the Breeders Crown.

Royalty For Life really came into his own as a three-year-old, winning seven of his 14 starts and a whopping $1.28 million in stakes earnings. His victories included the $1.2-million Hambletonian in straight heats of 1:52 and 1:52.2, the $686,000 Canadian Trotting Classic in a stakes record equaling 1:52.2, the $360,000 Zweig Memorial, the $294,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial in 1:52 and an elimination of the $527,000 Kentucky Futurity.

Royalty For Life is a most interestingly bred horse as he is the richest son of the former top young trotter RC Royalty (3,1:55.2), one of the best of the progeny left by the champion American sire Credit Winner (1:54).

(with files from Steve Wolf)
Hammered down to 3-5 in the wagering, You Ato Dream was expected to dominate Fridays $60,470 Currier & Ives for three-year-old filly trotters at The Meadows. And did she ever, powering to the point down the backside and drawing off to crush by 6-3/4 lengths in 1:54.1.

Awesome Trix recovered from an early break to finish second, with Cash N Chips third. Jeff Gregory trains and drives the daughter of Donato Hanover-Dream Child, whose lifetime bankroll soared over $300,000, and owns with William Richardson, George Romanoff and Martin Garey.

You Ato Dream already had a pair of Pennsylvania Sires Stakes victories entering the Currier & Ives, but Gregory has been concerned with her occasional impatience while covered up and changed her rigging accordingly. Gregory said those problems appear to be behind her.

She was very relaxed  perfect, he said. She followed horses like she knew what she was doing. As far as her manners go, this was her most impressive performance. She was a perfect angel. Until her rigging doesnt work anymore, well keep it the same.

You Ato Dream was third behind duelling leaders when Gregory noticed a quick opening to the three path.

She has a quick burst, and she got around them in two steps. he said. This was a good race for her. Im glad I brought her here.

That was all the winner needed, as she triumphed geared down to :29.3 for the last quarter.

Gregory said his filly likely will race next in the Reynolds but that hes looking beyond that to the Delvin Miller and the Hambletonian Oaks. The Meadowlands hosts all three stakes.

The Reynolds will be a chance for her to see the racetrack at the Meadowlands, Gregory said. If shes good in that one, well go for the two big races.

In Saturdays $16,000 Open Handicap Trot, Rising MVP made it three straight when he held off In Secret inside and Icanflylikeanangel outside to score in 1:54.1. Aaron Merriman piloted the 6-year-old My MVP-Nutmegs Winner gelding, who extended his career earnings to $349,017, for trainer Bill Daugherty, Jr. and owner Susan Daugherty.

Dave Palone collected four wins on the 13-race card.

Live racing at The Meadows continues Saturday when the 13-race program features a $148,332 PASS for three-year-old male pacers. All nine in the field are eligible for the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids. First post is 12:45 p.m.

(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)
Breakfast With The Babies, sponsored by Fashion Farms, started at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday (June 26) under partly cloudy skies with a slight breeze at their backs down the stretch and the temperature at 75 degrees.

The Walners again stole the show with five total winners on the day, a few of those real eye-catchers.

In a departure from tradition, the races began with pacing colts and JK Victory (Tim Tetrick) took the opener in 1:53.3. Tim sat in with him through the early stages then tipped from behind leader Gone Before Dawn (Jason Bartlett) in the stretch through a :26.2 final quarter for the win. Hunted House (Mark MacDonald) was third.

The winner is trained by Nancy Takter for the 3 Brothers Stable and Caviart Farms who bought the JK Endofanera colt at the Hoosier yearling sale from breeder Victory Hill Farm for $115,000.

Ken Jacobs paid $200,000 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for a son of his champion of a few years ago, Walner, and christened the colt Kens Walner. If this set of circumstances led you to believe the colt might be special, todays effort would have done nothing to dissuade you from that opinion. Scott Zeron drove Kens Walner to a 2:00.1 win, holding the colt just behind Big Miles (Ake Svanstedt) coincidentally owned by Mr. Jacobs as well, then letting him trot through the lane in a flat :27 under his own power for the win.

A One A (Yannick Gingras) was third. Linda Toscano trains and Lindy Farms and Adam Victor & Son bred the winner.

Toscano and Zeron came right back to win the third with a sharp-looking Huntsville filly named Reenactment in 1:56, final quarter in :27.3. Four Leaf Lindy (Gingras) was gaining late from the pocket to be beaten a half-length with Miki Rose (Dave Miller) third. Fred Hertrich bred the winner, sold to Let It Ride, Chodash and Cohen for $35,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale.

The Walner-sired filly Gracelyn Hanover (Corey Callahan) was a handy front-stepping winner in 1:56.4 using a :28.1 final quarter to hold Dixiechick Hanover (Tetrick) at bay through the stretch with Mighty Angel (Svanstedt) well back in third. The winner is a Hanover bred, purchased by trainer John Butenschoen for Harmony Oaks Racing Stable for $35,000 at Timonium / Harrisburg.

Closing in :27.1, Twin B Deluxe (Jason Bartlett) was a homebred winner in 1:56.3 for trainer Andrew Harris with stablemate Xmarxthespot (Tetrick) closing in late for the place and New Normal (Dexter Dunn) was third. The winning son of American Ideal is a Twinbrook Limited homebred.

Walner progeny made it three-for-three when Wily Wally (Gingras) converted a nice pocket trip into a stretch rally for a 1:58.1 win for trainer Domenico Cecere. Wishful Order (Dunn) rallied late to be second while mile cutter Southwind Drover (Brian Sears) was off stride while crossing the wire third as On The Deck (Andy McCarthy) was gaining well late under a hold. Lindy Farms and Robert Rudolph own the winner, purchased for $50,000 in Lexington last fall from breeder Glengate Farm.

More Than Ever (Tetrick) impressed with a front-end tour de force for owner/breeder Brittany Farms and Riverview Racing. The filly held sway with a :28 end to a 1:58.2 mile on her own over Brickhouse Babe (Mark MacDonald) with Gettinmystepsin (Andy Miller) third. Tony Alagna trains the winner, a daughter of Father Patrick.

Letsdoit S, from the first crop of Elitlopp winner Nuncio, was an impressive winner for Brian Sears leading throughout and drawing away convincingly under wraps in 1:57.4. Fast As The Wind (A. McCarthy) closed nicely up the pegs for second while TNT Blue Chip (D. Dunn) held third. The winner is a Stall TZ homebred trained in the Marcus Melander barn.

Misswalner Fashion (Tetrick), by...you guessed it, Walner, was ultra-impressive this morning coming from just back of the speed to roar by the field with a :26.4 final quarter on a 1:55.3 mile under no urging. Jim Campbell trains the homebred for Jules Siegel of Fashion Farm fame (thanks Jules) who had included Judith Peres as a partner. Raised By Lindy (Domenico Cecere) was a resolute second and Valentina Blu (A. McCarthy) flashed good late foot to be third.

Blue Skies Shining (D. Miller) led from pillar to post for a 1:58.3 win over a closing Ladybugs N Bourbon (Jimmy Takter) with Behindblueeyes (A. Svanstedt). The Muscle Hill colt was a $230,000 yearling sold by breeders Pozefsky and Wilson to The Delaware Group, Equinex Racing Corp. and Joe Sbrocco. Chris Beaver is the trainer.

The royally-bred Venerable, a daughter of Walner from the fast Jolene Jolene, flashed some fancy late foot for Dave Miller to get up the inside and eek out a narrow win over Ramona Hills kid sister La Vie En Blanc and Malizosa Lindy in 1:58. The backstretch rabble has been good on this one all winter from generally understated trainer Nifty Norman, who know it when he sees it. Venerable was a $210,000 Lexington purchase by David McDuffee, Mel Hartman, Paul Bordogna and Steve Arnold from breeder Maumee River Stables, Black Creek Farm, Martin Schmucker and Steve Stewart.

Live racing tonight at 6:20 and its an interesting card with some two-year-olds, top three-year-olds getting ready for stakes and top older performers getting in some work toward next weeks stakes.

To view the results from the Saturday Breakfast With the Babies session, click the following link: Saturday Results - Meadowlands Qualifiers.

(Meadowlands)
DENVER (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Colorado:
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Wyoming:
Defense attorney Mallory Hughes of Omaha questioned why prosecutors never entered the girls birth certificate into evidence, proving her age, beyond relying on court records. According to Hughes, there were 27 items that show reasonable doubt in the case, including inconsistent sworn testimony by the victim such as being unsure of the date she moved into Quinns property in Oxford, lying about her age to Quinn online, the victim having sex with her brother-in-law, having access to Quinns computer at the business property, being jealous of her sister who was allegedly having an affair with Quinn, and speaking to her victim advocate about filing a lawsuit.
Make no mistake: critical race theory is an attack on our countrys core values. The American founding is based on the idea that that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. While America has fallen short of this aspiration at times, we must all work together to live up to this ideal. The effect of CRT is to pit Americans against one another, rather than building a more perfect union that promotes the dignity of all Americans and respect for people of all backgrounds.

I am concerned that CRT ideology will be pushed in our schools. NDEs website promotes the 1619 Project, a project of the New York Times that presents a revisionist history of the American founding. Last week after I posted a statement on social media opposing CRT, the founder of the 1619 Project responded to my statement claiming that white supremacy is a core value of America. Furthermore, NDEs website promotes the Zinn Education Project, an organization carrying on the work of self-described socialist Howard Zinn. The Zinn Education Project has been a vocal opponent of states who have sought to ban CRT from being applied in K-12 public schools.
American Legion Post 65 hosted a Red Cross blood drive on Friday and with their blood inventory running low, it comes at an important time.

A nationwide blood shortage is being felt after the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased number of trauma cases, organ transplants, and elective surgeries requiring blood products over recent months have depleted the inventory, according to the Red Cross.

That shortage is being felt locally as well.

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Yes, the shortage is impacting our region. Locally, we are challenged by low donor turnout, Maya Franklin said in an email. She is a regional communications director for the Red Cross. This has an effect on our ability to meet increasing demand as hospitals respond to more traumas and need a steady blood supply for elective surgeries. Donors are needed to make a difference and make this a summer full of life!

According to the organizations website, the Greater Carolinas Region serves more than 5.5 million people across 51 counties, 47 in North Carolina and 4 counties in South Carolina.

Kenny Wallace of American Legion Post 65 in Statesville said the organization was glad to facilitate the donations taking place that day and said Billy Buck at WAME helped get the word out to help make the event a success.
The last member of a long line of firefighters steps down Monday after a career that spanned two states and more than three decades.

Longview Fire Battalion Chief Troy Buzalsky is leaving happy and healthy, he said, with time to enjoy his retirement  a privilege his former firefighting brother is currently experiencing and his father never had.

Family ties

Buzalskys father was a firefighter for nearly all his life, and second in command at a Eugene department and fire chief in Edmonds, Washington.

Clarence Buzalsky  who went by the nickname Buzz, even on business cards  died at age 54 in 1994 from fire-service-related cancer, while still serving, his son said.

Buzzs two boys are nearly as old as their dad when he passed away.

Troy Buzalsky, 58, and Todd Buzalsky, 52, grew up in Springfield, Oregon  a mill town where Troy Buzalsky said fires were well known.

He would watch blazes from afar, wondering if the guy on the ladder was his dad. Despite the dangerous field, neither brother feared following the lofty footsteps.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Oregon:
During the pandemic, the state saw a shift away from urban areas as people looked for cheaper housing while working remotely. That's why King County, home to Seattle, had the largest vacancy rate at 7.1% this spring, compared with smaller markets that had a rental vacancy of 0.5% in a recent survey.

Data on multifamily units of five and larger from CoStar Group, a real estate research firm, shows that as the economy reopens, demand for housing in Seattle is coming back after vacancy rates were as high as 11.4% last year, and rents are increasing again after seeing a decline.

Seattle rents increased 4.4% over the past 12 months, with a one-bedroom at $1,674 and a two-bedroom rate at $1,983.

ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS?

Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Washington. Witter, with the Housing Justice Project, said the Seattle region already has one of the highest homelessness rates in the country, which could increase if pandemic-related evictions soar. According to the Census Pulse Survey for the week of May 26-June 7, about 13,000 households statewide are not paying rent and more than 40,000 have no confidence they could pay next months rent.

The Census survey found that more than 10,000 respondents said it was very likely they would have to leave their homes because of eviction in the next two months. More than 30,000 said it was somewhat likely. It doesnt take a lot to create a surge of homelessness, Witter said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
TORONTO (AP)  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he has urged Pope Francis to come to Canada to apologize for church-run boarding schools where hundreds of unmarked graves have been found, and he said Canadians are horrified and ashamed by their government's longtime policy of forcing Indigenous children to attend such schools.

Indigenous leaders said this week that 600 or more remains were discovered at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which operated from 1899 to 1997 in the province of Saskatchewan. Last month, some 215 remains were reported at a similar school in British Columbia.

From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools, most run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, in a campaign to assimilate them into Canadian society.

Indigenous leaders have called for Pope Francis to apologize  a demand echoed again Friday by Trudeau, who said the pope should visit Canada to do it.

I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness, Pope Francis, to impress upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil Trudeau said.
LONDON (AP)  Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party formally endorsed Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader on Saturday, a position that will likely see him become the country's first minister.

Donaldson received 32 votes of the partys 36-strong electoral college, which is made up of the party's 28 lawmakers in the Northern Ireland assembly and its eight members of parliament in London.

The 58-year-old, who leads the party's caucus in the U.K. Parliament in London, was the sole candidate in the election, which follows a chaotic two months for Northern Irelands largest party.

Donaldson had narrowly lost in the previous election last month to Edwin Poots, who resigned last week after colleagues revolted over a deal to appoint new leaders to the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing administration. Poots, a social and religious conservative, didn't attend the meeting on Saturday.

I believe that todays decision is an important first step in building the unity of my party, in rebuilding the strength of my party, in providing the leadership that Northern Ireland needs at this time," Donaldson said. Its been a difficult and a bruising period for the DUP, we all acknowledge that and weve all played our part in that."
It seems that the full tech specs regarding the Motorola Edge 20 series might have been spotted, giving us a better idea of what to expect when it is officially launched. Unfortunately, theres no news on the Malaysia release date, as well as the local pricing for now.

In terms of the tech specs, it seems that the Motorola Pstar comes equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, 12GB RAM, 256GB ROM, 6.67-inch display FHD+ 120Hz display, as well as a 4500mAh battery. Camera-wise, the device will come with a 108MP + 16MP + 8MP rear camera while the front has up to a 32MP front-facing selfie camera.

Another variant called the Motorola Kyoto will come with a Dimensity 720 chipset instead, 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM, FHD+ 90Hz display, and a 5000mAh battery. It has the same 108MP sensor at the rear alongside an 8MP + 2MP camera and a 32MP front-facing selfie camera.

However, do take every bit of information with a grain of salt, due to the fact that Motorola has yet to provide an official statement on the leak. Would you be interested in getting the Motorola Edge 20 series if it were to be available in the local market? Let us know on our Facebook page, and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
As Glynn County tax commissioner, Jeff Chapman understands he has to deal with people who dont necessarily agree with some of the decisions made by his office.
Looking for in-depth reporting on labor issues? You're in the right place.

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1 EVENT TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR

Old-Fashioned Fourth of July in Heritage Park in Bryan is set for 9:30 a.m. to noon July 4. The free community celebration will feature a flag-raising ceremony, face painting, childrens parade, patriotic songs, free watermelon from The Farm Patch, lemonade at old-fashioned prices and exhibit booths.

SATURDAY

EVENTS

First United Methodist Church of Bryan will host Summer Fest. The free event is open to the community and will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include free food, music, games and bouncy house. The church is at 506 E. 28th St. in Bryan.

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History in Bryan will hold a drive-thru Wish Upon a Butterfly fundraiser from 9 to 11 a.m. Butterflies to release at home are available for $20 or six for $100 by calling the museum at 776-2195.

The Savannah Sipping Society, 7:30 p.m. at StageCenter Community Theatre, 218 N. Bryan Ave. in Downtown Bryan. Tickets are $12 to $15 and available at stagecenter.net. Recommended for ages 13 and older.
Two people in College Station were shot and killed Friday, one by a police officer, in the vicinity of Bee Creek Park.

According to College Station police, an officer was in the 600 block of Valley View Drive for an unrelated reason around 1:50 p.m. Friday afternoon and heard nearby gunfire. Officers located a group of people gathered in the 2000 block of Longmire Circle and found a person with a gunshot wound. At around that time, police said, 911 received a call that an armed person had entered Bee Creek Park.

Authorities located a man at Bee Creek Park who raised a gun toward an officer and was shot by police, authorities said. The man, identified as 22-year-old Albert Wayne Finnie Jr., of Navasota, died at the scene, according to Tristen Lopez, public information officer for the College Station Police Department.

It was not immediately clear if that person had been involved in the initial shooting, police said. The person wounded in the first shooting was taken to a local hospital and later died. He was identified by police late Friday as Delshawn Jamar Wadlington, 30, of College Station.

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In the officer-involved shooting, one shot was fired, Lopez said.
DALLAS (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, has been the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and have fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing that they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rent.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they would face eviction within the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Texas:
HOUSTON (AP)  Investigators have recovered a weapon that may have been used to kill a 5-year-old Houston boy whose body was allegedly kept in a storage unit before being discovered in an East Texas motel.

The weapon was being tested to see if it was the one used to kill Samuel Olson, Andrea Beall, a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, told reporters Thursday.

Were not going to stop until we get justice for little Samuel, said Beall, who declined to say what type of weapon was found or used to kill the boy.

The disclosure came the same day a third person was charged in the case. All three face evidence tampering counts and none have been charged with murder, though prosecutors said earlier this month that they expected to bring additional charges against one of them, Theresa Balboa, who was Samuels father's girlfriend.
In the ensuing years, American presidents of both parties have sometimes shown considerable naivete about the possibility of potentially positive changes in post-Soviet Russia that belied the reality of the quashing of democracy by the former KGB agent who was running the country.

President George W. Bush said after his initial meeting with Putin that he looked him in the eye and got a sense of his soul, a characterization that Vice President Biden dismissed after a subsequent meeting with the Russian president. President Barack Obama saw the prospect of a reset in relations that never happened.

And Trump mistakenly thought relations would improve if he was publicly deferential to Putin and accepted the Russian presidents denial of responsibility for his 2016 interference in U.S. elections.

The atmosphere and the statements last week were different. BothBiden and Putin described their talks as business-like sessions between twoexperienced leaders who understand from where the other was coming.
The national media has had more than a week now to analyze a political spasm by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and while the headlines have magnetized a wide audience, the narrative itself remains incomprehensible.

Presented as an effort to deny Holy Communion to President Joe Biden for his pro-choice stand on abortion, the vote last week by the bishops was 168-55 in favor, but in favor of what?

The bishops had apparently voted to move forward with a draft of a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church, which could include guidelines, that might call into question the eligibility of politicians to receive Communion.

So ... what?

Catholics who immediately looked to Rome for an interpretation found only the bemused countenance of Pope Francis.

It was in May the Vatican warned against any such initiative on the basis that it risks further fracturing a divided church, but Francis is leaving it to the faithful to flesh out arguments that the very notion of targeting politicians with the sacraments is as preposterous as it is religiously flawed.
The last time Spokane had a consecutive number of days over 100 was in 1928.

"Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, we have temperatures exceeding 100 degrees," Pelatti says. "Guidance suggests that the temperatures still stay above 100 after Tuesday for a number of days, so it could possibly exceed six."

Similar to Washington and Oregon, Idaho will see blistering record heat well into next week.

"Right now, we're looking at 105 to 110 in snake basin of Idaho and the Treasure Valley," said Korri Anderson, a meteorologist with NWS Boise. "We could be breaking all-time records in Boise on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week."

The all-time record at Boise is 111 and Ontario is 113, Anderson adds. "So we could be flirting with those next week."

An excessive heat watch has been issued for more than 11 million people in parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In the Columbia Basin, the region's typical hot spot, the high temperature forecast is between 110-112 degrees this weekend.

These temperatures would be within striking distance of state records for Oregon (117 in July 1939) and Washington (118 in August 1961).

Extreme heat to become the norm in the Northwest
The Fords four full-time, one half-time and several part-time employees will use an alley system at Cross Diamond headquarters to vaccinate approximately 500 more spring-born calves in the registered herd. Those calves get ear tattoos as newborns and will be branded as yearlings.

Decisions will be made soon about which registered heifers to keep in the breeding herd and which bull calves will be featured at 18 months old at Cross Diamonds annual December sale. Private treaty sales will be used to find new owners for the rest of the registered heifers and bull calves.

Branding days

The focus on this day is getting the Cross Diamond brand on commercial calves left hips. The year-old registered calves are branded on their left shoulders.

Scott said it is even more important to get calves vaccinated and treated with a dewormer.

Although bull calves are castrated at some ranches branding days, the Cross Diamond crew uses the banding method for their commercial calves. An elastic band placed around a newborns scrotum obstructs blood flow, which causes the scrotum to fall off in a few weeks.
Also, brands can be seen from a distance. I was looking at brands the other day on our mature cows and theyre still visible, Ford said.

Unlike some other cattle states, Nebraska doesnt have a pressing need to protect cattle from theft, he said. However, brands still are beneficial when, inevitably, cattle get out of fields and pastures, and mix with neighbors herds.

When asked if Nebraska could get by without branding, Ford replied, Probably, yes, because were surrounded by honest people. Im sure some (cattle producers) are not using a hot iron anymore.

He and his wife Kim have talked about no longer branding, but they know the brand on their cattle also represents the type and quality of their brand of beef. We have customers who still love to see that cross diamond on the cattle, Ford said.

All Cross Diamond cattle have ear tags as a business identification. Commercial herd calves are branded when they are a few weeks old and ready to head to summer pastures with their moms.

Purebred Red Angus calves in the registered herd get ear tattoos as newborns, another type of lifetime identification. But you cant see that from across the fence, Ford said, which is why those calves also are branded as yearlings.
Defense attorney Mallory Hughes of Omaha questioned why prosecutors never entered the girls birth certificate into evidence, proving her age, beyond relying on court records. According to Hughes, there were 27 items that show reasonable doubt in the case including inconsistent sworn testimony by the victim such as being unsure of the date she moved into Quinns property in Oxford, lying about her age to Quinn online, the victim having sex with her brother-in-law, having access to Quinns computer at the business property, being jealous of her sister who was allegedly having an affair with Quinn and speaking to her victim advocate about filing a lawsuit.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday took the first step in the construction of a ship canal skirting Istanbul that the government says will ease marine traffic in the Bosporus Strait.

Today we are opening a new page in the history of Turkeys development, Erdogan said in a bridge ground-breaking ceremony in Sazlidere, west of Istanbul.

We see Canal Istanbul as a project to save the future of Istanbul  to ensure the safety of life and property of Istanbuls Bosporus and the citizens around it.

The idea of a canal linking the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea  dubbed his crazy project by Erdogan  was first suggested in 2011 and revived three years ago.

The government says the 45-kilometer (28-mile) canal will relieve pressure on the Bosporus, one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes, and reduce the risk of accidents.

Opponents claim it will serve little purpose and will cause widespread ecological damage to the region, increase the dangers posed by earthquakes and saddle Turkey with further debt.

Erdogan said the $15 billion project would be completed within six years.
President Donald Trump plans to host a campaign rally on Oct. 27 at Southern Illinois Airport. His visit will be the first by a sitting U.S. p
When the Chicago Teachers Union continued deducting dues from the paychecks of Troesch and Nkemdi after they resigned from the union, they sued the union in federal court in May 2020.

The lawsuit claims that CTU has violated their First Amendment rights by continuing to deduct dues after they resigned to subsidize the unions speech. It also argues that protections afforded in the Janus case entitle them to stop paying dues, despite their contractual obligations.

In the Janus case, the court ruled that employees must clearly and affirmatively consent to having dues deducted, and the signed membership contract does not meet this standard of consent, they argued.

Two federal courts have already soundly rejected these arguments.

In February, a federal judge dismissed the case, finding that the Janus case did not support their argument because that case applied to nonmembers who did not consent to dues.

The CPS employees waived their rights not to subsidize CTUs speech when they agreed to pay dues under their membership contract, the judge found.

Last month, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, a level below the U.S. Supreme Court, upheld the federal district courts decision.
Today is Friday, June 25, 2021. Let's get caught up.

Here's what you should know today: Vice President Harris heads to the U.S.-Mexico border after criticism for her absence; Derek Chauvin will be sentenced today for the killing of George Floyd; and cows are getting loose in towns across the U.S.

Keep scrolling for today's top stories, this date in history and celebrity birthdays.

TOP STORIES

Harris heads to border after facing criticism for absence

WASHINGTON (AP)  Kamala Harris faces perhaps the most politically challenging moment of her vice presidency Friday when she heads to the U.S. southern border as part of her role leading the Biden administrations response to a steep increase in migration.

While in El Paso, Texas, she will tour a Customs and Border Patrol processing center, hold a conversation with advocates from faith-based organizations as well as shelter and legal service providers and deliver remarks.
Greene, a 49-year-old barber, failed to pull over for a traffic violation and led troopers on a midnight chase across rural northern Louisiana at speeds of up to 115 mph (185 kph) before his car spun to a stop on a roadside near Monroe.

Troopers told Greene's relatives hours later that he died on impact after crashing into a tree, an explanation called into question by photos of Greene's body on a gurney showing his bruised and battered face, a hospital report noting he had two stun gun prongs in his back, and the fact that his SUV had only minor damage.

Even Louisiana State Police appeared to back off the crash explanation later when they issued a one-page statement saying only that Greene struggled with troopers who were trying to arrest him and that he died on his way to the hospital.

The truth about what really happened began to emerge last month when the AP obtained and published body camera video showing troopers converging on Greene's car, repeatedly jolting him with a stun gun, wrestling him to the ground, putting him in a chokehold and punching him in the face, all while he apologizes and wails for mercy. A trooper can later be seen dragging a shackled Greene facedown and then leaving him unattended in a prone position for more than nine minutes before he finally became unresponsive.
The Senate was a different story. The chamber had a strictly enforced saliva testing requirement on top of its mask mandate, it allowed remote floor and committee voting and it shut off access to a large part of the Statehouse to anyone who didnt have an appointment. Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford knew immediately that she had COVID because of the tests, which were conducted in the Stratton Office Building near the Statehouse. No exceptions were made, no matter who you were.

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Senate President Don Harmons spokesperson John Patterson labeled the session a resounding success. He noted that they started the session in January with an inauguration ceremony in essentially an empty chamber, and spent the first few weeks canceling session days.

That we were able to return to some semblance of normal shows how successful the protocols were, Patterson said. The University of Illinois Shield saliva test, which produced results in hours, detected the virus before it could be spread. We had no outbreaks or cancelations thanks to the protocols. And that, he said, created a work environment where people could be assured that everyone around them had tested negative. It allowed people to get back to normal and focus on the work.
The continuing BBB- rating is the result of what Fitch called a long record of structural imbalance and irresolute fiscal decision making that has resulted in a credit position well below what the states broad, but slow-growing economy would otherwise suggest. It also reflects the states large, long-term liabilities such as pension obligations that will continue to put stress on the states finances.

But the agency also said that the states revenue base, primarily income and sales taxes, are expected to grow as the states economy grows, while recent improvements, such as paying down the states bill backlog and its plan to pay off its federal pandemic borrowing early, are signs of improved budget management.

The action by Fitch follows similar moves earlier this year by the states other two rating agencies, Moodys and S&P, which revised their outlooks from negative to stable.

In its announcement, Fitch listed a number of things Illinois could do that might lead to a credit upgrade. Those include continuing to pay down the bill backlog, continuing the recent pattern of passing balanced budgets on time and narrowing what Fitch called a structural budget gap by matching recurring revenues with recurring expenses, including funding its pension obligations at actuarially determined levels.
To the Editor:

Fireworks are on the minds of many right now. The Illinois Insurance Association and its member companies encourage residents to remember that fireworks are dangerous explosives that need to be handled with extreme caution.

Personal fireworks are responsible for thousands of injuries and structural fires each year. Sparklers seem harmless but burn at temperatures as high as 1200 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Protect yourself and your loved ones by leaving the fireworks display to professionals.

Residents bent on lighting displays are urged to confirm compliance with federal, state, and local laws and ordinances and make safety a priority. Some tips to keep in mind:

 Buy pre-packaged fireworks from a licensed store or stand. Homemade and professional-grade fireworks are unsafe for personal use.

 Store fireworks in a cool, dry, dark location away from any source of heat until ready to light.

 Designate a sober adult to oversee lighting fireworks. Alcohol and drugs do not mix well with explosives. Confirm children are supervised and well away from the staging area. Move pets inside.
COLUMBIA  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in South Carolina:
Jensen said the time was precarious.

"We came under fire a couple of times," he said. "One of the times was at night."

Jensen recalls hearing one of the younger soldiers say, "There's bees out here. I said, 'Man, that ain't bees. Those are bullets.' They were tracer rounds they thought were bees. They were young kids."

The second time he went to Iraq, Jensen was a part of security as both a convoy and gun truck commander.

"As convoy commander and gun truck commander, but especially as convoy commander, you had to have secret clearance and go through the briefings and see all the intel. All the real gruesome stuff," he said. "It was bad."

He said as convoy commander, they would pull guard security in the event of an accident and helicopter evacuations.

"We pulled the security so they could get the troops out," he said, declining to provide too many details. "We had to do what we had to do to make sure that the personnel and equipment were safe. Certain things you can't talk about because of security clearance, and certain things I just don't feel comfortable talking about."

For Jensen, the experience was memorable.
Towns across The T&D Region are gearing up to salute the 245th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by giving residents an opportunity to celebrate with food, music and fireworks on the Fourth of July holiday.

Here are some of the events planned this year:

Bamberg

The City of Bamberg 4th of July Celebration promises to be exciting, with music, a parade, a fireworks show and much more on Sunday, July 4.

The Visions Band will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. on the grounds of the Bamberg County Library. Food, arts and crafts vendors will also be on hand from 6 to 10 p.m.

A fire truck spray time, where folks can cool off, will be held along the walking trail in front of the Bamberg County Library from 7 to 8 p.m.

A Fourth of July Parade honoring veterans and first responders will be held from 8:30 to 9 p.m. The parade will begin at U.S. 78 and Fire Tower Road and end at U.S. 78 and Hunters Chapel Road.

The finale of the evening will be the huge 4th of July Fireworks Show from 9:15 to 9:45 p.m. on the old railroad berm on East Heritage Highway. The fireworks are courtesy of Phoenix Specialty.
HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS?

How South Carolina is handling eviction hearings varies across the state's magistrate courts, which are organized on the county level. Some courts have adopted virtual hearings, while others have chosen not to or don't have the technology needed to implement online proceedings, said Adam Protheroe, an attorney with SC Appleseed. Courts have also implemented the CDC moratorium differently, Protheroe added. Some are not allowing any eviction filings, while others are allowing initial filings or even approving cases to go forward until the last step of processing the eviction and removing the tenant.

HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS?

Though the state comprises mostly small and midsize cities and rural areas, affordable housing advocates say costs are growing faster than earnings for many renters and homeowners, and leisure and hospitality workers in places such as Charleston and Myrtle Beach are being priced out of living near where they work. The state's housing authority reports that 24% of all renters in the state, or more than 140,000 households, spend more than half their income on rent or have no income at all.

ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS?
Reeling from massive cutbacks in volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and grappling with high construction costs, Habitat for Humanity leaders would be the first to admit theyre struggling.

The past year has felt like one punch after the other, they say. First hit: Habitat's local affiliates had to limit volunteers over virus concerns, forcing them to fork over more money to hire contractors. Second hit: Revenue was dented by temporary closures of ReStores, the reuse stores operated by local Habitat organizations. The third: Construction delays caused by pandemic-induced kinks in the supply chain, which make affiliates wait longer for supplies.

What could have been the knockout blow was the spike in construction costs. Lumber prices, according to the National Association of Home Builders, increased by more than 300% since April 2020. Demand for new homes, as well as demand for supplies for renovation projects and other factors, also kept costs high, experts say. Prices have come down in recent weeks, but they are still significantly higher than before the pandemic.
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Coquille, OR (97420)

Today

Morning clouds will give way to afternoon sunshine. High 73F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
National

AP

Chauvin gets more than 20 years

JULIO CORTEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS Jennifer Starr Dodd, center, and other supporters react to the sentencing of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd on Friday at George Floyd Square, where Floyd was killed, in Minneapolis. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. COURT TV, POOL VIA AP In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing Friday at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA, ASSOCIATED PRESS Attorney Ben Crump hugs the Rev. Al Sharpton as he walks into the Hennepin County Government Center for the sentencing of former police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday in Minneapolis. JIM MONE, ASSOCIATED PRESS The Rev. Al Sharpton, right, with hand on coat, along with family members of George Floyd, leads a prayer before entering the Hennepin County Government Center for the sentencing of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday in Minneapolis for the May 2020 death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis.

MINNEAPOLIS  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvins knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

The punishment  which came after Chauvin broke his yearlong silence to offer condolences to the Floyd family and express hope that they eventually have some peace of mind  is one of the longest prison terms ever imposed on a U.S. police officer in the killing of a Black person.

Still, Floyd family members and others were disappointed. The sentence fell short of the 30 years prosecutors had requested. And with good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could get out on parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

Just because its the most time doesnt mean its enough time, said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis protest leader.

In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said the family had gotten some measure of accountability but is hoping Chauvin gets the maximum at his upcoming federal civil rights trial. Crump said this was the longest sentence a police officer has ever received in Minnesota.

But he added: Real justice in America will be Black men and Black women and people of color who will not have to fear being killed by the police just because the color of their skin. That would be real justice.

Outside the courthouse, a crowd of about 50 people clasped hands or placed them on each others shoulders. The reaction was subdued as people debated whether the sentence was long enough. Some cursed in disgust.

At George Floyd Square, as the intersection where Floyd was pinned to the pavement is now known, members of the crowd broke into applause, and several said, Well take it.

Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. He showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.

The fired white officer was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Bystander video of Floyds arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond, as well as demands for overhauling police departments and the disciplining of officers.

On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand  an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial, where his words could be used against him.

I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind, he said without further explanation.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson had asked that Chauvin be let off on probation, saying the former officers brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if? What if? What if?

Chauvins mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, pleaded for mercy for her son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man, she told the judge, adding: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.

I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank, in asking the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines, said tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life, Frank said.

Floyd family members had tearfully asked the judge to impose the maximum, which was 40 years.

Afterward, Floyds nephew Brandon Williams said the sentence was insufficient, when you think about George being murdered, in cold blood with a knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds execution-style in broad daylight. LaTonya Floyd, George Floyds sister, said of the punishment: Thats nothing. Thats nothing. He should have got the max, period.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvins three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvins request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved out of Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didnt mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.

With Chauvins sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America witnessed something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.

In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Thats why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor.

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the states maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.

The three other officers involved in Floyds arrest are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. They will also stand trial with Chauvin on the federal charges. No date has been set for that trial.
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The complaint filed last week in Natrona County District Court is brought against the city of Casper, Casper Police Department and officers Jonathan Schlager and Cody Meyers.

The defendants have yet to file a response to the claim in state court, as of Thursday. Defense lawyer Hampton ONeill declined to comment on the case.

The complaint accuses CPD of not giving adequate training on non-lethal measures and dealing with citizens with mental disabilities. Only one of the officers, according to the suit, was trained in crisis intervention. Oneyear was still a dependent of his mothers at 36, and receiving Social Security disability benefits. According to the complaint, he did not drive and had some trouble hearing.

Hambrick said the case was about a month away from going to trial in federal court, and he hopes it will be expedited at this level.

These people have waited over three years now since Lindas son was killed, Hambrick said. Now, its just another delay.

Hambrick said the case will likely go before a jury in Natrona County, but that the plaintiffs would accept a bench trial.
Provenza and many of the politicos targeted by Maier and LaRocca said the two were not very adept at espionage.

They also were bad at what they did, Provenza said. When we met these folks early on, we were referring to them as moles. We believed they were not who they said they were, but we wrote ourselves off as paranoid.

LaRocca approached the Democratic Party in late January 2019, when she expressed an interest in getting involved in fundraising for the party, explained Nina Hebert, who was then the digital director for the Democratic Party.

There, she remained as a volunteer until she got hired by the Wyoming Democratic Party as a contract fundraiser, although she never raised any money, Hebert said. LaRocca left the organization in June 2020.

I dont think they have enough working knowledge of the political process as a whole, Hebert said.

Barlow had a less intimate experience with the couple. He said he had correspondence with Maier several times over email and phone calls and twice in person.

The majority of the interactions were cordial and policy-centric, he added. He too called the couples spying tactics sad.
Its about how we portray ourselves on social media, too, she said. It is this fear ... if we cant present ourselves that way.

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Social media can also provide different avenues for communication, which opens up the possibility for things like sexting and cyberbullying. Cossaboon and Fardella both acknowledged that has become an issue in recent years.

Addressing those problems tends to revolve around education, for both the student and parent, they said.

At this point, its become part of our culture to some extent, its a way of interacting, and we have to really educate people in terms of long-term consequences, Cossaboon said.

The panelists all agreed that social media is not going away and that its not all negative. Online platforms can help connect people across vast distances or can help someone find needed resources.

But balance is crucial for keeping the platforms positive, Andreen said. She said to think of social media as food.

Its going to be part of our lives, we have to start to really understand whats healthy for us as an individual, she said.
A certain romanticizing of it in a River Runs Through It, I can live with that. But the cult kind of stuff and silliness, and the Im the one who killed Paul, or it was all a great conspiracy by some gambling syndicate, or he was a private investigator for the university and uncovered too much because he was this great investigator and so they caught him and killed him. Crapola.

Norman

After my fathers death, there was no one  not even my wife  I could talk to about my brother and his death. After my retirement from teaching, I felt that it was imperative I come to some kind of terms with his death as part of trying to do the same with my own. This was the major impulse that started me to write stories at 70, and the first one naturally that I wrote was about him. It was both a moral and artistic failure. It was really not about my brother  it was only about how I and my father and our duck dogs felt about his death. So I put it aside. I wrote the other stories to get more confidence in myself as a story-teller and to talk out loud to myself about him. The story, which now stands as the first one in the book, is actually the last one I wrote. I hope it will be the best one (although not the last one) I ever write, and I thank you again for writing beautifully about it.
We want to work now!

Hundreds of truck drivers throughout the country say they have been crippled by Covid-19 restrictions, which saw the closure of the construction sector in early May.

They are therefore pleading with the Government to reopen the sector for the sake of their survival.
Value for money should be the guiding principle for Government expenditure, given the countrys strained expenditure during this Covid pandemic.

The unanticipated but emergency spending arising out of the visitation of Covid-19 ought to speak for itself. In this regard, therefore, the request by the police administration for $22 million for the purchase of a fleet of 80 new SUVs deserved a more studied response than that provided by the Prime Minister.
Tucson-based Mister Car Wash Inc. shone brightly in its debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, with its stock jumping 35% on its first day of trading.

Company president and CEO John Lai rang the opening NYSE bell at 6:30 a.m. Arizona time. Mister Car Wash stock (MCW) opened at an initial public offering price of $15 per share, then shot up to nearly $22 before closing the day at $20.30, up $5.30 or 35%.

Lai said the company was thrilled with the IPO results and described ringing the NYSE bell flanked by a dozen company colleagues as a beyond cool, surreal experience.

It was a dream come true on many levels and something Ill never forget, said Lai, who started with Mister Car Wash in 2002. He credited the companys employees for its success and recalled how he became teary-eyed at seeing the companys logo banner behind the NYSE dais.

We had 13 people up there but I wish we had 6,000, Lai said, referring to the companys approximate employee count in the 21 states it serves. The people on the dais were the least important, starting with me.
If you are wondering why Somewhere Over the Rainbow is included in the program, production director Matthew Holter explained that the original Route 66 crossed the Rainbow Bridge over Brush Creek in Kansas. That stretch of highway is now a county road, according to Kansas Travel.

The song also fits Holters plan of giving the audience music they are familiar with to sing in a venue that is new to them.

For those people who have seen Arts Express Let Freedom Sing over some of the past 38 years, its going to be a new experience in a new place, but we wanted to give them some sense of familiarity, Holter said.

Wiese said that by including songs that are not necessarily purely about patriotism, the performance can bring something new to the stage and help keep the production going another 38 years.

I think when you start thinking about the patriotic songs, they start blending together in some ways. So we want it to be something that evokes a lot of emotion, and evokes a lot of reminiscing and memory and connections for people of different ages, she said.

Merry Lewis, who has performed in at least 20 iterations of the show, still gets choked up when thinking back to past performances including scenes of service members singing along.

You always go away with a little lighter heart and a smile on your face and a little skip to your walk, she said of the shows.

Sebastian Janik is a University of Arizona journalism student apprenticing with the Star.
PHOENIX  Republican lawmakers voted Friday to require that students be exposed to stories of people who fled communism, as part of a curriculum to prepare them to be civically responsible and knowledgeable adults.

The language was inserted by Rep. Judy Burges, R-Skull Valley, into a 232-page bill of changes in laws governing K-12 education.

It says there must be comparative discussion of political ideologies like communism and totalitarianism and how they conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States.

It also would mandate that the state Department of Education come up with new civic education standards including the expectation that citizens will be responsible for preserving and defending the blessings of liberty.

And it would require the department to create a list of oral histories that provide portraits in patriotism based on first-person accounts of victims of other nations governing philosophies who can compare those philosophies with those of the United States.

Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, said its clear to him what that means.
This assignment is in place of a multiple-choice final exam. Students did enough of that during remote learning, Abalos says.

Abalos has been teaching for nearly 27 years and thought she had been through everything. But during COVID-19, she often felt helpless as a teacher. Face-to-face, she can see if her students get the material or not.

A child is staring at his phone, and she code switches to get his attention  Why arent you finished? Stop playing around, she says in Spanish. He perks up and says she sounds like his mom.

Abalos is Mexican-American and that helps the kids relate to her, in a school where the student body is nearly 70% Latino.

Abalos summer students are making up for a failed class. Many of them were at home alone while doing online school and many lacked structure, she says. But mostly what they missed is each other, and a connection to an adult.

Its not that any of these students cant do the work, she says. Its that they are missing whatever kind of support, and the challenge of teaching summer school is to make sure you provide that support.
The University of Arizona shut down its coronavirus vaccine site on Friday after dispensing nearly 250,000 doses during its six months of operation, the school said.

It was the first state-operated COVID-19 vaccination site in Pima County. At peak operation, over 300 volunteers and staffers operated the site to dispense more than 4,400 doses in one day.

Among the recipients of the vaccinations administered, the UA said, at least 30.5% were of Hispanic or Latino descent; 34.7% were between 16 and 34 years old; and 25.1% were over the age of 65.

The vaccine is still available to students, faculty and staff at the UA through the Campus Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic starting July 8. The clinic will offer first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine through at least the end of the fall semester, the UA said.

Several other major vaccination centers will follow the UA site in closing operations.

The following three sites will close after Wednesday, June 30: El Pueblo Library, 101 W. Irvington Road, will be open Monday and Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; a Tucson Medical Center site at 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road will be open Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and a Tucson Mall site at 4500 N Oracle Road will be open Tuesday and Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
And if it does, its a good thing, Cramer said. Anyone thats been in this game long enough knows that it comes down to hiring practices and training, but at the end of the day its a certain officer in a certain situation. And I dont see these situations ending anytime soon.

Knowing that their encounters could be captured on cellphone video also could give officers pause, experts said. Minneapolis police originally said Floyd died in a medical incident. But video shot by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier showed Chauvin ignoring Floyd's pleas that he couldn't breathe and continuing to press his knee into Floyd's neck even after the Black man was dead.

But Kirk Burkhalter, a criminal law professor at New York Law School and a former 20-year New York Police Department detective, said police are being asked to do too much, especially in situations involving people with mental health issues or minor crimes. Floyd was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store.
The California Supreme Court overturned Peterson's death sentence because prosecutors improperly dismissed potential jurors who disclosed they personally disagreed with the death penalty but would be willing to impose it.

The Stanislaus County district attorney's office declined to comment on the new allegation of misconduct, saying it would address the case in court.

In court filings, prosecutors have brushed off accusations of misconduct. They included a declaration by Nice that indicated she either misunderstood or misinterpreted the questions about other legal proceedings she had been involved in.

Prospective jurors were asked if they had ever been involved in a lawsuit or participated in a trial as a party or witness and if they had ever been crime victim or witness. Nice answered no to those questions. The defense said those answers were false.

The defense noted that the restraining order was a lawsuit in which Nice testified. The prosecution and Nice said she interpreted a lawsuit as a dispute involving money or property. She explained that she considered the restraining order involved harassment" and was not a criminal act.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP)  A man accused of crashing into an Oklahoma high school cross-country team, killing three and injuring several others, has been found guilty of murder.

Cleveland County jurors on Friday found Max Townsend, 58, guilty of three counts of second-degree murder. He was also found guilty of three counts of leaving the scene of a fatality accident and four counts of leaving the scene of an injury accident.

Prosecutors said Townsend accelerated his pickup truck to 77 mph (124 kph) before crashing into the runners from Moore High School in suburban Oklahoma City in February 2020.

Authorities have said the truck crossed two lanes of traffic, veered onto a sidewalk and crashed into the runners.

Jurors chose a life sentence as the punishment on each count of second degree murder, 10 years for each count related to leaving the scene of a fatality accident and two years for each injury hit and run offense.

Formal sentencing is set for Aug. 19.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A man accused of shooting a Florida police officer in the head was captured early Saturday on a wooded property just outside of Atlanta that's affiliated with an all-Black, pro-gun organization, police said.

Othal Toreyane Resheen Wallace, 29, was found in a treehouse on the 3-acre property during the execution of a search warrant, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young told reporters at a news conference.

Wallace was accused of shooting Daytona Beach officer Jason Raynor, 26, after Raynor approached Wallace as he sat in a vehicle Wednesday night. Wallace has been charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a firearm.

Young said law enforcement searched for 56 hours with little sleep to track down Wallace.

The property where Wallace was found is affiliated with the pro-gun group known as the NFAC, Young said. The organization is known to demonstrate against white supremacy and police violence. Young said the treehouse was fortified with weapons and ammunition.
Five years ago: Fourteen people suffered stab wounds, cuts and bruises when fighting erupted outside the California state Capitol in Sacramento between more than 300 counter-protesters and about 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party, a white nationalist group. Fireworks exploded as a huge Chinese-owned container ship made the inaugural passage through the newly expanded Panama Canal.

One year ago: After protesters in Washington, D.C., attempted to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan met with demonstrators who had thwarted the citys effort to dismantle an occupied protest zone. (The zone would be dismantled five days later.) Texas and Florida reversed course and clamped down on bars as the daily number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 40,000. Clemson said 37 football players had tested positive for the coronavirus since the school reopened facilities for workouts earlier in the month. A federal judge ordered the release of children held with parents in U.S. immigration jails.

Todays Birthdays: Jazz musician-film composer Dave Grusin is 87. Actor Josef Sommer is 87. Singer Billy Davis Jr. is 83. Rock singer Georgie Fame is 78. Actor Clive Francis is 75. R&B singer Brenda Holloway is 75. Actor Michael Paul Chan is 71. Actor Robert Davi is 70. Singer-musician Mick Jones is 66. Actor Gedde Watanabe (GEH-dee wah-tah-NAH-bee) is 66. Rock singer Chris Isaak is 65. Rock singer Patty Smyth is 64. Singer Terri Nunn (Berlin) is 62. U.S. Bicycling Hall of Famer Greg LeMond is 60. Rock singer Harriet Wheeler (The Sundays) is 58. Country musician Eddie Perez (The Mavericks) is 53. Rock musician Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) is 52. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is 51. Actor Sean Hayes is 51. Actor Matt Letscher is 51. Actor Chris ODonnell is 51. Actor Nick Offerman is 51. Actor Rebecca Budig is 48. Retired MLB All-Star Derek Jeter is 47. Contemporary Christian musician Jeff Frankenstein (Newsboys) is 47. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 47. Rock musician Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) is 42. Pop-rock singer-musician Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) is 42. Actor-musician Jason Schwartzman is 41. Actor Aubrey Plaza is 37. Actor-singer Jennette McCurdy is 29. Actor-singer Ariana Grande is 28.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
OPINION: With the differential water rated approved our letter writers are sharing ideas on how it could done in a better way. What are your thoughts? Submit a letter to the editor at tucson.com/opinion.
OPINION: "Two-thirds of the USCCB still believes the majority of Catholics take them seriously? After Pennsylvania? After the revelations about Cardinal Theodore McCarrick? No. We. Dont," writes contributing columnist Renee Schafer Horton.
OPINION: "Weve just been released from the grip of a brutal heatwave," writes Sentinel Peak resident Megan Mogan. "Temperatures that spiked on June 11 continued for nine days, breaking a record set in June 1990 for most consecutive days over 112 degrees."
HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS?

Despite the CDC moratorium, more than 14,227 evictions have been granted by courts in Oklahoma since March 2020, according to Open Justice Oklahoma, a program of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, a Tulsa-based think-tank.

Dilks, with the Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation, said that because the moratorium only protects tenants from eviction for nonpayment of rent, many landlords have pursued evictions for other reasons, alleging lease violations or damage to property.

In some cases, Dilks said evictions were granted because tenants never appeared in court to argue that they were protected from eviction.

The vast majority of people who have evictions filed against them, particularly in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, don't bother to go to court for a variety of reasons," Dilks said. They don't have enough notice. They can't get time off work. They can't find childcare. They can't find transportation. Or, quite frankly, before the existence of the moratorium and the current protections, they knew they were going to lose.

That made it a real challenge when the moratorium was put in place, to let people know about it and let them know how important it was now to go to court because the rules really were different."
An undisclosed company is eyeing a distribution center site near Tulsa International Airport, about half a mile from where Amazon plans to build an operations facility.

The infrastructure development process is under way for Project Murphy, which is described as a single-tenant, industrial warehouse/distribution facility at 4200 N. Mingo Road, according to municipal planning office documents.

Last month, what was initially labeled as Project Koda turned out to be an Amazon investment in a 270,000-square-foot operations center at Mingo Road between 36th Street North and Apache Street.

Project Murphy would be 219,000 gross square feet and sit on 50 acres. Richard L. Bowen + Associates, a Cleveland, Ohio, firm is listed as the architect.

Named as developer is BH DevCo. Phoenix-based real estate development company that specializes in build-to-suit projects for e-commerce, distribution and fulfillment. BH DevCo also was listed on Project Koda documents.

The Tulsa World requested a comment from the city of Tulsa early Friday morning never heard an official response from the city.
Its a perfect example of the kind of history the family hopes their collection can educate people about, he said.

Kinsey said had they kept the collection in their home, maybe 200 people would see it in our lifetime. Instead, we decided to share it with the world.

He said Tulsa is the 32nd city the collection has been in to date. After Tacoma, it will begin a seven-month stay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, leading up to the 2022 Super Bowl there, he said.

Recognition of African American contributions is long overdue, Kinsey said.

Its not that we didnt contribute. We were left out of the story, he said. Its like going into a cemetery and there are no headstones.

Once you learn about the African American story of contribution for the first time, you see America with 20/20 vision.

Kinsey said he hopes Tulsans will take advantage of this final opportunity to view the collection.

I assure you, when you go see these artifacts, youre going to leave there shaking your head, he said. Youre going to say I dont believe this. You cant get around it.

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A federal jury Friday found a Tulsa man guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of a Native American man, Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson announced in a news release Friday.

Bradon Kemp, 24, of Tulsa maliciously killed a Native American man Aug. 4 by stabbing him in the head, neck and torso with a knife, Johnson said.

Bradon Kemp will now be held responsible for his violent criminal behavior, Johnson said. My office takes seriously its special trust responsibility to prosecute violent crimes in Indian Country. Im extremely proud of the FBI and Tulsa Police Department as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Briden and Ed Snow for their tireless preparation and successful prosecution of Mr. Kemp in federal court.

Tulsa police responded Aug. 4 to a call about a stabbing at an apartment complex. Kemp, who lived in the same complex as the victim, reportedly approached the man through an upstairs landing, where he began attacking the man with a knife, the news release states.

The victim has been identified in earlier reports as being David Woods, a Cherokee Nation tribal member.

The attack moved down the stairs to the sidewalk, and once there, Kemp reportedly continued to stab the victim. The victim suffered 12 stab wounds.
The Tulsa Community College Library received some high praise and a cash prize this week, continuing a recent run of national recognition for the school.

The library was named a winner of a 2021 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, school officials announced, one of just three libraries nationally to receive the honor.

The award, which comes with a $3,000 prize, recognizes in part TCC Librarys quick reaction to the pandemic and the groundwork laid previously that made that possible.

It follows two other top honors in late May for TCC, both from the American Association of Community Colleges. They include 2021 Awards of Excellence for Student Success and for Leadership Safety and Planning, the latter related to TCCs overall pandemic response.

The library award is from the Association of College and Research Libraries, which recognizes one community college, one college and one university each year from across the country.
The best chance for national election reform this year failed in the U.S. Senate Tuesday.

On a 50-50 vote, the Senate refused to take up S1, the For the People Act. Under Senate rules, 60 votes were needed to break a Republican filibuster and consider the broad election reform package, which included online voter registration, tighter campaign finance requirements and limits on gerrymandering.

The legislation was needed to counterbalanced efforts in state legislatures around the nation to restrict voter rights in response to the 2020 election.

Sens. James Lankford and Jim Inhofe voted with other Senate Republicans to sustain the filibuster.

We were disappointed in that, and in Lankfords comments ahead of the vote that the proposal would make voting easy, cheating easy, and verifying elections impossible.

The bill would have made voting easier, but we dont buy the rest of it.

There is no convincing evidence there is any substantial election fraud or that the proposals in S1 would have increased it.

The 2020 elections were verified thoroughly by state and federal officials. Nothing about S1 would have lessened the nations ability to feel confident in election results.
Editor's note: The story below is written by Aron Schuftan, a doctor of FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, in response to Tuoi Tre newspaper's 'Ho Chi Minh City Goes Global' contest. It was edited by Tuoi Tre News for clarity, consistency, and coherence.

Developing Ho Chi Minh Citys brand image is paramount in differentiating it within the global landscape.

The goal of Brand Ho Chi Minh City should need no introduction and is built upon an emotional, simple, and universal concept. It should be embedded and adopted in peoples minds easily.

Ho Chi Minh City should be held in the same esteem as other major, established cities like Hong Kong, London, Dubai, and New York. In fact, it should even eclipse them as it is the fresh, up-and-coming, new-kid-on-the-block.

Situated in Southeast Asia, Ho Chi Minh City has proven itself as an economic and cultural hub in the region. Just hours from dozens of major cities in the area, Ho Chi Minh City, with its centrally located international airport, has a unique set up as a launching point for international commerce and tourism.

With its creative, enterprising, energetic, and multilingual educated youth, Ho Chi Minh City has seen a massive growth in tourism, development, and manufacturing industries especially in the tech sector, which accounted for about 23 percent of Vietnam's GDP in 2020. With the ambitious and driving energy here, Ho Chi Minh City is the Silicon Valley of Asia.

The entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive here and this vibrant community is still small and friendly enough to be able to effectively network with the influential decision makers in various growing economies. The adage of one degree of separation is very much a reality here and often just asking a few friends will get you in contact with the person you are looking to connect with.

Aron Schuftan

With its unique history, Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, has been influenced by many cultures. This is still visible today in its contrasting architecture, savory food, colorful customs, and lively spirit. It is a true melting pot of the Orient.

For a country that has seen its share of historical conflict, Vietnam has an incredible spirit of resilience and forgiveness, open to all newcomers, curious to broaden their experiences.

Using a brand's geographic origin and heritage to build its identity is a way to begin telling its story and brings extraordinary value and universal appeal.

The branding of Ho Chi Minh City should focus on two fronts.

Budding tech industry

Showcase current successful companies/entrepreneurs

Host more international competitions in different events (hackathons, tech, gaming).

Project ideas of dependability, reassurance, and authenticity.

Promote Ho Chi Minh City as being one of the most developed, and fastest growing cities in the world.

Creative, enterprising, energetic and multilingual educated cheap labor force.

World class computer coders

Tourism and culture

Information booths city wide to better accommodate tourists that are already here.

Establish homestays with Saigonese families for tourists and expats.

Promote Opera House events to all hotel guests.

Organize exchange programs for international students to come live in Vietnam.

Interview and publicize (both locally and internationally) interviews with famous people (artists, musicians, politicians, historians, chefs, entrepreneurs, etc).

More media coverage (both locally and internationally) of events and festivals.

Create documentaries of things uniquely Vietnamese and distribute internationally (water puppets, Ao Dai, non la, music, cuisine).

Create a food/travel show based on Vietnam to be distributed internationally.

Showcase the unique colonial architecture Vietnam has.

Create a high-quality documentary on the Vietnam War from Vietnams perspective.

Memoir of famous historical figures in Vietnam.

Promote your budding film industry and fashion industry to international audiences.

Host more international competitions in different events (fashion, music, art).

Showcase Landmark 81 as the tallest building in Vietnam, the tallest building in Southeast Asia, and the 15th tallest building in the world (I think relatively few people know that).

Set up a tourism body to establish offices in key cities around the world promoting Vietnam/Ho Chi Minh City.

Showcase events, products and services that are unique or popular here.

Possible symbols of the Ho Chi Minh City/Vietnam brand:

 Non la (Vietnamese conical hat)

 Ao Dai

 Cyclo

 Rice paper

 Banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches)

 Women with long black hair

 Rice fields

 Bicycle

 Color red/yellow

 Bamboo

 Rice

 Coconut

Possible slogans:

 Silicon Valley of Asia

 Brand Ho Chi Minh City

 Brand Saigon

 Saigon Star

 Pearl of Asia

 United, Together

 Quality, Credibility, Innovation

 Together, Forward

 Future, Together

 Pioneering spirit, commitment to innovation, prosperity, pursuit of excellence, while embracing vast cultural diversity

Keep in mind: Give your audience something to identify with. Stand out from the crowd.

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Read what is in the news today:

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Saturday morning confirmed two imported and 13 local cases of COVID-19 and added 563 cases in Ho Chi Minh City to the Friday evening update, raising the national tally to 15,115 infections, with 5,949 recoveries and 74 deaths.

-- Authorities are developing guidelines on reducing the quarantine period to seven days for international arrivals who have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine and tested negative for the coronavirus before entering Vietnam, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said on Friday.

Society

-- The Hanoi Peoples Committee has permitted the resumption of certain outdoor physical and sport activities from Saturday, given the local COVID-19 situation basically brought under control.

-- Police in southern Tay Ninh Province said on Friday that they arrested on Thursday a 57-year-old local man for beating another man to his death over a conflict and burning the body to conceal the crime.

-- Police in northern Hai Phong City have been requested to investigate and find out the health check-up points responsible for letting through a passenger vehicle from Ho Chi Minh City, which then spread COVID-19 in the northern city.

Business

-- The United Overseas Bank has forecast Vietnams GDP growth rate at 6.7 percent this year despite adverse impacts of the COVID-19.

-- International courier DHL announced on Friday that it has invested in more private flights employing Airbus A330 aircrafts to transport goods directly between its transit hub in Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City.

-- The Ministry of Finance on Friday issued a circular to remove 30 items of business fees and charges worth around VND1 trillion (US$43 million) for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, effective from July 1 to December 31, 2021.

Sports

-- Vietnamese champions Viettel will clash the AFC Champions League title holder Ulsan Hyundai on the opening day of Group F of the continental competition in Thailand at 9:00 pm Saturday.

World news

-- A helicopter carrying Colombias President Ivan Duque and others was struck by multiple bullets in an attack on Friday, Reuters quoted him as saying in a video message.

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Police of Hanoi on Thursday raided a warehouse in Ha Dong District and impounded several tons of bubble tea ingredients without a trustworthy origin despite having famous brand names on the package.

The cargoes were seized at a warehouse at Le Khe Ward of Ha Dong District on Thursday afternoon after a raid implemented by local market surveillance officers.

The warehouse is being used by Mr. Drink Vietnam Co.Ltd., a firm headquartered in an urban area nearby.

The head of the company, Nguyen Huu Toan, was not present at either the office or the warehouse at the time of the bust.

Other personnel of the company were able to present certificates of origin, customs declaration and other related papers to prove legibility of several cargoes.

However, they could not prove the origin of the remaining products, including boba pearls, brown sugar grains and syrup, and boba tea powder packs stamped with well-known tea brand names of Royal Tea and Gongcha.

Boba tea ingredients of unknown origins in a warehouse in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, June 24, 2021. Photo courtesy of Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency.

Boba tea ingredients stamped with Gong Cha brand name in a warehouse in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, June 24, 2021. Photo courtesy of Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency.

Most of the cargoes were stored in large cardboard boxes, many of which were unsealed and mold-laden.

Waste materials and stacks of information labels were also found scattered on the floor.

After preliminary inspection, the functional force found the cargoes with signs of contraband and commercial fraud.

Leaked bottles of boba tea ingredients in a warehouse in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, June 24, 2021. Photo courtesy of Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency.

Boba tea ingredients of unknown origins in a warehouse in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, June 24, 2021. Photo courtesy of Hanoi Market Surveillance Agency.

Discussing with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, head a market surveillance team, said these products are distributed mostly through e-commerce platforms.

The owner of the facility has repeatedly dodged monitoring efforts from the authority.

The owner is sly enough to mix up goods with and without paperwork together, which threw our officials off.

The surveillance unit is working to document the seized products and cross-check them with paperworks of origin to clear the case.

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Police in the southern Vietnamese province of Tay Ninh said on Friday that they arrested on Thursday a 57-year-old local man for beating another man to his death over a conflict and burning the body to conceal the crime.

The man -- Nguyen Thanh Nghia, hailing from Phan Commune in Duong Minh Chau District -- will also be investigated for murder and burning the deceaseds body to cover up the case, according to the police.

Nghia was apprehended while hiding in Chau Thanh District on Thursday, one day after fleeing his neighborhood.

At the police station, Nghia said he had come up with the idea of revenging T., a 51-year-old man also living in Phan Commune, after a conflict with him.

On Tuesday evening, Nghia came to a hut located in the middle of a cucumber field, where T. had been paid to look after, and saw the latter was sleeping soundly there.

Nghia grabbed a stick and used it to beat T.s head and face many times until the man was dead, then burned the victims body.

After that, Nghia went home to sleep before running away from his neighborhood on Wednesday morning.

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Two men have been arrested for organizing for 10 Chinese nationals to enter Vietnam illegally and seek way to return to China, police of south-central Ninh Thuan Province have reported.

Le Duy Thuy, 45, hailing from Thanh Hoa Province, and Le Tay Nguyen, 42, hailing from Ho Chi Minh City, have been detained and prosecuted for organizing the illegal entry into Vietnam, Ninh Thuan police said on Saturday.

On June 3, Thuy and Nguyen, after their arrangements with some people, transported 10 Chinese men from the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang to Hanoi for VND10 million (US$434) per person.

These men had previously entered Vietnam illegally from Cambodia.

When the car driven by Thuy carrying four of these foreigners, who all are the natives of Chinas Fujian Province, reached Ninh Thuans Thuan Nam District, it was stopped at a COVID-19 checkpoint for inspection.

All the Chinese had no passports and visas to show the inspectors.

At the same time, the car in which Nguyen carried the remaining six Chinese men was halted in Binh Thuans Bac Binh District and all these foreigners were suspected to have entered Vietnam illegally.

After initial interrogations, Binh Thuans concerned agencies transferred Nguyen and his six Chinese guests to Ninh Thuan for continued investigations.

This image shows 10 Chinese men who have been found entering Vietnam illegally to seek way to return to China. Photo: Tuan Minh / Tuoi Tre

These Chinese had made a living as workers in Cambodia, but when the country faced the wide spread of COVID-19, they entered illegally to Vietnam to seek way to return to China, investigators said.

All the 10 foreigners were placed in centralized quarantine in Ninh Thuan so as local health workers took their samples for COVID-19 testing.

After three times of testing, they all were found negative for coronavirus, local health authorities reported.

After the Chinese completed 17 days of isolation, the provincial police on June 22 assigned 12 police officers to take the foreigners to the northern border province of Lang Son to hand over to Chinese authorities.

One day later, however, the Lang Son Border Gate released a notice that one of these Chinese tested positive for COVID-19, so all the 12 police officers had to be placed in centralized quarantine.

Local police are further investigating the case.

Vietnam has sealed its borders since March last year but it still grants entry to diplomats, foreign experts, and Vietnamese repatriates.

All international arrivals are required to undergo a 21-day quarantine period to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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On 7News Spotlight Ross Coulthart looks into the death of Nadine Haag, who was found dead in her Castle Hill apartment in 2009.

For police, the death of beautiful young mother Nadine Haag was an open and shut case.

Her body discovered in the shower of her Sydney home and a goodbye letter in her handwriting.

It had to be death by suicide.

The Coroner overturned that ruling, declaring an open finding.

But Nadines shattered family remain steadfast in their belief her death was far more sinister.

In that farewell letter, a critical clue police missed  a secret message from beyond the grave discovered by Nadines sisters, who 12-years on from her death have never stopped fighting to find her killer.

Now, in this explosive 7NEWS Spotlight documentary, reporter Ross Coulthart forensically reexamines the case, piecing together evidence from the original investigation, crime scene photographs and autopsy findings to uncover critical evidence that police missed.

Its a worldwide investigation that takes Coulthart all the way to the US, where one of the worlds foremost crime scene investigation experts, Scott Roder, applies cutting-edge technology in a series of experiments to test his hypothesis that Nadines death was in fact, murder.

Then back to Queenslands Sunshine Coast where Coulthart confronts Nadines ex-boyfriend with the findings, in a worldwide investigation with a stunning conclusion.

What really happened to Nadine Haag?

7pm tonight on Seven.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36
Former ABC presenter David Hawkes, who worked in broadcasting for more than 4 decades, has died aged 83.

He died at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth on Thursday, surrounded by family.

The veteran broadcaster worked for the ABC and commercial networks in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

He first joined the ABC in Brisbane in 1962 before moving to Perth, where he spent 33 years on air. He held a number of roles, including news-reading, hosting game show Fair Go!, co-hosted the cooking program Two for the Pot, and anchoring current affairs program Statewide and link for many election night Tally room specials.

From 1987 until his retirement in 2003, he was reading ABC news bulletins and presenting 6WF (720) Breakfast session.

Former colleague Peter Holland said, David started when he was extraordinarily young.

I think he was 15 when he left school and became an announcer at a commercial station in New South Wales or Queensland.

After he came to the ABC in Perth, he worked briefly with 6PR and then he went down to Bunbury to the television station GWN.

Hawkes had a big impact on broadcasting training in Western Australia. He the first coordinator of the WA Academy of Performing Arts broadcasting course, which he created with Dr. Geoff Gibbs.

A public celebration of his life is being organised for friends and colleagues.

Source: ABC, WA TV History
If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, follow the steps below to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (Romans 12:3)
By Mark Gokavi

Applications are being accepted for Ohios first Environmental Justice Academy, a training program developed for emerging community, non-profit and environmental leaders to help cultivate skills and address environmental challenges.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) are hosting the event Sept. 10-11 at the University of Dayton.

Applications (two per entity only) must be submitted by July 7 to R5_EJAcademy@epa.gov. Participants must be based in Darke, Preble, Montgomery, Miami, Greene or northern Warren counties.

The application includes five questions. Each response is limited to 200 words. More information is available at https://www.epa.gov/oh/ej-academy.

The academy consists of a nine-month program of courses, assignments and projects. Organizers define environmental justice as the fair treatment of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

The academy hopes to encourage collaborative problem-solving among local government, small businesses, academic institutions and industry to create a shared vision among different stakeholders so that all parts of a community have a voice in addressing local environmental concerns.

Organizers hope the academy teaches participants to leverage resources, use consensus-building, increase capacity to address community issues and foster a basic understanding of environmental justice.

MVRPC has served the planning needs of the Miami Valley since 1964.

In 2020, a regional equity initiative was launched in the Miami Valley. As a result, the Environmental Justice Academy model will be customized. Some modules will explore equity themes as well as methods for encouraging positive change through community revitalization.

The academy is being supported by UDs Hanley Sustainability Institute, the Human Rights Center and the Fitz Center. UDs Leanne Jablonski, Leslie King and Tony Talbott are members of the steering committee.

For more sustainability news and information, visit HSIs news blog, the Hanley Sustainability Institute website and the sustainability program website. To sign up for HSIs Sustainability Spotlight newsletter, register here.
Russell T Davies at the 2019 Edinburgh TV Festival. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)

Russell T Davies has said privatising Channel 4 would result in programmes like his latest series It's A Sin not being made.

The writer's comments come as the government has said it will launch a consultation into the privatisation of the channel.

The channel was founded in 1982 and is owned by the government at present, receiving funding from advertising. However, it could be sold off to a private buyer.

Read more: Tom Parker making documentary on brain cancer battle for Channel 4

Davies said we are "looking at very dark days here" while addressing the matter at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada.

'It's A Sin' aired earlier this year. (Channel 4)

He added the channels remit which is to make shows like Its A Sin would change if it were to be sold off.

It exists to make this kind of drama and thats going to fall away now, the former Doctor Who show runner added. Come back in 10 years and youll see. I cant promise well be here to talk about this sort of programme on Channel 4 for much longer because the government is gutting it.

It's A Sin aired on the channel earlier this year and was made available as a boxset on All 4 upon its launch.

The government is launching a consultation into the privatisation of Channel 4. (PA)

It centred around a group of friends living in London throughout the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s and was a hit with audiences and critics alike.

Read more: What to watch after It's A Sin

Channel 4 previously said the programme drove its streaming service to record growth.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said earlier this week that moving the channel into private ownership could ensure its future success and sustainability.

With additional reporting by PA.

Watch: Sir Elton John and Olly Alexander raise awareness for HIV at Brit Awards
In the spring and summer of 2020, large parts of the world were hunkering down as governments locked down societies and economies. Millions of families were confined to their homes. Across the globe, people were losing their lives and livelihoods to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, we only had a hunch about how the pandemic would play out differently for different people. We asked ourselves: How is COVID-19 going to affect gender equality across the world? Would the pandemic take a distinctly different toll on men and women? As the World Bank's blog writes, now, 14 months later, we still do not have all the answers. But in an effort to respond to the question and based on a review of new data by the World Bank, the United Nations and others, we have gathered a few.

The answer, one year on, is that men and women have experienced the crisis in markedly different ways. While men have been more likely to lose their lives from COVID-19, women have lost out more than men in terms of jobs, income, and safety. The data and research we reviewed tell us about the disparities in different dimensions of gender equality: Firstly, they tell us about peoples health and education (endowments). Secondly, they tell us about their livelihoods and earnings (economic opportunities). Thirdly, they tell us about voice and the power to make decisions (agency). And they tell us about the unequal economic and domestic experience of the crisis for men and women.

In a complex and diverse world, we can only identify general patterns. A whole host of other factors, such as age, education, income, disability, and ethnicity, will be reflected in peoples experience of the COVID-19 crisis. Those factors intersect with gender and influence women and mens vulnerability and resilience.

When it comes to health, men have generally suffered higher death rates and higher rates of COVID-19 infection than women. In the South Asia region, more than 3 out of 4 COVID-19 related deaths were among men  and as high as 61 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean and 59 percent in the Middle East and North Africa. High male mortality rates can also have painful impacts on the survivors left behind, especially women who, most likely, have lower earnings and will need to recoup the income of the male earner.

Womens health has suffered in other ways, however. Whether you were a woman in Armenia, Pakistan, or Senegal, you were more likely than a man to be experiencing stress and worry related to COVID-19. In Pakistan, 82 percent of women compared to 74 percent of men reported experiencing stress symptoms due to COVID-19. In Senegal, women reported being extremely worried more often than men (56 percent versus 46 percent). In Armenia, anxiety levels were higher among women: 43 percent compared to 29 percent among men reported the most severe level.

With regard to education, we find little evidence for earlier hypotheses that families would redirect scarce resources to prioritize education of boys over girls. However, evidence on this topic is scarce, as internationally comparable data from a wider range of countries on what has happened in contexts where schools have reopened is not yet available. Projections suggest that gender differences in school dropouts due to the crisis may differ across regions and levels of education. According to UNESCOs projections from July 2020, boys are at a greater risk of not returning to education than girls at university, primary and lower-secondary school, while the opposite holds for pre-primary and upper secondary education. However, girls appear to be especially vulnerable in certain regions: In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), for instance, a higher share of girls across all education levels (other than pre-primary) is estimated to be affected. Adolescent girls face a particularly high risk of not returning to school in both SSA and South Asia, where most at-risk students live.

When it comes to jobs, gender mattered, and mattered more than education, location, or generation. Women were more likely to lose their jobs in the first months of the crisis, as shown in a recent study by Maurice Kugler and colleagues based on harmonized high-frequency phone survey data for 40 mostly developing countries. Women workers likelihood of losing their job between April and June 2020 was 36 percent compared to 28 percent among men. In another study for Latin America, women had a 44 percent higher chance to lose their jobs at the onset of the crisis compared to men. Evidence on how job losses of men and women evolved after the initial phase of the pandemic is still scarce, but the available data suggests that women have been slower to return to paid employment than men. Businesses with female top managers also appear to have experienced more negative impacts than those led by men across countries. Some of these differences are related to the fact that women have shouldered the responsibility for additional care needs with school closures and the increase in ill family members, further restricting their time availability and their ability to return to work as economies reopen.

In addition, women have lost out in terms of personal safety. While the data is sensitive and not easy to obtain, different sources point in the same direction: a significant rise in violence against women. There were steep increases in calls to helplines, increased number of cases in service provider registries, in police reports, and, in a few cases, in dedicated surveys on the topic. For instance: In Indonesia, 83 percent of respondents reported increased intimate partner violence in their communities due to COVID-19. Similar to education, we do not have a complete and consolidated answer when it comes to whether and how teenage pregnancy rates and child marriage rates have been affected by COVID-19. We need more and better data, and we need it urgently.

Data scarcity limits the extent to which clear takeaways can be formulated one year into the pandemic. Data limitations affect the quality and depth of the information that can be presented. Information on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 has largely come from remote surveys, which pose challenges in measuring the gendered impacts of COVID-19, including related to respondent selection, length of survey, and coverage of topics. With regard to violence against women and girls, only a few surveys have assessed reporting rates by women, while most other data sources are based on service providers, police reports or social media analysis. Furthermore, education, child marriage and teenage pregnancy are dimensions in which data and analysis are too scarce to be able to draw any conclusions.

In spite of those caveats, we can clearly see that COVID-19 casts different shadows over the lives and livelihoods of men and women. More importantly still, it has raised questions about how best to respond to ensure resilience for all in the recovery. The data we do have has shed fresh light on gender equality and unequal experiences of COVID-19. The main challenge now will be to harness this new data and analysis and translate it into policy actions that lead us out of the crisis stronger and better prepared for the future. Gender gaps across endowments, economic opportunities and agency predating the pandemic have mostly widened through this crisis. A concerted effort to empower women and girls worldwide is needed, not only to narrow and close those widened gender gaps but also to prevent women and girls from falling behind again in subsequent shocks.
Armenias embattled prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, managed to overcome the fallout of a disastrous defeat in last years war with Azerbaijan to win a landslide victory in a parliamentary election on June 20. As Emerging Europe writes, parliamentary election in Armenia on June 20 was widely viewed as a battle for the countrys future: would Armenians choose to revert to the past, or vote to continue along a reformist path, led by Nikol Pashinyan, who first took office in 2018 following what has become known as the Velvet Revolution.

The result was not even close, with Armenians voting overwhelmingly for the latter: Pashinyans Civil Contract party took 53.92 per cent of the vote. The Hayastan bloc, an alliance led by a former president, Robert Kocharyan, came a distant second with 21.04 per cent of the vote.

Despite Kocharyans claims otherwise, both local and international observers signed off on the election as free and fair, noting, however, some isolated, non-systemic violations.

The election was contested by many familiar faces. Aside from Kocharyan, another former president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, was in the running, as well as a former head of national security, Artur Vanetsyan. The latter, head of the I Have Honor bloc and closely affiliated with yet another ex-president, Serzh Sargsyan, came third and will take seats in parliament.

When Pashinyan took office in 2018 as the leading figure of the Velvet Revolution, which ousted Sargsyan and his government from power, his then coalition party My Step won what were widely viewed as the countrys first free and fair elections since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Seen as an outsider to the opaque Armenian political establishment, Pashinyan won widespread support, making sweeping promises to liberalise the economy, reign in oligarchs and tackle corruption.

Just two years later, his popularity was already on the decline, with many Armenians frustrated at the slow pace of reform.

His popularity then tanked following a disastrous defeat in a six-week war with Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan was accused of at best leaving the Armenian military and Nagorno-Karabakh forces unprepared for the war, and at worst, of actively hampering an effective military response.

The Russia-brokered peace deal that ended the fighting last November shocked the Armenian public. Large tracts of Nagorno-Karabakh were handed back to Azerbaijan, despite the majority of the territory remaining in Armenian hands. Many Armenians considered this to be a humiliating failure and laid the blame squarely on Pashinyan and his administration. This led to a months-long political crisis which saw near daily protests, open insubordination by high-ranking military officers and intense political conflict. Pashinyan appeared to be losing his grip on the country.

The crisis was defused when Pashinyan, in a major gamble, declared that snap parliamentary elections would be held, two years ahead of time.

A vote against the old guard

Although the election can certainly be considered a legitimisation of Pashinyans reformist path, it appears that more than anything, it was the identities of the main opposition figures that allowed Pashinyan to secure victory in the latest elections.

Robert Kocharyan, for example, was president of Armenia from 1998 to 2008 and has been accused of ordering a brutal crackdown on protests in 2008 which led to the deaths of 10 people.

As such, June 20s result could be viewed as a vote against the Armenian old guard rather than a vote for Pashinyan. For much of the Armenian public, the old guard represents a reversion to the past, when Armenias political system was dominated by small a circle of politicians supported by powerful oligarchs, not unlike Vladimir Putins Russia.

Robert Kocharyans problem was that there were a large number of people who were against Nikol Pashinyan, but were not ready to vote for him [Kocharyan], says Alexander Iskandaryan, an Armenian political analyst with the Caucasus Institute.

Anna Ohanyan, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, agrees.

Kocharyans return to the political scene had a mobilising effect in favour of Pashinyan. Large segments of undecided voters in the end voted for Pashinyan, signalling their continued support for the velvet trajectory despite their frustrations with Pashinyan and his government.

These notions are backed up by the figures. More than 46 per cent of the population voted against Pashinyan and his party. Furthermore, voter participation was relatively low, at just under 50 per cent. This implies that a good chunk of the population still harbours a degree of apathy towards both Pashinyans party and the old guard.

Furthermore, not all Armenians were happy with the outcome of the election. Protests were held in Stepanakert, the capital of the Armenian-held part of Nagorno-Karabakh, after the breakaway states president congratulated Pashinyan on his victory.

Steel replaces velvet

In a victory speech on June 21, Pashinyan announced that if his 2018 victory was the Velvet Revolution, this years would be a Steel Revolution. He promised that those who robbed the country and profited while hundreds of thousands became poor and had to leave would face justice, possibly an attempt to remedy perceptions that his government has been too lenient  so far  with the countrys oligarchs. Other than that, there have so far been few clues as to how Pashinyan intends to rule in his second term.

On the foreign policy front, little is projected to change. Although Pashinyan is not as pro-Russian as his predecessors, he has maintained relatively close relations with Moscow, particularly since the defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Kremlin congratulated Pashinyan on his convincing reelection, a relatively significant endorsement. Pashinyans Armenia could be one of Moscows few democratic allies.

However, security challenges remain. Armenians continue to perceive any moves made by Turkey and Azerbaijan to be inherently driven by hostile intentions towards Armenia, and many are reluctant to pursue any kind of rapprochement.

Recent Azerbaijani manoeuvres have seen its armed forces enter Armenias Syunik province. Pashinyan has again come under fire for his muted response and foreign minister Ara Ayvazyan resigned on May 27 in protest.

Nevertheless, Pashinyan has clearly established, both domestically and internationally, that a sizeable proportion of the Armenian public is prepared to follow through with reform, despite the difficulties.

Now, he has an even clearer mandate to push on.
About 2,000 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized in Moscow every day, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an interview with the Russia-1 TV channel.

Very many people come to examine the patient, bring him to the CT centre, take pictures. Of course, this creates enormous stress for the medical system. But now the situation is almost completely normalized," the mayor explained.

Sobyanin pointed out that 20,000 beds are deployed in the city for the treatment of patients with Covid-19, and today, more than 14,000 of them are occupied.
Azerbaijan marks the countrys Armed Forces June 26, Trend reports.

Despite that Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), established on May 28, 1918, existed only 23 months, it did a lot in a short period of time. The country started the creation of the national army, understanding that its own armed forces were needed to protect the achievements of the young republic.

At the same time, the situation in the region was extremely tense. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was on the verge of losing parts of its territory.

Azerbaijan achieved significant results in creating its own armed forces in a short period of time. The Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted a decision on the establishment of the national army on October 9, 1991.

June 26 was declared the Armed Forces Day in accordance with Azerbaijani president's decree dated May 22, 1998.

Last year, the Azerbaijani army fulfilled its historic mission. The occupied lands of Azerbaijan are now free! The Azerbaijani army under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev achieved a historic victory in the 44-day Patriotic War
Azerbaijan will increase the size of its army, President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with a group of the leadership and personnel of the Azerbaijani army on the occasion of the Day of the Armed Forces.

He stressed that the country will only grow stronger, including by building up its military power.

The head of state explained that after the Second Karabakh war, relevant instructions were given, new contracts were signed, and purchases of new weapons and equipment based on modern technologies began.
During the Shusha operation, all types of Azerbaijani troops demonstrated their professionalism, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said in an interview with Real TV, Trend reports.

"President Ilham Aliyev instructed that when planning and conducting operations, it is necessary to take into account that Shusha is the center of Azerbaijani culture. Therefore, we could not use artillery there," Hasanov said.

The minister noted that the Armenian troops around the city of Shusha were defeated by artillery, and suffered heavy losses both in manpower and equipment.

He noted that Azerbaijan didn't carry out artillery strikes on Shusha.

"This made the operation difficult, and the weather was cloudy too Therefore, during the Shusha operation, it was not possible to use drones, which also created difficulties for reconnaissance. That is, artillery was used during operations around the city of Shusha. I would especially like to emphasize that the engineering troops of Azerbaijan had built the road in a short time. This came as a shock to the Armenians. They were expecting our attack on Shusha in a different direction and concentrated their forces elsewhere, Hasanov said.
Ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharias For Georgia party was left without an office in Batumi: the owner of the premises terminated the lease agreement.

He said that the reason for his decision was the report on Gakharia's meeting with the founder of the United National Movement, Mikhail Saakashvili, in Washington, which the party itself denied.

For Georgias regional leader Irakli Mikeladze said that the eviction of the party is nothing else than blackmail by the authorities.
As part of a further post-war settlement, a working group should be created to delimit the border with Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with a group of the leadership and personnel of the Azerbaijani Army on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day.

He recalled that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been finally settled, Yerevan must accept this fact and work with Baku to determine the borders.
Tehran expects to increase the export of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said.

"After the past consultations [with the Russian side], we expect from Russia that the rate of vaccine export will be increased," TASS quotes him as saying.

The diplomat drew attention to the fact that the Russian vaccine is one of the safest in the world.

Recall that the first batch of Sputnik V was delivered to Iran on February 4, and free voluntary vaccination of the population began five days later.
A large fire occurred today on the territory of the Yerevan Thermal Power Plant, the corresponding message was published on the website of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia.

The call was received today at 16.15 (15.15 Moscow time). First, two combat crews of rescuers left for the place of emergency.

Later, five more combat crews, as well as three groups of rescuers, went to the place of extinguishing.

The fire was localized at 19.00 (18.00 Moscow time), and completely extinguished - at 19.40 (18.40).
According to an international report on restricted-flight zones, Russian warships based in the Mediterranean will conduct rocket range practice in close proximity to the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, south of Cyprus.

The carrier-based aircraft of the British aircraft carrier is currently bombing the infrastructure of terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq.

Recall that Russian warships, submarines, fighters and bombers are now conducting military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, practicing the defense of the Russian bases in Syria -Tartus and Khmeimim.
The Georgian Dream party- Democratic Georgia party MP, Kakha Kakhishvili, proposed to install state flags on the roofs of all schools in the country and place the state emblem on the facades.

He plans to submit the corresponding package of bills to the bureau on June 28 in the framework of an extraordinary session.

The parliamentarian believes that state flags should be flown both in kindergartens and educational institutions, according to Sputnik Georgia.
In Turkey, the ceremony of laying the first bridge is currently taking place as part of the construction of the Istanbul shipping canal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the audience at the groundbreaking ceremony.

According to Erdogan, the total cost of construction work for the construction of the canal is approximately $ 15 billion according to current plans. Istanbul Canal will be built in 6 years. He called this project a new page in the development of Turkey, Anadolu Agency reports.

The head of the Ministry of Transport Adil Karaismayiloglu, also participating in the ceremony, stressed that the growth of shipping on the Bosphorus poses a threat to both the security and ecology of Istanbul, while the Istanbul Canal will be 13 times safer than the natural strait.
Just after having the first shot of a Covid-19 vaccine, Thuy was informed that she had become the F1 (close contact) of an infection case, but she was not too worried.

At the immunization point at Mac Dinh Chi High School in District 6,

On June 17, 2021, the Ministry of Health (MOH) decided to allocate 800,000 vaccine doses out of 1 million doses of vaccine donated by Japan to the city after 2,072 cases were found in the latest outbreak. Many of them had unknown infection sources.

HCM City has overtaken Bac Ninh province in the north to become the second worst affected locality during the latest Covid-19 outbreak.

On June 21, HCM City kicked off the largest ever vaccination campaign. More than 350 doctors and medical workers from many medical units in HCM City are serving in the campaign. Each team has five medical workers, including two doctors and three nurses.

The medical workers have received two shots of the vaccine and have experience after the first immunization campaign on March 8.

Ten groups of people are prioritized to receive vaccinations this time, including frontline forces fighting against Covid-19, people aged 65 and above, residents in Go Vap District, residents in Tan Thoi Nhat and Thanh Loc Wards in District 12, workers in industrial zones (IZs) and export processing zones (EPZs), among others.

Tran Thi Ly, born in 1984, in Thu Duc City, who works for a company belonging to Cat Lai Port in HCM City, is among those prioritized for vaccination.

Our company made a list of people for vaccination on June 18. I felt happy and lucky, Ly said.

She had an afternoon off on June 22 and went with co-workers to the vaccination point in Hiep Phuoc IZ in Nha Be District, where she had her blood pressure measured, had a consultation with doctors, and waited for her turn.

I got the first shot at 4.30 pm. Medical workers spoke with us before and gave advice after the injection as well, she said.

Ly said before going to the vaccination site, she read information about what happens before, during and after injection. She also prepared medicine for headaches and fever, and took water.

Many workers at Lys company had a temperature, headache, dizziness and fatigue, while Ly only had a little pain in the injection area. She still could go to work the next morning.

She said the developments in HCM City have transmission sources unknown for some cases. Some areas near her home have been isolated, many workers have become jobless or have seen their income decreasing, and live in fear about their health.

On June 21, HCM City kicked off the largest ever vaccination campaign. More than 350 doctors and medical workers from many medical units in HCM City are serving in the campaign. Each team has five medical workers, including two doctors and three nurses.

I wish that all people can access vaccines so that Vietnam can reach herd immunity and people can gather strength on developing the economy, she said.

Becoming F1 after injection

Ha Thuy, born in 1990, works for a state-owned bank in District 1, was worried when the fourth wave broke out in HCM City, because she has to meet many people as part of her work.

On May 27, the city discovered a new infection chain related to the religious mission. All of us at the office then wanted to be vaccinated, she said.

On June 18, Thuy and her co-workers at the office were informed that they had priority for vaccination.

One June 23, at the immunization point at Mac Dinh Chi High School in District 6, all medical workers in protective suits were ready to receive people at 6 am. Infection tools and vaccines were also prepared.

At 10 am, Thuy arrived at the immunization site. After having her blood pressure taken, she had a health examination and waited her turn.

I just needed to wait 30 minutes to get the first shot. When I got injection, I felt that medical workers were tired because their shirts were sweaty from working early that morning. However, they were still nice to me. I felt happy and grateful, Thuy said.

When Thuy got home, she got an urgent notice from the local authorities who asked people who had visited the Co-op Food store on June 8-21 to contact medical units, because a female worker at the store had tested positive and was taken away for quarantine.

The convenience store is near Thuys house and she went there on June 21 to buy food and had contact with the worker.

As I became an F1, I have to make health declaration and give a sample for testing. I have fulfilled all necessary procedures and I am waiting for the results, she said.

As I contacted her only once, I still dont have to be put under concentrated quarantine, Thuy said.

She isn't too worried as she has been vaccinated. I have informed my boss about my situation and I am now under quarantine. I hope I will get negative results so that the people around me wont be affected, she said.

Tu Anh

Law on 'state of emergency' to protect peoples health in pandemic: experts Vietnam needs to have a law on the state of emergency, which would pave the way for the State to make necessary intervention during the pandemic and protect peoples freedom and lives.
The second technological solution is a system that automatically scans and detects content unreasonable to children, or content where children are the subjects of abuse.

Hoang Minh Tien, deputy head of AIS

Protecting children in cyberspace is an increasingly burning issue as more and more cases related to the spread of bad and toxic information have been reported, and they have serious consequences.



The PM on June 1 signed Decision 830 approving the program on protecting and supporting children to have healthy and creative interactions on online environments in 2021-2025.

VietNamNet talked to Hoang Minh Tien, Deputy Director of AIS about the future solutions to the problem.

What would you, as the implementer of the program, say about children's use in cyberspace. Has there been any survey on childrens activities in cyberspace in Vietnam, or on the types of information that children search for on social networks?

We have working sessions with many agencies and organizations, Vietnamese and international. We have found that there are more and more cases of children becoming subjects of abuse on cyberspace, both indirect and direct abuse. YouTuber Tho Nguyen last March is an example.

The risks in cyberspace vary, from cheating and stealing personal information to sexual abuse and cyber-bullying.

AIS in 2020 advised MIC on the need to develop such a program.

Are there any laws and regulations stipulating the protection of children in cyberspace?

When building up the program, we found that there is a basic legal framework on protecting children in cyberspace. We have the Law on Children, which includes provisions on protecting children in cyberspace. Following the enactment of the law, in 2017, the Government released Decree 56 that guides the implementation of some provisions on the responsibilities of related parties.

However, it is necessary that those provisions of the law lead to concrete solutions and tasks to be assigned to relevant ministries and branches.

During the process of building the program, we have also found many other issues that need to be studied and developed into legal documents in the future.

Are there any solutions applied by developed countries to protect their children in cyberspace which still could not be done in Vietnam, in terms of laws and children and parent protection agencies?

In developed countries, the problem of child abuse, trading and exploitation has been going on for a long time because the world has been ahead of us in technology development. In Vietnam, the problem has just appeared and if we do not intervene in time, it will become a big social problem.

The second technological solution is a system that automatically scans and detects content unreasonable to children, or content where children are the subjects of abuse.

We have been recommended that the behavior of storing videos and images in which children are subjects of sexual abuse, not just the spreading and disseminating of images, also need to be put into criminal prosecution. In Vietnam there is still no concrete regulation on that behavior.

Which agencies do you think need to take responsibility for this issue?

We believe there is no single agency which can deal with the problem, but this needs the joint efforts of many agencies.

When AIS proposed the launching of the program, we received the active cooperation from Ministry of Education and Training, with the role in educating internet use skills, the Ministry of Public Security, with the role of investigating and handling the behaviors of Labor Law violations, and MOLISA as the agency in charge of children control.

MIC and the ministries play the key role in protecting children in cyberspace. Of these, MIC acts as the focal point which cooperates closely with the other three. There should be close cooperation from other organizations and agencies, including Central Youth Union, Vietnam Women's Union, and the Vietnam Fatherland Fronts Central Committee.

Particularly, we need the cooperation of local authorities.

An NAs thematic report released in May 2020 showed that Vietnam has 24 million children aged below 16 and 10 percent them cannot go to school. It will be difficult for them to access the programs on educating skills to protect themselves in cyberspace.

Therefore, local authorities will play a very important role in accessing and disseminating the knowledge about possible risks on cyberspace to these children.

Will AIS make any suggestions on technological solutions to implement the task of protecting children in cyberspace more effectively?

We have two suggestions.

First, it is necessary to have overall study about how the problem is happening in Vietnam. In other words, we need to have a system that automatically receives complaints and reports about child abuse risks, or about bad content on social networks. After that, it is necessary to review complaints to find out how many complaints there are about the problem within one week or month.

This is a technological solution which allows the State to have an overview about the issue. The information will help better classify and handle the complaints. The network will comprise a website address, hotline and email address, to which people and agencies will send information.

The second technological solution is a system that automatically screens and discovers the content that is unreasonable to children, or the content, where children are subjects of abuse.

The worlds leading technology firms in terms of information storage such as Microsoft and Google are pioneering in the field. Images and videos are automatically scanned and censored with AI and Big Data technologies to discover bad content.

We are joining forces with some companies in image recognition and semantic analysis to research and develop a similar technology. We are also negotiating with Microsoft and Google on the right to research and use their technologies as well as the database they have created so far.

We hope that we will get initial results this third quarter.

It seems that the children protection on network environment depends on parents. Do you have any plan to strengthen the supervision over the content of the channels for children?

I think families and parents need to take the biggest responsibility for children protection. The next responsibility belongs to content platform providers such as YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.

After the cases of YouTuber Tho Nguyen on Tik Tok and Timmy TV on YouTube, AIS has recently had working sessions with the representatives of the platforms. We are going to work with Facebook and Google as well.

Immediately after the program was approved on June 1, MIC set up a network on rescuing and protecting children in the internet environment.

Nguyen Thao

Solutions for using, managing livestreams The state needs to resolve disputes about social networks by law. This is the solution of a modern society that respects a rule-of-law culture.

How to be smart parents in digital era? In a rapidly developing world where the internet is often seen a vital tool for educating children, there is a dark side to the world wide web that can cause grief and heartache for parents.
The Politburo has agreed in principle to continue issuing policies supporting the employees and employers hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong addresses the Politburo's meeting on June 25 (Photo: VNA)

Chairing the Politburos meeting in Hanoi on June 25, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the complex COVID-19 outbreaks since 2020 have substantially affected production, business, and service activities, especially in industrial parks, export processing zones, businesses employing a large number of workers, and populous provinces and cities, seriously impacting peoples employment, life, and income.

He applauded ministries, central agencies, and localities activeness in carrying out the guidelines on measures assisting pandemic-affected people issued by the Party Central Committees Politburo and Secretariat, the National Assembly, and the Government.

The implementation of the support policies for people and enterprises since the pandemic broke out last year holds great political and social significance, helping to minimise losses caused by the pandemic, recover production activities, ensure peoples life and safety, continue to promote peoples trust in the Party and States policies, and reflect the superiority of the regime, according to the Party leader.

The meeting of the Politburo in Hanoi on June 25 (Photo: VNA)



Despite certain achievements in the COVID-19 combat, numerous difficulties remain and the disease situation is still complicated, he pointed out, requesting vigilance be maintained.

Support will be provided for employees and employers hit by the pandemic so as to simultaneously sustain production activities and fight against the disease, which are also the twin targets of the country now, he added.

At the meeting, the Politburo assigned the Party units at the Government and the National Assembly to base on its opinions to order relevant agencies to devise, soon issue, and effectively carry out support policies.

The Party chief demanded the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, ministries, sectors, and localities make timely response to the pandemics developments while stepping up examination and inspection to strictly deal with any violations and prevent losses and wastefulness during the enforcement of those policies./.

Source: VNA
H-E-B Grilling Open

Grocery chain H-E-B is hosting its first ever Grilling Open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time July 1. Available on H-E-Bs YouTube and Facebook sites, the 12-hour presentation will be filled with grilling tips, cooking techniques, recipe shares and celebrity appearances, according to a press release from Sarah OConnor-Guffey and H-E-B.

Among the notables taking part in grilling demonstrations are Camila Alves McConaughey, wife of actor Matthew McConaughey, Houston Astros star Alex Bregman and members of the Randy Rogers Band, the release says.

Hotel hopes

Carla Pendergraft, who markets the Waco Convention Center, said local hoteliers have high hopes for summertime travel, now that COVID-19 is on the run. She said Wacos hotel occupancy rate through May averaged 70.7%, compared with 51.1% during the same period last year. The rate had dropped even further as the pandemic took its toll on the economy.
Eve De La Cruz, who adopted Luis after his parents were stripped of custody, testified Friday that she did her own investigation into the boys injuries. She told the jury she believes Rodriguez is innocent.

Rios testified she had taken the boy to the doctor the day before because he was throwing up his formula and doctors found no signs of bruising or other trauma. She said her son was fine when she left for work but Rodriguez called and texted her throughout the day saying Luis was throwing up.

When she got home, she took the boy to her grandmothers house on South 13th Street, where a number of her family members were. Her grandmother said Luis was burning up with fever and Rios said it was not until they took him to the hospital about two hours later that she was made aware of the severity of his injuries.

She called Rodriguez, who testified he went home, took a shower and then went to the hospital.

Rios and a nurse testified that family members gathered around Luis to say goodbye as he was loaded onto a helicopter for transfer to a Temple childrens hospital. Doctors and nurses testified that they did not expect the boy to live at that point. They said Rodriguez did not come over to see his son or say goodbye.
The America the Beautiful initiative is sending a clear signal that farmers and ranchers stand alongside hunters, hikers and Indigenous peoples as heroes in our countrys shared conservation story. It says that modern conservation is not about rolling over rural communities or leaving landowners behind to meet the demands of the politically powerful. Instead, its about cooperating with each other and reaching a consensus where everyone benefits.

But while the sentiments and values guiding the initiative place it on the right track, the administration must still execute it in ways more likely to unify than divide. How the federal government will do this remains unclear, and that understandably is a source of concern not only for some private landowners but also for some lawmakers.

In Washington, personnel is policy, and the administration can help put these concerns to rest by making sure the people in the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture who oversee America the Beautiful reflect its stated inclusive values. It is important that future hires include experienced people drawn from the communities and industries that stand to be most affected by the initiative. This will show that all voices are truly being heard.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP)  The revenge of the cows heated up Thursday with yet another instance of a herd getting loose in a U.S. community.

This time a cattle-hauling truck rolled over along Interstate 64 in West Virginia, and an emergency dispatcher in Cabell County said a bridge connecting Huntington to Lawrence County, Ohio, also had to be shut down temporarily.

The dispatcher, who cited policy in declining to give his name, said authorities were trying to determine how many cattle were on the truck. However, they took off in several directions, including onto the nearby bridge.

The dispatcher said police in Ohio told him that theyre running up and down the highway there, too.

Firefighters were dispatched to assist the truck. The accident forced the interstate to be shut down in the area.

Huntington is home to Marshall University, whose nickname happens to be the Thundering Herd.

It marked at least the third time that week that cows have gotten loose and prompted responses in U.S. cities, including the second time this week in West Virginia.
"Now I understand the disappointment many feel about the last election. I can relate. I was on the ballot," he added. "But you know, there's more at stake than our party and our political fortunes in this moment."

Trump was impeached after Jan. 6 on a charge of inciting an insurrection, and he was acquitted by the Senate the next month, after leaving office. More than 500 people face federal charges in the insurrection, including a member of the Oath Keepers extremist group who pleaded guilty this week.

Pence's appearance Thursday in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 800 at the hilltop library was his latest in recent months as Pence considers a White House bid. He took a brief pause from the public stage after leaving office in January, but he kicked off a series of appearances in April in early-voting states, looking to sharpen his conservative profile for voters more familiar with him standing in Trump's shadow.

Earlier this month in New Hampshire, Pence defended the Trump administration record but also appeared to put some distance between himself and the former president, saying, "I don't know if we'll ever see eye to eye" on the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
"I didn't know that the market was going so crazy that they're asking so much over the asking price and the inventory is extremely low," Wingate said. "That was something I did not anticipate."

Home prices in the Austin metro area were up 42% in May compared to the same time last year -- the largest price jump of any large US metro area, according to Redfin. This spike in home prices has been caused, in part, by bidding wars. Redfin found that nearly three out of every four homes sold in Austin  72%  sold for above the asking price, with the average house commanding a 9% premium in May. Redfin highlighted that more than 1,500 homes have sold for at least $100,000 over the asking price in the Austin metro area so far this year. During this same time last year, that number was 22.

Clayton Bullock is an Austin native and a second-generation Realtor who has been working in the city and the surrounding area since 2003. He says Austin has "undergone a historic price reset. And I don't think we're ever going to go back to our previous prices."

Bullock says the spike in home prices has helped his business, but not as much as one might think.
Drones and ground robots are already used in search operations, but the most sophisticated machines are still expensive, hard to come by and rarely as fast as the skilled human rescuers controlling them. That could change as they become smarter, more nimble and a standard part of search and rescue operations.

It will be part of the kit that first responders have, said Proulx, of Teledyne FLIR. The operation of those drones and robots will be progressively more autonomous. They will be much more independent and operate as teammates rather than tools.

One technology available to the responders  but not on the scene Friday  is a microwave radar device developed by NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab and the Department of Homeland Security that sees through concrete slabs, detecting the signatures of human respiration and heartbeats.

A prototype saved four lives after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal and it was used two years later in Mexico City. Its developers say it provides an edge over acoustics, the usual method for detecting people in rubble, because disaster sites tend to be noisy.

Noise doesnt affect us and we can see through smoke, said Adrian Garulay, the CEO of SpecOps Group, a Sarasota, Florida company that sells the technology under license. Although it can penetrate up to eight inches of solid concrete it cannot see through metal, he said. It uses a low-powered microwave signal about one-thousandth the strength of a cellphone signal and evolved from NASAs efforts to develop low-cost, small spacecraft radios.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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The U.S. Senate has approved a measure intended to encourage greater use of farming and forestry practices that prevent greenhouse gas emissions and remove planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

It authorizes the federal Department of Agriculture to create a program helping farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners earn payments through private markets for planting offseason cover crops, reducing tillage and taking other steps to lock up carbon in soils and trees.

Solving the climate crisis is a critical challenge for all of us ... and we are taking landmark steps toward supporting agriculture and forestry leadership in addressing this, Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat and the bill's chief sponsor, said Thursday before it passed on a 92-8 vote.

It now goes to the House, which is considering a similar proposal.

Federal policies have long supported environmentally friendly practices such as planting buffer strips to prevent soil and nutrient erosion that feeds harmful algae blooms in waters.

Some of those actions also work against climate change. Pulling marginal lands out of crop production, for example, can make way for carbon-absorbing grasses, trees and wetlands.
Interesting:

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, convicted in April on three charges related to the murder of 46-year-old black man George Floyd, has been sentenced to 22.5 years in prison, minus time served.

Source: Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 YEARS in prison over murder of George Floyd  RT USA News

Both ends of the spectrum.both treated unjustly.both martyred on each end of the spectrum.both the same in the end and as always nothing changes and nothing has been solved

Yet, they are both perfect examples of the system

Both wrong and both given tools by the same master to accomplish their own ends and means.remember that masters are never far from their subjects and all that is and has happened is internal in origin, not external as so many desire for it to be

Funny and not Ha Ha funny things are in play, look around, anything you want to even mention and bring up. Agendas are flying full speed and.well, chaos is running amok. Do people really believe the crap that is happening and or is everyone so brain dead that they dont care?

So Saint George ~~ verses ~~ Demon Chauvin?

Polycephaly? Kinda and good enough:

They are the two heads of the same body and they played their parts well. Just as we are suppose to

Wrong is wrong, that I totally understand.yet, Floyd and Chauvin are just pawns, expendable and expended to farther the agendas of people who are really at fault. It is the system that created both and it is the system that has destroyed both and

It is the system that is wrong and needs to change!

The truth is:

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

 Marcus Aurelius

WtR

Tidbit: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Roman Emperors.that means that nothing changes and what was is again going around and around and around
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Sandoval County has replenished its business continuity grant program with $1 million in federal funding, according to a news release.

The county received the money from the American Rescue Plan Act, and can only use it to reimburse costs of business interruption caused by required closures or reduced size of operations. Businesses are only eligible for the funds if those costs were not paid by insurance or by another governmental program, the release said.

Businesses that applied for but did not receive county CARES Act funds during the last round, or whose costs exceeded the $20,000 limit will be prioritized.

Once open, the program will offer a way for businesses to request funding of more than the established $20,000 limit. Those extraordinary requests will require approval from county commissioners, the release said.

For more information on ARPA funding, contact Sandoval County Economic Director Dora Dominguez at ddominguez@sandovalcountynm.gov or by phone at 505-867-8687.

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DENVER  Thousands of immigrant farmworkers in Colorado will soon have state minimum wage, overtime and labor organizing rights under a bill signed into law Friday by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

Polis also signed into law a measure to create a state fund to help indigent immigrants get legal representation in deportation proceedings. The twin measures are part of a raft of bills passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature to boost immigrant rights.

Other measures becoming law Friday will make it easier for immigrants to obtain state and local benefits; obtain licenses to work as child care providers and other professions as well as business licenses; and prevent state agencies from sharing personal information with federal immigration enforcement authorities, with certain exceptions such as criminal investigations or under court order.

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Under the farmworkers law, agricultural business owners must provide employee housing that conforms to pandemic guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They must provide meal and rest breaks and limit the maximum number of hours worked by their employees.

Farmworkers in several U.S. states have collective bargaining rights to some extent  rights originally denied them on the basis of skin color under U.S. labor laws first adopted in the 1930s. Colorado now joins that group. The law also offers whistleblower protections for workers reporting unduly harsh or unsafe conditions.

Colorados agricultural workers have been exploited for far too long in this state, and its well beyond time for us to provide them with the dignity and respect they deserve, said Democratic Sen. Jessie Danielson, a driving force behind the new law who was raised on a family farm in northern Colorado.

Under pressure from agricultural interests, sponsors of the legislation dropped language mandating that farmworkers immediately get the state minimum wage, currently $12.32 an hour, and overtime for those working more than 40 hours a week. But the law removes longstanding regulations exempting farm labor from minimum wage laws and directs the state labor department to devise pay, overtime and maximum working hour rules. Range workers will get a minimum of $1,500 a week.

It also bans the use of a short-handled hoe known in Spanish as el brazo del diablo, or the devils arm. The hoe has long been the bane of sugar beet, lettuce and other crop workers. It forces backbreaking work by laborers who must stoop day after day, often resulting in permanent injury. California banned its use in the 1970s, and Arizona, New Mexico and Texas have followed suit.

Last year, Washington became the first state to grant farmworkers overtime protections through the courts. California is phasing in some overtime protections, while New York last year began requiring overtime pay when farmworkers work more than 60 hours in a week. Maryland and Minnesota also offer overtime protections to farmworkers.

Dozens of supporters such as the Colorado Farmworkers Rights Coalition and Latino advocacy groups hailed the law as a continuation of the United Farm Workers movement led decades ago by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta during Californias famed farmworker labor struggles. Huerta lobbied for the Colorado bill.

Many groups representing Colorados $47 billion agriculture industry argued the law would punish farmers who operate on thin margins and confront volatile market prices and weather that can threaten crops and livestock. They argued  and bill sponsors agreed  that a vast majority of farmers and ranchers treat their workers appropriately. The industry employs an estimated 50,000 people.

Polis also signed into law a bill creating a state fund  initially $100,000  to provide legal counsel to indigent immigrants, including seekers of refugee and asylum status, in deportation proceedings that often can last months or years. The state would issue grants to non-profit organizations that provide legal advice to immigrants who would otherwise have no legal counsel. Many of the immigrants have lived in the U.S. for years.

Under federal law, people in immigration proceedings have no right to legal counsel. At least seven states  California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington  have similar funds, and an estimated 35 jurisdictions in 18 states as well, including Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City, according to the Vera Institute of Justice.

Advocates say having legal counsel speeds up the resolution of asylum, refugee and other immigration cases in a backlogged court system, including the cases of those who should face deportation.

Polis also signed a bill creating an Office of New Americans to oversee the states refugee resettlement program and to coordinate with private sector agencies on immigration issues.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The Hacienda del Rio restaurant in Old Town has been ordered to pay $149,693.83 in back pay, damages and interest to 51 employees who maintained they were shorted, not paid at all, were issued bad checks and that unauthorized payroll deductions were taken from their paychecks.

State District Judge Joshua A. Allison issued a default judgment against the restaurant earlier this month.

The judgment stems from a 2019 lawsuit filed on behalf of the employees who alleged they were each shorted from $92 to $5,000. The lawsuit was filed by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, the city of Albuquerque and the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office. It alleged Hacienda del Rio violated the state Minimum Wage Act, the Wage Payment Act and the City of Albuquerque Minimum Wage Ordinance.

The Journal on Friday was unable to reach anyone at the restaurant for comment. An online listing indicates the restaurant has closed and calls to the businesss phone did not go through.

The judgment against the Hacienda del Rio defendants, one of the worst historical offenders of wage theft, sends an important message that the city will not hesitate to use all the tools at our disposal to address violations of workers rights and income, City Attorney Esteban Aguilar Jr. said in a news release issued Friday announcing the judgment.

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Rather than pay for an honest days work, a few bad actors chose to steal wages and tips from their employees, Aguilar added. This practice affects the lowest wage workers, the people who can least afford to lose earnings, and increases workers reliance on public assistance.

Ricky Serna, acting secretary of Workforce Solutions, said his department has a zero tolerance stance on wage theft and that employees deserve to be paid fair wages that follow state and local area wage laws.

District Attorney Raul Torrez said in a separate statement: I am proud of our partnership with the City of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions that resulted in this historic judgment on behalf of working people. This case should also serve as a powerful warning to others that we will protect employees and make sure they receive an honest days pay for an honest days work.

Its not the first time the owners of Hacienda del Rio have gotten crosswise with their workers. Four former employees filed a lawsuit alleging they had not been paid for all the hours they worked. District Judge Nancy Franchini in 2017 ruled that the restaurant owners were liable for unpaid wages of about $40,000.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  A man with a rifle and woman with a pistol robbed a bank Friday morning in Northeast Albuquerque.

FBI spokesman Frank Fisher said the robbery occurred around 11 a.m. at the Nusenda Credit Union near Juan Tabo and Candelaria.

He said the man and woman walked into the bank, waved their guns around and demanded money from two tellers.

Fisher said the couple were given an undisclosed amount of cash by the tellers and the woman stole a purse from a bank customer.

He said the couple then left in a silver sedan.

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Fisher said the man was described as Black, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build.

He said the man wore a blue, hooded jacket, a black mask, dark gloves and dark pants.

The woman was described as white or Hispanic and 5 feet 2 inches tall. She wore all black.

Both suspects were in their early-to-mid 20s.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300 or Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers  you can remain anonymous  at (505) 843-STOP.
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Perhaps youve heard about charges being dropped against most of last summers George Floyd protesters. Prosecutors from Oregon to New York have chosen not to pursue a host of different charges against those arrested after peaceful protests turned into destructive riots.

Outrageous, you might think. If someone commits the crime of looting, arson, property damage or physical assault they should do the time. What is wrong with these prosecutors!?

Well, its more complicated than that.

First, the latest non-prosecution news. In New York City  specifically, in Manhattan and the Bronx  police made hundreds of arrests during demonstrations last June. Officers then worked with prosecutors to build cases. But elected district attorneys make the final decisions on who actually gets prosecuted.

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The New York results? Of the 485 arrests made in Manhattan last year 222 were simply dismissed, more may follow. In the Bronx, a full 60% of cases were dropped. Many of those who did go to court found their charges reduced to simple trespass, which carries no jail time.

Jessica Betancourt, the proprietor of an optical store badly damaged by looters, says, The system has failed us. She added that there was no effort made by the city to come to her store to gather fingerprints or see her surveillance video to help identify the guilty. It makes you wonder how hard police and prosecutors really worked to make criminal charges stick.

The same seemingly lackadaisical prosecution tactics have been exposed in other parts of the country. In Philadelphia and Dallas the number of abandoned cases reached 95%. Similar dismissal rates were found in Houston, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Precise numbers in other beleaguered cities are hard to come by.

But heres the deal. In the heat of the moment police were instructed to round up groups of disruptive protesters to try to control the violence. Youve likely seen the videos of mobs of masked and unmasked marauders smashing windows, stealing goods, setting fires and outnumbered police trying to quell the disturbance.

To build a successful case prosecutors must prove which specific defendant committed which specific crime. Add in the fact that most of the lawlessness occurred under cover of darkness, and that makes video identification of suspects even more difficult. While some of those arrested might have been caught with merchandise in their hands, others might have just been passively standing nearby and got caught up in the process. See the problems?

Yes, crimes should have consequences and  those who act criminally must be punished. Otherwise, the message to the public is that its okay to repeat the bad behavior. But to expect prosecutors to try cases they dont believe they can win  at a time when every DAs office in America is facing a massive pandemic backlog of felony cases  well, its a quandary, isnt it? Which type case should prosecutors focus upon  felonies that have lingered since before COVID-19 struck or these newer cases involving rioters? Please, dont say they should prosecute both because theres no state with enough money or manpower to do that.

Additionally, there is a corresponding development on the federal level. Remember when President Trump sent federal law enforcement officers to several cities to help address violent riots? Arrests were made.

A follow-up in just one city  Portland, the scene of more than 100 nights of protests  reveals the new administrations Justice Department has dropped nearly half of the 96 cases. Protesters like Charles Comfort and David Bouchard, both charged with seriously assaulting officers, walked free. Despite all the federal prosecutors out there I could only find one person in Portland prosecuted by the feds. Edward Schnizing was dumb enough to get caught on video setting fire to the Justice Center and did so while shirtless and displaying his name tattooed on his back.

Perspective is needed. The feds drop cases against so-called civil rights protesters at the same time they are vigorously pursuing those arrested on Jan. 6 in and around the U.S. Capitol building.

It could, of course, be argued that breaking into and defacing the symbolic home of our republic is a more serious offense. But does it sort of smell of politics to you? Equal treatment under the law should be the standard.

www.DianeDimond.com; e-mail to Diane@DianeDimond.com.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic stormed through our state in March 2020, the court immediately began working to meet the needs of the public while keeping the public and staff safe.

Judges and key personnel worked daily, meeting with experts, planning and drafting pandemic protocols. The Supreme Court guided all state courts through this pandemic and helped expand access to justice during a truly unprecedented time. Judges and hearing officers moved from in-person to telephonic and video hearings as fast as they possibly could. Self-represented litigants submitted case filings by email and fax. While there were technical glitches along the way, the court has been innovative and flexible to meet the needs of the public during the pandemic. Even when jury trials were briefly suspended, the work of this court continued unabated.

The Family Court, like the rest of the New Mexico judiciary, never closed its doors. There are four Family Court Judges at the Second Judicial District Court: Judges Debra Ramirez, Gerard Lavelle, Jane C. Levy and Amber Chavez Baker. The primary role of a Family Court judge is to ensure the safety, well-being and permanency for children and families. Between April 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021, these four judges signed 36,357 court orders. During the pandemic, hundreds of hearings and trials were held to redefine access to justice to better ensure children and families are at the forefront of the Family Court process; critical matters facing families came before the court during the pandemic, ranging from domestic violence, child custody, child support, spousal support and creating visitation plans for non-custodial parents. During this time, the Family Court opened 5,673 new cases, and 4,027 cases were re-opened. These 9,700 cases, in total, do not include cases already pending. The four judges fully resolved 98% of the cases filed in 2020.

The Family Court judges are part of a team that includes hearing officers, child support and domestic relations clerks, self-help services, and the Court Clinic, not to mention the support staff that keep this court running. Without this team, the judges would not be able to effectively do their jobs.

The Domestic Violence Division is extremely important to our community, a community which they both live and work in. Judges take calls day and night for emergency orders of protection, with some calls coming in repeatedly through the night. This division sets many hearings every day and reviews hundreds of domestic violence petitions. During the pandemic, the division needed help hearing cases, and all four judges and hearing officers stepped in to ensure justice was provided.

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The Family Court judges are dedicated to hearing cases with integrity and timeliness. They are committed to improving the administration of justice by serving on Supreme Court, pro bono and access to justice committees, as well as identifying approaches to innovate the entire judiciary to ensure access to justice for all. They chose the bench based upon a strong respect and commitment to equal justice under the law. They hear cases that profoundly impact peoples lives  matters involving families and children  and they take the judicial oath of office seriously.

Judges chose public service through the judicial branch of government. Family Court judges remain committed to measured decisions informed by the law and every decision is equally important. Judges must have the courage to do the right thing even though they know their decisions may not be popular. It is their job as entrusted judicial officers of this state to make decisions based on law and facts, even when parties are suffering from personal trauma and sometimes mental illness. They did that even while the world changed quickly. And they will continue to hear cases and provide access to justice in an efficient and forward-thinking manner, no matter what our future holds.

_nutgraph>Judges dedicated to hearing cases with integrity, timeliness in unprecedented times.
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If there was any thought the Communist Party rulers of China would temper their anti-democratic tendencies and human rights abuses to forge friendlier relations with a new administration in Washington, D.C., its become crystal clear that was just wishful thinking.

In a naked display of boot-on-the-neck suppression, China has stepped up its crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, the former British colony that China had agreed would have significant autonomy once it was relinquished to the mainland government.

In the year since China passed a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong in response to a budding pro-democracy movement, the mainland government has steadily tightened its grip on the city.

There are new censorship rules for movies and other art forms. An annual vigil on June 4 to commemorate the 1989 Tiannamen Square Massacre of pro-democracy protestors was banned. China overhauled Hong Kongs election system, requiring that anyone running for office must first pass a screening committee set up by Beijing. Only patriots as defined by the committee will be allowed on the ballot. Many pro-democracy leaders are in prison  ranging from veterans of the movement to people in their 20s. The New York Times reports the government is sending a clear message: Anyone who becomes too prominent, or too vocal, is putting themselves at risk.

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In a bare-knuckle affront to any notion of a free press, some 500 police last week raided Apple Daily, the biggest openly pro-democracy newspaper in the city. They arrested its top editors and froze its bank accounts. The paper subsequently announced it was shutting down due to concerns over manpower and safety of its employees.

Grace Leung, a media lecturer at Chinese University in Hong Kong, said the shutdown of Apple Daily sends out a very clear signal to all media organizations.

The Biden administration and other world leaders need to send a response that whats happening in Hong Kong is unacceptable if China wishes to maintain normal relations and close economic ties. And it reinforces the necessity for the United States to concentrate on building supply chains that dont depend on China.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday announced it added five more Chinese companies to its Entity List for accepting or utilizing forced labor in Chinas campaign of repression against Muslim minority groups in the Uyghur region. Companies on the list face various export restrictions designed to ensure that global supply chains are free from use of forced labor and technology is not misused to abuse human rights.

Secretary Gina Raimondo called the move another decisive action by Commerce to hold China and other perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable.

Decisive, perhaps. But clearly not enough to deter the Chinese Communist Party from its agenda, ranging from forced labor and genocide of the Uyghers to stamping out free speech and pro-democracy sentiment in Hong Kong.

China is dead set on expanding its circle of influence, using every resource at its disposal. Now that we know clearly where it stands on democratic principles, as shown by the recent reprehensible actions in Hong Kong, the democratic world must link arms to force a change in this behavior.

It simply cannot be business as usual.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A former sheriff once accused of misusing thousands in taxpayer funds has had his law enforcement certification revoked.

The Law Enforcement Academy Board revoked the certification of Heath White, 43, during an executive session Thursday.

The Journal was unable to reach White for comment Friday.

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A Department of Public Safety spokesperson said four board members voted in favor of the action and one  Public Safety Secretary Tim Johnson  abstained, citing a conflict of interest.

Attorney General Hector Balderas requested the LEAB review Whites certification in 2019 after White was charged with embezzlement and other felonies in a fraud case.

LEAB Director Kelly Alzaharna declined to comment on the boards reasoning for taking action against White  whose criminal case was dismissed in 2019 and is currently under appeal.

White served two terms as Torrance County sheriff and was elected to a magistrate judgeship but was suspended in May 2019 after the allegations surfaced.

The AGs Office said White, after his term as sheriff ended, used county money to purchase equipment that he put on his own vehicle and kept thousands in county property at his home.

Then-District Judge Charles Brown threw out the case against White later that year, saying he found no probable cause for the charges against him and calling the case a rush to judgment. Brown said in a motion to dismiss that witness testimony showed many of the allegations were not true or misrepresented and the search warrants by New Mexico State Police were invalid.

Whites defense maintained that the former sheriff was keeping the items on his property because the county did not have a place to store them and White had tried to return the items through a series of emails.

The AGs Office appealed Browns decision and the case is ongoing.

I commend the (Law Enforcement Academy) board for carrying out their duty, and our office looks forward to continuing to prosecute the case on behalf of the public, Balderas said in a statement.
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LAS CRUCES  Three former prosecutors in the 3rd Judicial District Attorneys Office have settled a 2019 lawsuit alleging sex discrimination, disparate pay and workplace retaliation under the leadership of former DA Mark DAntonio.

The complaint centered on allegations involving supervision of the office by DAntonios chief deputy, Gerald Byers, who succeeded DAntonio as DA after running unopposed for the office in 2020. After serving two terms, DAntonio did not seek reelection.

Plaintiffs Cassandra Brulotte, Rebecca Duffin and Kelly Rossi alleged that they were paid less than male colleagues with similar qualifications and experience, and subjected to abusive and bullying behavior by Byers.

In 2018, Brulotte and Duffin were fired for insubordination following disputes over the prosecutors posting No Mansplaining signs on their doors. Rossi resigned after being placed on administrative leave over similar signage on her door.

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Duffin was subsequently elected as a magistrate judge in Dona Ana County, running unopposed.

DAntonio publicly praised all three women as accomplished prosecutors, yet stood by Byers, saying his chief deputy acted properly in managing the disputes.

Working conditions at the office during DAntonios tenure inspired staff attorneys to unionize in 2018. A year later, the union withdrew amid allegations of union-busting and retaliation against members of the bargaining unit.

The plaintiffs, who were represented by the New Mexico chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, reached a settlement with the DAs office for a lump sum of $395,000.

As part of the settlement, they will file an amended complaint in court modifying their claims and asserting physical manifestations of emotional distress.

Additionally, Brulotte and Duffin will submit letters of voluntary resignation, expunging the firings from their employment history.

The settlement resolves all of the allegations, with no admission to any of them by the office. The parties all agreed not to comment on the matter for news media, except to say it was amicably resolved on terms agreeable to both sides.

The deal closes out a series of whistleblower complaints from DAntonios leadership of the office.
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SANTA FE  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes in many states. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to do that and to repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

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New Mexico is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. It covers evictions of tenants who are unable to pay rent. Evictions continue for other reasons. The state Supreme Court will decide when to lift the state moratorium and has not yet set an expiration date.

New Mexico and two major counties have set aside $171 million to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. Last year, the state dedicated $13 million from the federal CARES Act to mortgage and rental assistance. This year, the state has access to $157 million in federal emergency rental assistance. The money can go toward 15 months of rent and other expenses, including internet access. So far, the state estimates it has distributed about $3 million, acknowledging that many eligible tenants have not applied.

State and municipal judges are under orders to halt the final step in the eviction process for an inability to pay rent. Tenants must provide courts with evidence of their current inability to pay rent.

Statistics from the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts say evictions fell by 40%, or 1,977 annual evictions, for the 12-month period ending in February compared with the same period immediately before the pandemic struck.

Housing affordability across much of New Mexico is in line with the national average. Prior to the pandemic, the state was just below the national average in its share of cost-burdened housing renters who devote at least 30% of their income to housing costs.

New Mexicos current vacancy rate is similar to the roughly 7% national average, although the housing market is much tighter in the state capital city of Santa Fe.

State housing authorities say that overcrowding and poor housing conditions have contributed to the high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths among New Mexicos Native American population.

Its hard to say how much homelessness may increase in New Mexico once evictions increase. One indication of the scope of the problem is census data showing 12,560 state residents concerned that they could be evicted over the next two months.

Maria Griego, an attorney with the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, fears that some landlords may be reluctant to pursue emergency rental assistance as property and rental prices surge, and current lease agreements expire.
WENN/FayesVision Celebrity

The 'Sweet Dreams' rocker, who has been accused of spitting on a videographer's camera during his 2019 concert, is expected to report to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Jun 26, 2021

AceShowbiz - Marilyn Manson will no longer be a wanted man in New Hampshire. One month after officials issued a warrant for his arrest in relation to an alleged assault that occurred in the past, the "Sweet Dreams" rocker finally agreed to surrender himself to police.

On Friday, June 25, Gilford Police Chief Anthony Bean announced that the 52-year-old star will report to the Los Angeles Police Department as a part of a joint agreement between the Gilford Police Department and his attorney. On when the rocker will have to turn himself in, it will be determined by LAPD officials and his lawyer.

Gilford PD issued an arrest warrant for Manson on May 25. "The Gilford Police Department has an active arrest warrant for Brian Hugh Warner (aka: Marilyn Manson) for two counts of Class A misdemeanor Simple Assault stemming from a 2019 incident at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion," so read the statement shared on Facebook.

"The alleged assaults involved a videographer," the message added. "Mr. Warner, his agent and legal counsel have been aware of the warrant for some time and no effort has been made by him to return to New Hampshire to answer the pending charges."

The incident allegedly took place at Manson's concert at the Bank of NH Pavilion on August 18, 2019. At that time, he allegedly spat on the videographer's camera while he was performing and the videographer claimed his saliva got on them.

Manson's attorney Howard King previously told PEOPLE that the charges, which carry a possible jail sentence of less than one year and a fine of $2,000, were pursued after the videographer asked for $35,000 for the damage on their camera.

"It is no secret to anyone who has attended a Marilyn Manson concert that he likes to be provocative on stage, especially in front of a camera," King told the outlet. "This misdemeanor claim was pursued after we received a demand from a venue videographer for more than $35,000 after a small amount of spit came into contact with their arm."

"After we asked for evidence of any alleged damages, we never received a reply," the lawyer further explained. "This whole claim is ludicrous, but we remain committed to cooperating with authorities, as we have done throughout."
Marvel Studios Movie

The Thor Odinson depicter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe nearly lost his superhero role after the film production team googled his name and his Samba dancing video popped up.

Jun 26, 2021

AceShowbiz - Chris Hemsworth almost lost his legendary Marvel Cinematic Universe role of Thor Odinson due to his samba dance. According to Derek Hough, the "Men In Black: International" actor's appearance on "Dancing with the Stars Australia" nearly cost him his esteemed superhero role.

"Chris Hemsworth almost lost his role as Thor because he was on 'Dancing with the Stars in Australia'," the professional dancer recalled to PopCulture.com. "He was on 'Dancing with the Stars in Australia', and he's dancing the samba and they literally cast him, or they were gonna cast him, and I think people called and said, 'Yo have you seen him dancing the Samba? This cannot be our Thor.' "

While promoting "Thor: Ragnarok" in 2017, Chris himself has talked about nearly losing his big role. During an interview with BBC, he reflected on what Marvel Studios president and producer, Kevin Feige, told him at the time while he starred in the fifth season of the dancing competition show. The 37-year-old actor confessed, "Kevin Feige said that almost lost me the job."

Chris continued, "We all saw your audition. We're passing it around the office, and everyone was really, you know, into it." The "Avengers: Endgame" actor offered more details, "And then, a few of the girls started googling your name and up came this dancing video, and I thought, 'Oh no. Thor dancing! The fans are going to eat us alive!' "

"It made me more nimble on my feet, I guess," Chris elaborated. "I needed to be with the cape. You might see a bit of that 'Dancing with the Stars' quality in 'Thor'."

Earlier this month, Chris celebrated the end of filming for "Thor: Love and Thunder" by showing off his massive biceps. In an Instagram photo, the actor posed with the film's director Taika Waititi, who also plays Korg in the MCU. "That's a wrap on Thor Love and Thunder, it's also national don't flex day so I thought this super relaxed photo was appropriate," he captioned the post.

"The film is gonna be bats--- crazy off the wall funny and might also pull a heart string or two. Lots of love, lots of thunder!" Chris wrote. "Thank you to all the cast and crew who made this another incredible Marvel journey. Buckle in, get ready and see ya in cinemas!! @taikawaititi @marvelstudios @jasinboland."

"Thor: Love and Thunder" is currently set for release on May 6, 2022 and will feature the return of several Marvel stars.
WENN Celebrity

The 'West Side Story' director and his wife Kate Capshaw have donated $1 million to help Los Angeles public school children from low-income backgrounds.

Jun 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw have donated $1 million (715,000) to kick off the L.A. Education Recovery Fund.

With additional support from the Wasserman Foundation and other organisations, the couple's multi-year initiative aims to share $7 million (5 million) between 55 charities offering enrichment programmes for up to 50,000 public school children from low-income backgrounds.

"Our kids in L.A. public schools are among those who have borne the brunt of a pandemic that laid bare and deepened the inequities that exist in our city and in our country," actress Capshaw and Spielberg said in a statement.

"The L.A. Education Recovery Fund is an opportunity to step up and surround them with the support they need. L.A.'s kids are resilient and if we rally behind them, in partnership with families, educators and communities, we can do our part to help them get back on track."

Steven Spielberg is currently gearing up for the release of his latest directorial project "West Side Story".

It's adapted from 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Arthur Laurents and loosely based on William Shakespeare's classic "Romeo and Juliet". Fronted by Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, the movie is due to hit theaters across the United States in December this year.

"West Side Story" is his first directorial movie since 2018's "Ready Player One". An adaptation of Ernest Cline's novel of the same name, the Tye Sheridan-starring film was nominated for Best Visual Effects at Academy Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.
WENN Celebrity

The 'Monster's Ball' actress and her former husband agree to a new custody schedule to make sure they both spend equal time with son during summer vacation.

Jun 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - Former couple Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez have struck a deal to share joint custody of their son Maceo.

The stars have agreed to modify their regular custody schedule during the summer to ensure they both get to vacation with their child, according to The Blast.

Halle and Olivier have mapped out a series of dates and details for summer fun with their son, allowing them both to travel with "no restrictions."

Maceo's parents have agreed he will be accompanied by his nanny if either Halle or Olivier are unavailable.

The former couple has also agreed to meet and confer and exchange airline and transportation details relating to Maceo's travel plans.

"Monster's Ball" star Halle and Martinez wed in France in July 2013. They split in 2015 and the actress filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Halle Berry also shares a daughter with ex Gabriel Aubry. The couple share joint custody of the child and she was ordered to pay him child support following their split.

She originally had to pay Gabriel $16,000 a month, which she described as "extortion." In a new settlement, she now only pays his ex $8,000 a month.

The actress is currently dating musician Van Hunt. "Never give up on love...Keep your heart open and it will find you!" she told her followers while declaring her love for boyfriend.

The couple went public with their romance on Instagram and she enjoyed social media because it allowed her to show her real self.

"(Being on Instagram) has been really liberating... With social media, I can control what people know about me and how I present it," she explained.
WENN Movie

The 'Django Unchained' actor is scheduled to be lauded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a special award at the upcoming Governors Awards.

Jun 27, 2021

AceShowbiz - Samuel L. Jackson is to receive an honorary Oscar at the 2022 Governors Awards.

The 72-year-old actor, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in "Pulp Fiction" but has never won a statuette, will receive the gong on 15 January, 2022.

Other honorees at the awards include actress-writer-director Elaine May and actress Liv Ullmann, both of whom will be recognised for their "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy."

Danny Glover will be presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, named for the Danish actor and translator who was one of Hollywood's most active philanthropists, which is presented "to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry."

"The Color Purple" and "Dreamgirls" star, 74, is being honoured for his activism as both a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Samuel L. Jackson's latest movie is an action comedy "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard". A sequel to 2017's "The Hitman's Bodyguard", it starred Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek, Frank Grillo, Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman.

Before "Hitman's Wife", he starred in a horror film called "Spiral". Fronted by Chris Rock, it's a ninth installment in the "Saw" film series.

The actor will next be seen in action thriller "The Protege" and animated comedy "Blazing Samurai".
OROVILLE, Calif. - Concerts in the Park have returned at Riverbend Park from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Friday night through August 13.

The event was canceled last year due to the pandemic but is making a return in 2021.

The event is a long-standing tradition for the Feather River Recreation and Park District.

This year they are returning with a huge boost and thats our brand new amphitheater that was built and completed last fall, so this is our first series on the new amphitheater, said Victoria Anton, the executive administrator for the Feather River Recreation and Park District.

This year there will be an additional vendor and equipment rentals by the Forebay Aquatic Center.

Food vendors will include ice-cold beverages, hot meats and shaved ice.

Limited seating is available but people can drink chairs and picnic blankets for the lawn.

The band lineup is below:
CHICO, Calif. - From porch pirates the lockbox break-ins, mail theft is an ongoing problem.

When thieves targeted my neighborhood - I took my frustrations to the feds.

"Online shopping was already popular before the pandemic," said U.S. Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet.

Earlier this month, one package after another, and another were reported delivered, but never arrived.

Turns out, it happens all the time.

"Thieves are always looking for gift cards, personal information, birthday cards with cash in there," said Chico Crime Prevention Officer Ed Nelson.

"People getting their mail is the entire reason for the existence of the postal service, so absolutely it's a high priority for us," said Norfleet. "Unauthorized possession of those keys is a crime and we take it very seriously."

Norfleet said nationwide, the feds make about 2,000 mail theft arrests a year.

That's about 1% of the 177,000 cases of mail theft reported in 2020 alone.

Chico Police explained while I may never get that stolen tea back, there are a few things we can all do to protect ourselves.

"If you have something valuable being mailed to you, check your mail every day, don't let it sit in the mailbox for a week before you check it," Nelson said. "Have it sent you your house or your business."

And if you have home surveillance footage, check it. It can go a long way in helping police find the thief.

"We get valuable information from ring cameras and private security cameras regularly," Norfleet said.

"If we get video evidence of a crime, very often it's somebody that our officers know, we can email it internally, see if anyone recognizes the burglar and put a warrant out," Nelson said.

Plus, Nelson recommends you get to know your neighbors and look out for one another because the threat isn't going away.

"No matter how paperless we go, there's always going to be that physical mail in your mailbox so you need to do what you can do to protect that mail," Nelson said.

You can report mail theft online at uspis.gov/report.

Also, contact Chico Police's Ed Nelson at ed.nelson@chicoca.gov for help in starting your own neighborhood watch group.
CHICO, Calif. - A man was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon on Friday, Chico Police said.

On Thursday, Chico Police responded to Bidwell Park and searched for a man for about an hour but were unable to find him.

The victim was walking through Bidwell Park near Centennial Ave. when a male approached him carrying a skateboard and assaulted the victim with the skateboard.

The victim did not suffer any injuries.

Witnesses said they attempted to follow him but he was never located.

At around 9:30 a.m. Friday, a witness saw the suspect and contacted police. They were able to detain him.

He was identified as 35-year-old Sean Henneberry of Chico. He was booked into Butte County Jail.

His bail is set at $30,000.
GLENN COUNTY, Calif. - An Oroville man was sentenced to 19 years in state prison today for a hit-and-run shooting that occurred on Christmas Day of 2020, according to the Glenn County District Attorney's Office.

Jon Kelley III was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, a felony personal discharge and use of a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, use of tear gas by a felon, felon of possession of a firearm, resisting a peace officer with force of violence on victim, threatenign a police officer in course of duty on victim and criminal threats on vicitm.
iTV Network and Kaydence Media Ventures (KMV) have entered into a strategic partnership to develop global media properties from Goa. Through this synergistic tie-up GoaChronicle & Incubees brands of KMV will get a major expansion across the Print, Digital & TV platforms of iTV Network.

iTV Network and KMV will also be launching a Goa-based news channel & Newspaper focusing on the Konkan region.

IMAGEXX Awards 2021 to attend - REGISTER NOW

Commenting on the strategic partnership with KMV, Kartikeya Sharma, Founder, iTV Network, expressed, We believe in entering into strategic media partnerships with media companies who have created a global niche with their brand of journalism. As a media group, we also want to expand our footprint in the Konkan region, therefore, the decision to launch a News channel with KMV. We believe the Konkan region is a growing rapidly. The people living in the Konkan region needs a national and International platform to voice their news, views and concerns locally, nationally and internationally.

Expressing his views on the new strategic partnership with the iTV Network, Savio Rodrigues, Founder & CEO, Kaydence Media Ventures Private Limited, expressed, We are happy to partner with iTV Network as it gives our brand of journalism wings to grow nationally and internationally in a progressive manner.

GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Extended Last Date - Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - ENTER NOW

Speaking on this, Varun Kohli, CEO, iTV Network, Our regional ventures are aimed at fostering local identity while encouraging debate and participation. Our association with KMV reiterates our position as a valuable source of news and information and is set to further highlight the personality and distinctive culture of Goa.

On this development, Meenakshi Singh, President  Government and Retail, iTV Network, revealed, We believe that under the leadership of its Founder, Savio Rodrigues, it has created a definite niche for its brand of journalism not only in India but globally too. The strategic partnership with KMV is in keeping with a continued focus to partner and invest into good ideas within the media space in India and globally.

Speaking on this partnership, Rishabh Gulati, Managing Editor, NewsX, said, The team of Goa Chronicle lead by the brilliant Savio Rodrigues have proved the value of effective, research driven journalism. As a part of iTV they will have access to larger audience on more platforms and we in turn will benefit from their quality and depth.

With Incubees, iTV Network and KMV has decided to launch a show focused on the Indian startup sector.
MURPHYSBORO, Ill.  They may not realize it, but many men who play Santa Claus have Lincoln sheep to thank for giving them a more realistic appearance.

The English breed is known for its long, coarse fleece, which makes an ideal beard, among other things. Craig and Patricia Taylor are among a relatively small number of Americans raising the rare breed. They have about 50 ewes and a few rams on their Jackson County farm.

We always had Lincolns, said their daughter, Sarah Taylor, a lawyer who still helps out on the farm. My parents have been raising them for about 40 years.

Lincolns are among the four English longwool breeds, and have been in the United States since the early 1800s. With fewer than 1,500 registered breeding females in England, they are categorized as at risk by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

It is the largest sheep breed, with rams sometimes attaining 350 pounds. Despite their size, the animals have a pleasant disposition.

I really like raising them, Taylor said. They have a docile temperament and tend to be good mothers. Theyre hearty foragers, and do well by eating grass. They make good 4-H projects.

Thats how her association with the animals began, when she was a child living in the Seattle area. Her parents had horses and decided to switch gears. They purchased some crossbred sheep and eventually became involved with Lincolns, starting with a couple of ewes.

According to the Livestock Conservancy, the modern breed was developed in the early 1800s in the marshy lowlands of Lincolnshire, where the lush pastures produced large sheep with long, thick coats. During the second half of the 19th century they were exported in large numbers to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Brazil.
Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter and six of the seven City Council members were sworn in for their new terms in office Thursday. Hunter, who is starting his second term as mayor, called on the community and local elected leaders to work together so that the city can rebound from a string of nat
"Live not by lies" was the challenge issued by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, upon his departure from the Soviet Union, to individuals still condemned to live behind the Iron Curtain  especially to those who were well aware of the suffocating mendacity that permeated communist societies. Rod Dreher's book gives the same advice to Americans today, especially to Christians who are expected to mouth obvious lies or face social ostracism and economic devastation  punishments administered occasionally by leftist judges and government officials but most frequently by tech giants, woke corporations, and P.C. media sycophants.

Dreher was inspired to write his book by heroic dissidents who refused to bend the knee to communist tyrants and saw a similar tyranny becoming ensconced in the United States. These moral giants are astonished that the primary beacon of freedom during their years of oppression has become a society where speech and actions disapproved by secular elites are regularly squelched and punished. Religious freedom, for example, is being reduced to the freedom to gather in congregations where (at least for now) marriage is affirmed by a priest, rabbi, or minister, a freedom that doesn't extend beyond meeting walls to how a baker runs his business.

Admittedly, the totalitarianism Americans face is not the "hard" Soviet variety of which socialist-sympathizing Millennials are overwhelmingly ignorant. Those regimes committed horrific crimes against political prisoners. To cite one example given by Dreher, a row of twenty or thirty priests were shot in the face, one after the other, as each affirmed his faith in God. America's "soft" totalitarianism, by contrast, flourishes thanks to an unholy alliance of tech, media, academic, corporate, and political powers that are eager to punish anyone brash enough to express un-woke opinions above a furtive whisper. Under this soft totalitarianism, Americans are now compelled "to engage in doublethink every day. Men have periods. The woman standing in front of you is to be called 'he.' Diversity and inclusion mean excluding those who object to ideological uniformity. Equity means treating persons unequally, regardless of their skills and achievements, to achieve an ideologically correct result." I might add to that short summary the lie that America is a racist country, that law enforcement and our judicial system are institutionally racist, and that America was founded in 1619 upon the bedrock principle of white racism.

The ascendancy of this soft totalitarianism has been in the making for well over a half-century and gained substantial momentum in the sixties and seventies with the rise of what Philip Rieff called a "therapeutic culture" within which "the great sin is to stand in the way of the freedom of others to find happiness as they wish." Dreher further notes that this culture "goes hand in hand with the sexual revolution, which, along with ethnic and gender identity politics, replaced the failed economic class struggle as the utopian focus of the post-1960s radical left." These "cultural revolutionaries," the author adds somewhat surprisingly, "found an ally in advanced capitalism, which teaches that nothing should exist outside of the market mechanism and its sorting of value according to human desires." My less pretentious translation of that sentence would be the following: Madison Avenue has promoted for decades the notion that nothing is more important than comfort, leisure time, and feelings of pleasure so shallow that "happiness" seems to represent an exalted ethical principle.

Clearly, this "live and let live" philosophy (if it ever was sincere) has been superseded by a doctrine of ruthless cultural and political conformity, since the happiness of "oppressed groups" requires a world in which using the "wrong" pronoun for another's "gender identity" is considered the equivalent of a violent assault. Moreover, in today's cultural calculus, unequal group outcomes are taken as prima facie evidence of racism, sexism, or a plethora of hateful "phobias." Supercharging this morass of mendacity is the rise of "surveillance capitalism," where privacy has been ceded to woke corporate entities in exchange for convenience, thus providing these leftist groups an unprecedented level of information about the lives of consumers. That same information is then used to shape the future actions and beliefs of those individuals according to the economic, cultural, and political whims of tech giants.

What is sadly lacking in modern American society, Dreher observes, is allegiance to a set of principles (especially Christian principles) that transcend the ubiquitous desire to be happy. He relates the story of a Hungarian woman who, after thirty years of Western consumerism, is now inundated with the same secular advice from associates that has become common in American culture. They urge her to divorce her husband, put her child in daycare, and get a job that will make her happy. The woman, however, doesn't want to dismiss her maternal duties or end her marriage. Rather, "she worries that her friends don't grasp that suffering is a normal part of life  even part of a good life, in that suffering teaches us how to be patient, kind, and loving." The lady doesn't want to "escape her problems," but rather "wants them to help her live through them."

One of the things that impressed Dreher in his conversations with the numerous anti-communist heroes was the soul-satisfying lives they achieved via faith, family, and moral integrity even in the midst of suffering. On the other hand, he despairs of a society where individuals have become increasingly isolated and reduced to Brave New World addicts hooked on feelings of well-being provided by the Conditioners in charge. Thus, his question directed to Christians is whether they are truly disciples of Christ (i.e., followers) or merely admirers  whether they are willing to suffer for their faith or whether their primary allegiance is to the gospel of wealth, comfort, and success ("Moralistic Therapeutic Deism") that's proclaimed in numerous churches.

Dreher's dissident models did not seek martyrdom, but they were unwilling to propagate and live out official lies. "Let their rule hold not through me!" By drawing strength from their families, meeting in small groups, and secretly printing and distributing forbidden literature, they were strengthened to avoid the fate of an inward-only dissenter who "eventually becomes the character he [constantly] plays." A motto employed by some of these intimate groups (one that Dreher also adopts throughout his book) is the triple-injunction to "See, Judge, Act."

Unfortunately, a grave failure on Dreher's part to "See" and "Judge" correctly is contained in his repetition of an endlessly repeated leftist lie about "the US federal government's [i.e. the Trump administration's] failure to respond effectively to the Covid-19 pandemic." Later, Dreher says, "Politics are so divided by rigid ideologies that it is difficult for the US federal government to get anything done"  a naive late-September observation I trust the author wouldn't repeat following the torrent of perverse executive actions the Biden administration has issued in just five months!

Fortunately, such errors in judgment are few in this work that provides poignant examples of moral (e.g., Vaclav Havel) and spiritual courage in the face of overwhelming state brutality and that identifies numerous fissures in American society (broken families, loss of historical memory, corrupt centers of power) that have prepared the ground for the utopianism that serves as the deceptive lure for a freedom-denying totalitarian culture. Accordingly, Dreher challenges Americans to see the clear signs of totalitarianism in their midst and to act positively to oppose its spread. In particular, he calls on Christians to resist living by lies by embracing true discipleship, a commitment that requires a willingness to suffer for one's faith.

Richard Kirk is a freelance writer living in Southern California whose book Moral Illiteracy: "Who's to Say?" is also available on Kindle.

Image via Pxhere.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
During the last year and a half, its become obvious to anyone whose head is not in the sand that America has been under assault on multiple levels from within. There is no denying that the COVID-19 viral invasion was a catalyst for so much of the disruption of 2020, culminating in election irregularity in November.

By spring 2020, normal activities and businesses were largely shut down nationwide by federal and local governments response to COVID-19. Antifa and BLM protests and riots in May and June brought the costliest manmade damage to American property in history. Then the cancel culture, already ensconced and in control of college and university campuses, came to the streets and parks of America in the tearing down historic monuments -- all the while law enforcement was coming under severe attack with numerous police departments facing prospects of defunding.

This lockdown-crisis environment gave Democrats an opportunity to push for change in state election rules to their advantage, such as allowing wholesale distribution of mail-in ballots, extending deadlines for counting those ballots, and legal challenges to voter ID and signature verification laws. And we all now know the result: the November 3rd election was characterized by unprecedented election irregularities and charges of vote fraud in more states than any prior election.

The confluence of all this has certainly brought on confusion for many Americans. But a significant group of people believes they see things with clarity. Where I live in South Florida its an incredible melting pot of people -- immigrants from all over the world. Many of my acquaintances and friends -- from Eastern and Slavic Europe and Russia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia -- have commented that what they see going on in America is a fairly classic communist-type subversion. They believe that the takedown of America is well advanced and now poses a real threat to continuation of the United States as a free nation.

My immigrant and refugee friends point out that the communist playbook is really quite easy to understand. Several who lived under communist systems commented that communist revolutionaries are masters at using false fronts, whether Critical Race Theory or social justice Marxist theories of wealth redistribution to advance their real objective which is one-party rule and total control of society. While my friends see this so clearly, they are dumbfounded and mystified that so many American people remain so naive and passive in the face of cancel culture, censorship, and creeping cultural totalitarianism that is so obviously and rapidly redefining the country.

While there are minor differences in theory amongst those who have lived under and have experienced communism up close, they basically agree that communists generally target four primary institutions to break down and replace: 1) the Family unit; 2) Religion, Christianity in particular; 3) Individuality and independent thinking (which is supplanted by collectivist group think); and 4) Loyalty to the nation-state (which is supplanted by global and internationalist affinities).

My friends also agree on the four steps or stages that communists employ to take over targeted peoples and nations. First, communists seek to bring about demoralization, which takes many years -- a generation or two -- of brainwashing to destroy the moral fiber and integrity of the target people or country. The second stage, which is shorter, is to bring about destabilization, and targets the weakening of the countrys economy, justice system and law enforcement, and its defense capabilities. The third stage is to bring about a crisis. This is the last major step in the communist playbook, which usually involves a cataclysmic event that upsets and divides the country -- pitting large groups against each other, creating either civil war or simply chaos and panic. The fourth and final stage in the realization of the communist-type society is what is called normalization, and it is generally irreversible. That is the final stage where the new powerbrokers take over and the populace of the target country loses all its remaining freedoms, its connection to its past, while the new state employs censorship and propaganda to enforce acquiescence to the new communist reality being imposed.

According to the four stages of communist revolution, the United States is now clearly in the third Crisis Stage, with division making the country nearly ungovernable and revolutionary change being manifest in a fraudulent election. Not only is Joe Bidens election legitimacy as President in question, but so is his mental competence. Additionally, his fundamental trustworthiness is in question because of son Hunter taking large monetary sums on behalf of the Biden family from corrupt foreign countries, with China being the largest benefactor.

The greatest crime against the American people and the U.S. Constitution is the soft coup of election fraud.

We all sense that many people in high places in the U.S. government have for many years violated their oaths of office and became compromised by gaming the system to gain wealth and stature. And with America having a corrupt two-tiered justice system that gives cover and protection to a favored political party and its chosen figures, it is only free and fair elections that are the peoples chief constitutional check on corruption. When election integrity is lost, the country will be lost.

Our communist enemies likely view the forensic audits of election results in Arizona and elsewhere as a means of keeping the Crisis Stage going. Regardless of the facts, the mainstream and social media will in all probability either ignore or discredit audit outcome results that are contrary to their narrative that denies the existence of 2020 election fraud. And with probably 40% of the American population being brainwashed and demoralized, the Crisis Stage in America is clearly a high-risk period.

While this late-stage challenge is frightening, America has overcome many equally daunting challenges throughout its past. And, historically, Americans have exhibited a tendency to wake up and rally at the 11th hour.

The good news is that a greater number of Americans are now more informed and better prepared to accept election audit findings and consequences than they would have been in the two and a half months immediately after the election when Trump was still in office.

What is critical now is that the people fully realize that the freedoms they have enjoyed under the democratic constitutional republic of the United States can only be guaranteed at this point by election integrity. There simply is no substitute for victory in the fight to restore and protect the honesty of our electoral system. Election integrity is the indispensable firewall to keep America a free nation.

Scott Powell is senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and author of the forthcoming book, Rediscovering America. Reach him at scottp@discovery.Org

Image: Becky McCray

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Joe Biden's obsession with the whole LGBT thing is creeping me out. Please note that I didn't say LGBT people are creeping me out, although I certainly have a strong disagreement with transgender madness. I also dislike intensely people who use their sexual orientation to achieve hard-left political goals. What you do in the bedroom doesn't matter to me, but what you do to schools, the military, children's television, etc., matters a great deal. But back to Biden. Given his bizarre behavior with little girls, when Biden "celebrates" LGBT stuff, all I can think of is...well, I don't want to think of it. His latest weirdness was to proclaim that "Pride is back at the White House"  where it has no business being in the first place.

Biden's weirdness about the LGBT spectrum began in October, during a town hall when a woman claimed that her eight-year-old was a member of the opposite sex. Biden, probably listening to a voice funneled into his ear, thought that was awesome and imagined a world in which children could have free-floating gender identities:

"The idea that an eight year-old child or a ten year-old child decides, 'you know I decided, I want to be transgender. That's what I think I'd like to be, it'd make my life a lot easier.' There should be zero discrimination," Biden said. He also said he would "eliminate" the Trump administration's rules affecting gender transition. "I will flat out just change the law. Eliminate those executive orders, number one," Biden said.

True to his word, practically the first thing Biden did when he sat down in the Oval Office was to say that those who are confused about their biological sex  in other words, not the most emotionally stable demographic  should have unfettered access to places aligned with their claimed "gender identity." Thanks to Title VII, this affects all schools receiving federal funds. In any place into which federal money extends, men and boys will have free access to girls' and women's restrooms, locker rooms, dorms, prisons, etc. In one swish of the pen, Biden began the process of deleting women.

On Friday, Biden marked Pride Month at the White House with an hours-long ceremony. Think about that. A sitting president of the entire United States took time out from official business to celebrate people's sex lives. And along with celebrating Pride Month, Biden once again said creepy things that seemed to include some weird form of self-love along with all the other non-traditional pairings:

President Joe Biden declared on Friday that pride had returned to the White House as he marked the month that celebrates LGBTQ+ rights. 'Pride is back at the White House,' he said. 'Pride Month stands for love, you know, being able to love yourself, love whomever you love.' Biden marked the occasion by designating the site of the Pulse Nightclub shooting a national memorial and named a special envoy for LGBTQ+ rights around the world. Biden was joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay Senate-confirmed Cabinet secretary. Jill Biden and Chasten Buttigieg also were on hand. The president was introduced by Ashton Mota, an openly transgender teenager from Massachusetts. 'It takes courage to be true to your authentic self and face the face of the kinds of discrimination,' Biden said of transgender youth. 'We know more than half of transgender youth to seriously consider suicide,' he said, encouraging people to support them. [snip] On Friday, Biden appointed Jessica Stern to be the U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons at the Department of State.

I wouldn't mind if Biden ensured that non-heterosexual people are not harassed, discriminated against, or denied their civil rights. Indeed, I heartily agree with that. Biden's constant pandering to and wallowing in LGBT sexuality, though, is just wrong. It's wrong that Pete Buttigieg, a glib man of no accomplishments, should be so celebrated just because he prefers sexual activity with men over sex with women. And it's very, very wrong to pretend (as Biden did) that transgenderism is real and that society has to bow before it.

Image: Biden shares a tender moment with a young woman who shows surprisingly dominant body language in the interaction (at 13:45 in the video). YouTube screen grab.

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On Friday, Kamala Harris went to a border town in Texas as far removed from Biden's open border as she possibly could. El Paso is quite far north and, since it's insulated from the hundreds of thousands of people pouring into Texas, the Democrats there still support the administration. However, in one hospital in El Paso, things aren't so rosy. Even in El Paso, there are enough illegal aliens falling over the wall that dozens of them arrive in the hospital with badly broken bodies (and we pay for their care and repair).

In El Paso, Harris got a rapturous welcome from Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Illegal Aliens), who gushed that it was an honor to have such a wonderful person visiting "America's new Ellis Island":

"The New Ellis Island." Democrats aren't even hiding it anymore. They're inviting people to come illegally and continuing the Biden administration trend of America Last. pic.twitter.com/Nbl9TXKzRk  For America (@ForAmerica) June 25, 2021

Frankly, I wouldn't mind it if El Paso were the new Ellis Island, run like the old Ellis Island. When Ellis Island was functioning, every person who got off a ship had to pass through there. People had to prove that they were healthy and either that they had enough money to support themselves or that someone else already in America would ensure that they did not become a public charge. (That law, incidentally, is still on the books. Trump enforced it. Biden, who has turned into a one-man Legislature, revoked the rule based on that law.) The same was true at Angel Island, in the San Francisco Bay, which was the port of entry for people coming from Asia.

At actual points of admission, you didn't just get to waltz in, laden with medieval diseases, and get free medical care, welfare, and a free education for your kids. In addition, there was some effort in those days of more primitive law enforcement techniques to screen out smuggling, sex trafficking, and gangs.

It's not just that the illegal aliens pouring into America are damaging America. (And they are. Many are genuinely dangerous, and all are expensive. Also, they provide a basis for Democrat political corruption by giving more House representatives to California, New Mexico, and Arizona because courts insist that they get counted in the census, and by providing a future cohort of Democrat voters.)

As I said, these illegals aren't just damaging America. They're also damaging themselves. There's the tragedy of women and children who are being trafficked, something the Biden administration is doing nothing to stop. In addition, scaling the walls Trump built is proving to be very dangerous:

An exasperated trauma nurse in the border city being visited by Kamala Harris has revealed her hospital unit is now dangerously packed with migrants injured after leaping from the top of the US-Mexico wall. Miriam Torres  who works at El Paso's University Medical Center  told DailyMail.com that half her 30 beds are regularly taken by the illegals, who are suffering broken legs, smashed spines and shattered hips. And she said the medical facility is so desperate for space that it is now issuing contracts to care homes to take in the injured migrants during the latter part of their treatment because it is so overwhelmed. Torres, 39, said: 'Doctors come in now and just label the patients' charts BWF, standing for border wall fall. It's that routine these days. But it is putting a great strain on the unit. 'These people can often stay with us for up to six weeks, requiring at least two surgeries and an incredible amount of medication.' She added: 'When Joe Biden took office, almost immediately we started to see the numbers increasing. It has been overwhelming at times. 'Frequently we have at least 15 of them holding beds. I can discharge two one day and the next have to admit three more. It's constantly revolving.

As far as the illegal aliens go, my sympathy is limited. While I totally understand that they'd take advantage of Biden's open border offer, I still feel that they're assuming the risk. (I don't feel the same about the children, who are pawns of adults, starting with Biden and his outrageous policies.)

My sympathy frankly lies with me. Why? Because I am paying for all those hospital stays, surgeries, and rehabilitations. That is utterly unconscionable. I owe these people nothing because they are not my fellow Americans.

Image: People climbing over the border wall. YouTube screen grab.

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When I had school sex ed, a long time ago, it was a biology class teaching kids about the biological differences in male and female bodies. (There were only two sexes then.) It's changed over the years, with teenagers being taught how to apply condoms and about gay sexual practices. In Washington State, though, it's gone beyond that. Thanks to a referendum in the last election cycle, sex education is being dramatically expanded as a group of Tacoma parents discovered to their distress when their 8th-graders received a flyer that essentially instructed their kids how to avoid statutory rape problems, get birth control, get treated for STDs, and have abortions.

The story broke in Tacoma, Washington, a mid-size port city in the Puget Sound. And while the story is a week old, I saw it only now, so I'm sharing it now. Parents were outraged when their 8th-grade students came home with a Planned Parenthood flyer explaining that, once kids are tweens, they're pretty much on their own when it comes to sex in Washington. The flyer, printed in a format familiar to any American classroom, offered the following "helpful" information:

AGE OF MINORITY & CONSENT FOR SEX: The age of consent is [illegible but, as a matter of law, it's 16]. It is not a crime if you are 11 and have sex with somebody 2 years older or less.

12 to 13 and have sex with somebody who is 3 years older or less.

14 or 15 and have sex with somebody who is 4 years older or less.

In other words, if you're 14, don't have sex with that cute little 11-year-old! And if you're 11, stay close to your own age group when you give up your virginity.

Other sections advised the children that they could get birth control and Plan B emergency contraception at any time without their parents' involvement; that if they were 14 or older, they could get STD and HIV testing without a parents' involvement; and that, when it came to abortion, "you do not need to get permission from your parent or guardian at any age." (All pedophiles welcome to Washington State!)

Parents were livid that their children were being given explicit information about circumventing their parents and family values to have sex and get abortions. The school apologized and explained that the material wasn't "approved," but that really wasn't the issue.

If you look at a 2020 election map of Washington, you can see the huge blue circle of leftist voters around Seattle. As with all Democrat states, geographically, states are conservative, but the urban areas dictate policy and presidents. That's how "Referendum 90" came into being. According to The Post Millennial:

In the last election cycle, Washington voters approved Referredum 90 [sic], a graphic state-wide, sex ed curriculum created and endorsed by Planned Parenthood and radical activist organizations. Informed Parents of Washington, objected to the early sexualization of children in the curriculum, as well as the graphic material and warned of the possibility of grooming young children for early sexual experiences. This incident followed the "Free The Pill" campaign, which attempted to allow children to get over-the-counter birth control pills. Reportedly, the campaign wanted children as young as 11 for studies.

Leftists want your children, and sex is the way to get them.

This is another reminder in a year of clarity: leftists are focused and engaged and will turn out at the polls. (And, as I suspect, many of them will augment their own turnout by voting for others, some dead, some fictional, etc.) In the past, conservatives have been passive. Too often, they can't be bothered to vote because life is busy, and it takes a while to wade through leftist initiatives to understand what's going on.

That kind of passivity, though, must end. If you want leftism out of your children's classrooms  no more Critical Race Theory, no more sex ed that would make a 19th-century courtesan blush  you must vote. Even more, you need to run for local offices. Until conservatives get on school boards and town councils, and into their local mayor's office, nothing will change. We'll whine, but leftists will act.

Image: Human Growth (1962), a time when there were only two sexes. YouTube screen grab.

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General Barry McCaffrey (retired, thank God) graduated from West Point, served in Vietnam, and put an end to his honorable career by attaching himself to the Clinton White House. Instead of fading decently away as old generals should, McCaffrey continues to insert himself into military politics, always with an eye to tilting the military toward the left. His latest opinion is that Tucker Carlson, a civilian, should be fired for daring to say that General Mark Milley, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is an idiot and overall disgrace to the fine tradition of the American military.

As always when I write, I need to put into place a few basic predicates:

Up until the Obama administration started meddling with it, the American military was the most effortlessly diverse and harmoniously racially mixed institution in America. Not only was the military a meritocracy, but every person serving understood that a military divided among itself is deadly  not to the enemy, but to the troops who serve.

Were and even are there racists in the military? Absolutely. In any group of people, you're going to have idiots who are insecure or stupid enough to assume negative things about someone based upon the color of his skin or the shape of his eyes. The military, however, has always had an efficient system for getting rid of these people because their very existence endangers the troops and the missions.

The Obama administration, however, disliked the traditional military. What it did overtly was to open the military to openly homosexual and transgender troops. There is no way to tell whether this affected military readiness, unit cohesion, or anything else because there will never be an honest report on the subject. What the Obama administration did less openly was to purge the military of officers who thought the military's structure was good. Ultimately, he fired almost 200 military officers.

The officers that Obama left behind at the Pentagon were almost entirely stone-cold Democrats in their orientation. This was perfectly demonstrated in October 2019, when Admiral McRaven (retired), who once headed Special Forces, actively attacked then-president Trump, strongly implying that Trump should be the subject of a coup. Considering that all military officers can be called up again in times of need, even though retired McRaven is still, in theory, a member of the armed forces, and he ought to have been court-martialed.

Of course, nothing happened to McRaven. Another retired officer who chimed in was Barry McCaffrey, the same one who is the subject of this post. He claimed that Trump was effectively Mussolini because he canceled the White House subscriptions to The New York Times and The Washington Post. Apparently, graduating from West Point doesn't mean you're not historically ignorant or emotionally incontinent.

Fast-forward to Wednesday, when Gen. Mark Milley said some outrageously racist things before the House Armed Services Committee. And it doesn't matter that he was a White man saying things about other Whites. The whole point of Critical Race Theory is to teach Whites to be self-loathing. With Milley, those lessons fell on fertile soil.

Tucker Carlson described what Milley said and, quite appropriately, castigated Milley. The entire monologue is magnificent, but fast-forward to 7:10 for his righteous attack on Milley:

In a free country, what Tucker Carlson said was perfectly appropriate for a political commentator. However, Barry McCaffrey took umbrage. Not only does he feel that Mark Milley is above criticism by a mere TV personality, but he was also outraged that someone would dare criticize a general who graduated from Ivy League schools:

Let this sink in. Tucker Carlson on live Fox TV called Gen Mark Milley the Chairman of the JCS Stupid and a Pig. Why hasnt he been terminated? Who talks like this about a public official? Mark Milley Princeton and Colombia. Years in combat.  Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) June 25, 2021

Dear Gen. McCaffrey: Colombia is a country. While Milley's views are sufficiently leftist that, maybe, he really did pick up a lot of his ideas from the Marxist guerrillas there, the fact is that his resume says "Columbia University," a place that could well beat those guerrillas for leftism.

Of late, my feeling is that, if you're an Ivy League grad within the last 40 years or so, unless you prove otherwise, I'm going to assume that you're indoctrinated and badly educated. You may have been smart when you went in, but four years of relentless propaganda can destroy all but the most stalwart constitutionalists and patriots.

I've said before and will say again that under Obama, there came to be a cancer in the Pentagon. The cancer went slightly into remission under Trump, but with Biden in the White House, it has metastasized badly and may well kill the military entirely, with old fools like McCaffrey cheering on the death throes.

Image: General Mark Milley (cropped). YouTube screen grab.

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So did Kamala Harris find any "root causes" for the Central America border surge on her trip to El Paso?

Well, she could have if she had tried, but as it happened, the whole purpose of the stopover visit on the way to her tony weekend digs in Brentwood, California, was to Blame Trump.

"First of all, what is happening here in El Paso really is, in many ways, highlights many of the facets on the issue of immigration. It is here in El Paso that the previous administration's child separation policy was unveiled. And so we have seen the disastrous effects of that right here in this region," Harris said. "It is here in El Paso that the return to Mexico policy from the previous administration was implemented. We have seen the disaster that resulted from that."

Her minions in the press also brought up the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso mall as a reason for the visit, again, to Blame Trump.

As Ted Cruz noted, it was "absolutely a photo-op."

Which didn't have a lot to do with this current border surge, generated by the Biden administration itself with its serial invitation to migrants to come on in without papers.

How bad was it?

To start, she visited the least relevant part of the border -- the El Paso corridor, where most border surgers are coming from places that aren't Central America, (such as Marxist Venezuela). The Central American border surge, with about 150,000 illegal crossers in fiscal 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection data, can be found mainly in the Rio Grande Valley, which includes McAllen and Brownsville, where President Trump will visit.

Kamala went to a "safe" location instead so as to minimize the problem of the surge on the unguarded border for the cameras. And, as Laura Ingraham noted on her Fox News show, she kept it even more insular by staying at the airport for about half the six-hour trip before going out and about briefly to Blame Trump. To the press, she proclaimed: "We are making progress" and left it at that, nothing to see in those gargantuan surge numbers.

As for root causes, well, she did visit five teenage migrant girls who broke into the country illegally and asked them to draw pictures of what they wanted to be when they grew up, according to the El Paso Times, which doesn't sound like much of a "root cause" to normal people. It sounds like babysitting. The spinmeisters had to hunt hard to get those Central American kids given that there aren't many of them in El Paso. Maybe they flew them in from the Rio Grande Valley.

What also wasn't brought up was what the Guatemalan president, Alejandro Giammattei, told her earlier this month -- that Biden's open invitation to child migrants had the human smuggling rackets lining up "the very next day."

During a bilingual interview with CBS News conducted Friday at the nation's presidential house, he was asked if Guatemalans are leaving his country now that Mr. Biden is president and Donald Trump is out of office. He said the change in government led to a change in message: "The message changed to, 'We are going to reunite families and we are going to reunite children.'" When that happened, "The very next day the coyotes here were organizing groups of children to take them to the United States." Given the uptick in migration, "We asked the United States government to send more of a clear message to prevent more people from leaving," Giammattei said.

The Mexican president tried to tell her something similar, and with Harris, it went in one ear and out the other.

And there's no arguing with charts like this:

The Biden administration literally made the situation worse. https://t.co/B9IychF6xZ pic.twitter.com/VhiNGiqAqT  Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) June 25, 2021

Those are truly the root causes of the migration surge she claims she's so interested in stopping, yet she's talking up an old policy of migrant separations, which in any case, has been continued by the Biden administration as migrants go crazy in the detention centers awaiting "reunification" with people who may or may not be their parents and who almost certainly are also in the country illegally, and open-borders activists cry foul. She also didn't bother to visit the miserable migrant detention center near El Paso, apparently an overcrowded hellhole, which is what comes of inviting in all comers. She's letting Homeland Security chief Alex Mayorkas do that one, next week, when the cameras are off.

As for her own claimed search for root causes, presumably to halt the border surge, that's highly questionable. Who the heck did she meet with? There was a cursory visit with the Border Patrol about processing technology, which is far from any root cause for a surge.

There also were meetings with open-borders groups, and "faith-based" open-borders groups, which advocate an end to border enforcement entirely. If the purpose of the meeting is to figure out how to halt the surge instead of turn on the spigot, that was a helluva a curious choice.

Get a load at what's on the agenda of the website of Border Network for Human Rights, one of the three groups identified by the El Paso Times as getting ear-time with Harris:

In their "New Ellis Island" narrative repeated by some leftist El Paso pols on this trip, their conference goals, verbatim, are:

GOALS: 1. Championing the just and fair integration of immigrant families and workers in our society through an immigration reform package in Congress devoid of cruel or draconian enforcement tradeoffs.

2. Securing a commitment from the Biden administration to use Executive powers to repeal the destructive immigration policies targeting immigrant families and children in the border region implemented under the Trump administration, including the explicit and absolute prohibition of jailing children and their families.

implemented under the Trump administration, including the explicit and absolute prohibition of jailing children and their families. 3. Ensuring the federal government provides a legalization program that provides a pathway to citizenship that is broad, inclusive, and accessible to the 11+ million undocumented people who call our country home.

who call our country home. 4. Demilitarizing the U.S./Mexico border.

5. Working with Congress to pass and implement the necessary accountability mechanisms to exercise greater oversight of federal law enforcement agencies at the border and in the interior , including DHS agencies such as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and hold them accountable for their human rights and civil violations to the fullest extent of the law.

, including DHS agencies such as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and hold them accountable for their human rights and civil violations to the fullest extent of the law. 6. Ending the separation and deportation of families with an Arrest and Deportation Moratorium until our immigration system is fixed, and new, fair immigration laws are passed and implemented; reuniting families who were separated due to cruel and unjust immigration policies ; and beginning the process of repatriating deported veterans .

until our immigration system is fixed, and new, fair immigration laws are passed and implemented; ; and beginning the process of . 7. Decriminalizing immigrant families and refugees by closing all immigration detention facilities across the country , prioritizing those dedicated to jailing immigrant families, refugees, and asylum seekers.

, prioritizing those dedicated to jailing immigrant families, refugees, and asylum seekers. 8. Rebuilding, improving, and expanding our nations resettlement program to ensure all applications are addressed in a timely manner, and those seeking safe haven in our country are treated with respect, dignity and fairness.

to ensure all applications are addressed in a timely manner, and those seeking safe haven in our country are treated with respect, dignity and fairness. 9. Reversing modifications made by Trump to the H-2A Visa Program and other temporary foreign labor programs.

Which is as extreme as heck for an open-borders advocacy group. The other two groups, Hope Border Institute, and the liberation-theology-infused Annunciation House, are similar, telling surging migrants they're entitled to everything Americans have and own, with their director, in his video, falsely calling these Facebook-enabled highly advertised, capitalized migrations "forced migration." Hope Border Institute is also all in for "truth commissions" to prosecute border enforcers, and the advocates Harris met with are all left-wing lawyers. You can imagine the honesty of those.

There also were the Catholic bishops -- not the ones in Central America, who could be very influential in telling Central American migrants "do not come, do not come" as Kamala says, but the ones in the states, in hock to the government for social welfare service funds, and "filling the pews," (at the expense of their Central American counterparts), open-border advocates who twist the Gospel to claim that lawlessness at the border is a "right" of immigrants and their increasingly wealthy cartel human smuggling rackets.

Guys like him:

Bishop Mark J. Seitz and other immigration advocates were there to welcome her and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. As a pastor, I also welcome you on behalf of Christ, present in our borderland community in so many beautiful wayspresent in our resilience, our spirit of compassion and service, he said in a statement. And present in the poor knocking at our doorstep, in the migrant and refugee. Bishop Seitz expressed his gratitude for the visit and for Ms. Harris focus on the factors driving immigrants north to the United States. He also relayed greetings from Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Borders are places where the drama of human lifeits suffering and aspirationsunfolds and they put squarely before us a moral choice, he said, to build bridges or encounter walls of fear.

America magazine, which ran this forked-tongue "welcome" to the famous abortion-advocate/enforcer, and despite the other teachings of the bishops who in their catechism of the Church demand that American Catholics follow the laws of their own countries and pay their taxes, but carve out an unwritten exception for illegals to come in and scarf up, is a far-left Jesuit publication that recently ran a defense of communism and didn't back down.

Suffice to say, all of these people are supporters and enablers of communism, same as Harris is, making this a leftist-fest of high political content that ultimately is all about Getting Trump.

More to the point, they are open-borders advocates, and if there's any daylight between their position and Harris's, then pigs can fly.

If Harris claims "do not come, do not come" is her position, why is she meeting with the craziest open-borders leftists out there? As Giammattei said earlier: "Mixed messages."

Harris isn't interested in halting the border surge, her meetings with these people say she's interested in increasing it. That's evident enough in this cursory trip that has no merit whatsoever, no regard for the communities affected by the monster migrant surge from abroad and all the cartel activity that comes with it, and absolutely zero respect for the U.S. Latino voters who are taking the brunt of the surge with all its crime, killings, and property damage, as well as falling wages, and flooded social service agencies and overwhelmed hospitals and schools. There's a reason they are voting Republican in large numbers, and have elected a Republican mayor in McAllen, with border counties unexpectedly shifting red in recent elections.

Harris went to El Paso at the invitation of a Democrat open-borders advocate in Congress, yet ignored the cries from help from Democrat representatives in the border cities further south, towards the Rio Grande Valley. That's slimy politics again, rather than a bid for a solution.

Kamala in fact kept as far away from any information about a solution whatsoever on this shammy trip, hanging out with the open-borders lobby, babysitting a few migrants, going to the wrong place, and making obnoxious political statements about the past.

She blamed everyone but herself for the border mess she created and consorted with those who wanted More Mess, less enforcement, zero borders. If that's not insincerity, what is? Republicans should continue to blast this famous phony on this issue and President Trump's visit should shed some real light on the root causes of this surge problem, which in reality is Kamala herself, and the doddering old foof above her.

Image: Screen shot from a Fox News live television broadcast.

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Anna Morgan-Lloyd, the 49-year-old grandmother from Indiana who strolled into the U.S. Capitol and spent several minutes peacefully walking around, got the same message that was delivered to Chinese dissidents and "bad elements" during Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution: confess to thoughtcrimes, embrace the state-sanctioned ideology, and you will be shown mercy. In the case of Morgan-Lloyd, the message was delivered to her by her own defense lawyer, a public defender paid by taxpayers. And it worked. She received three years' probation, a $500 fine, and no incarceration beyond the two days she had spent in jail following her arrest.

Julie Kelley describes at American Greatness the imposition of an ideological test on a defendant whose own lawyer was in on the brainwashing initiative:

"My lawyer has given me names of books and movies to help me see what life is like for others in our country. I've learned that even though we live in a wonderful country things still need to improve. People of all colors should feel as safe as I do to walk down the street." That passage is part book report, part white privilege mea culpa submitted to a federal court this month by Anna Morgan-Lloyd, one of the more than 500 Americans arrested for her involvement in the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

Her lawyer, Heather Shaner, also represents other 1/6/21 defendants and apparently is recommending the thought reform confessions to other clients:

In an interview with Huffington Post, Shaner explained her belief that "this is the most wonderful country in the world, it's been great for all kinds of immigrant groups, except for the fact that it was born of genocide of the Native Americans and the enslavement of people."

Sure sounds like Critical Race Theory to me.

"I have had many political and ethical discussions with Anna Lloyd," Shaner wrote in her motion agreeing to the plea and probation for Lloyd. "I tendered a booklist to her. She has read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Just Mercy, and Schindler's List to educate herself about 'government policy' toward Native Americans, African Americans and European Jews. We have discussed the books and also about the responsibility of an individual when confronting 'wrong.'" Shaner also told the court that Lloyd watched the "Burning Tulsa" documentary on the History Channel as well as "Mudbound," a story of two families, one black and one white, living on the same property after World War II.

Just affirm that this is an awful, racist country and that you are the beneficiary of white privilege, and you can escape lengthy imprisonment for "parading" in the Capitol. While others at other times have invaded and disrupted hearings, and wrought far more havoc (the Kavanaugh hearings, for example) with little or no punishment at all, and certainly no requirements for thought reform

This moment is straight out of a struggle session in China during the Cultural Revolution (which closed schools and tore down statues  sound familiar?):

During her sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Lloyd broke down while apologizing for her actions. "I apologize to the court, to the American people, to my family," she told Lamberth. "I was there to support Trump peacefully and am ashamed that it became a savage display of violence." She said she's never experienced racial negativity but "realizes many people do." She was not charged with any racially motivated crime.

"Savage display of violence"? Yeah, there were some people who broke windows and forced their way into the Capitol, and that is very, very bad, deserving prison time. But the only person against whom violence was perpetrated was demonstrator Ashli Babbitt, and the cop who shot her dead is being protected, his name kept from the public. For violence to be "savage," don't living people need to be harmed?

Back during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the required reading list was much shorter: Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, The Thoughts of Chairman Mao.



Photo released by Chinese news agency in 1969, via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 license.

Those people were ordinary peasants. For people with bad class origins, or who were tainted by education overseas, it was much worse. In the early 1980s, I interviewed a Chinese scientist who had gotten a Ph.D. at Indiana University working on the study of DNA with Watson and Crick, who discovered the double-helix. The eminent scientist was paraded in public, wearing a dunce cap, pelted with garbage, and had his arm broken.

We're not there yet, but our foes are still gathering momentum. At least the Thoughts of President Biden will be a very short book.

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So, please remind me again, which race is it that is so privileged?

Lee Brown writes in the New York Post:

Antifa militants attacked police in Portland, Oregon, after news broke of a deadly police shooting  forcing the department to quickly announce that it was a "white male" to prevent riots, according to police and reports. At least 50 protesters, most dressed all in black and carrying anti-fascist signs, gathered at a Motel 6 late Thursday where police shot a suicidal man who charged at them with a screwdriver, The Oregonian said. (snip) In the middle of the mayhem, cops tried to dispel "erroneous information being circulated on social media," with local journalist Andy Ngo saying that "Antifa falsely claimed the deceased was a black or brown person" in flyers. "We can confirm that the subject involved is an adult white male," the department stressed. The officer who fired the fatal shot was black, and was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice, The Oregonian said.

In the bad old days of the Democrat-run Jim Crow South, the rumor that a White girl or woman had been attacked  or even looked at  by a Black male was sometimes enough to set off a mob. Today, in the Democrat-run big cities, mobs once again are set off by rumors  now, of the death of a Black man at the hands of the police. Democrats still run racist regimes, but the regions involved and the races persecuted or protected have flipped.

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Following the fiasco of Georgia's election conduct in November of last year, and the equally ludicrous run-off for the Senate seats, the Georgia Legislature passed voting law reforms that simultaneously increase access to the polls and tighten the rules to limit fraud. Since then, the Biden administration has consistently lied about the law, claiming that it's an attack on Black voters (who, apparently, need fraud to vote). This lie is the genesis of the administration's latest attack on the Georgia law. The Justice Department has sued Georgia, claiming that the new voting laws violate the Civil Rights Act.

The real engine behind this is the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, which is headed by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, an avowed anti-White and anti-Semitic racist who used to traffic openly in eugenic claims about Blacks' genetic superiority, and who has never disavowed her early assertions. Just as to a hammer everything is a nail, for Clarke, any outcome that is not to her liking is driven by anti-Black racism  and nobody in the Biden administration likes the fact that, moving forward, it's going to be harder to commit election fraud in Georgia.

Fox News summarizes what just happened:

The Justice Department on Friday filed a lawsuit against Georgia over the state's new voting law. The lawsuit will challenge several of the provisions in Georgia Senate Bill 202, according to the DOJ. "The right of all eligible citizens to vote is the central pillar of our democracy, the right from which all other rights ultimately flow," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. "This lawsuit is the first step of many we are taking to ensure that all eligible voters can cast a vote; that all lawful votes are counted; and that every voter has access to accurate information." The provisions the DOJ will target include a ban on government entities from handing out unsolicited absentee ballots; fines on civic groups, places of worship and advocacy organizations groups for distributing follow-up absentee ballots; shortening absentee ballot deadlines to 11 days before Election Day and more, according to a press release. "The right to vote is one of the most central rights in our democracy and protecting the right to vote for all Americans is at the core of the Civil Rights Division's mission," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said. "The Department of Justice will use all the tools it has available to ensure that each eligible citizen can register, cast a ballot, and have that ballot counted free from racial discrimination. Laws adopted with a racially motivated purpose, like Georgia Senate Bill 202, simply have no place in democracy today."

Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, who was happy to dismiss President Trump's claims about significant voting anomalies in November, is probably wishing he could walk that position back because he's not pleased:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sharply criticized the Department of Justice and Biden administration on Friday for suing his state over its new voting law. "Let me be clear: The Department of Justice lawsuit announced today is legally and constitutionally dead wrong. Their faults and baseless accusations are quite honestly disgusting," Kemp, a Republican, said at a news conference where he called the lawsuit a "politically motivated assault on the rule of law." The governor, who has championed and defended his state's voting law as common-sense election reform, said that the lawsuit was a product of Democrats' failure to pass the For the People Act this week and that the Biden administration was trying to force an "extreme agenda" on states. "I can't say I'm surprised, the president and his administration, Stacey Abrams, and their far-left allies have lied about the Election Integrity Act from the beginning," he said.

Kemp is correct that the Biden administration is taking lawfare to a whole new level. This is not a case of special interest groups going after a single industry, which is bad enough. Instead, this is the entire weight of the federal "justice" machine bullying states to comply with a bad, unconstitutional law that rightly couldn't get through Congress.

Image: Kristen Clarke (cropped) by Senate Democrats. CC BY 2.0.

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There is a saying in American Politics: "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." Today, in this 2021 Virginia off-year election, one may substitute Virginia for Maine as regards 2022 even 2024.

At least that is the opinion expressed in a fundraising letter by James Carville in support of "Terry for Governor"  nice folksy touch with "ain't" and "geeked up," but make no mistake: James Carville is a serious political player for the Democrat party.

It ain't a mystery why Trump is all geeked up about Youngkin. Election experts are saying Democrats could lose Virginia. If that happens, Republicans would get a huge surge of momentum going into the 2022 midterms. So it's this simple: If Glenn Youngkin wins, Donald Trump wins. Worse, Trumpism will be on the march again heading into a pivotal midterm for the future of our democracy.

His appeal has six references trying to tie Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin to Donald Trump. Consequently, if that is all they have, as a proud Virginia H.S. grad, I do not think they will get far in their ad nauseam "Orange Man Bad" campaigning.

I was honored to meet Candidate Youngkin twice and even took his picture for an article. Please note that he is neither orange nor bad.

On a beautiful early spring day in Rappahannock County Virginia known as "The Sunny side of the Blue Ridge," a candidate in the 2021 Virginia Republican Primary Glenn Youngkin reached out to his fellow Virginians to ask for the most precious commodity they own in a democracytheir vote. Standing outside and framed by mountains, he sincerely expressed the courage of his convictions defining his vision for our future. It could have been exactly like earlier intellectual giants spoke in such informal settings such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and Patrick Henry, when they stood outside to speak with their fellow Virginians. Glenn Youngkin expressed a direct profound message with perfect pitch to frame exactly why this odd year election in Virginia is so so important. It is the moral, ethical and intellectual courage of Glenn Youngkin, and for that matter, all other Republican primary candidates, that should be recognized because it takes true fortitude to enter ones name in the current viciousness of today's hateful public debates. Elect Glenn Youngkin as Governor and perhaps just like in James Monroe's time as President America will have another "Era of good feeling."

Having been honored with two political appointments by President Reagan, I can compare candidate Youngkin to one of the greatest presidents in American history, who vanquished the evil empire of the Soviet Union.

President Reagan was a man of courtesy and respect for all and was centered intellectually with the courage of his convictions without being contentious. My take on candidate Youngkin is that he has the same attributes. Candidate Youngkin is the closest I've ever met to have that sincere, from-the-heart Reagan touch, which, along with his quietly expressed deep-centered faith, may actually bring back an era of good feeling.

However, if the Ds want to play connectivity politics, I could say snidely that Terry McAuliffe is "the poor man's Bill and Hillary Clinton." He is most definitely, as is James Carville, a single-digit card-carrying member of Clinton Inc. One can only imagine a Governor Terry running for president in 2024, with the Obama team, waking up in Martha's Vineyard along with Dr. Jill in her house, from their nightmare, realizing "they are back," meaning the Clintons. Such is life today in the Democrat party, but that is their problem.

However, I doubt that running with the current Democrat love affair with Critical Race Theory (CRT)  after the sitting governor "gooned up" one of the most sacred missions a state has, which is the successful education of the sons and daughters of Virginia with his draconian COVID policies  is a winner.

The Virginia governor was by many measures the worst state leader in the nation. And thank you, Loudoun County commissars, for bringing children back to learn after a horrible year for instruction in even the basics of education...to focus now on CRT. Such Democrat buffoonery may make all parents, Republican and Democrat, throughout the Old Dominion white-hot with anger, and justifiably so.

Image: Famartin via Wikimedia Commons.

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(Image source from: Thehansindia.com)

KCR and YS Jagan on logger hands over Water Row:- Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) is not keen to meet his Andhra Pradesh counterpart YS Jaganmohan Reddy and resolve the water sharing issues and disputes. They met in Pragathi Bhavan in 2020 January. Though a couple of meetings are planned, they never happened and the water sharing issue is yet to be resolved. AP Minister Perni Nani and AP government adviser Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy announced that YS Jagan is ready to hold talks and meet KCR to resolve the issue. But KCR is not keen to meet YS Jagan and he will take a call only after the government of Andhra Pradesh withdraws the projects on Krishna and RDS.

A meeting should be held to discuss about AP and Telangana constructing the projects jointly and this can benefit both the states. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat called Telangana Chief Minister KCR on Friday and discussed about the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme works. He assured that his ministry will send a team from Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to the site of RLIS to assess the position of the works. KCR explained the situation to Gajendra Singh Shekhawat about the share of water in Godavari river. KCR feels that YS Jagan ignored him and the government of Andhra Pradesh is constructing a parallel canal along the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) to divert the water of Tungabhadra.
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By Michael Erman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Infectious disease experts are weighing the need for booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna mRNA-based vaccines for Americans who received Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine due to the increasing prevalence of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant.

A few say they have already done so themselves, even without published data on whether combining two different vaccines is safe and effective or backing from U.S. health regulators. Canada and some European countries are already allowing people to get two different COVID-19 shots.

The debate centers on concerns over how protective the J&J shot is against the Delta variant first detected in India and now circulating widely in many countries. Delta, which has also been associated with more severe disease, could quickly become the dominant version of the virus in the United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky has warned.

There is no substantial data showing how protective the J&J vaccine is against the new variant. However, UK studies show that two doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines are significantly more protective against the variant than one.

Andy Slavitt, former senior pandemic advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, raised the idea this week on his podcast. At least half a dozen prominent infectious disease experts said U.S. regulators need to address the issue in short order.

"There's no doubt that the people who receive the J&J vaccine are less protected against disease," than those who get two doses of the other shots, said Stanford professor Dr. Michael Lin. "From the principle of taking easy steps to prevent really bad outcomes, this is really a no brainer."

The CDC is not recommending boosters, and advisors to the agency said at a public meeting this week there is not yet significant evidence of declining protection from the vaccines.

Jason Gallagher, an infectious diseases expert at Temple Universitys School of Pharmacy, recently received a Pfizer dose at the Philadelphia vaccine clinic where he has been administering shots. He got the J&J vaccine in a clinical trial in November.

Gallagher said he was concerned about the UK data https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vaccines-highly-effective-against-b-1-617-2-variant-after-2-doses showing lower efficacy against the Delta variant for people who received one vaccine dose.

"While the situation has gotten so much better in the U.S., the Delta variant that's spreading ... and really quickly taking over in the U.S. looks a little more concerning in terms of the breakthrough infections with the single-dose vaccines," he said. "So I took the plunge."

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths have plummeted in the United States with 56% of the adult population fully vaccinated.

J&J said it is testing whether the immune response from its vaccine is capable of neutralizing the Delta variant in a laboratory setting, but no data is available yet.

Both mRNA vaccines showed efficacy rates around 95% in large U.S. trials, while J&J's vaccine was 66% effective in preventing moderate-to-severe COVID-19 globally when more contagious variants were circulating.

Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, said on Twitter she had gotten a dose of Pfizer's vaccine this week after receiving J&J's in April.

Rasmussen, who declined to be interviewed, encouraged Americans who received the J&J vaccine to talk to their doctors about a possible second shot.

"If you live in a community with overall low vaccination, I'd suggest you strongly consider doing so," she tweeted.

Vaccine expert Dr. Peter Hotez from Baylor College of Medicine in a tweet said adding a second J&J dose or one of the mRNA vaccines might provide broader protection, "but we need data and CDC-FDA guidance."

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is running a trial to determine the need for boosting all currently authorized shots with another dose of Moderna's vaccine. NIAID scientist Dr. John Beigel told Reuters the agency hopes to have that data by September to help inform regulators' decisions on boosters.

As long as case counts remain low in the United States, J&J recipients should wait for more data, he said.

If Delta variant-driven infections and hospitalizations increase significantly, he said, "then decisions might need to be made with an absence of data. But right now, I do think it's appropriate that they wait."

(Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)
Take shorter showers.

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Run the dishwasher less often.

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Turn off the water while your brushing teeth.

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Owosso, MI (48867)

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Mostly cloudy early, then sunshine for the afternoon. High near 85F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

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A few passing clouds. Low 64F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Wesley Higgins is pastor of Celebration Church of God, Ontario. He can be reached in care of The Argus Observer, 1160 S.W. Fourth St., Ontario, OR 97914. The Argus Observer weekly faith column features a rotation of writers from many different faiths and perspectives.
ASHLAND -- Ashland County Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald P. Forsthoefel announced Friday he will not seek re-election for a third term in his position.

The judge issued the following press release on Friday afternoon to Ashland Source.

I wish to advise the local bar and community that after much deliberation, I have decided to not seek reelection to a third term as Judge of the Ashland County Common Pleas Court, General and Domestic Relations Divisions. My current term will end on Feb. 8, 2023.

I will be 65 at the conclusion of my current term, and I just do not have the energy, nor the desire to expend the funds necessary to run a contested election campaign. I would seek reelection and continue if unopposed, but with a primary challenger receiving the approval and tacit support of the County Republican Executive Committee Chair, it sends a message that the Ashland County Republican Party Executive Committee would itself like to see someone else in the position. I wish you all well.

I believe I have still have value to the judiciary of Ohio, and I plan to continue serving in a visiting judge capacity to share my knowledge and abilities with other courts throughout the State of Ohio. My staff and I have worked extremely hard to make the

Ashland County Common Pleas Court a more effective steward of taxpayer dollars, as well as more efficient and more accessible to both litigants and counsel. I have also dedicated time to train other judges throughout the State of Ohio to help improve their technology skills and those of their court staffs.

The citizens of Ashland County should be very proud of Ashlands excellent, well-trained Common Pleas Court staff. I know I am. They are the best court staff in Ohio. I am confident I will be leaving the Court in much better shape than when I arrived.

It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Ashland County. I wish to express my deepest gratitude for having been given the great honor and privilege to hold this office, and for the trust you placed in me to serve as Judge for 12 years. I will finish out the remainder of my current term in a manner that continues to serve the best interests of the citizens of Ashland County. Thank you all.

Sincerely,

Ronald P. Forsthoefel, Judge

Ashland County Common Pleas Court
Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems, leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates

Farmers' protest had started on November 26 last year and has now completed seven months notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: As farmers' protest against the new farm laws entered eighth month, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday appealed to protesting farmers to end their agitation while saying that the government is ready to resume talks on the provisions of three legislations.

The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers' protest. Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders for seven months now in protest against the three laws that they say will end state procurement of crops at MSP.

The Supreme Court has put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and has set up a committee to find solutions. The committee has submitted its report.

"I want to convey through your (media) that farmers should end their agitation. ....Many are in favour of these new laws across the country. Still, some farmers have any issue with provisions of the laws, Government of India is ready to listen and discuss with them," Tomar tweeted.

He said the government held 11 rounds of consultations with protesting farmer unions. The government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) and is procuring more quantity at MSP.

Farmers' protest had started on November 26 last year and has now completed seven months notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic. Three union ministers, including Tomar and Food Minister Piyush Goyal, have held 11 rounds of talks with the protesting farmer unions.

In the last meeting on January 22, the government's negotiations with 41 farmer groups hit a roadblock as the unions squarely rejected the Centre's proposal of putting the laws on suspension.

During the 10th round of talks held on January 20, the Centre had offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi's borders.

The three laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 -- were passed by the Parliament in September last year.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.

On January 11, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee.

Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) President Anil Ghanwat and agriculture economists Pramod Kumar Joshi and Ashok Gulati are the other members on the panel. They have completed the consultation process with stakeholders and submitted the report.
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Ready to start production in August if we are to believe the rumor mill, the 2022 Maverick will be built alongside the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport at the companys Mexico facility. Thats one of the secrets that probably helped the little pickup truck defy most expectations, along with the fact that its powered by a full hybrid powertrain as standard. But, as it turns out, there are many more things to learn about itand perhaps one might need some professional assistance in uncovering all of them.At least if the chosen trim is the base Maverick XL, because the everything you need to know feature about the XLT and Lariat is not ready just yet. They will come in due course, also courtesy of the Town and Country TV YouTube channel, which is the social media interface of a Ford dealership in Birmingham, Alabama. Theyre quite renowned among Blue Oval fans, especially because theyre always ready to help the public get to know the products a little better and even play with some of the custom options.This time around, they decided to focus on the quirks and features of the 2022 Maverick XL, and the entire video (embedded below) has been neatly arranged in chapters with the appropriate timestamps highlighted in the description. As such, we can relax and find out a little bit more about the work truck version, which can be had either with the $19,995 2.5-liter hybrid engine (and a sometimes-quirky) or the $21,080 2.0-liter EcoBoost that comes mated to a traditional eight-speed automatic transmission.By the way, trying to deliver the best value doesnt mean the Maverick XL is about as basic as it gets. Aside from the standard hybrid engine, the base trim level also includes other features such as a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, or standard rear-seat storage, among other things.
HP

Whether it is that hairy-chested exterior design, basic analogue cockpit or the fact that it dwarfs pretty much any ride that one may encounter, at some point, most of us wanted an H1. And if you still do, then this example probably deserves your attention.Offered for sale by a German used car dealer called Hollywood Cars, which specializes in selling American vehicles, it was made in 2000. By the looks of it, it appears to be in top notch condition , with virtually everything, from the silver exterior to the red leather cockpit, and beige soft top and bed cover, looking great.The Mobile ad claims that it is powered by a 6.5-liter V8 diesel that produces 200. It has manual air conditioning, central locking, electrically adjustable seats, electric windows and several other gizmos. The odometer is said to indicate around 160,000 km (100,000 miles), and it was recently serviced.As for the asking price, you are looking at 89,000, or a little over $105,000 at the current exchange rates. Thus, it is definitely not cheap when compared to the H1 trucks that normally sell for 30,000 to 40,000 or perhaps 50,000 in Europe. Nevertheless, it is a bargain next to Mil-Specs toys that retail for around $300,000-$400,000, yet those boasts many visual and mechanical upgrades, and have more power than todays super SUVs.So, if you want to explore the wilderness this summer, with an open-top view of the sky above, in what is in essence a very cool and quite rare ride, then this Hummer H1 Cabrio could be an interesting choice. The question is, does that scale model come with it?
Of all the classic two-wheelers youll find on Bring A Trailer, reconditioned Beemers seem to be the most frequent occurrence. As we scroll down the list of ongoing BaT auctions, we're greeted by an abundance of old-school Bavarians that appear to have just come off the assembly line. To be frank, its virtually impossible for a moto-loving petrolhead not to feel hyped when browsing through these mechanical artifacts.I mean, would you just look at this graceful BMW R50/2 produced back in 1966? Not only is the bike extremely well kept, it also comes with an assortment of aftermarket accessories and a thoroughly refurbished powerplant. The spark plugs and carburetors have been replaced with modern alternatives as of 2015, while the petcock and throttle linkage were both rebuilt three years later.In the cockpit, youll notice Albert mirrors mounted on the headlight housing, as well as a chrome handlebar sporting fresh levers, Magura grips and bar-end blinkers from Hellas catalog. Now that weve pointed out the modifications applied to Motorrads showstopper, lets take a minute to remind ourselves about its technical characteristics.The 66 MY R50/2 houses a four-stroke 494cc boxer-twin mill within its tubular steel double cradle skeleton. At approximately 5,800 rpm, the air-cooled fiend is capable of feeding 26 horses to a four-speed transmission, which spins the rear hoop with the assistance of a shaft final drive. Ultimately, this whole ordeal enables the German machine to reach a modest top speed of 87 mph (140 kph).If youre beginning to consider placing your bid on Bavarias retro superstar, youve still got a few days to do so. The auctioning period is open until Monday afternoon (June 28), and youll need a little over seven grand to become the top bidder. All things considered, its perfectly reasonable to say this impeccable R50/2 should be worth your full attention!
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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops quietly clarified this week that there will be "no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians" after some bishops had raised the issue.

Why it matters: A wave of controversy and debate occurred after the conference overwhelmingly voted to draft a "teaching document," which many hoped would rebuke Biden and other Catholic politicians for receiving Communion despite their support for abortion rights, per AP.

Four days after the vote, the USCCB released a Q&A without its previous references to Biden, a national policy or abortion.

What they're saying: "The document's central goal is to educate Catholics on the Eucharist," USCCB spokeswoman Chieko Noguchi told Axios. Bishops have grown increasingly concerned about the declining belief and understanding of the Eucharist among the Catholic faithful, she said.

"The document being drafted is not meant to be disciplinary in nature, nor is it targeted at any one individual or class of persons," the Q&A states, adding that the Vatican is not involved. "The question of whether or not to deny any individual or groups Holy Communion was not on the ballot."

The document will instead focus on calling all Catholics to "support human life and dignity and other fundamental principles of Catholic moral and social teaching."

For what it's worth: "Thats a private matter, and I dont think thats going to happen," Biden told reporters last week when asked about the vote.
Making more semiconductors in the U.S. is an urgent matter of both economic and national security, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo told Axios on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The U.S., which once accounted for more than a third of global chip production, now makes just 12%.

The big picture: It's not just that the U.S. doesn't make as many chips as it used to. The most advanced chips are manufactured abroad, nearly all in Taiwan or South Korea, Raimondo said. "Were very vulnerable if we have such a higher percentage of chips being made in Taiwan," Raimondo said. "Right now we dont make any leading edge chips in America  zero percent."

Between the lines: While Raimondo said she was heartened to see $52 billion in funding for the industry pass the Senate and is hopeful the House will also approve the money, she said that will need to be matched two-to-one by private investment for the U.S. to regain its edge.

"$52 billion is not nearly enough," Raimondo said.

It's also unlikely that the U.S. can catch up quickly just by backing American companies. Many have suggested the fastest way to boost domestic production of leading edge chips is to get current leaders Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make more chips here.

Raimondo declined to name specific targets, but agreed that getting overseas companies to make chips in the U.S. could be part of the answer. "As long as they are companies from allied countries that share our values, I do think it makes sense."

Yes, but: All of this investment will do little to ease the most pressing issue in the chip business: a global shortage that has hobbled the auto industry and slowed the production of other goods.

While there is little to be done to immediately boost supply, Raimondo said that the industry can operate more efficiently with more transparency between customers and suppliers, something her department is working to improve.

"We're doing everything we can and I think it's having some impact," Raimondo said.

Go deeper:
A lawyer for the Trump Organization said Friday that Manhattan prosecutors expect to bring criminal charges against the company as soon as next week, NBC News reports.

Why it matters: The charges are part of the Manhattan district attorney's office investigation into former President Trump's business dealings, such as benefits provided to the company's top executives.

State of play: Prosecutors have focused on the tens of thousands of dollars handed to executives like Allen Weisselberg, including rents on apartments and car leases, per the New York Times. At issue is whether the company properly recorded the benefits and paid taxes on them.

Attorneys for the company met with prosecutors on Thursday to discuss the case, according to Trump Organization attorney Ron Fischetti.

Fischetti told NBC News the corporate office will plead not guilty and move to dismiss the case, calling the charges "completely outrageous."

"Any indictment would be the first to emerge from the long-running investigation and would raise the startling prospect of a former president having to defend the company he founded, and has run for decades, against accusations of criminal behavior," the Times writes.

Of note: A grand jury was recently convened to consider evidence and New York Attorney General Letitia James said she assigned lawyers to work with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on the criminal probe while she continues a civil investigation of Trump.
The U.S. government's hotly anticipated report on UFOs does not lend any credence to the belief that intelligent aliens have visited Earth. But that idea is in many Americans' heads, and it's there to stay.

The big picture: People want to believe.

Early accounts of the report even suggested that it would not claim that these objects are alien in origin, but that didn't stopped the speculation that these UFOs  or unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAPs), in military speak  could be proof of intelligent alien life come calling.

Some experts worry that the release of the report will just continue to fuel conspiracy theories and anxiety for years to come.

What's happening: The public version of the UFO report, which Congress demanded last year, found no evidence that aliens were responsible for any of the UAPs investigated.

However, the investigators weren't able to find explanations for all of the reports they looked into, leaving the door open for more conspiracy theories to develop.

Why it matters: Instead of tamping down anxieties and conspiracies, it's possible the release of this report will actually stoke them  even if it says they're unfounded.

With this report, the government is "telling people that there is something that is potentially threatening. They're also telling people that they were lied to for 80 years," psychiatrist Ziv Cohen told Axios.

"I think the problem is when the government tells you that [they] were lying to you, then that makes people naturally think, 'Are they telling us the truth now?'"

Between the lines: Much of the public interest around UAPs recently was stoked in 2017 when the New York Times published a widely read story about a Pentagon program to investigate UFOs.

Since then, new videos and eyewitness accounts have continued to stoke the public's imagination about what these UAPs could be.

After years of dismissiveness, the Defense Department has suddenly started taking UFO sightings much more seriously, at least publicly.

"I would say that from 2017 to now has been like one large, cresting wave to the present and the forthcoming report, and then within that, there are lots of little smaller, ups and downs," Sarah Scoles, author of the book They're Already Here on UFO culture, told Axios.

Reality check: There are plenty of scientists searching for life out there in the solar system and universe, but the scientific quest to find life somewhere out there has nothing to do with UFOs or UAPs.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Police body-cam video has been a useful tool in Arizona and across the country, helping determine whether a police officer followed proper procedure. State lawmakers just voted to give $7 million to Arizona's Department of Public Safety to buy 2,400 new body cameras and an additional $6.9 million for support staff and software.

But there's no guarantee the public will see the video being recorded. A stipulation in this year's budget places restrictions on any video, and whether it's released to the public. The restriction states that DPS may only release (video recordings) to the public if:

"All people in the video, except the peace officer, consent and any identifying information redacted ... and if DPS determines there is an important public purpose."

Phoenix attorney Ben Taylor understands the need to protect victims and children, but said that preventing the public from seeing a questionable confrontation is not the answer. "If you want true transparency and true honesty and true justice, everybody should be able to watch what's on the camera. That's how you know what actually happened that day when the officer pulled over that person."

Shortly after Geroge Floyd's death, a number of law enforcement agencies, including the Phoenix Police Department, started releasing body-cam footage within days of officer altercations, but the DPS body-cam program will be run differently.

Some Arizona DPS troopers getting new body cameras Gov. Doug Ducey now proposes purchasing an additional 1,267 body cameras for Arizona's state troopers.

Attorney Steve Serbalik, with AZCops, represents law enforcement officers across the state. He said that placing restrictions on public requests does not mean body-cam footage won't be released. It simply helps limit frivolous inquiries while saving money and protect people's privacy, said Serbalik. "Law enforcement supports the use of body cameras as a tool, but we have to weigh that with how does this impact expectations and interactions with police," said Serbalik. "Do you want that worst moment of your life captured on body-cam, but subject to your neighbor to see how you looked in a speeding ticket?" The restrictions include all DPS video and not just body camera footage.
From the ice to the sky

Wynnae Dyess, formerly a competitive ice-skater, now teaches people how to fly at the Baker City Airport
A Philly man was cleared of murder after 34 years by evidence that was in the police file all along
NJ aiming to be first in nation to have a food insecurity advocate, part of anti-hunger legislation
N. Oregon Coast, S. Washington Under Excessive Heat Warning for Sunday

Published 06/25/21 at 6:29 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon)  For those trying to get away from the extreme heat over the weekend by hanging out on the north Oregon coast or Washington coast, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise on Sunday. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the areas of Pacific City through Astoria on the Oregon side and into southern Washington on Sunday, while the Seattle office of the NWS has the entire northern half of Washington's coastline under that warning from Saturday at 2 p.m. to Monday at 9 p.m. (Above: Nehalem Bay State Park)

For the north Oregon coast and south Washington coast, this includes the towns of Pacific City, Oceanside, Netarts, Tillamook, Wheeler, Garibaldi, Rockaway Beach, Manzanita, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Astoria, Long Beach, Ocean Park, Naselle, Cathlamet, and Raymond. Lincoln City may also experience these higher temps.

On the northern Washington coastline, the areas included in the lengthier warning area are Port Townsend, Sequim, Clallam Bay, Joyce, Sekiu, Beaver, Clearwater, Forks, La Push, Neah Bay, Ozette, Queets, Aberdeen, and Hoquiam.

For the northern third of Oregon beaches, the NWS said Sunday will likely see peak temperatures of above 90 in some areas, especially coastal valleys around spots like Tillamook, Astoria or Wheeler or just inland from the beaches. High temperatures in the upper 80s are expected, although the actual beaches should be around 80 degrees in most parts of Clatsop and Tillamook counties.

See Oregon Coast Weather - Washington Coast Weather

The heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities, the NWS said.

The excessive heat warning is in effect 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Meanwhile, the southern Oregon coast remains primarily in the 60s or low 70s for the week, including the lower regions near Gold Beach. Central Oregon coast towns such as Florence, Yachats and Newport stay fairly low as well, but just a few miles inland will see temps sky rocket.

For the upper Washington coastline, Seattle's NWS said the hazards last longer and are more severe than down south, certainly along the inner coastline of the Salish Sea.

Dangerously hot conditions with highs warming to the mid 80s and 90s, the NWS in Seattle said. Locations away from the water could reach 100 degrees on Sunday.

All of inland Oregon and Washington are under similar excessive heat warnings, with shocking, record-breaking temps headed above 100 for three days and as high as 110 in many areas.

Travel Advice: Finding a room on the Oregon or Washington coast is impossible right now. You can foget spending the night on Friday or Saturday, but some openings may occur Sunday and beyond.

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A betrayal like no other from a beaver who just cant get enough.

Buc-ee's is building the world's largest convenience store, not at all a shock for a chain that built its name on Walmart-sized gas stations where you can get Dippin' Dots and home decor under the same roof.

LONG LIVE LUBY'S: Luby's gets new life after selling 32 locations to Chicago-based group

But it wont be in Texas.

Buc-ee's upcoming location in Sevierville, Tennessee will break the record already held by Buc-ee's with a 74,000-square-foot travel center, ABC 6's Gregory Raucoules reports.

And after all Texas has given this buck-toothed behemoth, youd think our state would deserve to keep the world's largest convenience store record. Everything is already supposed to be bigger in Texas. Its our unofficial slogan. And theyre just going to throw that away for Tennessee? Unconscionable.

Plus, weve already seen how non-Texans feel about letting a giant beaver loom over their highways. Theyre not always welcoming, obviously stemming from a reasonable lack of understanding on why a convenience store would ever need to be that size and where the fudge actually comes from.

IT'S TRUE: Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets really are the best gas station snack

But alas. King Buc-ee will not stop until every motorist coast to coast has a bag of Beaver Nuggets in hand and has seen just how clean a gas station bathroom can be. And perhaps we should have prepared for the day Buc-ee left the nest for greener pastures (states where an oversized gas station is even more of a shock). Maybe the thrill of the chase just wore off for him here in his home state.

Until the Tennesse Buc-ee's location opens, visit what will formerly be the world's largest convenience store at the New Braunfels Buc-ee's and pay your respects to a Texas legend.
Massachusetts is rolling out vaccination clinics on wheels aimed at protecting more people against against the coronavirus.

Two buses, dubbed the Vax Bus, will be traveling across the state beginning Saturday through July 15 to administer vaccines in nearly two dozen communities.

State officials say the Vax Bus will spend a day or two in each community and host one to three vaccine clinics a day. Vaccines will be administered on the bus and no appointment is necessary.

The Vax Bus is scheduled to stop at locations in communities including Attleboro, Brockton, Pittsfield and Springfield.

More than 80% of adults in Massachusetts have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 4 million residents are fully vaccinated, according to state officials.

The Vax Bus schedule can be found at: mass.gov/VaxBus.

In other pandemic-related news around the region:

___

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire residents are divided on whether a business requiring customers to wear a mask will impact their likelihood of shopping, according to a new poll.

A total of 17% of residents polled said that requiring a mask would make them much more likely to shop at the business, and 10% said it would make them somewhat more likely. A total of 19% said it would make them much less likely to shop there, and 11% said it would make them somewhat less likely. Forty-three percent said it makes no difference.

Nearly half of Democrats polled  47%  said that a business requiring customers to wear a mask would make them more likely to shop there. But just over half of Republicans  51%  said that this would make them less likely to shop there.

The findings are based on a Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. A total of 1,602 people completed an online survey between June 17 and June 21. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

___

VERMONT

Officials at the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles are still trying to determine how services will be offered to the public in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All COVID-19 restrictions were lifted earlier this month after Vermont vaccinated more than 80% of the eligible population, but a number of DMV offices across the state remain closed.

WCAX-TV reports the DMV has increased the services it offers online. DMV is assessing whether returning to the previous operational schedule for the satellite offices is still effective and efficient for customers and the State.

The DMV has been administering road tests since last summer and locations in Bennington, Montpelier, Newport, Rutland, South Burlington, and Springfield are open for in-person services now.

No final decisions have been made about how DMV will operate in the future.

____

MAINE

Officials from St. Mary's Regional Medical Center say new state data showing the hospital at the bottom of the pack when it comes to vaccination rates is skewed.

Data recently released by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services show the Lewiston hospital with the lowest vaccination rate out of the state's 38 hospitals at 52%. Nearly 75% of all hospital workers across Maine are fully vaccinated.

St. Mary's spokesperson Steve Costello tells The Sun Journal that the vaccination rate among full-time staff is actually about 65%, and the hospital wrongly included students and volunteers who are no longer active. Costello says the data will be fixed when it submits new numbers next month.

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah said earlier this week that the vaccination rates for St. Mary's and Central Maine Medical Center  the second lowest  were concerning.

Central Maine Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Alexander said he also thinks the hospital's true vaccination rate is higher than the 58% reflected in the state data.
The federal governments pandemic-related eviction moratorium, which was scheduled to expire June 30, has been extended to July 31, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order released Thursday.

The CDC order says the purpose of the temporary halt is to slow the spread of COVID-19. Although millions of Americans are beginning to return to a sense of normalcy following their vaccinations, health officials warn that the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant across the United States  including in Texas  could be dangerous, especially among unvaccinated populations.

RELATED: CDC extends eviction moratorium a month, says it's last time

The order also extends a confusing period for Texas judges, tenants and property owners. Four months ago, on Feb 25, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the CDC moratorium is unconstitutional. As a result, the Texas Justice Court Training Center changed its eviction guidelines to allow individual judges to decide whether to uphold the moratorium, which first went into effect last September.

Its definitely a free-for-all, Sandy Rollins, executive director of the Texas Tenants' Union, told the Texas Tribune.

In recent weeks, Rollins said, she visited five courts across Dallas County, and only one judge even made mention of the CDC moratorium in eviction cases. Another judge, she said, discussed the impact of the City of Dallas local COVID-19 eviction moratorium but not the federal measure.

Rollins said she intends to visit five more courts throughout July before the moratorium expires.

My hope is that it is still protecting some people and that there might be cases not being filed as a result of tenants having filed the CDC declaration or judges who  when it gets to a courtroom  are saying Yeah, we're gonna acknowledge that you have signed this and that this is still in effect, she added.

READ ALSO: As Texas returns to normal, many are still struggling to pay rent

David Mintz, vice president of government affairs for the Texas Apartment Association, said rumors are flying around that the moratorium is unlikely to be extended after July, but, Who knows?

Mintz said tenants at risk of eviction should turn to the Texas Rent Relief Program for help rather than the federal moratorium. However, help from that program is often slow in coming or arrives too late, as the Texas Tribune reported in April.

Overall, the situation remains grim, as Rollins explained, particularly for the 800,000-plus extremely low-income renter households in the state. A 2020 report from The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that Texas only had 29 affordable and available rental homes per 100 extremely low-income renter households. Once the pandemic comes to a close, Rollins said, she expects a flood of evictions that will occur once everything ends.

And it's not going to be pretty.

The Texas Apartment Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Update: On June 24, Austin Police announced that 19-year-old Deondre Jermirris White has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting in Austin earlier this month that left one dead. White, who was arrested in Killeen, about 70 miles northwest of Austin, has been charged with Murder  1st Degree Felony, and is being held on $1 million bond.

Charges have been dropped against two teenagers as authorities zero in on third suspect in Austin's deadly mass shooting earlier this month.

During a somewhat uncomfortable news conference on June 22, Austin interim police chief Joseph Chacon and Travis County District Attorney Jose Garcia announced charges against De'Ondre Jermirris White in the June 12 shooting that left one dead and 13 injured on Sixth Street.

White, who is from Killeen, Texas, is not in custody. Chacon would not give additional details about his location, citing the ongoing investigation.

RELATED: 17-year-old reportedly arrested in Austin mass shooting that injured 13, killed 1

Charges against 17-year-old Jeremiah Tabb and another juvenile, who has remained unnamed because of his age, have been dropped.

Though Chacon noted the boys "were not innocent bystanders ... in the end they had weapons," Garza called the decision to drop the charges "necessary" and "in the best interest of the investigation."

As reporters pressed as to why the two would be released despite being allegedly armed and underage, Chacon said "it doesn't make sense to refile [charges] and have them dismissed."

"The paperwork has been processed, the decision to charge lies with the DA's office," Chacon later added as DA Garza stood next to the podium.

Garza, who like Chacon has only been in his new position for a few months, then countered, saying: "What I will say, what we are focused on, what our responsibility is, is to hold the person who committed murder and injured 13 people on our streets ... accountable."
Recently we praised the Legislature in this space for approving a long-overdue bill to help ensure the humane treatment of dogs, but it seems that we spoke too soon. To the surprise of many lawmakers, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed this bill, one of only 20 he nixed in this session while allowing more than a thousand others to become law.

The bill would have prevented dog owners from using heavy chains or short tethers to restrain their dogs outside, and it would have allowed law enforcement officials to seize a dog that was in severe distress instead of requiring them to notify the owners and wait 24 hours. They bill even had exemptions for dogs engaged in farming, ranching or hunting, as well as dogs riding in the beds of pickups.

The bill was similar to laws in many other states, and not even as restrictive as requirements elsewhere  and some Texas cities, for that matter. It was the product of years of effort by state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Pharr, who has been trying to get something like this passed for a long time. He finally did it in this session, getting bipartisan support in both chambers  28-3 in the Senate and t83-32 in the House.

But Abbott suddenly whipped out his veto pen, complaining that the law would compel every dog owner  to monitor things like the tailoring of the dogs collar, the time the dog spends in the bed of a truck, and the ratio of tether-to-dog length, as measured from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail.  Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization.

Abbott is overreacting. The goal is not to micro-manage pet owners but to ensure that dogs are not unnecessarily abused. Sadly, too many are in Texas, with some dogs tethered outside 24 hours a day regardless of weather.

Thats not just cruel, its life-threatening to a dog in extreme heat or cold. Rural sheriffs were particularly in support of this law because they cant follow up on animal calls like city police officers with smaller territory to patrol. They know that giving an owner 24 hours to do something about a dog tethered outside under harsh conditions is often a death sentence for that animal.

And the quip about micro-managing pet owners is ironic, given Abbotts enthusiasm for going into great detail on laws he supports. Most laws have similar language to make it as clear as possible what is prohibited and what is allowed. In fact, the executive director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network said the wording of the new law was needed to correct vague language that makes the (present) statute completely unenforceable,

Law enforcement officers also have discretion to let off an offender with a warning if he or she takes immediate steps to provide for a dog suffering outside on a tether.

It seems unlikely that Abbott would reconsider different wording of this bill in the special session, but Sen. Lucio should at least ask. In the meantime, city and county officials should do as much as they can in their jurisdictions to ensure the humane treatment of dogs and all animals.

The real responsibility lies with each pet owner; if they would make sure to avoid any kind of neglect or cruelty for their dogs, laws like this wouldnt even be needed. Dont tie up your dog outside; bring it into your home for the love and support it wants.
The great return is underway. The pandemic that dominated that economy and almost everything else since March of 2020 is fading. Around Southeast Texas, it frankly seems like its gone. Masks are rare, almost everything is fully open. Even the once-hot debate about getting vaccinated seems stale, and a few weeks ago it was still a fairly big deal. Virus numbers are plunging, the hot weather is getting more of us outside, and you rarely hear terms like social distancing any more.

Workers who were laid off are returning to work, if they arent there already. Businesses that allowed employees to work from home are bringing them back, if they havent done so already. Were still in a transition of sorts, but by the fall things should be pretty much back to pre-Covid conditions  barring a surge in infections from a virus variant, of course.

But things are different. The pandemic has changed our society and economy in many ways, and some of these changes will be permanent. Across our region, and across America, people are re-evaluating their concept of working.

Some are realizing that they hated their Dilbert-style office job, or the stress of dealing with demanding customers, so they are finding another career. Good for them. Some people just dont want to work any more at all, which you can do if youre wealthy or were already near retirement.

More people are willing to return to their former jobs and lifestyles  with some key differences. The most obvious is a hybrid schedule  two or three days at the office, and two or three at home. Its clearly an attempt to find the best of both worlds  staying connected at the job, with bosses and co-workers, but not feeling chained to that desk anymore.

Many employers, to their surprise, realized that working from home was not a bad alternative. First it was viewed as an emergency for a few months, something that couldnt really replace the real 9-to-5 thing.

But with Zoom and email and smartphones, CEOs and secretaries found that it could be done. If you worked in front of a computer screen all day or talked on the phone to clients most of the time, you can do that from your home office just as well as your work office. The key is productivity; does the worker actually get as much done, or is it more show than dough?

If the results are still positive, there may be a hybrid schedule awaiting many workers. It will become a popular compromise  for employees who can work from home, that is. If you draw your paycheck from a front-line job at a restaurant or refinery, there is no such thing as working from home. You return to business as usual, or, as mentioned earlier, you find a different career.

But as all this plays out across the nation, the effects on the world of business will be interesting to watch.

More Information 10 lessons business leaders learned during the pandemic 1) Everyone plays an important role 2) Leaders can help mitigate employee stress 3) Companies must remain adaptive to change 4) Everyone goes through different experiences than you 5) We can be flexible and do more with less 6) You can always find a solution to a problem 7) Compassion and patience are always necessary 8) Diversification is key to ensure success 9) Strong relationships can truly make your business 10) Maintaining your organizational culture amid chaos is essential Source: Rolling Stone Magazine Culture Council See More Collapse

Will workers be divided into two classes  those who returned and those who continue working from home, full or part-time? Will the first group be thought of as the real team players and the others as the less-motivated? What if you want to work from home but fear you will miss out on mentoring, office gossip or a chance for a promotion? Do you go back and be unhappy, or work from home part-time and hope you are still respected by the boss and coworkers?

If you do work from home, you quickly realize you can do that for a company on the other side of the nation, or the world. Will the concept of a central headquarters fade for some businesses, with employees scattered over several time zones but still linked by their laptops?

Companies may realize they need to be more employee-friendly. My-way-or-the-highway seems old-fashioned now. Will employers allow hybrid schedules freely  and value those workers as much as those who come back full-time? Will big companies create day-care at their sites so parents can be freed of one of their most expensive and stressful chores? Will they throw in other perks like gyms or free snacks to lure workers back?

There is no single answer to any of these questions except to say that the post-pandemic world of work will be different. Just like the Depression and World War II changed the lives and outlooks of our parents and grandparents, so has the pandemic changed the modern approach to 40 hours and a paycheck. And this time, with such amazing technology, the changes can be made.

We wont fully know what the future looks like until next year, when the pandemic has (in theory) fully receded and employees and employers can adjust to the new world of work. But 2022 wont be like 2019, the last full year of the old system. It will certainly change a little, and probably a lot. When a person or a nation goes through a crucible like this, they come out different on the other side, in part because they have to, and in part because they want to.

TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com
Bedford, PA (15522)

Today

Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 77F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Next Door at 110 E. Pitt St., Bedford will be having their first Makers Bazaar from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday.
The above editorial was published June 25 by the Miami Herald. Its views are its own.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
'Liberating to be together': Berkshire Pride rally draws large crowd for celebration in Park Square
FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, housing activists erect a sign in Swampscott, Mass. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire soon. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes.
The sentencing of Derek Chauvin to 22  years in prison on Friday (June 22) for the murder of George Floyd elicited a number of responses, many of which were of disappointment that the former Minneapolis policeman was not sentenced to the maximum.

Judge Peter Cahill followed Minnesota sentencing guidelines in giving Chauvin prison time for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. But there are those who felt that because of the egregious nature of his crime, he should have been given far more time behind bars.

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King III was dissatisfied and tweeted his dismay when Cahill handed down the sentence.
Activists are condemning state troopers in upstate New York, accusing them of over policing Black residents after an 11-year-old girl was killed in a pursuit.

Monica Goods, 11, of Brooklyn died December 22 when her familys car was chased and rammed by a New York State Trooper in Ulster County, NY, about two hours north of New York City. Activists said Tuesday (June 22) that the tragedy was in line with overly aggressive police tactics used against Black residents in the area.

The New York Daily News reports that in the months leading up to the crash that killed Goods, state police and local cops in the upstate NY cities of Kingston and Ulster had responded to aspate of shootings with a campaign of aggressive traffic stops. Activists say that the stops were focused on the predominantly Black neighborhood Midtown Kingston.

It was this over-policing that spilled over into what happened with Monica, Anne Ames, 20, a Midtown Kingston resident told the Daily News. There was no need for it to go that far.

With this hyper-policing stuff going on, I cant speak to the officers mind. But theres this need [by police] to control peoples bodies, Ames continued.

When describing the incident, Monicas father Tristin Goods, 39, told the Daily News that State Trooper Christopher Baldner stopped his car for speeding on Interstate 87 between Ulster and Kingston. Goods said Baldner asked if he had guns or drugs in the SUV, and then pepper-sprayed him, his wife, and his daughters Monica, 11, and Tristina, 12. Goods said he drove off instinctively, to ensure his and his familys safety.



RELATED: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act: 5 Things the New Bill Would Do

According to Middletown, N.Y., newspaper the Times Herald-Record, Baldner gave chase and rammed Goods 2017 Dodge Journey from behind, forcing it over a guardrail. Monica died in the crash.

It is just so hurtful. The guy was crazy, Goods said about Baldner. Its illegal what he did.

New York State Police spokesman William Duffy said there was no connection between Goods death and any law enforcement initiatives in Kingston. Duffy also said that the officer under investigation for Goods death, State Trooper Christopher Baldner, was on regular patrol that night, and was not assigned to any operation.

According to the Daily News, Baldner is on desk duty while the state Attorney Generals office investigates Goods death. The state police are also conducting an internal probe.

According to police figures, there were 1,329 traffic stops in Kingston between August and October, 6% of the citys 23,000 residents. Although census figures show that only 14% of Kingstons residents are Black, 36% of those stopped were people of color.

Shannon Wong, director of the New York Civil Liberties Unions Hudson Valley Chapter, says that her organization has received a series of complaints from residents saying they were stopped because of their race.

Theres no way a traffic stop should have led to this girls death  but traffic stops have been used in the past by police to harass, intimidate and in this case inflict fatal violence, Wong said. The police are the escalators in chief. Many people were speeding on the New York State Thruway in that hour, but the police stopped this particular family and assumed there were guns and drugs in the car. If they had stopped someone who was not Black or brown, I doubt it would have gone that way.
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Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 96F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin received a 270-month prison sentence Friday for second-degree unintentional murder in the death of George Floyd last spring.

Minnesota District Court Judge Peter Cahill said a 22-page sentencing memorandum would explain his reasoning on the sentence in greater detail.

"Most of its going to be in writing, 22-page memorandum  to emphasize the fact that determining the appropriate sentence in any case and in this case is a legal analysis," he said. "Its applying the rule of law to the facts of an individual and specific case. As opposed to trying to be profound here on the record, I prefer you read the legal analysis."

He added that the sentence was not motivated by "public opinion," "emotion or sympathy" and granted Chauvin credit for 199 days in time already served.
Its no secret that Google regularly collaborates with intelligence agencies.

They are a known NSA subcontractor. They launched Google Earth using a CIA spy satellite network. Their executive suites revolving door with DARPA is well known.

In the wake of the January 6th Capitol event, the FBI used Google location data to pwn attendants with nothing more than a valid Gmail address and smartphone login:

A stark reminder that carrying a tracking device with a Google login, even with the SIM card removed, can mean the difference between freedom and an orange jump suit in the Great Reset era.

But Google also operates its own internal intelligence agency  complete with foreign regime change operations that are now being applied domestically.

And theyve been doing so without repercussion for over a decade.

From Google Ideas to Google Regime Change

In 2010, Google CEO Eric Schmidt created Google Ideas. In typical Silicon Valley newspeak, Ideas was marketed as a think/do tank to research issues at the intersection of technology and geopolitics.

Astute readers know this think/do formula well  entities like the Council on Foreign Relations or World Economic Forum draft policy papers (think) and three-letter agencies carry them out (do).

And again, in typical Silicon Valley fashion, Google wanted to streamline this process  bring everything in-house and remake the world in their own image.

To head up Google Ideas, Schmidt tapped a man named Jared Cohen.

He couldnt have selected a better goon for the job  as a card-carrying member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Rhodes Scholar, Cohen is a textbook Globalist spook. The State Department doubtlessly approved of his sordid credentials, as both Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton enrolled Cohen to knock over foreign governments they disapproved of.

Google Ideas role in the 2014 Ukraine regime change operation is well-documented. And before that, their part in overthrowing Mubarak in Egypt was unveiled by way of the Stratfor leaks.

More recently, the role of Google Ideas in the attempted overthrow of Assad in Syria went public thanks to the oft-cited Hillary Clinton email leaks:

Please keep close hold, but my team is planning to launch a tool on Sunday that will publicly track and map the defections in Syria and which parts of the government they are coming from.



Our logic behind this is that while many people are tracking the atrocities, nobody is visually representing and mapping the defections, which we believe are important in encouraging more to defect and giving confidence to the opposition.



Given how hard it is to get information into Syria right now, we are partnering with Al-Jazeera who will take primary ownership over the tool we have built, track the data, verify it, and broadcast it back into Syria. Ive attached a few visuals that show what the tool will look like. Please keep this very close hold and let me know if there is anything eke you think we need to account for or think about before we launch. We believe this can have an important impact. -Jared Cohen to State Dept. Officials, July 25, 2012

With all this mounting evidence, surely Google Ideas was decommissioned. Surely Jared Cohen was swiftly ousted from his position at one of Americas premier Big Tech darlings for crimes against humanity, right?

Of course not!

Why scrap all that hard work when you can just rebrand and shift your regime change operations to domestic targets?

Google Jigsaw  USA Psyop Edition

Google Ideas was renamed Google Jigsaw in 2015 after years of bad press and controversy  this time with an eye on performing psychological operations in the United States.

But all that experience data mining and overthrowing Middle Eastern nations wasnt just thrown out. Rather, Jigsaw repurposed its internal psychological operations program (code-named Operation Abdullah) to instead target right-wing conspiracy theorists, as revealed by privacy researcher Rob Braxman.

Using a technique known as the redirect method, Jigsaw attempts to populate outbound links to dissuade potential thought-criminals from looking at wrongthink.

Make no mistake  the redirect method is about more than manipulation of search engine results. Its one thing to manipulate the content of searches based on query strings, but to target the psychology of the searcher themselves requires an accurate psychological profile of the person doing the searching.

And Google has psych profiles in spades thanks to centralized Google logins: To Android phones, to Gmail accounts, to adjunct services like YouTube, even to children via Google Classroom.

You dont even need to use Googles search engine to populate them with weaponized data. In fact, search alone provides far fewer avenues for offensive metadata usage than a cell phone.

We would implore readers to take a look at Jigsaws site. Its a study in how to use front-end design to creep out your visitor, as a snippet of JavaScript code ensures your cursor is tracked in a spotlight throughout your visit:

Jigsaws front-end design team has a clear message for you: Theres nowhere to hide.

The site also uses another bit of intelligence tradecraft known as transferrence  its a simple psychological tactic of shifting blame from yourself to your target.

The four subheaders on Jigsaws homepage, Disinformation, Censorship, Toxicity, and Violent Extremism demonstrate this tactic at work.

There is no greater source of media disinformation than MSM and the information served up by Google search engines.

Big Tech are at the forefront of destroying free speech through heavy-handed censorship, Google among them.

Psychological manipulation tactics used by the social justice crowd doubtlessly instill toxicity in those subjected to them.

And Googles well-documented history of participating in bloody regime change as described in this article are textbook cases of violent extremism.

Yet Jigsaw markets itself as combating these societal ails. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, just as Googles former company tag-line of Dont Be Evil was a similar reversal of reality.

And yes, regime change aficionado Jared Cohen is still the CEO of Google Jigsaw. In fact, Jigsaw, LLC was overtly brought back in-house as of October 2020.

In Closing

As weve described in previous articles, vast swaths of the State-controlled Panopticon are currently being outsourced to Big Tech companies.

Call this phenomenon a public-private partnership. Call it the Great Reset. Call it Agenda 2030, or Agenda 21, or stakeholder capitalism, or any of the other euphemisms dreamt up by these hapless would-be oligarchs to sell neofeudal Technocracy to the public.

Making intelligence services pseudo-independent from the State is simply a mandatory prerequisite for fully globalizing them.

Furthermore, as the Biden administration seeks to reclassify half of the country as domestic extremists, its no secret that companies like Google, with their vast data weaponization programs, will play a key role in identifying Public Enemy #1:

You.

There is no silver bullet solution to this problem. Nearly all consumer electronics can be exploited at very low levels. Even the Internet itself is a longstanding military intelligence operation.

But this doesnt mean any action short of becoming a Luddite is meaningless!

If data is the new oil, its time to shut off your well:

Abstain from using Google Mail, Docs, or Search where possible.

Seek out alternative social media and content creation platforms.

If your smartphone requires heavy dependence on Apple or Google for logins or closed-source apps, consider privacy-respecting alternatives.

Familiarize yourself with common data harvesting tactics and take action where you can.

While a full list of meaningful action is beyond the purview of this post (or any single blog entry for that matter), the important takeaway here is this:

We cannot opt out of mass government surveillance. But we knowingly consent to most forms of privatized intelligence gathering.

Take the first step and revoke your consent.
Anyone that's been following US pronouncements on Afghanistan over the last many years should know what to expect by now: when Washington touts its latest "full exit" strategy, it's likely to end in anything but. From the start of both Trump's prior pullout efforts (which had during his last year in office been set for May 1st, now come and gone) as well as Biden's current "out by Sept.11" final timetable, the Pentagon has simultaneously pronounced it will keep some level of sizeable security and 'counterterror' force on the ground.

For example in May defense officials were predicting that it might take a contingency of 600 Marines to permanently secure the sprawling US embassy complex in Kabul - which hardly seems like the full withdrawal being promised. The various "options" and their intense discussion have only increased, given this month Western media reports are full of predictions of just how fast Kabul is likely to fall to the Taliban after the US finally exits. According the The Wall Street Journal this week, US intelligence is now giving it six months - which many pundits say itself is an overly optimistic estimate.

"The U.S. intelligence community concluded last week that the government of Afghanistan could collapse as soon as six months after the American military withdrawal from the country is completed, according to officials with knowledge of the new assessment," the report says.

A handover ceremony from the US army to the Afghan army in Helmand province: AP

"American intelligence agencies revised their previously more optimistic estimates as the Taliban swept through northern Afghanistan last week, seizing dozens of districts and surrounding major cities," WSJ continues.

This has further intensified debates surrounding whether the US will provide air support to Afghan national forces from neighboring countries - a scenario looking less and less likely after Biden last week ordered a significant drawdown of US military equipment from nearby Gulf countries in reflection of a major shift of US defense priorities, which will reportedly place greater emphasis on countering China and Russia.

It now looks like the US will go with the initial plan to keep a large security presence focused on the embassy and diplomatic compounds in Kabul, as The Associated Press reports Friday US officials are confirming that roughly 650 troops will stay in the Afghan capital.

"In addition, several hundred additional American forces will remain at the Kabul airport, potentially until September, to assist Turkish troops providing security, as a temporary move until a more formal Turkey-led security operation is in place, the officials said," according to the report. "Overall, officials said the U.S. expects to have American and coalition military command, its leadership and most troops out by July Fourth, or shortly after that, meeting an aspirational deadline that commanders developed months ago."

650 troops is a sizeable enough military footprint in the country to likely convince the Taliban and other insurgents that the occupation is only continuing, not ending. It's also a big enough force that should this remnant US presence come under direct threat (and the latest US intelligence suggestion that Kabul will be overrun within six months of US exit is a clear indicator of that likelihood), the Pentagon wouldn't hesitate to send additional security support and firepower, which would in the end perpetuate the very problem (of how to finally and fully exit) that the Sept.11 draw down date is meant to solve.

Via Shutterstock

Meanwhile, at the start of this week Pentagon spokesman John Kirby suggested the US still has the option of slowing the pace of its Afghan draw down, amid recent heavy fighting and Taliban advances against the national army.

"The situation in Afghanistan changes as the Taliban continue to conduct these attacks and to raid district centers as well as the violence, which is still too high," Kirby told a Monday press briefing. "If there needs to be changes made to the pace, or to the scope and scale of the retrograde, on any given day or in any given week, we want to maintain the flexibility to do that."
There's no public interest in deputy paid over $117,000 on leave after getting caught having phone sex with inmate, attorney says
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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) 

As Megan Garmans due date approached, she began making calls to several child care centers in the Johnstown area to get her daughter enrolled, but found herself signing up for waiting list after waiting list.

Its very, very stressful, she said.

Garman began her search more than one year ago and is still waiting for a slot to open up. Thankfully, she said, a family member was able to fill in, but the working mother knows thats not a permanent solution.

Every few months, she calls the centers again to see if her family has moved up on the waiting lists and hopes for the best.

Its like theres no light at the end of the tunnel, Garman said.

The Johnstown residents story is not uncommon in Pennsylvania, which suffers from a lack of access and affordability for child care and early childhood education facilities.

There are more than 500,000 Pennsylvanian children under the age of 5 and about 300,000 infants and toddlers who need child care, according to advocacy group Start Strong PA. Roughly half in both categories are eligible for Child Care Works  a state subsidized program that provides low-income families with access to reliable, quality programs.

More than 80% of children under 5 are under-served, the group said. Infants and toddlers face a similar situation with about 85% under-served.

Additionally, Pre-K for PA, another advocacy group, reports that 60% of 170,000 eligible Pennsylvanian children dont have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

Theres a waiting list

Garman said the stressful situation has caused her to consider quitting her job at Greater Johnstown Elementary School so she can take care of her daughter, which has left her feeling like shes stuck between a rock and a hard place. The reason for the waiting lists, shes been told by area facilities, is a lack of employees.

Lisa Zayac, another Johnstown mother, is in a similar situation. Her 6-year-old, Jamison Gibson, is enrolled at a Learning Lamp facility downtown, and Zayac is expecting her second child in September.

Already having a child in a program doesnt guarantee a spot for her second child, though.

Zayac works for the kidney center DaVita and aims to keep working after giving birth. She wants her baby nowhere else but The Learning Lamp.

I have a lot of trust in them, she said. They were great with my son.

Zayac spoke fondly about the provider and said the early childhood education agency prepared her son well for kindergarten. She considers the employees there family and still relies on the organization for after-school care. That quality of service is why she wants her newborn in the same facility, she said.

At the moment, Zayac hasnt found another option, but is on three waiting lists, just to be safe.

Everywhere Ive called, theres a waiting list for all of them, she said.

The situation is stressful for Zayac, who added that, if she cant find additional child care, her family will be in trouble.

Know what to do

A possible solution that could benefit some Johnstown parents and others across the state is if more funding were committed to child care and early childhood education programs, such as Pre-K Counts and Head Start.

In 2020, Pennsylvania spent about $334 million on pre-kindergarten, up by more than $30 million from the previous year, according to a recent study by the National Institute for Early Education Research. But additional funding would go a long way toward providing access to high-quality programs, the study shows.

The National Institute for Early Education Research recommends a state and federal initiative to achieve that goal. In Pennsylvania, that would mean spending about $250 million more per year for pre-k and another $57 million for the Head Start program.

Gerald Zahorchak, former state secretary of education and current chairman of the education department at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, is in favor of a funding boost.

The key is like many, many things, he said. We know what to do. We just dont have the will as government to do what we know will work and ultimately will cause much more productivity for our nation, our state, this region, this county, our local areas.

Absolutely essential

The 2015 Early Childhood Education study completed by Sneha Elango, Jorge Luis Garcia and James J. Heckman, all of the University of Chicago, showed that early learning not only provides short-term gains, but also generates success later in life, boosting outcomes such as education, employment, health and reduced criminal activity.

Early childhood education is absolutely essential for our country to do well, Zahorchak said.

According to a fact sheet from Heckmans website, www.heckmanequation.com, children who had access to early childhood education programs have lasting IQ gains and boosts in socio-emotional skills.

We have to do a much better job at developing, supporting, paying for the early childhood care centers and education centers, Zahorchak said.

Quality care has been shown to benefit working mothers who want to build skills and enter the workforce as well.

It gives children from lower-income families the same chance as kids from a more fortunate family, Somerset mother Deana Platt said.

Her three children have been enrolled in the various offerings by Somerset County-based Tableland Services Inc., and her youngest is currently participating in Head Start.

They have been very helpful, she said. Not sure how I would have paid for those out of pocket at those times.

Platts expenses cost her $48 per month because of a state subsidy. She said that, without the assistance, she wouldnt be able to afford care and would be in a bind.

A good foundation

According to the 2018 ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report shared by the United Way of the Laurel Highlands for Somerset County, child care for a family with two children in a program could cost more than $1,100 per month, based on figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

I am truly thankful for Tableland and all of their services, Platt said. Between the housing, work and kid programs they offer, they have made a positive impact in our familys lives.

Anne Garrison, director of early childhood education at Tableland, described such programs as having a benefit that lasts a persons entire life.

It gives the country a good foundation, she said.

Garrison said the programs offered by Tableland Services are free for families that qualify  based on income guidelines and funded by grants  and many are connected to area school districts. However, that doesnt mean that every eligible family is taking advantage of the offerings. Garrison noted that more affluent families tend not to send their children to Head Start and other similar programs.

That doesnt change the fact that those individuals need exposure to other youngsters and how to be part of a group, she added.

They arent alone

For those who chose an alternate route, there are in-home programs, such as nurse-family planning, Tablelands Family Center and Beginnings Inc.s Parents as Teachers initiatives.

Parents, often referred to as a childs first teacher, are provided with skills to support their childrens learning.

It helps them understand they arent alone, Beginnings Executive Director Paula Eppley-Newman said.

Parents as Teachers has been implemented in the area for more than a decade, serves children from birth to age 5 and is completely funded so parents dont have to pay. Eppley-Newman said the program has a curriculum, but is specific for the individuals.

Were just there to support the family, she said.

Eppley-Newman said Beginnings serves about 100 families per month with Parents as Teachers.

Pennsylvania offers a free service to locate quality child care and early learning programs called COMPASS. For more information, visit www.compass.state.pa.us/Compass.web/ProviderSearch, www.education.pa.gov and www.dhs.pa.gov.



Online:

https://bit.ly/3wKL39p
The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantrys new commanding officer says he is honoured and excited to be taking over the historied battalion

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The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantrys new commanding officer says he is honoured and excited to be taking over the historied battalion

"The culture of this unit is fantastic, theyre very positive, professionals," Lt.-Col. Jesse Van Eijk said by phone on Friday.

Lt.-Col Jesse Van Eijk. (Submitted)

Van Eijk took over command of the battalion, which is located at Canadian Forces Base Shilo, from Lt.-Col. Michael Reekie earlier this week.

The 2PPCLI was the first unit Van Eijk said he asked to serve with upon completing infantry officer training in 2005.

He previously served in Edmonton, where he was Chief of Staff of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. The new role will be more about leadership, he said, and decision making.

"Working for the brigade for three years was a fantastic setup to coming to the battalion because Im really well versed in what the brigade is doing, what the battalion has done for the last three years," he said.

"I had the opportunity to watch the battalion train soldiers and am incredibly impressed with the level theyve achieved.  Thats only amplified having worked with them from the brigade level."

Van Eijk was born in British Columbia, but grew up in Saskatchewan and spent the majority of his career in Alberta.

He also served in Afghanistan in 2008 and more recently Poland as part of Operation REASSURANCE.

"As a very young officer in Afghanistan I certainly learned a lot about leadership under pretty stressful conditions, learned a ton from my senior non-commissioned officers and I continue to learn from them," he said.

The mission in Poland was "less of a dynamic mission" and was spent training with NATO partners.

"The focus really changes from the nuts and bolts to maneuvering soldiers and vehicles on the ground to making sure you have everything to support them from food, water, ammunition  all the kinds of things you might not expect until you have to move across borders in pretty tight terrain," he said.

Looking forward, he said the plan is to keep the Shilo-based battalion ready to serve if called upon, such as it was to help in the fight against COVID-19 in northern Manitoba communities.

"Were ready to go," he said. "If called upon well make sure our equipment is well maintained and our soldiers are well trained, and well be ready to go."

CFB Shilo public affairs officer Lori Truscott said Reekie is taking on a new job in Ottawa at strategic joint staff.

Reekie took over command of 2PPCLI in February 2019 after previously being stationed there from 2005 to 2008 and from 2012 to 2014.

Under Reekies command, 2PPCLI soldiers were deployed to Latvia as part of Operation REASSURANCE and to northern Manitoba as part of the fight against COVID-19 in northern and First Nations communities.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
The CME WA represents about 80 companies which are responsible for 95 per cent of the commodities produced in the state. Woodside operations executive vice president and CME WAs first-ever female president Fiona Hick said the coming together of industry was a sign of its commitment to dealing with harassment and abuse. We have 140,000 people in the sector and weve always been committed to safety, she said. Scale of harassment still unknown There have been two separate cases of alleged rapes involving BHP staff and a third misconduct incident at Fortescue which have come to light in the past week, with resources companies scrutinised on what they are doing to protect female employees on male-dominated sites.

Mr Everingham, who has been in charge at the chamber for more than three years, said he became more aware of problems in the industry following the Australian Human Right Commisions Respect@Work report which investigated sexual harassment in workplaces across the country. A 2018 survey in the report asking whether respondents had been sexually harassed in the past five years found 74 per cent of female respondents in the mining industry said they had. Although Mr Everingham said the issue was prevalent, he did not know how many instances there had been across the industry and had not asked the government regulator for the information. Representatives from Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Woodside, and BHP also would not say how many cases they had dealt with historically or just how big a problem they were facing. Rio Tinto and BHP said they had undergone recent workplace reviews on the issue while Fortescue and Woodside pointed to annual surveys where employees could bring up their problems.

Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott told reporters his company was not immune and had experienced instances of sexual harassment and bullying. I want to acknowledge the impact that that has on the individuals and on our company, were certainly committed to doing better, we have a number of actions on the way and we have more work to do to really make sure our workplaces are safe and inclusive, he said. Newmont regional chief financial officer Felicity Hughes, Fortescue people director Linda OFarrell, Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Paul Everingham, Woodside operations executive vice president Fiona Hick, Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott, BHP WA iron ore asset president Brandon Craig, and BHP integrated planning and operations general manager Jess Farrell taking a stand on sexual harassment in the resources industry. Credit:Peter de Kruijff People havent always felt safe to raise their voice. People havent always felt safe within our workplaces and thats something we have to change. Sometimes they felt that it may impact on their career, sometimes they felt that they perhaps wouldnt have been listened to and I would just encourage anybody that has ... suffered from disrespectful behaviours, in our workplace or across the industry just to speak up and help us eradicate this from the industry.

Resources companies have brought in measures such as safe spaces, personal safety apps, security chaperones, and increased CCTV as part of efforts to protect workers at fly-in, fly-out camps. BHP has reduced the amount of alcohol allowed per day to six beers with a further reduction to four beers to come on July 1. The companys iron ore asset president Brandon Craig said the alcohol changes came out of a broader review of the iron arm of the business. We identified there was potentially a risk of impacts inside our camps, we decided it was important to take action, he said. One of the key things that came out of that review was how well we manage alcohol as a business. So it was subsequent to that that we started taking steps to better manage alcohol inside our business.

Rio Tinto is also looking at reviewing its alcohol policies. Fortescue people director Linda OFarrell said its business would not be completely inclusive until everybody could be safe. Clearly, theres still cases that are incredibly distressing and as Ive said a number of times, one is too many. So I think we just need to get on with the job and make our workplaces, the places that we want them to be, she said. Mr Craig said BHP was taking an approach to sexual harassment that was similar to its general safety policy. The target is zero, he said. We want this eradicated from our industry.

When we really put our energy and focus on this particular issue I think we are going to do a particularly good job. Parliament turning the microscope onto industry Liberal MP Libby Mettam has signalled she wants to start an inquiry into sexual harassment in the resources industry in her role as chairwoman of the Community Justice Standing Committee. She said the recent allegations were distressing and it was clear the committee should look into examining FIFO workplaces and the concerning treatment of women who work in the sector. I firmly believe theres an opportunity for the community to hear from workers, speak to industry and understand this issue, and to report to the parliament and the community on how these workplaces can be more conducive to women, Ms Mettam said.
I suspect Craig McLachlan would like to have whatever it is Barnaby family values Joyce is having.

The Lazarus-like resurrection of the rebooted Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leaders political career certainly rates as one of the more spectacular of recent times.

Barnaby Joyce poses for photos with partner Vikki Campion and children Sebastian and Thomas during the swearing-in ceremony as Deputy Prime Minister. Credit:SMH

However Barnaby 2.0 also poses one of the great questions about modern day redemption of public figures: why are we more forgiving of our politicians when scandalous episodes - even if relatively trivial - can spell career and social death for others in the spotlight?

The likes of one-time jailbird Harry M. Miller, disgraced businessman Rodney Adler, political powerbroker Graham Richardson, iron-woman Candice Falzon, and for a while crooked cop Roger Rogerson have all faced seemingly insurmountable social hurdles - from prison sentences and extramarital affairs to toilet trysts.
The results of the ABCs annual Australia Talks survey, in which 60,000 people answered questions ranging from the general to the deeply personal, are, for the most part, no laughing matter. Where we collectively stand on such issues as casual racism, Indigenous affairs, gender fluidity, unemployment benefits, aged care, political leadership and climate change paints, for the most part, a worrying picture about the state of our nation. So it may seem inappropriate at least, insensitive at worst, to follow this up with a debate among comedians about three of the surveys less intense topics. Moderator of the inaugural Australia Debates , Nikki Britton, disagrees.

Its difficult for Australia to look in the mirror and see whats ... being reflected back to us, says the How to Stay Married actress and stand-up comic. But if you can find the funny in the shame, then the shame or the pain is easier to talk about and manage. I think the ABC has struck a beautiful balance in how we talk about some of those issues in the Australia Talks special (now on iview). For our debate, were certainly laughing at conversations that can become heated, but keeping it very light and loose. People can be assured theyll be entertained much more than they could possibly be offended.

Funnily enough, the survey found that Australia is more united on more issues than it is divided on any. Our hope in the debate is that we are all uniting to watch people argue points that, at the end of the day, really arent going to be transformative to the world.

In impartial moderator mode, Britton, a keen high school debater and massive nerd, prefers not to weigh in too hard on the three questions  Are pets better than people?, Do younger Australians have it harder these days?, and, Should social media be banned?.

Look, some pets are better than some people, Ill tell you that. But there are a few bigots as well as yappy terriers that I could happily set aside  I think I would have to believe that younger Australians do have it harder these days both because of the moment in history that we find ourselves, and also, by taking that side, I do shave a few years off my own age.

She declares the third topic the funniest to thrash out, for all of the reasons youd expect and many youd never see coming. She enjoyed playing the naughty school principal, keeping some of the more risque panellists (namely delightful tormentor Sam Campbell and wild card Nina Oyama) in check. Victorias most recent COVID lockdown meant that some big names from Melbourne gave way to less established Sydney talent.
Residents in one of Sydneys most affluent enclaves have vowed to continue their battle against a private wharf despite a court decision in favour of its construction.

The Land and Environment Court last week upheld an appeal by the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club against a decision by a planning panel that rejected its plans for a bigger wharf in Point Piper.

The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club won permission from the Land and Environment Court to extend its jetty and pontoon despite the objection of neighbouring residents including former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Janie Barrett

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was among the residents who lodged objections to the yacht clubs plan to extend its ramp and pontoon by 10 metres in Felix Bay.

Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy are members of the yacht club. He said his opposition to the project was not because of views or the typical NIMBY kind of objection.
A younger generation of philanthropists is driving a surge in donations to climate change charities, with the countrys biggest environmental advocacy groups almost doubling their revenue in a year.

Analysis by Groundswell Giving and the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network found the top six environmental charities increased their revenue to $163.5 million in the 2020 financial year, from $93 million the previous year.

Most of this came from bequests and donations. For example, Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission records show donations to the World Wide Fund for Nature skyrocketed from $24 million in 2019 to $54 million last year.

Bella Wiggs, daughter of Archer Capital founder Peter Wiggs, is using her family trust to fight climate change. Credit:Janie Barrett

The Climate Councils revenue almost doubled in that time, while Sunrise Project Australia, the local arm of a global network of changemakers against fossil fuels, nearly tripled its revenue to $28.1 million.
The NSW government has announced a strict lockdown for all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour from 6pm Saturday until midnight Friday, July 9.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there was no point in having a limited three or five-day lockdown because it wouldnt have done the job.

Residents and people who have worked in Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and City of Sydney in the past two weeks have been subject to a stay-at-home order since 11.59pm Friday.

Due to the risk associated with an increasing number of venues where transmission has occurred, this order has been expanded to all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour until Friday, July 9.
A Queensland rapist who was one impulse away from reoffending will be released from custody under a supervision order for 10 years.

Troy Jimmy Charles Brown, now 40, began offending at a young age, including sexual offences dating from 1995.

Experts admitted Troy Jimmy Charles Brown would be a serious risk to the community without a supervision order. Credit:Louie Douvis

Shortly before his 15th birthday, he committed an indecent assault and 10 days later he raped an 86-year-old in a Cairns retirement village north of Queensland.

He had a detention order in 2009 after he forced his way into a public toilet cubicle, punched and pushed a woman against a wall and raped her while under the influence of alcohol, cannabis and amphetamines in 2002.
Joel Negin, head of the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, said the transmissibility of the Delta variant appeared to be a game changer. He said it was different to past outbreaks in Australia where it wasnt unusual for one member of a family to test positive to the virus, and others to avoid infection. Now were seeing that all members of a family of five or multiple people at one party are becoming positive, Professor Negin said. This is unscientific at this point, but the suggestion seems to be that it is spreading within clusters more rapidly, which is all the more reason for the lockdown and people staying within their family clusters and communities. NSW officials have been expressing growing concern about the danger posed by the Delta variant.

The Delta variant is proving to be a very formidable foe  no matter what defensive steps were taking at the moment, the virus seems to understand how to counter-attack in different locations. Thats causing us a high level of concern, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said on Saturday. Professor McLaws said that rhetoric hadnt been matched with appropriate action and if NSW had introduced lockdown measures a week earlier the spreading event at a party in south-west Sydney on Saturday, June 19 would have never occurred. One of the attendees of that party, a bayside dry cleaner, returned to Melbourne infected, sparking a new outbreak, which so far appears to have been contained. Victoria reported one new local COVID-19 case on Saturday, a primary close contact of the Kings Park apartment complex in Southbank associated with an earlier outbreak, who had been in quarantine for almost two weeks. Robert Booy, an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney, said it was easy to say Sydney should have gone into lockdown sooner but that this outbreak was different.

NSW over and over banished small outbreaks effectively without shutdowns. This time, the virus is more severe. This time, perhaps, human behaviour was a little different. And I dont think any of us can be soothsayers or crystal ball gazers and say we must have shut down because every other time we didnt need to, Professor Booy said. Were constantly learning how to do this better, and each outbreak is a little bit different. And maybe this time, the people who said we shouldve shut down five days ago [were] right, but every other time they werent. Loading Sydney residents who are forced not to work because of the lockdown will have access to federal payments of up to $500 from the tail end of this week as Prime Minister Scott Morrison backed the NSW governments decision to lock down the city of 5 million. Mr Morrison praised the Berejiklian government for treating a lockdown as a last resort rather than rushing into a closure. But at the end of the day, this is whats necessary to stay on top of this latest outbreak, Mr Morrison said in a video from the Lodge in Canberra, where he is in quarantine after returning from Europe.

Eligible people who work or live in the seven local government areas that faced restrictions first - the City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside, and Woollahra - will be able to access the federal payments from Thursday, followed by the rest of Sydney on Sunday, July 4. Loading Kirby Institute epidemiologist Scientia Professor John Kaldor said there had been an inaccurate narrative that NSW doesnt go into lockdowns while other states did. NSW did start the whole pandemic with a greater public health workforce, and it has utilised that in previous outbreaks in ways that have been very effective, but that doesnt mean that its capacity to keep up with expanding cases is infinite, he said. Professor Baxter said contact tracing relied on an interval of a few days between when someone was exposed to coronavirus and then developed the disease, to intervene and put them in isolation.
Victorian health authorities are scrambling to contact 128 passengers who were on a Virgin flight to Melbourne on Friday with a potentially infectious flight attendant.

North Melbourne Football Club staff and players are isolating while they await coronavirus test results after travelling through the airport on Saturday, and three mine workers are isolating in Victoria because they were at the same Northern Territory site as another positive COVID-19 case.

Passengers at Melbourne Airport Terminal 3. A Virgin Australia flight attendant who has since tested positive had been on various flights around Australia. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton will meet his state and federal counterparts on Sunday afternoon to discuss border arrangements with the rest of the country, given the growing COVID-19 numbers in NSW, Queensland and Northern Territory.

COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said he was concerned about more coronavirus cases seeping into Victoria and flagged there could be further changes to border restrictions.
Three flights carrying 252 workers from the Newmont Corporations Granites gold mine in the Northern Territory, where a man has tested COVID-positive, have arrived in Perth between June 18 and 25.

Late on Sunday, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said 186 people of those workers have been identified as needing to be tested. So far 61 had returned a negative test and 100 more were awaiting results.

Were not out of the woods when it comes to this mine site outbreak and will still need to take every precaution, he said.

He said there were six cases around Australia directly linked to the mine site and reinforced the need for mandatory masks and crowd limits in Perth and the Peel region.
Sydney residents who are forced not to work because of the pandemic will have access to federal payments of up to $500 from the tail end of this week as Prime Minister Scott Morrison backed the New South Wales governments decision to lock down the city of 5 million.

Mr Morrison praised the Berejiklian government for treating a lockdown as a last resort rather than rushing into a closure. But at the end of the day, this is whats necessary to stay on top of this latest outbreak, Mr Morrison said in a video from the Lodge in Canberra, where he is in quarantine after returning from Europe.

Public transport, restaurants and cafes saw sharply diminished patronage even before the strictest round of rules were imposed. Credit:Janie Barrett

Eligible people who work or live in the seven local government areas that faced restrictions first - the City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside, and Woollahra - will be able to access the federal payments from Thursday, followed by the rest of Sydney on Sunday, July 4.

That follows a decision by Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly to declare a federal coronavirus hotspot covering Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong on Saturday. Residents of those areas will also eligible for the cash payments.
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall says he feels intense fatigue, aches and a sore throat after testing positive to COVID-19 earlier this week.

Mr Marshall on Saturday morning recorded a video diary from his bed in isolation in Sydney, describing his first days of symptoms as feeling like being hit by a bus.

NSW MP Adam Marshall says he feels like he has been hit by a bus after contracting COVID-19 last week.

Sore joints, cold sweats, bit of a headache, sore throat and generally all you want to do is lay in bed, he said in the video.

It feels like being hit buy a bus. You sort of just feel so lethargic, a bit like having a flu, a bit congested, he said.
Gladys Berejiklians brand throughout the pandemic has been built on keeping NSW open while other states locked down. She has not shied away from criticising states that shut down hastily.

However, on Saturday, it became clear that even the best systems can be overwhelmed by the virus as it mutates into dangerously virulent versions. While the states expert contact tracers continue to cling on to the rapid spread, the momentum of the Delta strain is getting away from us.

Now the question is not whether Sydney should be shut down, but whether it was done quickly enough. Berejiklian and her cabinet will be criticised either way.

Gladys Berejiklian prided herself on keeping her state open when others shut down, but the dream run has ended. Credit:Jacky Ghossein

The Premier could not have known that a variant twice as contagious as others would infiltrate Sydney via a limousine driver who made a diabolical decision to not wear a mask at work.
Washington: President Joe Biden has pledged that the United States will remain committed to Afghanistan after American forces leave the country, but said that after nearly two decades of war, the future of the country is in its own hands.

Long a sceptic of Americas longest war, Biden underscored that the decision to pull out was not up for debate as he received Afghanistans fractious leadership for a White House visit that felt like a farewell.

Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want, Biden said as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his governing partner, reconciliation envoy Abdullah Abdullah, sat with him in the Oval Office. But it wont be for lack of us being [a] help.

US president Joe Biden meets with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, left, in the Oval Office. Credit:AP

That promised help is mostly financial and rhetorical, with the military mission begun to avenge the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 now closing down. Afghan security forces will be in charge of repelling a newly emboldened Taliban insurgency, and prospects for a reconciliation deal between the Ghani government and the Taliban appear dim.
London: In homes, offices and classrooms across Britain, an experiment is underway which might offer clues about how the world learns to live with COVID-19.

Having presided over a catastrophic shortage of tests during the dire opening days of the pandemic, Boris Johnsons government is now plowing tens of billions of dollars into a new mass surveillance regime propped up by self-administered pregnancy test-style kits which offer a result within 30 minutes.

The tests - which come in packs of seven and can be ordered online or picked up in pharmacies, workplaces and schools - are a key plank of the United Kingdoms plan to move out of crisis-mode. Some have even been handed out on street corners.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson inspects a lateral flow test during a visit to a NHS lab in Porton Down. Credit:AFP

But the so-called lateral flow tests are polarising because they are far less accurate than the gold-standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests performed by professionals and sent to laboratories for analysis. Proponents concede the new devices produce false negatives or false positives but argue rapid testing is a much more pragmatic approach for those who do not have symptoms but want or need to be tested.
The Australian Jewish community is sending prayers for the safe recovery of an Australian-linked couple who have been missing since a Miami building collapsed, which has so far officially claimed four lives.

Family of Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth have taken to social media to asking for the communitys urgent prayers.

Tzvi Doniel Ben Yehudis (far left) and Itta bas Miriam (far right) are a couple from Australia who were in the Florida building collapse. Credit:Facebook (Dina Feiglin)

The building they were living in collapsed last night, a Melbourne-based family member wrote on Facebook on Friday morning, sharing a photo of the couple. They have not been retrieved from the rubble. Please pray. We are believers, the sons of believers. We need a miracle.

Israel-based musician Chanale Fellig-Harrel, told her Instagram followers on Friday night that the family still had received no news at all about the couple - her aunt and uncle - who split their time between Australia and Surfside, Miami.
Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal on Saturday said that the company will be institutionalised at any cost and will not go to his family.

The company, he said, cannot be run on a defensive mode.

"Our company will not go to our family. Our family is also an institution, a complete institution ... If it (the family) gets capable of (running Vedanta in the future) then it is a different thing. But a company cannot be a run on a defensive mode," he said.

He was speaking during a webinar on 'Vedanta of Business' organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women business wing of the apex body FICCI.

"We are the largest producer of oil in India, largest producer of silver, zinc...we will at any cost institutionalise it (Vedanta). In my opinion 75 per cent must go back to the society....25 per cent is more than enough for the family," the metals and mining magnate said further.

India is a land of entrepreneurship with the advantage of location, young talent, natural resources and sea on three sides, the mining baron said, adding that the country is moving towards a self-reliant economy.

But the world always looked at India as a market and never wanted to see it grow. But presently the process of self-reliance has grown and youth and start ups with new ideas are taking the country to newer heights, he said.

India has the largest deposit of oil, gold and minerals, he said adding that it is high time to explore them and especially the young and the women entrepreneur has to do it.

Worldwide, an average of 44 per cent women are entrepreneurs and head various In India, it is still about 20 per cent. It is time for women to come up as they are convincing and they deliver, Agarwal said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telangana on Saturday reported



1,028 fresh COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,19,865, while the toll rose to 3,627 with nine more fatalities.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 132, followed by Khammam (76) and Nalgonda (66) districts, a health department bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM on Saturday.

The number of recoveries outnumbered fresh cases with 1,489 people recuperating from the infectious disease, taking the cumulative number to 6,01,184.

The number of active cases was 15,054, the bulletin said.

A total of 1,18,427 samples were tested on Saturday, taking the numbers examined so far to 1,82,46,482.

The samples tested per million population was 4,90,233.

The case fatality rate in the state was 0.58 per cent, while it was 1.3 per cent at the national level.

The recovery rate was 96.98 per cent, compared to 96.69 per cent in the country, the bulletin said.

The state said it reached the milestone of administering one crore jabs to people in different categories on Friday.

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As farmers' protest against the new farm laws entered eighth month, Union Agriculture Minister on Saturday appealed to protesting farmers to end their agitation while saying that the government is ready to resume talks on the provisions of three legislations.

The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers' protest. Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders for seven months now in protest against the three laws that they say will end state procurement of crops at MSP.

The Supreme Court has put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and has set up a committee to find solutions. The committee has submitted its report.

"I want to convey through your (media) that farmers should end their agitation. ....Many are in favour of these new laws across the country. Still, some farmers have any issue with provisions of the laws, Government of India is ready to listen and discuss with them," Tomar tweeted.

He said the government held 11 rounds of consultations with protesting farmer unions. The government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) and is procuring more quantity at MSP.

Farmers' protest had started on November 26 last year and has now completed seven months notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic. Three union ministers, including Tomar and Food Minister Piyush Goyal, have held 11 rounds of talks with the protesting farmer unions.

In the last meeting on January 22, the government's negotiations with 41 farmer groups hit a roadblock as the unions squarely rejected the Centre's proposal of putting the laws on suspension.

During the 10th round of talks held on January 20, the Centre had offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi's borders.

The three laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 -- were passed by the Parliament in September last year.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.

On January 11, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee.

Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) President Anil Ghanwat and agriculture economists Pramod Kumar Joshi and Ashok Gulati are the other members on the panel. They have completed the consultation process with stakeholders and submitted the report.

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The on Saturday tightened security arrangements across borders of the capital in view of the anticipated protest march by farmers, officials said.

Saturday marks the completion of seven months of the protests by the farmers, ever since they began their stir by camping at Singhu border between Delhi and Haryana. The other two protest sites on the capital's borders are Tikri and Ghazipur.

The protesting have demanded the withdrawal of the Centre's new farm laws and that a new law be made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

The Delhi Metro has decided to shut its three main stations on the Yellow Line for four hours on Saturday.

"As advised by Delhi Police, in view of security reasons, three Metro stations of Yellow Line namely, Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines and Vidhan Sabha will remain closed for public from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm tomorrow i.e, 26.06.2021 (Saturday)," the DMRC had tweeted Friday night.

According to a statement by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points, Kheti Bachao, Loktantra Bachao Diwas (save agriculture, save democracy) is being marked all over India on Saturday on the completion of seven months of the farmers' protests and 46 years after promulgation of Emergency in India in 1975.

Thousands of across India plan to march in rallies to Raj Bhavans in different states on Saturday. As an expression of solidarity, one such rally is also being planned in Massachusetts, USA, it said.

Thousands of from Saharanpur and Sisauli in western Uttar Pradesh reached Ghazipur Gate led by BKU chief Rakesh Tikait. Protests by farmers growing wheat, sugarcane, mango, apple, green gram, paddy, jowar and others continue in different parts of the country for remunerative guaranteed prices, the statement said.

The representatives of farmers will also seek to submit memoranda to governors in various states on Saturday.

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India on Saturday reported a net reduction of 17,303 in active cases to take its count to 595,565. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 5.21 per cent (one in 19). The country is third among the most affected countries by active cases. On Friday, it added 48,698 cases to take its total caseload to 30,183,143 from 30,134,445  an increase of 0.2%. And, with 1,183 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 394,493, or 1.31 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 6,119,169 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Friday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 315,045,926. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 29,193,085  or 96.72 per cent of total caseload  with 64,818 new cured cases being reported on Friday.

Now the third-most-affected country by active cases and deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 359,597 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 5.21% of all active cases globally (one in every 19 active cases), and 10.02% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 315,045,926 vaccine doses. That is 1043.78 per cent of its total caseload, and 22.61 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Maharashtra (34979587), Uttar Pradesh (34719790), Rajasthan (28436335), Gujarat (28225274), and West Bengal (24865801).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (445438), Gujarat (441901), Delhi (435878), Uttarakhand (417091), and J&K (359319).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 16 days.

The count of active cases across India on Friday saw a net reduction of 17,303, compared with 14,189 on Thursday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Kerala (372) and Meghalaya (241).

With 64,818 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 96.72%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.31%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.68%), Uttarakhand (2.09%), and Maharashtra (2%). The rate in as many as 18 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 65,001  1,183 deaths and 64,818 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.81%.

Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.2%.

Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 429.3 days, and for deaths at 230.8 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (11546), Maharashtra (9604), Tamil Nadu (5755), Andhra Pradesh (4458), and Karnataka (3310).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Karnataka (94.99%), Maharashtra (95.94%), and Kerala (96.04%).

India on Friday conducted 1,745,809 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 401,811,892. The test positivity rate recorded was 2.8%.

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 (18.3%), Maharashtra (14.82%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.54%), Kerala (12.73%), and Sikkim (12.12%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are, Sikkim (18.92%), Meghalaya (13.23%), Manipur (12.74%), Nagaland (10.66%), and Kerala (10.61%).

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 (1129015), J&K (714938), Kerala (630448), Karnataka (495959), and Uttarakhand (481194).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6017035), Kerala (2865871), Karnataka (2826754), Tamil Nadu (2455332), and Andhra Pradesh (1871475).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 9604 new cases to take its tally to 6017035.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 11546 cases to take its tally to 2865871.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 3310 cases to take its tally to 2826754.

Tamil Nadu has added 5755 cases to take its tally to 2455332.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 4458 to 1871475.

Uttar Pradesh has added 206 cases to take its tally to 1705220.

Delhi has added 115 cases to take its tally to 1433590.
The has initiated an inquiry after its personnel were seen clicking photos with two-time Olympic medallist who is an accused in the killing of a young wrestler at Chhatrasal Stadium.

The incident happened on Friday at Mandoli Jail premises when Kumar was being shifted to Tihar prison in the presence of the Delhi Police's Special Cell team and the Third Battalion of Delhi Armed Police, officials said.

The photos of Kumar and the police personnel, all without masks, were widely shared on social media.

"A suo motu inquiry has been initiated into the matter and based on its outcome, further course of action will be taken," a senior police officer said.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell and the Third Battalion are conducting their own internal inquiries as personnel from both departments involved in clicking selfies with the two-time Olympic medallist wrestler.

A Delhi court had on Friday extended the judicial custody of Kumar till July 9 in connection with the killing of the young wrestler.

"Usually, in cases of undertrial prisoners who are deemed high-risk, a dedicated team of personnel from the third battalion videograph the procedure and it is also used for academic purposes. The staff is provided with a handicam," the police officer said.

On Friday also, personnel were deployed to videograph the procedure. But a few employees among them were seen clicking pictures and selfies with their mobile phones. This was not a professional attitude and an inquiry is underway to ascertain the fact of the matter, the officer added.

He said police personnel are constantly briefed about being professional and about maintaining the dignity of the uniform.

Kumar is facing charges of murder, culpable homicide, and kidnapping.

According to the counsel of the accused, he has been shifted to Tihar jail number 2 from Mandoli jail, where he was earlier lodged.

Kumar, along with his associates, allegedly assaulted Sagar Dhankar and two of his friends at the stadium on the intervening night of May 4 and 5 over an alleged property dispute. Dhankar succumbed to the injuries later.

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The biggest grain market in Jammu wore a deserted look on Saturday as the local traders' body decided to continue the weekend lockdown amid the detection of the first case of COVID-19 Delta Plus variant in the province.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on June 20 announced the lifting of the weekend curfew from eight districts, including Jammu, owing to a significant improvement in Covid-19 situation.

All shops and business establishments in the Nehru Market and adjoining areas including Asia Chowk and Vikram chowk remained closed in response to the call given by Traders Federation Ware House Nehru Market.

"We have decided to continue the weekend lockdown for the next three weeks as a precautionary measure in view of the detection of the first Delta Plus variant case and the apprehension of the third wave," the federation president Deepak Gupta said.

On June 23, the principal of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, Shashi Sudhan Sharma said the first case of the Delta Plus variant, classified as variant of concern, was detected in Katra township of Reasi district.

Gupta hailed the efforts of the Union Territory administration in bringing down the curve of daily case count and deaths but said "we all should take extra care and strictly follow the SOPs to win this war against COVID-19."



"Although administration has lifted the weekend lockdown and allowed us to open shops for the whole week, as a responsible trade organisation, we have decided to continue the weekend lockdown for the next three weeks," he said.

He said all shops would remain closed on every Saturday and Sunday during this period.

Meanwhile, the shops and business establishments reopened in most parts of Jammu district along with Samba, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur in Jammu province and Shopian, Ganderbal and Bandipora in Kashmir in accordance with the government order.

However, these establishments remained closed in the rest of the 12 districts across Jammu and Kashmir owing to the weekend lockdown restrictions, officials said.

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The (ED) has arrested two aides of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a case against the politician related to a Rs 100 crore bribery charges, officials said on Saturday.

They said Deshmukh's personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde have been arrested, after about nine hours of questioning, under provisions of the Prevention of Act (PMLA).

They alleged that the two were not cooperating during the questioning that was being held at the central probe agency's office in Ballard Estate in Mumbai.

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The has summoned former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to appear before it on Saturday for questioning in a related to charges of of Rs 100 crore, officials said.

They said the 71-year-old NCP politician has been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case at the (ED) office in Ballard Estate area here.

The summons have been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and state that he should depose by 11 am, they said.

The central agency had Friday night arrested his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde after it carried out raids against them and Deshmukh in Mumbai and Nagpur.

The two were brought to the ED office following the searches.

They will be produced before a special PMLA court in Mumbai on Saturday where the ED will seek their remand for custodial interrogation, officials said.

The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary inquiry followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

The court had asked the agency to look into the allegations of made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Deshmukh, who had resigned from his post in April following the allegations, has denied any wrongdoing.

Singh was shunted out from the post after the role of assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, who has since been dismissed from service, surfaced during investigation into an explosive-laden SUV that was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai.

In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the police commissioner's post, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

Deshmukh, a leader of the NCP, was the home minister of the state in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Thackeray.

The CBI booked Deshmukh and others under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy and section of the Prevention of Corruption Act for "attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty".

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The then home minister Anil Deshmukh had received over Rs 4 crore from bar owners in Mumbai and channeled that money to his trust in the form of donations through various dummy companies, the (ED) told a court here on Saturday.

The ED made this claim during the remand hearing of Deshmukh's personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde.

Palande and Shinde were arrested in connection with a money laundering related to an alleged multi-crore bribery-cum-extortion racket that led to Deshmukh's resignation in April, officials said, adding the duo was booked under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The duo was remanded in the ED custody till July 1.

Earlier in the day, Deshmukh who was asked to depose before the investigating officer at the ED office in Ballard Estate here by 11 am, sought a fresh date for appearance before the agency which had summoned him for questioning in a money laundering case.

A team of Deshmukh's lawyers visited the ED office and sought a fresh date for appearance. They also handed over a letter written by Deshmukh to the investigators.

The ED told the court that Palande and Shinde were instrumental in assisting Deshmukh in money laundering.

The ED case against Deshmukh and others is borne out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary enquiry (PE) followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

While seeking remand of the duo, the ED told the court that some bar owners/managers said in their statements that a meeting was held by Sachin Waze, the then head of crime intelligence unit (CTU), with the bar owners at his office regarding collection of money for smooth functioning of their orchestra bars after restricted hours without any restrictions on the performance artists.

It can be gathered from these statements that Waze had collected Rs 4.70 crore from various orchestra bar owners across Mumbai, the ED said.

Later, Waze said in a statement that he used to get direct instructions from the then home minister in a number of police investigations, the ED told the court.

According to Waze, he was given a list of bars and restaurant owners in a meeting held at the official residence of then home minister, the ED said.

Waze said he had been asked to collect Rs.3 lakh per month from each bar and restaurant and therefore a meeting was arranged with various bar owners, the ED said, citing the sacked police officer's statement.

Waze has also stated that he had collected approximately Rs 4.70 crore from various bar owners between the months of December, 2020 and February, 2021, which he handed over to Kundan Shinde in two installments, the ED said.

Waze is currently under judicial custody in connection with the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence in south Mumbai and the subsequent murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran probed by the NIA.

The ED said it came across Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha, a charitable trust, run by the Deshmukh familyduring the probe.

Anil Deshmukh is the chairman of this trust and his family members are trustees and members.

The trust is running engineering, MBA, and polytechnic colleges in Nagpur. However, scrutiny of bank statements of the trust revealed that there are a number of entries of cheques amounting to approximately Rs 4.18 crore in the recent past, the ED said



The court was told that this amount was received by the trust from various companies based in Delhi.

The ED investigation has so far revealed that these companies exist only on paper and they work for providing "transfer entries".

During the searches conducted at four locations Delhi, it emerged that these companies are owned by Surendra Kumar Jain and his brother Virendra Jain, the ED said.

Their statements revealed that a person from Nagpur had contacted them and asked for transfer/adjustment entries in the garb of donation to the trust. Accordingly, money was received in the form of cash from that person on the instructions of the Deshmukh family and the same was channelized through a web of companies to the trust in the garb of donations, as per the ED.

Approximately Rs 4.18 crore was diverted to the trust in the garb of loans/donations, the ED said.

"Accordingly, it is apparent that Deshmukh by virtue of his earlier position as state home minister had received amounts to the tune of approx Rs 4.70 crore from the orchestra bars owners and the amount was apparently used by him through his son Hrishikesh for providing the cash to Delhi-based (on) paper companies. After layering, the same (money) was routed to the Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha Trust in the form of donation," the anti-money laundering agency said.

The ED's probe until now also revealed that there are 11 companies which are directly controlled by family members Anil Deshmukh. Further, another set of 13 companies are in the names of close associates of the Deshmukh family.

From the analysis of accounts of these companies it is clear that there is no rationale for transfers and it can thus be said that these series of transactions were meant for inflating the balance sheets and layering of money from one company to the other, the ED said.

The ED also stated it is apparent that Kundan Shinde is instrumental in collecting cash from Waze on the behalf of Deshmukh and assisted him in laundering the money.

Further, it has also emerged that Palande was instrumental in passing on the instructions of Deshmukh in regards to transfer, postings and collection of money from orchestra bars (to police officers).

As per the ED, Palande also played a role in analyzing and assessing the work of collection of tainted money through police officers.

Shinde and Palande had also received the money in the form of cash which needed to be investigated further, the ED said, adding Shinde and Palande were directly involved in the offence of money laundering.

Their custodial interrogation is the need of the hour in the interest of the ongoing investigation, the ED said.

The allegation of collection of about Rs 100 crore was made in this case. The entire money trail requires to be established in order to bring the guilty to book, it added.

The probe agency said the involvement of a foreign angle may not be ruled out at this stage.

The ED said Shinde and Palande have emerged as the important cog in the wheels and it is therefore imperative for the investigation to interrogate the duo in order to draw a logical conclusion in this case, it added.

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the post of Mumbai police commissioner, IPS officer Param Bir Singh had alleged that Deshmukh, state home minister at that time, had directed dismissed policeman Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore per month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

The ED case against Deshmukh and others is borne out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary enquiry (PE), followed by the filing of a regular case on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

The CBI had booked Deshmukh and others under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy and the Prevention of Corruption Act for "attempt to obtain undue advantage for the improper and dishonest performance of public duty".

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Haryana Home and Health Minister on Saturday took a dig at protesting farmers and said they make a new programme every day to keep their agitation alive.

"They (farmers) are sitting at the borders for eight months now. They're disappointed. So, to keep their agitation alive, their leaders make a new programme everyday. Today, they have spoken about submitting a memorandum at Raj Bhawan. This keeps happening," said Vij.

He further slammed Congress for supporting farmers and said Congress supports all those who want to destroy the unity and integrity of the nation.

"Congress supports all those who want to destroy the unity and integrity of the nation, who want to extend the hand of a friendship towards the enemies of the country. Congress is with all of them," he said.

To mark the completion of seven months of the ongoing farmers' agitation, the farmers are observing 'Save Farming, Save Democracy Day' across the country today and will be submitting a memorandum to all the Governors in the name of the President of India on this occasion.

A large number of farmers in Panchkula march towards the Governor's residence in Chandigarh to submit a memorandum seeking repeal of new farm laws.

Further accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over unnecessary oxygen demand during the second wave of COVID-19, the BJP leader said Delhi CM and his associates should be charged for the murder of innocent people.

"By providing false data Delhi government sought more oxygen than required because of which people from other states died. Kejriwal and his associates should charge for the murder of innocent people. A high-level committee should be formed to investigate this matter," said BJP leader.

Talking about the Delta variant of the COVID-19 he said the Haryana government is fully prepared for this.

"Govt is prepared. Regarding the first case (of Delta Plus variant) reported in Faridabad, we have given orders that 100 per cent of the contacts of the person be tested and genome sequencing be done," added Haryana Health Minister.

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Suspended police officer Sachin Waze has told the ED that he "collected" Rs 4.70 crore cash from Mumbai bar owners and "handed it over" to the personal assistant of former home minister Anil Deshmukh, the central probe agency claimed on Saturday.

It also claimed that Waze, the former head of crime intelligence unit (CIU) of Mumbai police, informed the bar owners and managers that this money "will go to No.1 and crime branch and social service branch of Mumbai Police".

He further told the agency that "he was getting direct instructions from Anil Deshmukh, the then home minister in a number of police investigations".

The ED made these allegations in its remand application field before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai seeking custody of Deshmukh's aides, personal secretary Sanjeev Palande (51) and personal assistant Kundan Shinde (45) whom it had arrested early on Saturday.

The court sent them to ED custody till July 1.

The ED had arrested them after it raided multiple locations in Nagpur, Mumbai and Ahmedabad including the residences of Deshmukh in a money laundering case related to an alleged multi-crore bribery-cum-extortion racket that led to his resignation in April.

The former cop recorded his statement with the ED saying he was "called for a meeting at the official residence of home minister wherein he was given a list of bar and restaurant owners."



In the meeting, Waze said, he was asked "to collect Rs 3 lakh per month from each bar and restaurant."



"Waze has also stated that he had collected approx. Rs 4.70 crore from various bar owners between the months of December, 2020 to February, 2021 and handed over the same to Kundan Sambhaji Shinde, the PA of Anil Deshmukh, the home minister on instruction of Anil Deshmukh in two installments in the month of January and February 2021," the ED alleged.

The agency said it questioned and recorded the statement of Waze twice at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai where he is in custody in connection with a case of alleged parking of an explosives laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence in Mumbai.

This Rs 4.70 crore was collected from various orchestra bar owners and managers for "smooth functioning of their bars after restricted hours without the restrictions of performance artist" and interference by the police, the ED said.

The ED said Waze's statement was "further confirmed" by two police officers who were also questioned by it.

"They categorically mentioned that they were told by Waze about collection of money from various bar owners and both were called by Palande, the PS of Anil Deshmukh who inquired about number of bars and collections from the various bars," the ED claimed.

The agency claimed that a part of this alleged cash bribe money was sent through hawala to four "paper" or shell companies located in Delhi that later "diverted" about Rs 4.18 crore funds "in garb of donations" to a Nagpur based charitable trust whose chairman is Deshmukh.

The ED said during the scrutiny of bank statements of the charitable trust identified as Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha "a number of cheque entries in the recent past amounting to Rs 4.18 crore" were received by it from four Delhi-based shell companies.

The owners of these alleged fake companies told ED that they were contacted by a Nagpur based person seeking transfer/adjustment of funds in garb of donation to the said charitable trust.

"Money was received in form of cash from said (Nagpur based) person on instruction of Deshmukh family and same was channelised through web of various companies to the said trust in garb of loans/donations."



"A total of about Rs 4.18 crore were thus diverted to the said trust in garb of loans or donations," the ED said quoting the statements of the promoters Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain.

It is apparent, the ED said, that Deshmukh "by virtue of his earlier position as home minister of government has received amounts to the tune of Rs 4.70 crore from the orchestra bars owners and managers for smooth functioning of bars and the said bribe money was apparently used by him through his son Hrishikesh Deshmukh for providing cash to Delhi based paper companies and after layering the same routed to the charitable trust in the form of donation," the agency alleged.

It said Shinde was "instrumental in collecting cash from Waze on behalf of Deshmukh."



Describing the role of Palande, the ED alleged, he was "instrumental in passing instructions of Deshmukh with regard to transfer, postings and collection of monies from orchestra bar owners and further analysing and assessing the work of collection of tainted monies through police officials and assisted Deshmukh in money laundering."



It said both the aides of Deshmukh have emerged as "important cogs in the wheels" of this case and they have also "received money in cash."



The ED told the court that as an allegation of collection of about Rs 100 crore have been made in this case the entire money trail requires to be established in order to bring the guilty to the book.

"The involvement of foreign angle many not be ruled out at this stage," it said.

The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary inquiry followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

The court had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the allegations of bribery of Rs 100 made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

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India and Greece on Saturday called for following fundamental international principles of rule of law and respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, and denounced radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism, in a clear signal of their growing convergence on key geopolitical challenges.

The issues figured prominently during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Athens.

Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Greece from Friday, the first tour by an Indian foreign minister to Athens in the last 18 years.

The two sides also noted with satisfaction the convergence of each other's vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific ensuring connectivity and growth for all in the region, the said after the talks that covered key bilateral, regional and global issue.

Jaishankar and Dendias also agreed to work towards the establishment of a strategic partnership while deliberating on boosting cooperation in several areas such as trade and investment, science and technology, culture, academics and people-to-people relations.

In a tweet, Jaishankar described the talks as "productive bilaterally" and insightful on many regional and global issues, adding it was agreed to step up the pace of engagement and work towards a strategic partnership.

The external affairs minister also paid a courtesy call on Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece.

The MEA said the Greek foreign minister signed an agreement making Greece part of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative of India aimed at promoting renewable energy and sustainable development.

It said the two ministers shared views on regional and global issues of mutual interest in the context of new geopolitical and geo-economic realities, including the Indo-Pacific.

"Both sides noted with satisfaction the convergence of each other's vision for a free, open, inclusive and cooperative Indo-Pacific ensuring connectivity and growth for all in the region," the MEA said, adding they also discussed the recent developments pertaining to the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and Libya.

It said India and Greece also agreed that the rule of law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are fundamental principles of international relations that must be observed by all.

The assertion came amid growing global concerns over China's increasing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere.

"Both countries recognised the threat posed by radicalisation, violent extremism, as well as terrorism, including cross border terrorism. They emphasised that there can be no justification for these in any form or manifestation," the MEA said in a statement.

The reference to cross border terrorism is seen as an oblique reference to Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism against India.

The two countries also conveyed their deep commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based international order.

Reaffirming the importance of the urgent reform of the UN, including expansion of the UN Security Council, and other multilateral institutions, the two sides said such a step was necessary to make these institutions more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and better reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities.

"The Greek side reiterated its support for permanent membership of India in a reformed UNSC," the MEA said.

It said the talks also focused on the coronavirus pandemic globally and the process of economic recovery.

"They agreed on the need for joint efforts to combat the disease and to work together for consolidating economic and commercial activities during and immediately after the pandemic," it said.

Jaishankar also unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens.

"The statue will act as a strong symbol of friendship between the two countries," the MEA said.

"India and Greece enjoy close and friendly relations which have been strengthened by the shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech and respect for human rights," it said.

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External Affairs Minister on Friday met his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, with whom he had a productive discussion on regional and global issues.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Greece, said that the European country is an important partner in India's broader European Union (EU) engagement and looked forward to formal talks on Saturday.

"Thank FM @NikosDendias for a warm welcome to Greece. A productive discussion on regional and global issues. Greece is an important partner in our broader EU engagement. Look forward to our formal talks tomorrow," he tweeted.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had announced on Thursday that Jaishankar will embark on a two-day bilateral visit to Greece on Friday to hold talks with his Greek counterpart.

Following Greece, Jaishankar will travel to Italy to attend the G20 Ministerial meeting, MEA spokesperson Arnidam Bagchi said during a weekly briefing.

"EAM Jaishankar will be leaving tomorrow for the visit to Greece and to Italy. In Greece, he is making a bilateral visit on June 25-26 to hold talks with Greece counterpart along with other engagement," Bagchi said.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the EU.

Since December 2020, Italy holds the Presidency of the G20. The Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting is one of the ministerial meetings organized as part of the G20 Leaders Summit 2021.

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Japan will donate one million COVID-19 vaccine doses each to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand starting from next Thursday, said Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday.

Kyodo News reported that the Foreign Minister said that the country will also offer one million doses each to Taiwan and Vietnam, in addition to the batches of 1.24 million and one million shots provided to them, respectively, earlier in the month.

The decision to provide vaccine developed AstraZeneca came after requests were made from the said countries and Taiwan.

"We took into account the infection situations of each applicant, the extent of vaccine shortages there and the nature of their relations with Japan before we decided on this provision," Motegi said.

Meanwhile, Japan will provide a total of about 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific islands through the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program, Motegi said.

Japan has secured enough AstraZeneca vaccine doses for 60 million people and approved their use last month, it does not intend to use them immediately in public inoculation programmes due to rare cases of blood clots reported overseas.

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A day after the Delhi government came under fire for purportedly inflating the city's needs for oxygen, families of people who lost their lives due to shortage of the life-saving gas in the national capital during the second Covid wave have demanded a fair probe into it.

A report of five-member sub-group constituted by the Supreme Court to audit oxygen consumption in hospitals in the national capital during the second wave in April-May said the Delhi government "exaggerated" consumption of oxygen and made a claim of 1,140 MT, four times higher than the formula for bed capacity requirement of 289 MT.

The panel said the Delhi government had made the claims for allocation of 700 MT oxygen on April 30 of medical grade oxygen using a "wrong formula".

Erick Massey, whose mother Delphin Massey, died at the Jaipur Golden Hospital allegedly due to oxygen shortage, said he doesn't feel there was an exaggeration in requirement.

"It was not just us who were victims of the oxygen shortage. All over, there were friends and relatives who were struggling to get oxygen cylinders. Some people even bought them for Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 lakh.

"We don't think there was an exaggeration. There were entire families affected by the virus and there were so many hospitals who raised SOS," he said.

Gaurav Gera lost both his parents within an hour gasping for oxygen. His father, Charanjit Gera, was admitted to Jaipur Golden Hospital while his mother, Sonu Rani, was at Ambedkar Hospital.

"There are so many people who have lost their family members due to lack of oxygen. At Jaipur Golden Hospital, we were told the patients could have been saved had there been an adequate supply of oxygen. In fact, I feel that many more people died due to oxygen shortage than the numbers which were reported," he said.

Jagjyot Singh's mother Sarabjeet Kaur was one of the 20 casualties on the fateful night of April 24 when the Jaipur Golden Hospital in the city waited for its oxygen stock to be replenished.

He the Delhi government accountable for failing to read the situation properly.

"The Delhi government did not have a vision and did not know how much oxygen was required to be supplied to hospitals. This meant that there was not a proper supply. There needs to be a proper investigation into the matter.

"My mother was on the path of recovery. We arranged medicines and everything that the hospital asked us for. Their job was only to give her medicines and oxygen and they could not do that," Singh said.

Demanding an investigation on the loopholes which might have led to the crisis, he said they have also approached the Delhi High Court demanding a court-monitored probe.

At Batra Hospital, 12 patients, including a senior doctor of the facility, had died due to a dip in oxygen supply.

Dr Sudhanshu Bankta, executive director of the hospital, said there was a huge oxygen crisis at that time, but refused to comment on the report, which has put the Delhi government on the dock, contending that he is not privy to the entire data of oxygen supply and demand.

"From our own experience, we can say there wasn't an adequate amount of oxygen. It seems to be a political fight rather than something which is driven by facts.

"There was a huge oxygen crisis. There was a problem everywhere. If you go through the WhatsApp records of all hospitals which are in official Delhi government groups, everyone was crying for oxygen. I cannot comment on the motive of the report but the situation at that time was really scary," he said.

Delhi was hit severely by a brutal second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April and May, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with a shortage in oxygen supply at various city hospitals adding to the woes.

The panel in its report pointed out that four model hospitals in Delhi -- Singhal Hospital, Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, ESIC Model Hospital and Liferay Hospital -- have claimed extremely high Oxygen consumption with very few beds and the claims appeared to be clearly "erroneous, leading to extremely skewed information and significantly higher Oxygen requirement for the entire state of Delhi".

However, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said on Saturday the report, submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by him, is an interim one and not the final word.

Two members, B S Bhalla, the Delhi government's principal home secretary, home, and Max Healthcare's Clinical Director Sandeep Budhiraja, questioned the conclusions.

Bhalla gave his objections and comments on the 23-page interim report shared with him on May 30. The report has an annexure of communication sent by Bhalla on May 31 in which he said a reading of the draft interim report makes it "painfully apparent" that the sub-group, instead of focussing on the task, delineated from the terms of order of the Supreme Court dated May 6.

The BJP has charged the Delhi government with "criminal negligence" after the report came into the public domain on Friday, while AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the "bogus" report was "cooked up" at BJP's office.

Seeking to move on from the controversy, Chief Minister Kejriwal has called for everyone to work together to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen in the next Covid wave.

The virus will win if there is a fight among stakeholders, Kejriwal tweeted.

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British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned after he breached guidance by kissing a colleague, according to media reports on Saturday.

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Hancock said the government "owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down".

The 42-year-old minister reiterated his apology for "breaking the guidance" and he apologised to "my family and loved ones", the BBC reported.

His resignation comes after pictures emerged of him with Gina Coladangelo, reportedly taken on May 6.

'The Sun' newspaper showed Hancock in a tight embrace and kissing 43-year-old Coladangelo, a former lobbyist and adviser in his Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The Opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat parties on Friday demanded his removal as the extra-marital affair evidence from last month breached the lockdown guidance of close contact only within a strict household bubble amid the rapid spread of the Delta variant in the country.

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With Madhya Pradesh recording a steady decline in COVID-19 cases, the state government has decided to lift the corona curfew on Sundays, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday.

However, the night curfew will remain in force in the state.

Chouhan also said Madhya Pradesh has set a record for one more time with 9,64,756 doses of vaccines being administered till 7.30 pm since Saturday morning.

We are lifting Sunday's corona curfew with immediate effect. Those who want to open their shops, continue their economic activities, can do so in accordance with COVID-19 protocol, Chouhan tweeted.

The pandemic has come under control in Madhya Pradesh as not a single COVID-19 positive case was registered in 35 districts in the state, he said.

For the first time, the number of active cases has fallen below 1,000. The case positivity rate has come down to 0.06%. In such a situation, it seems unreasonable to impose #coronacurfew on Sunday as well, he said.

Chouhan also said vaccination will continue at a fast pace.

Till 7.30 pm on Saturday, 9,64,756 doses have been administered since morning. Madhya Pradesh has again set a record, he said.

Madhya Pradesh on Saturday recorded 46 new cases of COVID-19 and 25 casualties that pushed the tally of infections to 7,89,657 and took the toll to 8,896, as per the state health department.

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will be made slum-



free by 2023 as the state is focusing on improving health and education and strengthening drinking water supplies among other welfare measures, a minister said on Friday.

This was stated by Odishas Housing and Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena on social media.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had launched the slum up-gradation programme in September last year, saying all in the state would be converted into model colonies in the next three years.

"The will be completely developed with emphasis on electricity, roads, education, health, drinking water, and sanitation," Jena said.

The government had on Thursday directed officials of all urban local bodies (ULBs) to ensure that 25 per cent of their respective annual budgets are spent on the development of under their jurisdiction.

Director Municipal Administration (DMA) Sangramjit Nayak asked the ULB officials to regularly monitor the spending and assign quarterly targets.

As per the Housing and Urban Development Department's estimates, Rs 2,895 crore (excluding salaries) will be allocated to the 114 ULBs during the two financial years 2020 -21 and 2021-22, of which Rs 723.75 crore has to be spent on slum development.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, reviewed the development plan for Ayodhya, prepared by officials of the Uttar Pradesh Government.



The UP government envisages to become a spiritual centre, a global tourism hub and a sustainable smart city.

Some of the development projects being undertaken in the city include an airport, the expansion of the railway station, bus stations and roads and highways.



Besides these, the setting up of a greenfield township with lodging facilities for devotees, ashrams, hotels and bhavans for various states, a tourist facilitation centre and a world-class museum were also discussed.



According to a press note from the Prime Ministers Office, the city will be developed to ensure sustainability with adequate spaces for cyclists and people on foot. Traffic management will also be done in a modern manner using Smart City infrastructure.



:" is both spiritual and sublime. The human ethos of this city must be matched by futuristic infrastructure, which is beneficial for everyone including tourists and pilgrims." The PM added that that developmental works in the town will continue in the foreseeable future. He termed as a "city by and for every Indian".

PM Modi's review of the city's development plan came days after allegations against the Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust of an illicit land deal.

Meanwhile, the plan for the construction of an airport in Ayodhya has come under scrutiny, with charges against the district admnistration that it is encroaching on a large chunk of land illegally, forcing several people to sell their land to the administration at an inadequate rate.



On Friday, a Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court directed the Ayodhya District Magistrate as well as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate concerned, and the Tehsildar to appear before it on June 29 through video-conferencing to explain their factual version on the allegations levelled against them in a petition.



The petitioners have alleged that their land was forcibly taken without acquisition or consent.



The Lucknow bench has asked the district officers concerned, the criteria on the basis of which the land was taken from locals in bulk for the construction of the airport.
Prime Minister will review the future vision of Ayodhya's development today in a virtual meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister

Sources had confirmed on Friday that the future vision includes modernisation, roads, infrastructure, railway station, airport and other several pending projects.

Earlier in February this year, Adityanath had said that the state government's proposal for an international airport in has been approved by the Centre.

"UP government's proposal for an international airport in has been approved by the Centre. About Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated to the district administration by the state government. The Central government has disbursed Rs 250 crore," the Chief Minister had told ANI.

Speaking about tourism and pilgrimage in Ayodhya, the Chief Minister had said, " is popular for Ramjanmabhoomi. Work in Ayodhya is going on for the construction of Lord Ram temple. Lakhs of devotees and pilgrims visit Ayodhya. The city offers an amalgamation of spirituality and tourism and both the central and state governments are working for its development."

Last year on August 5, Prime Minister Modi had visited Ayodhya to attend the 'Bhoomi pujan' at the Ram Janmbhoomi site.In February 2020, the Prime had announced the constitution of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, to oversee the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

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Police on Saturday used a water cannon to disperse farmers as they broke through barricades at Chandigarh-Mohali border, trying to march towards the Punjab governor's house here.

One of the protesting farmers climbed on top of a water cannon vehicle.

Officials said heavy police force was deployed in Chandigarh following a call by farmers to march towards the governor's house here and submit a memorandum to mark the completion of seven months of their agitation against the Centre's three new farm laws.

A large number of farmers, including women, from several parts of Punjab assembled at Amb Sahib gurudwara in Mohali before moving towards Punjab Raj Bhavan.

Similarly in Haryana, farmers from several parts of the state gathered at Nada Sahib gurudwara in Panchkula and headed towards the Raj Bhavan.

In view of the farmers' protest march, the Haryana Police has made security arrangements at Chandigarh-Panchkula border.

Farmers have been protesting against 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.

They have been camping at Delhi borders since November last year demanding the withdrawal of these three laws and that a new law be made to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

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.

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Some leaders are still dreaming about the restoration of Article 370 which is "next to impossible", president Ravinder Raina said Saturday, advising political parties to leave the chapter behind and take part in assembly polls whenever they are held.

Speaking to reporters at his party headquarters here upon his return from Delhi where he took party in an all-party, he also said the Centre is promise-bound to restore the statehood to

"Some leaders are still dreaming about the restoration of Article 370 which gave birth to separatism, terrorism and Pakistani ideology in J&K and claimed lakhs of lives and caused pain to the people. Its restoration is next to impossible. It cannot be restored till doomsday," Raina told.

Raina, his senior party colleagues and former deputy chief ministers, Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta, attended the June 24 all-party meeting on J&K chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Flanked by Gupta and other party leaders, the J&K president said here Saturday the meeting ended nearly two-and-a-half-year long political deadlock in the union territory.

Asked about PDP president Mehbooba Mufti's remarks that she will not take part in elections till the restoration of Article 370, Raina said registered political parties should now move on and work for the welfare of the people of

"They should take part in the elections whenever held. It is their democratic righteveryone should take part in the elections even if held early," he said, and added that during the meeting in the capital leaders discussed all issues in a cordial atmosphere including the restoration of statehood.

"Home Minister Amit Shah made it clear to the participants that he had assured on the floor of the house that the statehood will be restored when the situation gets normal. The Prime Minister had also, in his address to the nation, had talked about the restoration of statehood," he said.

He said some leaders, toeing their respective party line, are also talking about Ladakh, but they need to understand the region is a separate Union Territory. "Ladakh was carved out of J&K and made a separate Union Territory on August 5, 2019. That is the truth."



Asked about the statement of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram that the Centre wants to hold assembly elections before restoring the statehood to J&K, Raina said, "He was not in the meeting but there are some leaders in the Congress who are making anti- statements. They should stop making anti- statements."



He said all the 14 participants put forth their viewpoint in the meeting and "we also raised all issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir".

"We became the strong voice of the nationalist people of Jammu and Kashmir and talking on all issues from delimitation to a dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits," he said, adding, "we asked the Centre to set up an apex committee to prepare a roadmap for their return".

Raina said the delegation highlighted the issues of different sections of the society including the refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and demanded de-freezing of some of the seats reserved for PoK areas in the J&K Assembly which "we are separately raising with delimitation commission shortly".

He said the prime minister's assertion that he wanted to end 'Dilli ki duri' as well as 'Dil ki duri' (distance from Delhi and distance of hearts) during the June 24 meeting makes it clear that the doors of New Delhi are open for the people of J&K.

"The prime minister's call was to come together in the interest of the nation to fulfil the dream of 'New J&K and Strong J&K'. The government will ensure adequate funds for all-round development of J&K," Raina said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, while chairing a meeting to review the progress of Indias Covid vaccination drive, said efforts should be made to help all countries, who have expressed interest, with Indias rich tech expertise in the form of the Cowin platform.

The PM also directed officers to work with the states to ensure that the pace of testing does not go down as testing remains a very important weapon to track & contain rising infections in any region.

According to a press note from the Prime Ministers Office, the PM expressed satisfaction at the rising number of daily vaccinations and stressed that the momentum shouldnt be lost. Earlier this week, India administered a record 8.3 million vaccine doses in a single day, after experts had said that the country needed to scale up its vaccination drive to arrest the spread of Covid in the country.

However, media reports have since pointed out that the record rise in daily vaccinations was made possible since several states had gone slow in the run-up to the big day, which also happened the World Yoga Day.

The PM was informed during the meeting that India administered 37.7 million doses in the last six days, which is more than the entire population of countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Canada, read the press note.

It was also discussed that 128 districts in the country have vaccinated more than 50% of the 45+ population and 16 districts have vaccinated more than 90% of the 45+ population. PM expressed satisfaction at the rising speed of vaccinations in this week and stressed that it is important to carry this momentum forward, the press note added.
The Centre has urged Karnataka to take up immediate containment measures, including preventing crowds, conducting widespread testing as well as increasing vaccine coverage on a priority basis in districts where the Delta Plus variant of Covid-19 has been detected.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to Karnataka Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar in this regard.

Pointing out that this variant has been found in Mysuru district, the letter dated June 25 said, "the Public Health Response, in this case while broadly remaining the same, has to become more focused and stringent."



"Thus, you are requested to take up immediate containment measures in these districts and clusters including preventing crowds and intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis," it said.

The letter also asks the state to ensure that adequate samples of positive persons are sent to the designated laboratories of INSACOG promptly so that the clinical epidemiological correlations can be established.

Similar measures have been suggested to seven states other than Karnataka.

According to INSACOG, the Delta Plus variant which is currently a Variant of Concern (VOC) has characteristics like, increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, and potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday had held a meeting with senior Ministers and officials and instructed officials to maintain vigil over the "Delta Plus" variant of coronavirus, especially in border districts.

Health Minister K Sudhakar on Friday had said there are two cases of Delta plus variant in the state, one in Bengaluru and the other in Mysuru, both with mild symptoms.

Six genome sequencing labs are being set up at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura.

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President has told his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani that the people of "are going to have to decide their future" but assured him that the US is going to "stick with you" even after the American troops leave the war-torn nation by September.

Biden, who had his first face-to-face meeting with Ashraf Ghani at the White House on Friday said America's partnership with the South Asian nation is going to be sustained.

The partnership between and the United States is not ending. It's going to be sustained, Biden told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in a joint media appearance with President Ghani and the CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

American troops may be leaving, but support for is not ending in terms of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support, Biden said.

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future of what they what they want. What they want. But it won't be for lack of us being a help.

"But we're going to stick with you. And we're going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need," the US president assured the top Afghan leaders ahead of the US troop withdrawal before September 11.

Ghani, sitting alongside Biden, said Afghanistan was grateful for the blood and treasure America had spilled during the past two decades to defend his country, which now finds itself facing direct battle against the Taliban militants.

Biden has announced that the American military presence in Afghanistan will end by September 11 of this year the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 coordinated suicide attacks against the US by al-Qaida, which was based in Afghanistan.

The meeting between Biden and the Afghan leaders comes as Taliban fighters have captured dozens of key districts in Afghanistan in a recent offensive.

The visiting Afghan leaders also held meetings with top officials of the Biden administration including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns and the top Congressional leadership.

As the US prepares its Afghan exit, Biden said the two visiting leaders have got very difficult jobs.

They are doing important work, trying to bring about unity among Afghan leaders -- across the board. Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want. But it won't be for lack of us being helped... The senseless violence, it has to stop, but it's going to be very difficult," Biden said.

Ghani said the US is entering a new chapter of bilateral relations with Afghanistan where the partnership would not only be military, but comprehensive regarding their mutual interest.

We are very encouraged and satisfied that this partnership is taking place. Thank you for ordering the priorities, he said.

The Afghan nation is at an 1861 moment, like President (Abraham) Lincoln rallying to the defence of the Republic, determined that the Republic is defended. It's a choice of values. The values of an exclusionary system or an inclusionary system. We're determined to have unity, coherence, sense of sacrifice, and will not spare anything, he said.

The Afghan Defence and Security Forces have retaken six districts, both in the south and the north of the country. It's showing our determination. So, I hope that nobody does the Bernard Shaw on us. Exaggerating our debt before something has happened, he added.

Let us understand that in moments of great transition, things happen. But you will see that with determination, with unity, and with the partnership, we will overcome all odds, Ghani said.

Earlier at the Pentagon, Defence Secretary Austin mentioned how the Department of Defense is deeply invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan and in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement. He reaffirmed the US commitment to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, especially the strong defence relationship.

I am confident that as resolute support begins to wind down, we will make the transition to a new relationship with Afghanistan and the Afghan forces. One that continues to meet your responsibilities to your citizens, said Austin.

We will remain partners with the Afghan government and the Afghan military. And we will continue to work toward our common goal in a new and different way, he added.

In his remarks, Ghani noted the shift from war to peace and how the implications of this are profound. The Afghan leader said that in his discussions with the Congress, he respected the decision of withdrawing US forces.

Ghani said Afghanistan is entering its 1861 moment when President Lincoln entered a besieged Washington and ultimately saved the United States. Afghanistan has a similar approach. The republic has strong roots in support but actually together we will be able to do it.

In a fact sheet, the White House later said the US will continue to provide assistance through its enduring partnership with Afghanistan to promote a peaceful and stable future that the Afghan people want and deserve.

Our strong support and partnership is designed to prevent Afghanistan from ever again being used as a safe haven for terrorism; maintain Afghan stability and build self-reliance; promote economic growth; preserve social gains in education, health and women's empowerment and the rule of law; protect the rights of women, girls, and minorities; bolster Afghan civil society; and respond to humanitarian needs, the White House said.

Since 2002, the US has provided nearly USD 88 billion in security assistance, USD 36 billion in civilian assistance, including USD 787 million specifically intended to support Afghan women and girls, and nearly USD 3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, it further said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian states weaknesses outweigh their strengths as they battle the (Covid-19) pandemic and they need financial support from the federal government, which is already dealing with drastically reduced revenue, according to S&P Global Ratings.



The Covid-19 pandemic could increase budget deficits and indebtedness of state governments as spending needs to exceed revenue collected, S&P Global analysts YeeFarn Phua and Ruchika Malhotra said in a report. The federal government and the Reserve Bank of India will remain key pillars for states fiscal framework and performance, they said.

Strengths

Established record of extraordinary support from the central government and the Reserve Bank of India

Indias well-established federation, with state governments having a strong voice in intergovernmental affairs

Unified independent judiciary that interprets laws

Weaknesses

Structural deficits due to persistent revenue-expenditure mismatch, exacerbated by COVID-19

Sectorwide high indebtedness that reflects structural deficits

Good transparency but weak accountability

Lack of long-term financial planning

The pandemic has ravaged revenues of both the federal and state governments and threatens to slow the economys recovery from an unprecedented contraction last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is on course to borrow about $22 billion this year to pay states for their loss of income due to a shortfall in a nationwide consumption tax collection.

Still, in the next two years Indian states will struggle to consolidate their deficits, which will will run at more than 25% of revenue, according to the analysts, who expect a meaningful consolidation in the year ending March 2024.

That could affect the pricing and eventual cost of bonds sold by states, the S&P analysts wrote.

Covid-19 will create some permanent scars on states balance sheets, Phua and Malhotra said in the report. As the central governments revenues stabilize further and gains from tax reforms start to materialize, we expect it to pass on some of the benefits to states via shared taxes and grants.
More than one-third or 38 per cent of Australians who lost their jobs during the early days of the pandemic were younger than 25, a government study has found.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Friday published a report on the psychological distress experienced by young Australians in the early stages of the pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

It revealed that 38 per cent of the 592,000 Australians who lost employment in April 2020 amid a nationwide lockdown were aged 15-24 and that the proportion of people aged 18-24 experiencing severe psychological distress increased from 14 per cent in 2017 to 22 per cent.

The proportion of Australians aged 15-24 who were not in education, employment or training rose from 8.7 per cent in May 2019 to 12 per cent in May 2020.

"Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical period in a person's life. Young people often experience rapid physical, social and emotional changes in a time where they are transitioning from dependence to independence," AIHW spokesperson Sally Mills said in a statement.

"This is a time when young people are finishing school, pursuing further training and education, entering the workforce, moving out of the family home, and forming relationships.

"Ongoing monitoring is needed to fully understand the longer-term impact of the pandemic," Mills added.

Despite the significant increase in unemployment and distress, the report found young Australians were faring well in some areas, with 59 per cent of people aged 15-19 saying they were happy or very happy with their lives in April 2020.

--IANS

ksk/

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China's foreign ministry has dismissed US President Joe Biden's statement on the closure of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper and asked Washington to stop interfering in the country's internal affairs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Friday that falls under China's internal affairs. He urged Washington to respect facts and stop obstructing law enforcement in the special administrative region, reported NHK World.

Zhao said that US actions are interfering in China's internal affairs and referred to the arrests of the paper's senior members for allegedly violating the national security law of

He said the law is aimed at cracking down on a handful of people who are seriously harming national security and safeguarding the rights and freedom of a large number of people in Hong Kong, including freedom of the press.

Zhao also said it is distorting facts to call a probe into a media outlet and its senior officials a crackdown on press freedom, reported NHK World.

When Hong Kong-based newspaper Apple Daily closed its doors after 26 years due to government crackdown, US President on Thursday termed it as a sad day for media freedom in and around the world.

In a statement by the White House, the US president noted that through arrests, threats, and forcing through a draconian National Security Law that penalises free speech, Beijing has insisted on wielding its power to suppress independent media and silence dissenting views.

"Independent media play an invaluable role in resilient and prosperous societies. Journalists are truth-tellers who hold leaders accountable and keep information flowing freely--and that is needed now more than ever in Hong Kong, and in places around the world where democracy is under threat," he said.

Apple Daily on Wednesday announced that it is shutting its operations earlier than expected, after 26 years of service, and will stop publishing online from midnight and its management decided to run its last print edition from today.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hong Kong's national security police detained the paper's lead editorial writer on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, the first such arrest under the Beijing-imposed legislation.

Since the arrest of five of its top executives last Thursday, Apple Daily has lost nearly half its workforce. But those remaining on Tuesday vowed to carry on through the end. The Hong Kong police had raided Apple Daily's headquarters and arrested the executives.

The closure of the newspaper was heavily condemned by the community, with many saying that the Hong Kong government undermines media freedom and pluralism.

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Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin's knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the US in generations.

The punishment which fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested came after Chauvin broke his more than yearlong silence in court to offer condolences to the Floyd family and say he hopes more information coming out will eventually give them some peace of mind.

With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.

Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. As with the verdicts in April, he showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.

The fired white officer was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd's neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man gasped that he couldn't breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Bystander video of Floyd's arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit USD 20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond.

On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial he still faces.

But very briefly, though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some some peace of mind, he said, without elaborating.

In asking that Chauvin be left off on probation, defense attorney Eric Nelson called Floyd's death tragic and said that Chauvin's brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if what if what if?



Floyd's family members took the stand and expressed sorrow about his death. They asked for the maximum penalty.

We don't want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We've been through that already," said a tearful Terrence Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers.

Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams said: Our family is forever broken. And Floyd's 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a video played in court, said that if she could say something to her father now, it would be: I miss you and and I love you.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines and give Chauvin 30 years in prison, saying tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life," Frank said.

Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, appeared in court to plead for mercy for son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I can tell you that is far from the truth, she told the judge. I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man."



She added: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that. I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvin's three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict in April.

Ahead of the sentencing, the judge agreed with prosecutors that there were aggravating circumstances that could justify a heavier punishment than the recommended 12 1/2 years among them, that Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty, abused his position of authority as a police officer and did it in front of children.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvin's request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved away from Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didn't mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.

With Chauvin's sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America witnessed something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.

In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two mistrials were declared over the death of Samuel Dubose in Cincinnati.

That's why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor, who has represented victims of police brutality. Everybody knows that this doesn't happen every day.

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the state's maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.

The three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. They will also stand trial with Floyd on the federal civil rights charges. No date has been set for that trial.

(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.)
Colombian President Ivn Duque said Friday that a carrying him and several senior officials came under fire in the southern Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, in a rare instance of a direct attack on a presidential aircraft.

Duque said everyone on board the was safe, including himself, Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios and the governor of Norte de Santander state, Silvano Serrano. They had just attended an event titled Peace with Legality, the Sustainable Catatumbo chapter.

I want to inform the country that after fulfilling a commitment in Sardinata, in Catatumbo approaching the city of Ccuta, the presidential was the victim of an attack, the president said in a statement.

He said the helicopter's equipment and capabilities prevented something lethal from happening. A video released by the presidency showed several bullet holes in the Colombian air force helicopter.

Duque did not provide the time of the attack or say who he believed carried it out, but several armed groups are known to operate in the area.

The president said the cowardly attack would not make him stop fighting drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime. The message is that is always strong in the face of crime and our institutions are above any threat, he said.

Ccuta, where the flight was headed, was already on a security alert after a June 14 car bomb attack at a military base that caused 36 injuries to both members of the military and civilians.

Colombian authorities have not confirmed who was behind that attack, but have said they suspect dissidents from the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of guerrillas or the rebel National Liberation Army. The latter has denied being behind the attack.

In 2018, when the conservative Duque began his presidency, the government said it was investigating possible attacks being planned against the president at a public event. The attacks never materialised.

(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.)
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharvand has dismissed an official Canadian report on the Ukrainian near Tehran in January 2020 as "heavily politicised".

"Legally, the Canadian authorities do not have any authority to issue unilateral and arbitrary reports or comments regarding the reports on air accidents within the jurisdiction of another country," Xinhua news agency quoted Baharvand as saying on Friday.

On Thursday, the Ottawa government published a report conducted by a Canadian forensic team about the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 that crashed on January 8, 2020 after it was hit by two missiles launched by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, killing all 176 people on board.

The Canadian team wrote in its account that it "found no evidence that Iranian officials ordered the shootdown or that it was premeditated".

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, slammed the Iranian civilian and military authorities in the report, blaming the incident on "their recklessness, incompetence, and wanton disregard for human life".

In response, Baharvand described such criticism included in the Canadian report as "technically baseless and therefore unacceptable".

sent the draft of its report to the countries involved before its publication and within the legal deadline and those countries sent their comments on the report to Tehran, he noted.

The technical appreciations officially submitted by Canada did not include "general and incomprehensible" remarks made public on Thursday, he added.

"According to the Chicago Convention, if (the Canadians) had new information, they should offer it to the Iranian investigation team instead of creating useless media and political controversies," Baharvand noted.

The Deputy Minister also dismissed a threat by Trudeau to take the downing of the Ukrainian airplane to the Court of Justice.

" has fulfilled its obligations in accordance with law, and will continue to pursue and implement its commitments according to its own timeframes," Baharvand said.

In Iran's official report on the crash, its Civil Aviation Organization blamed the incident on a misaligned radar and an error by an air defense operator.

On April 6, an Iranian military prosecutor announced the indictment of 10 officials for the downing of the aircraft.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A watchdog on the lookout for and terror financing said Friday it has placed the tiny Mediterranean island nation of on a list for increased monitoring.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, added the European Union member to its so-called gray list, along with Haiti, the Philippines and South Sudan.

It is exceptional for an EU country to be put on this list, which also includes Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Syria. The move raised concerns in about the potentially damaging impact on the nation's

The Maltese government quickly issued a statement saying it believes that doesn't deserve to be subjected to increased monitoring, given that in the last two years it has already launched a program of reforms.

Malta underwent a mutual evaluation in 2019, FATF president Marcus Pleyer told reporters at a news conference conducted remotely.

The final report had outlined a large number of serious issues regarding risks in the country.

Pleyer added: Malta has made good progress in some areas but serious issues remain.

Malta's financial intelligence unit needs to support law enforcement authorities" to pursue criminal tax and related money-laundering cases, he said.

The Maltese government said a plethora of reforms (have) led to tangible progress in Malta's ability to prevent, detect and combat and the funding of terrorism effectively.

Still, it said, "Malta has been and will remain fully committed to working with the FATF and other partners to ensure that the partially addressed recommended actions are addressed within the shortest possible timeframes.

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As the prepares to withdraw its soldiers from Afghanistan, President on Friday said his country's partnership with the South Asian nation is going to be sustained.

The partnership between and the is not ending. It's going to be sustained, Biden told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in a joint media appearance with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

Our troops may be leaving, but support for is not ending in terms of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support, Biden said.

Ghani and Abdullah are on a visit to the US to meet Biden at the White House. The visiting leaders also held meetings with top officials of the Biden administration including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns and the top Congressional leadership.

As the US prepares its Afghan exit, Biden said the two visiting leaders have got very difficult jobs.

They are doing important work, trying to bring about unity among Afghan leaders -- across the board. Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want. But it won't be for lack of us being helped... The senseless violence, it has to stop, but it's going to be very difficult. But we're going to stick with you, and we're going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need, Biden said.

Ghani said the US is entering a new chapter of bilateral relations where the partnership would not only be military, but comprehensive regarding their mutual interest.

We are very encouraged and satisfied that this partnership is taking place. Thank you for ordering the priorities, he said.

The Afghan nation is at an 1861 moment, like President (Abraham) Lincoln rallying to the defence of the Republic, determined that the Republic is defended. It's a choice of values. The values of an exclusionary system or an inclusionary system. We're determined to have unity, coherence, national sense of sacrifice, and will not spare anything, he said.

The Afghan Defense and Security Forces have retaken six districts, both in the south and the north of the country. It's showing our determination. So, I hope that nobody does the Bernard Shaw on us. Exaggerating our debt before something has happened, he added.

Let us understand that in moments of great transition, things happen. But you will see that with determination, with unity, and with the partnership, we will overcome all odds, Ghani said.

Earlier at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Austin mentioned how the Department of Defense is deeply invested in the security and stability of and in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement. He reaffirmed the US commitment to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, especially the strong defence relationship.

After acknowledging the shared sacrifice of American and Afghan security forces, Austin stressed that the remains committed to continuing to provide critical security assistance to the Afghan national defense and security forces.

I am confident that as resolute support begins to wind down, we will make the transition to a new relationship with Afghanistan and the Afghan forces. One that continues to meet your responsibilities to your citizens, said Austin.

We will remain partners with the Afghan government and the Afghan military. And we will continue to work toward our common goal in a new and different way, he added.

In his remarks, Ghani noted the shift from war to peace and how the implications of this are profound. The Afghan leader said that in his discussions with the Congress, he respected the decision of withdrawing US forces.

Afghanistan is entering into a new phase of partnership, the false narrative of abandonment is just false. We have a lot together and love together and together we will accomplish.

Ghani said Afghanistan is entering its 1861 moment when President Lincoln entered a besieged Washington and ultimately saved the United States. Afghanistan has a similar approach. The republic has strong roots in support but actually together we will be able to do it.

He acknowledged that the situation presents challenges but noted new developments today in opening the northern routes and significant progress has been made as the will and the capacity is there."



"It's a question of making sure in the discussions that we have with you that we get the operational issues right," Ghani added.

In a fact sheet, the White House later said the US will continue to provide assistance through its enduring partnership with Afghanistan to promote a peaceful and stable future that the Afghan people want and deserve.

Our strong support and partnership is designed to prevent Afghanistan from ever again being used as a safe haven for terrorism; maintain Afghan stability and build self-reliance; promote economic growth; preserve social gains in education, health and women's empowerment and the rule of law; protect the rights of women, girls, and minorities; bolster Afghan civil society; and respond to humanitarian needs, the White House said.

Since 2002, the US has provided nearly USD 88 billion in security assistance, USD 36 billion in civilian assistance, including USD 787 million specifically intended to support Afghan women and girls, and nearly USD 3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, it further said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With closure of Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong, businesses including tech, and are in fear of the possible end of their businesses in the city as China tightens its grip on a city.

Michelle Toh from CNN in her report said that has for decades been a critical hub for foreign businesses looking to engage with China. While Beijing largely regulates how overseas do business in the mainland, offered them the ability to operate without heavy restrictions on investment and other operations.

organizations have traditionally had greater freedom in than in the mainland, where Beijing's state-run publications are omnipresent and where foreign outlets have strict rules to follow on how they employ journalists. Tech firms, too, face major roadblocks in mainland China, with like Google effectively cut out altogether.

But Beijing has been moving aggressively to bring Hong Kong into line since 2019, when mass pro-democracy demonstrations broke out across the city. The national security law was the most obvious symbol of that tightening, raising questions about the city's future as an business center -- particularly for or tech that deal with delicate or contentious information.

Stefan Schmierer, managing partner at Ravenscroft & Schmierer, a Hong Kong-based law firm that advises companies said: "If you have sensitive data, and if you don't want that sooner or later the Hong Kong police is standing in front of your door, take your sensitive data out of Hong Kong."

Some firms have already reduced their presence in Hong Kong because of the political upheaval. Last summer, The New York Times moved its digital news operation for Asia from Hong Kong to Seoul, citing the potential impact of the security law, CNN reported.

Investing advice website Motley Fool and TikTok also pulled out from the city. Big Tech players have also expressed reservations. Last July, Facebook (FB), Google (GOOGL) and Twitter (TWTR) said that they would pause the review of requests for user data from the city's government.

Last year, the German Chamber of Commerce wanted to host a seminar in Hong Kong on the national security law, but couldn't find any law firms willing to participate, according to Schmierer.

Kevin Lai, Chief economist for Asia excluding Japan at Daiwa Capital Markets, said he had also noticed a shift among fellow analysts and economists, adding that many have been "more quiet than in the past." "There may have been some self censorship," he said.

Last December, HSBC (HBCYF) faced scrutiny after Hong Kong police froze the bank accounts of former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui and his family after Hui announced he was going into exile. Police alleged that Hui misappropriated funds raised through a crowdfunding campaign, claiming that he violated the national security law by colluding with foreign powers to undermine national security. HSBC said at the time that it had "to abide by the laws of the jurisdiction in which we operate."

But the incident led to a furore among foreign politicians, and HSBC CEO Noel Quinn was summoned to appear before British lawmakers for questioning in January.

The bank has continued to experience tension in Hong Kong, its biggest market. This week, for example, the bank was forced to apologize to customers in the city after confusion over a reported change to its terms of service.

Almost exactly one year after the introduction of Chinese national security law, tabloid Apple Daily was forced to close down this week after its journalists were arrested and millions of dollars in assets were frozen. A dramatic police raid on its newsroom, a government notice served on its headquarters and the seizing of bank accounts stoked fears about press freedom and property rights.

(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 group of influential US lawmakers on Friday urged the Biden administration to take all necessary steps to prevent the deportation of 'documented dreamers'.

They are estimated to number around 200,000, a significant majority of whom are kids of H-1B visa holding Indian professionals who are on the Green Card waiting list, that as of now is expected to last for several decades.

Congresswoman Deborah Ross and Indian American Congressman Dr Ami Bera led the group of 36 of their Congressional colleagues in the House of Representatives in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in this regard.

The letter urges the DHS to strengthen protection for children and young adults who have grown up in the as dependents of long-term work visa holders -- a group known as the documented dreamers.

Specifically, the letter recommends updating DACA criteria to include documented dreamers and adjusting the way that Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines an individual's age when he or she files for adjustment of status in order to protect more documented dreamers from aging out of the system.

The letter comes a week after a group of Indian youngsters from across US, facing imminent prospects of deportation, lobbied with lawmakers at the Capitol Hill and met senior Biden administration officials at the White House appealing them to "let us stay in the US".

Our nation benefits immensely from immigrants who come to work in fast-growing fields in technology, medicine, engineering, and so many others, said Congresswoman Ross. The children of these workers, known as documented dreamers, grow up in the and are American in every way except on paper, she said.

We must ensure that these talented young people and their families are treated with dignity and respect, she asserted.

Like communities across the US, Sacramento County is home to H-1B and other long-term visa holders who are neighbours, friends, educators, scientists, engineers, and doctors, and who contribute immensely to the country, said Congressman Bera.

Yet, around 200,000 children of non-immigrant visa holders, who know America as their only home, are at risk of having to self-deport' to a country that is not home and be separated from their families because of decades-long backlogs in the immigrant visa system, he said.

As a nation of immigrants, it is not who we are to turn our backs on those who call America home. That's why I'm proud to join Representative Ross in leading House Members in calling on the Biden administration to take action to provide protection for young people who have grown up in the United States as dependents of non-immigrant visa holders, Bera said.

In the letter, the lawmakers write that like dreamers, many of these individuals often referred to as Documented Dreamers were raised in this country, completed their education in the American school system, and graduated with degrees from American institutions of higher education.

As STEM graduates, high performing students, and essential workers, they contribute significantly to our nation. However, due to the decades-long backlogs in the immigrant visa system, many of these individuals will turn 21, and age out of eligibility for their temporary visa status and for permanent resident status before they can complete the process. Others, such as the dependents of E-1 and E-2 non-immigrants, have no path to permanent residence.

When these individuals turn 21, if they are unable to change to a temporary status independent of their parent, they must make the untenable choice of remaining here with their families without status or returning to their country of birth alone, the lawmakers said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President on Friday (local time) said that he warned US President that Washington's move of withdrawing troops will have consequences for both sides, though he did not ask Biden to delay the withdrawal.

"President Biden's decision is a transformational decision that is going to have consequential results both for the people of and for the people of the in the region," Ghani said during remarks in Washington, reported Sputnik.

Ghani further said that discussions with the US have been very productive and countries in the region should "bet" on the Afghan government to remain in power, not on other forces. He said that Biden has made clear that the will continue to provide security and humanitarian assistance to

Furthermore, the Afghan President announced that Afghan security forces have taken back a number of districts that had fallen to the Taliban in southern and northern Afghanistan. Ghani called on the Taliban for a ceasefire and to return to the political process.

"The Afghan government needs to manage the consequences that will emerge after the US withdrawal and the Afghan people must rise to the challenge," he said.

Biden and Ghani met at the White House as US troops are leaving Afghanistan after over two decades of military operations there. The has already withdrawn more than half of its troops from Afghanistan and expects to largely complete by July, well ahead of the September 11 deadline, Sputnik reported.

The White House on Friday announced a series of measures to provide assistance to the South Asian country amid troop withdrawal, including donating three million doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to the people of Afghanistan through the COVAX facility.

Additionally, the United States Agency for Development (USAID) is also supporting Afghan efforts to respond to the critical shortfalls in oxygen and medical ventilation support by providing emergency and structural assistance.

Biden had earlier announced that the US will start its final withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on May 1 and complete its pullout ahead of the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The withdrawal could be well ahead of the deadline.

(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 Scott DiSavino

NEW YORK (Reuters) - climbed to their highest since October 2018 on Friday, putting both benchmarks up for a fifth week in a row on expectations demand growth will outstrip supply and OPEC+ will be cautious in returning more crude to the market from August.

Brent futures rose 62 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $76.18 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 75 cents, or 1.0%, to $74.05.

Those were the highest closes for both benchmarks since October 2018 and put both contracts up over 3% for the week.

"Crude prices rallied on an improving demand outlook and over expectations the market will remain tight as OPEC+ is likely to only deliver a small boost to output at the July 1st ministerial meeting," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA.

All eyes are on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and allies - together called OPEC+ - who are due to meet on July 1 to discuss further easing of their output cuts from August.

"The producer group has ample space to boost supply without derailing the drawdown in oil stocks, given the rosier demand outlook," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

On the demand side, the key factors OPEC+ will have to consider are strong growth in the United States, Europe and China, bolstered by vaccine rollouts and economies reopening, according to analysts who said this was countered by rising COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in other places.

The prospect of sanctions on Iran being lifted and more of its oil hitting the market anytime soon has dimmed, with a U.S. official saying serious differences remain over a range of issues over Tehran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

The lack of an interim agreement between the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran on the monitoring of atomic activities is a serious concern that has been communicated to Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.

Iran has not responded to the U.N. nuclear watchdog on extending a monitoring agreement that expired overnight, the agency said on Friday, hours after Washington warned that not prolonging it would harm efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

"If an Iran agreement is not reached by July 1, we anticipate OPEC+ returning to month-by-month quota setting and announcing a modest production increase for August at its meetings next week," analysts at ClearView Energy Partners LLC said in a report.

Meanwhile, the number of U.S. oil rigs, an early indicator of future output, fell one to 372 this week, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Co. Despite that small decline, the rig count gained 13 in June, its 10th monthly rise and increased 48 in the second quarter, its third consecutive quarterly rise.

(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Koustav Samanta in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Louise Heavens)

(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.)
America's former National Security Advisor (NSA), John Bolton on Friday said that is directly responsible for the Taliban's return to power.

He blamed Islamabad for supporting the and providing them safe havens in during the past two decades, reported The Khaama Press.

"Parts of the Pakistani government are directly responsible for the Taliban's return to power", Bolton said in an interview with the Voice of America (VOA), reported The Khaama Press.

Pakistan's intelligence and other internal circles have been in contact with the for decades, Bolton added.

As the deadline for the evacuation of the US troops approaches and the has overrun numerous districts across Afghanistan, Bolton blamed for being "a safe haven for the Taliban" and supporting them against the US and Afghan forces attacks. "I am concerned about the future consequences", he expressed concern.

At the same time, Bolton warned Pakistan that "if the Taliban seizes the power in Afghanistan, it will also be a threat to Pakistan as the terrorist pressure on the Pakistani government will increase".

Bolton highlighted the proposal of senior US senator, Jim Inhofe, who is also the ranking member in the Senate Armed Services Committee. He has proposed an alternative to a complete military withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving at least a limited number of troops in Afghanistan.

"The complete withdrawal of forces will weaken the morale of the Afghan government and army", Bolton further added.

When asked about the meeting of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani with his counterpart Joe Biden, he stated that "this trip will be the last opportunity for the Afghan government to try to encourage President Biden to gradually provide more time for other signs of continued US support if he does not alter his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan." "The meeting is really important for the future of Afghanistan", he emphasised.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, accompanied by Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the High National Council for Reconciliation Chief, Amrullah Saleh, the first Vice President, Hamdullah Mohib, the National Security Advisor, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adela Raz, Afghan Representative in UN, Shahrzad Akbar, the head of Human Rights Commission, Fatima Gailani and Habiba Sarabi, the two female members of Afghanistan negotiating team, left for Washington this Wednesday, reported The Khaama Press.

Meanwhile, after the meeting between US President Joe Biden, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, the White House on Friday announced a series of measures to provide assistance to the South Asian country amid troop withdrawal.

In a fact-sheet, the White House said: "Our strong support and partnership is designed to prevent Afghanistan from ever again being used as a safe haven for terrorism, maintain Afghan stability and build self-reliance, promote economic growth, preserve social gains in education, health and women's empowerment and the rule of law, protect the rights of women, girls, and minorities, bolster Afghan civil society, and respond to humanitarian needs.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Amid political turmoil in the state, president DK Shivakumar on Friday welcomed new leaders to the party and advised them not to indulge in groupism.

While speaking with the reporters at the Party office, Shivakumar said, "Whoever comes from other parties and joins needs to follow the party's ideology, instead of indulging in groupism."

Shivakumar advised leaders to make public statements in favour of a 'person' instead of the party. Shivakumar made this statement after several leaders like Zameer Ahmad, Bheema Naik, Kampli Ganesh, Akhanda Srinivas Murthy and S Ramappa said Siddaramaiah must be the next chief minister of the state.

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday had asked MLAs not to make public statements and project him as the chief ministerial candidate for the 2023 assembly polls, even as there is a perceived split within the party on the issue with factions loyal to him and state unit president Shivakumar.

Shivakumar on Friday also said that they need to follow the guidelines of the Congress party. "Worshiping a person or creating groupism doesn't serve the purpose of the party," he said.

Shivakumar also sternly said that this behaviour cannot be accepted at any point in time and trying to make groups in the Congress Party cannot be tolerated. He also asked party leaders to be cautious when welcoming anybody to Congress party.

Earlier on Friday, Shivakumar slammed the Centre for not taking the COVID-19 vaccination drive seriously in the country. In a tweet, he wrote, "Black fungus refuses to go away. Delta Plus has arrived, as if to assure us there will be a third wave. April and May were a nightmare,but did June really bring a new dawn? This suffering and uncertainty is the price we are paying for the Govt not taking vaccination seriously."

"I wish I could give you false hope but the pace of vaccination in is just not fast enough to prevent a third wave. We need to go faster, higher, stronger," the Congress president tweeted.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): leader has ramped up efforts to resolve the crisis in Punjab and he is continuously meeting Punjab MLAs, MPs and prominent leaders at his residence.

On Friday, the leaders who reached Rahul Gandhi's residence to attend a meeting included Vijendra Singla, Rana Gurjit Singh, RS MP Shamsher Singh Dhillon, and MLA Lakhvir Singh.

also met a few leaders from Punjab in the evening.

Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dhillon while speaking to the media said that the meeting was held to resolve clashes in the Punjab Congress and added that decisions were made to strengthen the party in the upcoming elections in the state.

Gandhi on Wednesday met many senior Punjab leaders including Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, and Harish Rawat in Delhi amid escalating infighting in the party's state unit.

According to sources Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu will be called by the panel very soon.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh during his recent three-day visit to Delhi did not meet Sonia Gandhi and

A three-member panel had been set up by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi to end factionalism in the party's Punjab unit.

The state is crucial for Congress as it is one of the few states where the party is in power and the outcome will have an impact on the party's prospects outside the state as well.

Assembly elections in Punjab are scheduled to take place next year.

(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.)
and were on Friday adjudged joint winners of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry's Award 2020, while secured the first position in the state awards category, tailed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The awards were given based on a range of themes like social aspects, governance, culture, urban environment, sanitation, economy, built environment, water and urban mobility.

In 2019, was the only winner among

This is the first time that states have also been awarded for the overall performance of

The ministry also announced joint winners under the COVID innovation category -- Kalyan-Dombivali and Varanasi.

The awards were announced on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), the Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).

Chandigarh bagged the award for union territories, while won the "Innovative Idea Award".

According to the ministry, Ahmedabad bagged the 'Smart Cities Leadership Award', followed by Varanasi and Ranchi in the second and third spots respectively.

The top nine performing cities which have been awarded a 4-star rating are Surat, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Vijayawada, Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Vadodara.

Of the total proposed projects Under the Smart Cities Mission, 5,924 projects worth Rs 1,78,500 crore have been tendered so far, and work orders have been issued for 5,236 projects worth Rs 1,46,125 crore, the ministry said in a statement.

It also said that 2,665 projects worth Rs 45,080 crore have been fully completed and are operational (as on 23 June 2021).

The statement said that under PMAY (Urban), about 1.12 crore houses have so far been sanctioned for its beneficiaries, out of which more than 83 lakh houses are grounded and more than 50 lakh completed.

Around 105 lakh household tap water connections and 78 lakh sewer or septage connections have so far been provided under AMRUT and in convergence with other schemes, it added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Micro-blogging site is working to make it possible to sign in to your account through a connected Account.

As discovered by app investigator Jane Wong, is looking into enabling Account integration, 9To5Google reported.

For years, has offered a way for apps to let their users sign up or log in with nothing more than their Google Account, saving the step of needing to fill in basic information like your name and email address or even picking a password.

In a screenshot of the enabled feature, Twitter's sign-in page on the web shows "Sign up", "Log in" and a third option, "Continue with Google".

Presumably, this button will allow you to attach your Google Account to an existing account, create a new Twitter account with your Google Account details or login to your Twitter account if you've already associated it with your Google Account.

According to tot the report, there are ups and downs to signing in through a service like Sign In with Google.

On the plus side, it's more convenient to only need to remember one password and much faster.

However, if your Google Account should be compromised in any way, an attacker would then also have access to your Twitter account. Or, if your account were ever banned, you'd be unable to get into Twitter, the report said.

--IANS

vc/in

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI/PNN): While the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has uprooted major business sectors in the country, genuine providers who assist overseas student applicants appear to still be thriving. Indian students continue to express their desire to pursue their "study abroad" dreams both at the undergraduate and master's levels despite (or perhaps because of) the Covid-related challenges for the past year and a half. Surprisingly, many of them have continued to add exciting academic and co-curricular accomplishments to their resume, even in these times of unprecedented challenges, in order to ensure that they are competitive as applicants to their best-ranked programs and universities in their fields of choice.

As an overseas education consultancy, with a 100 percent track record of success, eduVelocity has offices in Delhi and Chandigarh but works with students from across India and the world including California, Toronto, Penang, Singapore, Italy, Dubai, and elsewhere. With a collective experience of 50+ years, the entity aims to help young, bright, and talented undergraduate and graduate students find -- and receive admissions and scholarship offers from -- their best-fit programs at renowned universities across more than 16 different countries in order to fully realise their potential to make a difference within their chosen fields and communities.

From engineers and computer enthusiasts to economists, industrial and graphic designers, psychologists, fashion designers and marketers, creative writers, lawyers, musicians, and so on... EV's Class of 2021 includes undergraduate and postgraduate students with extremely diverse interest areas and backgrounds, personalities, and personal aspirations about shaping global careers for themselves. For almost 7 years now, under the leadership of Vinu Warrier who possesses more than 25 years of experience in the field of overseas education, eduVelocity has been successful in fetching excellent offers and scholarships for various programs from top-ranked universities. Warrier was recently awarded the Best Education Counselor in 2020 at the International Education Awards (virtual), organized by KitesKraft Productions (@iesa 2020) for his outstanding work with and mentorship of students and his team.

"I cannot think of a more meaningful way of spending our time than in helping bright talented young students finding good homes across the globe where they may fully realize their potential to make a difference in the world. I am so very proud of our Class of 2021, who have worked so hard, despite the extraordinary challenges posed by the pandemic, to secure such amazing results" said Vinu Warrier, Founder & Managing Partner, eduVelocity Global.

This year, even as the pandemic continues to rage, EV will graduate 102 students; 79 undergraduate and 23 postgraduate students who are waiting to enter top-notch universities abroad. The students have bagged 584 admissions offers and scholarships worth USD 5638133 (INR 392249260) from universities across India, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany.

Beyond assisting in the overall admissions procedure, the various counseling services at EV enhance students' personalities. Despite the pandemic, profile building for the EV's Class of 2021 was successfully completed through virtual MUNs, such online events as eduVelocity Global Business Challenge (a social entrepreneurship competition), job shadowing and internship experiences, various research projects and paper publications, Massive Open Online Courses, webinars, international third party collaborations and knowledge sessions for prospective students overseas.

The recently held eduVelocity Global Business Challenge 2021 was conducted using virtual interactions for the different rounds. High schoolers were encouraged to showcase their entrepreneurial minds and develop their knowledge and experience of enterprise. Consisting of 16 teams, the event had students competing for the top spot with innovative and sustainable business ideas along with a positive social and environmental benefit.

This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)

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Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], June 26 (ANI/SRV Media): Rawmatt Industries Private Ltd is leading the alternate fuel technology by commissioning the first Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) station in Nagpur.

In an attempt to focus on the adoption of LCNG to enable safe and eco-friendly public transport, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has awarded the contract to convert 350 diesel buses into CNG to Rawmatt Industries.

Helmed by Kaustubh Gupta, Rawmatt Industries has pioneered CNG tractor technology and successfully launched India's first CNG tractor in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Dharmendra Pradhan, Gen VK Singh and Purshottam Rupala in Delhi.

The company has joined hands with Tomasetto Achille India, a leading CNG kits manufacturer and original equipment supplier to Hyundai, to develop components for alternate fuel technology as per ISO 15500 standards. Rawmatt Industries has also signed a joint venture with Tata Power for the installations of electric charging units in Rawmatt's retail outlets. Additionally, the company has partnered with Advantek India to install LNG stations in Raipur, MSRTC, and other states of India.

Furthermore, Rawmatt Industries is engaged in the retro-fitment of in-use diesel vehicles into the CNG mode of operation. The company also has its in-house technical manpower to support all required conversions. The services of Rawmatt Industries include providing and guaranteeing conversion equipments with all necessary approvals, licenses, and certifications. The company is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and accountability, thereby investing heavily in equipment and conversion services to ensure quality conversion and savings on fuels as per agreed terms.

Currently, Rawmatt Industries has two operating stations located at Automotive Square and Wadi in the Vidarbha region. The company will soon set up three new LCNG stations at Khapri, Hingna, and Pardi; making it five LCNG stations in Nagpur. It is exponentially expanding its base in Central India due to the high demand for environment-friendly fuel in the region. CNG is a popular choice of fuel in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Gujarat.

Kaustubh Gupta, CEO, Rawmatt Industries said, "At Rawmatt Industries, it is our aim to strengthen India's CNG program, contribute to cleaner air and pave way for a greener, cleaner and healthier future. We are working and investing in latest technology to offer the best solutions to our customers. Going forward, we want to keep expanding our customer base and continue as one of most enterprising start-ups of Vidharbha."

Kaustubh Gupta is an experienced CEO with an established history of experience in the oil and energy industry. A second generation entrepreneur, Kaustabh is the son of industrialist Padmesh Gupta. Kaustubh has a Bachelor's Degree focused in Business Administration, Management and Operations from James Cook University and known for his expertise in business development.

He is also the Advisor to MRN group, the largest ethanol producer in India for the installation of Bio CNG plants. He has been working with Nagpur Municipal Corporations to process municipal waste to energy and Bio-CNG; including converting farm waste to fuel.

Further, Kautubh is working with UBER as well to create a market for CNG automobiles in Chennai, Kolkata, and Nagpur. He has received the Business Idol of Maharashtra from Sakal Media Ltd in recognition for his work.

Rawmatt Industries Pvt. Ltd. is working towards its vision to make India's air free of pollution by extending its services in diversified areas like automotive, hospitality, residential, industrial areas, and in places like crematoriums, educational institutions, religious places, and many more.

To know more visit (http://rawmatt.in/)(http://rawmatt.in/)

This story is provided by SRV Media. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV Media)

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(Nikkei Asia)  South Koreas Posco said Friday it will form a joint venture to manufacture automotive steel in China with HBIS Group, the countrys second-biggest steel producer.

Each side will invest $300 million into the 50-50 venture, constructing a plant that makes galvanized steel sheets to supply Chinas growing auto industry.

We will establish our competitive advantage in the worlds largest automotive steel market through the joint venture, Posco Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said.

Construction of the plant in Tangshan, a city near Beijing, will begin in January, with completion due at the end of 2023. The facility will produce 900,000 tons of galvanized steel sheets a year.

A Posco plant in Chinas Guangdong province produces 450,000 tons of automotive steel sheets yearly. This factory will be absorbed by the joint venture, the company said.

Global automakers are building and expanding assembly plants in China. Posco, South Koreas leading steelmaker, has joined forces with a bitter rival to boost the local capacity. The company operates similar manufacturing joint ventures in Indonesia, Vietnam and elsewhere.

HBIS is the worlds third-largest crude steel producer, churning out 43.76 million tons last year, World Steel Association data shows. Posco ranks sixth at 40.58 million tons.

This story was first published in Nikkei Asia.

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John Garrod, of Arvada, stands holding a blue line flag at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars lined up for a procession in honor of the officer who was fatally shot in Arvada, Colo., on Monday, June 21, 2021. A gunfight between two men and police officers at a shopping district in a Denver suburb left an officer and one of the suspects dead, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Colleen Slevin)
President Joe Biden, with a bipartisan group of senators, speaks Thursday June 24, 2021, outside the White House in Washington. Biden invited members of the group of 21 Republican and Democratic senators to discuss the infrastructure plan. From left are, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Biden, Sen, Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
This graphic explains the risks to public and environmental health posed by runoff from concentrated animal feeding operations. The Carteret County-area branch of Coastal Carolina Riverwatch has launched a program to address water quality. (Noah Weaver graphic)
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announces a cash drawing incentive along with college scholarships to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates, during a news briefing on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP)
Canada sees itself as a country putting Peace, Order and Good Government (POGG) above everything else. As in other former possessions of the British Empire, those principles were enshrined in what is now called the Constitution Act of 1867, laying groundwork for smooth operations between federal and provincial governments. Statements of POGG may make some patriotic hearts beat faster around Canada Day, but many seem unable to come to grips with true facts. My humble suggestion is that we all would be better informed by spending a little more time studying Canadian history, rather than with the likes of Britney Spears, the Kardashians and so many others who appear in lead stories on our news channels. After all, there are abundant media sources for those who enjoy celebrity gossip.



So many Canadians, from political leaders and media mavens to the Average Joe Sixpack and his Ordinary Jane, express shock at 751 unmarked graves on the grounds of former Marieval Indian Residential School, Saskatchewan, although it was inevitable after the similar discovery in Kamloops, British Columbia. There will be more discoveries as the ground penetrating radar machines work across the country, and this terrible tragedy came about mainly because back in the day political and church leaders believed that assimilation was the only way to attain POGG. Protesters deface and destroy statues of those involved in planning the schools, but it goes so much deeper when many of the deaths were attributed to epidemic tuberculosis. TB spread rapidly on crowded reserves in the 1930s and 1940s at the highest human recorded rate of 700 deaths per 100,000, yet in Residential Schools at that time the rates were as high as 8,000 per 100,000.



A career civil servant and extreme assimilationist called Duncan Campbell Scott ran the Residential School System with an iron fist from 1913 to 1932, and even coined that often-used phrase : The Indian Problem. Canadians who express shock today must finally uncork their ears, rub sleep from their eyes, get their feet firmly on the ground, and learn to accept truths that have been spoken for decades but seldom listened to. As recently as 1968 new Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau appointed young MP Jean Chretien as Minister of Indian Affairs, and they produced a White Paper on Indian Policy the following year. This was met with opposition from all sides, and even though withdrawn in 1970, it set the tone for future failures and hostility, but Chretien remained Indian Affairs Minister for six years and in politics for four decades. The last Residential School remained open until 1996, so within the upper echelons of todays Liberal Party there is plenty of blame to go around.



Bernie Smith
Photo: Contributed Skeena B.C. Liberal MLA Ellis Ross at a gathering in Terrace on June 21, 2021. (Binny Paul/Terrace Standard)

As some municipalities in B.C. cancel formal Canada Day events, Skeena BC Liberal MLA and party leadership candidate Ellis Ross is speaking out in disagreement.

Canada Day should not be cancelled because the holiday gives people an opportunity to unite, says Ross.

The term reconciliation means to bring two parties back together and if you cancel these public events, theres no opportunity to get the citizens back together. Its a symbolic way for us to say, Yes, there are issues that we had in the past, but together, we can go forward in the future.

Ross, former Haisla Nation chief councillor and a BC Liberal leadership candidate, says that some people use reconciliation to divide people in terms of the historic abuses of Indigenous people.

As the number of residential school grave sites being discovered increases across Canada, he says that theres going to be a whole range of emotions that come out  but theres more to come.

Ross is calling on leaders to be responsible with their language because it could lead to anger on both sides.

I dont want any acts of violence to be carried out on either side, to make up for what happened to Aboriginals, in the residential school system or the reserve system, he said. We dont need anger, that leads to violence  I dont think the real Aboriginal leaders in our communities want that either.

Ross parents attended residential school in Port Alberni, and he said as a young man there was a time when he was consumed by anger at the historic mistreatment of his people. Despite that, Ross says he cant live in the past which is a message he shares with Indigenous youth.

Youve got to go out there and build your future because your ancestors suffered too long for you to be you. So youve got to go and do something with your life, he said.

According to Ross, who was a key player in the lead up to what is now the LNG Canada project in Kitimat, the way forward is by creating a stronger economy and jobs in the province.

He said this could be a turning point in history if we do the right thing.

He offered the gathering that took place in his constituency on National Indigenous Peoples Day earlier this month as an example of citizens showing politicians the way to reconciliation.

Hundreds of people from several First Nations assembled in Terrace as a convoy of mostly non-Indigenous truckers arrived from Kitimat to honour the 215 children found in unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops.

That was the first time that Ive ever seen in public this raw emotion coming up from non-aboriginals that say, we understand your pain and we want to help you, and thats the whole meaning of reconciliation.
Photo: File photo

RCMP are investigating a double homicide in Richmond.

At approximately 8:40 p.m. Friday, police received a report of two victims suffering from gunshot wounds.

Officers quickly flooded the area of Westminster Highway and Barnard Drive and located the two victims, both of whom were dead.

Richmond RCMP requested the assistance of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team which has taken over the investigation.

In a press release, RCMP said there is no concern for public safety.

Police are currently in the evidence gathering phase, and they said no further information will be provided at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation can call the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected] To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Luca Pagura (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer) might be the main characters in the latest Pixar film, but the cat from the Luca movie is receiving quite a lot of attention. When Luca and Alberto befriended Giulia Marcovaldo (Emma Berman), they also met a terrifying yet eventually adorable cat named Machiavelli. It turns out that Disney didnt add the feline to the movie for merchandising purposes. So, is he inspired by a real-life cat from Italy, who now happens to have his face on Disney coffee mugs, t-shirts, pins, and a plush?

Emma Berman arrives at the world premiere for LUCA | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Machiavelli: That cat from the Luca movie

When a 13-year-old sea monster, Luca, met an adventurous friend, Alberto, the two boys set their sights on owning a vesper. Luckily, they ran into Giulia, who showed them the ropes to train for the Portorosso Cup Triathlon. However, when Luca and Alberto met Giulias father, Massimo Marcovaldo (Marco Barricelli), things got sticky.

Massimo is a fisherman and hunts for sea monsters like Luca and Alberto. Additionally, it seemed like his cat was the only one who suspected the truth about the two boys. Right after Machiavelli met the teens, he jumped on Luca and clawed him in the face. The burly white and black cat in the Luca movie resembled his owner, Massimo, and both seemed suspicious of the new boys.

RELATED: Luca Movie: Who Does Giacomo Gianniotti Play? Greys Anatomy Fans Cried Happy Tears

Luckily, Luca realized rather quickly that Machiavelli loves to eat fish. Fortunately, Luca and Alberto know the best place to find fish. Massimo was relieved when they returned later that day with a boat full of fish to sell. By the end of the movie, the cat came to love Luca and Alberto. Plus, viewers found out that Machiavelli met a female cat during the credits and had eight kittens. You might want to buy that plush now.

Did this Italian feline inspire the cat from the Luca movie?

Some fans thought that the cat from the Luca movie stemmed from the Internet celebrity feline, Grumpy Cat. However, if fans are correct, the inspiration for Machiavelli might give the Internet cat pop star a run for his money. Some fans believe that Pixar took the inspiration for the Luca cat from this feline named Seppia. The resemblance between Machiavelli and Seppia is striking.

This stray cat inspired Machiavelli from Luca, one fan wrote on Reddit. His name is Seppia, and he lives in Boccadasse (Genova).

Very thankful for this cat in 'Luca' making me laugh, otherwise I think I would've cried a lot more than I did https://t.co/cqguVSeA2V  TV Time (@tvshowtime) June 21, 2021

RELATED: Is Luca an LGBTQ Movie? How Similar Is It to Call Me by Your Name?

Seppias owner created social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook for the feline, and fans often tag the cat in Luca movie posts. However, the Redditor is incorrect about the stray cat story. Seppia is not a stray but a beloved pet. His owner shares her feelings about her feline on Instagram often.

Theres no proof that Seppia is the specific inspiration for the cat in the Luca movie. However, according to the Disney+ Fact Sheet, Pixar artists traveled to the Italian Riviera to gather research from the local environment. Since Seppia lives in Genoa, its possible that the artists found the adorable creature there and began sketching. According to the technical supervisor J. D. Northrup, the filmmakers did see plenty of cats in the fishing villages they visited.

We kept getting notes throughout the film to add cats into shots, Northrup commented in the fact sheet. It almost became a joke, Could we get some more cats?

Where did the director find the inspiration for Luca?

The story for Luca came straight from director Enrico Casarosas childhood in Genoa, Italy. Although the Italian storyboard artist and film director did not describe the cat in his inspiration for the Luca movie.

I had the luck of meeting my best friend, Alberto, when I was 11, Casarosa explained in a Luca YouTube featurette. He had a ton of passion and was consciously testing his own fears. I wonder if I would have had the courage to go and chase my career if animation, had I not met my best friend.

RELATED: How Old Is Luca, Alberto and Giulia in Luca? Their Real-Life Ages Might Surprise You

Casarosa wrote the story for Luca, and then the Pixar artists filled in the gaps with their travels to the Italian Riviera. According to the same Disney+ fun fact sheet mentioned above, the director treated the team to dinner at his parents home in Genoa during their trip. So, did they also meet the inspiration for the cat from the Luca movie while visiting? Its entirely possible.
The story is as bizarre as it is shocking: a mother accused of murdering her two children due to her involvement in a so-called doomsday cult. The case against Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell (also accused of murder) is still playing out in court. Bu that hasnt stopped Lifetime from tackling the story in its new movie, Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story.

Lori Vallows children disappeared in September 2019

Lori Vallow during a court appearance in March 2020 | East Idaho News via YouTube

Most people first heard of Vallow in Daybell in November 2019. Thats when relatives contacted authorities. They informed police that they had not seen Vallows two children, 7-year-old Joshua JJ Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, since September 2019.

When officers visited Vallows home in Rexburg, Idaho, she told them the kids were with family in Arizona. Shortly after that, she and Daybell vanished, later surfacing in Hawaii, where Vallow was arrested in February 2020 after failing to produce her children, ABC News reported.

The case of the missing kids attracted significant media attention, and also drew attention to the strange deaths of several other people in Vallow and Daybells lives, including Vallows estranged husband Charles Vallow, whom her brother Alex Cox shot and killed in July 2019. Cox himself died in December 2019. In addition, Daybells wife Tammy Daybell died in October 2019. He and Vallow married two weeks later.

As police searched for the children, Vallow and Daybells unusual beliefs also came under scrutiny. The couple were said to be preparing for end times. They also believed that some people were zombies or inhabited by evil spirits, KUTV reported. Reportedly, the pair became convinced that JJ and Tylee were zombies.

Lori Vallow is in a mental health facility

In June 2020, JJ and Tylees remains were discovered on Daybells property. He was arrested and charged with concealing and destroying evidence.

In May 2021, both Vallow and Daybell were each charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Tylee and JJ. Daybell was also charged with murdering his former wife Tammy, and Vallow was charged with conspiring to commit murder in her death. He is also charged with insurance fraud and she has been charged with grand theft for collecting her childrens Social Security payments after their deaths.

While Vallow has been charged with murder, an Idaho court has determined she is not currently competent to stand trial. Instead, she has been committed to a mental health facility, where she will undergo treatment for no more than 90 days, ABC News reported. During that time shell be periodically evaluated to determine if the case against her can proceed.

Meanwhile, the case against Daybell, who has pleaded not guilty, is moving forward. His trial will begin November 8, according to East Idaho News.

Lauren Lee Smith plays Lori Vallow in Doomsday Mom

How far will Lori go to protect her children? Find out Saturday when #DoomsdayMom: The Lori Vallow Story premieres at 8/7c pic.twitter.com/5yINsRqZIT  Lifetime (@lifetimetv) June 24, 2021

In Doomsday Mom, Lauren Lee Smith plays Lori Vallow. Marc Blucas portrays Chad Daybell. Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy also star.

A teaser for the movie shows Chad telling Lori that hes had a vision telling him Tylee and JJs souls need to be freed from this limbo that theyre trapped in.

Theyre not Tylee and JJ anymore, he says. Theyve been taken over by alien spirits. Theyve gone dark.

Doomsday Mom: The Lori Vallow Story premieres Saturday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

RELATED: Dateline: Lori Vallows Former Friend Says She Called Chad Daybell an Antichrist
Fans of the Duggar family know all about their courtships. Its no secret many of the Duggars choose to court young  and now, fans and critics alike are speculating on Jackson Duggar, one of the teens still living at Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars place. Heres why critics suspect Jackson could head into a courtship next.

Which Duggars are in a courtship now? Speculation surrounds Jana and Jeremiah Duggar

Jana Duggar talks about being 30 and single as the oldest daughter in familyhttps://t.co/Xkb6VI7VX3  TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 17, 2020

The Duggar familys kept a low profile since Josh Duggars arrest in April 2021. But fans and critics continue to speculate on potential courtships. So, which members of the family are in courtships currently? While no ones made any official announcements yet, fans speculate Jana and Jeremiah Duggar are both involved with members of the Wissmann family.

Jana still lives with her parents at 31 years old, and fans would love for her to get out and move forward on her own. It seems the only way shell leave the nest is if shes married  but that could be in her future. Jana and Stephen Wissmann, a pilot from Nebraska also from a large Christian family, allegedly spent time together starting at the end of 2020. Since then, fans and critics allegedly spotted them in various locations, adding more fuel to the courtship rumors.

Jeremiah also reportedly hangs out with the Wissmanns. The 22-year-old was allegedly spotted with Hannah Wissmann, Stephens younger sister. According to eagle-eyed fans, Jeremiah and Hannah spent time together at Justin Duggars wedding.

Duggar family critics think Jackson Duggar could be next

The Duggar family visits Extra at their New York studios | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra

Aside from rumors surrounding Jana and Jeremiah, will any of the other Duggar family members start courting in 2021? It seems critics think Jackson could be next.

At just 17 years old, Jackson seems quite young to consider marriage. But a courtship could certainly happen. A Reddit user found a photo posted by Hilary Spivey that shows Jackson hanging out with the rest of the Spivey family. Justin Duggar wed Hilarys daughter, Claire Spivey, in 2021.

Why is Jackson with the Spiveys now? a Reddit user asked. Potential courtship for Paige (second oldest Spivey daughter, I think shes like 14/15) and Jackson?

Others suspect Jackson isnt looking to be in a courtship anytime soon after all. Instead, he might just want to spend time with Justin, as they were close growing up.



I think Jackson and Justin were probably just close growing up  so he came to visit, another Reddit user guessed. Jackson is next in the birth order after Justin, so they probably miss each other.

Justin Duggar recently married at just 18 years old

Newlyweds Justin and Claire Duggar Share Update on Married Life as They 'Settle Down in Texas' https://t.co/L7ah36kLIE  People (@people) April 9, 2021

So, will Jackson end up just like Justin? Justin started courting Claire when he was 17, and he announced his engagement to her just a day after turning 18. Given Jacksons age and his proximity to the Spivey family, its possible he could follow this path.

Duggar family fans and critics called out Jim Bob and Michelle for allowing their kids to get married so young, too. But the parents chose to defend Justin for choosing to marry young. In a now-deleted comment on Instagram, they wrote, So far, our children have gotten married between the ages of 19 to 28. We always leave the decision of when to get married up to them as adults. We are so grateful for each of the Godly spouses they have chosen, and we are excited to cheer each of them on in life and in love!

It seems Justin and Claire are happily married despite their young ages. As for Jackson (and the rest of the Duggars rumored to court), well wait and see if the family announces anything.

TLC did not return a request for comment regarding Jackson Duggar courtship rumors by the time of publication.

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RELATED: Jana Duggar Wasnt Included in Wissmann Family Memorial Day Photo Despite Courtship Rumors
If youre looking for a turning point in how U.S. race relations were depicted in films, dont gaze past In the Heat of the Night. In the 67 Norman Jewison picture, Sidney Poitier plays Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia detective visiting his mother in the South. On his way back to Philly, Tibbs gets arrested, well, because hes Black. Then the plot heats up.

Poitier isnt just any Philly cop; hes a top detective in the homicide division. And the backwards cops of Sparta, Mississippi, needs his help solving the murder they arrested him for. Along the way, Tibbs ruffles the feathers of Eric Endicott (Larry Gates), the richest man in Sparta, who reacts by slapping Tibbs across the face.

So how does Tibbs  a Northerner visiting a place where Blacks were lynched  respond to that offense? In In the Heat of the Night, he smacks Endicott right back. Its an electric screen moment, and one of the reasons Poitier considered the film revolutionary. Later, Poitier said he wouldnt have made the film unless Tibbs smacked Endicott back.

Sidney Poitier believed In the Heat of the Night would ring false without Virgil Tibbs slapping Endicott

Larry Gates, Sidney Poitier, and Rod Steiger work in a scene from In The Heat Of The Night. | United Artist/Getty Images

In an interview for an AFI 100 presentation (via the Criterion Collection release of In the Heat of the Night), Poitier looked back on making the landmark film. During the development process, he gave producer Walter Mirisch and scriptwriter Stirling Silliphant feedback on various aspects of the story.

There were some flaws in the script that had to be corrected, Poitier said. I felt certain things were not appropriate in terms of the reality of the times. They acknowledged what I had to say and they made certain changes. That included the pivotal scene that features Tibbs standing his ground in a scenario in which he risked death.

I said to [Mirisch], In my life, whether Im a detective or not, and I dont care where I am, if such a thing happened to me, the likelihood is I would respond,' Poiter said in the interview. And my response would certainly not be to absorb it.' Indeed, Poitier considered Tibbs only possible response to be slapping Endicott back.

Now that was not designed to be a big social comment, Poitier continued. It was designed on the basis of a mans humanity. If it is offended in that way, [hed respond in kind]. Producers, already nervous about Southern theaters banning the film, worried about including the Tibbs slap. Yet if they didnt, Poitier said hed have walked.

Some reports say the Tibbs slap appeared in the original script

In the Heat of the Night a 1967 dramatic mystery film starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger | Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images

According to some accounts, Silliphant wrote the slap into the original In the Heat of the Night script. That would suggest Poitier later took credit for something the writer already planned to do. However, Mirisch recalled Poitier offering his feedback during the writing process.

As the script progressed, I arranged for Sydney, [Silliphant], and me to meet whenever advisable, Mirisch wrote in his 2008 memoir. We discussed current events, the civil rights movement, and the complexities of our characters and story.

That certainly seems to match Poitiers account. Either way, the slap didnt appear in the original novel by John Ball. And if Poitier said he wouldnt have made the film without it, you believe him. The actor took more than his share of chances making the picture. He hardly needed to exaggerate his input.
Any way you look at it, In the Heat of the Night (1967) represented a breakthrough in American movies. Two years before its release, the New York Times published an item on Academy Award winner Sydney Poitier signing on to play the lead in the Norman Jewison film. Poitier would be breaking ground, the Times noted.

The screen is about to have what is believed to be its first Negro detective hero, the Times reporter began. In an interview decades later (included in Ira Wells Norman Jewison: A Directors Life), Poitier didnt attempt to downplay the films importance. He said it was so fing revolutionary we dont realize it now.

Poitier wasnt by any means imagining his characters life on the screen. Hed experienced harassment at the hands of police as a young man and the intense racism Black people faced every day in the 60s (and beyond). At one point of the In the Heat of the Night shoot, Poitier reportedly slept with a gun under his pillow.

Rod Steiger said Sydney Poitier slept with a gun on the In the Heat of the Night shoot

Sidney Poitier holds a metal pipe as his character defends himself in a scene from In The Heat Of The Night, 1967. | United Artist/Getty Images

The year before Poitier agreed to play police detective Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, effectively banning discrimination in all public places. That meant the whites only signs seen throughout the South had to come down. But it obviously didnt end segregation.

So while Poitier agreed to work on a film set in the South, he didnt agree to film on location. Jewison and his crew needed to find a place in the North that could stand in for Mississippi. After an exhaustive search (detailed by Wells in A Directors Life), they found their spot in Sparta, Missouri.

But In the Heat of the Night still needed a cotton plantation for a key scene involving the wealthy town father Endicott (Larry Gates). Somehow, Jewison convinced Poitier to go to Tennessee for one week to shoot those scenes. And the response was about as expected. Pickup trucks full of drunk men circled the hotel where Poitier was staying.

Rod Steiger, who played Chief Bill Gillespie, recalled (via Wells) belligerent service when he and Poitier ate at a restaurant. Meanwhile, Steiger said he and his co-star slept in adjoining rooms in the hotel. At night, they kept the connecting door open. Steiger said Poitier slept in the next room with a gun under his pillow that week in Tennessee.

Producers didnt expect In the Heat of the Night to be shown in the South

Sidney Poitier hands a ring of keys to Warren Oates in a scene from the film In The Heat Of The Night, 1967. | United Artist/Getty Images

In his memoir, In the Heat of the Night producer Walter Mirisch spoke about the budget limitations he and Jewison faced with the picture. The issue boiled down to United Artists not wanting to investing a dollar more than it had to on a film that might not be shown in the South.

The United Artists executives were concerned many Southern theaters might not want to play the film for fear of creating racial unrest, Mirisch wrote in I Thought We Were Making Movies, not History. There might be picketing or disturbances that could result in violence.

Somehow, Mirisch managed to convince UA brass he could make a profit on the film even if it only played in the North. The production ran with a budget of $2 million in the end. When the film opened, it played in North and South alike, with none of the disturbances UA feared. The film won five Oscars and grossed over $20 million.
John Denver was one of the biggest names in the country music industry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and he created several famous and recognizable songs that are still loved to this day. Over his career, Denver released about 300 songs, earning him a hearty salary throughout his career.

John Denver | Paul Natkin/Getty Images

Learn more about Denvers net worth, where his money went after he died, and more about how he came to be in the spotlight.

What was John Denvers net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Denvers net worth was an estimated $60 million at the time of his death. Most of those earnings came from hundreds of songs he released, the 33 albums he created, and the tours he went on throughout his career.

Denver famously spent his money on all kinds of fun and luxury items, including fancy cars, mansions, airplanes, and more. His mansion in Aspen, Colorado was custom-built in the early 1970s, and its over 7,700 square feet on 2.61 rural acres. Denver Post reports that the home went up for sale in 1997, 2016, and again in 2019, when it was valued at $11 million.

He also prioritized giving to charity, and he founded The Hunger Project with the goal of eradicating chronic hunger. He also helped establish The Windstar Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on environmental education and research, and created another environmental foundation called Plant-It 2020 that encouraged people to plant trees when possible. Other projects he supported include Save the Children, Friends of the Earth, and The National Wildlife Federation, according to JohnDenver.com.

How did John Denver die?

Denver was an avid private aircraft pilot, and he had over 2,700 hours of flight experience according to History. On October 12th, 1997, took off from Pacific Grove airfield by himself and had fantastic weather for a flight.

Unfortunately, Denver was less familiar with the aircraft he was flying at the time, a Long-EZ aircraft that had control problems in the past. He lost control, and the plane crashed over Monterey Bay.

After Denver died unexpectedly at the age of 53, it was discovered that he did not have a will to distribute his assets. He had originally wanted his property to be made into an animal or environmental sanctuary, but because he didnt have his wishes outlined in a legal document, his ex-wife was named executor of his assets according to AmoMama. His ex-wife, Annie Martell divided his assets among his three children equally.

How did John Denver become famous?

After receiving an acoustic guitar from his grandmother when he turned 11, Denver practiced guitar enough to play at some local clubs in Texas while he was at Texas Tech University. He eventually dropped out of college and moved to Los Angeles where History Colorado reports that he joined the Mitchell Trio, a folk band, that was later called Denver, Boise, and Johnson.

In 1969, Denver went solo and released Rhymes & Reasons, his first album. He began touring on his own without the support of a record company, often playing free shows at coffee houses, colleges, and other such venues. He also went to various radio stations with his guitar and offered interviews and live performances, which helped him gain recognition.

His career peaked in the early 1970s with the release of his album Poems, Prayers & Promises, which featured the ever-popular single Take Me Home, Country Roads. This song skyrocketed to number two on the charts, and it gave Denver momentum for the next four years with his chart-topping hits Sunshine on my Shoulders, Im Sorry, and Annies Song.

RELATED: The Incredible Dr. Pol: The Vets Summer Playlist Will Make You Say Holy Moses!
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle might have only been working royals together for a short period of time, but the two women remain fashion icons in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Some might say the womens styles are quite different, but it turns out they share the same love for one fashion accessory.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton at Wimbledon in 2018 | Clive Mason/Getty Images

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle dont have the same style

When Meghan began dating Prince Harry, people inevitably started to compare her to Prince Williams wife, Kate Middleton. Kate had been a member of the royal family for seven years by the time Meghan married in, so the public was far more used to Kates presence. But it didnt take long for people to learn that Meghan wasnt going to be a carbon copy of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Meghan and Kate have always had different styles. Kates look is more proper and elegant  some might say its a bit out of reach and not relatable. Meghans, on the other hand, was always more business casual; she knew how to dress up, but she would occasionally wear jeans (such as on her tour of southern Africa). She often wore flowy, more relaxed dresses versus Kates more form-fitting style. Meghans outfits were generally more relatable.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton at Wimbledon in 2019 | Karwai Tang/Getty Images

RELATED: Kate Middletons Style Has Changed Drastically as She Prepares to Become Queen

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle both love Veja sneakers

Though Meghan and Kate dont always dress the same, there have been times when the two were able to wear a casual Friday outfit to a royal engagement. And during those times, they would often choose the same shoe: A pair of Veja sneakers.

The sneakers, which run only $120, became a staple in both womens wardrobes. Meghan was spotted wearing a pair in Australia during a 2018 visit with Prince Harry. Kate, on the other hand, sported the sneakers while visiting her alma mater, University of St Andrews, in May 2021. About a month later, Kate was spotted wearing the same shoes to a Museum of Natural History visit in London.

Its unclear which duchess started wearing the shoes first. Although Meghan and Kates styles might not be exactly the same, they clearly do take a page out of one anothers fashion books every once in a while.

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton wearing Veja sneakers on separate occasions | Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation; Samir Hussein/WireImage

RELATED: Meghan Markles Outfits Have Created The Meghan Effect  And It Changed One Designers Life

Kate Middleton seems to be dressing down more than usual

The Duchess of Cambridge is known for her high-fashion looks, but ever since the pandemic, Kate has seemed to take a more casual route. Her dresses on Zoom calls were feminine yet flowy, and shes attended a number of royal engagements in 2021 where she wore sneakers. The shoes were sometimes paired with a stylish blazer, or dressed down in more high-end athleisure apparel, versus her typical, more proper look. Though she is certainly still a fan of elegant designs, she appears to be relaxing her look a bit.
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have not been working members of the royal family since March 2020. However, they are still making headlines for what went on before they stepped down as senior royals.

One mystery over the years has been why Harrys wife left a scheduled appearance during a royal tour very abruptly after just a few minutes. Now, biographer and historian for Netflixs The Crown Robert Lacey, claims that the duchesss brief appearance and exit was a deliberate snub because she does not take rejection well.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the University of the South Pacific during their trip to Fiji | Phil Noble  Pool/Getty Images

Meghan left Fiji market after just a six minutes

In October 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex embarked on a 16-day trip to Australia, Fiji, and Tonga. The couple greeted fans and well-wishers just about everywhere they went and even spent more than the allotted 30 minutes shaking hands with the crowd during one walkabout. So when Meghan was scheduled to visit a market to meet vendors in Fijis capital city Suva for 20 minutes, it was surprising that she was whisked away after just six minutes.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson explained at the time that Meghans engagement was shortened slightly due to crowd management issues.

The engagement was reportedly deemed a security risk after thousands of people who waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the duchess showed up cheering and singing as she made her way through the market. But just before leaving, Meghan met with members of the U.N. Markets for Change project which seeks to promote a safe and inclusive environment for women vendors in the South Pacific nations. And now its being claimed that had something to do with her abrupt exit.

Local people were eagerly waiting for the Duchess of Sussex at the Suva Market. They were so excited for her arrival that they got together as a group started singing.#RoyalVisitFiji pic.twitter.com/W3u91ZxCKN  UK in Fiji (@ukinfiji) October 24, 2018

Royal author says duchess did it to snub U.N., she doesnt take rejection well

In the updated edition of his biography Battle of Brothers, Lacey said Meghan had a grudge against U.N. Women, the organization hosting her visit to the market. According to an extract from his book, Lacey said the duchess was not happy that the U.N. Women did not make her a goodwill ambassador several years ago and only agreed to carry out the engagement if all of the U.N. Women branding was removed.

The Express noted that Lacey wrote: She had rubbed shoulders with the likes of Hillary Clinton and actor Kiefer Sutherland and might have hoped to join U.N. Womens distinguished roster of goodwill ambassadors that included celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Emma Watson. But in those pre-Harry days U.N. Women only assigned the cable TV actress the lesser role of advocate.

Lacey also claimed that a screenwriter from Los Angeles, who was close to associates of the former Suits star, told him: [Meghan] is nice and smiley as can be until you step in her way, or dont give her what she hopes for. Then she can be remorseless  heaven help you Meghan does not cope well with what she perceives as rejection.

Meghan Markle attends an official welcome ceremony and unveiling of a statue during Fiji trip | Karwai Tang/WireImage

A palace aide gave another reason Meghan left the market early

But there is also another account from that day that a palace aide pointed to as the reason Meghans visit was cut so short. The aide pointed to the fact that Meghan was pregnant with Archie during that trip to Fiji and blamed the heat for the duchesss decision to leave after only a few minutes.

It was hot, humid and uncomfortably busy and there were far larger crowds than expected, the aide said.

RELATED: Meghan Markle Was Wrong; She and Harry Will Have to Make a Major Decision for Children When Prince Charles Is King
Prince Charles has brought the receipts after Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, claimed they were cut off. The Prince of Wales has released details of his royal accounts from 2020. They prove he spent a substantial sum on his son and daughter-in-law months after their royal exit.

Prince Charles and Prince Harry | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Prince Charles youngest son surprised the royal family with a public announcement

In January 2020, Harry and Meghan released a statement that told the world they were planning to step down as working senior royals. Dubbed Megxit by the media, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex explained their intent to pursue their own business ventures and become financially independent.

While Queen Elizabeth was aware of Harry and Meghans desire to change their role in The Firm, the royal family was not expecting the Sussexes to make their announcement when they did. No deal had been worked out, leaving things like finances, security, and housing in question.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle claimed they were cut off in the first quarter of 2020

While Meghan and Archie Harrison ran away to Canada, Harry stayed behind for the Sandringham Summit with the queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William. The royals reportedly put together a one-year plan for Harry and Meghans exit, with their official departure date being March 31, 2020.

Harry told Oprah Winfrey during a sit-down interview earlier this year that the royal family literally cut me off financially in the first quarter of 2020. The Duke of Sussex also claimed that he and his wife had to live off the money that Princess Diana had left Harry when she died.

But according to royal accounts, Prince Charles was spending millions on Harry and Meghan all the way through the summer.

Prince Charles shows proof he spent a substantial sum on Harry and Meghan

The Daily Mail is reporting that Prince Charles has released the royal accounts to the public. And, they prove that the future king spent 4.4million from a Clarence House pot to support both of his sons.

Harry and Meghan were listed as recipients of money from Charles Duchy of Cornwall income after they officially quit the monarchy in March 2020. In a statement from Clarence House, a spokesperson for Prince Charles explained that he had set aside a substantial sum for Harry and Meghans transition away from the family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now financially independent

The Clarence House spokesperson said, As well all remember, in January 2020 when the duke and duchess announced that they were going to move away from the working Royal Family, the duke said that they would work towards becoming financially independent.

The Prince of Wales allocated a substantial sum to support them with this transition. That funding ceased in the summer of last year. The couple are now financially independent.

Prince Charles wont be in London when Prince Harry arrives

Harry claimed during his Oprah interview that Prince Charles stopped taking his calls. He noted that he would always love his father. But, he admitted theres a lot of hurt thats happened. Still, Harry says its a priority for him to try and heal that relationship.

But it appears that theres still a lot of tension between father and son. Harry will be returning to London soon for a statue unveiling at Kensington Palace. The statue will honor Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday, July 1.

Prince Harry Arrives in the U.K. Ahead of Princess Diana Statue Unveiling at Kensington Palace https://t.co/9dRWCW43n0  People (@people) June 25, 2021

RELATED: Prince Charles Foresaw Considerable Problems When It Came to Meghan Markle Joining The Firm

However, Charles will not be in London while Harry is in town. According to Marie Claire, the Prince of Wales will leave the boys to it, in reference to the statue unveiling.

Charles has made it quite clear he will not be around beyond that because he is going to Scotland. There is no planned meeting between the three of them, the source shared.
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Author of Hope Always: How to Be a Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide

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Matthew Sleeth, MD, a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff, resigned from his position to teach, preach, and write about faith and health. Dr. Sleeth is the executive director of Blessed Earth and author of numerous articles and books, including Hope Always: How to Be a Force for Live in a Culture of Suicide , below our Q & A.

Ed: Weve heard suicide described as an epidemic in the U.S. Would you share some of the facts about the prevalence of this issue among Americans today?

Matthew: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 34-year-olds.

Its the tenth leading cause of death in adults.

Females are twice as likely to attempt suicide.

Males are four times as likely to die by suicide.

Over the past two decades, suicide rates have risen about 35 percentand thats not counting the people who die by overdose. When people take fentanyl (which is 50 times more potent than heroin) or carfentanil (which is 10,000 times more potent than heroin), they areat bestambivalent about waking up the next morning. If we include overdose deaths and adjust for medical advances over the past century (overdose-reversing drugs, antidepressants, 911, and ER systems, etc.), our suicide rate would be at least twenty times higher than it was during the Great Depression.

We are experiencing the greatest depression the world has ever known.

And while murders dominate our headlines, most people dont realize that there are 2.5 times more suicides in the U.S. than homicides.

These facts should serve as a wake-up call for the church. God is always for life, never for death. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God put eternity in our hearts. Satan is the one who says we shouldnt even try to make it through the day.

Our Father never, ever, ever wants us to choose death. Jesus died on the cross so that we would have life and have it more abundantly. It is in the nature of God that we share that message, and it is in Satans nature that we hide it.

Ed: What is the message that would be helpful to church leaders regarding the subject of depression and suicide?

Matthew: I can think of at least four ways Hope Always is different:

1. God has planted me in the saving lives business, first as a secular physician and much later in life as a pastor. As a result, I speak three languages fluently: medical, secular, and Christian. The goal is to building bridges rather than separates people. 2. I focus on why people dont commit sucide. We can learn so much from peopleboth in ancient times and todaywho reached the end of their rope and seriously contemplated ending it all, but ultimately leaned into Gods strength rather than their own and made it through to the other side. 4. My desire is to share not only about comforting those who have been left behind, though I pray it does, but instead is about prevention. And its extremely practical. What can you do today to prevent the next suicide? None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something.

Ed: What do you think is the primary challenge for pastors and other ministry leaders trying to make a difference in todays culture of suicide?

Matthew: Two challenges:

1. We have created a world that millions of people find unlivable. 2. In todays culture, suicide is rapidly becoming normalized, an acceptable life choice.

For example, in March, Canada passed a law that expands the right to physician-assisted suicide at any stage of adult life, even if death is not imminent or if the only medical condition is a mental illness.

These two trends are in direct opposition to Gods call to action, which is spelled out in Proverbs 24:11-12 (ESV):

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, Behold, we did not know this,

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man according to his work?

In other words, all Christiansespecially pastors and ministry leadershave a clear responsibility to keep people from harming themselves. God is watching us. He wont accept any excuses, and he will judge us for the times we did nothing.

Yet telling ourselves were too busy, or we dont want to offend someone, or we are afraid of saying the wrong thing wont cut it. Jesus left the 99 to rescue the 1 lost sheep. We should do likewise.

Ed: For many of us, fear of accidentally making things worse can hold us back from initiating conversations about depression and suicide with those who are hurting. What encouragement or advice would you offer to ministry leaders who are struggling to start a conversation about suicide with a member of their congregation?

Matthew: No one wants to talk about things they arent knowledgeable about. Youll feel much better equipped to initiate a difficult but necessary conversation.

I dont pretend to have all the answers, and you dont need to have all the answers either. But we all have an obligation to help a loved one who is in danger.

Second, not everyone has a degree in medicine or psychology, but its been my experience that everyone has a Ph.D. in discerning attitude. If you lead with love, people will know it. Being prepared means you love even more, not less.

Ed: What are some practical ways we as the church can cultivate communities of hope amidst all the trauma and trials people face in todays world?

If you suspect someone is suicidal, visit, call, and ask questions. Make a playlist or burn a CD of uplifting songs and hymns. Dont just say you will pray for themstop and pray in person, over the phone, or in writing. Invite a lonely or hurting friend to share a meal, take a walk, spend the Sabbath together, or just do something fun.

Church communities can start by identifying and consulting in-house experts. Most congregations have a family doctor, psychiatrist, social worker, psychiatric nurse, or school counselor among them. Ask one of these professionals to lead a small group study to learn what the Bible says about depression and suicide. Some of the study group graduates may decide to start a support group, either for those suffering or for those supporting people with mental illness. Others can draft a church policy so every youth pastor, elder, college minister, board member, and Sunday school teacher knows exactly what to do if they encounter a person who may be suicidal. (Write to me at contact@blessedearth.org if you would like a sample church policy.) Prayer ministries, including healing prayer, are another excellent way to help the hurting among us.

In sum, God has made us a nation of priests. If you prepare yourself ahead of time and lead with love, you are absolutely equipped to talk with people who are depressed or suicidal.

Its not only an obligation to do so; its a sacred privilege. There is no activity that Ive been involved in as wonderful as saving lives. You dont have to be an ER physician to do that. We are all empowered to go and share the Good News that leads to eternal life. We are all responsible for sharing the message of hope.
Marijuana linked to increased risk of suicidal thoughts: study

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A National Institutes of Health study has found that using marijuana might increase the risk of suicidal ideation and attempts to self harm, even among those with no history of depression.

The study, titled "Associations of Suicidality Trends With Cannabis Use as a Function of Sex and Depression Status," was published in the journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday. It involved face-to-face household interviews as part of the 2008-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health conducted by researchers with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The National Institute on Drug Abuse sponsored the research as part of the NIH.

What the researchers found was that men who used marijuana daily and suffered from depression had an increase in suicidal ideation from 14.9% (2008-2009) to 21.9% (2018-2019), and 10.3% (2008-2009) to 17% (2018-2019), among non-daily users.

According to the findings, women who used marijuana also appeared to have a greater associated risk of suicidal ideation than men who used marijuana.

Women who had depression and used marijuana daily had increased thoughts of suicide, from 14.5% (2008-2009) to 26.8% (2018-2019), and 12% (2008-2009) to 17.5% (2018-2019) for non-daily users.

And the risk remained for marijuana users with no history of suffering from depression.

The study did not show rising rates of suicide in every group, however. It found no significant increase in suicidal ideation among depressed men who don't use marijuana.

Of the participants with no history of depression, 9% who used marijuana daily and 7% who used marijuana non-daily experienced suicidal ideation compared to 3% who did not use marijuana.

"While we cannot establish that cannabis use caused the increased suicidality we observed in this study, these associations warrant further research, especially given the great burden of suicide on young adults, said Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the NIDA and the senior author of the study published on Tuesday.

As we better understand the relationship between cannabis use, depression and suicidality, clinicians will be able to provide better guidance and care to patients, Volkow added.

The study also found that marijuana use has doubled among U.S. adults from 2008-2019, from 22.6 million to 45 million. Daily or near-daily use also tripled, rising from 3.6 million in 2008 to 9.8 million in 2019.

As of April, 15 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., have legalized non-medical, recreational use of marijuana by adults. Thirty-six states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the medical use of marijuana.

Researchers examined the data from four groups of people: Non-users, those who use the drug but not daily, daily users and addicts.

Individuals who used marijuana daily were defined, for the purposes of the study, as those who used it 300 or more days out the year.

Key findings include that, among people who suffer from depression, 35% of non-users had suicidal thoughts, whereas 44% of those who reported non-daily use had thoughts of suicide. Fifty-three percent of daily users with depression experienced suicidal ideation, as did 50% of those designated as marijuana addicts.

Since April, a few more states have legalized various forms of regulated adult-use of marijuana.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo enacted such a provision on March 31. Virginia's General Assembly passed legislation legalizing marijuana on Feb. 27 and approved the governor's amendments on April 7. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham signed a similar bill into law on April 12. Last week, the Connecticut General Assembly passed SB 1201, which the governor signed on Tuesday.
Tulsa pastor gives reparations to massacre survivors, calls on churches to take the lead

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Transformation Church Pastor Michael Todd in Bixby, Oklahoma, called on churches across America to take the lead on the issue of reparations as he presented $200,000 checks to each of the only living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre during a moving sermon on Sunday.

The Tulsa Race Massacre, according to History.com, occurred over 18 hours from May 31 to June 1, 1921. A white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless. It is one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.

Reparation is not a political word. Reparation is not a word that your left-wing friends or your right-wing friends have coined," Todd said. "Let me give you the definition of reparations. The action of repairing something that was devastated. Reparations mean that somebody is going to take up the mantle and actually put into action the process of repairing something that was destroyed."

He then quoted Joel 2:25, which says: And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

He stressed that God will bring reparations and said God told him that the controversial process must start in the Church. And since he is a part of the Church, Todd said he has to be a part of the reparations process.

Reparations is not coming from them, he said, referring to the government.

I told the team. I said, 'Find me every living survivor that survived this [Tulsa race] massacre.' And they began to search. And I said the most devastating thing that was stolen from people were their homes. And I said, 'How in the world do you rebuild when you go to sleep on a Thursday, and on the Friday, all your memories, all your life savings, everything that you build your life for is in rubble in front of you. And you got to go to the fairgrounds and stay on cots and try to rebuild your life from ashes?' he asked. I read in the Bible where it says God is the only one that gives beauty from ashes.

Todd then announced the presence of all three of the living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre  Viola Fletcher, 107; Hughes Van Ellis, 100; and Lessie Randle, 106.

Thank you for living a life that survived the devastation, Todd said. Thank you for appearing before Congress. Thank you.

Im a young black man who took over a church from a white man who built it in North Tulsa. That couldnt have happened if you all didnt survive. Today, we cant restore everything that has been stolen from you. But today, we can put a seed in the ground, he told the survivors.

He said his church decided on giving the survivors $200,000 each after researching the median price of a house in Tulsa.

Its reparations season, and change starts in the Church, he declared to cheers.

Transformation Church gave away a total of $1 million to the massacre survivors and nonprofit organizations Sunday. This includes a $100,000 check to AJ Johnson, owner of Oasis Fresh Market, which provides fresh fruits and other groceries to an underserved community.

The church also donated $50,000 to the Terrance Crutcher Foundation, $50,000 to Build in Tusla, $100,000 to One Race Movement and $100,000 to Greenwood Cultural Center.
Kamala Harris hits back at criticism over El Paso check the box trip, skipping epicenter of border crisis

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Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday visited a Border Patrol station in El Paso, Texas, for the first time since she was tapped months ago by President Joe Biden to be the administration's border czar to solve the immigration crisis.

Harris faced criticism this week for going to El Paso instead of the Rio Grande Valley where communities are most affected by the migrant surge.

For her part, Harris defended her decision to go to El Paso, telling reporters at a news conference at the airport that her trip wasn't a check the box visit to the border, as some Democratic lawmakers have suggested.

"What is happening here in El Paso ... in many ways highlights many of the facets on the issue of immigration," the vice president asserted.

She also implored people to recognize the humanity of those fleeing their home countries to immigrate to the U.S., even if they are doing so illegally.

"We have to address ... the root causes, otherwise we'll continue to see the effect [of] what is happening at the border," said Harris in her address to reporters, adding that it will take a comprehensive approach. ... "Not only do we have a reason to concern ourselves with the root cause issues, because of what we see at the border, but also because we live in that neighborhood  the Western Hemisphere."

Harris, who didn't address border security, said migrants are often fleeing violence, corruption, food insecurity, gang violence and cartels.

"Let's not lose sight of the fact that we are talking about human beings. Let's not lose sight of the fact that we're talking about stories ... that involve horrendous tales of abuse and fear and harm. Not only for folks ... in their home country experiencing that, but along the part of their migration," she added.

Other officials who traveled with Harris included Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, condemned Harris for visiting El Paso, which is approximately 790 miles from regions in Texas where the crisis is most severe, such as in McAllen, Texas.

Chicago, Illinois, is closer to Washington, D.C., than El Paso is to McAllen. And so shes going to where the height of the problem isnt, Cruz said on Fox News America Reports Thursday.

... Kamala, you need to go to McAllen , Cruz implored. You need to look at the children in cages that you and Joe Biden put there in a way that is endangering their safety.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said Harris trip to the border is a first step, but the Rio Grande area needs her attention more and is a true picture of the border crisis.

Im glad that shes going down to the border because that is part of her job portfolio, and No. 2, yes, the epicenter is down there in the lower Rio Grande in the lower part of the district down there. If you look at the numbers down there compared to El Paso, youre not going to get a true picture of whats happening, Cuellar told Fox News.

Cuellar suggested that Harris needed to meet with local residents, city and county officials, and the brave men and women in green and in blue, our border control agents, so they dont just get a pat on the back, but they get reinforcements and support down there.

Cuellar said he has extended an invitation to Harris to visit the border with him but has yet to receive a response.

He described Harris visit to El Paso as a check the box visit and a politically safer option since it will not show the true nature of the border crisis in the Rio Grande Valley area, where conditions are most severe.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that Harris is "ignoring the real problem areas" of the border not protected by the border wall and "are being overrun by the federal government's ill-thought-out open border policies."

"She will fail in her mission if she refuses to speak to residents of the Del Rio sector whose homes and ranches are being overrun by gangs and smugglers," the Republican governor said.

"The Vice President was named Border Czar over 90 days ago, and in that time Texans have had their homes broken into, property damaged, and guns pointed at their heads as cartels, smugglers, and human traffickers profit off the Biden Administrations reckless open-border policies," he continued. "I launched Operation Lone Star in March to combat this record-high influx of people and crime, and since then DPS has arrested over 1,700 criminals, apprehended over 41,000 migrants, and seized enough fentanyl to kill over 21 million people."

"Texas has been and continues to step up to protect Texans and Americans," Abbott said.

When Fox News Peter Doocy asked Harris why this was her first trip to the border, she snapped back, saying, "Its not my first trip, Ive been to the border many times," referring to visits she made to the border as a senator.

Congressional Republicans claim former President Donald Trumps upcoming trip to the border is what prompted Harris to visit, but the vice presidents office claims Republican pressure was not what led her to take the trip, Fox News reported.

Harris was greeted by dozens of protestors with signs proclaiming, Kamala, you know Trump won, How many little girls need to be raped for this to become a crisis, Que Mala Hates Mexicans, Kamala do you hear their screams, and Latinos for Trump.

Protestors outside Border Patrol station awaiting VP Kamala Harris. @ArmendarizDis16@ElAmerican_pic.twitter.com/mTLLRhTL4V  Informed with Anthony (@InformedAnthony) June 25, 2021

Earlier this month, former ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley slammed Harris for not visiting the border, suggesting it was a sign that clearly the vice president is fearful of visiting the southern border.

And any leader knows you cant fix what you cant see, Haley said on June 9. She hasnt been on the ground. She hasnt talked to Border Patrol. She doesnt know what is happening there.

In efforts to help solve some of the root problems of the border crisis, Harris recently visited Mexico and Guatemala, where she urged immigrants, do not come, do not come.

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei told "Face The Nation" that the increased border crossings have been caused partly by the Biden administration's policies.

"The message changed to, 'We are going to reunite families, and we are going to reunite children," Giammattei said. "The very next day, the coyotes were here organizing groups of children to take them to the United States. We asked the United States government to send more of a clear message to prevent people from leaving."

Harris has previously dodged questions regarding her plans to visit the southern border as pressure for her visit has built over the past three months.

On June 8, she quipped, and I havent been to Europe, when NBCs Lester Holt asked if she had plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border.
Tavistock gender clinic permits unlawful acquiring of consent from minors, lawyer tells court

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A gender clinic in the United Kingdom this week appealed a court ruling that held that minors under 16 cannot consent to experimental puberty-blocking drugs as part of a medicalized gender transition.

Lawyers for the London-based Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, which runs England National Health Service's only gender identity clinic for children, urged an appeals court this week to overturn the ruling from the U.K. High Court of Justice. Two days of appeals hearings were held this week.

According to The Guardian, Tavistocks legal team led by Fenella Morris QC argued the Dec. 1 ruling undermined the entitlement of children under the age of 16 to make decisions for themselves when they have been assessed individually as competent to do so by their treating clinician."

Additionally, they argued that the ruling intruded into the realm of decisions agreed upon by doctors, patients and their parents, where the court had not previously gone."

The high court's judicial review was in part brought about by Keira Bell, a 24-year-old woman who identified as transgender during her teen years.

Bell maintained in the case that she wasn't adequately informed about, nor capable of understanding, the long-term consequences to her health and that she was making rash decisions as a troubled youth.

The high court sided with Bell and held that children under the age of 16 are unable to make such decisions given the risks under the relevant standard for medical consent in British law.

Tavistock's legal team argued that the puberty blockers are fully reversible and not experimental," a claim that many critics have contested.

Reports state that attorneys for Bell repeated their arguments in court that young trans-identifying people are not capable of giving consent. Bell's legal team, led by attorney Jeremy Hyam, argued that puberty blockers are a controversial and quite possibly unique experimental treatment about which there are many uncertainties."

They also argued that the Tavistock clinic "permits or encourages" illegal behavior relating to obtaining consent from such young people.

The way that consent was being obtained was illegal, Hyam said, according to Pink News.

Hayam argued that children need to be able to "understand the bigger picture" when it comes to "what is coming down the line if they take puberty blockers.

He added that youth might not be concerned about their sexual relationships, but that could likely change years later. Therefore, at age 12 or 13, it is "unlikely or very unlikely" that giving consent to the experimental drugs is possible.

Earlier this year, in what some say amounted to a partial reversal of the initial ruling, the court held that parents could consent on behalf of their child for puberty blockers without first gaining a judge's approval.

Intervening in the appeal in support of the clinic are several organizations, such as The Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust and University College London Hospital, neither of which were part of the judicial review last year.

An attorney for the hospitals said that whether or not a child is to be prescribed puberty blockers is determined by a pediatric endocrinologist. The Tavistock clinicians merely refer the patients.

The document being challenged relates to the Tavistock, and that is no more than a consent procedure for referring patients to the Trusts, judges were reportedly told.

It does not purport to be the document used by an endocrinologist to determine if there is consent under Gillick.

What is known as Gillick competency  the standard for youth medical consent in the U.K.  centers around a 1985 case that was decided in the House of Lords, Gillick v. West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority. Lawmakers debated if a child younger than 16 could be prescribed contraception by and with the discretion of a doctor, without parental consent.

The Tavistock appeal comes amid greater degrees of scrutiny worldwide about the safety and efficacy of transgender medicalization.

As of April 1, the Karolinska Hospital in Sweden said, citing the 2020 Bell ruling, that it would no longer prescribe puberty blockers to patients under 16.

In April, lawmakers in Arkansas overrode the veto of Gov. Asa Hutchinson on a bill that prohibited the experimental hormonal and surgical practices on minors in that state. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the move is unconstitutional.

Last week, the California-based Center for Bioethics & Culture Network released the documentary "Trans Mission: What's the Rush to Reassign Gender?" The film highlights the Bell ruling and mentions some Tavistock staff members' concerns about how patients suffering from gender dysphoria are being treated. The documentary notes that the U.S. government has never formally approved puberty blockers for this purpose.
Kamala Harris to visit Texas border 3 months after being put in charge of immigration crisis

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Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the U.S. southern border about three months after she was put in charge of handling the illegal immigration crisis.

The Office of the Vice President sent out an email to the press on Wednesday confirming that Harris will visit El Paso, Texas, on Friday, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joining her.

Earlier this year, the President asked the Vice President to oversee our diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, stated the email. As a part of this ongoing work, the Vice President traveled to Guatemala and Mexico earlier this month and will travel to El Paso on Friday.

Harris will be nearly 800 miles away from the cities and towns affected by the border crisis, such as Mission and McAllen. The vice president also won't be meeting with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott or Border Patrol agents, mayors and residents who are most affected by the surge of migrants.

"Vice President Harris is ignoring the real problem areas along our southern border that are not protected by the border wall and are being overrun by the federal government's ill-thought-out open border policies," Abbott said in a statement about Harris' visit to El Paso amid the ongoing border crisis.

"She will fail in her mission if she refuses to speak to residents of the Del Rio sector whose homes and ranches are being overrun by gangs and smugglers," the governor added.

"The vice president was named border czar over 90 days ago, and in that time Texans have had their homes broken into, property damaged, and guns pointed at their heads as cartels, smugglers and human traffickers profit off the Biden administrations reckless open-border policies," he continued. "I launched Operation Lone Star in March to combat this record-high influx of people and crime, and since then DPS has arrested over 1,700 criminals, apprehended over 41,000 migrants, and seized enough fentanyl to kill over 21 million people."

President Joe Biden tapped Harris to be border czar on March 24, saying she was the most qualified person to do it" due to her experience as attorney general of California. She has since faced criticism for not accepting repeated requests that she visit the southern border to see the crisis for herself.

The Biden administrations approach to dealing with mass migration and the border crisis was also criticized by Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. He noted that despite telling people not to come to the U.S. months after the crisis began, as Vice President Kamala Harris did during her recent visit to that country, the administration's policies are making it easier for cartels to traffic people into the U.S.

I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making the dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border  do not come, do not come, said Harris at a press conference in Guatemala. There are legal methods by which migration can and should occur, but we, as one of our priorities, will discourage illegal migration. And I believe if you come to our border, you will be turned back.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who recently went to the border to see the immigration crisis, criticized the Biden administration for its border policies that he says are enabling cartels to profit from human trafficking.

"The answers arent down there in Guatemala because the cartel is actively recruiting. Theyre making about $5 billion this year trafficking people across our southern border," Donald said in an interview with Fox News earlier this month. "And so you dont have to go down to Guatemala to know whats actually going on. Whats going on is the administrations weak policies allow the cartels to make billions of dollars. Its that simple."

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to halt border wall construction, a move Republican lawmakers say is unauthorized since funds for construction had already been appropriated.

When Harris was tasked with resolving the border crisis in late March, she described it as a challenging situation and said the root causes of the border problems must be addressed. And while we are clear that people should not come to the border now, we also understand that we will enforce the law, Harris said at the time.

We will collaborate with Mexico and other countries throughout the Western hemisphere," Harris added. "And as part of this effort, we expect that we will have collaborative relationships to accomplish the goals the president has and that we share.

Data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show there were 180,034 land encounters between illegal border crossers and immigration officials in May, making it the highest monthly tally in 21 years and the 13th consecutive month that the number of illegal border crossings increased.

Customers and Border Patrol statistics show that there have been 1.1 million enforcement actions with immigrants illegally entering the U.S. in fiscal year-to-date at the border. These encounters include " ... arrests of individuals with criminal convictions and individuals who have been apprehended multiple times crossing the border illegally."

Recently, Harris has faced questions from multiple reporters for her apparent hesitation to visit the southern border, having previously said that it would serve little purpose.

The issue of root causes is not going to be solved in one trip that took two days, said Harris earlier this month, as reported by The Daily Wire. This is an issue that is long standing, is in many cases generational. It is not a new issue for the United States, to feel the effects of those root causes on our shores.

The day before the trip was announced, a bipartisan group of Texan legislators urged Harris to visit their border with Mexico in light of a sharp influx of immigrants entering the U.S. illegally over the past several months.

The momentum for this crisis has been building for months, but no significant action has been taken to address it, they said in an op-ed piece published by The Dallas Morning News. The president and vice president have yet to even visit the border.
Franklin Graham hails Meghan McCain for warning that Biden is doing grave spiritual harm over abortion

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Franklin Graham expressed his support for Meghan McCain who warned that President Joe Biden is doing grave spiritual harm to himself and the country by walking a fine line by supporting abortion despite being a member of the Catholic faith, which considers abortion a cardinal sin.

On Monday's episode of The View, McCain, a co-host on the daytime talk show and daughter of the late Republican Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain, said Biden must choose between his Catholic faith and stance on abortion.

If he is for the federal funding of abortion  as far as Im concerned, abortion is murder. And as far as government funding of [the] killing of the unborn  we have to as pro-lifers, fight for the rights of the unborn. And thats a doctrine thats as old as the Catholic Church itself, so [Biden] has to choose, she asserted in a debate with her co-hosts, all of whom are supportive of abortion.

CATHOLIC BISHOPS PLANNING REBUKE OF BIDEN? American Bishops voted to move ahead with guidance that could deny Pres. Biden from receiving Holy Communion because of his presidential support of women having the right to choose  @sunny, @MeghanMcCain, and @SaraHaines discuss. pic.twitter.com/CsRjcn4XCf  The View (@TheView) June 21, 2021

Catholic bishops voted last week to move forward to draft a document that would advise Catholic politicians who support abortion, like Biden, to refrain from taking communion.

McCain further argued that Bidens official stance is contradictory because he's personally opposed to it but is politically supportive of it.

For someone who claims to be pro-life, I never understand this argument. Its like saying, Im personally opposed to murder, but if you want to murder a little bit its fine and its not my problem. It doesnt register with me, she said.

I dont get it. So its ultimately up to the Church, so hes walking a very fine line here. And all of these issues are literally life and death for Catholics, for devout Christians, and hes just going to have to ultimately talk to his Creator when the time comes, as we all do, and reconcile his politics with his personal faith, she maintained.

And I believe hes doing grave spiritual harm to himself and harm to this country," McCain declared.

Graham, who's president of Samaritans Purse, posted a statement on Facebook showing his support for McCains comments and said his hope is that Biden will reconsider his stance on abortion.

I have disagreed with Meghan on a number of political issues, but I think she is absolutely right on this issue, Graham said in a post on Tuesday regarding McCain who is a pro-life Republican but does not always align herself with socially conservative views.

... I appreciate that Meghan isnt afraid to state the truth  and that she is willing to defend life even if it isnt politically correct to some, Graham said. I pray that President Biden will reconsider his position on abortion in this country.

As part of her comments on Monday, McCain added: When it comes to the separation of Church and State, the onus is on the government, not the Church. The Church is always going to try and impede in every possible way they can and influence in every possible way they can. Everybodys spiritual journey  is their own personal journey, and I dont try to proselytize my spirituality on other people, but if you are a devout Catholic, as President Biden claims to be, abortion is a cardinal sin that can do deep spiritual harm to you.

McCain also mentioned Bidens stance of the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal tax dollars from paying for abortions. Biden was once supportive of the Hyde Amendment until he decided to run for president in 2019.

Nearly two dozen Republican attorneys general have called on congressional leaders to reject Bidens proposal that excludes the Hyde Amendment from the federal budget, Fox News reported.

"But because one cannot move to avoid federal taxes," the letter from the GOP attorneys general read, "there would be nowhere for a pro-life, or even a moderately pro-choice, American to go to avoid violating the moral or religious conviction that their hard-earned dollars not be used to fund abortions. The administrations decision here is merely the most recent illustration of its having lost all sense of accountability to the taxpayer."
Va. school board halts public comment on controversial transgender policy; 2 arrested

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A Virginia public school board meeting on Tuesday resulted in two arrests and silenced public comments after a heated discussion erupted regarding new transgender policies, which one conservative activist called psychological child abuse and a total fraud.

The new policy for Loudon County Public Schools in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., includes privacy and restroom accommodations for trans-identified students and would require teachers to use students pronouns or name preferences.

About 259 people reportedly signed up for public comments, but only 51 voices were heard since the public comment session was halted after chaos ensued, Fox News reports.

The proposed policy, known as Policy 8040, is not expected to be officially voted on by the school board until Aug.10 at the earliest.

Many parents fear implementing the policy in public schools will violate parents rights and lead to left-wing indoctrination.

A draft of the policy explains: LCPS staff shall allow gender-expansive or transgender students to use their chosen name and gender pronouns that reflect their gender identity without any substantiating evidence, regardless of the name and gender recorded in the students permanent educational record.

Inadvertent slips in the use of names or pronouns may occur; however, staff or students who intentionally and persistently refuse to respect a students gender identity by using the wrong name and gender pronoun are in violation of this policy, the policy states.

Tensions arose in the crowded school board meeting when one speaker, the mother of a trans-identified student, said that hate was dripping from the followers of Jesus in this room." The comment was directed toward the Christian parents who disagreed with transgender discussions in public school, according to Fox News.

After calling a short recess, the board unanimously voted to allow no more public comments if the room got out of control again. The board later voted 9-0 to end public comment in the meeting altogether when they were criticized by former Republican state Sen. Dick Black for the board's treatment of an elementary school physical education teacher placed on leave after speaking out about the policy in an earlier meeting.

Byron Tanner Cross of Leesburg Elementary School was recently put on administrative leave after expressing opposition to the proposed policy. Cross said that as a Christian, he cannot affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa. The school district is appealing a judge's order to reinstate Cross temporarily. Multiple parents at the meeting urged the school board to drop its appeal of the court's decision.

At least two parents protesting critical race theory and the transgender policy were arrested after the meeting was declared an unlawful assembly.

The arrests occurred after the parents remained in the room to deliver their remarks. According to Fox News, one parent refused to leave until everyone was given the opportunity to speak. Deputies alleged he was arrested for trespassing.

One man was issued a trespassing summons and released and the second was accused of "acting disorderly," "aggressive behavior towards another attendee" and resisting arrest, the Loudon County Sheriff's Office disclosed.

2 parents protesting against CRT and a transgender policy have just been arrested after a Loudoun County, Virginia school board meeting was declared an unlawful assembly. pic.twitter.com/0lKhZYG7Pw  Pembrokeshire-Patriot (@DarrenEdmundso1) June 23, 2021

Cathy Ruse, a Northern Virginia lawyer who earned a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University and formerly served as a senior fellow at the conservative Christian advocacy group Family Research Council, delivered remarks at a rally before the school board meeting.

She condemned the anti-science proposition and fake science propaganda of transgenderism.

The Loudoun County School Board is about to force all families in Loudoun County Public Schools to embrace the radical, anti-science proposition that biological sex is meaningless, Ruse said in prepared remarks obtained by The Christian Post.

It is an ideology that teaches children they can be born in the wrong body," she added. "Thats psychological child abuse, according to the American College of Pediatricians. And of course its a lie. The truth is: Every child is born in exactly the right body.

Ruse argued that most children grow out of gender dysphoria.

She said the school boards proposal demands that all members of a school community lie to a confused child and tell him he is, indeed, in the wrong body.

Transgender activists want to turn our classrooms into laboratories, Ruse said. And this School Board is complicit. Public schools should never be a place to experiment on other peoples children.

Ruse stressed how imposing the policy on the school district would be a total fraud.

[The policy] calls itself progressive, but acts like a retrogressive tyrant, especially when it comes to the freedom of speech, she argued.

And worst of all, it preaches tolerance and acceptance, and then tells kids to reject their own bodies, even to the point of mutilation," she continued. "This ideology has no place in our public schools.

Evangelical leader and Samaritans Purse President Franklin Graham called on Christians in Loudon County to stand strong and speak the truth in love, saying school boards decisions have implications on the nations future.

In 2016 I went to all 50 states holding prayer rallies for our nation and I urged Christians to run for office in their cities and communities  specifically for school boards  and this is exactly the reason why! Graham, son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, shared in a Facebook post Wednesday.

School boards are making decisions about what is being taught in our schools and the policies that will be followed, Graham added. These impact our children and our grandchildrens lives, and they impact the future of our country, so it is vitally important.

I'm thankful for the parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, who are speaking up and working to keep things like critical race theory and concerning transgender policies out of their schools, Graham continued. We have to stand up against the godless socialist agenda trying to divide us and take over this country.
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One day Abraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac. Standing by a small town well, Eliezer prayed, Let the woman who offers to water my camels be the one you have chosen.

Suddenly Rebekah shows up and says, I will draw water for your camels also (Gen. 24:13-19). Rebekah had no idea that Eliezer would change her life. To Rebekah, this act of service was commonplace, even expected.

In the Old Testament, it was customary to offer water to a stranger. It was called the law of hospitality. The Hebrews believed the words: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2).

But who on earth offers to water ten thirsty camels? One camel can drink forty gallons in a day. That means Rebekah would have had to provide four hundred gallons of water to Eliezers camels  thats a whole days worth of work! But Rebekah was merely being generous to a stranger, seeking nothing but the joy of serving.

What she didnt know was that these camels would transport her back to Isaac where he would make her his bride, shower her with great wealth, and put her in the lineage of Christ. So if you want to succeed, show up early, stay late, work hard, and be a problem solver instead of a problem causer. Go the extra mile, as Christ instructs us in Matthew 5:41.

The key to success in life is in doing not only what is expected, but in doing a little more. Yes, camels are obnoxious and ugly, but out of that ugly situation came the most beautiful thing that ever happened to Rebekah.

The story of Rebekah teaches us a very important truth: When opportunity knocks, make sure youre ready to answer the door. Rebekah didnt think about the extra effort and time required to water ten thirsty camels. She didnt say, I dont do that kind of work, thats not in my job description. She lived by the principle, Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

She also didnt suddenly develop a work ethic when Eliezer showed up. She practiced one every day and her faith paid off. Faithfulness in small things brings great rewards.

God is watching your attitude and actions in small things. Big moments dont come to people who wait for them; they come from faithfulness in small moments, in daily routines and non-glamorous service.

Youll also notice something else. Rebekah didnt quote the Torah or ask Eliezer what his religion was before offering help. Instead of trying to be super spiritual, she simply decided to be hospitable and kind. As a result, she got his attention, earned his respect, and ended up in the family of Abraham.

Then, when Rebekah took Eliezer home to meet her family, they wanted her to wait for ten days before going to meet Isaac. That was customary. But Rebekah said, I will go (Genesis 24:58).

When God opens the door, dont delay. And dont say, Others are more qualified than me. If God has called you then youre the right person. Step over your fears and move in the direction He is leading you.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Congressional Democrats have approved a measure reinstating rules aimed at limiting climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas drilling, a rare effort by Democrats to use the legislative branch to overturn a regulatory rollback under President Donald Trump.

The House gave final legislative approval Friday to a resolution that would undo a Trump-era environmental rule that relaxed requirements of a 2016 Obama administration rule targeting methane emissions from leaks and flares in oil and gas wells.

The resolution was approved, 229-191, and now goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it. Twelve Republicans joined 217 Democrats to support the measure.

Democrats and environmentalists called the methane rule one of the Trump administrations most egregious actions to deregulate U.S. businesses and said its removal would help launch a broader effort by the Biden administration and Congress to tackle climate change. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, packing a stronger punch in the short term than carbon dioxide.

Congress just delivered its first bipartisan win for the climate,'' said Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund. Controlling methane is a winning proposition for all sides because it cuts pollution and reduces waste.''

The resolution was approved under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn certain regulations that have been in place for a short time. The Trump methane rule was finalized last September.

Action on methane was one of just three Trump-era rules targeted by the Democratic-controlled Congress under the review law, a sharp contrast to 14 Obama-era rules repealed by congressional Republicans in the first year of the Trump administration.

Other rules approved by Democrats targeted Trump-era actions loosening regulations on payday lenders and another that Democrats said gave employers an unfair advantage over workers in settling discrimination claims.

Rep. Diana DeGette D-Colo., who sponsored the methane measure, called its approval a big win in our overall effort to combat the climate crisis, and a critical first step toward sufficiently reducing our nations overall methane emissions.

If Biden and Congress are going to be serious about combating this climate crisis, we have to take steps now to cut the amount of methane in our atmosphere, DeGette said. The legislation will keep more than 1.6 million tons of methane out of the air that all Americans breathe and require oil and gas companies to take the steps necessary to better protect our planet and the publics health" by reinstating methane standards put in place in 2016, she said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the action on methane was part of an effort by Congress to reassert its own power. She called the Congressional Review Act "one of the Congresss most important tools ... to deliver for the people and to reclaim our authority under the Constitution, upholding the balance of powers that is the foundation of our American democracy.''

Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, said the measure approved Friday "will restore common-sense safeguards to limit methane pollution from oil and gas production. Its a modest and straightforward step in the right direction, but its a very important one.''

Republicans disagreed, saying the measure took unfair aim at oil and gas companies that are already working to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases.

Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., said the repeal measure advanced radical activist priorities while empowering foreign oil producers in the Middle East and Russia.

Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M, said the measure would "nickel and dime the most essential business in my district,'' oil and gas producers who she said could be forced out of business by excessive government regulations.

Those statements were at odds with the oil and gas industry, which largely supported the Obama-era rule. In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency curbed methane emissions at facilities built or modified since 2015, requiring companies to deploy technology to detect and fix leaks at oil and gas wells. Many large energy companies have embraced methane capture as a way to save money and promote natural gas as a cleaner option than coal in the nations power plants.

The action by Congress clears the way for the EPA to develop rules to regulate methane emissions from new and existing wells, including hundreds of thousands of older wells that are not subject to federal regulation under current law.

Oil giant BP said Friday it supports direct federal regulation of methane emissions.

Keeping methane in the pipes is good for the planet and for business. It means that we can sell it as a cleaner fuel source rather than losing it,'' said Mary Streett, a senior vice president at BP. Were pleased that Congress recognizes the importance of this objective and we encourage the president to sign the resolution.

The American Petroleum Institute, the industry's top lobbying group, said it will work with the Biden administration to support direct regulation of methane from new and existing sources.

We have an opportunity to build on the progress the industry has made in driving down methane emissions through technological advancement, and we are committed to finding common ground on cost-effective government policies,'' said API spokeswoman Jessica Szymanski.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill is preparing to set sail with nearly all vaccinated passengers on board.

Celebrity Edge will depart Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6 p.m. Saturday with the number of passengers limited to about 40 percent capacity, and with virtually all passengers vaccinated against COVID-19. Celebrity Cruises, one of Royal Caribbean Cruise's brands, says 99% of the passengers are vaccinated, well over the 95% requirement imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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To comply with both the CDCs requirement and a new Florida law banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination, Celebrity Cruises is asking guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. Those who do not show or say they are vaccinated face additional restrictions.

Saturdays sailing kicks off the cruise lines return to business with Carnival vessels already scheduled to depart from other ports next month.

Celebrity Cruises had unveiled the $1 billion boat in December 2018  betting on luxury cruising, offering a giant spa and multifloor suites. The ship will be led by Capt. Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a cruise ship, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

Words cant describe how excited we are to be a part of this historic sailing today, said Elizabeth Rosner, 28, who moved from Michigan to Orlando, Florida, in December 2019 with her fiance just to be close to the cruise industry's hub.

Industry officials are hoping all goes smooth to move past a chapter last year of deadly outbreaks on cruise ships that prompted ships to be rejected at ports and passengers to be forced into quarantine. Some passengers died of COVID-19 at sea while others fell so ill they had to be carried out of the vessels on stretchers.

The CDC extended no-sail orders repeatedly last year as the pandemic raged, and came up with strict requirements for the industry that have already been contested in court by the state of Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the industry generates billions for the state's economy.

On Saturday, officials at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale said only that port lost more than $30 million in revenue in fiscal year 2020 from the cruise shutdown.

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During that hiatus, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the three largest cruise companies, have had to raise more than $40 billion in financing just to stay afloat. Collectively they lost $20 billion last year and another $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The pandemic forced Kurt and Carol Budde to cancel their beach celebration wedding aboard the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas, in March 2020. COVID-19 halted cruising six days before they were scheduled to tie the knot in St. Maarten. Kurt Budde's part-time gig as a travel agent also dried up.

It's a honeymoon make-up cruise, said Kurt Budde, sporting matching shirts with the phrase On Cruise Control."

We are living our best lives post COVID today," he said.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is not messing around when it comes to student loan reform. The senator has been holding up the confirmation of President Bidens nominee to lead higher ed policy at the Department of Education as a way of bargaining for promises to overhaul student loans, Bloomberg and the Washington Post reported.

The federal government manages $1.6 trillion in student loans. James Kvaal, Bidens nominee to be undersecretary of education and the third-ranking official at the Education Department, would supervise the management of the loan program.

A source told Politico that Warrens staff is in negotiations with the White House over a range of necessary reforms in higher education including the administration of the student loan program. Warren has been a critic of the private companies that manage federal student loans, Navient and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

When Navient CEO John Remondi testified before Congress, Warren called on the federal government to fire the company over what she said were longstanding abusive and misleading practices towards borrowers. During her questioning of Remondi, the senator pointed out that a federal audit found Navient was training call center employees to push borrowers toward repayment options that made it more difficult for them to pay off their loans. She also said the company also overcharged the government by $22 million for its management of federal student loans, and Navient has refused to pay that money back.

The federal government should absolutely fire Navient, Warren told Remondi at the hearing. And because this happened under your leadership, Navient should fire you.

Warren and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have also pressed Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in loans for borrowers with student debt, although that is not the reason for holding up Kvaals nomination.

During his confirmation hearing, Kvaal pledged that reexamining student debts would be his first priority. We see a lot of students whose loans are getting larger rather than smaller as they struggle to repay those loans, particularly among black students, he said. Kvaal also endorsed ways of making college more affordable, including investing in eliminating tuition at public colleges and universities [and] doubling Pell Grants.

But Kvaal did not commit to student loan forgiveness. We need to continue to explore ways to provide relief for students under the burden of loan debt while helping current and future students with affordable options, he said.
Fiesta organizers and fans had to do some reworking to make the postponed party happen, but some things, like spotting "Fiesta Sucia," never change.

The self-proclaimed Fiesta Sucia, real name Marquite Richarte, popped up on the San Antonio scene in 2018 has been an icon of the party since. She skipped out on the 2019 installment but was still a topic of conversation in memes, medals, and more, solidifying her place in local pop culture.

After taking a few years off due to the birth of her daughter Bella Vida and the coronavirus pandemic, which canceled Fiesta 2020, she returned this year as what she calls a "Fiesta Phoenix." It's almost as she knew Fiesta fans needed a little more hype this year for the postponed and scaled back party and was summoned to San Antonio from West Texas like Batman responds to Gotham's bat signal.

RELATED: 'Fiesta Sucia' is returning to San Antonio's party, but things will be different

Richarte told MySA in May that she's grown as person since 2018 and her trip to the Alamo City wouldn't be a more cleaned up version of her "sucia" persona. (For starters, she wouldn't be wearing cleats.)

The rest of her signature ensemble, denim shorts and a blue bikini top, did make the trip from West Texas, where she now lives. So did a new member of her Fiesta posse, her elote-loving little girl. Richarte's Fiesta photo album for 2021 shows her dancing with her daughter around Fiesta de Los Reyes and snapping selfies with the little trouper and Hispanic Elvis, a fellow local icon.

Richarte says people are still recognizing her, though the dance moves, outfits, and comments that made her a household name in San Antonio have been toned down. A recent video shot at Market Square racked up more than 2,000 shares.

"Everything has been going really great with Fiesta! I received such positive feedback this year," she adds.

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: San Antonio's new bikini-clad walking Fiesta meme speaks out on Market Square success

Fiesta Sucia's original appearance three years ago was sporadic. One moment she'd be dancing around Market Square, the next she'd be posing for photos at Dillo Bar or riling up parade-goers. Spotting her and taking a photo with her was like earning a badge for the ultimate Fiesta scavenger hunt. Now that she's amassed local fame, her schedule is more coordinated.

She says she's hung out with the ladies of Bean and Chisme and appeared on SA Live, KSAT 12's lifestyle show. She said the anchors gifted her daughter a Fiesta medal to induct her into San Antonio's biggest tradition.

The new mom says seeing her little girl enjoy the festivities as much as she does has been her favorite part of this year's events.

Richarte's last appearance for Fiesta 2021 will be at Market Square Saturday night.
Summer is officially here, which means sun, pool days and festivals across the city.

While many favorites still aren't happening this season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, vaccination rates in the area mean it's getting safer for us all to gather again, especially outdoors.

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Here are some of the festivals happening in the Houston area this summer:

July 3: Summer Jam HTX

Big Freedia headlines this festival featuring KentheMan, Ha Sizzle, DJ Mr. Rogers and more that concludes with a fireworks show.

12401 South Post Oak Road, $20+

July 3: Red, Hot & Blue Festival

Head to the Woodlands to celebrate July 4 a little early with a 1.3-mile parade during Red, Hot & Blue Festival. The Woodlands Symphony will perform later that night, and Red, Hot & Pool is on July 4.

Multiple locations in the Woodlands, free

July 4: Freedom Over Texas Festival

Celebrate from home with the City of Houstons annual July 4 celebration from 7 to 10 p.m. on ABC 13. The Houston Symphony, Lee Brice, Jimmie Allen, Alanis Sophia, and Brian Jack and the Zydeco Gamblers are set to perform.

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July 4: Taste of Texas Food Festival

More than 50 food vendors from Houston, Austin and more are headed to Houston with all the food you can imagine. There will also be non-food vendors, arts and crafts, a live DJ and face painting.

10371 Stella Link Road, $5-$10 (kids under 12 get in for free)

July 4: Houston Caribbean Festival

Experience Caribbean culture in Houston with a parade followed by a festival with Caribbean food and more.

8888 West Bellfort Ave., $20 (parade viewing is free)

July 17-18: Comicpalooza

Reportedly the largest comic book, science fiction, anime, gaming, and pop culture convention in the south, Comicpalooza is welcoming Giancarlo Esposito, Ming-Na Wen, Katee Sackhoff and Carl Weathers from "The Mandalorian" and Mario Lopez and Mark-Paul Gosselaar from "Saved by the Bell" and plenty of other celebrity guests.

George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, $54+

July 28-31: Miller Summer Mixtape Series

This three-day, multi-genre, independent music showcase will feature musicians from across Houston to enjoy from the lawn or the seats. Tickets go on sale July 22.

Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive

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Aug. 3-7: Houston Shakespeare Festival: Shakespeare Night at the Movies

Gary Fountain/For the Chronicle

Join the University of Houston's Houston Shakespeare Festival for five nights of Shakespeare movies and "Bard Talks" at the Miller Outdoor Theatre for a one-time film event. Tickets are available online starting one week prior to each movie showing.

Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive, free

Aug. 6-8: Texas Greek Picnic

Divine Nine Greeks across the state are invited for a weekend of fun and fellowship with a picnic in the park. Teams can register to compete in the picnic stroll-off competition, where the crowd chooses the winning team for a cash prize.

Peggy Park, 4101 Almeda St., $20+

Aug. 21: Houston Food Fest

Sample everything from tacos to gumbo to barbecue as over 70 different vendors from Houston, Austin, and other surrounding cities come to celebrate what we all love to do: eat.

901 Bagby, $5-$9

Aug. 21: 34th AIA Sandcastle Competition

Rhonda Lowe/AIA

This yearly fundraising event for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Houston and ArCH Foundation brings some impressive sand structures to Galveston's beaches. Teams work non-stop on the beach for five hours to create their masterpieces and hopefully take home the Gold Bucket.

East Beach, 1923 Boddeker Road, Galveston

Sept. 3-6: B.I.G. Salsa Festival Houston 2021

Learn to dance and sample some delicious food at this multiday festival with dance classes, performances, live band concerts, and late-night dance parties

5060 West Alabama St., $50-$150

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Sept. 4: 2021 Houston Zydeco Fest

Some of the country's best zydeco bands are headed to Houston for a day of dancing in September.

9401 Knight Road, $10+

Sept. 4: Buzzfest

Rock out all day as the Offspring, Chevelle, P.O.D., Candlebox, Mammoth WVH, Ayron Jones, and more come to Houston for the return of radio station KTBZ-FM/94.5 The Buzz's rock festival.

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands, $33+

Did I miss your favorite Houston-area summer festival happening this year? Email me abigail.rosenthal@chron.com.
For downtown Conroe restaurant owner Debbie Glenn things arent back to BC  Before Covid levels but the uptick in business is promising.

I noticed we were starting to get back to the good old days in the last few weeks of May, she said. Its not 100 percent, but its getting there.

She said the restaurant did very well the weekend of the Taco and Tequila Festival in early June in downtown Conroe and shes been able to welcome musicians back at full capacity which she says makes her heart happy.

The pandemic has hit the restaurant and hospitality industry especially hard, but according to Melissa Stewart, executive director of the Greater Houston Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association, things are going as expected for restaurants at this point in the pandemic.

Getting back out to restaurants was the No. 1 thing consumers said they wanted to do when businesses opened back up after the pandemic, she said. We are very, very thankful that were seeing that and theres been a lot of built-up demand.

But restaurants are also still trying to balance safety measures. A lot of the community and the workforce have been vaccinated at this point, but the virus is still out there and restaurants have to be prepared, she said.

In this stage of the pandemic and as people return more and more to restaurants consumer demand is there, but staffing  not only in restaurants, but in other industries  has fallen behind.

Restaurants have a history of workforce challenges, Stewart said. Its hard work and we take a lot of people to do our job well.

She said restaurants are also facing shortages in food supplies. Theres a huge consumer demand. Yay for that. But were still working through some issues that arent really pandemic related but just things that come up in business.

As reported in the Houston Chronicle, nearly half of businesses polled by the National Federation of Independent Business said they have job openings, according to Annie Spilman, the organizations director for Texas, and a majority of businesses that are hiring reported finding few or no qualified applicants.

Small business owners, more than any other employer out there, understand and sympathize with their employees and consider them family, so there definitely was a time when the additional stimulus was needed, because there were not jobs out there, Spilman said. Small businesses have the positions to fill, they want to give them these jobs.

In May, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that Texas would opt out of all federal unemployment assistance programs after Saturday, including an extra $300-per-week federal benefit Congress approved earlier this year.

Glenn admits staffing is hard right now.

Everyone has heard on the news about staffing issues, not just in the restaurant industry, but in other industries too, said Glenn. A little grace and forgiveness (for the staff) would be nice. Dont forget its not like it was before COVID-19.

She feels very fortunate for her staff as the restaurant approaches its 9th anniversary in September.

They genuinely care and love putting out a good product and serving the community. That makes my heart happy, she said.

And theres plenty good to come not only for Red Brick Tavern, but for downtown Conroe.

The Red Brick Tavern recently launched a breakfast menu and the establishment now opens at 7 a.m. each day.

RBT Chef Rudy specializes in made-from-scratch breakfast items.

Hes been doing breakfast a long time and hes very good at breakfast, Glenn said. Her favorite is the breakfast sandwich with avocado. Shrimp and grits is also popular.

Shes also excited more and more people are discovering the charm of downtown Conroe.

Its trendy and fun and has a life of its own, she said of downtown. She said she saw the evolution start a few years ago and now its fully fueled by people wanting to get out and explore.

In 2020 and 2021, several new businesses have opened in downtown and a weeklys Farmers Market takes place in downtown each Saturday.

Theres more to come as well as the former Martins Hall morphs into a new location for Burgers and Bourdeaux, Honor Cafe adds on to its meeting space and 202 Main has plans for expansion.

On the lake, Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe | Houston has held several job fairs in the spring and into the summer.

From the four job fairs, they have hired 103 team members and are seeking more in positions across the board. As of last week, theyre looking to hire 138 more employees for full-time, part-time and seasonal work.

Tom Faust, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Margaritaville, said the resort was very busy last summer even during the pandemic following its opening in June 2020.

The biggest trend hes noticed this year is the return of groups at the resort, like conventions and conferences.

Of course we see our peak demand on the weekends, but the groups have been rounding out our occupancies mid-week, he said. This is very positive for us as we go into the fall where leisure demand drops a bit. But well continue to see group activities. With 72,000 square foot of space and 20 meeting rooms, theres lot of great meeting space.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee investigators say local deputies fatally shot a man Friday who said he wanted to harm himself and showed a weapon.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says it is working to independently determine the series of events that led to the shooting of 53-year-old Michael Anthony Frederick of McDonald by Bradley County Sheriffs Office deputies.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden pledged Friday that the United States will remain committed to Afghanistan after American forces leave the country, but said that after nearly two decades of war, the future of the country is in its own hands.

Long a skeptic of America's longest war, Biden underscored that the decision to pull out was not up for debate as he received Afghanistan's fractious leadership for a White House visit that felt like a farewell.

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want," Biden said as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his governing partner, reconciliation envoy Abdullah Abdullah, sat with him in the Oval Office. "But it won't be for lack of us being [a] help."

That promised help is mostly financial and rhetorical, with the military mission begun to avenge the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 now closing down. Afghan security forces will be in charge of repelling a newly emboldened Taliban insurgency, and prospects for a reconciliation deal between the Ghani government and the Taliban appear dim.

"The senseless violence has to stop, but it's going to be very difficult," Biden said. "But we're going to stick with you and we're going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need."

He called both men old friends, and indeed over the span of the nearly two-decade war he had met both of them: Ghani was last at the White House in 2015, when Biden was vice president.

Ghani said he respects Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. forces. Abdullah, Ghani's former political rival, said nothing and remained off camera for most of the brief portion of the meeting seen by reporters.

"President Biden's decision has been historic. It has made everybody recalculate and reconsider," Ghani said in English. "We are here to respect and support it."

The troop withdrawal Biden ordered in April could be substantially complete early next month. Biden had set a Sept. 11 deadline for ending the U.S. military mission, saying that the war he initially suppoted had ceased to be in U.S. interests.

"We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result," Biden said then.

More than 2,000 U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan in a conflict that has cost trillions but often lacked a clear objective.

Ghani opened his remarks with Biden by acknowledging U.S. military deaths and thanking Biden for American commitment. Tens of thousands of Afghans also died over the same period in a war that will not end with the U.S. departure.

Speaking to reporters later, Ghani said Biden's decision had been made "not in the spirit of abandonment of Afghanistan, but a new chapter in our relationship."

Biden has requested $3.3 billion for security assistance to Afghanistan next year, a slight increase over current funding. It is not clear how training of Afghan forces or maintenance of U.S.-made equipment will work from afar.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain, secured by a force of about 650 military personnel. That is much larger than the typical Marine Corps guard forces assigned to protect embassies, a sign that the administration is safeguarding against potential Taliban attacks or even a possible evacuation of American diplomats down the road.

A Taliban offensive across northern Afghanistan has shown the weaknesses of Afghan security forces, which have uneven readiness and skills despite years of U.S. and NATO training.

Officials in Afghanistan say Taliban attacks have increased since Biden's withdrawal announcement in April, The Post reported last week. In some areas, local forces have surrendered after negotiations between community elders and the Taliban. In others, departing U.S. troops have destroyed bases or stripped them of anything the Taliban might be able to use.

When he ordered the withdrawal, Biden said he understood the argument that the United States would lose leverage over the insurgents by leaving, but noted that staying had not achieved peace.

"We gave that argument a decade," Biden said in April. "It's never proved effective. Not when we had 98,000 troops in Afghanistan, and not when we were down to a few thousand. Our diplomacy does not hinge on having boots in harm's way, U.S. boots on the ground."

Ghani and Abdullah had already gone over many of the withdrawal details with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a meeting at the Pentagon earlier Friday.

Ghani smiled when asked by reporters to comment on the U.S. intelligence analysis that his government may fall within six months after U.S. forces leave the country.

"There have been many such predictions and they have all proven, turned out, false," he replied.

Ghani also denied the notion that the United States is walking away from his country.

"The false narrative of abandonment is just false," Ghani said.

Austin said the United States "is deeply invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan and in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement," a reference to largely moribund talks to achieve peace between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Many longtime Afghanistan analysts have said the Taliban has little incentive to pursue a deal with the Kabul government now and may be running out the clock until U.S. forces are gone.

"We will remain partners with the Afghan government and the Afghan military. And we will continue to work toward our common goal in a new and different way," Austin said.

Pentagon leaders had initially urged Biden to leave a small force of up to 3,000 in the country to focus on terrorism threats.

After a meeting with Ghani on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called on Biden to reverse course.

"President Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. forces leaves our Afghan partners alone to confront threats that his own top advisors acknowledge are grave and growing worse," McConnell said in a statement.

" . . . President Ghani and the people of Afghanistan are entitled to wonder why the Biden administration has chosen to abandon the fight and invite even greater terrorist threats," McConnell s
LONDON (AP)  Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party formally endorsed Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader on Saturday, a position that will likely see him become the country's first minister.

Donaldson received 32 votes of the partys 36-strong electoral college, which is made up of the party's 28 lawmakers in the Northern Ireland assembly and its eight members of parliament in London.

The 58-year-old, who leads the party's caucus in the U.K. Parliament in London, was the sole candidate in the election, which follows a chaotic two months for Northern Irelands largest party.

Donaldson had narrowly lost in the previous election last month to Edwin Poots, who resigned last week after colleagues revolted over a deal to appoint new leaders to the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing administration. Poots, a social and religious conservative, didn't attend the meeting on Saturday.

I believe that todays decision is an important first step in building the unity of my party, in rebuilding the strength of my party, in providing the leadership that Northern Ireland needs at this time," Donaldson said. Its been a difficult and a bruising period for the DUP, we all acknowledge that and weve all played our part in that."

Donaldson, who will become the official party leader next week when the DUPs ruling executive meets to ratify his appointment, has has made clear his intent to return from London to Belfast to assume the first ministers job. However, the timeline for that move remains unclear.

Donaldson said Paul Givan, who was appointed by his predecessor Poots, will remain first minister for the time being.

The DUP, which is rooted in the fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church, opposed Northern Irelands 1998 peace accord. It later became reconciled to it and has shared power with the Irish Republican Army-linked Sinn Fein. The power-sharing relationship has often been strained, and the U.K's departure from the EU last year has shaken the political balance in Northern Ireland.

Donaldson said one of his key priorities would be to right the wrong of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit trading arrangement between the British government and the European Union that has seen customs and border checks imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. Thats angered Northern Irelands unionist community who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken ties with the rest of the U.K.

This protocol is doing enormous harm to our economy, to confidence, to political stability and thats why I believe that weve got to find another way of doing things that doesnt do the harm the protocol is doing to Northern Ireland, Donaldson said.

The British government retains an array of powers affecting Northern Ireland, but the Belfast assembly can make laws in areas including agriculture, education and health.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Rhode Island lawmakers have passed legislation that requires all public schools to provide feminine hygiene products at no cost to students.

The legislation approved Friday says that starting in the 2022-2023 academic year, schools teaching grades five through 12 shall make feminine hygiene products available in all gender-neutral and female bathrooms.
BOSTON (AP)  The Massachusetts Senate has approved legislation designed to create a more secure egg supply chain and raise the state's farm animal welfare standards to be on a par with other states.

The bill would upgrade Massachusetts egg production law  created by a successful 2016 ballot question  to create predictability and certainty by mirroring even stronger national United Egg Producers cage-free guidelines. Supporters of the bill say those guidelines have been adopted by leading retailers, producers, and other states.
Andy Wong/AP

BEIJING (AP)  China said Saturday that it provides vaccines to other countries with no political conditions attached, responding to a story by The Associated Press saying China pressured Ukraine into withdrawing from a multi-country statement on human rights in Chinas Xinjiang region by threatening to withhold a COVID-19 vaccine shipment.

A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it welcomed Ukraine's decision to take its name off the statement at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, adding "we havent heard that Ukraine has encountered any difficulty in importing vaccines from China.
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin 's conviction and lengthy prison sentence in George Floyd's murder could lead to better police hiring and training, law enforcement experts say. It could spur more effort to build trust among officers and communities.

And it might have made the public  and future jurors  more receptive to longstanding complaints about police interactions with minorities.

Even so, the case was so unusual  from bystander video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyds neck for 9 1/2 minutes to police department brass testifying against him  that its difficult to say it was a watershed moment for lasting change.

 The conviction was critically important, in part, because of how blatant the violence was and because of the way in which the video couldnt allow the lies that police often tell in these situations to dominate the narrative," said Sheila A. Bedi, a professor at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law and director of the school's Community Justice & Civil Rights Clinic.

But the outcome in Chauvin's case  including his 22 1/2-year sentence  doesn't address deep-rooted issues of race and violence affecting police interactions with minorities that don't result in charges or convictions against officers, said Bedi, who has been involved in numerous use-of-force lawsuits against the Chicago Police Department.

"And until we get at that, I caution anyone to celebrate the conviction and sentence as a victory," she said.

Officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people rarely go to trial, and among those who have, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction. That includes acquittals in recent years of officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Eleven non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. Of those, the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin received sentences ranging from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years, said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University.

Still, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Friday that the outcome was a step toward accountability, even if not total justice. And he urged federal, state and local lawmakers to pass laws to improve policing, saying Chauvin's sentencing was by itself not enough.

Chauvin's high-profile case likely led more people to believe longstanding complaints about police interactions with Black people, even if his actions were blatantly wrong, experts said. And that could make jurors less likely to simply believe police versions of events in the future.

Extreme cases by their nature open up public awareness ... but it doesnt necessarily result in across-the-board reform because the situation was so unique, said former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer, senior managing director of the consulting firm Guidepost Solutions. What would be the reform? Dont put your knee on someones neck for 9 1/2 minutes?

Still, the testimony of Minneapolis Police Department officers, including the chief, that Chauvin violated his training  though highly unusual  could make officers think twice about using force.

And if it does, its a good thing, Cramer said. Anyone thats been in this game long enough knows that it comes down to hiring practices and training, but at the end of the day its a certain officer in a certain situation. And I dont see these situations ending anytime soon.

Knowing that their encounters could be captured on cellphone video also could give officers pause, experts said. Minneapolis police originally said Floyd died in a medical incident. But video shot by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier showed Chauvin ignoring Floyd's pleas that he couldn't breathe and continuing to press his knee into Floyd's neck even after the Black man was dead.

But Kirk Burkhalter, a criminal law professor at New York Law School and a former 20-year New York Police Department detective, said police are being asked to do too much, especially in situations involving people with mental health issues or minor crimes. Floyd was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store.

In a lot of these situations, we see poor decisions (by police), but they're often situations we should have never put cops in," said Burkhalter, who leads the law school's 21st Century Policing Project, which addresses relationships between police and communities.

Ellison, the attorney general, said he hoped Chauvin's conviction and sentence was a moment for change when it comes to trust between minority communities and police officers.

You cant heal a dirty wound, and when theres little trust, sadly theres little safety, Ellison said.

Unless that broader issue is addressed, it doesnt matter what laws or regulations are adopted to address policing issues, Cramer said.

I want to say Im optimistic but ... pick any city: The mutual distrust is at a level I dont think Ive seen since Ive been doing this, Cramer said. But if good people on both sides want to solve the problem, then weve got a fighting chance."

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Associated Press writer Aaron Morrison in New York City contributed to this story.

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Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A judge has ruled that prosecutors in the first-degree murder trial of a Nashville police officer next month can call a law enforcement expert witness who earlier this year testified that Derek Chauvin used excessive force against George Floyd in the moments prior to the Black man's death.

The ruling Friday by Judge Monte Watkins also lets the defense team of 27-year-old white Officer Andrew Delke use a former Nashville district attorney as an expert witness in the July 2018 fatal shooting of 25-year-old Daniel Hambrick, who is Black.

The judge's approval of Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant who testified as a use-of-force expert during the Chauvin trial, and former Nashville District Attorney Torry Johnson, helps set up some of the final parameters before the trial begins on July 12. It will be preceded by jury selection the week before.

Defense attorney David Raybin opposed Stiger's inclusion, arguing that prosecutors missed a deadline to add the witness and were now trying to inject the landmark Chauvin case into Delke's trial. Prosecutors said they wouldn't mention that case, but Raybin wondered how it would not come up during questioning.

Johnson, the former prosecutor, testified in a pretrial hearing that he believes Delke had probable cause to pursue Hambrick, both in his police cruiser and later on foot when Hambrick got out of a car.

Delke fatally shot Hambrick while he was fleeing from the officer on foot and carrying a gun.

Delkes attorneys have argued the officer acted in line with his training and Tennessee law in responding to an armed suspect who ignored repeated orders to drop his gun. Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk has argued Delke had other alternatives, adding that the officer could have stopped, sought cover and called for help.

Friday's order solidifies some other rules for the trial. Defense attorneys can't bring up the former arrests and convictions of Hambrick, who had a felony record. The defense can't show the jury a photo of Daniel Hambrick with money and several handguns, or other photos used to counter the 8 x 10 photo of Hambrick that prosecutors can display.

Delke didnt know who Hambrick was when he chased him and shot him three times, an arrest affidavit states.

The ruling does not address the defense's hope to keep the jury from seeing any video evidence of the shooting.

Raybin asked the judge to exclude all video evidence because of additional footage that the defense argued could have shown a key, unseen blip in the chase, but was not retained in the investigation. Prosecutors countered that its unlikely that the additional, unreviewed video would show anything new.

In the surveillance footage available, there is a blip of a blind spot in the angles seen, a point the defense has focused on. The defense has said the weapon became pointed at Delke during the chase, but prosecutors have cast doubt about that.
ELKHART, Ind. (AP)  A former northern Indiana teacher has been charged with more than a dozen sex crimes after he groped and made sexual advances on students, according to court documents.

Andrew Cowells, 47, was charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography, two counts of child solicitation, two counts each of voyeurism and battery and vicarious sexual gratification.
EL PASO, Texas - Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday made her first visit to America's southern border since her inauguration, facing sharp criticism from Republicans who claim White House immigration policies are too lax as well as critiques from liberal advocates who argue President Joe Biden is continuing the harsh policies of his predecessor.

Harris's 4 hours in this border city are likely to do little to blunt the complaints that have followed her as she tries to manage the assignment Biden gave her in March to address the root causes of illegal immigration from south of the border.

Harris has sought to emphasize that her designated role is to grapple with the forces that push migrants to head to the United States, rather than to manage problems at the border itself - an argument that has done little to shield her from political attacks from the left and the right.

Republicans began assailing Harris's trip even before Air Force Two touched down, calling it a "layover" in El Paso and saying the vice president was avoiding parts of the border where the greatest migrant influxes have occurred under the Biden-Harris administration. On the other flank, Amnesty International accused Biden of "falling back on dangerous practices pushed by the Trump administration" despite campaigning on the promise of a more humane system.

After touring the port of entry and border operation at El Paso, Harris stressed that she was focusing on resolving problems thousands of miles away in Central America.

"My trip to Guatemala and Mexico was about addressing the root causes," Harris said at the end of her El Paso trip, referring to a recent visit to those countries. "The stories that I heard and the interactions that we had today reinforced the nature of those root causes: a lack of economic opportunity, very often violence, corruption and food insecurity, and the basic needs not being met, including fear of cartels and gang violence."

Many administration allies worry that her visiting the border plays into the hands of Republicans who have sought to tie Harris to a chaotic surge in irregular migration during Biden's first months in office. Some GOP leaders and conservative pundits have dubbed her Biden's "Border Czar" in hopes of making her the face of an issue that for decades has proved intractable for presidents from both parties.

If the argument sticks, it could damage Democrats in the midterm elections despite their success in passing a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill and recently making progress on an infrastructure measure. The label also could stain the reputation of Harris, who is widely considered a future presidential aspirant.

Harris's visit also offered a new foothold for arguments from immigrant advocates who contend that Biden's approach to immigration enforcement contains vestiges of President Donald Trump's hard-edged border policies.

The administration faces growing pressure to rescind the use of a public health order instituted under Trump that lets immigration authorities turn away border crossers and asylum seekers because they may be carrying the novel coronavirus. Critics say the order, known as Title 42, is inhumane and sometimes returns vulnerable migrants to the dangerous situations they fled. The critics also say the order is increasingly unnecessary as more Americans are vaccinated and the United States makes strides against the virus.

Linda Rivas, the director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, who was among community leaders who met with Harris on Friday, said in a statement that the White House "must improve the asylum process and end the cruel border policies that ripped families apart, like the 'Remain in Mexico' and Title 42 policies." She added that the administration must "build an asylum system that welcomes people with dignity and respect."

The "Remain in Mexico" program established under Trump sends migrants who cross the border from Mexico back into that country to await U.S. asylum hearings, part of an effort to limit access to the United States and deter people from attempting the journey north.

Trump, who is to visit the border with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Wednesday, pounced shortly after Harris's trip was announced this week, saying that his coming trip had forced Harris's hand.

"After months of ignoring the crisis at the Southern Border, it is great that we got Kamala D. Harris to finally go and see the tremendous destruction and death that they've created - a direct result of Biden ending my very tough but fair Border policies," Trump said in a statement.

Harris and her advisers said the border trip was part of a continuing effort to understand the journey of migrants from start to finish and that politics did not play a role in her decision to visit.

But they have also stressed that El Paso is the site of the "launch" of the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents at the border, which both Biden and Harris blasted on the 2020 campaign trail as inhumane. During her meeting with faith and community leaders Friday, Harris spoke of efforts to mend a "broken asylum system" and said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was expediting a process to reunite families separated during Trump's tenure.

"It is here in El Paso that the previous administration's child separation policy was unveiled," Harris said. "And so we've seen the disastrous effects of that right here in this region. It is here in El Paso that the Return to Mexico policy from the previous administration was implemented. We have seen the disaster that resulted from that."

Later, she added that El Paso is where unaccompanied minors "are without their families - young children - they're being processed through the system."

In addition to meeting some of those unaccompanied minors, the vice president and Mayorkas toured the city's Central Processing Center, where Harris heard about advances aimed at efficiently processing migrants and combating transnational crime. She also visited the port of entry in El Paso, touring an area where border agents screen asylum applicants and search vehicles.

In March, President Biden tasked Harris with tackling the root causes of migration from the Northern Triangle countries: Guatemala, El Salvador and Guatemala.

During her visit to Guatemala and Mexico this month, Harris met with the presidents of both countries and unveiled a raft of aid that the Biden administration hopes will give potential migrants enough faith in the future of their home countries to deter them from making the 2,000-mile trip to the U.S. border. Harris also sent an explicit message to those considering the journey: "Do not come."

But that two-day journey provided a stark contrast to Friday's brief trip to the border. Administration officials announced the trip to Guatemala and Mexico weeks in advance and made accommodations for a large contingent of international journalists. Harris took questions from reporters on both days and announced the aid that the United States was extending to Central American countries.

By comparison, the White House announced that Harris would visit El Paso just two days before the trip, saying the stop was wedged between a busy week in Washington and a planned weekend at the vice president's California home. She traveled with a few journalists who provided pool reports.

At the end of the day, some were calling the trip inadequate. Among them was Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who in recent weeks had written a letter urging Harris to visit the border.

"I'm glad that she checked the box and went to the border," Cuellar told CNN. "But the epicenter is down in the Rio Grande Valley. If you really want to get a sense of what's going on, you need to go down to Donna, Texas."

- - -

The Washington Post's Nick Miroff in Washington contributed to this report.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP)  A man accused of crashing into an Oklahoma high school cross-country team, killing three and injuring several others, has been found guilty of murder.

Cleveland County jurors on Friday found Max Townsend, 58, guilty of three counts of second-degree murder. He was also found guilty of three counts of leaving the scene of a fatality accident and four counts of leaving the scene of an injury accident.
FRANKLIN GROVE, Ill. (AP)  For a look at how the Prairie State once looked and got its nickname, explore The Nature Conservancys Nachusa Grasslands, about 164 miles north of Decatur.

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.

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.

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.

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Source: The (Bloomington) Pantagraph, https://bit.ly/35nfjLb
MANKATO, Minn. (AP)  When the Childrens Museum of Southern Minnesota was still in its early stages, its director at the time sought out Glenn Wasicuna for his thoughts on how the Dakota people could be represented in it.

Wasicuna said he recalled being asked if there was an animal they should use to symbolize the Dakota people. He saw it as a teaching moment, and his response might not surprise those who know him from his work as a Dakota language instructor.

If you want to include the Dakota people here, use the language, he said.

His guidance led to ded yahipi kin waste being displayed at the museums entrance as a welcome to visitors.

Wasicuna recounted the memory during his latest visit to the museum  this time for the unveiling of a new exhibit further highlighting Dakota language and art, the Mankato Free Press reported.

Placed right inside the museums entrance, the exhibit features textile art by local Dakota artist Gwen Westerman. Each of her textiles represents one of the four seasons, with the words for each in both Dakota and English displayed underneath.

The Dakota words  bdoketu for summer, as an example  light up as visitors trace each character with a stick. When pushed, buttons play audio of Wasicuna pronouncing the Dakota words.

The exhibit is a way to teach children about Dakota language and culture, Wasicuna told a gathering of people there for the unveiling.

Its all in the spirit of understanding, he said. Thats what we want to put forth into the public, because if you understand and know, its going to create good relations.

Wasicuna and Westerman, a couple from Good Thunder, consulted with the museum on the interactive kiosk, which directly faces another visual and audio display of Dakota children inside the entrance.

Funding for the project came from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Minnesota Legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Andy Vig of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community described the project as a perfect fit for the Native American tribes cultural and educational grants. He noted how Wasicuna taught him the Dakota language for a time, and now more people will learn from him through the exhibit.

Glenn cant be everywhere, but now he provides this here, he said.

The exhibits placement up front at the entrance is meaningful, Westerman said. Itll be the first thing people see when they walk in and the last thing they see when they walk out.

Their commitment to making sure that the Dakota language and culture is a part of the learning experience has been unwavering, she said.

Planning for the exhibit dates back more than four years. Vice President of Museum Operations Deb Johnson noted it involved Wasicuna and her visiting with members of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for feedback.

She acknowledged Bud Lawrence, a founder of the annual Mahkato Wacipi, as well as Lawrences daughter, Barb Kaus, among those who helped make the project happen. Lawrence died in 2017, while Kaus attended the unveiling.

While thanking everyone who consulted on, supported or constructed the exhibit, Johnson described it as a step toward expanding visitor knowledge about Dakota culture. But continued conversations will be needed about how to build on it, she added.

Its not OK, weve accomplished something, she said. Weve taken another step.

The possibilities seem endless on what comes next, Westerman said, thanks to the longstanding relations developed between museum leaders and Dakota consultants from the museums inception.

As they expand the outdoor areas or as the exhibits themselves change, theyre always looking for opportunities to incorporate Dakota culture and language, she said. Its ingrained and woven into the vision of this place.
WINTHROP, Mass. (AP)  A man crashed a stolen truck into a building before fatally shooting two people and being shot by police in the Boston suburb of Winthrop on Saturday, police said.

The suspected gunman has also died, Massachusetts State Police Spokesman Dave Procopio said in an email.
PACIFICA, Calif. (AP)  A great white shark bit a man in the leg as he swam off a Northern California beach on Saturday morning, authorities said.

The 35-year-old man's injury was not life threatening and he was able to swim to shore at Grey Whale Cove State Beach, about 18 miles south of San Francisco, where he received medical aid, San Mateo County Sheriff's Lt. Eamonn Allen said.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Three top University of California campuses would lower their share of out-of-state and international students and the UC system would add 6,230 more local students next year under a new state budget plan that Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders unveiled Friday night.

The state would cover the cost of reducing nonresident students at UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego from 22% to 18% over five years beginning in the fall of 2022, which would make room for about 4,500 California students over that period, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The loss of revenue for nonresident students, who pay higher tuition, amounts to nearly $30,000 per student or $1.3 billion collectively each year.

The budget also proposes to provide funds to enroll the additional California residents in next year's freshman class. The nine undergraduate UC campuses will decide how to divvy them up.

State legislators initially suggested lowering the proportion of nonresident freshmen students to 10% from the current systemwide average of 19% over the next decade. They said then that the state's record $75 billion surplus provided a rare opportunity to take bold action and open up access to the UC's. The system received a record number of applications for the fall of 2021 and many are frustrated over the lack of seats for qualified students.

Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting said that limited resources led legislators to scale down the plan for now and focus on the three most popular campuses.

UC officials say they share the goal of enrolling and graduating more California students and have added 19,000 more California undergraduates since 2015. They opposed the 10% plan, however.

We understand and support the Legislatures goal of providing more opportunities for Californians at UC, though we believe trying to achieve this through reducing nonresident students will potentially lead to unanticipated outcomes, the university said in a statement

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said that when state funding declines, the enrollment of nonresident students helped offset tuition costs for California students and provides revenue to retain high-quality faculty and improve educational programs.

The budget is scheduled for a vote in the state Legislature on Monday, with Newsom likely signing it into law before the states fiscal year begins Thursday.
SUNDANCE, N.M. (AP)  A lone dog with sad eyes and no collar trotted up a dusty dirt road in a hardscrabble community near the southeast corner of the Navajo Nation.

In a flash, a pack of other free-roaming, collarless dogs scurried up the same road. One lunged at the lone canine, unleashing a ferocious attack with bursts of snarling, growling and barking that sent them all fleeing in different directions.

The scene isn't unusual here or in nearby communities where an estimated 250,000 of the animals referred to as rez dogs roam unchecked. Sometimes, with deadly consequences.

Tribal lawmakers recently passed a resolution to establish criminal penalties for vicious dog attacks like the one that Lyssa Rose Upshaw's family believes killed her. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez later vetoed the resolution, saying it didn't go far enough and needs more input.

Lyssa Rose, 13, went for a walk before dinner in Fort Defiance on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation last month and was mauled by a neighbor's dogs, her family said. Police have not released an exact cause of her death.

She had no skin on her legs, Lyssa Rose's mother, Marissa Jones, told the Santa Fe New Mexican. They chewed her legs. She was gone.

The teenager's family described her as sweet and quiet, and said she was looking forward to joining the track and cross-country teams as a freshman in high school. She was buried May 25.

At least six deaths on the Navajo Nation have been blamed on dog packs, including the death of two boys. Other people have lost limbs or had to be treated for dog bites, Animal Control Manager Kevin Gleason recently told a committee of tribal lawmakers.

Violating animal control laws is considered a civil offense, with a maximum $500 fine. Gleason said none of the laws hold dog owners responsible for deaths.

While residents are prohibited from owning more than four animals and must restrain dogs, those limits seemingly are ignored. Animal Control Officer Gregory Pahe said he has removed up to 32 cats and dogs from a single home.

The tribe doesn't have enough manpower to address the problem. Gleason told tribal lawmakers that only a handful of animal control officers cover the 27,000-square-mile (70,000-square-kilometer) reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, forcing them to be more reactive than proactive.

The pandemic made things worse. Animal shelters shut down, enforcement nearly ground to a halt, and spaying and neutering services were drastically cut back.

A small team of animal control officers and others captured multiple dogs in Sundance earlier this month, including two that were part of the fight on the dusty road using cages, ropes and poles.

A lot of times, these dogs live out in the hills, in the canyons, so they dont know any other way except to be feral, Pahe said.

Jimmy Begay, who lives in the Sundance community, said he was relieved when animal control officers hauled away a dog that showed up at his doorstep. But he's contacted officers before about free-roaming dogs and got no response.

There's just dogs everywhere, he said.

Unincorporated areas and cities that border the Navajo Nation also are understaffed and trying to avoid tragedy, said Tiffany Hubbard, an animal control officer in Gallup, New Mexico. But, she said, someone is always on call.

Hubbard said her agency has received calls for help from the Navajo Nation but cannot respond, other than to take in animals when there's room.

We have to explain to them we have no jurisdiction, she said.

Individuals and animal shelters outside the reservation have rescued stray animals at times. Hubbard said state, local and tribal governments need to direct more funding for animal control.

It doesn't pop into people's heads until something bad happens that they need to help these guys out and give them the funding, give them the tools that they need to do their job, she said.
The National Weather Service has confirmed the state's largest piece of hail ever recorded fell near San Antonio this spring. An even bigger piece appears to have been made into margaritas.

On the afternoon of April 28, a "supercell" storm developed just southeast of Del Rio, setting a course for San Antonio. By early evening, residents across the region were reporting 1-to-2 inch pieces of hail and winds between 70 and 100 miles per hour.

Around 7:30 p.m., residents in Medina County, including Hondo and Castroville, were reporting pieces of hail between 5 and 7 inches in diameter, and sending images to area news stations. What would eventually be designated Texas's biggest piece of hail on record fell in Hondo, measuring 6.4 inches across, 12 inches in circumference, and weighing more than a pound.

READ MORE: Storms could provide some relief from the heat in San Antonio next week

Rather amazingly, members of the NWS were able to use radar to detect almost the precise moment the record-breaking ice fell, and put it at approximately 7:35 p.m., according to a June 22 memo from the NWS to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

A few days later, on May 6, members of the NWS Austin-San Antonio team and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety traveled to the hail finder's home after seeing an image submitted on social media local TV station. According to the memo, because the ice had been put into the freezer without a bag, it likely shrunk slightly in size from the initial picture.

Members of State Climate Extremes Committee convened a few weeks later to confirm this mondo Hondo ice as setting the inaugural SCEC record for the State of Texas.

There is an addendum to this chilling tale: the record holder may not have been Hondo's biggest hailstone that night. Another social media post shows a piece with a possible diameter of 6.57 inches also fell on April 28. Unfortunately, researchers say they were unable to verify its size before it was blended into a batch of margaritas.
Making Juneteenth a federal holiday was a step in the right direction long overdue. Its our nations oldest commemoration of what was supposed to be slaverys end in the United States 156 years ago. June 19 memorializes the final freeing of slaves in Texas who remained in slavery two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln.

As a member of the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim Community whose pioneers in America were African Americans, I honor and advocate for the release of innocent captives held in bondage. Simply put, its justice, yet this act is rewarded as the giving charity in the Holy Quran as well as with the raising ones moral stature 90:14. Allah proclaims this is what charity should actually be collected for (2:178). The Holy Prophet Muhammad himself and his devotees effectively did this and abolished slavery from the grassroots 1,400 years ago. Within the 23 years of his revolutionary mission he personally freed slaves and prisoners of war and inspired their mass liberation and just as importantly integrated them into society. He went further and made ways for their empowerment as leaders. The Abyssinian Bilal, the first and foremost Announcer of Prayer, and Zaid bin Haritha, the Military Commander, are just a few well known examples. The only slaves in Islam are those of God, not man. Prophet Muhammad reminded us that he himself was the slave of Allah and His Messenger.
When 18-year-old Bryce Dershem stepped up to the lectern at his New Jersey high school's graduation ceremony last week, he wanted to share how his battle with mental health was made even more difficult in a senior year marred by the coronavirus pandemic.

The class valedictorian, wearing maroon robes and a pride flag draped around his shoulders, began with the customary "thank you" for the parents, teachers and friends in the audience. Then, he launched into his own story.

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"After I came out as queer freshman year, I felt so alone. I didn't know who to turn to," he said, before his microphone suddenly cut out.

Eastern Regional High School's principal walked up to the lectern to grab the microphone, grabbing a paper copy of Dershem's speech and directing him to read a new one that had been rewritten without any mention of the teenager's queer identity or mental health struggles, Dershem told The Washington Post. When the principal pointed Dershem to the new speech at the lectern, he "said I was to read that and nothing else," the teen told The Washington Post.

"I don't know why just a reference to who I was warranted being cut off," Dershem said. "I was on the verge of tears; I didn't know what to do."

He decided on the spot to finish his speech from memory.

Dershem told his classmates about how the pandemic, which forced him to take remote classes until May, had exacerbated his own mental health struggles. During senior year, Dershem said he spent six months getting treatment for anorexia and suicidal thoughts. The teen said he hoped sharing his story would inspire his classmates to believe in their ability to achieve, despite the challenge of working through a remote school year during a pandemic that has killed more than 600,000 Americans.

"Part of our identity, our year, our struggle is 2021," Dershem told his classmates from the stage. "We're still here though. We adapted to something we never thought possible."

He said he wanted to share a message of positivity, hope and inclusion, "letting every single person in that audience know that they are enough and that their identities don't deserve to be marginalized or criminalized or oppressed."

ICYMI: Texas valedictorian stood up for women everywhere with impromptu commencement speech

Dershem said he believes school administrators intentionally cut his microphone to try to force him to give the speech they had written for him. He said those efforts began in the week leading up to graduation when the principal asked Dershem to rewrite the speech multiple times.

"They start saying things like, 'This speech is not my therapy session,' " Dershem said.

He said the administrators ordered him to work with the head of the school's English department to rewrite the speech, which he did. Even after those edits, he said, the administration was not satisfied. But Dershem decided to give his own speech anyway.

"I thought, 'I have worked this hard and I deserve to be able to tell my story and give this message of inclusivity,' because I didn't think there was anything wrong with it," he said.

Robert Cloutier, the superintendent of Eastern Camden County Regional School District, told NBC Philadelphia that administrators always work with students to edit their graduation speeches.

TRAVELING: Ready to plan a trip this Pride Month? Here are 5 LGBTQ+ friendly destinations

"Every year, all student speakers are assisted in shaping the speech, and all student speeches - which are agreed upon and approved in advance - are kept in the binder on the lectern for the principal to conduct the graduation ceremony," Cloutier told the station.

He also denied that Dershem had been asked to remove references to his queer identity before the ceremony.

"No student was asked to remove their personal identity from any speech before or during graduation," Cloutier told NBC News.

Despite the dispute with the school's administrators, Dershem's classmates and friends have only offered support for his decision to give his own version of the graduation speech, he said.

After his speech, Dershem said he was approached by a teacher at his school who lost her son to suicide during the pandemic.

"She hugged me and she said that her son had passed away due to suicide over quarantine and my speech had just meant so much to her, and she really wished he had gotten to hear it, too," he said. "I thought, 'This is the one person - this is the one person that I made feel less alone in that audience.' That was everything for me."
In the latest developments, AAA is predicting a busy holiday weekend for U.S. travel; JetBlue brings back a San Jose route to New York while United will add flights to the Sierras from SFO this winter; Hawaii will end its COVID testing requirement for vaccinated mainland visitors next month; United eases up some fare and award travel rules; five more European nations start to welcome American tourists again, but travel to the U.K. is still on hold; U.S. airlines urge the Justice Department to bring federal criminal charges against disruptive passengers as the TSA resumes self-defense training for flight crews; Delta adds service on a number of European routes; Hawaiian Airlines will bring back Honolulu-Tahiti fights; and new passenger lounges open at New York LaGuardia and Fort Lauderdale.

The upcoming Fourth of July weekend is on track to be the busiest period for U.S. airline travel since the pandemic began. In its annual Independence Day travel forecast, AAA said last week that it expects 3.5 million Americans to fly between July 1 and 5, an increase of 164% over last year and a volume that will be back to 90% of pre-pandemic levels. While holiday air travel remains down a bit from 2019, trips by car over the Fourth are expected to total 43.6 million, the highest on record and 5% more than the previous peak in 2019, AAA said. According to Transportation Security Administration statistics, the number of daily airport screenings has topped 2 million on seven days so far during June, getting ever closer to the average 2.7 million recorded in June 2019.

Bay Area travelers have another option for getting to New York City now as JetBlue has just resumed service between Mineta San Jose Airport and New York JFK. The route revival comes just two weeks after JetBlue brought back SJC-Boston service, a route that is expected to be seasonal with a hiatus from October through April. JetBlue had pulled out of San Jose altogether in April 2020 due to the pandemic-related falloff in traffic. The new JFK flight will operate four days a week (Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday) as an eastbound redeye with an SJC departure at 10:50 p.m. and arrival in New York at 7:22 a.m. In other local route news, ThePointsGuy.com reports that United Airlines will introduce United Express/SkyWest

winter service Dec. 16 through March 26 from San Francisco International to the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (BIH) near Bishop, California  the first commercial service to that airport in decades. The new route, served with a 70-seat CRJ-700, will reportedly replace Uniteds suspended flights to Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

Hawaii has finally set July 8 as the date after which fully vaccinated travelers from the mainland will no longer have to get a pre-departure COVID-19 test if they want to avoid the states mandatory quarantine. The testing requirement will remain in place for the unvaccinated. By that date, Gov. David Ige said, 60% of the states residents are expected to be vaccinated  the threshold he had set for an opening up of travel. Visitors will have to upload their vaccination cards to the states Safe Travels website and carry a hard copy with them during their stay.

United is making some changes to its fare rules and frequent flier policies. Customers who buy the airlines basic economy fares, which do not allow any changes or cancellations, can now get around that restriction by buying a $45 upgrade to economy class, presented as a switch to economy option in their flight record on Uniteds app or website. Once that is done, the reservation can be changed without any additional fee (except for the fare differential if the new flight costs more). Meanwhile, United has eased some of the rules for claiming award flights in its MileagePlus loyalty program. Blackout dates for award travel that previously applied to all members except elites and Chase MileagePlus cardholders have now been eliminated. And the prices of some reward flights have been reduced to as little as 5,000 miles one-way for domestic flights and 22,500 miles on some routes to reopened European nations like Spain, Portugal and Iceland.

The floodgates for U.S. travel to Europe are reopening as several more countries last week started welcoming American visitors, including Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. Those are in addition to earlier reopenings by Greece, Iceland, Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark and Germany.

Switzerland opens June 26 to Americans who can show proof of a completed vaccination, a recovery from COVID-19 or a negative COVID test result. The Dutch government put the U.S. on its list of low-risk safe countries as of June 24, so Americans can now enter the country with no restrictions  no vaccination certificate, negative COVID test result or quarantine. Austrias entry requirements include a vaccination certificate, proof of recovery from COVID in the past six months or a negative result from a test taken no more than 48 hours before arrival. Americans arriving in Poland by air need to show a negative COVID test result. And the Czech Republic now welcomes U.S. visitors without any testing requirement  but thats just to enter the country; once youre in, youll need to show either a negative COVID test result, vaccination certificate or proof of recovery from COVID if you want to stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant or visit a museum. (Reminder: Americans who travel outside the U.S. still need to get a negative result on a COVID test no more than 72 hours before they board their flight home.)

But Americans who want to visit the United Kingdom will have to keep waiting. Amid widespread speculation that Britain was about to reopen to Americans and other foreigners who have been vaccinated, the U.K. government last week issued the latest update to its green list of foreign nations deemed to be safe for travel  and the U.S. wasnt on it. Neither were most of the other nations on the amber list, where travel remains restricted; only Malta and some other Mediterranean and Caribbean islands got the nod. According to British newspaper the Guardian, government officials have hinted that a much broader opening of travel for fully vaccinated individuals is still likely to come in the weeks ahead, but probably not until August.

So far this year, the Federal Aviation Administrations new zero tolerance policy toward in-flight violations of government regulations has led to $563,800 in fines on misbehaving passengers. But now the airlines and their employees are arguing that doesnt go far enough, and they want to see the bad actors face the prospect of time in federal prison.

The U.S. airline industrys major trade group Airlines for America (A4A) last week teamed up with other carrier organizations, pilot unions and flight attendant unions to send a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to take stronger action against the substantial increase in and growing escalation of passengers unruly and disruptive behavior onboard aircraft, particularly toward crewmembers. The organizations said that while they appreciate the FAAs efforts, including its stiff civil penalties against violators, the federal government should send a strong and consistent message through criminal enforcement that compliance with federal law and upholding aviation safety are of paramount importance.

The airline groups noted that federal laws already on the books ban assault or intimidation of a flight crew member, with potential penalties ranging up to 20 years in prison. Instead of leaving potential criminal prosecutions to local law enforcement, the letter said, it is not a local issue subject to jurisdictional variations. Instead, the airline groups said the Justice Department should direct federal prosecutors to dedicate resources for egregious cases. Publicizing those cases and the resulting penalties will act as an effective deterrent against future onboard disruptions, they said.

For its part, the FAA last week announced eight more fines ranging from $9,000 to $22,000 against misbehaving passengers for interfering with flight attendants. The cases announced today include assaulting flight crew, drinking alcohol brought aboard the plane and refusing to wear facemasks, the FAA said. (It noted that of the 3,100 reports of unruly passengers it has received so far this year, 2,350 involved refusing to wear face masks as directed by the flight crew. The federal mask rule remains in effect through the summer.) The agency said that besides face mask violations and drinking, the latest cases also involved a lot of profanities screamed at flight crew, pushing, shoving and hitting.

The Transportation Security Administration is trying to help by reviving special self-defense courses for flight attendants and other crew members. The training had been suspended during the pandemic but now is seen to be needed more than ever due to the rise in in-flight incidents. The training helps flight crew decide which passengers might pose a serious threat, teach them how to defuse the situation if possible  and how to restrain and/or fight them if it comes to that. A TSA video featuring one of the courses includes flight attendants practicing gouges to the eyes and kicks to the groin, the Washington Post noted.

In international route news, Delta plans to revive service between New York JFK and Lisbon on Aug. 1 with weekly flights as part of a big boost in summer flight to Europe. The carrier will also increase frequencies to Amsterdam on July 7 from Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City; boost its New York JFK-Rome schedule to daily flights July 1; kick off Atlanta-Athens, JFK-Venice and JFK-Dubrovnik service July 2; begin JFK-Nice flights July 8; add Boston-Rome, Atlanta-Venice, Atlanta-Madrid and Atlanta-Barcelona service Aug. 5. (And Deltas partner Air France begins new Denver-Paris flights July 2.) Elsewhere, Delta plans to bring back Atlanta-Johannesburg flights Aug. 1 with an A350-900  the longest nonstop route in Deltas system. Delta is also expanding its code-share agreement with Kenya Airways, putting Deltas code onto a number of the latters routes within Africa available via connections at Accra, Ghana, and Nairobi, Kenya.

Hawaiian Airlines said it will resume service between Honolulu and Papeete, Tahiti, on Aug. 7, operating one flight a week with an Airbus A330. The airline said Hawaii and French Polynesia have created a pretravel testing program "that allows for quarantine-free travel within the two archipelagos."

Two major U.S. airports in New York and Florida have opened new passenger lounges. At New York LaGuardia, American Express has cut the ribbon on a 10,000-square-foot Centurion Lounge post-security in the airports new Terminal B, twice the size of the companys former lounge in the same terminal. Besides the usual celebrity chef dining (chef Cedric Vongerichten of New York's Wayan restaurant) and fancy bar with views of Manhattan in the distance, the LGS Centurion Lounge also has a unique study space stocked with books from the citys McNally Jackson independent bookstore (which also has a branch outlet in Terminal B). And Delta has opened a new Sky Club in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as one element in a $153 million modernization and expansion of the airports Terminal 2. The mezzanine-level club has expansive runway views and is one of the first in Deltas network to bring back hot food service. With the opening of the Fort Lauderdale Club, all of Deltas Clubs will be reopened by the end of June, the company said.
Heres the bad side of summer  its bringing Donald Trump out of the woodwork, Bill Maher said. Specifically, next week brings some of the former presidents first public events since leaving office. Maher addressed this, as well as reports that Trump is working on a new book, on this weeks Real Time With Bill Maher. That his tone could be described as skeptical should surprise no one familiar with Mahers earlier riffs on Trump. Real Time is taking the month of July off; given that Trump has been a reliable source of material for Maher, its far from serendipitous timing.



Maher also addressed the campaign against Britney Spearss conservatorship. We let someone completely unstable run the country for 4 years! I think she could get a credit card, he said. His opening monologue also included nods to the recent Supreme Court ruling on student free speech and Connecticut legalizing marijuana.

Mahers first guest was there to promote his debut novel, out later this month  which might read a little strangely, until you remember that the guest in question is Quentin Tarantino, and the novel in question is his prose take on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, complete with a gloriously retro cover.

Maher spoke of his fondness for Tarantinos films  and how the knowingly retro design of the novel hearkened back to his younger days as a reader. And then Maher raised a question many fans of Tarantinos work have shared: What is this nonsense about how youre only going to make one more movie? Youre too young to quit! Youre at the top of your game.



Thats why I want to quit! Tarantino said. I know film history, and from here on in, directors do not get better.



Maher continued to press him, citing Clint Eastwood as a filmmaker whos continued to do interesting work throughout his career. He also brought up Reservoir Dogs, and Tarantino noted that hed considered remaking it for his tenth (and presumably final) film. I wont do it, internet, he added. But I considered it.

Over the course of the interview, the duo covered a number of topics, ranging from Tarantinos approach to taking criticism to 1970s cinema to whether or not Tarantino would ever make a film in Israel, where he now lives. Are you bullish on the future of movies? Maher asked near the end of the segment. Tarantino offered a rundown of film history, arguing that the industry moves in waves, and likening the current moment to a resurgence of the 1980s. All of which suggests that he sees artistic flourishing on the horizon.

This episodes panel consisted of author and frequent Real Time guest Max Brooks along with author and podcast host Dan Carlin. Their discussion kicked off with all 3 men vocalizing their dislike of the defund the police movement before moving on to the subject of the pandemic, and how it compared with other plagues in human history. Brooks made an impassioned argument in favor of vaccines, and Carlin mused on the ways that the experience of the current pandemic might help us adapt more easily to the next one.



The rest of the conversation touched on themes Maher has covered frequently this year: the nations geopolitical rivalry with China, cyberwarfare and authoritarian states in general. Maher also sought his guests opinions on the lab leak theory; both Brooks and Carlin took a broader look, focusing on the history of different countries disease research and when its gone awry  including one incident that took place in the Soviet Union in 1971.

For this episodes New Rules, Maher addressed the nations drinking habits  specifically, whether Americans are drinking to excess too frequently. He noted the reasons why some airlines are temporarily stopping the sales of alcohol as one of several indications that something is amiss. Maher also seemed concerned about the rise of places now serving alcohol, from supermarkets to zoos. Which isnt to say that Maher was calling for a cessation of all drinking; instead, he spoke about it as a symptom of a larger social anxiety that was magnified by the pandemic. Its one of his least controversial New Rules; its also one of his most resonant.

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The post Quentin Tarantino Revisits Once Upon a Time in Hollywood With Bill Maher on This Weeks Real Time appeared first on InsideHook.
Although Canada has started easing travel rules, it recently extended its travel ban on India.

When will Canada lift its travel ban on India? Although Canada has started easing travel rules, it recently extended its travel ban on India.

When will Canada lift its travel ban on India? Although Canada has started easing travel rules, it recently extended its travel ban on India.

When will Canada lift its travel ban on India? Although Canada has started easing travel rules, it recently extended its travel ban on India. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Last week, Canada extended the travel ban for all direct passenger and business flights from India until July 21, 2021.

Canada first introduced the travel ban on both India and Pakistan on April 22 amid concerns about rising cases of COVID-19 variants.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer had said that the variant in India shows increased transmissibility.

The initial travel ban for both of the South Asian countries was due to end on May 22, but it was extended another 30 days. It was lifted for Pakistan on June 21.

Given the number of COVID-19 cases continue to be very high in India, we have extended our flight restrictions for this country, Omar Alghabra, Canadas transport minister said, We will continue to assess the evolving situation and determine appropriate action going forward.

Discover if Youre Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Canada easing travel rules

Canada recently expanded its travel exemptions to holders of a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) document. This means that holders of a valid COPR can travel to Canada. Those who hold an expired COPR will have to wait until Canada announces how they can renew their documents.

COPR holders were not among exempted individuals when Canada imposed its travel restrictions in March 2020.

In addition, Canada eased its quarantine requirements on fully vaccinated travellers who are already exempt from travel restrictions beginning on July 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. These travellers will still need to take a COVID-19 test pre- and upon arrival. However, they will not need to stay at a government-approved hotel, and will not need to quarantine. In addition, they are not required to take a COVID-19 test on day-8.

Canadians and permanent residents and their family members, valid COPR holders, some temporary foreign workers as well as international students who attend a designated learning institution that has a COVID-19 readiness plan are exempt from the current travel restrictions and are allowed to travel to Canada.

What Canada considers before easing restrictions

Canada takes into account the daily COVID-19 case counts, both in Canada and abroad, as well as the percentage of the population who have received a dose of the vaccine. It also considers the rising cases of COVID-19 variants.

Last week, Bill Blair, Canadas minister of public safety, said that the Canadian government is working steadily towards a phased reopening of the border, but that to reach the finish line, about 75 per cent of Canadians will need to be fully vaccinated.

Canadas COVID-19 situation has significantly improved. This is why Canada will begin its phased reopening plan by lifting the quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travellers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Canada will lift more restrictions in the coming weeks.

We certainly hope that we will have more good news about reopenings in the coming weeks but, of course, it depends on the vaccination rate, the COVID situation in general, the variants of concern and whats happening elsewhere, said Trudeau in French during a press conference on June 22.

Canada also takes the views of stakeholders into consideration. For example, it worked with designated learning institutions (DLIs), such as colleges and universities, and eased restrictions on study permit holders in October 2020.

Similarly, Canada will likely take the views of DLIs into account when it comes to Indias travel ban. Indian students account for some 30 per cent of all of Canadas international students. September is when the majority of new study permit holders start their programs in Canada. Many students usually arrive in August.

Canada looking to welcome increasing number of immigrants

Canada is also looking to pursue an ambition Immigration Levels Plan, as it seeks to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents this year. Some 20 per cent come from India each year.

Lifting the travel ban and allowing Indian travellers to come to Canada will be vital to achieving the immigration targets in support of Canadas post-pandemic recovery.

Assuming positive trends continue in Canada and India, it is highly likely that the India travel ban will be lifted in July, and by August at the very latest.

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William Russell Allton was born in Dewey, Oklahoma on April 25, 1931 to Russell Frank and Alice Mae (Steffens) Allton. He attended school in Claremore and graduated with the class of 1948. On August 26, 1949 Bill married Jimmie Louise Reed and the couple made Tulsa home for the first 25 year
Beck Center for the Arts annual Spotlight Gala will be held live and in-person from 6 to 11 p.m. June 17 at the Gordon Green event space, 5400 Detroit Ave. in Cleveland. The gala will honor major donors Wally and Joyce Senney and artistic director Scott Spence as well as celebrate 88 years 
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 25)  President Rodrigo Duterte has stopped the processing of permit applications for Manila Bay reclamation projects due to reports of corruption.

"Thousands have applied but because of the corruption that I've heard early last year, there's no more processing of papers," Duterte said in a speech during Friday's launch of the National Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Duterte added that the halt to the processing of permit applications cost big companies involved "a lot of money." He did not name those corporations allegedly involved in corruption.

"I told you, do not give money to the people in government. If I know you have given even a single centavo, I will throw your application to the waste basket and I have done that and I am doing that every day," the President warned.

In March this year, the Philippine Competition Commission approved the joint venture between the Manila City government and developer Waterfront Manila Premier Development, Inc. to build a man-made island in Manila Bay.

The Manila Waterfront City project, however, still needs to be assessed by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) for its technical, environmental, and socio-economic merits.

The PRA has approved several reclamation projects in Manila Bay such as the 148-hectare Solar City Manila project of the Manila Goldcoast Development Corp. owned by the Tieng family, the Navotas City Coastal Bay Reclamation Project, a 360-hectare reclamation project and 265-hectare reclamation project both in Pasay City, and the 418-hectare Horizon Manila project from the joint venture between the Manila City government and JBros Construction Corporation.
This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
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Website century21.es uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 411926 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 54534 bytes (53.26 kb uncompressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2019-10-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Bad news if your weekend plans included staging a supernatural ritual at a Home Depot in the middle of rural Pennsylvania: Earlier this week, police in the small town of Dickson City broke up a group of apparent sorcerers attempting to holding an exorcism for dead trees in the store's lumber aisle.

"It was a seance type of thing for the dead," one Dickson City police officer told Philly Voice of the incident. "There were two people hanging out in the lumber department doing their little exorcism thing. Some people at the store started picking up that something was happening that was not necessarily normal. Police were called to the store and they were escorted out of the building."

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Despite so egregiously going against the grain of traditional exorcisms and normal Home Depot activities, the officer noted that the exorcists wood not face any charges for cleansing the hardware chain of its apparent lumber demons. It is unclear if the alleged perps will spend their time notably not in jail watching that one tree scene from Evil Dead over and over again.

So readers, next time you want to have last-minute lumber exorcism, consider branching out to another hardware store  who knows, maybe Ace is place with the helpful demon slayers.

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ on TikTok as @HuntressThompson_, and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.
A totem of the tobacco industry is moving to Connecticut  but its relocation is not what doctors ordered.

Philip Morris International, which sells cigarette brands such as Marlboro and smokeless tobacco outside the U.S., announced this week that it would relocate its headquarters from Manhattan to Connecticut and bring about 200 jobs to the state.

Despite the economic boost of the state adding another Fortune 500 company, medical professionals are not cheering the upcoming arrival of a firm that dominates an industry whose products contribute to millions of deaths annually around the world. PMI officials have asserted that their firms long-term strategy focuses on smoke-free products that are less harmful than cigarettes, but doctors and other public-health advocates said that those alternatives still endanger customers.

This is the leading preventable cause of deaths in this country and worldwide, Dr. Paul Sachs, director of pulmonary medicine in the Stamford Health system, which includes Stamford Hospital, said in an interview. For over 50 years, its been well-known that tobacco products cause cancer, heart disease, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Its well-established, and theres a lot of science that backs that up.

Smokings massive toll

There is a consensus among physicians and public health officials about the harmful effects of tobacco.

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world, according to the World Health Organizations website. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use. while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause more than 480,000 deaths annually, including fatalities from second-hand smoke, the CDC said.

Contributed photo /St. Vincents Medical Center, Hartford HealthCare

When you compare it to alcohol, there is a proper use of alcohol. But theres no proper use with smoking, said Dr. Philip Simkovitz, a pulmonologist at St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport and associate director of the hospitals intensive care unit. The more you smoke, the worse off you are. But there is no safe level. No matter how many you smoke, youre always putting yourself at some risk.

In Connecticut, 4,900 adults die each year from their own smoking, according to the state Department of Public Healths website.

While they may put up a smokescreen about the dangers of what they sell, there is no denying that tobacco companies like Philip Morris create products that addict and kill thousands in Connecticut and hundreds of thousands across the country each year, Amber Herting, a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said in a statement after PMI made the headquarters announcement.

PMIs headquarters plan has also been met with unease by a number of state legislators including Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor. He is a physician whose specialties including treating lung diseases.

Luther Turmelle / Hearst Connecticut Media /

In the past, as my colleagues and I have tried to make laws to help our communities, we have been told that the state is a home for insurance companies and must look the other way if they act irresponsibly or outside of our citizens best interests, said Anwar, who is vice chairman of the state legislatures Public Health Committee. I am worried that as we want to make sure our current and future generations of children are protected from tobacco products like those made by Philip Morris, we will be told to look the other way as they act outside of our citizens best interests as well.

As the No. 101 company on this years Fortune 500 list, PMI produced revenues of nearly $29 billion in 2020. Last year, it shipped more than 628 billion cigarettes around the world. Marlboro, L&M, Chesterfield, Philip Morris and Parliament comprise its top-selling cigarette brands.

Smoking causes serious and fatal diseases, and the health effects are well known. PMI markets and sells our products only to adult smokers, and we warn consumers about the health effects of our products, Corey Henry, PMIs director of U.S. communications, said in an email in response to an inquiry from Hearst Connecticut Media. Our marketing is honest, transparent and accurate, and we respect the law and our own high standards.

PMI does not sell or market any tobacco products in the U.S. Philip Morris USA  a subsidiary of Altria Group, from which PMI was spun off in 2008  dominates the cigarette market in this country. Marlboro ranks as Philip Morris USAs top-selling brand.

Concerns about smoke-free strategy

PMI has committed to opening the Connecticut headquarters by the summer of 2022. It has not announced yet in which city or town it would locate those offices.

In discussing their plans for the new headquarters, PMI executives pointed to a major business transformation since 2016 that has focused on moving away from cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products in favor of smoke-free products.

Non-combustible products accounted for nearly 30 percent of PMIs net revenues in the first quarter of 2021. PMI aims to be a majority smoke-free company in net revenues by the end of 2025.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

We are amid a profound transformation at PMI, and our new base in Connecticut will serve to accelerate our progress, Jacek Olczak, PMIs CEO, said in a statement about the headquarters move. Beyond replacing cigarettes with better alternatives, we intend to draw on our expertise in life and medical sciences to develop solutions in areas that include respiratory drug delivery and botanicals. Through our product innovations, sustainability leadership, people-centered employment practices and community involvement, we intend to be a source of pride for the state.

More Information State, national and international data highlight the massive toll of tobacco products on public health. Tobacco products kill more than 8 million people annually around the world In the U.S., cigarette smoking is estimated to cause more than 480,000 deaths annually, including fatalities from second-hand smoke Cigarette smoking causes about one of every five deaths in the U.S. annually Average life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers An estimated 434,000 people smoked in Connecticut, equal to 15 percent of those in the state 18 or older In Connecticut, 4,900 adults die each year from their own smoking Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Connecticut Department of Public Health, World Health Organization See More Collapse

Reflecting the shift, PMI officials highlight the companys IQOS tobacco heating system, which is available in 66 markets worldwide including the U.S. It is sold in the U.S. by Altria through an exclusive license provided by PMI. It is available in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

One version of the product has a heated tobacco unit, a holder and a charger. The second combines the holder and charger and allows multiple uses without recharging the battery. With both types, a user inserts the heated tobacco unit into the holder, which contains an electronically controlled heater.

PMIs description of IQOS parallels the CDCs definition of e-cigarettes, with the agency finding that most have a battery, a heating element and a place to hold a liquid.

On its website, PMI said that because the tobacco is heated and not burned, the levels of harmful chemicals are significantly reduced compared to cigarette smoke. At the same time, the website acknowledges that the tobacco heating system is not risk-free and delivers nicotine, which is addictive.

PMI shipped about 76 billion heated tobacco units in 2020. It estimates that approximately 14 million adults around the world have switched to IQOS and stopped smoking.

The Food and Drug Administration has provided marketing authorizations for IQOS. But the FDA has not approved e-cigarettes as aides for quitting smoking. CDC officials said that e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes but also noted on their website that e-cigarettes contain harmful and potentially harmful substances including nicotine, heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds and cancer-causing agents.

Youre not heating them and magically only getting nicotine, Sachs said. Youre getting other chemicals. And comparing them to a product that causes cancer, heart disease and emphysema is not a very high bar.

PMI officials said that they were not marketing their smoke-free products as tools to help customers quit smoking.

It is vital to understand that smoke-free products are intended for one audience: adults who smoke and would otherwise continue to do so, Henry said. Smoke-free products are not equivalent to quitting nor are they a path to quitting. They are not cessation treatments or nicotine-replacement therapies. Rather, they are better choices than continuing to smoke.

Some progress  but more work to be done

PMIs headquarters announcement followed a state General Assembly session that included sweeping changes to the states smoking regulations.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law legislation that legalizes recreational marijuana use.

Id imagine if there was science comparing one joint to one cigarette, one joint is going to be worse, Simkovitz said. I think the big difference is nobody smokes 20 joints a day, every single day.

The marijuana law also contains significant new restrictions on cigarette smoking, including the elimination of smoking in hotel guest rooms and designated workplace lounges.

Among other tobacco-focused legislation, the state Senate jettisoned last week a measure that would have banned flavored e-cigarettes, amid complaints that it contained too many loopholes.

A few weeks earlier, legislators decided to end their pursuit in the 2021 session of a ban of all flavored tobacco products including menthol cigarettes.

In 2019, Connecticut enacted a law that raised the minimum age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.

Connecticut has made some progress such as in raising the age of access, Anwar said. However, because of a variety of reasons, legislation against flavored tobacco has not been successful  something we collectively need to work on to protect the next generations.

Smoking rates have declined in recent years, but an estimated 434,000 people smoked in Connecticut, according to a 2016 report by the state Department of Public Health. The total equated to about 15 percent of those in the state who were 18 years of age or older.

It used to be you saw somebody smoking a cigarette on the street, and youd kind of look at them in a funny way. But now you see more and more people vaping on the street, and its getting a little more normal, Sachs said. I am concerned that were normalizing that behavior and increasing a new generation of nicotine addiction.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
More than a month after Connecticut rolled back its COVID-19 restrictions amid waning cases and wide availability of vaccines, state data still shows vaccinations are lagging in some communities.

As in previous weeks, the largest gaps in vaccination include rural communities in the eastern parts of the state in Windham and New London counties, as well as Connecticuts largest cities.

In Mansfield, Sterling, Hartford, Thompson and Bridgeport, less than 40 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, and less than 46 percent of residents have received at least one dose. In Mansfield, less than 35 percent of residents have received at least one dose far below the state average and making it the least-vaccinated community in the state.

The data shows underserved communities are also more likely to be under-vaccinated. Of the 10 lowest-vaccinated municipalities by residents who have received at least one shot, seven are noted as having at least one high social vulnerability index census tract.

In underserved ZIP codes prioritized for vaccination by the state, 50.57 percent of residents have initiated vaccination as of this week, according to the state data. Among residents of all other ZIP codes, the number is 63.34 percent.

Meanwhile, in Canaan, a town of a little more than 1,000 residents in northern Litchfield County, about 98 percent of residents are at least partly vaccinated, while almost 87 percent are fully vaccinated as of this week.

In Salisbury, Lyme, Old Saybrook and Kent, more than 80 percent of residents are at least partly vaccinated as well.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 rose slightly in Connecticut on Thursday, as infections and the states one-day positivity rate remained low.

Five more hospitalizations increased the statewide total to 34. There were 153 new infections found out of 30,775 tests for a daily positivity rate of 0.5 percent. Three more fatalities brought the states official death toll to 8,274.

On the states color-coded map showing levels of infections in each municipality, only three communities  Prospect, Bolton and Somers  were highlighted yellow, meaning there were more than five cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks.

The low infection rate comes as 2.2 million residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while just over 2 million are fully vaccinated, according to the governors office.

But vaccinations around the state are waning, mirroring a national trend. Last week, the state administered 61,673 doses, down 30 percent from the week before, according to state data. The number is less than the vaccinations administered during the first week of January, when the supply of vaccines was still limited.

And on Tuesday, the Biden administration acknowledged the country would not reach the presidents goal of having 70 percent of adults nationwide at least partly vaccinated by July 4.

As of Thursday, about 65.7 percent of U.S. adults received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The drop in vaccinations comes as new variants of the disease are circulating in the U.S., including the Delta strain first detected in India that is believed to be more transmissible.

Dr. Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School Of Public Health, said there is no doubt that communities with low vaccination rates are at a higher risk from variants than the original strain of the virus.

While new case rates are low now, they will climb in the future if we do not achieve herd immunity with about 80 (percent) vaccine coverage rates, Vermund wrote in an email.

He said the greatest risk will come during flu season, which lasts from Thanksgiving to late March.

Nearly all respiratory viruses are circulating with higher efficiency at this time, including coronaviruses, influenza, and cold viruses, Vermund said.

A study out of the U.K., where the variant has become the dominant strain, this week shows the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appears to work against it.

Some public health experts say people who are vaccinated should not be concerned.

If youre vaccinated, the most important thing you can do right now is go live your best life and make up for lost time, Andy Slavitt, former senior advisor on the Biden administrations COVID response, tweeted. There are far greater threats in your life than the Delta variant.

For those who havent been vaccinated, keep monitoring Delta, he wrote.
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP)  Families around the world remained stuck between waning hopes and widening fears Saturday, two days after the stunning collapse of a 12-story condominium near Miami.

At least five people were killed and more than 150 people remained unaccounted for as rescuers continued to dig through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside. The building was home to an international mix of foreign retirees, South American immigrants and Orthodox Jews, all with anxious loved ones across the globe.

The Miami-Dade Police Department identified for the first time four of the five deceased people late Saturday and the apartments where they were at the moment at the collapse. Their names were Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Antonio, 83, and Gladys Lozano, 79; and Manuel LaFont, 54.

STACIE DAWN FANG

Stacie Dawn Fang was with her son Jonah Handler when the building collapsed. They lived on the tenth floor of the condo building. The boy's small hand waved through the wreckage as a man who was out walking his dog hurried to the site, climbed through a pile of glass and rebar and promised to get help right away.

Rescuers helped the boy out from under a pile of cement and carried him away on a stretcher, taking him to a hospital.

There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie, members of her family said in a statement. Many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time.

As far as the boy's condition, a friend of the family, Lisa Mozloom told the AP He will be fine. Hes a miracle.

___

ANTONIO AND GLADYS LOZANO

Antonio, 83, and Gladys Lozano, 79, lived on the ninth floor and were close to celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary. Their son, Sergio Lozano, told WPLG-TV that he had dinner with his parents hours before the collapse.

The son lived in one of the towers of the complex and could see his parents' apartment across the way from his. That night, he said the heard a loud noise they thought could be a storm.

The building is not there, he said he told his wife. My parents' apartment is not there. It's gone.

___

Here are the stories of some of the missing:

TZVI AND INGRID ITTY AINSWORTH

Tzvi and Ingrd Itty Ainsworth were celebrating the birth of two new grandchildren. Their son in South Africa recently had a baby and their son in Florida had a baby just days ago, their niece Chana Harrel told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The couple, who are in their 60s, lived in Australia for nearly two decades before returning to South Florida to be near their children. The couple had seven children and many live in South Florida, including their daughter just blocks away, she said.

Every person she encountered, ever in her life, became her friend. Everyone was treated as equals, Chana Wasserman wrote in a Mothers Day blog post to her mother Itty last year. The guy at the laundromat, the guy working at the fruit market ... 

Ingrid struggled with chronic pain issues, but didnt let that darken her mood. She tried to focus on the positive, a sunny day, a long car ride that would seem tedious to many she reframed as a chance to talk and catch up, he daughter wrote.

I know I will never be able to match my mothers pure enthusiasm for life but its inspiring to watch, Wasserman wrote.

Ittys mother, a Holocaust survivor living in Miami Beach, is battling cancer and doesnt know about the tragedy.

They didnt tell her. Shes not well, Harrel. said. Its absolutely horrific.

___

BRAD AND GARY COHEN

Brothers Brad and Gary Cohen were both medical doctors who were active in their local communities. Brad Cohen was married to Soriya Cohen. She has spent hours outside the condo building, showing pictures of the siblings on her phone to anyone who will listen, desperate for updates.

We need every bit of help we can get. This is the difference between life and death for so many people including possibly my husband if hes still alive, she told CBS News 4.

Dr. Brad Cohen was a popular orthopedic surgeon who specialized in sports medicine. A woman who answered the phone at his office Friday said, with sadness in her voice, that his patients adored him. He did his residency at the State University of Stony Brook in New York and a fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, according to his website.

His brother, Dr. Gary Cohen was a physician at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center in Alabama, and was also active in his local synagogue there.

He spent many years providing care to our Veterans. He is part of the Tuscaloosa VAMC family and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this incredibly difficult time, according to a statement from John Merkle, director of the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center.

___

DAVID AND BONNIE EPSTEIN

David and Bonnie Epstein lived in unit 901 with their dog Chase, said Bonnies cousin Joey Feldman.

David was a retired successful real estate investor who loved to jet ski and kite surf. The couple have a son who lives in New York.

Feldman said the family is very small.

Bonnie was like my sister growing up, said Feldman, who lives in Los Angeles. She took me to my first concert.

He said he is devastated but is praying for a miracle.

I am holding out hope, he said. I came into work to get my mind off of it. But no sleep.

___

HILDA NORIEGA

Hilda Noriega had called Champlain Towers home for more than 20 years. But six years after her husband died, the 92-year-old was ready to leave.

We were going to move her into our home and her condo was up for sale, said Sally Noriega, her daughter-in-law.

Sally Noriega said her mother-in-law was extremely active and loved living so close to the ocean and to her friends. But, she said, when you lose a spouse you want to be surrounded by family ... and she wanted to spend more time with her family and grandchildren.

Hilda Noriega's daughter-in-law described her as an extremely loving and sweet person, who built a life with her husband and raised a family after coming to the U.S. from Cuba in 1960.

She was just one of those people who from the first time she met a person she instantly loved that person and that person instantly loved her, said Sally Noriega, who rushed to the scene of the collapse with her husband, Carlos Noriega.

There, they found a reminder of the particularly strong bond Hilda Noriega shared with members of her church group. As they stood trying to hold onto hope amid the rubble, Carlos Noriega noticed an envelope peeking out from under his shoe.

On the outside it was addressed to Hilda and the card had butterflies on it and it was a birthday card signed by her prayer group, said Sally Noriega. They had taken her out for her birthday and they all signed the card.

Sally Noriega said the family does not know what to make of the card found among so much debris and chaos.

But, we are a family of faith, she said. Well just leave it at that.

___

MYRIAM CASPI NOTKIN and ARNOLD NOTKIN

Myriam Caspi Notkin, 81, and her husband, Arnold Arnie Notkin, 87, married about 20 years ago after losing their spouses, according to a family friend.

They were a happy couple. Were hoping for a miracle, said Fortuna Smukler, a North Miami Beach commissioner who grew up with Myriam Notkins three daughters. When they ran into each other as adults, Notkin always recalled her friendship with Smuklers mother, who died 40 years ago.

Every time Myriam would see me, she always had to make a point of saying how wonderful my mother was, Smukler said. She was very thoughtful.

Smukler also knew Arnie Notkin dating back to his days as a physical education teacher and coach at Leroy D. Fienberg Elementary School in South Beach in the 1960s. He had an engaging personality and always had a story to tell.

He had students who became famous, and he had to tell me about them, how they were good or mischievous, she said.

___

MARIA THERESA AND RICKY ROVIROSA

Maria Theresa and Ricky Rovirosa are a perfect match who support each other and others, according to longtime friend Monika Mucarsel Gressier.

The couple has two grown children they raised in their South Miami home, and used their Surfside condo as a part-time summer getaway. Gressier was living in California when she met Maria Theresa, whom she called Maituca, through work.

We became instant friends, Gressier said in a text message. She was one reason that gave me security and support for accepting a relocation to live in Miami. Maituca became my family support and always gave me and others the resources and guidance to navigate through the city of Miami.

Gressier described Ricky as charming and his wife as stunningly beautiful inside and out.

When I think of them, I think of one of my favorite memories of the times I watched them dance salsa and how loving they were always to each other, Gressier wrote. I am praying and hoping that they will survive this tragedy, as I know the strength, they both carry within, and I also know that their tremendous love for their girls and family will keep them fighting to survive this.

___

CASSONDRA BILLEDEAU-STRATTON

Cassondra Billedeau-Stratton, 40, has worked as an actress, model and Pilates instructor, bringing a vivacious love of life to everything she does, her husband said in a statement.

Cassie is a wife, mother and true friend to so many, said Michael Stratton, a Democratic political strategist from Colorado. He told Denvers KMGH-TV that he and his wife spent much of their time during the coronavirus pandemic in the condo they have owned for four years.

Billedeau-Stratton loved walking and biking along the beach, her sister, Stephanie Fonte, told the New York Times. When the sisters were together, she often would make them pose for photos on the beach or near a burst of flowers.

Michael Stratton said he and his wife were talking on the phone when the building collapsed.

She described that the building was shaking and then  the phone went dead, he said.

___

ILIAN NAIBRYF

Ilian Naibryf has been an active member of the Jewish community at the University of Chicago since arriving at the school three years ago, said Rabbi Yossi Brackman of the school's Rohr Chabad.

Naibryf, who just finished his junior year, served as the president of the Chabad Houses student board for the past year. He and his girlfriend were in Florida to attend a funeral of a friend who had died of COVID-19, his parents told CNN.

He is a really great guy, very friendly, always has a smile on his face and is just a really all-around well-liked person, Brackman said.

Brackman said the Rohr Chabad community is distraught but hopeful.

Our message is one of hope and we encourage everyone to pray and be kind at this difficult time for many people, he said. We believe in miracles, seen them and hope to see them again.

___

Associated Press writers Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee, Colleen Slevin in Denver, Don Babwin in Chicago, Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia, Kelli Kennedy and Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
CINCINNATI (AP)  For a moment this past week, it was like the old days in Washington. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, smiled as he announced a bipartisan deal. He turned to and put his hand on Republican Sen. Rob Portmans shoulder, a gesture meant to signal a closeness.

But Portman, a three-decade Washington veteran who plans to retire next year, stayed tight-lipped.

I wasnt smiling because look, Im all for bipartisanship, but Im also not naive, Portman told The Associated Press Friday, during a break in a daylong series of calls about the infrastructure deal announced Thursday. I also knew that the package ... had a long way to go.

The Ohio senator said he wasn't surprised when the hard-won breakthrough started to sink. Republicans complained Biden had blindsided them by tying passage of the agreement to a larger companion package being negotiated by Democrats.

Portman has reason for the pessimism. He has watched in his low-key manner as his party took a hard right turn under President Donald Trump and Washington drifted away from bipartisan governing. He announced in January he would not seek a third term, saying it had become too hard to get things done.

But Portman has been trying. He worked through the night repeatedly as the lead Republican negotiator in a bipartisan group on the effort to fix the nation's bridges, roads, and ports, sometimes hosting sessions in a hideaway in the Senate basement. For him and a handful of other lawmakers, the talks have become something of a test of whether Washington can still work.

If we cant find it on infrastructure, I dont know where else we can find it," Portman said. "I hate to say that and I don't mean to be negative, but this should be relatively easy.

In the wide-ranging interview, Portman insisted he's not giving up on passing infrastructure legislation and he reflected on why he voted for Trump.

on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection: It was a bad night for not just the Capitol and for the people trying to count the votes properly, but for democracy. The rest of the world looked at that and said 'Wow! Is America as strong as it used to be that they would allow this sort of thing?' We've got to get our act together and make sure that it never happens again." Portman supported the creation of an independent commission to investigate the riot, but other Republican senators blocked the move.

on Trump: I voted for Donald Trump because I thought he had the right policies. ... I still believe that the policies, the overwhelming majority of them, were good for the country."

He said Trump restored military strength and led an unbelievable economic success.

So there was a lot of good stuff going on.

As he has for years, Portman repeatedly steered clear of any direct criticism of Trump, who on Saturday night in Ohio was holding his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House in January. Trump continues to obsess over his ongoing efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he insists he won, even though top election officials, his own attorney general and numerous judges have said there is no evidence of the mass voter fraud he alleges.

Portman made clear that he said "that once the election is over, you know, we've got to move on. And I gave the president all the room necessary to do the recounts, to bring the court cases, to see what the resolution was, but once the states certified, once that whole process was done, then it's time for us to acknowledge that you know, we were not successful as Republicans. We came close, but we weren't successful, not at the presidential level.

on Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez from the Cleveland area, under attack from Trump and other Republicans for voting to impeach Trump for his role in the Capitol riot. Portman voted to acquit Trump in the Senate trial.

Portman said the congressman is "a Republican who's been effective in getting things passed. I disagree with him on his impeachment vote, but that's not a reason for me to to want him to be out of the Republican Party.

on Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, facing primary opposition in 2022: That's the way it is these days. I think Mike DeWine has done a good job in dealing with a really difficult situation. I don't agree with every decision he made in regard to COVID; this COVID issue is really hard to deal with.

Portman said he is watching closely the primary race to succeed him, but doesn't know whether he will make an endorsement from a crowded field that includes former state Treasurer Josh Mandel and former state GOP chair Jane Timken, among others, and is expected to soon be joined by Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance.

Portman, who served under Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, said he looks forward to returning to Ohio full time to be with his wife, Jane, and his family and to work in the private sector. Could he see himself running for office again or joining a future administration?

I guess I wouldnt rule it out if there was a way I could serve my country and do so in a productive way, he said. I like to get stuff done.

___

Follow Dan Sewell at https://www.twitter.com/dansewell
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  Gov. Andrew Cuomo's political star was dimmed by allegations he sexually harassed women and misled the public about COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

But will that hurt him with campaign donors?

Some of the Democrat's most reliable political contributors  including unions, wealthy executives and Democratic Party officials  say they still plan to give money to his expected campaign for a fourth term in office.

The governor is planning a $10,000 per-person fundraiser for June 29 in New York City. It will be one of his first big, in-person events to raise money for his campaign since the coronavirus pandemic began. Hes also hosting a $25 per-person virtual fundraiser in July.

The full picture of whether the allegations hurt Cuomo with contributors might become clearer on July 15, when his campaign has to disclose donations made since January.

At least some donors say they are sticking with him.

Yes I am, said Larry Rockefeller, the Republican nephew of former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and great-grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller. He has donated nearly $166,000 to Cuomo since 2009. Rockefeller cited Cuomo's leadership during the pandemic, on the environment and on public works like the redevelopment of Penn Station, and LaGuardia Airport.

We have due process in this country, Rockefeller said, referring to allegations made against Cuomo.

State and federal investigators are probing allegations that Cuomo sexually harassed employees and other women, groped a current female aide, unlawfully used state resources for a $5.1 million book deal and minimized the states toll of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents to suggest that New Yorks crisis wasnt as bad as other states.

Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing. Hes questioned the motives of his accusers and some of his investigators, including Attorney General Letitia James.

A request for comment was left with his campaign.

Polling suggests Cuomo lost some support from Democrats this year but he resisted numerous calls for his resignation last March from a majority of state and federal Democratic lawmakers.

Many Democratic politicians and the leaders of New York institutions and companies have continued to appear with him at events.

Ed Christian, business manager of Local 1414B, a Flushing chapter of the International Union of Operating Engineers, said Cuomo has been a tremendous advocate" who the union would continue to support financially.

Yeah, absolutely, Christian said, citing, like Rockefeller, the rebuilding of Penn Station and LaGuardia Airport.

Its construction projects that will allow for us to feed our families, he said. Chapters of the union, whose members operate heavy equipment at construction sites, have donated over $145,000 to Cuomo's campaigns in past years.

Scott Rechler, a donor who was appointed by Cuomo to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board and as vice chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, plans to give again, too, according to his spokesperson David Garten.

He didn't know if Rechler would withdraw support if the investigations of Cuomo substantiate wrongdoing.

Thats a bit of a hypothetical, Garten said. We have no idea what the report says. Well see what it says and go from there.

Cuomo had a campaign war chest of $16.8 million going into 2021, built over the years from donors like real estate titan Dan Tishman, hedge fund manager James Simons, Walmart heir Jim Walton, fertilizer tycoon-turned-investor Alexander Rovt and Estee Lauder magnates William and Leonard Lauder.

Simons, Walton, Rovt and both Lauders didnt respond to repeated requests for comment on whether they would keep giving. Tishman  whose construction company won a $35 million state contract last year  declined comment through a spokesperson.

James, the attorney general, hasn't said when she expects her team of investigators to complete their investigation of Cuomo's treatment of women. She has vowed to issue a public report when their work is done.

The state Assembly's committee is also investigating whether there are grounds to impeach Cuomo. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, meanwhile, are examining how the Cuomo administration mishandled data related to deaths in New York nursing homes.

Longtime Cuomo ally and state Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs in early March called sexual misconduct allegations against Cuomo upsetting, but he has also called for party members to withhold judgment until James' office completes its probe.

With the assumption that these results dont cause a cataclysmic result, and if the governor then chooses to run for re-election, my guess is that most if not all of the people whove been with him before will be with him again, Jacobs said in an interview this week.

The nations largest labor union for property service workers, SEIU 32BJ, which has contributed $95,000 to Cuomo through its American Dream Fund in the past five years, hasnt ruled out contributing to Cuomos reelection campaign.

Union spokesperson Carolina Gonzalez said it has been focused on New York City's mayoral primary and doesnt plan to make a decision on the governors race until later this year.

Cuomos still the governor, and he will continue to be the governor until hes not by whatever reason, she said. The investigations that are happening still havent finished. Theres really nothing for us to say until that process is done.
PARIS (AP)  A colorful human face emerges from waves like a call for hope above a Parisian street, in a giant message of optimism from American and French street artists painting a massive mural in the French capital that's slowly climbing out of its virus isolation.

lllustrator AJ Dungo, 29, who lives in California, and French graffiti artist Da Cruz, 44, started working in mid-June on the 25-meter (82-foot) high mural in the 19th arrondissement, in the northeast of Paris.

The project, to be inaugurated Saturday, is a symbol of creative rebirth, and of both cultures reconnecting after lockdowns.

Da Cruz, who grew up in this Parisian neighborhood and used to travel regularly to different continents, said it was hard for him to see his projects stopped amid the pandemic.

Im working in the street because I like showing my message to lots of different people, and I miss hearing people speaking another language and being able to communicate with them through painting ... Theres always a bridge that is created by colors, he told The Associated Press.

The project is supported by the French American Mural Art (FAMA) program, led by the U.S. Embassy, in association with local festival Ourcq Living Colors.

AJ Dungo and Da Cruz have chosen to represent stylized waves at the bottom of the mural, and an explosion of colors above surrounding a central human face, with inspirations from South America and Africa.

We wanted to make something really optimistic and something celebratory, because after the tragic year everyone went through, we thought it could help the community to lift their spirits a bit and give them some hope with a meaningful image, AJ Dungo said.

For AJ Dungo, known for his 2019 graphic novel In Waves, the giant mural is also a first  the biggest artwork hes ever done. I think the last thing I painted was my nieces bedroom for her sixth birthday. I did like a little mural of an elephant and a pencil and butterflies, he said.

For more than a year, artists across the world have been restrained by virus restrictions. California gradually lifted most measures in recent weeks. France started reopening its economy last month, including museums, theaters, cinemas and concert halls.

Da Cruz said weve been confined (at home), freed, we went out again," so the mural represents "that human energy which makes us get over the hardships of life.

AJ Dungo stressed that for many artists, last year meant a drought of inspiration.

"People were more concerned about their livelihoods and their families and their loved ones to even make meaningful art, he said.

Some have been very productive, he added, but generally, the consensus among creatives that I met was like a very depressing, hard time ... So you can expect maybe a big explosion of expression in the next coming months and years, because people are going to have a lot to say about what we all went through collectively.
REDDING  Easton-Redding-Region 9 Superintendent Rydell Harrison is resigning from his position overseeing the school district, ending a tumultuous 10-month tenure for the veteran educator.

The district announced his departure late Friday in a news release shared on Facebook and it comes less than two weeks after agreeing to a new contract with Harrison.

Rather than continuing forward as the superintendent, I have decided to pursue opportunities outside of a traditional K-12 setting that will allow me to fully engage my passion for education and commitment to improving outcomes for all students without the heavy burdens of district administration, Harrison said in the release.

Harrison took over the district in August 2020, arriving amid the COVID-19 crisis. He drew attention from the community in January, when he commented on the riots at the U.S. Capitol in a post on his personal Facebook page. He garnered national attention in February when a video of his snow day song went viral, but he was also at the center of a controversy surrounding a diversity, equity and inclusion survey that stirred reaction from the community.

As he announced his departure, the tri-board chairmen expressed feeling disheartened over Harrisons decision.

Jon Stinson  the Easton Board of Education chairman  said though deeply saddened, and that the board recognized the immense challenges of the past year, Harrison faced while wishing him success in his next chapter.

Todd Johnston, the Region 9 chairman, cited an action-packed first year during which Harrison dealt with navigating the pandemic landscape while dealing with the retirement of several building heads. Johnston also referenced the launch of a diversity, equity and inclusion program, along with the challenge of simply managing the three district model.

We thank him for his leadership and unwavering focus on the students, teachers, administration and parents throughout it all, Johnston said.

The boards plan to discuss the process of appointing a new superintendent at a special meeting on June 30. Harrison was unavailable for comment Saturday.

While this past school year has been challenging for all educators, I have been faced with a number of unique challenges as ER9s superintendent that led me to question whether or not the role was a good fit for me, Harrison said in his statement. Throughout my leadership career, I have worked hard to approach my work as an student-centered educator first and an administrator second. Unfortunately, ER9s structure made it more difficult than I anticipated for me to strike the right balance between advancing my aspirational goals for education and handling the administrative tasks of three separate school districts.

News of Harrisons resignation comes less than a year after he stepped into the role and days after the school board approved a contract extension.

Harrison agreed to stay on through June 2023 in his previous contract, which was set to be extended.. His annual base salary was listed at $225,000 with additional benefit allotments for health and dental in addition to life insurance. The contract also permitted Harrison 20 sick days and 25 vacation days a year with stipulations that he did not take off more than one week at a time without notifying the board or five consecutive days while the boards were in session.

The longtime educator has 20-plus years of working in schools under his belt. Harrisons career, which he began as a music teacher, evolved as he worked his way up the ranks and through various states including New York, New Jersey and North Carolina. He eventually landed in Connecticut as the Watertown superintendent of schools, a position he had held from 2018 until he was hired by Easton-Redding-Region 9 in August 2020

He experienced both backlash and praise during his months-long tenure with Easton-Redding-Region 9.

In January, some community members criticized Harrison after discovering a post on his personal Facebook page in which he condemned those that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Some described feeling targeted by the post and Harrison apologized multiple times over Zoom meetings.

But the issue lingered. One Facebook commentator on Saturday said they were not surprised by Harrisons resignation and that he alienated half of the families and should have kept his personal politics and strong liberal ideologies to himself.

In February, some community members applauded the superintendent when he appeared on Good Morning America debuting a snow day song and music video he had put together for students.

Still, Harrison faced even more opposition as he and other board members led efforts to spearhead an optional survey about diversity, equity and inclusion. Residents and parents rebelled against the survey, taking issue with questions around identity and sexuality, and questioning discussion of such topics in schools.

Despite months of pushback, the survey was passed and recently distributed to school community members. Though the resistance over a survey and his Facebook post were just the beginning of tough circumstances he navigated.

Harrison has also had to steer through the removal of the Pamela Goodpaster honoraria following an investigation that discovered she had inappropriate conduct with a student in the 1970s, as well as the pending resignation of Charles Schaub, a Joel Barlow English teacher who was arrested and charged with public indecency in April.

There was also the lengthy budget process the school board endured this year.

As comments about Harrisons exit surface online, most community members expressed sadness on social media. One commentator who also mentioned not being surprised said it was too much adversity to overcome, while others described Harrison as a gem, great leader and huge loss to Easton and Redding.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect Harrisons extension was approved by the school board but not signed by him.
CHICAGO (AP)  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. But it's not clear yet what Chauvin's experience will look like.

AN UNUSUAL START

Since his April conviction, Chauvin has been held at the states only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights.

Thats unusual  people dont typically go to a prison while waiting for sentencing. Chauvin is there for security reasons.

Most state prisons have a unit to separate inmates from the general population for safety or security.

But Oak Park Heights has what the Department of Corrections calls Minnesota's most secure unit to separate individuals from others in the prison for disciplinary or security reasons.

HOW DOES THAT UNIT OPERATE?

Photos provided by the state show an empty cell in that unit has white cinderblock walls, slim rectangular windows, a metal toilet and sink and a thin mattress on a fixed bedframe.

Chauvin has been kept there for security since his conviction, alone in a 10 foot-by-10 foot cell that is monitored by corrections staff via camera and in-person checks. He has meals brought to his room and is allowed out for solitary exercise for an average of one hour a day.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald said Chauvin is allowed a maximum of 10 photos, a radio and canteen food. He also can subscribe to periodicals and have three or fewer non-contact visits each week.

She said prison also uses a paid system that allows people to receive emails, which are printed out and provided to the recipient.

WHAT NEXT?

Fitzgerald said Chauvin returned to the unit at the maximum security prison following his sentencing on Friday.

She said his ultimate placement hasn't been determined, but his safety will be our predominate concern when determining final placement.

With good behavior, Chauvin could get out on parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

__

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

An American Airlines flight that departed from Bradley International Airport had to return to the landing strip after reporting a mechanical issue.

The plane  American Eagle flight 6037 headed to Philadelphia  landed safely without incident at the airport around 1:45 p.m., according to the Connecticut Airport Authority and American Airlines.
STRATFORD  Theyre back with a bang.

After last years Fourth of July fireworks were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they will return this year Thursday, July 1 at Short Beach, with a rain date of July 2.

The show is scheduled to start about 9 p.m.

Parking will be available for vehicles with Stratford resident stickers at Short Beach Park and the Stratford Army Engine Plant starting at 4 p.m.  but vehicles without stickers will not be permitted.

After the show, traffic exiting the Army Engine Plant will be directed north on Main Street.

Vehicles leaving Short Beach will be directed to use both lanes to exit.

Traffic from the right lane will be directed onto Stratford Road, then Prospect Drive, Oak Bluff and Lordship Boulevard.

Traffic from the left lane will be directed onto Short Beach Road, Lighthouse Avenue, Prospect Drive, Stratford Road, and Lordship Boulevard.

Residents will be allowed to enter Lordship until the start of the show, but Lordship Boulevard will be closed to eastbound traffic from Access Road to Oak Bluff Avenue until traffic flow returns to normal.

Town officials estimated it will take about 90 minutes for Short Beach Park to be emptied after the show, during which there will be no vehicular access into Lordship.

It is strongly advised that Lordship residents and anyone looking to come into Lordship plan accordingly, a statement announcing the fireworks on the town website says.

In a prepared statement announcing the show, Mayor Laura Hoydick said it will be good to see the fireworks again after last years cancellation.

We are excited to have this great Stratford tradition return, she said. I hope residents and their families will view the fireworks from their favorite spot as we come together to celebrate our nations birth.
MIAMI (AP)  A Filipino-American who loved to play the piano and her Chilean husband lived on the 10th floor of the building. One flight down were Cuban immigrant grandparents who had dreamed of retiring at the beach. And just a week ago, a young Paraguayan arrived to work as a nanny.

The Champlain Towers South condominium was a true reflection of Miamis international mix  South American immigrants, Orthodox Jews, foreign retirees. The 12-story buildings stunning collapse on Thursday quickly became a symbol of international tragedy, as families around the world hoped for news of loved ones in a terrified state of limbo.

Among them is Richard Luna, who is praying for a miracle but already speaking of his sister in the past tense. Lady Vanessa Luna Villalba, a nanny newly come from rural Paraguay, is among the 159 people still missing in the disintegration of the condominium into a smoldering heap of twisted metal and concrete in Surfside, Florida, just north of Miami.

She had many hopes of progressing and helping our parents, said Richard Luna, who is anxiously watching news reports in Paraguay. We are emotionally devastated.

A child of farmers, the 23-year-old Luna had studied nursing, but was looking after the three children of a Paraguayan family who helped her get a passport. The children are also missing along with their parents, Sophia Lopez Moreira Bo and Luis Pettengil. Sophia Lopez Moreira Bo is the sister-in-law of the president of Paraguay and the first lady flew to Miami.

Officials on Friday still didnt know exactly how many residents or visitors were in the building at the time. A clearer picture emerged from diplomatic dispatches and overseas news reports: Israeli media said the countrys consul general in Miami, Maor Elbaz, believed that 20 citizens of that country are missing. Another 22 people were unaccounted for from Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay.

By Friday evening, authorities had helped family members from over a dozen countries get visas to travel to Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio said in a tweet.

The horror of seeing hard-to-watch video of the towers collapse was compounded by the shock of its location: America.

You dont think that can happen here in the United States, said Sergio Lozano Jr., whose grandparents Antonio and Gladys Lozano, both in their 80s, are among the missing.

The couple emigrated from Cuba years ago, and the elder Lozano, now retired, worked in banking. Until a day ago, they were living out their dream in unit 903 of the seaside tower.

My grandfather always said when he retired, he wanted to retire on the beach, said Lozano Jr. He wanted to be able to walk out on his balcony and look at the beach.

Their son, Lozano Jrs father, lived just two buildings away. On Thursday night, the family ate dinner together.

Lozano Jr. said his father woke up at 1:30 in the morning to a thundering noise that sounded like a tornado and went to his balcony to bring in the outdoor furniture. He looked out at the condo.

It was no longer there.

He called Lozano Jr. and woke him up with these words: They are gone.

Juan Mora Sr. and his wife Ana were also immigrants from Cuba, and part of a tight-knit Cuban American community. Their son Juan Jr., was born in the U.S. and worked as an executive for Morton Salt in Chicago. Throughout the pandemic, he stayed away from his elderly parents, but was visiting when the building collapsed.

He was doing his best to keep them safe, said longtime friend Danny Ugarte, who grew up with Juan Jr. He was the envy of his friends as a child, Ugarte said, because his mother worked for Delta Airlines and he got to travel the world.

Ugartes mother, Jeanne, was close with Ana Mora, who did so much for her community, her children, and her church  many times all at once. They took their sons as children to Santo Domingo on missionary trips to help build churches and bridges.

She was a very devout Catholic, a genuinely caring and loving person, said Ugarte, in an emotional telephone interview. We would sleep on the ground on mats, and she was so dedicated.

The Ugartes are trying to stay positive, but Jeanne is resigned.

I know theyre not going to find them (alive), she said. Its been too long.

Among six missing Colombian natives is a family of three that came to the U.S. weeks ago to get the COVID-19 vaccine and have a vacation.

Luis Fernando Barth, 51, the director of a nonprofit organization; his wife Catalina Gomez, a 45-year-old lawyer; and their daughter Valeria Barth, 14, are from the western Colombia city of Medellin. They were renting apartment 204 and were not supposed to be there. They had traveled to another beach location and planned to return to the rental on Thursday.

Unfortunately, they decided to advance the trip, and arrived at the apartment again on Wednesday, said the womans brother-in-law, Jose Luis Arango, who last spoke to them Wednesday evening.

For the Velasquez family, this was supposed to be a time of togetherness after the coronavirus pandemic had kept them apart.

Theresa Velasquez traveled from California to visit her parents, Julio and Angela. All three of them were in the building when it collapsed, said her uncle, Fernando Velasquez.

Julio, 66, born in Colombia, was a devout Catholic retired from the insurance industry. He enjoyed soccer and traveling with his wife, Angela, who owned a clothing store. He was also writing a book about religion, said his brother, who spoke to him on the phone almost every day.

He was a breath of fresh air. He was a peacemaker. He was a joy, said Fernando Velasquez, who lives in Elmhurst, N.Y. He called his sister-in-law, Angela, a beautiful person,...always smiling, always ready to assist in any way, shape or form.

Fernando had returned from an evening mass when he heard of the collapse and picked up the phone.

I called, and of course you dont get any answers, he said. Thats how you know.

Fernando said he and his wife visited in April and slept in the condo, but he didnt notice anything wrong.

It could have been us, he said. It could have been all of us.

Also among the missing South Americans was a prominent Argentinian plastic surgeon, his husband and their young daughter.

Dr. Andres Galfrascoli, 45, has an office in Buenos Aires, but took his family to Miami because he couldnt work in Argentinas capital during the pandemic. His husband, Fabian Nunez, 55, is a producer and theater director.

Andres is one of the best surgeons in the country, very low profile, very honest, a friend, Flavia Martinez, told a local TV station. I spoke to him the day before yesterday, he told me that he was fine, that he was resting.

The family had been in Miami since April and had enrolled their 6-year-old daughter, Sofia, in a local school. They were one of the first same-sex Argentine couples to have a baby by surrogacy, and had said they were eager for another child.

A Chilean man, Claudio Bonnefoy, and his Filipino-American wife, Maria Obias Bonnefoy, lived on the 10th floor of the building. The husband, 85, a lawyer, is the second cousin of former Chilean President and High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

His wife Maria, 69, was an artist who loved to play the piano and was very close to her sibling, Dulce Obias Manno. Manno said throughout the pandemic, her sister was extremely cautious, going out just to buy food  only to suffer this unexpected tragedy.

My sister is everything for me, said Manno, 66, who traveled from Virginia in hopes of finding her sister alive. She is my brain, my conscience, my model.

Surfside is also home to a large Jewish Orthodox community, and families crowd the sidewalks before sunset walking to services for the Sabbath. In the Orthodox community, thoughts turned not just to the grim likelihood of multiple deaths but how to handle inevitable burials.

According to Jewish custom, true virtue or Chesed Shel Emes means the entire body and all its parts, including limbs, blood and tissue, must be collected for burial. Bodies are also not allowed to be left overnight or exposed in the open.

Zaka World, a volunteer organization in Israel, specializes in the painstaking work of collecting the entire body. International director David Rose, said in mass casualty disasters like that in Miami, they use DNA samples for blood and tissue, carefully collecting it from the concrete and other surfaces. In some cases, however, certain parts may not be matched to the deceased.

Everything gets collected and everything gets buried, Rose said. It might not be with the person it belongs to, but thats the most important thing  that it gets buried.

Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, the founder of The Shul of Bal Harbour, the Orthodox Jewish synagogue near the building collapse, said his community is still praying for miracles as rescue teams continued to search for survivors. He could not say exactly how many members of Surfsides Jewish community were unaccounted for.

Its a very large group of people, unfortunately, he said. The circumstances are very, very grim.

___

Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report. Cano reported from Mexico City, Hegemen from Belle Plaine, Kansas and Gecker from San Francisco. Adriana Gomez Licon and Gisela Salomon in Miami, Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale and Luis Andres Henao in New York City also contributed reporting.
A new Technology and Capital Improvement Grant Program by the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation seeks to bolster the service efforts of smaller credit unions by supporting their strategic upgrades, the Foundation announced this month at the Carolinas Credit Union League 2021 Annual Meeting in Asheville.

The program, aided by a joint contribution of $50,000 by the League and CUNA Mutual Group, is open for applications through August 1 by credit unions of up to $100 million in assets that plan to pursue the following categories and examples of improvements.
In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing, Friday, June 25, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin faces decades in prison for the May 2020 death of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool)
Weather Alert

...The Flood Advisory continues for the following rivers 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 imminent or may already be 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 1100 AM CDT Saturday morning. && ...The Flood Advisory remains in effect... The Flood Advisory continues for the Kankakee River near Wilmington. * Until Saturday afternoon. * At 6:45 PM CDT Friday the stage was 5.0 feet. * Action stage is 5.0 feet. * Flood stage is 6.5 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to fall below 5.0 feet by midday Saturday. * Impact...At 5.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins in areas immediately adjacent to the river. &&
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Eye on Tokyo: Gardner US' top Paralympic archer

rponder / Contributed photo Wendy Gardner Wendy Gardner, taking aim during an adaptive archery competition, is traveling to the Czech Republic this week to compete for a spot in the World Paralympic Games. rponder / Photo courtesy Wendy Gardner Wendy Gardner and her husband Gary display a trophy she won in adaptive archery.

Perquimans County native Wendy Gardner will be leading Team USA archery when it travels to the Czech Republic next week to compete for a spot in the world Paralympic Games.

Gardner, 47, suffered a major stroke during the birth of a child two decades ago and since then has not been able to use one arm and has had limited use of her legs.

Gardner spent most of her childhood in Perquimans County. She later moved to Chowan County but graduated from Perquimans County High School.

She has risen to the top of the field in archery for people with physical differences in just a year. After trying unsuccessfully for years to find a form of recreation that was well-suited to her physical challenges, she finally found  and fell in love with  archery last year.

I do it because its fun, Gardner said. She said she actually cheers for other competitors during her competitions.

Although she downplays her competitiveness, Gardner nonetheless shot well enough during a three-stage process of Paralympic trials to earn the top spot on Team USA. The first two trials were held in Florida and the third was in Chula Vista, California.

She left the second stage tied for second but was in first place after the Chula Vista stage in early June.

The Paralympic World Games will be held in Tokyo from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.

Gardner, who now lives in Wilson, gives a lot of credit to her husband, Gary, who has been able to fabricate the equipment that enables her to use one arm in shooting and release the bow with her teeth.

This interested me because I couldnt use my arm, she said, explaining why archery with adaptive equipment had such an appeal for her.

Most things involve using both arms and using your legs, she said, explaining why it was a challenge to find a sport to become involved in.

An inspiration for Gardner to learn archery was seeing Matt Stutzman, an armless archer. His shooting convinced her she could do it, she said.

Gardner and her husband now operate a nonprofit called GX4 Adaptive Archery that helps people with physical differences get adaptive equipment for archery. Information about the nonprofit is available on Facebook, Instagram and at GX4adaptivearchery.com.

Gardner said they started the nonprofit because without support most people would find adaptive archery prohibitively expensive.

Although she has a funded spot on Team USA, for the qualifier in Florida she had the expenses of a four-day trip plus $2,000 for a brace she uses in shooting.

Her husband is able to save people a lot of money by custom-fitting and fabricating adaptive archery equipment for them, she said. The equipment cant be mass-produced because it requires custom fitting for each shooter, she explained.

Gardner said she practices archery four hours a day. Shes continuing that schedule as she prepares to depart for the Czech Republic on Thursday.

Im not practicing any more than I normally do, she said. You dont want to overdo it. You dont want to injure yourself.

Gardner said Gary and children are very supportive.

Her daughter, in fact, recently had brain surgery, and Gardner told her she could stay with her as she recuperates. But her daughter wants her to take her shot in the Czech Republic.

She wants me to get it done, Gardner said.

Gardner said its great to have something to look forward to and have an opportunity to be part of a team.

I do it because I enjoy it and because its fun, Gardner said. When it gets to where its not fun anymore I will stop.
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Steve Bates, who lives in Boring, is a life member of the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America.
Mrs. Martha Lyndell Wilbanks, age 84, of Chatsworth passed away Thursday, July 1, 2021, at Chatsworth Health Care. She is survived by her husband, Damon Wilbanks of Chatsworth. No public memorial services have been planned at this time. Cremation services were provided by Peeples Funeral Hom
KINGSTON, N.Y.  The owner of several Uptown properties who has been trying to block the res
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in New York. Cuomos campaign contributors say theyre still planning to donate money for his re-election, despite ongoing investigations into allegations that he sexually harassed employees and manipulated data on COVID-19 fatalities in nursing homes.
Sunbury, PA (17801)

Today

A few showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Some clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.
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Earlier this year, the prominent German psychiatrist Thomas Schulze sent a proposal to Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of world-renowned medical journal The Lancet, suggesting they start a debate over the complicity of Chinese scientists in the persecution of Uighurs.

His idea arose amid alarm over repressive surveillance, garnering of genetic data, enforced sterilisation and organ harvesting of prisoners locked away in brutally repressive concentration camps.

'We believe that the human rights situation in China has become unbearable and of unprecedented scope that we cannot stay silent any longer and at least need to have an open discussion in the best academic tradition,' wrote Prof Schulze.

Earlier this year, the prominent German psychiatrist Thomas Schulze sent a proposal to Richard Horton (pictured), the editor-in-chief of medical journal The Lancet, suggesting they start a debate over the complicity of Chinese scientists in the persecution of Uighurs

He knew The Lancet did not shy away from political controversy, having signed a statement published by the journal last year calling on Britain to end the 'torture and medical neglect' of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, held in prison over US extradition demands.

But he was staggered by the response from Horton who said he did not 'wish to do anything that might imperil' his editor in China.

'Publishing a call for a boycott might well make her situation untenable,' he wrote.

As Schulze says, this was 'clear admission of kowtowing' to Beijing.

'Scientific independence and freedom of speech are integral to Western society and influential journals should not be in situations that compromise their integrity.'

He is right. Yet few scientists dare voice criticism in public given the power of journals like The Lancet to make or break careers  despite many others sharing his alarm over its editor's seeming enthusiasm for the Chinese regime.

This 198-year-old journal is now at centre of growing global questions over the role of supposedly authoritative scientific media in appeasing China's Communist regime and stifling debate on suggestions that Covid could have leaked from a Wuhan lab.

And the heat is on Horton, a combative character who has edited The Lancet for 26 years. He has been prominent in the pandemic, lashing out at the British and US governments for policy failures, while defending China  even insisting it was unfair to blame it as the virus source or to hunt for Patient Zero.

At the core of the concern is possibly the most controversial article in any science journal since the pandemic's start: what The Lancet billed as a 'statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals and medical professionals of China' published last February.

At the core of the concern is possibly the most controversial article in any science journal since the pandemic's start: what The Lancet billed as a 'statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals and medical professionals of China' published last February

The authors attacked what they described as 'conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin'.

They praised Beijing's 'rapid, open and transparent sharing of data on this outbreak' but warned this was 'threatened by rumours and misinformation' on the origins  rather than by a dictatorship that silenced doctors, hid data and buried evidence.

The Lancet letter, signed by 27 experts, played a key part in silencing scientific, political and media discussion of any idea that this pandemic might have begun with a lab incident rather than spilling over naturally from animals.

It was even reportedly used by Facebook to flag articles exploring the lab leak hypothesis as 'false information' before the social media giant dramatically changed tack last month.

Yet it emerged later that The Lancet statement was covertly drafted by British scientist Peter Daszak  a long-term collaborator with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which was carrying out high-risk research on bat coronaviruses and had known safety issues.

Yet it emerged later that The Lancet statement was covertly drafted by British scientist Peter Daszak (pictured, left)  a long-term collaborator with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which was carrying out high-risk research on bat coronaviruses and had known safety issues

Daszak is the 300,000-a-year president of EcoHealth Alliance, a New York-based charity that funnelled funds to his friend Shi Zhengli, the Wuhan virologist known as 'Batwoman' for her work in collecting samples from bats.

Four months later, The Lancet set up a 'Covid-19 Commission' to assist governments and scrutinise the origins.

It was led by Jeffrey Sachs, the celebrity economist and author who campaigns on aid with rock star Bono.

Sachs recently dismissed claims that China is committing genocide on the Uighurs, adopting Beijing's line that it is confronting Islamic militancy.

Incredibly, he backed Daszak to lead his commission's 12-person taskforce investigating Covid's origins  joined by five fellow signatories to The Lancet statement. Daszak's conflicts of interest were exposed by this newspaper six months ago.

Four months later, The Lancet set up a 'Covid-19 Commission' to assist governments and scrutinise the origins. It was led by Jeffrey Sachs, the celebrity economist and author who campaigns on aid with rock star Bono

Last week The Lancet finally 'recused' him from its commission and published an 'addendum' to its statement detailing some of his Chinese links.

Yet critics say the journal has still failed to admit that six more signatories to that February statement have ties to Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance as directors or partners.

'It would have been better for The Lancet to have stated that Daszak's and other signers' previous declarations were untruthful and to have attached an editorial expression of concern,' said Richard Ebright, a bio-security expert and professor of chemical biology at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Now The Mail on Sunday has learned that The Lancet is set to publish a second statement by these signatories that presses the case that Covid probably emerged through natural 'zoonotic' transmission from animals to humans.

'We consider that it seems more likely a transmission through an intermediate mammalian host, although other possibilities can't be fully excluded,' said one, adding that they were still 'missing some signatures'.

Four of The Lancet's original experts seem to have since shifted their position, including Charles Calisher, a Colorado virologist.

He admits 'there is too much coincidence' to ignore the lab leak hypothesis and that 'it is more likely that it came out of that lab'.

Bernard Roizman, based at the University of Chicago, has also become convinced the virus was taken to a lab, worked on and then 'some sloppy individual' let it out.

Such is the furore aroused by this single Lancet statement 16 months ago that one of the scientists who signed it told me: 'It's a wonder no one has burned a cross on my lawn or threatened my family'.

Yet Horton, a former doctor, is no stranger to controversy  most notoriously as publisher of the discredited paper by a former hospital colleague in London that fuelled the global anti-vaccination movement.

This 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield  later found guilty by a medical inquiry of dishonesty  falsely claimed a link between MMR jabs and autism, provoking fear among families, a sharp fall in vaccinations and lethal outbreaks of measles.

It took Horton 12 years to retract this toxic study, which still reverberates today as the anti-vaccination lobby promotes concerns over Covid jabs. 'The Wakefield debacle alone should have finished his tenure,' said one leading US biologist.

Curiously, on January 24 last year  as news seeped out from Wuhan about a deadly new virus  Horton rounded on the rest of the media for 'escalating anxiety' in a tweet that insisted there was 'no reason to foster panic' over a disease with 'moderate transmissibility and relatively low pathogenicity'.

Yet he was soon blaming Ministers for thousands of fatalities due to their 'slow, complacent and flat-footed' reaction, while condemning their scientific advisers for complicity in what he called 'the greatest science policy failure for a generation'.

He drove home his message in frequent broadcasts, newspaper columns and even a book called The Covid-19 Catastrophe.

Meanwhile, he appeared on Chinese state television to praise the Beijing government for 'acting tremendously decisively'.

'We have a great deal to thank China for the way it handled the outbreak in Wuhan,' he said  despite evidence that its officials delayed warning the world, lied about the onset and covered up crucial evidence of human transmission.

Horton has mentioned concerns over China's behaviour yet he attacked US politicians 'for giving credibility to conspiracy theories' after President Donald Trump suggested the virus could have emerged from a Wuhan lab.

Horton has mentioned concerns over China's behaviour yet he attacked US politicians 'for giving credibility to conspiracy theories' after President Donald Trump suggested the virus could have emerged from a Wuhan lab

Renewed attention has been paid to the theory the the coronvirus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured)

'Instead of joining the chorus of criticism against Beijing, one should perhaps try to put oneself in the position of Chinese policymakers,' he wrote in The Guardian.

Horton's admiration for China is not new.

In 2015, the year he received a top honour from Beijing, he told Lancet readers that 'China's emphasis on friendship, and the free flow of critical ideas that such friendship encourages, might offer lessons to other nations about how scientific co-operation can accelerate social and political change'.

Meanwhile, he has used his magazine to pursue political causes, with endorsement of Extinction Rebellion and a heavily contested claim that civilian deaths related to the Iraq War were massively undercounted.

Those seeking to offer alternative views on the origins debate have been frustrated. One group submitted a letter signed by 14 global experts in January, arguing that 'the natural origin is not supported by conclusive arguments and that a lab origin cannot be formally discarded'.

It was rejected by The Lancet on basis that it was 'not a priority for us'.

Fiona Godlee, editor-in-chief of the rival British Medical Journal, said she thought it was fine to publish the Daszak article but the conflicts of interest should have been stated clearly.

'But it's not so good for the editor to then give such unequivocal support for China, telling people to back off from criticism, when the facts about the origins of the pandemic were far from established.

Fiona Godlee, editor-in-chief of the rival British Medical Journal, said she thought it was fine to publish the Daszak article but the conflicts of interest should have been stated clearly

'All journals get accused of taking positions. The challenge is to keep the journal open as a platform for all sides of a debate until the scientific facts have been established beyond doubt.'

Others are scathing in their criticism of Horton.

'Thinly veiled political activism has ruined the reputation of the journal, possibly irreparably,' said one US scientist.

'The only saving grace is that many other journals have done only marginally better.'

'The editor of The Lancet seems to have been a key figure in the smothering of debate,' said Tory MP Bob Seely, who accused Horton of 'totally unacceptable' actions in putting politics and possible commercial interests over the search for truth.

'The claims of a cover-up over the most important scientific issue of our time grow stronger by the day. It is vital we get to the truth over what appears to have been a cover-up on the pandemic origins with the collusion of journals such as The Lancet.'

Behind such concerns lies fear these influential organs are pandering to China to protect commercial interests as the ascendant superpower spends billions in its bid to dominate science for economic and military advantage.

The German psychiatrist Schulze could not persuade any journal to touch his idea of a debate over scientific ties to the atrocities being inflicted on Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

The wider scientific journal Nature has also been accused of stifling debate on the lab leak theory.

Nikolai Petrovsky, an Australian professor of medicine and vaccine researcher who was among the first experts to raise concerns over the nature of the new virus, said his landmark paper was rejected by The Lancet in just two days as a 'hot potato' that might offend China.

'We thought The Lancet would be interested since they had been publishing on the other side of the origins debate, including the scientifically unfounded Peter Daszak propaganda piece,' he said.

'But they couldn't have rejected it faster.

'Under the current leadership, The Lancet seems to have turned from a reputable leading clinical journal into a journal more interested in publicity than good science and increasingly beholden to Chinese influences in its publication policies.'

Nikolai Petrovsky, an Australian professor of medicine and vaccine researcher who was among the first experts to raise concerns over the nature of the new virus, said his landmark paper was rejected by The Lancet in just two days as a 'hot potato' that might offend China

The Lancet is owned by the London-based RELX group. It has a wide range of undertakings in China, including one to disseminate health information in China with Tencent, the tech giant that plays a central role in rigid government censorship.

A statement from The Lancet said its commissions brought together experts to address pressing issues in health and medicine.

'All final decisions about commissioners and contributors are made by the Chair,' it said.

It insisted the journal was editorially independent, setting 'extremely high standards' with papers selected 'based on the strength of the science and the credibility of the scientific argument'.

A spokeswoman declined to comment on unpublished papers, questions around the Daszak paper, and over Horton's defensive approach to China.
David Camerons judgment has not always been faultless, as we saw most recently from the Greensill affair.

But one of the things I have always admired about him as a man was his unfailing respect for his wife, and my former friend, Samantha.

It didnt matter how powerful he was, how many sycophants or dignitaries surrounded him, how many crucial meetings were in his diary: he always made space for her, not just in his day-to-day routine but in his thoughts and decisions.

Rather like the Duchess of Cambridge is to Prince William, she was his barometer, his weather vane, his anchor.

Every time he seemed in danger of drifting away on a cloud of self-importance (usually after a few glasses of wine), she would bring him back down to earth, and not always gently.

Despite his years in power, she  and their children  never just became background noise, also-rans in his busy, important life.

In a way that was unique among all the senior politicians I have ever known, he was absolutely brilliant at carving out time for his family.

And they  particularly Samantha  always knew that, ultimately, they were his priority.

I mention all this, of course, because ever since those pictures of Matt Hancock snogging his aide emerged, Ive been thinking about the nature of political marriages.

And how rarely, if ever, they manage to thrive under the pressures of public life.

In particular, I was struck by something Hancock told an interviewer during lockdown.

Asked about how the family had been coping, he said of course, Marthas borne the brunt of it, adding: Thank God Martha is totally wonderful in looking after the children and looking after me, and its really tough.

In particular, I was struck by something Hancock told an interviewer during lockdown. Asked about how the family had been coping, he said of course, Marthas borne the brunt of it'

For many people, this might sound like a compliment. And I am certain that was the intention.

But to anyone who truly understands how high-level politics works, its also an alarm bell. Because the dynamic it implies is that of two people on very different paths.

In many ways this exemplifies the eternal lot of the political spouse: keeping the home fires burning so the Big I Am can do more important stuff  in this case saving the world from Covid-19.

The old behind every great man theres a woman drowning in dirty laundry is a cliche. But its true.

It is very hard to do these high-level, high-pressure, high-stakes jobs unless you have someone prepared to take up the reins in every other department of your life.

But the problem is that inevitably sets you on different tracks. You become so entrenched in your respective roles that you begin to drift apart.

Samantha Cameron was always very hardline with David about this, and he was sometimes mocked for it. But she was right.

She never let him forget his obligation to her and the children. She never bore the brunt of it.

Samantha Cameron was always very hardline with David about this, and he was sometimes mocked for it. But she was right. She never let him forget his obligation to her and the children. She never bore the brunt of it

She had strict ground rules  date nights, no-go areas in his diary, certain non-negotiable events.

She made sure he cooked, took care of the children, did his fair share. She never allowed the job to consume him, and she certainly never allowed it to consume her. And when she had had enough of living in the fishbowl, they left.

Yes, he resigned over Brexit but in truth the decision to leave No 10 had already been made. And it was, in large part, hers.

Of course, there are many who would argue that Camerons ability to switch off  his famous chillaxing  made him a less effective politician, and Im sure in some ways they would be right.

But it also depends on what you want from a leader: someone who prioritises power at all costs  or someone who has a wider set of interests.

The other problem with top-level politics is that, inevitably, you start to believe your own hype.

Ministers are surrounded by people telling them how brilliant they are. Their departments treat them like feudal barons. Their every whim is treated as law. No one ever says No to them.

They certainly dont get asked to unload the dishwasher. And after a while, it changes them. It becomes increasingly difficult for anything to compete with the adrenaline of power.

How can anyone be expected to put the bins out when theyve just got home from a day saving the world? Domestic life can seem dull and dispiriting by comparison.

And so they begin to avoid it. So much easier to stay late or say Yes to a fundraiser, or show your support at a fellow MPs drinks party.

Westminster is a place of myriad distractions for the politician seeking refuge from his or her home life.

And when you feel disconnected like that, and because power is such an aphrodisiac, it doesnt take a huge leap of imagination to see how you can go from being happily married to the kind of person who gets caught so unfortunately on CCTV.

Hancocks behaviour may be shocking, but given the context it is entirely predictable.

Indeed, hes only following in the footsteps of his great political mentor, George Osborne, now separated from his wife Frances and expecting a child with his former political adviser, Thea Rogers.

She and Hancocks current squeeze, Gina Coladangelo, share their respective employers fascination with politics and related appetite for power.

Thea Rogers and Hancocks current squeeze, Gina Coladangelo, share their respective employers fascination with politics and related appetite for power

Both Martha and Frances Osborne are highly intelligent, attractive women. So why, you might ask, would they find themselves thrown over?

I think the answer is simple.

These women are still more or less the same person they were when they got married. But their politician men are not.

Climbing that far up Westminsters greasy pole changes a person. And when someone changes, they require something new from a partner.

Namely, someone who is as much a courtesan as a companion, one who understands their brilliance and, crucially, is personally invested in it.

Not someone who thinks its all a monumental nuisance and wishes they would get a proper job that doesnt involve people poking cameras in your face and commenting on your poor choice of footwear.

The problem with the wife who has known you since way before you were king of the world is that she sees through your facade.

She knows your fears and your insecurities. She knows that, deep down inside, you are not the Master of the Universe you purport to be. And some people dont like to be reminded of that. Others, like Cameron, find it grounding.

In the end, there are two types of politicians. Those who can walk away from power  and those who cant. And who will compromise everything for the sake of it.

Hancock, I think, made his choice clear  until the clamour for him to resign became too loud to ignore. Was it worth it? Only time will tell.
The small, terraced flat is completely empty. The furniture has gone. The downstairs curtains have gone.

The light bulbs have been removed from their fittings. I'm in Batley, West Yorkshire.

A few weeks ago this was the home of a teacher at Batley Grammar School.

Then one day, as part of a course on blasphemy, he showed his pupils a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.

At which point, he was forced to flee for his life. It's why he can now only be known as The Teacher. To use his real name would put him and his family in danger.

Several doors down from the empty flat, one of The Teacher's neighbours  a woman in a hijab  is returning home. I ask if she knew the person who used to live there.

'No,' she responds. 'Yes, we do!' shouts her excited child. His mother smiles apologetically. 'Yes, I do.' What was The Teacher like, I ask. She pauses. I explain I won't identify her.

'Very good. A very good neighbour.' She pauses again. 'But he doesn't live here any more.'

The Teacher had been at Batley Grammar for several years. The image he showed during the fateful lesson had been used before.

But on this occasion someone took offence. A complaint was made  and within hours an angry mob had descended on the school gates.

The Teacher had been at Batley Grammar for several years. The image he showed during the fateful lesson had been used before. But on this occasion someone took offence. A complaint was made  and within hours an angry mob had descended on the school gates (pictured, protesters outside Batley Grammar School)

Today, leafy Carlinghow Hill  where that mob assembled  is peaceful. The school has been portrayed in some quarters as some sort of Yorkshire madrassa.

Yet as I walk up to the traditional arched stone entrance, all I can see is a normal, well-maintained co-ed.

The last Ofsted report rated it as 'Good'. The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in reading, writing and maths is above the local authority and English averages.

But a member of staff is missing. In the aftermath of the outcry over the cartoon, The Teacher was suspended pending an investigation.

Batley head Gary Kibble issued an 'unequivocal apology' for what he said was a 'totally inappropriate image'.

Then, last week, the investigation concluded. It found that while the lesson could have been conducted differently, there was no intention to cause offence. It advised the suspension could be lifted.

I'm hoping to speak to Mr Kibble to see if he's planning to reinstate his staff member. Or at least speak out in support of him.

'I'm sure he'll give you a ring,' the school receptionist tells me politely.

As I turn to leave I see a large sign. 'Preparing students for life in modern Britain,' it says. Mr Kibble never calls.

The Teacher was, I'm told, well respected and regarded as 'friendly and sociable' by those with children at the school.

But as I stand in the drizzle observing the morning drop-off, I'm again finding it hard to get someone to speak up for him, or agree he should return.

'We've been told he doesn't want to come back,' one parent claims. 'And can you blame him?'

Another tells me: 'It's done and dusted. The school has dealt with it. You shouldn't be here. I don't know why you're wasting your time.'

A third parent just shrugs. 'It is what it is,' he says.

Every day seems to see a new front opened in our so-called 'culture war'. But the battleground is invariably trivial. Flags. Anthems. Pictures of the Queen.

There's nothing trivial about what has happened here.

The Teacher has had his home taken from him. His career taken from him. His name and identity taken from him.

Labour's Kim Leadbeater (pictured, with the Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy) is the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox. When she announced she was running, she said: 'Jo used to say to me, 'If good people don't step up, then nothing will change''

In a quiet British town, a man has been disappeared. Yet this act of erasure has been greeted not by a righteous outcry, but a conspiracy of silence. Both local and national.

Britain's political class are encamped in Batley in preparation for this week's by-election.

But attempting to get the candidates of our two main parties to address the vanishing of a respected member of the local community is proving impossible.

Labour's Kim Leadbeater is the sister of murdered MP Jo Cox. When she announced she was running, she said: 'Jo used to say to me, 'If good people don't step up, then nothing will change.''

But despite the fact that she has herself been the subject of vicious abuse during this campaign, I'm unable to get Leadbeater to step up on Batley Grammar.

As I shuttle between her campaign HQs, I'm variously told she's out on the doorstep, preparing for hustings or 'at the other office'.

But asked about the issue in an online debate on Wednesday, she reportedly said: 'We've got to have the right to freedom of speech, but we should also be really sensitive to other people's feelings and opinions.'

She was, she added, 'satisfied with the results' of the investigation.

As I leave her office on Wellington Street after another fruitless attempt to meet her, I see a sign in the window. 'We're With Kim,' it reads. Maybe. But Kim isn't with The Teacher.

Nor is Tory candidate Ryan Stephenson. According to Conservative co-chairman Amanda Milling, Stephenson wants to 'work with Government on local issues and be a strong voice in Parliament'.

But instead of being strong, he's currently spending his time cowering from the press and the voters.

Stephenson is, according to his campaign blurb, a member of a Yorkshire academy trust, committed to ensuring 'all children excel regardless of their background'. And like everyone else, he's gone AWOL on the issue of Batley Grammar.

I ask Milling  being deployed today as his human shield  what her view is on the school.

'There have to be lessons learnt,' she says meekly.

Should The Teacher be allowed to go back, I ask. 'Yes, and the teacher has been able to return to the school,' she claims, 'though I understand he still has concerns about doing so.'

When I query the idea he's been able to return, she tries to clarify. 'So my understanding is  from the report  that he's been reinstated.

I'm not sure if he's actually gone back to school because he's still got concerns about the situation.'

So again, does she think he should return. 'You shouldn't have a situation where a teacher you know he's been told he can come back to the school but he doesn't feel he can go back to the school.'

So why isn't Stephenson here, explaining this himself, I ask. 'Ryan's out on the doorsteps. He's been doing lots of interviews with the local press,' she says.

Ryan Stephenson (pictured) is, according to his campaign blurb, a member of a Yorkshire academy trust, committed to ensuring 'all children excel regardless of their background'. And like everyone else, he's gone AWOL on the issue of Batley Grammar

But if the two main candidates are running scared of the mob that appeared outside the gates of Batley Grammar, another is not.

'If I had been the MP, I don't think this would have happened,' George Galloway tells me.

'After what happened in Paris, with the horrific murder of a teacher there, I would have been into the Batley schools. But if it had happened, I would have provided leadership in response to it. Labour ran away.'

According to Galloway, a vacuum was allowed to develop that was exploited by what he calls 'extremists' from out of the area. '

If it had been me here, I'd have been outside the school, and I'd have told everyone to go away. I'd have calmed the situation down.'

Clear enough. But on the issue of the cartoon itself, he's more equivocal.

'Parents have a right to know, and have a say, in what is taught in their schools. Not just on this matter, on all other matters. All over the country, people of all colours and creeds are not happy about the kinds of things being taught to their children, particularly of a very young age. And I'm one of them.'

I ask him the question I would have liked to ask Leadbeater and Stephenson. Should The Teacher be reinstated?

'If he wants to be, of course he should. His life and his safety are not in any danger from local people. But I think there are Islamist extremists in the country  the ISIS mindset exists in this country, it's a significant problem for us  so in so far as that teacher is in danger from that kind of extremism, then we must all rally round him and support him.'

Again, that appears to be the full-throated defence that has been lacking from our mainstream politicians.

If the two main candidates are running scared of the mob that appeared outside the gates of Batley Grammar, another, George Galloway (pictured), is not

But George Galloway is a master at working the angles. And in Wednesday's debate, he took a rather different tack.

The image shown to the class was 'horrific' and 'insulting', he claimed. The school had 'absolutely no right' to use the caricature, he said.

But on one point Galloway is correct. The leadership vacuum  or chasm  that has been allowed to develop in Batley has indeed opened the door to those from outside.

I'm now standing in the sunshine in Batley Market Square, as Laurence Fox  replete in his signature sunglasses and crisp, white shirt  addresses a small but appreciative crowd.

The former actor, failed London mayoral candidate and vanquished opponent of lockdown has suddenly found a new cause.

'I stand with the teacher,' he tells his audience. 'We cannot have an education policy driven by intimidation, bullying and death threats.'

Fox's address is received warmly, rather than rapturously. 'I don't really know who he is,' one onlooker concedes to me.

I'm now standing in the sunshine in Batley Market Square, as Laurence Fox (pictured)  replete in his signature sunglasses and crisp, white shirt  addresses a small but appreciative crowd

Just as I prepare to return to London, I take a walk along Market Street in Birstall. It's here, just outside the library, where Jo Cox was murdered.

In the years that have followed her death, a lot has been said and written. About togetherness. Social cohesion. Turning away from hate.

The words of her maiden speech have been replayed and recounted many times  'We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.'

But what does that mean, really? What is actually the point of any of it if, five years on, The Teacher and his family remain in hiding for their lives?

Hiding not in the way our spineless politicians are hiding, but literally in fear of the splintering of a door or shattering of a window that means they are about to be added to the roll of horror that includes the staff of Charlie Hebdo and the French teacher Samuel Paty.

This week a new MP will be elected for this constituency. At which point the parties will decamp, those of us in the media will pack up, and the town of Batley will move on.

Except for one man. A teacher  a good teacher. A neighbour  a good neighbour. Who has been disappeared by his own community. And his own country.
The character Geraldine James plays in the gripping new BritBox revenge drama The Beast Must Die is called Joy, but radiates quite the opposite.

Shes a horror  rich, haughty and sneering. Shes also rather brilliantly described in the script as a woman who has procedures.

This freaked Geraldine out somewhat. I had a word with the director because I thought, How can I play a woman who has procedures when I patently havent?

She screws up her face to prove her lack of facelift history, then laughs.

What they did, in the script, was have the character who talks about her procedures make a gesture towards the tummy, so you get the idea these vague procedures were liposuction. Genius.

Geraldine James, 70, (pictured) is playing the character Joy, the sister of the dramas villain George Rattery, in The Beast Must Die, the first original scripted drama made by BritBox

She confesses, a little surprisingly, that she has dabbled in procedures herself. Or a procedure  singular. It was a nightmare never to be repeated.

It was years ago. Everyone was doing it, and someone extremely close to me said, Just have a little bit of help, so I had a filler here. She touches the side of the mouth, and shudders.

I cant tell you the pain. Ive never felt pain like it. Im actually quite glad I had it now and experienced it because never again. They just push the stuff in, and I thought, What am I doing? This is idiotic.

Now I look at all these young women who feel they have to do it and just say, Please dont. Look at the people where its gone a bit wrong  especially actresses, because when it goes wrong they cant work!

How heartening to discover that an actress of Geraldines calibre (director Peter Hall ranked her among the greatest classical actresses produced by this country) hasnt had to resort to a regime of nips and tucks to win roles.

Although shes a striking and commanding presence on screen and stage, Geraldine, 70, reckons shes lucky never to have been cast because of my looks. Im cast for my acting, which is fortunate because when youre one of the pretty young things it can be difficult.

While she gained much of her reputation in theatre, her stand-out TV roles have included The Jewel In The Crown and Band Of Gold. On the big screen she played Queen Mary in the Downton Abbey movie and shes acted opposite everyone from Dustin Hoffman to Daniel Craig.

Shes tremendous in The Beast Must Die, which feels like a very modern thriller but is actually based on a 1938 novel by Cecil Day-Lewis about a man (changed in the show to a woman) who sets out to track down the hit-and-run driver who killed his son and exact revenge.

Its the first original scripted drama made by BritBox, the streaming service that offers the best British programming from the BBC and ITV, which well be exploring throughout this issue.

The actress recalls lecherous directors and auditions in bikinis that were commonplace in the 1960s and 70s, long before the #MeToo movement

Geraldines character Joy is the sister of the dramas villain George Rattery, played by Jared Harris, and knowing he was on board made it a must-have role. Id watched him in Chernobyl so he was definitely someone I wanted to work with.

It was filmed during lockdown on the Isle of Wight, which proved to be an extraordinary experience. Make-up artists worked in plastic tented-off areas, the cast were put up in different hotels and there was no wrap party.

I became invisible when I was about 45. Geraldine James

Everything had to be so strictly contained, but it was just such a blessing to be working, and I really did have fun doing it, she says. We filmed on the beach one day and there was absolutely no one around.

There were slight reservations. At first she wondered if her character was just too awful. Its a thing for actresses of a certain age, she says, getting offered parts that scream evil old bag.

Ive played a few of them recently, and Im interested in why in so many stories the mother is the evil character. Ive done a few jobs where theres a daughter, theres often a father whos positive and then theres a quite negative mother. Im very interested in why so many of those come up. I dont believe anybody is just an evil cow.

Its also interesting to me that we sort of lose interest in women. As a woman growing older Ive gone through that process of suddenly realising Im invisible in the world, having not been invisible when I was young. You walk down the street and think, Oh, hello. What age was she when that started to happen? About 45. Not old, but old in this business. Or it was.

She said that growing older in the acting business she realised she 'became invisible when she was about 45' however, her career has never been healthier. Pictured: Geraldine as Joy (third from right) and Jared Harris as George (centre) in a scene from The Beast Must Die

Yet her career has never been healthier, which she cites as evidence things really have changed for women in the industry.

She has enjoyed huge success recently playing the glorious Marilla Cuthbert in the Netflix adaptation of Anne Of Green Gables, Anne With An E, all scraped back grey hair and no make-up. Lip salve was the only thing that was allowed, she recalls.

Talk about exposed. Was she worried about the implications for her career of playing old?

Yes! It was a huge risk. I thought people would say, Who is this hideous old bag  get her off our screens! But the character was so amazing. Vanity has no place in this business. Well, it has, but if I limited myself to roles where I looked good Id be out.

She talks of having to accept which stage youre at as an actress, whether youre playing the girlfriend, the wife, the mother or, increasingly, the grandmother. She has two grandchildren, so is obviously qualified here, but still, not all actresses want to look like a grandmother.

We all have to shuffle up the rungs of the ladder but Ive noticed a huge change in me. I was looking at myself in The Beast Must Die and I thought, God, I look old. And then I thought, No, I am old, but I am who I am and Im proud of that.

She has enjoyed huge success recently playing Marilla Cuthbert in the Netflix adaptation of Anne Of Green Gables, Anne With An E, all scraped back grey hair and no make-up (pictured)

Shes encouraged by the visibility of women like Judi Dench and Meryl Streep (who got all the parts I went up for, she jokes).

Now shes cheered to be coming across so many more women in positions of influence, which makes a huge difference. She cites another of her recent jobs, Daisy Haggards Back To Life, as evidence of real change.

There was a woman director, a camera woman and sound engineer. It was a joy to see. Ive been working with a lot of young women recently, and theyre so impressive. Theyre confident and powerful, and prepared to speak up for themselves. I have very little to do with social media, but I see them use it, and its a strong platform and hugely influential. We were all sort of on our own in the 60s and 70s. We didnt have any of that.

We get onto the subject of the #MeToo movement. Shes watched developments with huge interest, being part of the generation that had to grin and bear so much.

When I was starting out youd get scripts and flick through the pages to see if you had to be in the bath again, because you always had to be in the bath in the 70s.

You did? Yes. I had a conversation for my first-ever movie with the director, who said, Its just your head, as you get up, the camera will just follow your head. Of course it didnt. And I just remember seeing it and screaming.

Did the word exploitation get mentioned, or even thought?

No. It was sort of automatic. Its what you had to do. Youd meet a director whod say, Ive got your headshots. Theyre very nice, but I need to see your body more. Could you take what youre wearing off? You could say no, but with enormous difficulty. I remember going for a commercial  I think it was washing-up liquid  and being asked to wear a bikini. This was about 1979. I think it was just for them to have a good look at you, but I mean, how idiotic.

Geraldine cites her recent success as evidence that things really have changed for older women in the industry. (Pictured playing Queen Mary in the Downton Abbey movie)

In person, Geraldine is much less formidable than youd expect, given her impressive CV and privileged background. She lives in Clapham, south London, with her husband, the director Joseph Blatchley, but she grew up in Berkshire.

Her dad was a brilliant heart surgeon but a demanding father, and obsessed with academic success.

I was looking at a photograph of the house I grew up in the other day and it was very Swallows And Amazons. We had absolutely everything, butlers, pantries, stables and the swimming pool, but it had a hollow, cold, unloving heart. There was love between my brother and sister and me though. We stuck together.

While her father was the domineering character, her mother was an alcoholic, which has left scars. Today shes a patron of a charity that supports the children of alcoholics. It sounds like hers was a damaged childhood, where keeping up appearances was everything.

We couldnt have friends back for tea because our friends parents didnt know if my mother would be hiding behind the door with an axe. She wouldnt be, of course. She would just be drunk, but the thing is it was a secret to carry. It was never spoken about. You just put your mask on and accept it. Im sure thats why Im an actor, because I got rather good at pretending to be living something I wasnt.

The Beast Must Die is available now on BritBox.
As a concept its a winner  a huge library of the very best British programming past and present, all in one place, including hundreds of shows you wont find anywhere else.

Where else can you dip into vintage Attenboroughs along with soap episodes from the 60s, classic crime dramas and comedies such as Broadchurch and Spitting Image?

But BritBox is up against some serious muscle in the subscription streaming service market, and in this issue were exploring whether it can hold its own against the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and Now.

Christopher Stevens, Mail TV critic, reviews the best from British streaming service BritBox, asking can it ever match its rivals for choice and value. Pictured: Joanna Vanderham who will co-star in upcoming BritBox original drama Crime

A collaboration between the BBC and ITV but with shows from Channels 4 and 5 too, BritBox is doing what Netflix set out to do years ago, but with a totally British back catalogue offering countless programmes from the vaults.

It was launched across the pond in 2017 as a one-stop shop where Americans could access the best of British.

They lapped it up (subscribers there are now nearing two million) and this success led to a UK launch in 2019. Word spread quickly as a nation brought up on top-quality programming discovered they could access everything from Doctor Whos going back 60 years to Brideshead Revisited and Boys From The Blackstuff.

It could be argued that Netflix and Amazon saw their fortunes soar when they started producing their own original shows, and now BritBox is doing the same with the release of its first original drama and documentary series  stylish revenge thriller The Beast Must Die and Secrets Of The Krays, a brilliant three-parter about the notorious gangsters  with many more in the pipeline.

So can BritBox ever match its rivals for choice and value? Today were looking at some of the jewels in its crown, so you can decide for yourself...

CORSETS, CLASS... AND A DASH OF GLAMOUR

If youre craving the surreal, the golden era of The Avengers is available  not the bloated comic-book Americana with Iron Man, the Hulk and their friends, but the ultra-English spy adventures of Steed and Emma Peel. Patrick Macnee is the urbane John Steed, who wears a bowler hat but whose brolly conceals a sword.

Despite his impeccable suits, the series is comprehensively stolen by Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel  high-kicking, karate-chopping, wise-cracking, she goes racing after the villains in her open-top Lotus before Steed has even cranked the motor of his vintage Bentley.

Christopher says if he had one series he could watch endlessly on a desert island it would be The Avengers, the ultra-English spy adventures of John Steed and Emma Peel (played by Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee, pictured together)

If I had one series I could watch endlessly on a desert island it would be The Avengers.

And for a more transatlantic version in the same style, theres Roger Moore and Tony Curtis in The Persuaders! Theyre a mismatched crime-fighting duo, Lord Brett Sinclair and oil millionaire Danny Wilde.

Very British class divisions are the theme of Upstairs Downstairs, about the Edwardian toffs and servants in a house in Londons Belgravia. It became the quintessential period drama, with Gordon Jackson as the stiff-backed butler whose employers are not always deserving of his dogged loyalty.

Head of the household is the Conservative MP Richard Bellamy (David Langton) and his wife Lady Marjorie (Rachel Gurney). The familys flighty daughter Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett) married a sexually repressed gay man. The sense of scandal that gripped Britain in 1972 when he handed her over to a friend so she could conceive a child cannot be exaggerated.

The class system got another hefty boot in Boys From The Blackstuff, five linked plays with a cast including Bernard Hill as labourer Yosser Hughes  a man begging for work, whose Gissa job mantra became a national catchphrase during the early 80s recession. Alan Bleasdales scripts are both heart-wrenching and bitterly funny.

BRACE YOURSELVES FOR A NEW CRIME WAVE

As well as classic crime series such as Happy Valley, Broadchurch and Agatha Christies Poirot and Miss Marple, BritBox has a number of original dramas in the pipeline.

In Marlow, The Crowns Claire Foy plays Evie Wyatt, a woman whose family has lived on the Thames Estuary for centuries with a history steeped in smuggling and crime.

The Wyatts have been locked in an age-old feud with the Marlows, but Evie left the area when her father died in a fire 15 years earlier. Now shes back, wanting answers... and vengeance.

Another upcoming BritBox drama is Marlow, starring The Crowns Claire Foy (pictured) who plays Evie Wyatt, a woman whose family has lived on the Thames Estuary for centuries

The series is by BAFTA-winning screenwriter Tony Grisoni and Deep State writer Simon Maxwell. Im delighted to be a part of this, says Claire. Tony and Simons scripts are so evocative of place and redolent with atmosphere.

Timothy Spall stars in Magpie Murders, adapted from the novel by Anthony Horowitz, the man behind Foyles War and Midsomer Murders.

In this typically clever Horowitz concept, Spall plays a detective who doesnt actually exist, except on the page. His name is Atticus Pund and hes the eccentric private eye in a series of 1950s-set crime novels by author Alan Conway.

When Conways editor, played by Lesley Manville, discovers an unfinished manuscript, Atticus comes to life in unexpected ways. I was overjoyed when I heard Timothy Spall had accepted the part of Atticus Pund, says Horowitz. Im a lifelong fan and there isnt another actor in the world Id have chosen for this pivotal role.

Damian Lewis is set to star in A Spy Among Friends, adapted from Ben Macintyres book, which explores the true story of Kim Philbys defection to the Soviet Union

Then theres A Spy Among Friends, adapted from Ben Macintyres book and starring British titans Dominic West and Damian Lewis, which explores the true story of Kim Philbys defection to the Soviet Union.

Filming has already begun on Irvine Welshs gritty 2008 novel Crime. Unlike most of the other shows here, which are expected in 2022, this one could air as soon as this autumn. It stars Dougray Scott as DI Ray Lennox, a detective scarred by drink and drug addiction, who has to clean himself up to investigate the disappearance of a schoolgirl. Joanna Vanderham, Angela Griffin and Ken Stott co-star.

Lennox is a compelling character for me, says Trainspotting creator Welsh. Hes not so much a cop as a broken avenging angel. So dont expect a run-of-the-mill cop show.
A university graduate who scrapped her plans for law school to start a swimwear label has seen her designs worn by the world's biggest stars including Gigi Hadid.

Sophia Kim, 29, launched Siempre Golden in 2014 after falling in love with Brazilian cut bikinis on a high school trip to Hawaii.

The Seattle-born businesswoman dashed her mother's dreams of her becoming a lawyer in the process, but seven years later she makes an average of $20,000 a month from her provocative designs.

In a bid to take her brand global, Ms Kim moved from Los Angeles to Sydney in February 2020, just one month before Australia slammed shut its international borders at the outbreak of the pandemic.

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Communications graduate Sophia Kim (pictured) scrapped her plans for law school to start a swimwear line in 2014

The Seattle-born businesswoman sells provocative styles (left and right) which earn her an average of $20,000 (AUD) per month

Ms Kim has seen her swimwear worn by some of the world's biggest stars including supermodel Gigi Hadid (pictured in a Siempre Golden bikini top in 2018)

'Three weeks later, the whole world was in lockdown. I got very lucky with deciding to want to live in Sydney, it's been my safe haven through all of this,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Ms Kim's swimwear, which is made in Bali from a blend of nylon and spandex, has been worn by a bevvy of influencers and celebrities such as actress Shay Mitchell and model Chantel Jeffries, best known for her 2014 romance with Justin Bieber.

Business Insider included Siempre Golden in its list of 21 fashion and beauty labels owned by Asian American and Pacific Islanders to support in 2021.

Ms Kim's best-selling designs are the $228 (AUD) Scorpio and $216 (AUD) Lust sets, as well as the Aroused one-piece which will set you back $154 (AUD).

Many of her bikinis double as crop tops that can be paired with high-waisted shorts or jeans, making them more versatile and better value than others on the market.

Her own best model: Ms Kim wears two of her own designs in Instagram photos taken in Sydney (left) and Byron Bay (right) in 2020

Siempre Golden bikinis (one pictured) are made in Bali from a blend of nylon and spandex

Ms Kim believes her swimwear stands out from similar styles because of its quality at such an affordable price.

'When I got into the industry there weren't any interesting designs at a reasonable price point,' she said.

'My designs are very special to me. I design thinking about the emotions I can evoke in each customer when they are wearing it...I want women to feel sexy and confident in their bodies.'

The savvy entrepreneur, who now employs a team of four staff, has been hard at work since moving Down Under, pitching her designs to buyers for the Harbour City's high-end clothing stores.

Ms Kim believes her swimwear (pictured on influencers) stands out from similar styles because of its quality at an affordable price

Ms Kim (pictured in Watson's Bay) said she hopes to see more women sporting her swimwear on beaches across Australia next summer

'I tried to sell my label to boutiques in Mosman and they would tell me that only only girls in Bondi would wear these kinds of styles,' she said.

'My styles are very fashion-forward, more for looks than for function and swimming. I think swimwear in Australia is still more about function and the styles are more conservative here.'

Ms Kim said her swimwear is designed for tanning, wearing as outwear or posing for photos in on a boat party, and hopes to see more women sporting it on the beach next summer.

'Siempre Golden is ready for you, Australia,' she added.
The Countess of Wessex being in the spotlight is what Prince Philip 'would have wanted' and helps to 'keep his memory alive,' a royal author has claimed.

Her Majesty's daughter-in-law Sophie, 56, has often been noted as the monarch's 'favourite' family member and closest confidante and has reportedly been encouraged by the monarch to fill the gap left by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following Megxit at the start of 2020.

'The Queen is very canny. And she has always been very fond of Sophie,' Ingrid Seward said, speaking to The Times.

'Prince Philip adored Sophie, and the Queen feels that now is the moment to push her, just gently. "Give some interviews, do some stuff. You work very hard, no one takes any notice. Get out there!" I can see her saying that.

The Countess of Wessex being in the spotlight is what beloved Prince Philip 'would have wanted,' a royal author has claimed. Pictured, speaking before leaving the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh at the start of a 450 mile cycle ride to Buckingham Palace in London

Her Majesty and Sophie attend day one of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2019 in Ascot

'It's what Prince Philip would have wanted, and now he is gone, doing what he would have wanted keeps his memory alive. I think he would have really liked Edward and Sophie to be a bit more high profile.'

The Countess and Prince Philip's special bond was highlighted further when the royal broke down in tears as she opened up about his death during an emotional BBC interview.

Sophie, who is mother to 17-year-old Lady Louise Windsor and son James, Viscount Severn, 13, said the Duke of Edinburgh's passing on April 9 had left a 'giant-sized hole in our lives' during an interview with Naga Munchetty at St James's Palace.

The 56-year-old, who is married to Prince Edward, choked up as she recalled taking a photograph of the Queen and her husband in Scotland in 2003.

The Countess and Prince Philip's special bond was highlighted further when the royal broke down in tears as she opened up about his death during an emotional BBC interview. Pictured, at Prince Philip's funeral

The picture, taken on top of the Coyles of Muick near Balmoral, was only released by Her Majesty after Prince Philip died and was her favourite.

In an emotional and wide-ranging interview, Sophie admitted the grieving process was going to take 'a lot longer' due to the pandemic.

She also told the heartwarming story of Philip 'chatting away' with her daughter Louise about carriage-driving and how 'he was so pleased she took up the sport'.

It comes after royal expert Duncan Larcombe claimed the Countess of Wessex has become the Queen's 'rock' after Prince Philip's death by 'phoning at least once a day and ensuring she is fully supported.

Her Majesty's daughter-in-law Sophie (pictured with the Queen in 2019), 56, has often been noted as the monarch's 'favourite' family member and closest confidante

He told The Sun: 'Sophie Wessex has emerged as the Queen's unlikely 'rock' as the monarch adjusts to life without Prince Philip.

'Prince Edwards wife has  according to sources  made it her personal mission to ensure Her Majesty is fully supported by the family.

'Since the Dukes death in April, Sophie has driven the 10 miles from her Bagshot Park home to Windsor Castle every few days and most weekends to spend socially-distanced time with Her Majesty.

For the days she cant make it to see the Queen in person, the Countess has made a point of calling her mother-in-law at least once a day.
The Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence saluted the work of British servicemen and women as they marked Armed Forces Day at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire today.

Princess Anne, 70, donned her naval uniform and displayed her service medals, including the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Naval medal, as she watched The Red Arrows leave a trail of red, white and blue smoke as they performed a flypast on Saturday morning.

The Olympian also displayed the Queen's Service Order (QSO) (New Zealand), the Coronation Medal, the Silver Jubilee Medal, and the Golden Jubilee Medal, the Diamond Jubilee Medal, which was given to members of the Royal Household as well as the armed forces, prison service, and emergency services, prison service to mark the Queen's sixtieth year on the throne.

She also had her Order of St John medal to mark her 30-year association with the St John's Ambulance as well as the Canadian Forces Decoration.

The Princess Royal saluted the work of British servicemen and women as she marked Armed Forces Day at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, near Lichfield today (pictured)

Princess Anne donned military regalia and displayed her service medals, including the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Naval medal. Pictured, with Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence

The Red Arrows left a trail of red, white and blue smoke as they performed a flypast on Saturday morning as part of this year's more muted celebrations

As with other senior royals, Princess Anne holds a number of appointments in the armed forces of Commonwealth realms, but has never been part of active service.

She is an honorary Rear Admiral and is Chief Commandant of Women in the Royal Navy.

Anne was joined today by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, who also showed his medals reflecting many years of military service.

To honour the military forces, many countries around the world hold an annual celebration similar to Veterans Day in the US and in the UK, it is referred to as Armed Forces Day.

Anne was joined today by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, who also showed his medals reflecting many years of military service (pictured)

The Olympian displayed the Queen's Service Order (QSO) ( New Zealand), the Coronation Medal, the Silver Jubilee Medal, and the Golden Jubilee Medal, the Diamond Jubilee Medal, which was given to members of the Royal Household as well as the armed forces, prison service, and emergency services, prison service to mark the Queen's sixtieth year on the throne

Princess Anne (pictured, right) is an honorary Rear Admiral and is Chief Commandant of Women in the Royal Navy

Armed Forces Day gives communities the chance to show support to the men and women who are currently serving, Service families, veterans and cadets.

After replacing previous Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day was first observed in 2009 on the day after the anniversary of the first investiture ceremony for the Victoria Cross military medal for heroism, which was held on June 26, 1957.

The celebrations were held at a former Royal Navy base, the Chatham Historic Dockyard, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his wife Sarah, Prince Richard, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were in attendance.

Every year, a different city holds the national event, with celebrations taking place for a week with Armed Forces Day being held on the last Saturday each June.

Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence (pictured) also showed his medals reflecting many years of military service

Princess Anne could be seen wearing her Order of St John medal to mark her 30-year association with the St John's Ambulance as well as the Canadian Forces Decoration. Pictured, with Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence
I'm going to get this out of the way before someone else brings it up: I am male. So, what I am about to say about the menopause isn't informed by my own personal experiences.

This might seem obvious, but last week, while recording our Medical Minefield podcast, I asked what I felt was quite a reasonable question to a campaigner who's calling for prescription charges for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs to be scrapped  and was met with a terse answer along the lines of: 'Well, a man would say that...'

Before we get into it, some context. Earlier this month our GP columnist Dr Ellie Cannon wrote a comment, giving her opinion on MP Carolyn Harris's Menopause (Support and Services) Bill, after its first reading in the Commons.

At present, patients in England pay a standard 9.35 for every item on an NHS prescription. Harris says that she wants menopausal women exempted.

While supportive in theory, Ellie did not back the drive.

'In a perfect world, where the money was endless, I'd say yes, absolutely do this,' she wrote. 'But we're not in that world.'

Many people in England do receive their prescriptions free of charge. They include the over-60s and under-16s, pregnant women and those with illnesses including cancer, diabetes and epilepsy.

But there are many with long-term conditions who do not, who perhaps should, Ellie pointed out. People with Parkinson's disease, inflammatory bowel diseases including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, and asthma, for example.

There are many people with long-term conditions who don't receive their prescriptions free of charge

Many of them will be on multiple treatments  and each item on a prescription is subject to that fee.

Ellie concluded  quite fairly I thought, as this is word for word what's said in the NHS guidance: 'Given that HRT is usually not taken for more than a few years, it's perhaps fair that patients shoulder the financial burden  particularly when NHS resources are spread ever more thinly.'

She asked readers to write and let her know what they thought.

And that they did. We've had a flood of emails from women outraged at her 'anti-HRT stance'.

'I am extremely disappointed in your comments regarding HRT being a temporary arrangement and something that we might grow out of needing,' wrote one.

'It's obvious that you haven't suffered the menopause, otherwise you would not be making these opinionated remarks in a 'man up' kind of way,' suggested another.

Another summed up: 'With women GPs like you, who needs enemies?'

When I spoke to Carolyn Harris last week, she supported free HRT ahead of medicines for Parkinson's or Crohn's for the very reason that most women don't take it for ever, so the costs are short-term.

'HRT is not for life, it is for a period of time, and you will eventually come off it,' she said. I also talked to Laura Cockram, head of the Prescription Charges Coalition, which wants charges scrapped for all long-term conditions  and brought this up. 'It's interesting that you, a man, is asking that question,' she shot back.

'The menopause is not a long-term condition in the same way as Parkinson's, but I would still say that four years [the average time for menopausal symptoms to endure] should be classed as a long-term condition.'

Clearly, it's a divisive topic. In some cases, menopause does occur due to illness, and HRT medication is taken for life. We received heartbreaking emails from women suffering a condition called premature ovarian insufficiency  which, for a variety of reasons, including genetics, immune system problems and infections, leads to an early menopause, before the age of 45.

Others survived ovarian cancer at a young age, and had undergone fertility-ending surgery. And some women with a natural menopause just needed HRT for far longer than the 'few years' described in the guidelines.

Many need up to four types of HRT, which can total well over 225 per year in prescription costs.

But the same can be said by a multitude of patient groups who rely on medication to stay alive.

I think it should go without saying that Ellie, and this newspaper, try to offer the facts on HRT. Far from being 'anti', in a previous column she told one reader: 'HRT is a great option. It treats all the symptoms [of the menopause] with one medication, and there are few risks.'

As per guidance, it's about offering patients choice, and the best treatment for them. We have reported how HRT use has dropped in recent years, partly due to unfounded fears about increased risk of breast cancer and blood clots. Also, about how too few women are offered testosterone-containing medication, which can be transformative.

MP Carolyn Harris's Menopause (Support and Services) Bill had its first reading in the Commons earlier this month

I'd say the real problem is that, as Ellie so clearly demonstrated, debates like these pit one condition against another.

Among the emails and letters we received this week were some from young adults with severe Crohn's disease and immune system conditions like lupus, who would dearly love a financial break, and were equally upset at the prospect of HRT being made an exception.

In this scenario, there will always be winners and losers, which just isn't right.

My suggestion: Scrap all prescription charges for everyone.

Prescription fees: Who do you think should be exempt? Tell us what you think at health@mailonsunday.co.uk Advertisement

For a start, when you add up all the exemptions, around 90 per cent of all prescriptions are free anyway. And many exemptions seem arbitrary or ill-thought-out  for example, why is the levy waived for over-60s, when retirement age is 65? And why do patients who are exempt from prescription charges on medical grounds receive all of their prescriptions free, not just the drugs that relate to the condition for which they are exempt?

You might argue the annual income generated by the charges in England  roughly 575 million  is no small sum and that scrapping them would trigger a surge in demand for medicines. But this sort of rise in demand hasn't been seen in Wales, where fees were scrapped in 2007, or in Northern Ireland and Scotland, which followed suit in 2010 and 2011.

Meanwhile, in England, where the charge continues to rise (last year was the last hike, from 9.15 to the current cost), studies suggest at least a third of patients have been given a prescription but not collected it due to the cost.

One survey suggested many become so unwell as a result that they have to take time off work.

A recent analysis found that if Parkinson's and inflammatory bowel disease were exempt from fees, it would actually save the NHS more than 21 million a year.

Fewer patients would get sick, and need hospital stays or A&E treatment. Less GP time taken up. Less misery. Similarly, poorly controlled rheumatoid arthritis that's very often due to people not taking their tablets costs the NHS millions. Yet if we got rid of the charges, more people would take their medicine and the country would be healthier as result.

Surely that makes sense?
Under Milk Wood

Olivier Theatre, London 1hr 55mins, until July 24

Rating:

The whole idea of Dylan Thomass famous play for voices on the radio was that you should shut your lids and listen to it, your minds eye conjuring up its genius montage of character sketches.

Here the thing opens not in a starless and Bible-black night, but at breakfast in a care home, with a lot of banal, invented dialogue (by Sian Owen) between the nurses and shuffling residents. This geriatric boredom goes on for ages.

Michael Sheen, without booming and in his native Port Talbot voice, evokes the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea in Under Milk Wood

Then at last, thank God, Michael Sheen, actor-laddie co-star of BBCs Staged, turns up, all beard and hair curls, to visit his demented father, called Richard Jenkins (a nod to the real name of Richard Burton, the never-since-matched original narrator of Under Milk Wood), played by a beautifully bewildered Karl Johnson.

After all this care home contextualising  Covid oddly doesnt get a mention  the residents assume multiple characters. Sheen, without booming and in his native Port Talbot voice, evokes the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboatbobbing sea beside the fictional town of Llareggub, whose name spelt backwards gives you an idea of what goes on there.

Director Lyndsey Turner fully milks the satirical but tender poignancy of the writing with the aid of a strong, mostly Welsh cast. Above: Sian Phillips, Kezrena James and Cleo Sylvestre

Director Lyndsey Turner fully milks the satirical but tender poignancy of the writing with the aid of a strong, mostly Welsh cast.

Anthony ODonnell plays blind Captain Cat, his briny dreams sardined with women; Sian Phillips is a thin and spectral Polly Garter; Alan David is a furtive joy as Mr Pugh, nursing murderous thoughts toward Mrs Pugh (Cleo Sylvestre); and Susan Browns uptight Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard runs a sanitised, virus-free guest house thats dead topical.

Just as they should, Thomass words tumble down the fishy cobbles of this Welsh fairytale like a no-good boyo at closing time. Its just a shame that the opening sequence pads this out to the best part of two hours without interval and half-kills the momentum.
The Broken House: Growing Up Under Hitler

Horst Kruger Bodley Head 14.99

Rating:

What if Captain Mainwaring had been a German? Horst Krugers father sounds very much like Mainwaring. A careful, unostentatious man, conservative by nature, he swore by order and convention. As a civil servant in 1930s Berlin, upright and hard-working, his life revolved around routine and doing the right thing: catching the same train to work every day, solving crosswords, watering the lawn, seeing that the grandfather clock was wound up properly.

The Kruger family lived on an estate in the town of Eichkamp, not far from the city. Krugers father and mother were not Nazis, and would never join the party. In 12 years under Hitler, Horst never actually met a real Nazi in Eichkamp... Im a typical son of those harmless Germans who were never Nazis and without whom the Nazis would never have been able to do their work.

In 1933, Krugers father was puzzled by Hitlers appointment as Chancellor: like all his friends and colleagues, he regarded him as a pushy vulgarian extremist. But, as the years rolled by, and Germanys fortunes soared, they began to bask in their countrys new-found glory, and adapt to their new Fuhrer. The sceptics grew calmer, the unconvinced more reflective, the small businesspeople optimistic. Before long, they started to feel very much at ease, they were delighted by what this man had made of them.

The Broken House has been published in English for the very first time. In his memoir Horst Kruger attempts to relate what became of good, decent Germans after Hitler's rise to power

The Broken House was published in Germany in 1966, 21 years after the war. It is now published in English for the very first time.

In a memoir consisting of six brief chapters, Horst Kruger attempts to relate what became of good, decent Germans after Hitler descended on their country like a divine force.

The first chapter offers a portrait of his pernickety parents and their stuffy community in Eichkamp. The second concerns his elder sisters unexplained suicide in 1938 at the age of 21. I should have been moved and unhappy, writes Kruger, who tends to be as harsh on himself as he is on his parents. But all I felt was a malevolent feeling of triumph: now there you have it. Its come out now. This is what life is like, just like this.

In the third chapter, Kruger recalls how a maverick and charismatic schoolfriend, Wanja, half-Russian, half-Jewish, joined a resistance group, and then persuaded him to post messages around Berlin on their behalf. Kruger is adamant that this was simply an act of schoolboy rebellion. I was never a hero, I just slipped into it.

In the final chapter, titled Day Of Judgment, Kruger (above), by now a journalist, delivers a compelling eyewitness account of the 1964 trial of 22 senior apparatchiks from Auschwitz

One day, the police knocked on the door, and Kruger was hauled off to prison.

He describes all this in the fourth chapter. It turned out that for a year, the Gestapo had been following him, and checking his post, and secretly photographing every document.

His poor parents pleaded that their son meant no harm, and had just fallen in with a bad set.

You come from a respectable family. How can you choose such friends? said the judge.

Young Horst was finally released, and went on to enrol in the German army. He fought in France, Italy and, in the wars final days, in Germany, but he writes virtually nothing about his wartime experiences as a German corporal between 1941 and 1945. The critical reader will see a gap here, which I admit. The fifth chapter finds him in the closing days of the war, defending the home front, facing certain defeat, bedraggled and dejected, and without any ammunition. Finally, he decides to surrender, and persuades another soldier to come with him, across the river to the Allied army.

I would rather be dead than be a German soldier for a moment longer... Im swimming to the west, so farewell  Im going to the enemy.

In an extraordinary scene, he emerges from the river dripping with water and shivering with cold, and bumps into American soldiers who immediately offer to give themselves up. In faltering English, he explains that it is he who is surrendering to them, and not the other way round: And now here I stand, Germanys most pitiful son, a turncoat and a traitor. Im standing in a dirty, wet uniform, dripping water on the floor; my face is damp and muddy, my hands black with soil. I dont even have a cap any more, I look like a rain-drenched dog thats been dragged from the gutter, and I hear myself saying very quietly: I have come of my own free will. I have brought Jurgen Lubahn from Lubeck with me. We hate this war. We hate Hitler...

While Horst surrendered to the Allied army stating 'I would rather be dead than be a German soldier for a moment longer' his compatriot, Irma Grese, became a concentration camp guard

If you stop firing your terrible weapons, gentlemen, I will explain our positions to you, the little that I know. But youve now got to stop this carnage. We have no ammunition left.

And thus he further betrays the squad he has just deserted, but he tells himself that he has saved them from the blood soup that the dark man in Berlin is now boiling up from all of us. Soon, they are all prisoners together, and thus begins what he calls the wonderful, incomprehensible freedom of captivity... in the middle of this big grey army of prisoners, I came to life for the first time. I felt that my time had come.

In the final chapter, titled Day Of Judgment, Kruger, by now a journalist, delivers a compelling eyewitness account of the 1964 trial of 22 senior apparatchiks from Auschwitz. At first, he is bemused, as, when he looks around the courtroom, he cannot spot any defendants. Someone then points out that they are sitting right in front of him.

And then I understand for the first time that all these friendly people in the hall earlier, and who I thought were journalists or lawyers or spectators, that they are the defendants, and are of course indistinguishable from the rest of us... they look like everyone else of course, they behave like everyone else, they are well-fed, well-dressed gentlemen advanced in years: academics, doctors, businessmen, craftsmen, caretakers, citizens of our affluent new German society... Im stunned that murderers should look like that, so harmless, so friendly and paternal.

One of them, an accountant, looks so likeable that Kruger thinks he would have been happy to employ him at any time. It turns out that he was instrumental in killing 1,000 people. Another, who seems so harmless, so friendly and paternal, and who after the war became a nurse and was known for his kindly manner, was, just 20 years before, one of the cruellest and most violent SS officers at Auschwitz. In these moments, I was reminded of an account my father-in-law, Colin Welch, wrote of the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961. He looks, in Nietzsches phrase, human, all too human. He has, or had, a streaming cold.

He coughs and sniffs, sneezes and blows his nose...He runs his tongue around his mouth, as though his false teeth fitted badly. He is one of us, part of humanity. We are parts of each other, a little bit of each one of us sits in that dock with him.

An ordinary, slightly dull human being had been transformed into a merciless killing machine. Eichmann himself now awaited death by execution. At points along this dark road there seems to have been extinguished in Eichmann all pity, kindness, conscience and natural feeling. If so, how little remains to die  a mere husk, all that remains of what was once a whole man.
Fraud victim Catriona Oliphant is one of the lucky ones. Through steely determination  and help from The Mail on Sunday  she recently managed to get her bank to reimburse 239,000 scammed from her account.

But Catriona, a highly-regarded lawyer, was not content. Outraged by the complacency shown by Action Fraud  a national hub for reporting fraud  over investigating her case she vowed to take matters into her own hands. Last week, she decided to track down the scammers with The Mail on Sunday alongside her.

Although Catriona was thwarted at the last moment by a desperate plea from Action Fraud not to interfere in an ongoing investigation  a request we felt we could not ignore  the ease with which we tracked down those involved in the scam raises serious questions over Action Fraud's willingness and ability to tackle the rising tide of financial crime.

Investigation: The MoS's Rachel Rickard Straus and fraud victim Catriona Oliphant find where the crooks live

Scandalously, only 4 per cent of reported fraud cases are passed to law enforcement agencies to look into.

Professor Mark Button, director of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at the University of Portsmouth, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Action Fraud is in reality a call centre and has no capacity to investigate. When potential leads are identified they are sent to the relevant police force to investigate, but in reality many don't have the resources  and cases are filed away.

'Victims face a postcode lottery. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where fraud is taken seriously, you might stand a greater chance of your case being investigated. But in reality few cases are.'

His sentiment was echoed by Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis. He described Action Fraud as a 'flaccid organisation that does little and is woefully under resourced'.

HOW WE MANAGED TO FIND THE FRAUDSTERS

Tracking down the scammers was not hard. Like thousands of victims of bank transfer scams, Catriona knew their names.

That's because when they tricked her into transferring money to seven individuals, they had to provide account numbers, sort codes and names.

We went through the list of seven payees to find out as much as we could about them. We then searched Google, social media, and Companies House for more details.

We found three payees were listed on Companies House as directors of new building firms. All three were registered at residential addresses within a few miles of each other in East London.

Of course, there is a chance our suspects were not Catriona's payees and just shared their names, or had their addresses used by someone else, but it would be an astounding coincidence.

Next, we went to their addresses. Before going, we asked Action Fraud if it had done this. It did not answer the question. We said we were willing to confront the suspected scammers and invited Action Fraud to accompany us.

It declined  and urged us not to go. We went anyway, but we did agree not to approach the suspected scammers.

WHAT WE FOUND AT THE CROOKS' HOMES

The homes did not look like those of the recipients of windfalls of hundreds of thousands of pounds, as we believe they are. They were not luxurious houses with expensive cars parked outside. A recipient of 60,000 of Catriona's stolen money had a home with peeling paintwork, located metres from a motorway.

The one who got 100,000 had a home with rotten window frames while the individual who received 10,000 had a home which was the most poorly maintained among the terrace it was part of.

By visiting their homes, more pieces fell into place. We now suspect these three criminals are money mules  caught up in the scam, but not masterminding it.

We had started to join the dots. It wasn't hard, so imagine what Action Fraud could have achieved had it tried, with its resources and expertise. Prof Button says: 'There are clearly lines of inquiry that could be checked out. These may well be money mules. I can understand why Catriona is frustrated.

'The truth is police forces have limited resources to investigate. Fraud may also not be a priority  most forces are more likely to prioritise crimes such as child sex abuse and terrorism, and so fraud cases fall way down the list.

'Even if there are lines to pursue, the police are more likely to prioritise cases where there is the greatest chance of a result.'

PUTTING A FACE TO THE SCAMMER...AND VICTIM

Catriona may have had her money reimbursed by her bank, HSBC. But the scammers are still out there enjoying her life savings. We asked HSBC how much it had managed to claw back from the scammers' accounts. The answer? A pitiful 7.65.

As we drove past one of the three houses we spotted a woman whom we believe received 100,000 of Catriona's money walking up to her front door with three school children in tow, blithely swinging their book bags.

It took all the willpower and professional training Catriona could muster not to approach her.

'I want her to know that what she was part of had an impact on a real person's life,' she said, her hand reflexively moving towards the car door handle.

'I want her to see my face. And I want to ask her what kind of example she thinks she's setting for her children.'

2.4BN LOST IN A YEAR - WE NEED ACTION NOW

Scam victims have lost 2.4billion in the past 12 months. Cases have escalated during lockdown as fraudsters have taken advantage of people spending more time indoors near their landline and online.

It would be unsurprising to learn that scammers have been emboldened by the knowledge that there is only a minuscule chance they will face justice.

Most victims will never see their money again. And it's terrifying to think what criminal activities their life savings will go on to fund.

Fraud expert Richard Emery, from consultancy 4Keys International, based in Bracknell, Berkshire, said: 'It shouldn't be down to individual citizens such as Catriona Oliphant to investigate scammers. Fraud makes up around 30 per cent of all crime in the UK, yet the police budget to fight it is just 1 per cent.'

Prof Button adds: 'It's sad that victims who have worked hard all their lives to build up their savings lose all their money and are told their case won't be investigated.

'Fraudsters are literally getting away with it. It's appalling.'

On Friday, The Mail on Sunday asked Action Fraud to confirm its advice that we should not approach the people whom we believe to be involved in Catriona's scam.

The agency would only say: 'If anyone has information which they believe could be pertinent to a police investigation, it should be immediately passed on to the police, who can examine and fully verify it as part of their lines of enquiry.'
There are two stories embedded in the continuing chaotic disruption to global travel. One is that Britons are in danger of losing another summer of foreign holidays, with traditional destinations losing a large chunk of their business.

The other is that the world's largest industry, travel and tourism, is taking a huge and to some extent unnecessarily large hit, leaving wounds that will take several years to heal.

For many British families this is misery. How on earth do you plan a foreign holiday when our own rules keep on changing and other countries open and shut their doors at every new story about the advance or retreat of the virus? The result is that many people won't get the holidays they were looking forward to at all.

Up in the air: Why are governments, including our own, not more determined to find a way to open borders?

But why are governments, including our own, not more determined to find a way to open borders? It is an easy political decision to shut them, but a much harder one to manage the reopening. There are obvious reasons why this should be so, but behind the reluctance is a sense that somehow foreign travel is a frippery, a luxury that we don't really need.

Grandees have to travel of course, be it to the G7 meeting in Cornwall or the Euro 2020 final in Wembley. But the rest of us are urged to stay at home.

Yet travel and tourism are not frothy unnecessary sectors of the economy at all. Getting them going again is just as important as, for example, getting the motor industry back up to its earlier output.

If people want to spend their earnings on a foreign holiday rather than buying a new car, or indeed saving more for their pension, that is absolutely their right to do so. Surely an outward-looking attitude to the world is something to be celebrated.

The sad thing is that as far as travel to Europe is concerned, this has become yet another skirmish in the ongoing tussle between the UK and the EU.

So Angela Merkel puts pressure on the rest of Europe to force UK visitors to go into quarantine, a suggestion that has not gone down well in Greece or other popular tourist destinations.

There are sensible straightforward ways of speeding the reopening of travel, including fewer restrictions on people who are fully jabbed. But the politicians are not really trying to find them.

If this is tough on families it is tough on the world. Combine travel and tourism and it was the world's biggest industry at 10.4 per cent of global GDP in 2019. (It was 10.9 per cent in the UK.)

It generates jobs across the entire skills spectrum, from students doing gig work in the hospitality industries to airline pilots and aircraft engineers.

And it brings employment to some of the job-hungry parts of the emerging world.

Last year however its share of GDP fell to 5.5 per cent of world GDP. That compares with an overall contraction of the world economy last year of 4.5 per cent.

Other industries have been gravely damaged by the pandemic while some have boomed, but by far the largest burden has been carried by travel and tourism. That is why it matters to the entire world that we get it moving again. This is not just about who gets first to the sun-loungers on the beach by the Med. Before Covid struck the industry was growing faster than the world economy as a whole. It needs to get back to that position.

So what's to be done? Well, the first thing is to listen to the travel industry. Airlines don't want a reputation for passing on illnesses between their passengers and have a lot of sensible ideas about testing prior to flights and vaccine certificates. Hotels need to give confidence to their guests and most have worked hard at improving their hygiene standards.

Governments should seek to cooperate rationally and professionally, instead of suddenly making new edicts based on dodgy data. It is depressing seeing leaders trying to score points, presumably for political reasons.

I don't think it helps to trot out all the silly things they have said in recent weeks, though it does stick in the craw to see how freely they travel abroad while the rest of us are told to stay home.

So let's just note here that the vaccines work and since they work that shows the path back to normal human activity.

Finally, let's cherish the freedom to visit other countries. Let's celebrate it. And let's get that freedom back as fast as we possibly can, for our own good but also the good of the world.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

Recruit: The City watchdog lets Jojar Dhinsa promote CashFX

H.P. writes: You wrote a piece on CashFX in December last year.

You may be interested to know that CashFX appears to have recruited a British billionaire businessman called Jojar Dhinsa.

He is chief executive and founder of a large corporation called the Athlone Group.

Tony Hetherington replies: CashFX poses as a training organisation, offering members high-priced manuals about foreign exchange trading. But this is window dressing. The real attraction is the unbelievable yield its recruiters dangle in front of prospective investors.

The company itself is based in Panama, but it is very active in Britain, where one of its biggest promoters claimed: 'CashFX has always paid a daily return of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, which is capped at 15 per cent passive income each week; this is from trading done on your behalf  you can literally set it up and forget it.'

So, forget the boring training manuals. Simply hand over your money and CashFX will notch up huge returns for you by trading in currencies.

Having Jojar Dhinsa appear in its online presentations must have been like a gift from heaven. After all, if an everyday self-made billionaire from Coventry is putting his money into CashFX, then surely everyone should.

I spoke to Dhinsa a few months ago, when his name first cropped up. He claims to be a billionaire, with businesses based in Kazakhstan, but he assured me he was just an ordinary member of CashFX. He would not endorse it or recruit others.

Since then things have changed. Dhinsa told me he has spent much of his time 'assisting the feeding of the UK's homeless populations'. This inspired him to set up a motivational scheme called IML  Impacting a Million Lives. And a slice of the fees handed over to his scheme go straight to CashFX. Anyone joining IML automatically belongs to CashFX as well.

IML's marketing literature says: 'Jojar has formed an alliance with CashFX whose purpose is to provide CFX members with a premium automated trading platform that enables them to achieve financial success within the forex marketplace.' So much for not endorsing CashFX, which the Financial Conduct Authority denounces as unlawful.

With this in mind, I spoke again to Dhinsa. I asked whether he had a 'downline' in CashFX, giving him a rake-off from people he recruited. He replied that he does not even know what a downline is. I rephrased my question, asking whether he derived any benefit from new members. He refused to say, and then asked whether I was paying him for his time spent talking to me.

Dhinsa still insists he does not promote CashFX, even though his own internet presentations do exactly this. The blunt truth is that he trades on his financial reputation, whether justified or not, to lure others into joining an illegal scheme.

And this raises the question of why the FCA lets Dhinsa and his pals get away with it. I asked Mark Steward, head of enforcement at the FCA, a simple question: Why has he failed to prosecute anyone promoting CashFX, which is not authorised to provide financial services?

His answer was the usual vague guff that comes from the FCA, telling the public to check the FCA register of licensed firms, and complaining that the FCA is limited in what it can do about overseas businesses or internet promotions. He did not even mention CashFX.

When I repeated my question, the FCA's response was a blanket refusal to comment.

This is the same response the FCA gave me in December. In six months, nothing has changed. Officials at the regulator's plush headquarters find time to chew over a surprising range of issues. Lately they have been spending time and money on climate change and gender discrimination. Perhaps one day they will rediscover their roots and protect consumers.

Until then, why should offenders stop offending?

Holiday firm wants to 'guard' my cash

B.M. writes: I have used Alpharooms for more than 20 years, and I had booked to stay in Spain.

Due to Covid, Alpharooms cancelled my booking and sent me a credit note for 241.

I asked for a cash refund five times, but all I received was a reply saying my money was safe with the firm.

Room with a view: Alpharooms cancelled B.M.'s booking in Spain but only sent a credit note for 241

Tony Hetherington replies: How arrogant, to tell you that your money is safe with Alpharooms, almost implying that it is safer with the firm than with you. Alpharooms says it is a member of The Travel Association, and that this offers customers protection. However, the TTA itself explained that this protection would apply if a member ceased trading, so even though Alpharooms uses this as a selling point, its flat refusal to return your money would not mean that the TTA would foot the bill.

Alpharooms failed to reply to repeated invitations to comment on why it was clinging to your money, so I told it we would be going ahead with publication of your complaint.

Suddenly, with no apology, no explanation and no comment, Alpharooms called you to say it would repay you, and a week later the 241 appeared in your bank account.

Four years on, and proceeds of father's will are undistributed

Mrs S.H. writes: I am trying to help a friend who is a beneficiary of her late father's will, but who has not received the money left to her.

She is unable to get any answers from the executrix or from solicitors who have dealt with the will.

My friend is a single mother, unable to afford solicitors of her own, and the bequest would be a huge help to her.

Tony Hetherington replies: The stumbling block, according to your friend, has been that the will's executrix is her late father's live-in partner.

Your friend and other members of her family are beneficiaries, but since her father passed away four years ago there has been almost no progress in administering the estate.

If an executor refuses to apply for a Grant of Probate, or commits serious misconduct in administering the estate, a court can remove them and appoint a new executor, but of course this involves a hefty legal bill.

I contacted the executrix, and her solicitors told me the estate is not big enough to require formal probate. But they added that 'our client is still obliged to ensure she has dealt with all issues arising'.

I have no idea what those issues might be that have held up bequests for so long, but the solicitors clearly took the delay seriously, and within days your friend received a cheque for the full amount left to her.

One final point. Almost everyone involved in this episode lives within a small community, so I agreed with the executrix's solicitors to leave out any detail that could possibly identify them. I suspect there has been enough unpleasantness already.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
The Government has held private talks over plans to channel tens of billions of pounds of pension money into infrastructure and start-up companies to boost the economic bounceback.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Treasury officials have met with senior figures in the pensions industry over the controversial scheme that would unlock some of the UK's 2.2trillion retirement pots and parcel it out to fast-growing businesses, transport projects, real estate and carbon-friendly investments.

Industry sources said the Government and regulators had discussed how a portion of workplace pension schemes  those which staff are compelled to join  would go into a fund set for launch this year.

Rishi's mission: The Government has held private talks over plans to channel tens of billions of pounds of pension money into infrastructure and start-up companies

The Long Term Asset Fund, which was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in November, will pump money into parts of the economy and long-term projects that are usually inaccessible to pension savers  such as building projects and private companies.

Sources said workplace pension funds could invest a portion of employees' savings in the new fund through a 'default' investment option  the standard choice which many select when enrolling in their company pension.

It would be possible to opt out but in reality most workers would contribute as a consequence of signing up to the default scheme.

This could mean that billions of pounds are automatically channelled into the fund.

The plan emerges as the Government searches for alternative sources of cash to help the economy rebound following the global pandemic.

It would provide vital backing for British start-ups so they do not look abroad for investment.

Pension fund bosses have begun to signal their support for the plan which they believe will give savers another source of income instead of relying on traditional stocks and bonds.

However, the plan is set to spark debate after the downfall of high-profile fund manager Neil Woodford, who came unstuck after making bets on private companies.

Critics warn that pension savers will be pushed into investments that are hard to sell or 'illiquid'. The Investment Association, a powerful industry body, has warned that savers 'understand that they are making a long-term commitment to invest' and that 'they may not be able to get their money back quickly.'

A string of property funds has been closed during the pandemic, trapping thousands of investors because fund managers could not sell investments in time to meet withdrawal requests.

One pension boss warned last night that it could be tough for retirees to quickly access their money. He said: 'If we're going to invest in HS2, for example, it's not anticipated that we can sell a bit of HS2 to take out our money tomorrow if we retire.'

One big hurdle is a limit on the fees that workplace retirement schemes can charge. Last week, the Government revealed it will relax a limit on workplace pension charges from October, so that workplace default funds can more easily invest in illiquid assets like infrastructure and private equity, which are costlier to manage. Some experts have hit back saying this will increase the charges on pensions.

Sunak said last year that the fund would 'encourage UK pension funds to direct more of their half a trillion pounds of capital towards our economic recovery'. But he did not detail how contributions would be made.

Workplace schemes are designed by companies such as Legal & General, Royal London and Phoenix Group. Trustees sign off on pension investments and whether they are suitable for members.

Nigel Wilson, chief executive of Legal & General, said opening access to private assets could 'deliver better returns' for pension savers while helping the economy.

He said the Long Term Asset Fund 'may evolve into a useful instrument for doing this, but we also need a change in mindset and some powerful nudges  possibly even soft compulsion  to ensure pension trustees and their advisers engage with productive finance and inclusive capitalism'.

Michael Eakins, chief investment officer of Phoenix Group, the UK's largest retirement company, said: 'When we engage with our policyholders, they quite like the idea of their pension savings being deployed in a way which is good for local economies.'

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: 'We are passionate about making sure people can get the best outcomes from their pension investment and we are gathering views to deliver this.
Major oil and gas firms including BP and Shell could face fresh legal action by activist groups as investors demand stock market-listed firms align with Paris climate goals.

The wave of potential lawsuits could also target Chevron and Exxon and other heavy industry majors such as Ineos, the petrochemicals giant controlled by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, and biomass power firm Drax.

Amsterdam-based environmental group Fossielvrij NL has told The Mail on Sunday it is preparing to sue ABP  the Dutch Government's giant pension fund and one of the world's largest pension investors  to force it to sell its stakes in fossil fuel companies.

Fight: Friends of the Earth Netherlands won a landmark legal battle against Shell in The Hague, and said it is looking to target other major fossil fuel companies

Fossielvrij director Liset Meddens said potential legal action would be filed jointly with the pensions scheme's members.

It is understood a lawsuit would explore how they could take legal action to allow them to leave the fund in protest over its investments in firms such as Shell, Exxon, Chevron, BP and Glencore. Meddens said: 'We are talking to international law funds and lawyers about preparing a potential lawsuit.'

ABP has offices in the Netherlands, Brussels, New York, Hong Kong and China. As of the end of May, it managed 509billion on behalf of 2.9million civil servants and teachers. It has already stopped investing in firms that make landmines, nuclear weapons and tobacco products  and is aiming for a fifth of its assets to make a 'measurable contribution' to sustainable development goals by 2025.

But since October, more than 16,000 of ABP's members have backed a petition, launched by Fossielvrij NL, to divest its fossil fuel investments, and hundreds protested at its offices in Amsterdam and Heerlen on Friday.

That follows court action by Friends of the Earth Netherlands, which won a landmark legal battle against Shell in The Hague last month, and said it is looking to target other major fossil fuel companies, focusing on Dutch firms.

Environmental group ClientEarth also told the MoS it is exploring legal action to potentially challenge energy companies that 'greenwash' their climate change claims. ClientEarth lawyer Johnny White called the Shell case  where the court ordered the firm to cut carbon emissions by 45 per cent by the end of 2035 compared to 2019 levels  a 'game-changer for climate litigation'. He said: 'Given this result, we can expect further legal challenges to fossil fuel companies that refuse to meaningfully transition their businesses with the urgency needed.'

Since the May ruling, Friends of the Earth has been contacted by groups around the world looking to make similar claims and has shared information with others keen to target large polluters.

ClientEarth filed a legal complaint against BP in 2019 over greenwashing in its corporate advertising. Its next targets could include Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total, Drax, Ineos, Aramco, Equinor and RWE.

The nine firms were named in ClientEarth's 'greenwashing files', published in April, which alleged they had used advertising to 'greenwash' their contribution to tackling climate change. White said this research put the firms 'on notice' of litigation, adding: 'Fossil fuel firms need to stop suggesting wrongly they are part of the solution, otherwise they leave themselves open to challenge.'

A spokesman for Shell said: 'We agree urgent action is needed on climate change and while we expect to appeal the ruling [in The Hague] we want to rise to the challenge and accelerate our existing strategy.'

French group Notre Affaire A Tous is leading a lawsuit against Total in France and there is speculation BP could be the next major UK target. One activist source said: 'I am pretty sure BP will be targeted by someone sooner or later, based on this verdict.'

Mark Van Baal, founder of the activist shareholder group Follow This, said: 'Young people in their 20s are saying, 'I need this money 50 years from now and I don't want it invested in companies...who leave me with a world that is devastated by climate change.'
Accounting giant PwC is to allow its employees paid time off for fertility treatment, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The big four auditor is rolling out a new policy next month that will give employees eight days of annual paid leave for fertility consultations and appointments.

Any employee whose partner is having fertility treatment will be allowed two days off to provide support. Sally Cosgrove, a partner at PwC, said: 'One of the things that is common to a lot of people going through this experience is that it can feel very lonely.

Sign of the times: The big four auditor is rolling out a new policy next month that will give employees eight days of annual paid leave for fertility consultations and appointments

'It can be such a rollercoaster of hope, treatment and then disappointment. It can really take its toll on your well being.

'It's not something we openly discuss  especially in the workplace. It's one of those issues that feels taboo to talk about.'

PwC said: 'In response to feedback from our people, this policy will be put in place alongside additional support measures  like a new fertility support network  and building awareness within our firm about fertility.'

Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that British Gas owner Centrica and state-backed bank NatWest are offering staff access to discounted fertility services from IVF to sperm and egg freezing. A total of 80,000 employees stand to benefit.
The family of an armed 17-year-old who was fatally shot by an Arizona cop in January will receive a $1.1million settlement to 'bring closure.'

As part of the settlement, the city of Chandler, which is a suburb of Phoenix, admitted no fault for the death of Anthony Cano, who was shot twice in the back by Officer Chase Bebak-Miller.

Bebak-Miller stopped Cano for a broken bike light, and Cano ran until he tripped and a gun fell out of his pocket.

In the bodycam footage released by police, Bebak-Miller is heard shouting, 'Weapon drawn! Get on the ground!' and then fires fractions of a second later, causing Cano to collapse.

A second later, the officer fired again while Cano was lying face down on the ground.

Bebak-Miller, a five-year veteran of the force, was placed on leave after the shooting, is serving 'in a modified assignment.'

The family's lawyer said in a statement that Cano should still be alive today.

'He and his beloved family should be laughing at Anthony's antics, loving one another, and planning for their joint futures,' Kuykendall said in a statement to the Arizona Republic. 'Instead, Anthony is dead  His mother is absolutely distraught. His siblings are beyond anguished. His many friends are lost, alone and angry.'

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Cano (pictured) died from his injuries at the hospital three weeks later

Anthony Cano, 17, was fatally shot by an Arizona police officer on Jan. 2. His family received a $1.1million settlement

The Chandler City Council unanimously approved the settlements on Thursday, awarding $1 million to Cano's mother, Kathleen Renee Clum, and $125,000 to his father, Anthony Cano Sr., the Arizona Republic reported.

The fatal encounter began on January 2 around 9:20pm when Bebak-Miller noticed Cano riding a bicycle without a front headlight near Gazelle Meadows Park, police said. Bebak-Miller turned on his lights and sirens after Cano began weaving into both lanes of traffic.

After Cano was shot and was being cuffed, he can be heard on the bodycam footage saying, 'I don't want to die,' as officers cuffed his hands.

Cano was taken to a hospital where he died on January 23, authorities said.

In a video interview with the Arizona Republic, Cano's aunt, Eva Cano, said through tears, 'A lot of things could've been done differently. I think there were some bad choices on both parts.'

The police department quickly released this photo showing Cano's handgun with an extended magazine

She said her nephew could've stopped, but it was 9pm at night, 'and no one wants to stop at night in this neighborhood.'

Eva also said when the gun fell out of his shorts, he should've just left it alone.

'I think the quick decision to shoot him and shoot him a second time for no rhyme or reason I think could've been handled differently,' she told the Arizona paper.

The video put together by the Arizona Republic shows Eva Cano tending to a memorial for Anthony with candles, pictures, flowers and a cross.

Cano's mother previously questioned why her son was stopped in the first place, The Arizona Republic reported.

'He was scared, coming home. He wasn't doing anything wrong other than riding a bike without a light,' she said.

Anthony's aunt, Eva, around a memorial for her nephew in Chandler, Arizona

Cano's mom described her son as a 'bright and shining star' who was trying to figure out his purpose in life. She said he attended bible study and was excited about taking college courses
A historic, 'life-threatening' heatwave is set to hit the Pacific Northwest this weekend, with temperatures expected to hit the triple digits in Seattle and Portland.

Certain areas of the Pacific Northwest will see temperatures soar 30 to 40 degrees above normal, with Portland expected to crack the 110 degree-Fahrenheit mark, while Seattle is forecasted to top 100-degrees this weekend, AccuWeather.com reported.

Seattle is set to see a high of 104 degree temperatures on Monday, exceeding the citys highest-ever temperature recorded of 103 degrees, while Portland is forecast to see a high of 113 degree temperatures on Sunday, breaking its all-time highest temperature on record, the Washington Post reported.

The unusually hot weather is forecasted to extend into the next week for much of the region and expected to break all-time records, leaving experts concerned about wildfire risk in a region thats already experiencing a crippling and extended drought, the Associated Press reported.

On Monday Seattle is forecasted to see 109 degree temperatures, while Portland will see 113 degree weather on Sunday

Most of the Northwest region is under 'Excessive Heat' or 'Heat' advisory for this weekend

Areas in the Northwest region, including Seattle and Reno, are under a massive heat wave warning beginning Saturday into Tuesday

Cities in the Northwest are expected to hit historic high temperatures, including Seattle, which is on course to surpass it's all-time June high temperature next week

More than 13 million residents from Northern California through much of Oregon, Washington state and Idaho are under excessive heat warnings, starting Saturday and lasting into next week, the Washington Post reported.

The blazing temperatures have sent residents who live in a part of the country not accustomed to hot weather scrambling to cooling centers and to stores to purchase air conditioning to prepare for the unprecedented heat.

Many Northwesterners don't even own air conditioning, leading to stores in the region selling out of portable air conditioners and fans, AP reported.

In Portland, some hospitals have even canceled outdoor vaccination clinics in preparation for the unbearable heat and cities in the region have opened cooling centers.

Multnomah County, which includes Portland, plans to open three cooling centers this weekend, including one at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

The metropolitan area has more than 2.5 million people.

Seattle has only hit 100 degrees three times in recorded history, the National Weather Service said.

Seattle also has the lowest rate of air conditioned homes of any major American city, According to 2019 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Only 44 percent of the homes in the Seattle metro area have air conditioning, while In the Portland metro area that figure was 79 percent.

'If youre keeping a written list of the records that will fall, you might need a few pages by early next week,' NWS Seattle tweeted.

Portland is forecasted to reach record-breaking 110 degree temperatures on Monday during a 'life threatening' heatwave overtaking most of the Northwest region

A Seattle resident transports her new air conditioning unit to her nearby apartment on a dolly to brace for an unprecedented heat wave that has temperatures forecasted in triple-digits

The Northwest region is seeing all-time high temperatures in an area that usually sees maximum temperatures of 80 degrees in June

In Seattle, the 2010's have seen a sharp increase in record-settle hot weather as opposed to cold weather

Average highs in the Northwest region in June usually range in the 70s to the 80s, AccuWeather reported.

Following a cooler stretch of weather, the dangerous heat is forecast to peak from Saturday through Monday as high pressure settles in and enables temperatures to climb to new heights.

'There are typically a few rounds of heat in the Pacific Northwest each summer, but this particular heat wave looks quite extreme,' said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson.

This extreme heat will be the result of a large northward bulge in the jet stream.

'When the jet stream behaves this way, the air at mid- and upper levels of the atmosphere becomes very warm,' AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

A man takes a water break in Seattle on Wednesday as the city goes through an unusual heat wave for the region

People gather at the Sandy River Delta in Oregon on Friday to beat the heat as the city is experiencing extreme heat due to a Northwest heat wave

Seattle is set for record-breaking temperatures this weekend the city experiences temperatures up to 40 degrees higher than usual for the month of June

A group relaxes at Lake Union Park in Seattle on Thursday to keep cool during the city's heatwave that is forecasted to reach over 100 degrees

The heat is also worrisome for the region because it leaves the area more susceptible to wildfires.

Oregon in particular was devastated by an unusually intense wildfire season last fall that torched about 1 million acres and burned more than 4,000 homes and killed nine people, AP reported.

Several fires are already burning around the Pacific Northwest and much of the region is already extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Fire crews are placing themselves in high fire risk areas in preparation and counties and cities across the region have enacted burn bans - in some cases even temporarily prohibiting personal fireworks for the July 4 holiday weekend, AP reported.
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews is about to get a hefty pay rise despite criticism over his government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Andrews will receive an extra $10,000 a year taking his annual pay to $452,000 after the authority governing the pay of Victorian MPs made the decision to increase their salaries by 2.5 per cent from July 1.

The Premier, who has been off sick on full pay since falling down stairs on March 9 but plans to return to work on Monday, has presided over four Covid lockdowns in Victoria.

His state government has come under fire for several quarantine breaches which have sparked deadly outbreaks, and problems with its contact tracing system.

The lockdowns have smashed the local economy, with thousands of businesses forced to close while millions of residents suffered tough stay-at-home orders.

Victorian premier Dan Andrews is set to receive a $10,000 pay rise bumping his annual salary up to $452,000 - although he has been off work since March 9 and has overseen a slump in his state's fortunes

Victorians have endured six months in lockdown in the past year but the state's already well-paid MPs and government ministers are set to receive a 2.5 per cent pay rise, due to come into effect from July 1

One Victorian MP, who asked not to be named, said the pay rise is not deserved, the Herald Sun reported.

'The Victorian ministers are already the highest paid in any state and have managed to take Melbourne from the worlds most liveable city to number eight,' the MP said.

'It is hard to believe at a time where people are losing their businesses and Victoria remains with restrictions, and recovery looks a long way off, that Daniel Andrews and Labor approve more pay rises to themselves.'

The same MP also claimed the news was released after the state's final sitting day, and on a Friday evening, in an attempt to bury the news.

Victorian parliament was just suspended for a five-week winter break.

The decision, made by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal, will raise the pay of backbenchers by $5000, taking them to $187,400.

One opposition, shadow police minister David Southwick, the member for Caulfield, vowed to donate his increase to charity and called on Andrews to do the same.

The member for Kew, Tim Smith called the pay rise 'a slap in the face' for Victorians, many of whom spent six months of the past year in lockdown.

Acting Premier James Merlino, who oversaw Victoria's fourth lockdown in a year in late May earns $375,771 a year and is set to earn a 2.5 increase on that, which will be over $9,000

Victorians have gone through a week of lockdown after a Covid outbreak in city with Acting Premier James Merlino announcing on Wednesday the restrictions would be extended in Melbourne (pictured on Wednesday) for another week

He added that it was 'Labor's pay rise'.

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said after the pain Covid-battered Victorian businesses have endured 'the only decent thing that MPs can do' is refuse the raise.

The Liberal-National state Opposition demanded answers after Daily Mail Australia first questioned why the Victoria premier, one of the most prominent figures in Australia, has hidden himself away during his recovery, allowing numerous conspiracy theories to circulate.

Since his accident, Mr Andrews has only been seen in three social media photos, including one posted by his wife Catherine on Saturday which showed her cutting his hair with his face covered by a comb.

Mr Andrews suffered five broken ribs and a fractured T7 vertebrae after falling on 'wet and slippery' stairs at a holiday home on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne.
Max Townsend, 58, is charged with second degree murder and six counts of failure to stop and render aid following deadly hit-and-run crash as he crashed into a group of high school runners in Moore, Oklahoma

An Oklahoma driver accused of killing three high school runners when he hit them with his truck now claims he passed out behind the wheel after choking on Red Bull.

Max Townsend, 58, is charged with three counts of second degree murder and six counts of failure to stop and render aid following a deadly hit-and-run crash into a group of high school runners in Moore, Oklahoma.

Closing arguments were heard in his murder trial Friday.

His defense claimed his story about choking on Red Bull is plausible, according to KOCO.

But prosecutors say there are four people who say Townsend was awake and alert behind the wheel when he ran into the seven teens, the site reports.

The unidentified expert witness who was testifying that it was possible that Townsend could have choked on Red Bull seemed surprised when he was told of the witnesses, KOCO reported.

'Well, why didn't anyone tell me that?' he said of the witnesses who say they saw Townsend awake.

Townsend's sister also testified on Thursday, before closing arguments.

She said Townsend told her a few minutes before the crash that he felt funny, KOCO reported, and thought that he perhaps should be driving.

She didn't mention this to a detective during the investigation, according to the report.

Max Townsend claimed he passed out behind the wheel when he choked up on Red Bull before running over the group of Moore High School runners in February of 2020

Emergency crews respond to a scene where a vehicle driven by Max Townsend hit several Moore High School students in Moore, Okla

Max Townsend slammed his vehicle into the high school cross-country team as they were running along a street outside their suburban Oklahoma City school

Yuridia Martinez, 16, Rachel Freeman, 17, and Kolby Crum, 18, were killed when Max Leroy Townsend, 58, plowed into them while they were out running after their school was over

The crashed happened on February 3 in 2020 a day after Townsend had lost his 29-year-old son, Cody Townsend, in a separate fatal accident when the son's car flipped over and he was killed.

In the older Townsend's accident, two teenage girls from Moore were killed at the scene and a teenage boy died later after they were slammed into by his truck.

Four classmates also were injured when Townsend slammed his vehicle into a high school cross-country team after their school was over.

Yuridia Martinez, 16, Rachel Freeman, 17, and Kolby Crum, 18, were killed after the suspect lost control of his car and ran into sidewalk hitting them while they were out on a cross-country run.

After the crash, witnesses followed Townsends truck. He stopped after hitting another car, and a high school student who had been pursuing him took away his keys.

Martinez and Freeman were killed at the scene, while Crum died a week later in hospital from injuries sustained in the crash.

Three other teenagers - Joseph White, Shiloh Hutchison and Ashton Baza - were also seriously hurt in the incident.

The day before that crash, Townsend's 29-year-old son, Cody, was killed in a multi-vehicle accident less than a mile away.

Townsend killed high school students in a crash one day after his own son, Cody Townsend, 29, died in a fatal rollover accident

Cody Townsend and Max Townsend are seen posing for a photo during a motorcycle ride

At the time, local reports claimed that Townsend may have been drunk and distraught over the death of his son.

However, a DUI charge was dismissed after a toxicology test failed to show that Townsend was above the legal limit of .08 blood-alcohol content.

Townsend previously pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the case before District Attorney Greg Mashburn upgraded the charges this month to second-degree murder.

'He had extreme disregard for human life,' Mashburn recently told the Associated Press.

'I don't think he cared who or what he hit.'

Townsend is additionally facing charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and leaving the scene of an accident with injury.

Police say Townsend was driving nearly 80 mph in a 25 mph zone when he crossed two lanes of traffic onto a sidewalk and crashed into the group of cross-country runners.

After striking the students on the sidewalk, Townsend again cut across the traffic lanes and a yard, hitting more vehicles, according to the accident report.

A witness pursued Townsend for three blocks before stopping him, and police took him into custody.

Moore Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis compared the crash scene with the carnage left by devastating tornadoes that have hit the city. One in 2013 claimed 24 lives, including seven at an elementary school.

'It's awful,' Sergeant Lewis said. 'We've dealt with some really tough things, but that's the worst, even the tornadoes. Seeing those kids laying there.'

Yuridia Martinez, who died in the crash, was described as a friendly teenage girl who enjoyed watching movies and baking, according to News 9.

Her family told the station: 'We were blessed for 16 years with an amazing baby girl who filled our home and our lives with joy and fun and beauty.

'Yuridia had a heart for service and helping people in need. She loved her friends and adored her sisters. This is so difficult. We miss her very much. Please continue to pray for us, for Yuridia and for the children and families suffering this loss.'

Meanwhile, fellow victims Rachel Freeman and Kolby Crum were both accomplished runners who had participated in the local Moore War Run.

Michael Freeman, the father of Rachel, wrote an emotional Facebook post: 'One week ago today, Max Townsend killed my daughter. Max. Townsend. Killed. My. Daughter. It seems strange even saying it. At times it still doesn't seem real.

He continued: 'Some have asked what my feelings are toward Townsend. I can honestly say I've spent very little time thinking about him, his condition, or his motives at the time.

'Rejoice in Peace, Rachel. You're not gone, just gone away.'

Townsend has a lengthy criminal record dating back to at least 1991, which includes convictions on charges of child abuse, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.

Additional charges listed on his rap sheet include DUI, drug trafficking and marijuana possession.
Pauline Hanson has broken her silence on her 'secret' 12-year relationship with a property developer.

The polarising One Nation Leader, 67, who first entered politics as a member of the Ipswich City Council in 1994, has revealed she is dating Tony Nyquist, a former property developer and real estate agent from NSW.

Hanson, who has been married twice and has four children, simply stated she 'knows how to keep them' and that she has 'kept him (Nyquist) a secret.'

In a wide-ranging interview with the Courier Mail, Hanson nominated Defence Minister Peter Dutton as her choice for the best person to next lead Australia, before labelling current PM Scott Morrison 'arrogant' and a 'bully.'

She went onto state that while she is a fan of Labor leader Anthony Albanese, he 'isn't PM material.'

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has revealed she is dating Tony Nyquist, a former property developer and real estate agent from NSW

Pauline Hanson has been scathing in her assessment of Scott Morrison, labelling the PM 'arrogant' and a bully

The One Nation leader would like to see Minister for Defence Peter Dutton as Australia's next PM

Ms Hanson has controversially declared she won't be getting vaccinated, hates wearing face masks in public and labelled state border shutdowns due to Covid-19 outbreaks 'over the top'.

'Those people who are vulnerable, then you go and lock yourself away,' she said. 'You don't lock up the majority of people.'

After leaving behind her fish and chip shop and entering politics as a member of her local Ipswich council in south-east Queensland, Hanson then became the face of One Nation Party in the late 1990s.

David Oldfield and David Ettridge stood beside Hanson in those days best described as chaotic, but as she points out, like many others, they are 'now long gone' and she remains.

Hanson was first accused of being racist when she declared governments often 'shower' the Aboriginal population with money and boundless opportunities.

Months later she again found herself in hot water after publicly stating Australia was in danger of 'being swamped by Asians.'

She refused to be labelled a racist, and then uttered her now-iconic 'Please Explain' when asked if she was xenophobic.

Many felt her political career would promptly end, but as she has done so many times, Hanson ended up the last person standing.

She is a survivor, and doesn't live a life of regrets.

Hanson prides herself on making a difference, and has no plans to alter her ongoing stance when it comes to immigration, refugees and asylum seekers.

The proud Queensland resident conceded the commutes to Canberra for parliament can be tiresome, but will continue to do so as long as she achieves her desired outcomes.

Hanson is also a human headline at times - late last week in the lead-up to the passing of controversial superannuation bills in Canberra, Hanson put forward an amendment which would have been of enormous benefit to high income earners aged over 67.

Labor accused Hanson - who recently turned 67, earns $211,000 annually and enjoys a 15.4 per cent super contribution  of trying to give herself an easy pay rise.

The amendment was later withdrawn.

Pauline Hanson (centre) walks with her arms around sons Tony Zagorski (left) and Steven Hanson (right) after she was released from the Brisbane Women's Correctional Facility in Brisbane in 2003 - she served 11 weeks for electoral fraud

Pauline Hanson has admitted the commuting to Canberra for parliament is tiresome

Following her release from jail in 2003, where Hanson served 11 weeks for fraudulently representing the status of One Nation membership to secure the state registration of the party, she could have easily walked away from politics.

Staunch as ever, Hanson bided her time and remarkably in 2014 was announced as the new One Nation Leader.

Internationally, she has repeatedly voiced her concerns over the growing influence of China.

She also joined Morrison into calling for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19 last year, a move from the PM which has severely strained relations between the two nations.

Personally, Hanson intends to run for the Senate again, stating she 'has no intention to go anywhere yet.'

While many women her age are exploring retirement options, Hanson has always been cut from a different cloth.

It's why many believe she still has a voice in one of the toughest arenas - Australian politics.
A senior male police officer has died trying to stop a suspected stolen white Hyundai Kona SUV at 3am on Saturday when he was rammed by a driver trying to escape.

The officer died on the scene when he was struck by the vehicle while trying to deploy a tyre-deflating device on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane just after 3am.

The officer was named as Senior Constable David Masters, 53, by Queensland Commissioner Katarina Carroll, who also confirmed she spoke with Mr Masters' family.

Queensland Police Officers are seen comforting each other at the scene where 53-year-old Senior Constable David Masters was killed on the Bruce Highway at Burpengary in Brisbane, Saturday

The 53-year-old officer died on the scene when he was struck by the vehicle while trying to deploy a tyre-deflating device on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane just after 3am

The registration of the missing vehicle, which struck and killed Senior Constable Masters, is 803ZLA.

She also delivered an ominous message to the runaway driver, who fled the scene and is now confirmed as the target of a homicide investigation.

'Our message is you come to us, because we will be coming to you very shortly,' Commissioner Carroll said.

Police are appealing for witnesses - especially anyone with dashcam footage - to the incident.

'Our message is you come to us, because we will be coming to you very shortly,' Queensland Police Commissioner Carroll said in a message to the driver who struck and killed David Masters then fled the scene

Police are appealing for witnesses - especially anyone with dashcam footage - to the incident. The car used was a white 2020 Hyundai Kona SUV, which had not been located by mid-Saturday morning

They confirmed they have not located the white 2020 Hyundai Kona SUV used to ram the officer, or the car's driver.

They believe the car was stolen and said contrary to some early reports, it had not been located as of mid-morning Saturday.

'It is with great sadness we confirm the death of one of our own during an incident at Burpengary this morning,' a Queensland police statement read.

'It is with a very heavy heart we confirm the loss of a senior constable who was working hard to protect his community,' Commissioner Katrina Carroll said.

'My sincerest condolences go out to the officer's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.'

Queensland police's Forensic Crash Unit and Ethical Standards Command immediately began investigating the horrific incident.

'This is devastating news for our police family and we are offering support to all officers and staff.

Officers were seen comforting each other at the scene of this morning's fatal incident on the Bruce Highway where Senior Constable David Masters was struck and killed by a driver who remains on the run

Police remove road spikes from the scene of the incident. Officer David Masters was deploying road spikes when he was struck by an unknown driver who is now the subject of a homicide investigation

The fatal accident closed the Bruce Highway for several hours on Saturday morning

'Sadly, this incident demonstrates the dangers our officers face when working to keep our community safe each and every day,' Commissioner Carroll said.

The incident closed the Bruce Highway for several hours on Saturday morning.
To help somebody to die is illegal in this country. The law regards assisted dying not as compassion but as murder. That's why I am campaigning to allow doctors to help the terminally ill to die, says Rabbi Jonathan Romain (above)

When a friend or loved one is ill, one question springs instinctively to our lips: 'Is there anything I can do for you?'

We say it without stopping to think. It's a natural, heartfelt response  we want to make life easier, to alleviate suffering.

But for many people with terminal illness, either enduring great pain or the terror of a death without dignity, the one thing they truly want cannot be given. Anyone helping someone to take their own life runs the risk of facing the full force of the law  and the possibility of 14 years in jail.

To help somebody to die is illegal in this country. The law regards assisted dying not as compassion but as murder.

That's why I am campaigning to allow doctors to help the terminally ill to die. And at last, I believe politicians in Britain are willing to listen.

We find it difficult in this country to talk about death. That's a complete reverse since the Victorian age, when death was treated with a morbid sentimentality but sex was never discussed.

Our ancestors filled churchyards and public places with Gothic memorials to death. It was even commonplace to have photographic portraits of children after death. All sexual matters, on the other hand, were completely taboo.

Today, we talk constantly about sex, and death is the great taboo. The reasons for that are complex, though I suspect it is partly because of the decline in religious affiliation.

With a loss of belief in the hereafter, people feel they have to hang on to life at all costs because it is all they've got. This makes it very hard to have a mature, rational discussion about whether it can be right for anyone to choose their own death, rather than being forced to die in painful and sometimes degrading ways, inch by horrible inch.

We find it difficult in this country to talk about death. That's a complete reverse since the Victorian age, when death was treated with a morbid sentimentality but sex was never discussed. (File image)

Some people will want to hang on until the last breath and we should help them do that. But if that is not their wish, why are we so afraid of giving the choice?

A new bid to legalise assisted dying was launched in the Scottish Parliament this week. Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur put forward proposals for a Private Members' Bill which, if passed, would permit adults who are both terminally ill and mentally competent to end their lives.

Last month, a similar Private Member's Bill for England and Wales was brought before Parliament, with a second reading due this autumn.

Under the terms of the Bill, a patient with a terminal illness could apply to be helped to die at a time and place of their choosing  for example, in their own home, with their family around them. This application would have to be approved by two independent doctors and a High Court judge.

To push for this change in the law, I have helped set up a collective of leaders from all faiths, the Religious Alliance For Dignity In Dying, of which I am the chair.

The group's aim is to challenge the inaccurate view that people of religious faith are flatly opposed to assisted dying.

My experience is that many members of the clergy in all religions are sympathetic to the idea, and that the overwhelming majority of worshippers  Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths  support it.

One poll showed that 84 per cent of people who regard themselves as religious believe that assisted dying should not be forbidden by law.

I have not always held this view. When I became a rabbi in 1980, I felt that nobody had the right to play God, as I saw it.

A new bid to legalise assisted dying was launched in the Scottish Parliament this week. Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur (above) put forward proposals for a Private Members' Bill which, if passed, would permit adults who are both terminally ill and mentally competent to end their lives

Like many people in Britain at the time, I thought assisted dying was a euphemism for euthanasia, and that it could lead directly to appalling consequences  the state-sanctioned murder of people with severe disabilities, for example.

Also, I worried that it would put immense pressure on the elderly to opt for medical suicide, rather than live on in expensive care homes or as a 'burden' on their families.

There was in addition the alarming spectre of greedy people 'hurrying' their elderly relatives on their way, so they could inherit sooner.

Gradually, I have addressed all these concerns. My opinions have changed, but this did not happen quickly. All the same, I can identify one moment when the penny dropped  when I was suddenly aware that my previous assumptions had been entirely wrong.

As a congregational rabbi in Maidenhead, Berkshire, one of my duties is to visit seriously ill people, both in hospices and hospitals, and at their homes. Palliative-care nurses, particularly in hospices, do a wonderful job with infinite patience and kindness. But there are some people they simply cannot help, because their pain is too great or the horrors of their death are too appalling.

One day I entered a hospice room to find a man kneeling on the bed, doubled over, face down with his head between his legs. He was in unspeakable agony from stomach cancer and nothing he could do would ease it.

His wife was sitting beside the bed in silent tears, helpless. Her own agony was awful to see too.

Something I often hear both patients and their families say in such situations is: 'You wouldn't let an animal suffer like this. A dog is treated better than a human.' And that's true.

Why should such people be forced to stagger on, if they don't want to? Why can they not be offered the option of a death with compassion and dignity, instead of being dosed with drugs into a stupor  a stupor which dulls everything, until there is nothing left of you?

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that should I reach that point, I could wish for nothing better than to die at a time I chose myself, when I was still conscious and able to tell my family one last time that I loved them.

Those who can afford it might opt to go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, which offers legal facilities for assisted dying. This is not cheap: the cost, with travel, can easily exceed 10,000. (File image)

Perhaps I would choose to die at home, in my favourite armchair, after receiving hugs and farewells, and holding a loving hand. And if one of my congregation thinks that is better than to die on a ward or in a hospice bed, how can we be so arrogant as to think we have the right to forbid it?

For whose benefit are we making that decision? Certainly not for the patient who pleads to be allowed to die.

But I still didn't realise what I needed to do, until a few months later when I preached a sermon for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. It was one of my better ones, a rousing pep talk about seizing the opportunity for change and making a break with the past.

Afterwards, in a quiet hour of reflection, I asked myself how I was going to apply the sermon to my own life. At that moment, I knew I had to campaign for a change in the law, to help people who had suffered enough and wanted to let go.

Currently, all options are bad for people in pain with no hope of recovery. Too often, in the grip of terminal cancer, motor neurone disease or other incurable diseases, they feel driven to suicide  taking their own lives while they still can.

Sadly, people frequently decide to do this in secret, so that no blame can attach to their families. It is a lonely death. If their attempt fails, it can leave them in even more pain, and it causes great trauma to their loved ones.

If they do kill themselves, often a family member will find their body. I have counselled people in the aftermath of such a shocking discovery. I know how deeply upsetting it can be to have to untie the rope or mop up the blood.

Those who can afford it might opt to go to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, which offers legal facilities for assisted dying. This is not cheap: the cost, with travel, can easily exceed 10,000.

And the law around such a trip is not always clearly understood by British authorities. I have known of relatives who returned from Switzerland, only to have a knock on the door from the police.

They were interviewed, cautioned, threatened with prison, then left in fear and suspense for months  all while grieving for a parent or spouse. That is unforgivable, and we have a duty to put a stop to such cruelty.

Though the Religious Alliance was launched only last week, I have been involved in its precursor for the past five years  Inter-Faith Leaders For Dignity In Dying, an organisation that offers a safe place to discuss these issues for priests, rabbis, imams and all other members of the clergy.

The group was necessary because within the hierarchy of most religions, even to raise this issue is seen as trouble-making. Gradually, though, major figureheads have been voicing their support for choice  including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa.

Desmond Tutu said he would opt for assisted dying himself, if it is appropriate when his time comes. When such a revered personality speaks out, people listen.

Opposition at the British Medical Association may be beginning to soften, and neutrality is the new official position at the Royal Colleges of Nursing and Physicians. It seems the Government is also ready to take a more measured and mature stance.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has launched an inquiry into suicide and end-of-life care, with a genuine willingness to examine the facts. I do not know his personal position, but I can see he is sympathetic to allowing debate

An attempt to change the law in Scotland in 2015 was voted down by 82 votes to 36. Six years ago, when the House of Commons last voted on assisted dying, then-Prime Minister David Cameron made known his strong disapproval. Today, there is a shifting of tectonic plates.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has launched an inquiry into suicide and end-of-life care, with a genuine willingness to examine the facts. I do not know his personal position, but I can see he is sympathetic to allowing debate.

There are legitimate concerns around any law that enables doctors to advance death. Crucially, assisted dying is different from euthanasia. The former allows a patient to self-administer a lethal potion or injection; the latter requires the assistance of a doctor.

Assisted dying can be possible only when the patient has mental capacity, to understand and express a desire. It could never apply in cases of advanced dementia, for example, because doctors could not know whether death really was the patient's wish.

I would also not support the Dutch model, where people with chronic clinical depression have the option of assisted dying. Depression is a terrible illness, but it can be treated.

I have known people who have attempted suicide and survived, and gone on to lead fulfilled lives. There is, in moral terms, an enormous difference between helping somebody to die when they are terminally ill, and aiding their death when they could live in good physical health for many years.

In the same way, we must always remember people with disabilities, even very severe ones, can be helped to live happy, fulfilling lives. That is a very important red line.

Morality is not static. We are constantly fine-tuning it on the basis of the reality of today.

It is arrogant for people to say, as a matter of principle, that they don't believe in assisted dying. We should never impose our morality for our own satisfaction.

And we should also have the courage to think about death, about our own deaths, and ask ourselves honestly what we want for ourselves. Would you really prefer not to have the option of being helped to die if life were unbearable and there were no hope of a reprieve?

Some people insist there is value in suffering, that it refines the soul from a religious point of view. I think that is wrong.

Where we can heal, we should. But when a life is beyond saving, we should bring comfort and assist people to let go of life when that is their wish.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain is chair of the Religious Alliance For Dignity In Dying and Minister of Maidenhead Synagogue.
Chris Cuomo was pictured wearing socks emblazoned with skulls to the site of the Miami building collapse disaster that has left four people dead.

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the CNN host wearing the socks on Friday while at the scene where bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside, near Miami Beach.

The black crew-length socks show a skull colored with the design of the American flag on the right foot as well as white stars. On the left foot, a patriotic bald eagle is seen  also stylized with the coloring of the American flag.

The socks, called Stance Freedom Strike Crew Sock, retail on the Zumiez website for $15 where they are currently out of stock.

Chris Cuomo was pictured wearing socks with skulls on them to site of Surfside building collapse disaster that has left four people dead. He also wore shorts with sneakers and a polo shirt

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the CNN host wearing the socks on Friday while at the scene where bodies have been pulled from the rubble

Chris Cuomo is seen interacting with people at the scene of the Surfside building collapse disaster where he appears to embrace another man to comfort them in one photo

The socks, called Stance Freedom Strike Crew Sock, retail on the Zumiez website for $15 where they are currently out of stock

The socks are also available at The drop for $14.99

The product description on the Zumiez website reads: 'Add some bada** style to your feet with the Stance Freedom Strike crew socks.'

'Skulls and eagles on the uppers with red, white and blue detailing offer some gnarly patriotic style, while the padded footbeds and built-in arch support will keep you comfortable no matter what,' the product description reads.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Stance company for more information and additional comment.

For hours after the Champlain Towers South condominium collapsed around 1.30am on Thursday, only one woman had been confirmed dead.

Three more bodies were later been pulled from the rubble of the collapsed 12-story Miami condo tower pushing the death toll up to four while officials revealed 159 people are still missing.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Friday morning that rescue teams had recovered the bodies of three more victims overnight from the rubble.

Officials said they had managed to identify three of the four victims by late Friday morning but have not publicly released that information.

People are seen hugging outside of the partially collapsed Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, Florida on Friday

People react as they continue to wait for news about relatives at the Community Center in Surfside, north of Miami Beach while workers continue to search for victims of the collapse

Rescue crew respond at the site after a partial building collapse in Surfside near Miami Beach on Friday

A dog of the search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside

Rescue workers search in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo on Friday

A photo released by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue on Friday show first responders rescuing survivors from a partially collapsed residential building in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Dr. Emma Lew, director of the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department, said one of the victims had been alive when they were pulled from the rubble and rushed to hospital but died later.

Now, almost 36 hours on from the collapse, at least 37 people have been rescued from the rubble or parts of the damaged building still standing, with 11 injured and four hospitalized.

The mayor said a total of 120 people have now been accounted for 'which is very, very good news' but revealed the number of people still missing has climbed to 159 - a number she warned was 'very fluid.'

Officials had initially said 99 people were unaccounted for following the building's collapse. But, with the tower housing a mix of seasonal and year-round residents, authorities were unsure exactly how many people were inside at the time.

A total of 55 condos collapsed on Thursday - more than a third of the 136 within the building. Around 80 percent of the building was reportedly occupied.

Officials said Thursday they believed the building had been 'substantially full' and pleaded to the public for information about anyone who may have been inside.
Msizi is afraid of getting caught. He is 13 years old, sitting cross-legged in the red dust and white sand outside a diamond mining town on Southern Africa's Atlantic coast.

In his lap he holds a pigeon. The bird's name is Bartholomew, and he coos as the child strokes it with his one good hand.

Msizi works in the De Beers diamond mines  and he uses his bird to smuggle out illicit gemstones.

The child coughs up blood. Diamond dust is embedded in the pink muscle tissue of his lungs. For the rest of his life, short or not, he will have difficulty breathing.

It's Sunday. We are on a beach close to the Namibia-South Africa border, on the outskirts of a restricted mining town called Oranjemund.

For the better part of 80 years, this part of the West Coast was owned by the De Beers conglomerate and officially closed off to the public.

During its heyday, everyone in Die Sperrgebiet (the Forbidden Zone) laboured for De Beers and no one was allowed to leave.

One recent survey found that 46 per cent of diamond miners were between the ages of five and 16, writes MATTHEW GAVIN FRANK. Pictured: An 11-year-old boy working at a diamond mine in the Carnot region of the Central African Republic, in May 2015

De Beers kept the residents distracted with trucked-in luxuries. Fully furnished and well-stocked houses were provided.

The company set up a school system for the children, and provided recreational clubs.

De Beers even had a shadowy agreement with satellite companies to redact images of the Forbidden Zone from their files.

Beginning in 2007, De Beers deemed portions of this land to be 'over-mined,' and the doors to some of these towns slowly began opening to the public for the first time.

Though the company still controls much of the area, and though signs threatening trespassers with imprisonment and/or death still proliferate by the roadside, restricted entry is now possible.

Msizi is talking to me because his mother urged him to. She wants the family's story to be told, but she is afraid: smuggling is rife and the penalties are brutal.

People sometimes just disappear, even children. If a miner dies at work, the body might be buried underground, to prevent other miners from using the corpse to smuggle out stolen stones.

Simply talking to me could be dangerous, so I assure Msizi and his mother that I will change the names of everyone I interview.

The boy scratches at scars under his armpits. These are rope burns, from the lines tied under his arms before he is lowered into the pit each day by older, bulkier miners.

At the bottom of the shaft, he spends each day digging and filling burlap sacks with dirt that is then sifted for diamonds at the surface.

'Some days are good,' he says, 'and some days are bad. Some days, no stones. That's when they think I'm hiding something.

'I only use Bartholomew if I find a good amount, early in the day. I have to wait for when no one is looking at me.'

He smiles, and raises Bartholomew as if assessing his weight. 'We are good at being invisible.'

Some miners hide pigeons in their clothes. Msizi has a craftier method. Each day, he takes his metal lunchbox into the mine.

Usually it contains half a peach chutney sandwich and a bag of Simba tomato sauce-flavoured crisps. But if he only takes the crisps, there is just enough room for his pigeon.

Though mineworkers have to pass through an X-ray machine upon entering and leaving the mine, South Africa has made it illegal for mining companies to over-radiate their workers.

The machines light up and whirr in the same way, whether or not they're conducting an X-ray.

To reduce the chances of being discovered, Msizi doesn't risk bringing in his pigeon if another smuggler has been caught within the past few days.

The security guards will be more alert than usual and, if they find Bartholomew, they will kill him  either by wringing his neck, running him through with a ballpoint pen or biting his head off.

Sometimes, there will be other punishments. Miners' fingers will be broken or even cut off.

The little finger on Msizi's left hand was snapped by a guard simply because he was suspected of smuggling.

Once through the X-ray machine and in the mine, the boy will transfer the bird to the loose folds of his overalls.

While he works through the sludge, he secretes diamonds under his tongue. At a quiet moment, he looks around.

If a miner dies at work, the body might be buried underground, to prevent other miners from using the corpse to smuggle out stolen stones. Pictured: An open-cast diamond mine in southern Africa

The other diggers keep their heads down, their backs bent. If they know what he plans to do, they are pretending not to notice.

Msizi packs the diamonds into four bags he has fashioned from sacking, and binds one to each of the bird's feet and one beneath each wing, with ligatures sewn of gemsbok hide.

Then he carries Bartholomew to the bottom of a shaft and lets him go. He does not wait to see him fly up into the light  if a guard spots the bird, Msizi does not want his own face seen.

The pigeon flies back to Msizi's family shack, where his mother is waiting. She retrieves the diamonds.

Later, they will be traded to buyers from organised crime gangs. Msizi says she is paid the equivalent of about 15p per carat.

A stone that might fetch 50,000 in a jeweller's shop in London will fetch perhaps 50p in the shanty town outside Oranjemund.

Other smugglers want drugs, especially 'tik' or crystal meth.

De Beers officials know the miners use homing pigeons. One cynical security guard told me he could recognise a smuggler on sight, because that meant everybody: all the miners were potential thieves, he said.

By that logic, every pigeon was being used to ferry stolen diamonds.

The mining companies put pressure on local governments, which passed laws declaring it illegal to raise pigeons. In one district, it is illegal not to shoot a pigeon on sight.

Because so many birds are killed, either in flight or when they are spotted by the X-ray machines, the temptation for miners is to overload them with diamonds.

That creates another hazard  weighed down, with bags under their wings that make it impossible for them to fully flap, the exhausted birds falter and land along the beaches of the Diamond Coast.

When this happens, a frenzy of diamond-hunting erupts along the sands. People yell, fight and tear the diamonds from the pigeons' feet.

Rumours spread, and at least one of the mine workers  maybe the culprit, maybe someone mistaken for the culprit  will have his little finger broken. And the punishments can be far worse: eyes gouged out, or hands, ears, feet or head cut off.

When I ask Msizi about these punishments, and by whom they are administered, he goes quiet.

Though we are alone, he checks the beach for eavesdroppers.

He tells me that he is prohibited from talking about it  that if the mine security guards find out he has spoken to an outsider like me, they may call in the services of someone called Mr Lester.

His voice grows shaky. He says Mr Lester is ten metres tall, breathes fire, has sharp teeth, no eyes, the wings of a raptor and the ability to infiltrate one's dreams.

Naturally, I dismiss this part of the story. It is just a nightmare, spread to scare the children.

And a great number of miners are children: according to a 2016 report by the U.S.'s Bureau of International Labour Affairs: 'Children in South Africa [continue to] engage in the worst forms of child labour.'

One recent survey found that 46 per cent of diamond miners were between the ages of five and 16.

But it is not only the children who are terrified of Mr Lester, I discover. In Alexander Bay, just south of the Namibia-South Africa border, I speak to a police inspector who asks not to be named.

He tells me that no one has ever seen the real Mr Lester. He is believed to have more body doubles than the former South African president Jacob Zuma. 'He's invisible. He's like a spirit.'

Depending on who I ask, Mr Lester is human or giant or spirit or half-man-half-animal.

He can read your thoughts and detect fluctuations in your body temperature to determine whether you're lying. Even De Beers executives are afraid of him.

Of course, I want to see him. But finding him won't be easy. My first contact is with a former security guard from the Kleinzee mine, Nico Green.

He arrives for our meeting in a bar, 40 minutes late, and orders brandy and Coke. He's about 6 ft 6 in in a rugby shirt and little navy shorts, with a flat-top haircut and large round glasses.

With very little prompting, he begins to detail the corruption that swirls around the diamond industry. In one town, Port Nolloth, every public official was arrested for smuggling.

'Until they're caught,' he says, 'they live in the lap of luxury. Big pink gangster houses.

'We once found all these diamonds mixed with stolen ammunition in shoeboxes under the mayor's bed. He had this big syndicate going  33 people from Port Nolloth alone.'

Pigeons were commonly used to transport gems out of the mines. 'When I was working for De Beers, if I see a pigeon, it's my sworn duty to execute it.

'If I don't, I'm encouraging bad behaviour.'

'Still, smugglers find a way,' Nico continues. Sometimes that means concealing a tobacco bag filled with diamonds and greased with beeswax in their backsides.

Sometimes, it's worse  slitting open their forearms and stuffing the diamonds inside the wound.

Due to fear of HIV and Aids, the security guards would often rush a bleeding worker to the hospital unsearched, whereupon a doctor or nurse, who was in on the scam, would either retrieve the stones from the gash, or sew them into the arm to be removed later.

Talk to the people along this coast, he says, and they will tell you that 'God put the diamonds in the ground, that there's no such thing as an illicit diamond.'

He adds: 'My wife works for De Beers, and I told her, if you step over the line, I will take you out. No, really.'

Nico says Mr Lester is the chief of all the 'executioners'. He points me to a lesser 'executioner', a De Beers security executive named Johann MacDonald.

MacDonald doesn't mind that the miners call him an 'executioner'. His other nickname, he says, is the 'hangman'  'It's all in good fun,' he says.

He wants me to understand that the company cracks down on smugglers to prevent the exploitation of child miners.

One gang cut through the fences around an excavation site and dug channels into the pit, going down many metres.

Some miners hide pigeons in their clothes. Msizi has a craftier method. Each day, he takes his metal lunchbox into the mine

The pit is similar to an upside-down pyramid, wide at the top but narrow at the deepest point  so narrow that only children can fit in the tunnels.

'It is a hell you can't imagine,' he says. The children dig in a circuit, fighting for breath as they scoop up the mud and hand it back.

When they can't go on any longer, they circle back and gulp for air, then go back down.

The conditions are so bad that most of them are given 'tik', says MacDonald.

'With the underground mines, it's worse,' he says. Smugglers are lowered by rope over a mile into the earth, where they live in darkness for years.

'Supplies are lowered in the dead of night by co-conspirators, and when they are finally brought up to the surface, they have to be blindfolded to protect their eyes.

MacDonald tells me Mr Lester is no phantom: 'He's real, flesh and blood.'

Mr Lester stays at a guesthouse in the desert, he says.

'He's a chameleon. I'm not even 100 per cent on whether he's really South African or not.

'Some people think he's KGB or CIA, or without any real allegiance. A mercenary, or king of the mercenaries.

'But I just know him as the former director of all security, everywhere, for De Beers. The only guy they trust to do certain, specialised things.'

But after meeting Mr Lester, I can confirm he is real. I receive instructions from the farm's landlady to wait for him in the bar at midnight.

He arrives at one minute past  a frumpish man in a white button-down shirt with heavy jowls.

His name, in fact, is Lester Le Roux, former director of De Beers mine security. He says he hears I've been asking about pigeons.

'A diamond can't steal itself,' he says heavily. 'And a diamond is like a beautiful woman  people lose control of their cerebellum, their minds.

'But for the miners, there are definite on-site consequences if they are caught with a diamond on their persons.'

I think of Msizi's lame finger. And I remember too that in 1991, one miner caught trying to smuggle a stolen stone was shot in the head.

'One woman was caught hiding diamonds in the socket behind her glass eye,' says Mr Lester.

'Boot heels! They hollow them out . . . But we've taken new measures. We tilt the floor of the X-ray rooms with wedges, so these things show up more easily in shoes.'

For a while, he explains, people would try to throw diamonds over the perimeter fence.

'Then we put in a second fence, made the distance between them greater, but they got really clever with bows and arrows.

'We added even more fences. Something had to get over these fences, and it was a pigeon.'

Mr Lester wants me to know that, despite his reputation, he is not a monster.

'In spite of all these ruthless things you hear about De Beers, I actually do care, and have a high regard for human rights.

'I'm heading up a division on voluntary principles of security in regard to human rights, and I'm even questioning our search procedures, because you can't search for a diamond by holding your hands inches away from the body.

'You need to touch the body. Human rights make it very difficult for security and easy for the criminals.'

He makes eye contact with me, then looks at his thumbnails. 'I don't want to do this with the rest of my life,' he says. 'It's been 14 years of hell.

'I don't want people to think of me like this. There were ten people killed in one mine collapse in 2012  some of them were underage, but at least one man was over 60.'

After I leave the guesthouse, I return to Alexander Bay, to see Msizi one last time.

We meet in a little park, opposite a cafe with no name. I buy him a sandwich, which he is too shy to eat in front of me. I ask him about his pigeon.

Msizi looks nonplussed. 'He's somewhere in the desert,' says the boy. 'Dead, of course.'

Adapted from Flight Of The Diamond Smugglers by Matthew Gavin Frank, to be published by Icon at 14.99.

Copyright  2021 Matthew Gavin Frank. To order a copy for 12.74 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193.

Free UK delivery on orders over 20; promotional price valid until July 12, 2021.
Four people were transported to a local hospital from a plane that landed in Salt Lake International Airport following a turbulent flight.

The Southwest Airlines flight departed Chicago and landed in Salt Lake City around 2:30 p.m. local time on Friday, KUTV.com reported.

Airport spokesperson Nancy Volmer told KUTV.com that the four people were taken to the hospital, but that there was no available information on their conditions.

A Southwest spokesperson said it was three flight attendants and a passenger who were treated for 'moderate' turbulence.

The passengers were on a Southwest Airlines flight that departed Chicago and landed in Salt Lake City around 2:30 p.m. on Friday (file photo)

Where the turbulence occurred isn't clear, a Salt Lake airport spokeswoman told KSL-TV.

The passengers and crew were traveling on Southwest flight 1573. The Boeing 737 took off from Chicago-Midway Airport at 12:18 pm Central Time and landed at Salt Lake City International Airport at 2:34 pm Mountain Time, according to ABC4.

The 'Fasten Seat Belt' sign was illuminated when the turbulence began, a Southwest spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the landing was 'uneventful.

Three flight attendants and a customer were treated for their 'minor' injuries, the spokesperson said.

It's unclear whether they are still in the hospital.

The airline and airport hadn't released more information as of late Friday.
Scotland Yard has launched an investigation into the video of Matt Hancock kissing his aide as experts claim it could have come from a spy device hidden in a smoke detector.

The Health Secretary, 42, 'had no idea the camera was there', it has emerged, as speculation into how the footage was leaked includes whether it was shared by a disgruntled security guard or formed part of a hostile state's spy mission.

Meanwhile David Videcette, who was a lead detective on the 7/7 London bombings investigation, posted a series of tweets concluding the 'covert camera was concealed in a smoke detector' inside the Health Secretary's 9th floor Whitehall office.

An urgent investigation was launched into the unprecedented security breach yesterday after footage from inside a Cabinet minister's office emerged for the first time.

Matt Hancock, 42, 'had no idea the camera was there', it has emerged, as speculation into how the footage was leaked includes whether it was shared by a disgruntled security guard or formed part of a hostile state's spy mission

After crisis talks in No 10, the Prime Minister personally backed the Health Secretary to stay on and said he 'considered the matter closed'

Government sources told the Telegraph it was 'unheard of' for cameras to be installed in ministers' offices.

Speculation into how the video was taken was rife today, with some suggesting a camera could have been deliberately installed in a light fixture or smoke alarm with the intention of catching Mr Hancock in an embrace with his mistress Gina Coladangelo, 43.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) CCTV cameras are produced by Chinese company Hikvision.

Some have suggested the 'massive breach in security' at the office in Victoria Street, central London, could be an attack by a hostile state, with MI5 urged to get involved in the investigation.

Dr Alan Mendoza, the executive director of national security think tank the Henry Jackson Society, said: 'Given the seriousness, all other ministerial offices will now need immediately sweeping to see what other listening and recording devices are snooping on ministers.

'Steps should also be taken to determine if this incident was conducted by a disgruntled civil servant or  given its sophistication and seriousness  agents of a hostile state.'

Some have suggested the 'massive breach in security' at the office in Victoria Street, central London, could be an attack by a hostile state, with MI5 urged to get involved in the investigation. Others say a camera was planted in a smoke detector (pictured)

David Videcette (pictured above), who was a lead detective on the 7/7 London bombings investigation, posted a series of tweets concluding that the 'covert camera was concealed in a smoke detector' inside the Health Secretary's Whitehall office

The footage is thought to have been filmed on a mobile phone as it was played on a CCTV screen, which would make it more difficult to trace who was responsible.

There is currently a red alert in the Government as the probe into who is spying on Government ministers is launched.

Friends of Dominic Cummings, the former Downing Street special adviser who has spoken out against Mr Hancock since leaving his job last year, denied he had any involvement in the leak.

A source told the newspaper Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo were regularly caught embracing and their affair was an open secret among staff.

DHSC is yet to confirm whether staff monitoring CCTV images had signed the official secrets act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail if breached.

One covert security expert said: 'In all my years of working in this field I have never known a camera to be positioned inside an office like this. An office is a private space and that raises all sorts of issues.'

The expert added: 'To me it smacks more of a small covert camera that has been placed in a light fixture.'

It comes after Mr Videcette compared the office to another one on the same floor at the east end of the Department of Health building, saying Mr Hancock's room is likely a 'mirror image'.

The ex-investigator used an image to point out the difference between a CCTV camera and a smoke detector near the floor's balcony area - the camera is covered by a black dome, while the alarm is not.

Mr Videcette then zoomed in on a photo of a matching detector, but this time it was next to the door inside the office.

He tweeted: 'Looking at the angle of the shots of his clinch with his lover, and assuming Matt Hancock's office is a mirror image of this at the other end of the building, it would be my assessment the covert camera was concealed in the smoke detector in his office.'

The ex-investigator compared the office to another one on the same floor at the east end of the Department of Health building, saying Mr Hancock's room is likely a 'mirror image'

The former detective, who is now a crime writer, continued: 'If someone can place a covert camera in a government ministers office so easily, it's a huge security problem, and next time it might be a bomb.'

Referring to the newly-emerged footage of the pair's passionate kiss, he added: 'I think what you are looking at is video (of Hancock and his lover) being played on a monitor, and then someone has filmed the monitor on a phone (hence it moves around in an odd way).'

Earlier, Mr Videcette had tweeted: 'There's way more to this story than the affair it seeks to expose, I think.'

It comes as Boris Johnson was facing an overwhelming clamour to sack Mr Hancock on Friday night.

The Health Secretary had put Miss Coladangelo, a friend from university, on the public payroll only last year. He made no comment on claims he was having an affair with the 43-year-old but said: 'I have let people down and am very sorry.'

After crisis talks in No 10, the Prime Minister personally backed him to stay on and said he 'considered the matter closed'.

The decision prompted fury last night across the political spectrum, among members of the public and even from business leaders enraged by Mr Hancock's hypocrisy.

Support for Mr Hancock was ebbing even in Downing Street, with one senior figure saying his conduct was 'gross' and describing the apology he offered yesterday as 'pathetic'.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'It will all be down to public opinion  it's the only thing No 10 cares about. They're polling, focus-grouping all the time and if that starts showing the public want him out then he could be gone by Monday.'

Another Conservative MP said: 'It's getting like Animal Farm: all animals are equal but some are more equal than others.'

Sayeeda Warsi, a former Conservative Party chairman, attacked the failure to sack Mr Hancock, saying: 'It's a bad decision by Matt and a bad decision by the PM.

Matt Hancock smiles and laughs at his alleged lover as they leave the BBC after appearing on the Marr show in June

A solemn Martha Hancock walks the couple's dog near their north London home today as he husband admitted he had 'let people down' but refused

'He's got a huge amount of questions to answer in relation to Covid contracts, access to parliament, giving out jobs. Is there anything anybody could do any more which would make them resign?'

Mr Hancock said: 'I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.

'I have let people down and am very sorry. I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter.'

And backing him Boris Johnson's spokesman told reporters: 'You have seen the Health Secretary's statement and so I would point you to that, I don't really have anything further to add.

'He accepts that he has broken the social distancing guidelines. The Prime Minister has accepted the Health Secretary's apology and considers the matter closed.'

He added 'all the correct procedures were followed' in hiring Ms Coladangelo, who is paid 15,000 for around 15 days work per year.
A string of high-profile Sydney socialites have found themselves in isolation after being exposed to Covid-19 while at the salon of celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey.

Bailey warned earlier in the week more than 1,000 customers and staff at his flagship outlet in Double Bay have been exposed to coronavirus by an infected hairdresser.

Dr Kerry Chant announced on Friday at least three staff members were working while infectious at the salon and two clients had since tested positive with more cases expected in the coming days.

'I expect more cases to be detected over the coming days and I'm urging all clients and staff of Joh Bailey between June 15 and 23 to be tested and maintain quarantine as directed by NSW Health,' she said.

Joh Bailey warned earlier in the week more than 1,000 customers and staff at his flagship outlet in Double Bay have been exposed to coronavirus by an infected hairdresser.

Since the news surfaced, Bailey and other high-profile customers known as the 'Bailey girls' have been confined to their homes including Phoebe Burgess, charity fundraiser queen Skye Leckie and PR guru Sally Burleigh.

Ms Burgess - who is isolating at her Bowral property alongside her daughter Poppy and son Billy - visited Joh Bailey on June 22, days after it was exposed to the virus.

'Isolating @ home for the next couple of weeks, regardless of yesterday's Covid test (no results as yet),' she shared on Instagram on Friday.

'I've done my research about contact areas in Sydney and whilst I wasn't at the Double Bay salon during the close contact timings, I chose to get tested and isolate as soon as possible.'

Phoebe also revealed that her four-year-old daughter, Poppy, whom she shares with ex-NRL star Sam Burgess was also tested.

Skye Leckie is carrying out her quarantine in the 'West Wing' of her Southern Highlands property along with her adult son Harry,

Businesswoman and mother-of-two Ellie Aitken was able to escape isolation having visited the salon on Wednesday afternoon before the initial exposure period began

Wealthy socialite Skye Leckie is carrying out her quarantine in the 'West Wing' of her Southern Highlands property along with her adult son Harry, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Mrs Leckie, known for raising millions for charities around Australia and married to former Nine boss David Leckie, visited the hairdresser during the exposure period and returned a negative result on Friday night.

Ms Burleigh, who has been a household name in the public relations industry for 25 years, was also caught at the salon during the exposure time and has too been plunged into isolation.

Businesswoman and mother-of-two Ellie Aitken was able to escape isolation having visited the salon on Wednesday afternoon before the initial exposure period began.

She and her family made it into Queensland before the borders closed on Thursday night and met all the Covid-19 restrictions enforced by the Sunshine State.

Ms Aitken told the publication it was a 'very close shave', but stressed her family had followed all the rules and had avoided the Waverley area.

She has also been vaccinated but said with Sydney's current lockdown restrictions she may be 'stranded' at the Marriott hotel in Surfers Paradise.

A group of up to 20 people are understood to have attended the salon before going to a well-known family's bar mitzvah on Friday night, according to Fairfax.

Locked down: Phoebe Burgess (pictured) is in isolation after getting tested for Covid-19 following a recent visit to Joh Bailey hair salon. On Friday, the 32-year old appeared to be taking it all in her stride as she shared a photo in which she posed with her children

It was initially revealed that one of the infected hairdressers, who lives in western Sydney, worked three consecutive nine-hour shifts at the salon from Thursday June 17 to Saturday June 19.

But in another worrying development on Thursday night, NSW Health announced that the salon had been exposed to coronavirus for nine full days - from the moment it opened to the second it closed - between June 15 and June 23.

The salon underwent a deep clean and Mr Bailey said the focus was on staff and customer health.

'We are allowed to re-open, of course, but because all or most of our staff have to isolate - that's the problem we have right now.'

Mr Bailey told the Sydney Morning Herald the outbreak showed just how vulnerable businesses were - even if they followed all the rules.

'We have been doing everything right. We put up screens around the wash basins, made everyone check in, wore masks, sanitising stations,' he said.

The New South Wales chief health officer has warned more Covid-19 cases are likely to be connected to a Sydney hairdresser after three workers tested positive (pictured, Joh Bailey at Double Bay)

Mr Bailey is one of Australia's most sought-after hairdressers who has been at the top of his game for three decades.

His client list that reads like a who's-who of TV stars, socialites, politicians, business elite - and once even gave Princess Diana a makeover on her seminal 1983 Australian tour.

They including former former Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerley, and actresses Elle Macpherson, Linda Evangelista, Olivia Newton-John, Kylie Minogue, and Judy Davis.

Mr Bailey said the ramifications of one staff member testing positive to Covid 19 was 'unbelievable'.

'We have over 1,000 customers and staff this has affected who have to isolate,' he said.

Dr Chant said health authorities were concerned about the number of people who had been potentially exposed.

'What we're concerned is the over 900 clients that attended, or potentially are contacts may acquire the infection,' she said.

'Now, we have reached out to those individuals and what I'm hoping is that when we see the cases over coming days, they're all in isolation.'

It comes as millions of Sydney-siders begin their first day of lockdown after stay-at-home orders were given to those who live or work in Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney.

The orders began at 11.59pm on Friday and will continue for a week as the latest outbreak grew to 65 infections on Friday.
A married couple in their 70s have been found shot dead at a house in Merseyside.

Police were called to the scene in Dinorwic Road, Southport, at 9.40am on Wednesday following the discovery of the man and woman.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

A married couple in their 70s have been found shot dead at a house in Merseyside. Police were called to the scene in Dinorwic Road, Southport (picgured, Google Street View), at 9.40am on Wednesday following the discovery of the man and woman

A post-mortem examination found the woman died from a shotgun wound to the chest and the man died from a shotgun wound to the head.

Merseyside Police said detectives were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

The couple have not yet been formally identified but next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers.

Detective Superintendent Dave McCaughrean said: 'The investigation is in the early stages. We have spoken to neighbours and carried out a number of enquiries and are satisfied we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

'Protecting our most vulnerable communities is one of the force's priorities and we realise that being able to support and advise victims of domestic abuse has never been more important than it is now.

'We are committed to working with our communities and partners to tackle violence against women and girls and will continue to work closely with our local communities and partners to assess how we can work together going forward.

'There is support available to anyone who is or has experienced domestic abuse or has been affected by it in order that nobody else has to suffer in silence.'

If you have been affected by this story, the Samaritans charity has a free helpline you can call on 116 123, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The word 'caucasian' should be banned because it is 'associated with a racist classification of humans', according to five Cambridge and UCL scientists.

Researchers said scientists should only use the term when absolutely unavoidable but refrain from 'usage where possible'.

Authors of the article titled 'The language of race, ethnicity, and ancestry in human genetic research' said the term Caucasian was an 'old term associated with racist and pseudo-scientific classifications of humans'.

Caucasian, they wrote, is 'an 18th-century term invented to denote pale-skinned northern and western Europeans, or in other archaic connotations a wider range of people based on skull measurements, including west Asians, south Asians, north Africans and Europeans.'

The paper, published on the pre-print sever arxiv, added: 'The language commonly used in human genetics can inadvertently pose problems for multiple reasons.

The word 'caucasian' should be banned because it is 'associated with a racist classification of humans', according to five Cambridge and UCL scientists (pictured, Trinity College, Cambridge)

'Terms like 'ancestry', 'ethnicity', and other ways of grouping people can have complex, often poorly understood, or multiple meanings within the various fields of genetics between different domains of biological sciences and medicine, and between scientists and the general public.

The paper said scientists should add quotation marks around the word when used in research, the Telegraph reported.

Authors Dr Ewan Birney, Michael Inouye, Dr Jennifer Raff, Dr Adam Rutherford, and Aylwyn Scally said their is intended 'to stimulate a much-needed discussion about the language of genetics'.

Adding they hoped it would help 'begin a process to clarify existing terminology, and in some cases adopt a new lexicon that both serves scientific insight, and cuts us loose from various aspects of a pernicious past.'

Dr Ewan Birney, deputy director of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridgeshire, has added terms such as 'Native American', 'Hispanic', 'White Irish', and 'European', should also be avoided.

Instead, he says, researchers should use more scientific language derived from a two-step genetic analysis.

'European', for example, would instead be 'the European-associated PCA [principal component analysis] cluster, which aims to minimise variation in non-genetic factors and genetic factors'.

The suggestion, which even Dr Birney terms 'bamboozling' for non-scientists, is intended to prioritise 'technical accuracy over concision'.

The researchers said: 'Some of these suggestions may meet with disagreement; we present them partly to stimulate discussion of these and other terms, and in the hope that this will lead to better and more accurate language conventions and less misunderstanding, particularly outside of human genetics'.

Dr Adam Rutherford is currently honorary Senior Research Associate at UCL (pictured starring in The Cell in 2009)

Announcing the paper, honorary Senior Research Associate at UCL Dr Rutherford said: 'I have been working on this a while: sparking a conversation about the lexicon of genetics, which continues to utilise scientifically redundant, confusing and racist terminology.'

Adding in a second tweet: 'We're definitely not prescribing or policing language, but want to prompt a dialogue with colleagues in similar and adjacent fields about our terminology, datasets and tools, and move towards a lexicon that both serves the science and frees us from a racist past.'

Among his fellow contributors, who were each given equal credit, were Dr Jennifer Graff, a geneticist and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kansas, Michael Inouye, Principal Research Associate in Systems Genomics and Population Health, and Darwin College, Cambridge geneticist Aylwyn Scally.
A Florida man has refused to sell his small family home currently being swallowed up by a $600 million commercial development despite countless offers to buy out the home.

In a real-life version of the Pixar movie 'Up,' Orlando Capote is refusing to sell his small Coral Gables home currently sitting in the middle of a construction zone for the largest commercial development in Coral Gables history, CBS 4 reported.

In Up, the main character stands pat when the city around him explodes into skyscrapers.

As for Capote, he has declined up to 60 offers in the last six years from developers, real estate agents or house flippers to purchase the two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,300 square-foot home.

Offers for the home have gone up to $900,000, but Capote has not budged, claiming the home is priceless to him.

Capote's father purchased the home (pictured) in 1989 after immigrating from Cuba and worked double to purchase the family home which he calls a 'family treasure'

Orlando Capote is not budging on selling his small Coral Gables home currently sitting in the middle of a construction zone for the largest commercial development in Coral Gables history

Offers for the home have gone up to $900,000, but Orlando Capote (pictured) has not budged, claiming the home is priceless to him

Capote's father purchased the home in 1989 after immigrating from Cuba and worked double to purchase the family home.

Capote says the home has held extra sentimental value since his father died In 2005.

'This house is like a hard drive,' he said. 'As I look around and live in it and move through it, I relive a lot of memories. That I could not find in another house.'

Capote said he want to honor his late mother's wishes, who was insistent before she passed in 2020 that he not sell their 'family treasure.'

'The house is my soul,' Capote told CBS 4. 'So what good is it to sell your soul for all the money in the world.'

Capote is accusing the city of multiple violations and says his home is being swallowed up by the mega development, the city denied any violations

Capote says the home has held extra sentimental value since his father died In 2005

Capote is accusing the city of multiple violations and says his home is being swallowed up by the mega development.

'You can see some of the debris that's already falling on the site, which would not happen if the buildings were actually 35 feet high or at least 50 feet away,' Capote told CBS 4.

The city of Coral Gables denies any violations have taken place and told the Miami Herald 'the issues have been extensively reviewed and investigated.'

Capote is unyielding about not moving and says his parents memories keep him company.

'I don't feel alone in the house,' he said. 'Maybe they are. Maybe they are.'
Socialite Jasmine Hartin (above) who shot dead a police chief on a beach in Belize was last night charged with assaulting a hotel worker and sent back to prison

The socialite who shot dead a police chief on a beach in Belize was last night charged with assaulting a hotel worker and sent back to prison.

Jasmine Hartin, 32, the estranged partner of Lord Ashcroft's son, had been out on bail as she awaited trial over the accidental shooting of Henry Jemmott last month.

It comes after she filmed herself attempting to access the home she previously shared with Andrew Ashcroft and their two children in the luxury complex the billionaire's son owns.

Miss Hartin appeared in court in San Pedro to plead not guilty to assault but was remanded in prison.

The manager of the resort withdrew her bail funds.

Frank Habet said: 'Miss Hartin appeared at Grand Colony resort behaving in a disorderly and abusive manner and creating great disturbance at the hotel in the presence of guests.

This was the moment socialite Miss Hartin was dramatically re-arrested. It comes after she filmed herself attempting to access the home she previously shared with Andrew Ashcroft and their two children in the luxury complex he owns

Jasmine Hartin, 32, the estranged partner of Lord Ashcroft's son, had been out on bail as she awaited trial over the accidental shooting of Henry Jemmott (pictured) last month

'I now think Miss Hartin is quite capable of not showing up for trial and I therefore wish to immediately withdraw my cash deposit.'

Miss Hartin's legal team described the incident as an 'ambush' and were last night scrambling to find the sum before she could be released.
Gladys Berejiklian said authorities expect number of cases to surge - despite the lockdown

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Millions of people in Sydney have woken to their first day of what has become a fortnight-long lockdown as authorities work to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has ballooned to 82 cases.

Despite the virus spreading rapidly through the city with exposure sites stretching across the Sydney area, thousands in the eastern suburbs - among the four local government areas thrown into lockdown ahead of the rest of greater Sydney - packed into beaches and parks on Saturday morning.

Bondi Beach was packed with people congregating without masks, while Rushcutters Bay Park was filled with people exercising to escape their homes and enjoy the beautiful weekend weather.

Under the lockdown laws, masks are only required to be worn indoors, and people are free to exercise outdoors as long as they do so by themselves or in groups of 10 or less.

Areas like Bondi and Coogee were just as busy as the Northern Beaches on Saturday morning, despite the fact the latter suburbs would only go into lockdown at 6pm Saturday.

Scores of people were seen walking at Bondi Beach on Saturday morning - despite a seven-day lockdown

People exercising at Bondi Beach on Saturday morning - despite a seven-day lockdown which started on Friday night

Surfers and swimmers braved the winter cold at Bondi Beach on Saturday morning, as some parts of NSW endured lockdown before all of greater Sydney fell under the restrictions from 6pm

Bondi Beach was filled with people on Saturday morning, as people used the opportunity to get in some exercise

Residents who live or work in the four local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney are subject to stay at home orders until July 2 (pictured, people exercising at Bondi Beach on Saturday)

The broader lockdown was announced after another 12 COVID-19 cases were recorded in NSW and exposure sites spread outside the hotspots in the four local government areas that went into lockdown first.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian held a crisis cabinet meeting on Saturday, the result of which was the announcement of the far broader lockdown at 2pm.

Infections are growing at a similar rate to Friday, she says, but a worrying number of new exposure sites have begun emerging across the city.

They include communities within the northern beaches and western Sydney, where people have potentially been infectious for days.

Some 29 cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, 17 of which had already been announced, taking the cluster to 80 cases.

More than half were not in isolation from the beginning of their infection period.

'What we're finding is by the time we've got to some of those cases, they've already on-transmitted,' Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.

'That means there have been a number of people that have been infectious in the community unknowingly for a period of time.'

A new potential 'super spreader' venue has also been identified, with two cases linked to Great Ocean Foods at Marrickville.

The testing centre at Bondi Beach continues to see steady numbers during the early part of the lockdown in Sydney

In a concerning development, people were seen gathering in large numbers at Coogee Beach in Sydney when group exercise is limited to 10 people or less

NSW Police were out monitoring residents in Rushcutters Bay Park in Sydney's east on Saturday

With gyms in Sydney's east closed due to lockdown, locals flocked to parks and reserves to get in their Saturday morning exercise

To "get ahead of the rings" of transmission, NSW Health has also taken the unusual step of declaring their household members close contacts too.

"Previously one or two people in the household may have had it. Now we're seeing everybody get it," the premier said.

Anyone who directly received a delivery from Great Ocean Foods over the same period - and their household contacts - must immediately get tested and isolate until contacted by NSW Health.

Other venues of concern include Sydney's Cheers Bar & Grill on June 20 between 1.45am and 3.30am, and Rebel at Bankstown shopping centre on June 24 between 3.45pm and 4.30pm.

Anyone who attended the venues at those times is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days.

Members of the public wait to be tested for Covid-19 at a pop up clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Saturday morning

NSW Police were out in force across Sydney on Saturday as some parts of the Harbour City began a seven day lockdown

Despite being the middle of winter, swimmers were spotted enjoying a dip in the ocean at Bondi Beach early on Saturday

Rushcutters Bay Park in Sydney's east was a popular venue for many wanting to exercise on Saturday morning

A number of people were also spotted with their dogs early on Saturday in Sydney's east

Dr Chant appealed for Sydneysiders to use common sense and check the list of exposure sites every time they leave the house.

"Yes there are the orders but  can I just urge everyone to err on the side of caution," she said.

"If you're in doubt about whether you are in a public health order or you have restricted movements  just assume you are impacted."

Health Minister Brad Hazzard also pleaded for patience and co-operation as authorities determine how best to reign in the outbreak.

"The Delta variant is proving to be a very formidable foe," he said.

"No matter what defensive steps we're taking at the moment, the virus seems to understand how to counter attack."

Gyms in Sydney's east may be closed during the lockdown - so people have been spotted in their droves exercising in public parks (pictured Rushcutters Bay Park)

Sydney's CBD is currently resembling a ghost town, with city workers encouraged to leave the office and work from home where possible until Friday, July 9

Bondi Beach was brimming with people early on Saturday morning, as they were out exercising soon after the sun rose

Groups of people were seen out and about exercising with no masks are seen at Coogee Beach in Sydney on Saturday - even though lockdown laws clearly state you cannot exercise in groups of more than 10

A number of personal trainers opted to swap gyms for parks and reserves in Sydney's east on Saturday morning to train their clients during the lockdown

Millions of people in Sydney were already in lockdown before the expanded restrictions kick in at 6pm, with those living or working in the Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and City of Sydney council areas unable to leave home for a week except for essential purposes.

The order for those four areas took effect from 11.59pm on Friday and lasts until 11.59pm on Friday, July 2.

On Saturday that was expanded to include people who study in those areas.

The Australian Medical Association had been agitating for a broader lockdown of the entire Sydney basin, saying on Friday the current restrictions will not be enough to get on top of the outbreak. At 2pm Saturday, they were proved correct.

Other fitness enthusiasts opted to hit the water in kayaks early on Saturday as Sydney's lockdown began
The socialite accused of 'accidentally' shooting dead a top Belizean police officer is headed back to prison after a former associate decided he was no longer willing to cover her bail money, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Frank Habet wrote to the country's Supreme Court saying he was worried he would lose his 60,000 Belizean dollars ($30,000) if Jasmine Hartin did not show up for trial in the killing of Superintendent Henry Jemmott.

Habet said he decided to pull the plug after the accused mother-of-two was turned back by security Tuesday when she tried to access her family apartment at the Grand Colony resort to see her young twins.

DailyMail.com published videos of Hartin, 32, chasing her partner Andrew Ashcroft, the son of Britain's Lord Ashcroft, into the neighboring Alaia Belize hotel, which the couple ran together before their lives were upended by the Jemmott shooting

Jasmine Hartin is taken into custody after a former associate has decided he'll no longer cover her bail

Hartin took the videos on her own cell phone and could be heard repeatedly asking Ashcroft why he allegedly wouldn't give her access to Ellie And Charlie, four.

The incident prompted Habet, the general manager of Grand Colony - another Ashcroft-operated property  to demand back his $30,000 cash deposit and cancel a further surety of $30,000.

'Ms Hartin appeared at Grand Colony Resort behaving in a disorderly and abusive manner and creating great disturbance at the hotel in the presence of guests,' Habet wrote.

Cameras surround Hartin as she's taken back into custody

A law enforcement agent arrives to take Hartin back into custody after her bail was yanked

Hartin's legal team is now working to secure bail for her to be released by Monday, DailyMail.com has learned

'I now think Ms Hartin is quite capable of not showing up for trial and I wish to immediately withdraw my cash deposit and revoke the surety form I signed as I simply cannot afford the financial loss should this occur.'

Without another backer, Justice Herbert Lloyd told the Canadian national at a court hearing Friday afternoon that she would have to spend the weekend in Hattieville Prison.

DailyMail.com understands that Hartin's legal team - led by a new, high-profile attorney, Dickie Bradley  are already working to secure the funds from new sources to have her released Monday.

The new legal blow comes after Hartin was dramatically re-arrested for common assault Thursday afternoon over the clash with her former common law partner.

She was taken overnight from San Ignacio, close to the Guatemalan border, to the capital, Belmopan, then on to the upscale resort of Ambergris Caye where she looked exhausted and close to tears as she appeared before a magistrate in the town of San Pedro, formerly her home.

The court heard she had attempted to push Sandra Grisham, the general manager of the Alaia, however, Hartin representing herself, pleaded not guilty and denied attacking anyone.

Prosecutors also charged the blonde with possession of a controlled substance in relation to a small amount of cocaine found in her purse the night she was arrested for shooting dead Jemmott on a secluded hotel pier.

The magistrate objected to the charge, however, saying it had not been included in the original indictment over the May 28 killing in which Hartin was solely charged with manslaughter by negligence.

Hartin was released on bail of $1,000 Belizeans dollars before being transferred by boat to the Supreme Court in Belize City where she learned about Habet's sudden u-turn.

There, she was represented by Bradley after an apparent split with Godfrey Smith, the influential former attorney general of Belize who was hired on her behalf in the hours after Jemmot's shooting.

Bradley told the proceedings that Habet could not get his money back so late on a Friday so Hartin should be allowed more time to find a new guarantor.

He also attacked the series of legal moves that landed Hartin - still wearing the same pink polo she was arrested in the previous day - back in prison, saying the new charges were designed to create prejudice against her.

'Your Lordship can say to Mr Habet your application was only made today. The law does not deal in ambush,' he told the court.

Hartin broke down in tears, however, as Justice Herbert replied: 'Yes, perhaps Ms Hartin has been taken by ambush but the law says that if I put money on the line I can withdraw it at any time.

Hartin is pictured being taken away from San Pedro magistrates court Friday afternoon en route back to mainland Belize where she made a second appearance at the Supreme Court in Belize; the woman in the maroon shirt isn't identified

'Bring a person and pay the money and she will be released immediately.'

Jemmott, a father-of-five and a highly-rated officer tipped as a future leader of his country's police force, was struck behind his right ear by a 9mm round from his own Glock 17 service pistol.

According to a criminal complaint he had been 'socializing' and drinking alone with Hartin on a secluded hotel pier in Ambergris Caye, a tropical island haven for millionaire expats.

A security guard heard a 'loud bang' at 12:45am and police arrived to find Canadian national Hartin 'covered in red substance as that of blood' and Jemmott, 42, floating dead on his back 30ft from the shore.

An expended shell casing was still lodged inside the gun which was found on the Mata Rocks hotel pier along with a magazine, live bullets and a pool of blood.

After spending the weekend behind bars, Hartin gave a statement saying the off-duty officer was showing her how to handle his firearm as the pair drank and hung out In her exclusive interview Thursday with DailyMail.com she reiterated her version of events, saying the gun went off unexpectedly in her hands as she tried to re-insert a clip and hand it back.

'Henry was my friend. It was an accident, I didn't flee the scene. The first thing I did was call the police myself,' she said.

'There's literally not a day that goes by when I don't cry and my frigging chest doesn't hurt and ache for his kids, for his family, for him.'

She also revealed for the first time that the reason she was practicing with the gun was because an unnamed man had tried to rape her at a party six days earlier.

Three days after Jemmott's death Hartin was charged with manslaughter by negligence after prosecutors opted against murder or full-fledged manslaughter on the strength of her witness statement insisting it was an accident.

The offense carries a maximum prison sentence of nine months or a fine of around 10,000 Belizean dollars ($5,000 in US money).

Instead of being released on bail, however, petite Hartin was taken on a boat to mainland Belize and spent eight days at Hattieville, which was once featured on a Netflix show about the toughest prisons in the world.

When she was finally released she remained at a secure location near San Ignacio, close to the Guatemalan border, rather than returning to live with her family.

Hartin said she only went to see Andrew Ashcroft Tuesday because she feared she was being blocked from seeing her kids and wanted answers.

'I didn't go there looking for a fight. I went there hoping to see my children whom I have been denied access to, and to collect my things,' she later told DailyMail.com.

'The authorities are now trying to claim that I breached my parole by behaving inappropriately. But there is nothing to say I can't see my children. There are no custody proceedings.'
A man has been arrested and locked up for allegedly not wearing a face mask correctly in a Covid hotspot.

The 60-year-old Eastlakes man was arrested in a shopping centre on Anzac Parade, at Maroubra in Sydney's east on Friday at 3pm and now faces three charges.

Officers approached the man when they allegedly noticed he was wearing a face mask under his chin.

A man, 60, was arrested on Friday for allegedly refusing to wear his face mask properly in a Sydney shopping centre. Stock image of commuters wearing masks properly above

The man was arrested by police after a disagreement over wearing a mask properly at a shopping centre on Anzac Parade at Maroubra on Friday

'When police approached the 60-year-old man it's alleged he became aggressive and ignored directions to leave or wear the mask correctly,' police said.

'He then ran away and following a short foot pursuit, he was arrested.'

He was taken to Maroubra Police Station, fined $200 and refused bail.

The man is due to appear in Paramatta Bail Court on Saturday, facing charges of 'not wear fitted face covering in retail/business premises, intimidate police officer in execution of duty, and resist or hinder police officer in the execution of duty.'

Maroubra is in the Randwick Local Government Area, one of four LGAs currently subject to a stay-at-home public order.

Current NSW Health guidelines state people in Sydney mast wear a face mask in all non-residential indoor settings and can only remove it for approved reasons.

Those include eating and drinking, communicating with someone who is hard of hearing, in an emergency situation, doing strenuous exercise or if asked to do so.

The mask-sceptic was taken to Maroubra Police Station, fined $200 and refused bail. He was due to face three charges at Parramatta court on Saturday including intimidating a police officer and resisting arrest

Fines for not wearing a securely-fitting mask in Sydney on public transport and at non-residential indoor settings - including workplaces - are $200
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Greater Sydney will be thrown into lockdown for two weeks following 12 new Covid-19 infections which were recorded on Saturday as the growing cluster of cases wreaks havoc across the city.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian held a crisis cabinet meeting on Saturday, after earlier foreshadowing the seven-day lockdown - which began overnight - could be expanded to more local government areas in Sydney.

The stay-at-home orders will apply to all of Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong areas from 6pm on Saturday and will be in place until midnight on Friday July 9.

The four reasons residents can leave their houses include for school or work if unable to do so from home, medical reasons including to get the vaccine and to give care, for essential shopping and to exercise in groups of no more than ten.

'There is no curfew. You can leave your home at any stage to purchase any essential goods that you need to and that is a given. Be thoughtful and considerate about fellow citizens and no need to panic buy,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'I said that this the scariest time since the pandemic started and that's proven to be the case.'

Regional NSW will follow restrictions that were previously placed on Sydney which include having only five visitors at a house, wearing masks indoors, hospitality venues reduced to one person per square metre and outdoor venues reduced to 50 per cent capacity.

'So for those parts of New South Wales that aren't in lockdown, restrictions still apply because we want to make sure that if there have been any occasions where people unknowingly have taken the virus outside into the regions, that we don't have any spread in those regions,' Ms Berejiklian said.

Greater Sydney will be thrown into lockdown for two weeks following 12 new Covid-19 infections which were recorded on Saturday as the growing cluster of cases wreaks havoc across the city

NSW Health has turned its attention to the 40-storey Elan building in the heart of Kings Cross with all 500 residents being tested and forced to isolate after a confirmed case within the complex

Weddings will be able to go ahead over the weekend but will be banned from Monday.

Funerals can continue with a maximum of 100 guests and masks indoors while community sport will also be shut down over the next fortnight.

Shops will remain open and financial assistance will be available.

The premier stressed with the current situation a three-day lockdown would not have worked but said restrictions may change if there's a dramatic drop in numbers over the next week.

'If we're going to do this, we need to do it properly. There's no point doing a 3-day and then having the virus continue to bubble away in the community,' she said.

'Now, if after seven days there's a dramatic change in the trend, we'll obviously evaluate the situation.

'We're finding that all household contacts, unfortunately, are getting the virus. Transmissibility is at least double what previous variants had been.

'So we do need to brace ourselves for potentially larger number of cases in the following days and that's why it's so important that we take action now.'

Ms Berejiklian said the outbreak of the Indian 'Delta' strain left health authorities with no other choice but to impose the hard lockdown - but warned the worst is yet to come.

NEW LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS FOR GREATER SYDNEY All of Greater Sydney will be in lockdown from 6pm on Saturday to midnight on Friday July 9 This applies to Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Wollongong areas Residents can leave their homes for work or school if unable to do so from home, for medical reasons or to provide care, to buy essentials goods and to exercise in groups of no more than ten Advertisement

'I'm as disappointed as everybody else about what we've had to do but we've only done it because we absolutely had to,' she said.

'The best advice from health is that we should brace ourselves for additional cases. Because the contact tracers have done such a good job in identifying potential cases and their close contacts, just from those numbers alone and how transmissible the virus is, we know that the numbers will go up in the next few days.

'So I just want everybody to brace themselves. Not to be scared because we're taking the right advice, we're doing the right things. But the best advice we received today is that it will take two weeks.'

The list of exposure sites now includes venues in the northern beaches, Lakemba and Auburn, and another two train routes added overnight on Friday.

Some 29 cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, 17 of which had already been announced, taking the cluster to 82 cases.

However the concern of health authorities is rapidly growing, as more than half were not in isolation during their infection period.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said if Greater Sydney residents had already left for a holiday but had been in the affected areas since June 21 they will need to isolate for 14 days from the day they left.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the level of concern from health authorities and government was 'extraordinary'.

'The Delta variant of this virus is certainly moving around our community far faster than anyone could have imagined,' he said.

Dr Chant said the virus was moving too fast for contact tracing to shut it down.

'Despite testing numbers being quite high and the contact tracers getting in contact with people rapidly, what we're seeing is by the time we've got there and uncovered the chains of transmission, we have a number of people infectious in the community,' Dr Chant said.

A new potential 'super spreader' venue has also been identified, with two cases linked to Great Ocean Foods at Marrickville.

The stay-at-home orders will apply to all of Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong areas from 6pm on Saturday and will be in place until midnight on Friday July 9 (pictured man in Avalon Beach, in Sydney's northern beaches before the lockdown was announced)

Avalon residents are seen getting coffee on Saturday morning hours before they will be confined to their homes for two weeks as part of the recent lockdown

Anyone who worked in, attended or was a customer at the seafood supplier's Marrickville store from June 21 to June 25 is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

To 'get ahead of the rings' of transmission, NSW Health has also taken the unusual step of declaring their household members close contacts too.

'Previously one or two people in the household may have had it. Now we're seeing everybody get it,' the premier said.

Anyone who directly received a delivery from Great Ocean Foods over the same period - and their household contacts - must immediately get tested and isolate until contacted by NSW Health.

Millions of people in Sydney are already in lockdown, with people who live or work in Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick and the City of Sydney council areas having earlier been urged not to leave homes except for essential purposes.

Despite the lockdown orders, parks and beaches across the city's eastern suburbs were packed with people using the exercise loophole on Saturday morning to enjoy the beautiful weekend weather.

EXPOSURE SITES ANNOUNCED SATURDAY Great Ocean Foods, 5/11 Cadogan St, Marrickville - June 21 to June 25 Anyone who worked in, attended or was a customer at the Ocean Foods business during this time must get tested along with their household contacts and isolate for 14 days. Those who received a delivery during this time must get tested along with their household contacts and isolate until further notice from NSW Health Anyone who attended the following venues must get tested along with their household contacts and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result Sydney Cheers Bar & Grill on George Street - June 20 from 1.45am - 3.30am Anyone who attended the following venues must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result Rebel Sport at Bankstown Shopping Centre, North Terrace, - June 24 from 3.45pm - 4.30pm Paloma Espresso Cafe on Shelley Street in Sydney - June 21 from 1.50-2.10pm Casula Oporto in Casula Central Shopping centre - June 22 from 12.50 - 12.55pm Pasta Italia Cucina at Casula Central Shopping Complex - June 22 from 12.50pm - 1.10pm Advertisement

The Sydney CBD is almost completely deserted as residents are plunged into lockdown with health authorities warning it could be extended

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a crisis cabinet meeting would be held on Saturday, and foreshadowed the seven-day lockdown - which began overnight - could be expanded to more local government areas in Sydney

Dr Kerry Chant said there had been a workplace outbreak with a delivery driver from the Great Ocean Foods business in Cadogan Street in Marrickville

Other venues of concern include Sydney's Cheers Bar & Grill on June 20 between 1.45am and 3.30am, and Rebel at Bankstown shopping centre on June 24 between 3.45pm and 4.30pm.

Anyone who attended the venues at those times is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days.

Dr Chant appealed for Sydneysiders to use common sense and check the list of exposure sites every time they leave the house.

'Yes there are the orders but  can I just urge everyone to err on the side of caution,' she said.

'If you're in doubt about whether you are in a public health order or you have restricted movements  just assume you are impacted.'

Mr Hazzard also pleaded for patience and co-operation as authorities determine how best to reign in the outbreak.

'The Delta variant is proving to be a very formidable foe,' he said.

'No matter what defensive steps we're taking at the moment, the virus seems to understand how to counter attack.'

Ms Berejiklian warned the current lockdown restrictions imposed in several Sydney areas may be extended and she would be holding a crisis cabinet meeting later on Saturday

The premier said residents should start preparing for the lockdown to extend (pictured Sydney residents exercising on Saturday)

An alert has also been put out for the Cheers Bar & Grill on 561 George Street on Sunday June 20 from 1.45am to 3.30am - with anybody attending the venue at that time to get tested and isolate along with their household contacts

A Rebel Sports store at the Bankstown Central Shopping Centre has also been put on alert after potentially being exposed to the virus

Meanwhile NSW Health has turned its attention to one of the city's tallest apartment buildings, the 40-storey Elan complex in the heart of Kings Cross, with all 500 residents being tested and forced to isolate after a confirmed case.

The entrance to the building, which has nearly 300 units, has been blocked with NSW Health locking down the entire area.

Mr Hazzard urged residents to stay at home and get tested if feeling unwell.

'My message to the community is: You well understand the basic rules - stay home if you're sick, get tested and go home, wait for your results and follow health instructions,' he said.

'I would also say to the broader Sydneysiders at the moment, if you don't need to be out, this virus is certainly lurking in places we hadn't expected and it's waiting. It's waiting to actually be able to extend it across Sydney.'

Meanwhile, a positive case has been identified in the Northern Territory in a worker at the Newmont-owned Granites gold mine, which is around 540km north-west of Alice Springs.

The mine has since been placed into lockdown after the man's test results returned a positive result on Friday night.

It's believed the FIFO worker contracted the highly-contagious Indian Delta variant of the virus while in hotel quarantine in Brisbane and may have been infectious from June 18 to June 24.

There's currently around 750 at the mine with 70 being labelled as close contacts to undergo quarantine.

About 900 FIFO workers who were at the site across those days have since left and travelled to a number of airports including Brisbane, Perth, Alice Springs and Darwin.

Health authorities are desperately trying to track down those workers who have left the mine and have sent them text messages ordering them to get tested and isolate.

NT Chief Health Minister Michael Gunner said the man who tested positive came from Bendigo in regional Victoria before being told to quarantine in Queensland.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson doubled down on his criticism of the country's top military officer during Friday night's show, accusing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley of a 'disgusting racial attack' in the general's defense of critical race theory.

Carlson played a clip of Milley's response to Republican lawmakers' claims that the US military is becoming too 'woke' during Wednesday's House of Representatives Armed Services Committee meeting.

'I want to understand white rage, and I'm white and I want to understand it,' Milley said.

'What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America? What caused that? I want to find that out. I want to maintain an open mind here.'

Carlson called Milley's statement 'a racial attack an attack against people on the basis of their skin color.'

'White rage is not a medical condition, it's not even a legitimate academic theory. It doesn't exist,' Carlson said. 'We shouldn't have a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attacking Americans on their skin color. It's disgusting.'

Carlson was joined by Sean Parnell, an Infantry Captain and Purple Heart recipient who's running for a Pennsylvania Senate seat.

He said implementing critical race theory will 'destroy the United States military from the inside out without firing a shot.'

'Out secret weapon wasn't the sexy guns and equipment that we had; it was the love and brotherhood that we had for one another that allowed us to defeat the enemy. Critical race theory undermines all of that.'

Parnell said Milley should could resign.

Friday's monologue against Milley comes 24 hours after Carlson called him 'stupid' and 'a pig' and said he doesn't deserve to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he's held since he was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

'He got the job because he is obsequious,' Carlson said of Milley. 'He knows who to suck up to and he's more than happy to do it. Feed him a script and he will read it.

'Hard to believe that man wears a uniform. He's that unimpressive. What is white rage? It's one of those diseases that only affects people with certain melanin levels.'

'It is a race-specific illness. That is what Mark Milley learned from reading about it, that's why he's making the soldiers read about it too. They need to know!' Carlson added.

A West Point graduate, Milley is a decorated Army Ranger and Green Beret with extensive combat experience including multiple deployments to Afghanistan as well as combat tours in Iraq, Somalia, Panama and Colombia.

Carlson lashed out at Mark Milley for the second day in a row after the general defended critical race theory during a Congressional hearing

'I do think it's important for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read,' Milley said in his testimony. 'I want to understand 'white rage' and I am white'

During Thursday's show, Carlson went on to play an additional clip of Milley's testimony, in which he said: 'I've read Karl Marx, I've read Lenin, that doesn't make me me a communist. What is wrong with having some situational understanding of the country which we are here to defend? It's offensive that we are accusing our military, our general officers, our noncommissioned officers who are coming up, of being 'Woke.''

'He's not just a pig, he's stupid,' said Carlson, laughing. 'He reads communists to understand communism, but it's interesting he doesn't read white supremacists to understand white supremacy. Why not go to the source?'

'Because Mark Milley would be fired instantly if he read those books. And getting fired is the one thing he doesn't want. So he reads about white rage as if it's totally real. It's a medical condition. And by the way, since it's a medical condition, at what age can you catch white rage?' added Carlson.

'Thanks Mark Milley, we appreciate your contribution to our generation's scientific racism. By the way, have you read anything recently about winning wars? Apparently not,' he continued.

Carlson's remarks drew strong backlash from Democrats and some other pundits, with CNN host Brianna Keilar firing back: 'He pretends white rage doesn't exist. He is white rage!'

'Dear @TuckerCarlson: Why do you hate America so much?' tweeted Rep. Ted Lieu, the Democrat from California and Air Force veteran.

'General Mark Milley lead [sic] soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, including combat duties. He's served in the 82nd Airborne & 5th Special Forces Group,' Lieu added, before mocking Carlson for his failed attempt to join the CIA after graduating college.

'Tucker Carlson, who never had the courage to serve in the military, calls Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Milley a 'pig' and 'stupid,'' tweeted Travis Akers, a Naval intelligence officer and progressive pundit.

'I believe an overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters in arms would agree if I said @TuckerCarlson was a cowardly piece of s**t,' he added.

Others speculated that Carlson's line of attack was an attempt to deflect from reports that emerged on Thursday that Milley flatly rejected an order from former President Donald Trump to use the military against riots last summer.

'Best way to understand Tucker Carlson's abuse of General Mark Milley tonight is as confirmation of the accuracy of the stories Gen Milley told about rebuffing ex President Trump's order for a massacre in Portland, Oregon,' tweeted David Frum, a neoconservative pundit and former George W. Bush speechwriter.

On the right, other conservatives joined Carlson in criticizing Milley's testimony.

'Hard to believe that man wears a uniform. He's that unimpressive. What is white rage? It's one of those diseases that only affects people with certain melanin levels,' said Carlson

'Gen. Milley is a pathetic virtue signaler who bent a knee to identity politicking Marxists,' tweeted right-wing pundit John Cardillo. 'He should be ashamed of himself for CRT and drag shows on bases. Tucker was spot on calling him a coward.'

'I had such bad embarrassment for Mark Milley who obviously had no idea what he was talking about,' tweeted Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.

'Truly painful. But it is endlessly stupid watching smart ppl praise him. He defended garbage lit[erature] and panels being fed to our mil[itary] schools at a time when we REALLY can't afford it,' added Heinrichs.

'In a sensible world Mark Milley would be fired for his racist remarks yesterday in front of congress where he asserted a rage condition exists that only affects white people,' tweeted Robby Starbuck, the music video director and outspoken conservative.

'That sort of discriminatory detachment from reality makes him unfit to hold power over the US military,' he added.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley hit back against growing criticism over teaching critical race theory in the military on Wednesday

In Milley's testimony on Wednesday, he did not endorse critical race theory outright, but strongly condemned those who say it shouldn't be taught.

Critical race theory is a philosophy that posits that America and its system of laws and government are inherently white supremacist.

Critics say that it is divisive and discriminatory, dividing people into categories of 'privileged' and 'oppressed' based on their skin tone.

'What is wrong with understanding - having some situational understanding - about the country for which we are here to defend?' Milley asked before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

'And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned and noncommissioned officers, of being, 'woke' or something else, because we're studying some theories that are out there.'
More than 1600 people in three states have been ordered into isolation after a man tested positive to the coronavirus at a mine in the Northern Territory.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner on Saturday told reporters the mine worker tested positive on Friday, after arriving in the Territory on June 18.

The man was asymptomatic, and only discovered the infection when he was alerted to a potential hotel quarantine breach in Queensland through a message from interstate authorities.

A miner working at the Granites Gold Mine (pictured) in remote Central Australia has tested positive to coronavirus

About 900 FIFO workers who were at the site (above) at the same time as the infected man have since left and travelled to a number of airports, sparking a contact tracing nightmare

The man had travelled from Bendigo via Brisbane, where he was ordered into a quarantine hotel on June 17.

He was in quarantine for a single day, but is believed to have caught the virus there.

The man, who is believed to have been unknowingly infectious from June 18, then travelled to the Granites Mine in central Australia, 540km northwest of Alice Springs.

His diagnosis has forced the mine to shut down and 754 workers to isolate on-site.

'We're fortunate with the design and the location of this mine site that, for all intents and purposes, we can turn it into a quarantine facility in and of itself,' NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said.

A further 900 people, who have since flown to Darwin, Alice Springs, Perth and Brisbane, have also been ordered to isolate at their homes.

Seventy close contacts have been identified, and will quarantine at the Howard Springs facility outside Darwin.

'We are confident, we know all the people who have moved in and out of the mine site,' Mr Gunner said.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said 'We'll do everything we can to test, trace and track this virus, will always do whatever it takes to keep you safe'. He is pictured getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination at a Darwin GP clinic in March

'While we've never had a case of community transmission in the Territory, we have constantly prepared for this situation.'

'We'll do everything we can to test, trace and track this virus, will always do whatever it takes to keep you safe.'

The strain of the man's infection is not yet known, Mr Gunner said, but health authorities are assuming it is the 'worse case scenario' Delta strain.

Authorities are also unsure exactly how the man caught the virus.

Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie said the incident was cause for significant concern - both in the territory and other states.

'I want to be very clear that we are at risk,' he said.

There are also concerns the man's infection could see the virus spread to the territory's many remote communities.

Mr Gunner moved to reassure communities the risk was low, despite the site's proximity to two communities.

'This mine site is quite isolated and some distance from both of those remote communities. So, I'm absolutely confident right now.'

Mr Chalker said anyone who had visited the mine site had been specifically warned not to travel to remote communities.

'There is no need for panic,' he said.

'My understanding if there are any at all, it would be a very low number - certainly in single figures.'
Six people were rushed to hospital on Saturday following a 'mass overdose' in Sydney's east.

NSW Ambulance paramedics were called to an apartment about 9:30am on Beach Road in Bondi.

The emergency call was in response to a series of drug overdoses, possibly from cocaine.

It follows news in recent days that cocaine laced with deadly levels of opioids is currently widely circulating around NSW.

Three people were rushed to St Vincent's Hospital in Potts Point, with the other three taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital in nearby Randwick on Saturday following a suspected drug overdose (stock image)

The exact drug is still to be confirmed - but the mass overdoses follows news in recent days that cocaine laced with deadly levels of opioids is widely circulating around Sydney

'A crime scene has been established as inquiries into the incident continue,' NSW Police said.

A media spokesperson from NSW Ambulance confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that three people were rushed from the scene to St Vincent's Hospital in Potts Point.

The other three were transported to the Prince of Wales Hospital in nearby Randwick by paramedics.

The six adults include three men and three women - but their ages are unknown, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Earlier this week, NSW Health authorities confirmed going back to April, two people have died from using cocaine laced with opioids.

Dr Darren Roberts, the Medical Director at NSW Poisons Information Centre, said an opioid overdose could quickly result from snorting a single line of the party drug.

'It's important that people recognise the signs of an opioid overdose early and know how to respond,' he told 9 News.

'Opioids can cause drowsiness, loss of consciousness and slowed breathing and can also be life-threatening.'

A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing revealed cocaine use across the nation is currently at a 20-year high.
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A rescue worker trying to find survivors in the rubble of the Miami condo disaster said Friday that the tapping sounds heard Thursday in the wreckage had 'dissipated' - sapping hope for finding the 159 people who are still missing nearly 48 hours after building's collapse.

Dr. Howard Lieberman, a trauma surgeon with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue task force, told CNN that rescue crews heard 'some tapping' yesterday - or noise indicating that some of the victims may still be alive.

Rescue crews 'did hear some tapping - there was some noise,' he said.

But he said that the tapping had 'dissipated' by Friday. Still, he said, crews hadn't given up hope.

'We haven't really heard anything in a while now, but that's not to say that there's still not people trapped that are alive,' he told CNN's Sanjay Gupta. 'As time's running out they might be getting a little more sick or ill  not as vocal as before  but, like I said, we're going to keep searching.'

Rescuers wouldn't stop until 'every stone is removed,' he said.

'I think these guys, you know, that's their mindset also: They're just going to keep going, keep going, keep going until, like I said, every stone is turned over and all the rubble is removed,' Lieberman said.

He added: 'We're seeing stuffed animals, teddy bears, boxed of diapers, a child's bunk bed, and we're finding a lot of pictures, family pictures.'

'It's a little bit more emotional than going somewhere, where you know there's no one, let's say for a hurricane where they had enough warning and they had evacuation time and they got out.'

Dr. Howard Lieberman, a trauma surgeon with a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue task force, told CNN that rescue crews heard 'some tapping' yesterday that has since dissipated

Firefighters spayed the rubble of the disaster on Friday where small fires and smoldering rubble still could be seen

Searchers climbed through the rubble in hopes of finding air pockets that would have allowed people to survive

The half of the building closest to the ocean collapsed into rubble around 130 am Thursday; rescuers have been searching frantically for survivors since

Zulema Perez prays in front of the memorial for victims of a partially collapsed residential building as the emergency crews continue search and rescue operations for survivors

A man hangs a photo on a fence of someone missing near the site of an oceanfront condo building that partially collapsed in Surfside

People hang up more signs of missing residents and light candles from the partial collapse in Surfside where the rescue personnel continue their search for victims nearly 48 hours after the collapse

Isabella Cisternino, Camila Giron-Otano and Isabela Giron-Otano, from left to right, light candles in the sand near where search and rescue operations continue at the site of the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building

Ive seen rescue efforts like this in Haiti and Mexico. The work is tedious, grueling, and heart wrenching. pic.twitter.com/S8pc4LHQTd  Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta) June 25, 2021

Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said: 'Any time that we hear a sound, we concentrate in that area,'

'It could be just steel twisting, it could be debris raining down, but not specifically sounds of tapping or sounds of a human voice,' Jadallah said.

Their comments came after the first victim of the Miami condo tower disaster was been identified as the mother of a 15-year-old boy who survived the wreckage.

Stacie Fang, 54, died Thursday when the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, near Miami Beach, suddenly collapsed around 1:30am that morning.

She was the mother of a 15-year-old boy who was dramatically rescued from the rubble with the help of a passing dog walker.

Meanwhile, rescue crews from Mexico and Israel are helping with the continuing search efforts - as Surfside Town Manager Andy Hyatt told the Miami Herald that the town has 'engaged a structural engineer to inspect other buildings in Surfside.'

Crews have started to use heavy equipment including cranes to look for survivors

Buffeted by gusty winds and pelted by intermittent rain, two heavy cranes removed debris from the pile using large claws Friday, creating a din of crashing glass and metal as they picked up material and dumped it to the side.

Once the machines paused, firefighters wearing protective masks and carrying red buckets climbed atop the pile to remove smaller pieces by hand in hope of finding spots where people might be trapped.

Some of the building remained smoldering - and firefighters used crane trucks to spray water on the crumbled structure where intermittent fires had popped up.

In a parking garage, rescuers in knee-deep water used power tools to cut into the building from below.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews were doing everything possible to save as many people as they could.

'We do not have a resource problem, we have a luck problem,' he said.

The search has not yet transitioned to recovery, though some family members waiting at a reunification center have given DNA samples in case they are needed to help identify victims, CNN reported.

Miami Dade Mayor Danielle Levine Cava told The New York Times that rescuers were using cameras, dogs and sonar equipment to look for survivors.

'They are in the tunnels, they're in the water, they're on top of the rubble pile,' she said. The pile's instability made the work that much more delicate and dangerous.

She noted that the instability of the rubble pile made rescue efforts dangerous as crews 'can't dislodge pieces of debris that could injure them in the process.

'They can't dislodge debris that could possibly make it more difficult to continue the search,' she had said earlier on Friday.

Experts have said that rescue efforts remain hopeful because people have been known to survive for weeks underneath rubble piles.

Police officers stand guard surrounded by smoke from a partially collapsed building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach

A man rides a bicycle surrounded by smoke from a partially collapsed building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach

A woman stands near a barricade tape near a partially collapsed residential building as the emergency crews continue search and rescue operations for survivors

Dr. Mike Cirigliano, a doctor of internal medicine in Philadelphia, told WTXF-TV that people can survive in so-called 'lean-tos' where a pocket of space within the rubble allows them an oxygen supply.

He said that in some cases survivors can even last on a supply of water as rainwater can seep into lean-tos, according to the outlet.

A Haitian man survived two weeks underneath a crumbled building after the devastating 2010 earthquake, according to CNN.

At a news conference on Friday night, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said there are currently four task force teams working on search and rescue as teams from Mexico and Israel arrived on Friday morning to help with the efforts.

A rescue worker leads a rescue dog after looking for possible survivors among the debris of a partially collapsed building in Surfside

A dog of the search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside

Members of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team look for possible survivors in the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building

Rescue crew respond at the site after a partial building collapse in Surfside near Miami Beach, Florida

Rescue workers look for possible survivors among the debris of a partially collapsed building in Surfside

He did not give an exact number for how many personnel from Mexico and Israel had been sent.

Cominsky said crews will be using heavy equipment such as cranes to help move debris on top of the sonar equipment, dogs and video cameras that they have already been using.

He said at the news conference that the main focus has been on sifting through debris underneath the parking garage.

'Any glimpse of hopes that we have, any signals that we see that's where want our primary focus. This is where we've been focused with the operation and looking for those voids,' he said.

Rescue crews have also formed 'bucket brigades' to clear debris while using sonar devices to identify any signs of life, CBS News reported.

Miami Dade Fire Rescue posted a warning to residents on Friday night about 'smoky conditions' after the building collapse

Miami Dade Fire Rescue warned residents to stay indoors with windows closed as Miami Beach experiences 'smoky conditions' after the collapse

Each rescue team has a doctor like Lieberman to accompany them to aid any potential survivors and rescuers if they happen to be injured during their rescue efforts.

'They remove a layer at a time. So basically, they are sort of delayering the pile. So they take off one layer at a time. We go in, we search, see if we can find anything. If not, they take off another layer,' Lieberman told the outlet.

Hero mom saves daughter, 16, in condo collapse despite suffering a broken pelvis when they plunged four floors - but husband remains among the missing A hero mom saved her 16-year-old daughter's life by dragging them both from the rubble to safety, despite having suffered a broken pelvis in the Miami condo collapse. Angela Gonzalez and daughter Devon plunged four stories from the ninth floor to the fifth floor when the 12-story Champlain Towers South Condo collapsed in the early hours of Thursday morning. Angelo broke her pelvis in the fall but managed to pull herself and Devon from the rubble, reported CBS Local. The mother and daughter are now recovering in Jackson Memorial Hospital. However, Angela's husband and Devon's dad Edgar Gonzalez remains among the 159 people still missing, around 36 hours on from the disaster. A family friend told CBS Local said they were hoping for the best that he would be found alive. 'Hope for the best. Everybody just give prayers. Everybody else's families or any colleagues or friends that were in the incidents, I wish you prayers, thoughts And I hope everybody gets well,' Lisa Melencial said from the hospital. She added: 'Pick up the pieces, trying to figure out how to make this work, how to make this better than what it is... Even though it's a tragic scenario. I just want prayers and just the best for her and her family.' Devon Gonzalez, 16, was pulled from the rubble by her mom Advertisement

However, Dave Downey - a retired Miami-Dade fire chief - told CBS News that rescuers are 'essentially looking for needles in a haystack.'

'While this building came down relatively straight, they're not  victims and survivors are not going to be located in the exact area where the building used to stand,' he said.

Mayor Cava said at a news conference on Friday night that rescue efforts will continue through the night as 159 people still remain unaccounted for after the collapse.

'We're going to have more resources to pay for this expensive search and rescue and to give us access to more teams for the rescue later, for the clearance of the rubble and for the assistance for the families, as they put their lives back together,' Cava said.

She added: 'We're here, we'll continue, and please stand by us. Stand by us, as we stand by the families.'

Cava told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that she continues to have hope survivors will be rescued 'because our first responders tell me they have hope.'

'They are the ones on the ground. They are in the tunnels, they're in the water, they're on top of the rubble pile. They're helping to sift through using the cameras, the dogs the sonar and they say they have hope,' she said.

Rescuers hit a complication in efforts on Friday as they worked to extinguish a 'deeply rooted fire' under the structure, fire officials said.

Miami Dade Fire Rescue posted a warning to residents on Friday night about 'smoky conditions' after the building collapse.

'If you live near the area of the #SurfsideBuildingCollapse, you may be experiencing smoky conditions, which can affect those with respiratory conditions. Please stay indoors, keep your windows and doors closed, and run your a/c by recirculating the air inside your home,' the agency tweeted.

Patricia Mazzei, a reporter for The New York Times, tweeted that 'the smoke tonight was rough' while Fox News reporter Lauren Blanchard described the air quality as 'thick' and said that it 'burns.'

'The wind continues to blow it in waves - sometimes it thins out where we are  but then it kicks back up,' Blanchard tweeted.

According to research from USA Today, the most common and successful methods used to try to locate survivors include acoustic detection and dogs that can sniff out living survivors.

The outlet noted that aerial drones utilizing cameras and other sensors help rescue teams monitor the collapse to find pockets where it's safe to enter the debris.

Rescuers will often also use data from smartphones and phone service providers which can show if a missing person was in the area at the time of the disaster.

Even more usefully, search teams can use radar and microwave technology to more accurately pinpoint where survivors may be, according to University of Buffalo professor Joana Gaia.

She described the technology to USA Today as being similar to 'the technology in cars that beeps when you're close to hitting something.'

'Responders are operating on a speed rather than accuracy standpoint,' Gaia said.

'They think: 'If I think a body is there, I don't care how accurate the signal is. I'm just going to try to go save the person.''

David Proulx, a vice president at defense contractor Teledyne FLIR which specializes in thermal sensing, told USA Today that robotics can be 'incredibly useful' in detecting survivors underneath the ground.

'Once you get into that subterranean realm, ground robotics become incredibly useful. It can safely go where humans can't,' Proulx told USA Today.

A crane removes wreckage of a partially collapsed building in Surfside north of Miami Beach, Florida on Friday

Crews have started to use heavy equipment such as cranes to 'strategically' lift debris in the search for survivors of the collapse

The outlet reported that at least one company is shipping a ground robot from California to help with the search.

In a press release on Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the state of Florida to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

The action from President Joe Biden authorized FEMA 'to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.'

'Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency,' the news release reads.

The agency said that it would provide assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures under the Individuals and Households Program under the Stafford Act/

Thomas J. McCool has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal response operations for the affected area.

The rescue continued throughout Friday as:

Rescue teams dug through the rubble with their hands and heavy machinery in the hunt for survivors

159 people are unaccounted for 48 hours on from the collapse including the first cousin of the former president of Chile and the president of Paraguay's sister-in-law

Sources told DailyMail.com many people in the building were tourists from Latin America renting apartments while they traveled to the US to get COVID-19 vaccines

Distraught family members handed over DNA samples and gave details of distinguishing features of loved ones in an effort to help identify any victims or survivors found

President Biden said Friday he had spoken with Governor Ron DeSantis and said the federal government had sent 'the best people from FEMA down there'

DeSantis vowed to 'get the answer' for what happened, saying people need a 'definitive explanation'

Biden declared a state of emergency in Florida in the early hours of Friday sending in federal support

It was revealed that scientists had warned last year that the condo development was sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s

The building was also due to have its safety recertified for the first time in 40 years this year and had recently undergone construction work on its roof

First victim of Miami condo tower disaster is identified as the mother of boy, 15, pulled from the rubble with the help of a passing dog walker

Stacie Fang, 54, died Thursday when the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, near Miami Beach, suddenly collapsed around 1:30am that morning. She was the mother of a 15-year-old boy who was dramatically rescued from the rubble with the help of a passing dog walker.

Fang, a New York native, was pulled from the debris and rushed to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, but died of her injuries soon after.

Fang's son Jonah Handler survived the tragedy after being trapped under the frame of his bed.

Her family released a statement paying tribute to her on Friday afternoon.

Her family released a statement paying tribute to her on Friday afternoon saying: 'There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie'

'There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received,' the statement said.

'The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time. On behalf of Stacie's son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal.'

Pictures of Fang and her son hugging and enjoying a day at the beach were revealed by news station WPLG 10.

Pictures of Fang and her son hugging and enjoying a day at the beach were revealed by news station WPLG 10

Officials had confirmed the death of a woman Thursday before recovering three more bodies from the scene overnight.

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's office confirmed that Fang died at 3:38am Thursday, just hours after the 12-story building was reduced to rubble.

The family of the mother and son had spent the last day desperately searching for answers as to her whereabouts.

Fang's sister Virginia Borges told the Washington Post Thursday the teen had been asking for his mother while he recovered in hospital.

The first victim of the Miami condo tower disaster has been identified as the mother of 15-year-old Jonah Handler (above) who was dramatically rescued from the rubble with the help of a passing dog walker

'He was rescued, but he has no idea what happened to his mother. Nobody has any idea what happened to her. It's like she just disappeared,' she said.

'He wants to know what happened to his mother. We all want to know.'

Borges had joined the family members of dozens of other missing people at the Surfside community center that day anxiously awaiting news.

He was seen being pulled from the wreckage by first responders along with the help of man who was walking his dog past the scene when the building came down.

Fang is one of four people so far killed in the tragedy, as rescue teams continue to comb the scene for survivors and at least 159 people are still missing more than 36 hours on.

Her family released a statement paying tribute to her on Friday afternoon.

'There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received,' the statement said.

'The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time. On behalf of Stacie's son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal.'

Pictures of Fang and her son hugging and enjoying a day at the beach were revealed by news station WPLG 10.

Experts are sent to the scene to examine the collapse after 2020 report warned the 12-story building was sinking one year ago

While the focus now is on the hunt for survivors, questions are being asked about what caused the 1980s building to suddenly collapse.

A team of scientists and engineers from the federal government agency responsible for leading investigations into building failures is now being sent to the collapse site to gather information on what went wrong.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) told The Hill the experts will 'work with federal, state and local authorities to identify and preserve materials that might be helpful in understanding why the collapse occurred.'

The assistance from the group, set up after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, comes as speculation continues to build over whether this week's tragedy could have been avoided.

It emerged Thursday that scientists had warned that the condo building was sinking and in a potentially dangerous condition one year before it collapsed, while it was due a safety certification review for the first time in 40 years. It had also just undergone improvements to its roof.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the collapse and Miami-Dade police have opened an investigation - though Mayor Cava said 'there has been no evidence found of foul play.'

Surfside Town Manager Andy Hyatt told CNN Friday morning there had been no concerns about the building's safety prior to the disaster but said the town would carry out 'due diligence' to determine both what caused it and to ensure other buildings in the area are safe.

However, it has emerged that a 2020 study from Florida International University found the Champlain Towers South sea-view condo development was sinking at a rate of about 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s because it sits on reclaimed wetlands.

The oceanfront building was also due to have its safety recertified for the first time in 40 years this year which included the need for 'extensive repairs for rusted steel and damaged concrete' on parts of the structure.

It has also been revealed that the tower had recently undergone construction work on its roof, sparking fears this may have piled on additional weight to the sinking structure.

Search and rescue personnel have the grim task of pulling a covered body out of the rubble after the partial collapse on Thursday

The tragic scene was likely to be repeated as rescuers pulled a covered body out of the wreckage with 99 people missing on Thursday

A lightning strikes above the Champlain Towers South as Search and Rescue personnel work after the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, north of Miami Beach on Thursday

A shot from a video posted by the Miami Dade fire department shows firefighters in the rubble trying to find people on Thursday

A Google Street View image shows the tower before its horrific collapse on Thursday

An advertisement for the Champlain Towers is seen in the 1980s. The Champlain Towers South sea-view condo development was built in 1981 by the late developer Nathan Reiber's company Nattel Construction at 8777 Collins Avenue in the southeast corner of Surfside but hasn't been updated significantly since then

Shimon Wdowinski, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University, told USA Today he knew instantly which building had collapsed when he heard news reports because he had studied the building for the report published last year.

'I looked at it this morning and said 'Oh my god.' We did detect that,' he said.

Wdowinski said he found that Champlain Towers South was sinking at a rate of around 2 millimeters a year in the 1990s due to its position on wetlands but that rate could have slowed down or sped up since then.

Shimon Wdowinski, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Florida International University, told USA Today that he knew instantly which building had collapsed when he heard news reports because he had studied the building for the report published last year

However, the land's slow sinking alone would not have caused the building to collapse, he said.

'It was a byproduct of analyzing the data. We saw this building had some kind of unusual movement,' Wdowinski told USA Today.

The paper was published in April 2020 in the academic journal Ocean and Coastal Management and was part of a wider look at how buildings in Miami were sinking generally with rising sea levels caused by climate change.

'In some locations, as in the eastern part of the city, the detected subsidence [sinking] is of a 12-story high condominium building,' the paper ominously warns.

It's not immediately clear if the 12-story building referenced in the paper is the condo that collapsed. It's also not clear if any officials took note of the paper when it comes to shoring up any dangerous conditions in the area.

In a video posted by FIU, Wdowinski said hundreds of buildings can be sinking bit-by-bit - and hundreds of buildings can have cracks, not just in Miami.

What would cause one to collapse would be an engineering problem, he said.

Wdowinski, who has previously conducted a number of land subsidence studies including one in Mexico City, noted in the video on Thursday that the tragic Mexico City Metro overpass collapse on May 3 that killed 26 people and injured 79 others had happened in an area where he had previously detected land subsidence.

The Champlain Towers South development was built in 1981 by the late developer Nathan Reiber's company Nattel Construction at 8777 Collins Avenue in the southeast corner of Surfside, but the structure hasn't been updated significantly since then.

It had a few two-bedroom units currently on the market at the time of the collapse with asking prices of $600,000 to $700,000. Some have sold for more than $2 million.

The area is a mix of new and old apartments, houses, condominiums and hotels, with restaurants and stores serving an international combination of residents and tourists.

Hundreds of firefighters were seen walking through the wreckage Thursday, picking up other survivors and carrying them away. Authorities fear many more people may be dead or remain trapped under the rubble

Local officials have said the condo block was right in the middle of going through a recertification process required by Miami Dade building code - which dictates that buildings have to be re-certified every 40 years. The building was due to be recertified for the first time since its construction this year.

Kenneth Direktor, a lawyer for the Champlain Towers South Association, told The Miami Herald on Thursday that to prepare for the recertification process an engineer had been hired to plan 'structural and electrical' updates but that work hadn't started yet.

He told The New York Times that the building had been about to undergo 'extensive repairs for rusted steel and damaged concrete' but that he had seen nothing to suggest the collapse was related to issues identified in the engineering review.

Direktor told The Washington Post on Thursday that the building was 'thoroughly inspected' recently as part of the recertification process and that a report on the inspection was sent to town authorities.

He described the report's findings as 'fairly typical' for a building of its age and 'did not cast doubt on its structural integrity,' according to the outlet.

Surfside Mayor Charles W. Burkett said roof renovations were being done on the property but that they should not have contributed to the collapse.

'The building has literally pancaked. That is heartbreaking because it doesn't mean to me that we are going to be as successful as we wanted to be in finding people alive,' he said.

He instead described the collapse as a 'catastrophic failure' of the building.

'It's hard to imagine how this could have happened,' Burkett said.

Rescue teams rescued 35 people from the damaged building and two people in the hours after it collapsed, including the young boy, were pulled from the rubble in the early stages of the search operation

The surveillance video, obtained by WSVN, shows portions of the 12-story Miami Beach apartment building crumbling and sending a huge cloud of debris into the air when it collapsed in the middle of the night

'Buildings just don't fall down... There's no reason for this building to go down like that unless someone literally pulls the supports out from underneath.'

He suggested that potential causes could be the result of the foundations being washed out or a sinkhole.

Bruce Masia of KW Property Management & Consulting told Florida's Biz Journal that the ongoing roof renovation on the property could have added extra weight that the building couldn't withstand.

However, Surfside Vice Mayor Tina Paul told The Washington Post on Thursday that Champlain Towers South passed a roof inspection on Wednesday - the day before the collapse.

Rescuers pull a body out of the rubble of the collapsed condo in a harrowing sight as they work through the night on Thursday

A front end loader shifts rubble mixed with furniture and household items, as rescue efforts continue where a wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed, late on Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami

Jeff Rose, a contractor whose parents live in the building, told the Miami Herald that he had done renovations for some of the condos and that work on the roof had started about six weeks ago.

He added that some concrete restoration work was also being done to fix old or damaged concrete but that the concrete work was not out of the ordinary.

Some people in Surfside had previously raised concerns about the integrity of the aging building.

Barry Cohen, 63, the former vice mayor of Surfside, said he raised concerns years ago about whether nearby construction might be causing damage to the building after seeing cracked pavers on the pool deck.

In 2015, a resident also sued in 2015 claiming building management did nothing to repair cracks from water damage.

'Praying for a miracle': Pregnant mother of a one-year-old daughter and married father-of-three who had been celebrating his birthday are among missing after Miami condo collapse

Distraught friends and family are 'praying for a miracle' as at least 159 people are still missing after a 12-story apartment block collapsed in Miami in a disaster feared to have killed scores of sleeping residents.

Among the missing is the first cousin of the former president of Chile and current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

Pascale Bonnefoy told CNN she had not heard from her father Claudio Bonnefoy since the Champlain Towers South collapsed without warning in the early hours of Thursday morning. He lived with his wife Maria Bonnefoy in the part of the condo building that has been reduced to rubble, she said. The couple are among at least 31 Latin American citizens known to be missing including nine Argentinians, six people each from Paraguay, Columbia and Venezuela and three from Uruguay - a number that could climb as the search continues. Sources close to the investigation told DailyMail.com most people in the building were tourists from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia and had traveled to the US to get COVID-19 vaccines because they are difficult to get in their respective countries. Many are thought to have been renting the condos as Airbnbs, making it difficult for officials to identify who could be trapped beneath the rubble of the oceanfront complex. Paraguay's First Lady Silvana Lopez Moreira arrived into Florida Thursday as her sister and sister's family remained missing more than 24 hours on from the disaster. Sophia Lopez Moreira, her husband Luis Pettengill, and their three young children were reported to be among the missing Thursday. Moreira is the sister-in-law of Paraguay President Mario Abdo Benitez. The family were said to have been celebrating Luis's birthday just hours before the tragedy after they had traveled to the US to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Sophia Lopez Moreira, her husband Luis Pettengill and their three young children are among those unaccounted for in Miami after the 12-story apartment building collapsed overnight. Moreira is the sister of President Mario Abdo Benitez's wife Silvana Cassandra Stratton (left). Her husband said she was staying in the building and he was speaking on the phone to her at the time it collapsed. She told him the 'building was shaking' and, moments later, the line went dead he said. Cassandra had posted a photo of herself on Instagram just hours before (right) Meanwhile, one concerned husband told Fox21 he was speaking on the phone to his wife who was staying in the building at the time it collapsed. Michael Stratton, from Denver, said his wife Cassandra Stratton told him the 'building was shaking' and, moments later, the line went dead. He has not heard from her since. 'She described that the building was shaking and then the phone went dead,' he said. Stratton said flew out to Miami as he awaited news about his wife who had been staying in a condo in the building during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cassandra had posted a photo of herself on Instagram just hours before the disaster, posing on a chair in a building in Miami Beach. Bhavna Patel, a 38-year-old British and US citizen, her husband Vishal Patel, 42, and their one-year-old daughter Aishani, have also not been seen since the building's collapse, a relative told Sky News. Bhavna had been expecting another baby. Their devastated friend Vishal Abash described Bhavna 'as an angel, a sweet kind loving woman ... very loving, very unconditional love, I never heard her say a bad word about anyone since the day I met her.' He described the couple, who were best man and maid of honor at his wedding, as heaven-sent, adding that 'now maybe God has come to reclaim his angels.' A woman who said creaking noises woke her up the night before the building collapsed, is also unaccounted for, according to her son Pablo Rodriguez. Both his mother and grandmother were in the section of 55 condos that collapsed at Champlain Towers at 1.30am on Thursday. He told CNN: 'We are praying for a miracle, but at the same time trying to be as realistic about it as possible.' The president of Paraguay's sister-in-law Sophia Lopez Moreira, her husband Luis Pettengill, and their three young children are also still missing, Paraguay's foreign ministry confirmed. Moreira is the sister of President Mario Abdo Benitez's wife Silvana. The family are said to have been celebrating Luis's birthday just hours before the tragedy. Also unaccounted for are orthopedic surgeon Brad Cohen and his brother Gary. Brad's wife Soriya Cohen spoke to reporters and showed pictures of her loved ones on her phone while waiting at the Family Assistance Center set up for relatives. Bonnie and David Epstein were on the ninth floor when the building gave way. Their son, Jonathan, who lives in New York City said he hasn't been able to contact them. 'I'm trying to be a little optimistic, but I just don't see it,' he told WJXT. 'It just doesn't seem real, you know? Why this building? It doesn't make sense. I don't know. I'm struggling to make sense of it.' Bhavna Patel, a 38-year-old British and US citizen, her husband Vishal Patel, 42, and their one-year-old daughter Aishani remain unaccounted for. Her devastated family said that Ms Patel is 'an angel.' The mother is also expecting another child. Bonnie and David Epstein were on the ninth floor when the building gave way at 1.30am on Thursday. Their son, Jonathan, who lives in New York City said he hasn't been able to contact them. 'I'm trying to be a little optimistic, but I just don't see it,' he told WJXT . 'It just doesn't seem real, you know? Why this building? It doesn't make sense. I don't know. I'm struggling to make sense of it' The University of Chicago chapter of the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish movement said one of its members Ilan Naibryf and his girlfriend Deborah Berezdivin (pictured) were still missing. Writing on Instagram, the group said: 'Please pray for Ilan Ben Ronit and Deborah Bat Talia Chaya. They are dear friends, gems whom we love dearly. Ilan is a student at UChicago and the President of our Chabad Student Board. They are both family.' Frankie Kleiman and his wife Annie Ortiz (left), along with Annie's son Luis, are believed to have been inside the building when it collapsed. Frankie's brother Jay (right) was visiting for a funeral. Frankie lives on the same floor as their mother Nancy Luis Andres Bermudez, 26, who has muscular dystrophy, is missing along with his mother Annie Ortiz, wife of Frankie Kleiman who was also inside the building Jay and Frankie Kleiman were believed to have been inside the building with their mother Nancy Kress Levin (pictured) when it collapsed Edgar Gonzalez (left), who lived on the ninth floor with his family, is still unaccounted, his relatives told NBC. Dr Brad Cohen (right), who is an orthopedic surgeon at a local hospital, hadn't been heard from since 3am. His wife, Soriya Cohen, said he lived on the 10th floor Among the missing are orthopedic surgeon Brad Cohen and his brother Gary (Gary is pictured). Brad's wife Soriya Cohen spoke to reporters and showed pictures of her loved ones on her phone while waiting at the Family Assistance Center set up for relatives. Soriya Cohen holds up a picture of her husband, Brad The synagogue at Bal Harbour, about eight blocks from Champlain Towers, has opened it doors to help those affected with food supplies and other donations. Around a dozen members of the synagogue are unaccounted for. Chani Lipskar, the wife of the rabbi, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that thousands around the world were praying for not just the missing Jews, but everyone else impacted by the tragedy. Families have started sharing images of their missing relatives online as firefighters continue trawling through the wreckage. Many of their photos have been compiled by CBS4 reporter Frances Wang. Carlos Pou, who lives in Baco Raton, told The Miami Herald he knew at least six people who were living at or visiting the building at the time of the collapse. He identified brothers Jay and Frankie Kleiman, their mother Nancy Kress Levin, and Frankie's wife Annie Ortiz and her son Luis Bermudez. Frankie lived on the same floor as his mother Nancy and his brother Jay had been visiting for a funeral, Pou said. He said he'd left several voicemails but had not been able to get hold of the Kleimans. A friend of the family told the Herald: 'They are young people with kids. Frankie's daughter is pregnant.' The University of Chicago chapter of the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish movement said one of its members Ilan Naibryf and his girlfriend Deborah Berezdivin had also been inside the building. Writing on Instagram, the group said: 'Please pray for Ilan Ben Ronit and Deborah Bat Talia Chaya. They are dear friends, gems whom we love dearly. Ilan is a student at UChicago and the President of our Chabad Student Board. They are both family.' Andres Galfrascoli (left) his partner Fabian Nunez, right, and their newly adopted daughter Sofia, who was six, died while visiting their apartment in Florida to get vaccinated The family of Luis Barth say the 51-year-old was visiting from Colombia and was staying in a friend's condo with his wife and daughter. The condo was on the collapsed side and no one has heard from any of them Ilan Naibryf and his girlfriend Deborah Berezdivin have not been heard from and were staying in the apartment building Ricky and Maituca Rovirosa are also missing, family members told Local 10 Also missing is a famed Argentinian plastic surgeon, his partner, and their newly-adopted six year-old daughter. That surgeon - Andres Galfrasconi, 45 - was visiting Miami with his partner Fabian Nunez, 55, and their daughter Sofia, six, to receive their COVID-19 vaccines. Argentinian singer Julia Zenko was one of Galfrasconi's clients, with Zyri.net reporting she was 'very distressed' by his disappearance following the collapse. The couple and their daughter were staying at an apartment owned by an unidentified friend, who says she has not been able to contact them. Judy Spiegel, 66, the wife of former Erlanger Health System Chief Executive Officer Kevin Spiegel is also missing. He confirmed in a text message to WRCBTV that she was still unaccounted for Thursday afternoon. The two lived together. 'I'm flying to Miami now,' he wrote. Please pray for her.' Edgar Gonzalez, who lived on the ninth floor with his family, is still unaccounted for. His wife Angela and daughter Devon, 16, survived the disaster and were being treated in Jackson Memorial Hospital. A family friend told CBS Local Angela saved her daughter's life by dragging them both from the rubble to safety, despite having suffered a broken pelvis when they both plunged four stories in the collapse. Graciella Catarossi (left) and her daughter Estella (right) are also missing. They were staying with Graciella's elderly parents, who have not been identified, but are also unaccounted for The family of Luis Barth say the 51-year-old was visiting from Colombia and was staying in a friend's condo with his wife and daughter. Barth's brother Sergio, who lives in Miami, told the New York Times the condo they were staying in was on the collapsed side and that he has been unable to reach him. Theresa Valasquez, 36, was visiting her parents Julio, 67, and Angela, 60, when the towers collapsed. Her brother David Velasquez wrote on Facebook that his sister had arrived at their parents' condo on Wednesday, and have not been found. Alfredo and his son Lorenzo Leone are also missing. A friend told CBS4 that their mother was out of town and is flying back Judy Spiegel, 66, (left) the wife of former Erlanger Health System Chief Executive Officer Kevin Spiegel, and Estelle Hedaya (right) are also missing. A friend told CBS 4 that she was on the phone with Hedaya for an hour and a half last night, but is currently unable to get hold of her Elaine Sabino (left) lived on the 12 floor and Linda March (right) lived in penthouse 4 of the condo. March is an attorney who had recently moved back from Miami from New York, a friend told Local 10. Both are still missing A friend said they recognized bunk beds and a desk chair exposed in the side of the partially collapsed building as belonging to the apartment March was staying in Also missing is Estelle Hedaya. A friend of Hedaya told CBS4 that the two had spoken on the phone for an hour and a half last night, but is currently unable to get hold of her. Graciella Catarossi, and her daughter Estella are also missing. A friend told Local 10 that the two were staying with Graciella's elderly parents, who are also unaccounted for. Luis Andres Bermudez, 26, is missing along with his mother Ana Ortiz. Bermudez reportedly has muscular dystrophy and cannot walk or call for help, a cousin told CBS4. Alfredo Leone and his young son Lorenzo are also unaccounted for. A friend told CBS4 that their mother was out of town and is flying back. Elaine Sabino was on the 12th floor and is also still missing. Linda March was renting a penthouse in the condo. March is an attorney who had recently moved back from Miami from New York after recovering from COVID-19, a friend told Local 10. March had been complaining recently about the noise caused by the repairs being made to the tower's roof, the friend said. Messages sent to March's phone were unanswered and the friend said they recognized bunk beds and a desk chair exposed in the side of the partially collapsed building as belonging to the apartment she was staying in. Brothers Frankie and Jay Kleinman as well as their mother Nancy Kress Levin are also missing. They were with Annie Ortiz, her son Luis Bermudez as well as Deborah Berezdivin. A friend told the Miami Herald that all six are Puerto Rican. At least 27 people from Latin American nations are among the missing, the Herald also reported. Myriam and Arnie Notkin are among the missing. Arnie is a longtime peewee football coach in Flamingo Park, NBC reported Raymond and Mercedes Urgelles. Their daughter Jenny has been trying to reach them since 5.30am, according to NBC Theresa Velasquez (left) was missing along with her parents Julio and Angela Velasquez (right). Theresa was visiting them during the collapse and the three have not been heard from, her brother posted on Facebook Nicky Langesfeld and Luis Sadovnic were living on the eighth floor, CBS4 Miami reported Moises Rodan, 28, lived in unit 308, according to CBS4 Miami More than 100 people gathered at a family reunification center by mid-morning on Thursday as they awaited news on their family and friends. Authorities said 53 people had been accounted for by Thursday afternoon but 159 who are believed to have lived in the building were still missing as of Friday morning. It was unclear whether any, or all of them, were inside at the time of the collapse. The tower has a mix of seasonal and year-round residents. Officials say the building keeps a log of guests staying but does not keep track of when owners are in residence. Luz Marina holds a picture of her aunt, Marina Azen Marina Azen and Michael Altman are also missing. Azen has been living in the condo for about 20 years, family told CBS4 Miami Crowds of people were gathering at a family reunification center set up nearby as they awaited news on their family and friends Thirty-five people were rescued from the damaged building and 14 people, including a young boy, were pulled from the rubble in the early stages of the search operation. Two of those people, including the woman who has since died, were taken to hospital. Three more fatalities were confirmed Friday morning. Authorities fear many more people may be dead or remain trapped under the rubble and have already warned the recovery efforts could last an entire week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said rescue teams had made contact with some survivors by mid-morning but did not elaborate on where they were located or if they had been rescued. 'Right now, we have the fire rescue. They are in search and rescue mode. They are trying to identify survivors, I know they have made contact with some, and I know they are doing everything they can to save lives,' he said.
More than five million people in Greater Sydney and its surrounds will go into a 14-day lockdown as health authorities try to regain control of a coronavirus outbreak that has ballooned to 80 cases.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says residents of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will only be able to leave home for essential purposes from 6pm on Saturday.

Those reasons include work, to shop for essential items, to seek medical care, or for caregiving or compassionate reasons.

Locked-down residents are also permitted to leave their home to visit their partner like with previous lockdowns.

'We always have some components which are around intimate partner visits, and that will extend in this circumstance,' Chief Health Officer Kerry said.

The snap lockdown comes after another 12 new virus cases were recorded in NSW and exposure venues spread beyond the eastern Sydney hotspots to the northern beaches and western Sydney, where people have potentially been infectious for days.

Exercise outdoors is allowed in groups of up to ten, and Covid-safe funerals can proceed with up to 100 people.

Weddings are allowed to go ahead on Saturday and Sunday with restrictions in place, but must be cancelled from Monday onwards.

Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will go into a 14-day lockdown from 6pm on Saturday (pictured, transport workers at a deserted Central Station in Sydney)

The CBD is currently resembling a ghost town - and will be even more so after it was announced Sydney will go into a lockdown from 6pm on Saturday until July 9

Community sport has been cancelled during the lockdown period, and residents must wear face masks in all indoor non-residential settings - such as workplaces, on public transport or waiting for public transport.

Ms Berejiklian urged people not to panic buy, or stress about money with shops to remain open and financial assistance to be available.

'It's never easy when all of us have to face these circumstances, but we're all in the same situation,' she said.

'We've had to do this before. We know the drill.'

Authorities will reassess the need for the lockdown in a week, but Ms Berejiklian said it's unlikely to be shortened.

'We could assess after seven days but I want to be very upfront with the public: this will be for all intents and purposes a two-week lockdown,' she said.

'I don't want to take away from that but if there is a dramatic change and the health advice says that we can get out of a lockdown earlier (we may) but I'm not anticipating that.

'The best advice from Health is that we should brace ourselves for additional cases.'

Restrictions have also been introduced for regional NSW.

No more than five visitors are allowed for a household each day, masks are required indoors and restrictions apply to weddings and funerals.

All hospitality has to be seated and the one person per four square metre rule has been revived, while outdoor events are allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

The restrictions are required to ensure the virus doesn't take hold in the regions if Sydney travellers unknowingly spread it there, the premier said.

The restrictions are required to ensure the virus doesn't take hold in the regions if Sydney travellers unknowingly spread it there, the premier said.

Some 29 cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, 17 of which had already been announced, taking the cluster to 80 cases.

More than half weren't in isolation from the beginning of their infection period.

Dr Chant said the virus was moving too fast for authorities to shut it down.

'Despite testing numbers being quite high and the contact tracers getting in contact with people rapidly, what we're seeing is by the time we've got there and uncovered the chains of transmission, we have a number of people infectious in the community,' Dr Chant said.

Even some of the premier's own staff have been identified as close contacts after being near Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall, who has the virus.

Authorities are still trying to work out whether any other people in Parliament House are close or casual contacts.

'Fortunately, I wasn't there when that occurred, but a number of my staff have been identified as close contacts,' Ms Berejiklian said.
Jeff Bezos is asking his girlfriend's brother to pay his $1.7 million legal fees, after successfully defending a defamation lawsuit.

Bezos, the world's richest person with a net worth of $193 billion according to Forbes, was sued by Michael Sanchez in February 2019.

Sanchez, a Hollywood talent agent, 54, accused Bezos, 57, and his security consultant, Gavin de Becker, of damaging his reputation by telling journalists that he had leaked naked photos to The National Enquirer.

In November Judge John P. Doyle of the Los Angeles County Superior Court dismissed the case, saying Sanchez's allegations were relying heavily on hearsay.

Bezos, in his court filings, said he never accused Sanchez of leaking the photos.

On Friday the Amazon founder - who is in a back-and-forth rally with Elon Musk for the title of world's richest person - requested that Sanchez pay his legal fees.

Under a Californian law known as the anti-SLAPP statute, a victorious defendant is entitled to have their legal costs reimbursed by the plaintiff.

Bezos in his Friday filing said that Sanchez betrayed his sister, and him, by selling their private communications to the tabloid for $200,000.

Bezos accused him of then doubling down by filing a lawsuit, intended to harass Bezos into a settlement 'by threatening discovery and public disclosure of private matters.'

Sanchez's lawyer, Tom Warren, told Bloomberg - which first reported Friday's filing - that the billionaire's request was 'grotesque'.

'Mr Bezos's fee request is obscene, even grotesque, on many levels,' he said.

In November, Warren said that Sanchez intended to appeal Judge Doyle's ruling.

'We respectfully disagree with the trial court's ruling and look forward to vindicating Mr Sanchez's claims on appeal,' he said at the time.

It was unclear whether they still intended to appeal.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are seen in January 2020. Their relationship was revealed by The National Enquirer in January 2019

The remarkable family rift began in January 2019, when the tabloid magazine revealed the affair between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, who were both still married at the time - although she was separated from her husband, Hollywood talent-agent executive Patrick Whitesell.

On January 9 Bezos and his then-wife, MacKenzie, parents to four children, announced they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage.

The Enquirer's next print edition wasn't scheduled for publication for several days, and its editors, according to The Wall Street Journal, rushed the Bezos story online that night and into print with a headline: 'BEZOS' DIVORCE! THE CHEATING PHOTOS THAT ENDED HIS MARRIAGE.'

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos at the Vanity Fair post-Oscars party in March 2018

The magazine printed text messages and photos of the pair out in public, but not the nude photos.

Donald Trump, who has a long-running fury at Bezos for his newspaper, The Washington Post, and his business, tweeted on January 13: 'So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor whose reporting, I understand, is far more accurate than the reporting in his lobbyist newspaper, the Amazon Washington Post.'

Bezos asked de Becker to look into who leaked the text messages.

The CEO of the paper's parent company AMI, David Pecker, was enraged by the investigation, and emailed Bezos - via de Becker's attorney - on February 5, 2019, threatening to publish ten nude and otherwise personal photos unless the investigation into the source of the images was called off.

Bezos on February 7, 2019, called Pecker's bluff and published the email in full, saying he refused to be blackmailed.

Sanchez vehemently insisted that he had not leaked the photos, telling The Washington Post on February 29, 2019 he had not passed the pictures to AMI.

'I never in a million years would be able to give Jeff's [naked] pix to AMI because I never had them,' he said.

'If AMI has them, they came from others. Period.'

Sanchez has insisted he did not supply the ten naked and otherwise personal photos

Sanchez did not deny that he had handed the couples' text messages to the magazine, however, and told The Post that he refused to 'dignify' with a response 'baseless smears' that he provided the texts.

Sanchez claimed that federal investigators found he had no case to answer regarding the leaked images.

'Once the FBI and Amazon's own investigators cleared me of ever possessing the pictures used to blackmail Jeff, I thought I'd get a private apology, at a minimum,' he said.

'But Jeff and Lauren haven't looked back.

'I've been thrown under the bus. Sadly, it's likely the next time I see them will be in court.'

Lauren and Michael Sanchez, raised in New Mexico, used to be close allies and friends

AMI put out a public statement in March 2019 saying that it was Sanchez who tipped them off to the affair and 'provided all the materials' for the investigation.

Sanchez admitted in his lawsuit that he 'helped' the story in an effort to control the narrative about his sister's relationship.

In March 2020 Sanchez filed another suit, this one against AMI, accusing them too of defaming him.

Sanchez argued that it was Saudi Arabians who hacked Bezos's phone and leaked the photos, in retaliation for The Washington Post's aggressive reporting on the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

AMI have dismissed the case as being ridiculous.

'The filing by Mr Sanchez is his latest attempt to ignore the truth and rewrite history,' they said in a statement.

'The fact, as we have maintained throughout, is that Mr Sanchez sold the National Enquirer the story about his sister's secret affair and was the sole source for its reporting.

'His frivolous lawsuit underscores what his true motivation is, his own greed.'
Support is on the way for workers and businesses impacted by Sydney's latest virus lockdown, with both the federal and state government considering options.

A bevy of industry bodies has called for some form of financial assistance, with the damage bill for the lockdown expected to stretch into the hundreds of millions.

It is the city's first lockdown without the JobKeeper program in place and comes in the final week of end-of-financial-year sales.

Up to $750 million of 'carnage' could be inflicted on retailers alone, the National Retail Association said, while the Accommodation Association says the move has sent occupancy rates plummeting across the country.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Business NSW and the Committee for Sydney are also among those calling for support to quickly be made available.

Support is on the way for workers and businesses impacted by Sydney's latest virus lockdown (women are pictured in Bondi on Saturday)

It is the city's first lockdown without the JobKeeper program in place and comes in the final week of end-of-financial-year sales (residents on Sydney's northern beaches enjoy their final hours of freedom on Saturday)

In announcing a two-week city-wide lockdown on Saturday afternoon, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said help was on the way.

'Nobody should feel stressed about their financial situation,' she said.

'We will, as a state government in the next few days, be announcing support for businesses. The federal government's support for households kicks in at a certain time.

'Nobody should feel stressed or pressured to break any of the rules because of their financial situation.'

Federal government assistance of up to $500 will kick in on July 1 for those who reside or work in Sydney's CBD, east or inner west and cannot attend work as a result of lockdown restrictions.

Who is eligible under the scheme? * People who work more than 20 hours a week will be eligible for $500 * Those working less than 20 hours will be able to access $325 * Calculated based on the week before the lockdown * Available in areas which are designated as coronavirus hotspots locked down for more than seven days * State health restrictions must be the reason for people not attending work * Annual leave will not have to be used but the person must not have special pandemic leave or sick leave available * Must have less than $10,000 in liquid assets * Must be an Australian resident or have a working visa * Available to workers aged 17 and above * People receiving government payments including JobSeeker will be ineligible * Retrospective checks may be enforced to ensure people comply Source: Prime Minister Scott Morrison Advertisement

The 'temporary Covid-19 disaster payment' was announced by Scott Morrison in June after the end of JobKeeper.

Residents who live or work in an area defined by the Commonwealth as a virus hotspot will be able to claim money from the federal government once a lockdown goes on for more than seven days.

Workers who cannot do their jobs will be entitled to a $500 weekly payment if they worked more than 20 hours in the week before lockdown or $325 if they worked fewer than 20 hours.

They must have less than $10,000 in savings and must have used up any pandemic sick leave to qualify.

Anyone receiving JobSeeker, business support payments or the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment does not qualify.

Residents impacted by the NSW lockdown should be able to apply for the cash on the Services Australia website.

Further information will be provided in the next week, Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said on Saturday.
Armed police have surrounded a home as they continue the hunt for the driver of a stolen car who allegedly mowed down a brave officer trying to pull him over.

Senior Constable David Masters, 53, died on the scene when he was struck by the white Hyundai Kona SUV while trying to deploy a tyre-deflating device on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane at 3am on Saturday.

Police have since locked in on a home in Moodlu after the burnt remains of the stolen car were found nearby.

It's unclear if the accused car thief and killer is inside the home, but police have confirmed they are yet to make any arrests.

Detectives, specialist police and forensic crews arrived at the scene after the torched car was found 25km away from where Senior Constable Masters was killed.

Senior Constable David Masters, 53, died on the scene when he was struck by the white Hyundai Kona SUV

Masters had been trying to pull the car over around 3am on Saturday on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane

The registration of the vehicle involved with the tragedy is 803ZLA.

Queensland Commissioner Katarina Carroll delivered an ominous message to the runaway driver, who fled the scene and is now confirmed as the target of a homicide investigation.

'Our message is you come to us, because we will be coming to you very shortly,' Commissioner Carroll said.

'It is with a very heavy heart we confirm the loss of a senior constable who was working hard to protect his community.

'My sincerest condolences go out to the officer's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.'

Senior Constable Masters was a well loved member of the police force having joined in 2011

A woman is seen leaving flowers outside the Deception Bay Police Station following the tragedy

Officers were seen comforting each other at the scene of this morning's fatal incident on the Bruce Highway where Senior Constable David Masters was struck and killed by a driver who remains on the run

A police officer is hugged by friends outside the Deception Bay Police Station on Saturday

Police are appealing for witnesses - especially anyone with dashcam footage - to the incident.

Queensland Police Forensic Crash Unit and Ethical Standards Command immediately began investigating the horrific incident.

'This is devastating news for our police family and we are offering support to all officers and staff,' Commissioner Carroll said.

'Sadly, this incident demonstrates the dangers our officers face when working to keep our community safe each and every day.

One man delivers flowers to the police station in honour of Mr Masters who died on Saturday morning

Queensland Police Officers are seen comforting each other at the scene where 53-year-old Senior Constable David Masters was killed on the Bruce Highway at Burpengary in Brisbane, Saturday

'I spoke to his colleagues and spent some time with them at Deception Bay and they had nothing but wonderful words for Dave  hard-working, capable, a beacon at the station, much loved by everyone at the station and across the community.'

The incident closed the Bruce Highway for close to eight hours on Saturday morning.

Mr Masters leaves behind his wife Sharon and their son Jack, and had joined the force in 2011.

Queensland Police Union General Secretary Mick Barnes struggled to fight off tears as he spoke about his friend.

'It's one thing to turn up to these scenes in the hours of darkness but when you realise that it's one of your friends  David lived for the job and he was dedicated and loved the outdoors, loved these horses  hence he was in the mounted unit,' he said.

Investigations are continuing.
White House aides wrote a draft proclamation to invoke the Insurrection Act as then- President Donald Trump threatened to deploy active-duty troops to Washington D.C. amid protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, according to a report.

Two senior Trump administration officials told The New York Times that the proclamation was drafted on June 1, 2020 in case Trump moved to deploy active-duty troops in Washington.

That same day, Trump had given a fiery speech in which he threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and said he would call up the military if governors did not respond how he wished to the escalating protests, CNN reported at the time.

'If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,' Trump had said in the speech.

Two senior Trump administration officials told The New York Times that the proclamation was drafted on June 1, 2020 - the same day Trump had given a fiery speech in which he threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act

Trump said he would call up the military if governors did not respond how he wished to the escalating protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd

Trump 'was aware' that the aides had drafted the document, one former official told The New York Times.

Trump never invoked the act and denied that he had wanted to deploy active-duty troops in a statement to The New York Times.

'It's absolutely not true and if it was true, I would have done it,' Trump said.

The outlet reported that the aides had drafted the proclamation during a 'heated debate' about how to respond to the escalating protests then gripping the nation.

One official said Trump told Attorney General William Barr, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley that he wanted 'thousands' of active-duty troops in Washington D.C.

Three officials, who were not revealed, reportedly talked Trump out of deploying troops to the United Stats capital. However, some staffers reportedly wanted to leave the option of invoking the Insurrection Act open.

Later that same day, Trump made his infamous walk across Lafayette Park to St. Johns Church where he posed holding a Bible as law enforcement and protesters clashed near the White House.

The revelations in The New York Times came after CNN obtained excerpts from a new book by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender.

In the book, Bender revealed that Milley was a 'lone voice' in repeatedly pushing back on Trump's desires to use the military to stop civil unrest around the country.

People react after learning the sentencing of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin outside the Hennepin County Government Center on Friday

Protesters gather on May 30, 2020 in New York City to protest the death of George Floyd

In the book, 'Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost,' Bender reports that Trump pushed for the military to intervene and 'crack skulls' at civil rights protests across the nation in 2020.

While watching protests unfold in places like Seattle and Portland, Trump highlighted cops' physical exchanges with protestors and told his administration that's what he wanted to see, CNN reported.

'That's how you're supposed to handle these people,' Trump told his top law enforcement and military officials, Bender wrote, according to CNN. 'Crack their skulls!'

Trump also told his team that he wanted the military to go in and 'beat the f--k out' of civil rights protestors, Bender wrote, according to CNN.

CNN reported other examples of Trump telling the military to shoot protestors. At one point, a Trump senior advisor Stephen Miller compared the protests to third-world countries, which angered Milley, Bender wrote.

Milley, who commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, said, 'Shut the f--k up, Stephen,' CNN reported from one of the excerpts.

Bender's book showed Milley was concerned that Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy the military in cases of rebellion or terrorist attack.

Milley reportedly saw the protests and unrest as a political issue - not a military one - and was strongly against implementing the Insurrection Act.

CNN reported that Milley made a 'concerted effort' to stay in Washington as much as possible during Trump's final months in office.

In one excerpt, Milley reportedly pointed to a picture of former President Abraham Lincoln's portrait hanging just to the right of Trump.

'That guy had an insurrection,' Milley said. 'What we have, Mr. President, is a protest.'

After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, some of his supporters returned to calling on the president to invoke the Insurrection Act, Politico reported.

Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, prominent MAGA figures who led 'stop the steal' efforts claiming without evidence that the 2020 election had been rigged against Trump, were among those who voiced support of invoking the act, according to the outlet.
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George Floyd's brother, Philonise, said it was the first time Derek Chauvin showed 'any type of remorse' when he gave his condolences to George Floyd's family before he was sentenced to prison.

'That was the first time that he ever said anything toward us,' Philonise Floyd told CNN's Don Lemon. 'It was probably something good, but I'll never be able to get my brother back. My brother was killed'

Chauvin's statement was short and delivered without seeming emotion - a stark difference to George Floyd's seven-year-old daughter Gianna's victim impact statement.

'I ask about him all the time,' Gianna Floyd said via video. 'I was asking how did my dad get hurt. I want to play with him, have fun, go to the playground'

When asked what she would tell her father if she could see him again, Gianna responded, 'It would be, I miss you and I love you.'

Both statements came before Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 and a half years in prison, going 10 years beyond what was called for in sentencing guidelines, but well below the 40 years maximum possible under the law.

Three other members of Floyd's family, including his nephew Brandon Williams and brothers Terrence Floyd and Philonise, gave poignant victim impact statements in the courtroom Friday.

'Immediately my life changed forever,' Philonise said while wiping away tears. 'I've been lifting my voice so that George's life is not in vain. George's life mattered.

'I haven't had a real night's sleep because of the nightmares I constantly have, hearing my brother beg and plead for his life over and over again. Even saying, 'They're going to kill me, please, officer,' screaming for our mom,' he added in court today.

George Floyd's brother, Philonise (center), told CNN Don Lemon (left) that Chauvin's apology in court was the first time he addressed his family

George Floyd's 7-year-old daughter Gianna testifies via a cell phone video before the sentencing of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of her father

'Immediately my life changed forever,' George's Philonise Floyd said while wiping away tears. 'For an entire year I had to relive George being murdered'

Floyd's brother Terrence (left) tearfully gave his statement directed at Chauvin. 'I want to know why? What were you thinking? What was gong through your head when you held your knee on my brother's neck?' His nephew Brandon Williams (right) said in his statement, 'Chauvin killed George. Not only did he kill George but he also displayed a total lack of consideration for human life as he did so'

'I have had to sit through each day of officer Derek Chauvin's trial and watch the video of George dying for hours, over and over again. For an entire year, I had to relive George being tortured to death every hour of the day.'

Floyd's brother Terrence tearfully gave his statement directed at Chauvin. 'I want to know why. What were you thinking? What was gong through your head when you held your knee on my brother's neck?'

'On behalf of me and my family, we seek the maximum penalty,' he said, 'We don't want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We've been through that already...no, no, no, no.'

'If it was us, if the roles was reversed, there wouldn't be no case,' Terrence said. 'It would have been open and shut. We'd have been under the jail for murdering somebody. So, we ask for that same penalty for Derek Chauvin.'

Floyd's death sparked months of national protests (pictured in New York on May 30, 2020) over mistreatment of black Americans by police and a cultural reckoning by many

At the time of Chauvin's conviction, cheers rose from the crowds (pictured) that had gathered outside the courthouse and down at the intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis, now known as George Floyd Square

Black Lives Matter supporters and others march across the Brooklyn Bridge to honor George Floyd on the one year anniversary of his death on May 25

Crowds of protestors carried placards and signs reading 'justice for George Floyd' and 'abolish the police' as they marched over Brooklyn Bridge on the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death

Brandyn Tulloch begins to lead a chant while people celebrate the sentencing of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota

People react after learning the sentencing of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin outside the Hennepin County Government Center on Friday in in Minneapolis, Minnesota

An armed security agent rides alongside as a group of protesters march, after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced for the murder of George Floyd on Friday in downtown Minneapolis

People gather outside Hennepin County Government Center to hear the sentence pronounced on former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted for murdering George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams said in court, 'Chauvin killed George. Not only did he kill George but he also displayed a total lack of consideration for human life as he did so. You saw it. I saw it. And millions of people across the country and the globe witnessed the act of hate.

'The sudden murder of George has forever traumatized us. You may see us cry, but the full extent of our pain and trauma will never be seen with the naked eye.' Williams added. 'The heartbreak and hurt goes far beyond any number of tears we could ever cry. Words simply cannot express the pain, anguish, and suffering that our family and friends have endured since George's murder. It has been truly unimaginable.'

'Our family is forever broken,' Williams said.

His family asked the judge to deliver the maximum sentence to Chauvin, without the possibility of parole.

Derek Chauvin also spoke briefly at his sentencing Friday to offer the Floyd family his condolences.

Chauvin said he could not give a full statement because of additional legal matters, but said, 'There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you.'

The former Minneapolis police officer, dressed in a gray suit and tie, with a buzz cut, was found guilty in April on all three counts - second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter - for kneeling on 46-year-old Floyd's neck for nine minutes in May 2020.

Floyd's death sparked months of national protests over mistreatment of black Americans by police and a cultural reckoning by many. At the time of his conviction, cheers rose from the crowds that had gathered outside the courthouse and down at the intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis, now known as George Floyd Square.

Derek Chauvin spoke briefly at his sentencing Friday to offer the Floyd family his condolences. Derek Chauvin, 45, is pictured at his sentencing dressed in a gray suit with a matching tie and buzz cut

Chauvin was captured on video kneeling on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd (pictured) - suspected of using a counterfeit bill - for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died on May 25, 2020, while ignoring the victim's pleas for air and help

Chauvin's mother Carolyn Pawlenty made a surprise appearance at Friday's sentencing.

'The public will never know the loving and caring man he is but his family does,' Pawlenty told the court through tears. 'Though I haven't spoken publicly I have always supported him 100% and always will.'

Pawlenty said Chauvin is her 'favorite son' and spoke of his innocence.

'Derek has played over and over in his head the events of that day. I've seen the toll it has taken on him. I believe a lengthy sentence will not do him well. When you sentence my son you'll also be sentencing me.

She then directed her statement to her son.

'My happiest moment is when I gave birth to you and my second is when I was honored to pin your police badge on you. I remember you whispering to me, ''don't stick me with it.'' Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence.

'I will be here for you when you come home.'

Chauvin's mother Carolyn Pawlenty made a surprise appearance at Friday's sentencing

Just hours before the sentencing, Judge Cahill denied the defense's motion for a new trial and said he will not hold a hearing into jury misconduct.

The defense had asked for probation and sought a retrial ahead of an expected appeal. Chauvin's lawyer has argued that he was deprived of a fair trial because of prosecutorial and jury misconduct and errors of law at trial.

Chauvin's legal team is likely to take their arguments to the Court of Appeals.

Dozens of witnesses were heard and hundreds of items of evidence were submitted during the weeks of testimony.

The April verdict, in a relatively swift, across-the-board victory for Floyd's supporters - set off jubilation mixed with sorrow across the city and around the nation. Hundreds of people poured into the streets of Minneapolis, some running through traffic with banners. Drivers blared their horns in celebration.

Chauvin had been captured on video kneeling on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd - suspected of using a counterfeit bill - for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died on May 25, 2020, while ignoring the victim's pleas for air and help.

'Today, we are able to breathe again,' Floyd's younger brother Philonise said at a joyous family news conference in April where tears streamed down his face as he likened Floyd to the 1955 Mississippi lynching victim Emmett Till, except that this time there were cameras around to show the world what happened.

The jury of six whites and six black or multiracial people came back with its verdict after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days.

'The public will never know the loving and caring man he is but his family does,' Pawlenty told the court through tears. 'Though I haven't spoken publicly I have always supported him 100% and always will'

Rev. Al Sharpton, right, with hand on coat, along with family members of George Floyd leads a prayer before entering the Hennepin County Government Center for the sentencing

Chauvin was being held at Oak Park Heights the last eight weeks as he awaited sentencing. The prison, the state's only maximum-security facility, built in 1982 and with a capacity for 473 male inmates, could be where Chauvin serves his sentence

This photo shows a cell in the Administrative Control Unit at the Oak Park Heights facility. This cell is similar to the one that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been in since he was found guilty in April

Prosecutors earlier this month asked Judge Cahill to sentence Chauvin to 30 years in prison, submitting court documents which called the actions of the cop an 'egregious abuse' of his position.

'Defendant's conduct was also particularly cruel,' prosecutors said.

They recalled that the judge had ruled there were four aggravating factors in the case, allowing him to depart from state sentencing guidelines and clearing the path for a tough sentence.

As a first-time offender, Chauvin had potentially faced 12 and a half years in prison on that count under the guidelines, but the aggravating factors mean Cahill can opt for a longer jail term.

Attorneys for Chauvin countered with a far different request - a sentence of time served and probation, claiming that their client was guilty of 'an error made in good faith.'

Last week prosecutors insisted Chauvin should not get a new trial for murdering Floyd after claiming his original hearing was fair and impartial.

They set out their arguments for keeping the April verdict intact in a court document filed Wednesday, claiming Chauvin's attorney Eric Nelson's calls for a second trial were without merit.

George Floyd was seen in a video pleading that he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck

The court was shown these photos of the injuries Floyd sustained as he was pinned to the ground on May 25

Prosecutors repeatedly referenced this timeline of Floyd's fatal arrest during the trial and showed it during the trial

The document continued: 'This Court has rejected many of these arguments before, and there is no reason for a different result now. Defendants scattershot and unavailing attempts to overturn his conviction should be denied.

It continued: 'Defendant was unanimously convicted on all three counts based on evidence of his overwhelming guilt. He now seeks to escape his lawful conviction by any means.' The argument was presented to Judge Peter Cahill - who presided over Chauvin's original trial at Hennepin Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It is unclear when he will rule on whether or not Chauvin should get a new trial.

The state's document came in response to defense requests to grant Chauvin a new trial and to hold a hearing to question jurors about alleged misconduct. Among other things, defense attorney Eric Nelson said intense pretrial publicity, alleged prosecutorial misconduct and some decisions by the court made it impossible for Chauvin to get a fair trial.

Chauvin was being held at Oak Park Heights the last eight weeks as he awaited sentencing.

The prison, the state's only maximum-security facility, built in 1982 and with a capacity for 473 male inmates, could be where Chauvin serves his sentence.

It is generally considered well run and comparatively secure, with only one murder within the walls in its almost 40 year history, and no one ever escaping.

Jordan and Royal Pacheco take a picture of their grandmother Evelyn at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, ahead of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's sentencing

Protesters march during a rally on June 25 after the sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis policeman found guilty of killing George Floyd on May 25, 2020

People hold signs while they participate in a Black Lives Matter protest near The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors building on the first anniversary of George Floyd's murder on May 25 in Los Angeles, California

There was an intense reaction from crowds in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday who held placards and waving flags during a brief rally following Chauvin's sentencing

Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 and a half years in prison, going 10 years beyond what was called for in sentencing guidelines. Pictured: Protesters march in Minneapolis on Friday after Chauvin's sentencing

Although Chauvin's sentence went 10 years beyond what was called for in sentencing guidelines, it was well below the 40 years maximum possible under the law. Pictured: Protesters march during a brief rally after the sentencing of Chauvin

Ahead of the sentencing, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison told 60 Minutes that despite his feelings of 'gratitude' and 'satisfaction' at seeing Chauvin convicted, he also felt sympathy for the cop.

'I spent 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer. So, I will admit, I felt a little bad for the defendant. I think he deserved to be convicted. But he's a human being,' Ellison told Scott Pelley.

'I'm not in any way wavering from my responsibility. But I hope we never forget that people who are defendants in our criminal justice system, that they're human beings. They're people. I mean, George Floyd was a human being. And so I'm not going to ever forget that everybody in this process is a person,' the AG added.

Asked whether the judge should give the maximum sentence and send a 'message,' AG Ellison told CBS: 'I think it is important for the Court to not go light or heavy. I don't know if it's right for a judge to send a message through a sentence because the sentence should be tailored to the offense, tailored to the circumstances of the case.

'Look, the State never wanted revenge against Derek Chauvin. We just wanted accountability.'

The lawyer added that, despite the shocking video which was beamed around the world, he was never certain that Chauvin would be found guilty.

'I was never convinced we were going to win this case until we heard the verdict of guilty. I remember what happened in the Rodney King case when I was a pretty young man, young lawyer,' Ellison said.

Chauvin addresses Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis on April 15

Chauvin was led out of the court in handcuffs after the verdict came down on April 20

Protesters hold placards as they march during a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday after the sentencing of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis policeman found guilty of killing George Floyd on May 25, 2020

Crowds of demonstrators marched in central Minneapolis on Friday after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison

Crowds react after waiting for the much-anticipated sentencing of outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Friday

Reverend Al Sharpton, surrounded by relatives of George Floyd, who was killed on May 25, 2020, talks to the media after the sentence on former police officer Derek Chauvin

The centerpiece of the case was the excruciating bystander video of Floyd gasping repeatedly, 'I cant breathe' and onlookers yelling at Chauvin to stop as the officer pressed his knee on or close to Floyds neck for what authorities say was 9 1/2 minutes, including several minutes after Floyd's breathing had stopped and he had no pulse.

Prosecutors played the footage at the earliest opportunity, during opening statements, and told the jury: 'Believe your eyes.' From there it was shown over and over, analyzed one frame at a time by witnesses on both sides.

In the wake of Floyds death, demonstrations and scattered violence broke out in Minneapolis, around the country and beyond. The furor also led to the removal of Confederate statues and other offensive symbols such as Aunt Jemima.

In the months that followed, numerous states and cities restricted the use of force by police, revamped disciplinary systems or subjected police departments to closer oversight.

The 'Blue Wall of Silence' that often protects police accused of wrongdoing crumbled after Floyds death. The Minneapolis police chief quickly called it 'murder' and fired all four officers, and the city reached a staggering $27 million settlement with Floyds family as jury selection was underway.

Police-procedure experts and law enforcement veterans inside and outside the Minneapolis department, including the chief, testified for the prosecution that Chauvin used excessive force and went against his training.

Medical experts for the prosecution said Floyd died of asphyxia, or lack of oxygen, because his breathing was constricted by the way he was held down on his stomach, his hands cuffed behind him, a knee on his neck and his face jammed against the ground.

Chauvin's attorney called a police use-of-force expert and a forensic pathologist to try to make the case that Chauvin acted reasonably against a struggling suspect and that Floyd died because of a heart condition and his illegal drug use. Floyd had high blood pressure and narrowed arteries, and fentanyl and methamphetamine were found in his system.

Under the law, police have certain leeway to use force and are judged according to whether their actions were 'reasonable' under the circumstances.

People cheer outside the Cup Foods where Floyd died after Chauvin was found guilty in April

Protests were sparked (pictured on June 14, 2020 in Richmond) after Chauvin was captured on video kneeling on the neck of 46-year-old Floyd - suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill - for more than nine minutes until he passed out and died

A Black Lives Matter-sponsored protest marches down Wisconsin Avenue in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington DC on June 4, 2020, amid protests in DC over the death of George Floyd

Community activist Donald Hooker Jr. chants on the microphone as protesters, demanding justice for George Floyd, gather in front of the Hennepin County Government Center while Chauvin's trial was ongoing on April 9

People participate in a Black Lives Matter protest near The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors building on the first anniversary of George Floyd's murder on May 25

A small group of protesters marche after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd

Donald Hooker Jr. leads a chant while people celebrate the sentencing of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The defense also tried to make the case that Chauvin and the other officers were hindered in their duties by what they perceived as a growing, hostile crowd.

Chauvin did not testify, and all that the jury or the public ever heard by way of an explanation from him came from a police body-camera video after an ambulance had taken the 6-foot-4, 223-pound Floyd away. Chauvin told a bystander: 'We gotta control this guy cause hes a sizable guy ... and it looks like hes probably on something.'

The prosecutions case also included tearful testimony from onlookers who said the police kept them back when they protested what was happening.

Eighteen-year-old Darnella Frazier, who shot the crucial video, said Chauvin gave the bystanders a 'cold' and 'heartless' stare. She and others said they felt a sense of helplessness and lingering guilt from witnessing Floyds slow-motion death.

'Its been nights I stayed up, apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more, and not physically interacting and not saving his life,' she testified.
Just one family car trip to the country could cost Sydneysiders $55,000 in fines and six months in jail if they're caught by police, New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard warned on Saturday.

The city 's five million residents have been ordered into a two week lockdown from 6pm on Saturday and the government stressed there will be no second chances for anyone caught breaching the strict new rules.

'I want the community to understand to take it seriously,' said Mr Hazzard.

'Because if the police officer detects that you're there, and there's say five people in the car, that's potentially if he decides that you're going to go to court  $11,000 times five is a maximum fine of $55,000.

Just one car trip to the country could costs Sydneysiders $55,000 in fines and six months in jail if they're caught by police, New South Wales health minister Brad Hazzard (pictured) warned on Saturday

'Each of the individuals could end up in court, and if the court considers it appropriate, having a 6-month jail sentence. So take it very, very seriously.'

Residents of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will only be able to leave home for essential purposes from 6pm on Saturday.

Those reasons include work, to shop for essential items, to seek medical care, or for caregiving or compassionate reasons.

Anyone in NSW who has been to Greater Sydney since June 21 is also being asked to stay at home for the entire lockdown period.

Exercise outdoors is allowed in groups of up to 10, and COVID-safe funerals can proceed with up to 100 people.

Exercise outdoors (like this scene pictured on Saturday in Rushcutters Bay in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs) is allowed in groups of up to 10, and COVID-safe funerals can proceed with up to 100 people

Weddings are allowed to go ahead on Saturday and Sunday with restrictions in place, but must be cancelled from Monday onwards.

Not wearing a mask where mandatory without reason risks a $200 fine and other breaches of health orders incur a $1000 penalty.

Highway patrol officers will also be stopping cars and checking licences to ensure people aren't breaching travel restrictions over the school holidays.

The health minister also warned against anyone trying to find a loophole in the regulation to exploit.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said there would be no more warnings for anyone breaking the rules, with 14 on-the-spot fines already handed out. Police officers are pictured here patrolling Sydney's Rushcutters Bay on Saturday

'When you do that, you might feel self-satisfied for a moment or two, possibly even for longer, but you won't feel as satisfied if you spread the virus, so please do not do that,' he said.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said there would be no more warnings for anyone breaking the rules, with 14 on-the-spot fines already handed out.

'Police will be enforcing the new public health orders like we have throughout this pandemic,' he said.

'While officers will continue to adopt a fair approach and use discretion, the time for cautions is over.

'In the last 24 hours we have issued another seven people with Penalty Infringement Notices for not wearing masks, which means we've now issued 14 since the new public health orders were put in place.'

Not wearing a mask where mandatory without reason risks a $200 fine and breaches of health orders incur a $1000 penalty

With covid cases in the latest outbreak now up to 80, Sydneysiders hoping to make a break for the bush were also put on notice.

'Officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command are continuing to patrol roads on the outskirts of the Greater Sydney area and will be handing out tickets to those who aren't meant to be there,' said Commissioner Fuller.

'If you leave your home in the Greater Sydney area, you can also expect to see officers patrolling public places and public transport hubs. They are there to keep you safe.

'I would like to appeal to the community to continue to work with police, not against us, as we enforce these rules.'

He added: 'The Premier has now announced updated lockdown arrangements for Greater Sydney.

Residents of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong can only be able to leave home for essential purposes, including work, to shop for essential items, to seek medical care, or for caregiving or compassionate reasons. Pictured here are residents in Coogee making the most of their last moments of freedom before the lockdown came into effect

'She has made it clear  we are dealing with a very dangerous strain of the virus, and this outbreak may represent the biggest challenge the pandemic has thrown at us so far.

'My ideal situation would be no more PINs to announce tomorrow, because everyone had obeyed the orders and stayed at home.'

The health minister also warned that police would be using the latest technology including tracking rego plates to enforce the latest health orders.

'Police have been tasked to be on the lookout for any vehicles that may have come from the Greater Sydney area,' said Mr Hazzard.

With Covid cases in the latest outbreak now up to 80, Sydneysiders hoping to make a break for the bush were also put on notice. Seen here are police patrolling Rushcutters Bay on Saturday

'And I remind you that they have all sorts of technology these days, including recognition of number plates.

'I also remind the community that the regional communities are very aware when they see someone from out of town arrive - and theyll make sure that the police know.'
The Patient Zero limo driver blamed for sparking the current Sydney Covid lockdown has been cleared by New South Wales Police after an investigation.

Police launched a probe after it was revealed the driver from Bondi had refused the AstraZeneca vaccine because of a family history of blood clots and had not been tested daily.

But he insisted he was wearing a mask at all times while working as a driver transporting air crew from the airport to hotels.

On Friday, NSW Police confirmed they were investigating whether any Covid regulations had been breached by the driver or the company he worked for.

The Sydney Airport driver (pictured) broke his silence to insist he is not the Patient Zero that caused the new flare-up

Health orders require those working around the hotel quarantine system to be tested for the virus daily, and the driver admitted he had not been tested on his days off.

His infection was caught when testing resumed when he returned to work - but he had already been out in the community for several days before getting the positive test result.

On Saturday, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller revealed the investigation had now been dropped through a lack of evidence.

'Yesterday I advised we had sent the case for urgent external legal advice due to the significance of this outbreak and the community concern,' he said.

The limo driver at the centre of the latest Sydney Covid outbreak fears for his life after he was blamed for sparking the current cluster clampdown gripping the city (pictured, a woman runs around an eerily quiet Circular Quay on Thursday)

'I can now confirm we have received advice that there is insufficient evidence to establish that either the limousine driver or his employer breached any public health orders.'

On Nine's A Current Affair on Thursday evening, the driver said he feared for his life after he was blamed for sparking the current outbreak.

The Sydney Airport driver insisted he was not the 'patient zero' who caused the new flare-up - instead claiming he caught the virus at his local cafe.

His claim was dismissed on Saturday by NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant, who said their investigations had found no evidence to support his story.

The unnamed driver is currently in isolation as he fights his Covid infection and was too ill and too scared of the public backlash to show his face on TV to defend himself.

The driver told ACA reporter, Lauren Golman (pictured) that he is very scared and concerned about the growing public backlash

'He tells me he has a family history of blood clots and he didn't feel comfortable getting the vaccine,' ACA reporter Laura Golman told host Tracey Grimshaw on Thursday evening.

'He says he has been working with his doctor, they talk regularly, they tried to come up with a plan but at this stage he is too afraid to have the AstraZeneca vaccine.'

Although the driver was in an apparently high-risk occupation on the frontline with international workers, vaccination was not mandatory, but strongly recommended.

There was no explanation why he hadn't been vaccinated with the Pfizer jab instead, but Golman stressed the driver was not an anti-vaxxer.

Golman added: 'He has not received any kind of pressure or encouragement to have the vaccine. I'm not sure if he has had conversations with his employer.'

The unnamed driver (pictured) is currently in isolation as he fights his Covid infection and was too ill and too scared of the public backlash to show his face on TV to defend himself

The infected limo driver believed to be 'patient zero' claims vividly remembered another customer in his 30s sat near to him at the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse (pictured) on June 12 who was violently coughing and sneezing

Despite his daily close contact with flights crews, the driver believes he was actually infected with the deadly Delta Covid variant by a customer at his regular coffee stop, Belle Cafe in Vaucluse in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

He told the show he vividly remembered another customer in his 30s sat near to him at the cafe on June 12 who was violently coughing and sneezing.

The cafe become an exposure site at the start of the outbreak, with an elderly customer catching the virus there from an infected person.

An emotional Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) said she was as 'upset and frustrated' as anyone that the 'patient zero limo driver' who seemingly triggered the outbreak was working without being vaccinated or wearing a mask

The unnamed driver, from Bondi, admits he refused the Astra Zeneca vaccine because of a family history of blood clots.

Golman said he had not been given daily Covid tests on his days off and his infection was only picked up when he returned to work and testing resumed.

By then though, he had seemingly been spreading the disease around the community for days.

Until this point, he insists he had been following all the rules and regulations.

'He claims he was wearing a mask, he was wearing gloves,' said Golman. 'He has been doing so since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year.

'He says he sanitises his car in between passengers. He wants to look after his own family - he has a wife and daughters and three grandchildren.

'He wants to keep everyone safe, not to mention the wider community.'

Despite his daily close contact with flights crews, the driver believes he was actually infected with the deadly Delta covid variant by a customer at his regular coffee stop (pictured, masked customers leaving a Circular Quay ferry on Thursday)

His comments come amid growing fears that private drivers hired to ferry airport crew around Sydney have become dangerous 'viral bombs'.

Drivers hired by Transport for NSW are obliged to wear masks and gloves, have their vehicle deep cleaned before every trip and are banned from touching passenger's luggace.

But one driver told The Daily Telegraph no such rules are followed by private hire vehicles used to carry the foreign airline crews to and from hotels.

'We park next to the aircrew transport vehicles and see them go out and come back with no cleaning,' he said.

'They're loading luggage  I'm not even allowed to touch a bag, we have the ADF to do that.

'I'm not blaming the drivers, someone's letting them down.'
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The family of two Australians are praying for a 'miracle' for survivors after the Florida apartment building they were living in collapsed 48 hours ago, officially claiming four lives and with 159 people still missing.

Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth, members of the Jewish community from Melbourne, were understood to be in the 12-storey building in the Miami community of Surfside which gave way while residents were asleep - with the rubble currently being combed by rescuers.

'The building they were living in collapsed last night. They have not been retrieved from the rubble. Please pray. We are believers, the sons of believers. We need a miracle,' niece Dina Feiglin White, also from Melbourne wrote on Facebook on Friday morning.

Firefighters spayed the rubble of the Champlain Towers South Condo (pictured) on Friday where small fires and smoldering rubble still could be seen

Tzvi (pictured far left) and Itty (pictured far right) Ainsworth, members of the Jewish community from Melbourne, lived in an apartment on the 11th floor of the building

Israel based musician Chanale Fellig-Harrel, another niece, said on Instagram on Friday night they still had not heard any news about the couple.

'It's a very difficult time for the Ainsworths and the Felligs and my parents and my aunts and uncles, all of us ... all of our hearts are bleeding,' she said.

Family friend Joseph Waks, another Australian who has lived in Surfside for more than a decade, said the family was still holding out hope the Ainsworth, who had an apartment on the 11th floor, would be found alive.

'We're just short of 48 hours, so time's running against us,' he told The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday morning AEST.

He explained a reunification centre had been established in a nearby hotel building where rescue crews can recuperate and families can wait.

'I've never seen anything like this before I was standing there yesterday, people were literally coming out with pots and pans and things that they were making to bring to the rescue workers,' he said.

Members of the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue team look for possible survivors in the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building

Rescue crew respond at the site after a partial building collapse in Surfside near Miami Beach, Florida

'We're hoping for the best, we're hoping there'll be a miracle,' he told the ABC.

He said the couple was originally from Sydney but later moved to Melbourne and divided their time between Australia and Miami, where they have family.

'They have been in and out of this community for many, many years,' he said.

'It's devastating. They both became grandparents yet again a few hours before the tragedy. We still cannot believe it.'

Danny Rivero, a reporter from National Public Radio in South Florida, tweeted on Friday: 'We've been told many Argentinians and Australians were in the building as well, and that all are unaccounted for. This is an international disaster.'

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of reports Australians may have been caught up in the disaster at the Champlain Tower South Condominium.

'The Australian embassy in Washington is closely monitoring developments and making urgent enquiries to determine if any Australians were affected,' it said.

Surfside is a community of 5700 residents with a large Jewish presence.

The Australian Jewish Association has been in contact with a committee member who is in Miami, staying near the collapsed building.

There are no confirmed reports yet of any Australian Jews being caught up in the disaster, a spokesman for the association told AAP.

Police officers stand guard surrounded by smoke from a partially collapsed building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach

A man hangs a photo on a fence of someone missing near the site of an oceanfront condo building that partially collapsed in Surfside

Miami-Dade Police Officer Barbara Jenkins, right, comforts a woman who is trying to get closer to the site of the Champlain Towers South Condo after the building collapsed

One story of hope has emerged from the tragedy with a young boy found alive in the wreckage.

Nicholas Balboa was walking his dog on the beach when he heard the rumbling he thought was thunder, he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday. Sensing something was wrong, he dropped off his dog and hurried back outside.

Residents were flooding the streets and pointing at a gaping hole and dust cloud where a seaside condominium tower had collapsed. Fire and rescue crews had not yet arrived, and it was eerily quiet on the back side of the building. As he began to take photos of the wreckage, he heard what sounded like a child's voice.

Balboa, 31, climbed through a pile of glass and rebar in his flip-flops, desperate to get closer.

'Keep yelling so I can follow your voice,' Balboa said. He soon saw a hand waving from the rubble.

The boy, Jonah Handler, said he and his mother, Stacie Fang, were the only ones in the condo that had imploded when part of the building went down. He kept asking about his mom. Balboa and a stranger tried desperately to clear away the rubble surrounding Jonah but it was too heavy. It looked like a wall or support beam, Balboa said.

'I'll be right back. I'm going to get help,' Balboa said, trying to comfort the boy.

'Please don't leave me, please don't leave me,' the boy cried.

'He was absolutely terrified. The sheer terror in his voice, that fact that his mother, that he cant find her,' said Balboa, who was in town from Arizona visiting his father.

A dog of the search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside

Ms Fang's family released a statement paying tribute to her on Friday afternoon saying: 'There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie'

Asked about his condition, Lisa Mozloom, a friend of the family told the AP, 'He will be fine. Hes a miracle.' Mozloom said Jonah had been taken to the hospital at one point but said he was 'stable.'

Authorities have said at least four people died in the building collapse, and with 159 still unaccounted for they fear the death toll will rise sharply. They have not publicly released the identities of the deceased, but Mozloom confirmed Fang's death.

'There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie,' members of her family said in a statement that Mozloom released on their behalf.

Aided by dogs, cameras, sonar and heavy equipment, rescuers are searching for any spaces that may have formed in the debris, leaving any possible survivors air to breathe.

'We have hope because that's what our search-and-rescue team tells us, that they have hope,' Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference on Friday.

Rescue workers look for possible survivors among the debris of a partially collapsed building in Surfside

A couple embraces as they look at the debris of a partially collapsed building in Surfside while 159 people remain unaccounted for on Friday

Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky told reporters that rescue operations would continue throughout the night.

While local officials provided aid and comfort to the families, such as hotel rooms and food, search-and-rescue specialists worked the disaster site on a rotation, with a limited number allowed at any one time to prevent further collapse, Levine Cava said.

Teams from Mexico and Israel arrived to help relieve the locally based crews, many of whom have also traveled to disaster sites around the world.

Atop the pile, some wielded hammers and picks looking for signs of life. Heavy equipment scraped away the top layer.

Below ground, rescuers who entered through the parking garage risked their own lives searching for survivors, occasionally being hit by falling debris, officials said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue chief Andy Alvarez recalled that his team once pulled a girl out of earthquake debris in Haiti eight days into the rescue effort.

'You gotta have hope. We're doing everything we can to bring your family member out alive,' Alvarez told the loved ones of the missing on CNN, pausing as he was overcome with emotion.
A man and two women have been nabbed in a karaoke bar in outback South Australia after breaking border restrictions by flying in on a light plane from regional New South Wales.

SA Police said they were notified on Friday that the private plane, a Cessna with a pilot and two passengers, attempted to land in the Northern Territory on Friday, but was denied entry.

They allege the plane departed Griffith, in NSW's Riverina region, on Thursday and first landed in Coober Pedy against cross-border directions.

The trio shared a photo on the runway in the NSW Hunter Valley region on Wednesday (pictured)

They allegedly flew to the outback town of Coober Pedy and then tried to fly to the Northern Territory but were denied access

'The group then attempted to enter the Northern Territory on Friday but were denied and returned to Coober Pedy, again in breach of cross border directions,' police said in a statement in Saturday.

'Coober Pedy Police were tasked to locate the travellers and identify where they had been to assess the risk posed to our vulnerable outback communities.'

Officers tracked them down to a local karaoke bar just after midnight.

The trio - a 27-year-old man and two women, aged 21 and 39 - were charged with failing to comply with the Emergency Management Act.

The group posted photos and videos to social media detailing their alleged border-busting trip which one described as an 'absolute dream'.

The man and two women (pictured) in their 20s and 30s were charged with failing to comply with an Emergency Management Act

The trio pose for a photo in the Cessna (pictured)

One post showed a video of Uluru filmed from the air as they flew over central Australia.

Another post showed the three next to their light plane before take-off in NSW's Hunter Valley on Wednesday.

They also visited Broken Hill on their way to the Northern Territory.

They were refused police bail and will appear in the Magistrates Court on Monday.

South Australia has reported two new cases of Covid - a woman in her 30s and another woman in her 40s.

SA Health said both women acquired their infections overseas and have been in medi-hotels since their arrival.

South Australia closed their border to NSW - except for an area within 100km of the border - this week in response to a Covid cluster emerging in Sydney's eastern suburbs in mid-June which sits at more than 60 cases.
Doctors are warning that increasing numbers of Covid patients are needing oxygen and intensive care compared to just a fortnight ago.

The latest government data on hospitalisations indicates a steady incremental rise in the number of Covid patients being taken to medical institutions in recent weeks.

Although numbers remain relatively low in comparison to the previous peaks, where more than 4,500 people were being admitted to hospital, doctors have shared worrying news that those coming in for treatment are sicker than before.

And leading medical figures have warned of the 'implications' of hospitals seeing greater numbers of patients who are coming down with more severe bouts of Covid that require oxygen and intensive care treatment.

Experts are warning that UK patients coming into hospital with Covid are requiring more oxygen and intensive care treatment [File picture]

The Department of Health said another 15,810 cases had been recorded across the UK in the past 24 hours, which was up 50.9 per cent on the number last Friday

There were also another 18 deaths registered yesterday, an increase of 63 per cent compared to a week ago. The average number of people dying each day with the disease has been nudged up to 16 this week after stagnating for more than a month

Although the latest figures indicate hospitalisations are steadily creeping up, the UK's strong vaccine roll-out has kept deaths extremely low in comparison to earlier waves of the virus.

The most recently available government data from June 21 showed 224 daily Covid hospitalisations in the UK, with a weekly rise of more than 13 per cent.

PHE said cases of the Indian variant, which is around 80 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant Kent strain, rose 46 per cent in a week across the UK with 35,204 more infections spotted.

PHE SPOTS NEW PERU VARIANT IN SIX BRITS PHE warned it had spotted another new Covid variant that emerged in Peru and has infected at least six Britons. The 'Lambda' strain, as it's been named by the World Health Organization, has been designated a 'Variant Under Investigation' while PHE work out how infectious, deadly or vaccine-resistant it is. The six cases of Lambda have been linked to overseas travel. They were detected between 23 February and 7 June. It has two concerning mutations on its spike protein - known as L452Q and F490S - which are feared play a role in making it more infectious and able to dodge some immunity. The World Health Organisation classified Lambda as a Variant of Interest on 14 June but has not yet upgraded it to Variant of Concern status. The earliest documented sample was reported in Peru and Lambda has been sequenced in 26 countries to date. PHE said: 'All appropriate public health interventions will be undertaken, including additional contact tracing and targeted testing. 'Where cases have been identified, additional follow-up of cases, testing of contacts and if required targeted case finding will be deployed to limit its spread.' Advertisement

Nick Scriven, previous president of the Society for Acute Medicine, told the Times: 'Unlike a couple of weeks ago patients are sicker, needing oxygen and some needing ICU, which is concerning.'

'Any number of Covid positive people will have implications as hospitals will need to ensure they are "infection control safe", which in practice will mean cohorting in ward areas that then cannot be used for non-Covid people.'

Patients are at a higher risk of being hospitalised with the mutant 'Delta' variant if they had only been given one vaccine dose, highlighting the importance of two.

In more promising news, data revealed yesterday showed that no-one under the age of 50 and fully vaccinated has died from the Indian Covid variant in England.

Public Health England's report also showed that just 3 per cent of people in that age group who caught the strain and were admitted to hospital by June 21 were double-jabbed.

Commenting on the news, Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency said: 'Through the success of our vaccination programme, data suggest we have begun to break the link between cases and hospitalisations.

'This is hugely encouraging news, but we cannot become complacent. Two doses of vaccine are far more effective against Covid than a single dose, so please make sure that you come forward to get your second dose as soon as you are invited.

'Whilst vaccines provide excellent protection, they do not provide total protection, so it is still as important as ever that we continue to exercise caution.

In total, there have been 111,157 cases across the UK - with 102,019 of these in England, 7,738 in Scotland, 788 in Wales and 612 in Northern Ireland.

In total, there have been 117 deaths in England caused by the Indian strain, and only eight were victims under the age of 50. Six were among vaccinated patients and two were in people who'd had their first dosage.

The report showed that, since the variant was the first discovered in April, the most cases have been found in Bolton in Greater Manchester, where 5,017 positive tests had been linked to the strain by June 21

The Indian variant was also confirmed to have caused 1,320 hospitalisations as of June 21  902 of which were in under 50s.

The Mail understands ministers are on track to lift restrictions on July 19 as health officials say the data is 'very, very positive'.

Although hopes of Freedom Day being brought forward to July 5 are set to be dashed on Monday, there is growing optimism about the figures and the fact there has been no measurable rise in hospital admissions, despite a sustained increase in infections.

It comes as six cases of a variant first discovered in Peru  the Lambda variant  have been identified in the UK, although health officials are not worried at this stage due to the low number of cases here and around the world.
Tourism bosses in the Canary Islands have reportedly been told that double-jabbed Britons will be allowed to visit from July 15 without facing quarantine restrictions.

It comes as Boris Johnson will attempt to persuade Angela Merkel to allow Britons to visit EU countries this summer, as uncertainty over foreign trips continues.

The Prime Minister will meet the German chancellor at Chequers on Friday to discuss her hopes to introduce an EU-wide quarantine policy to protect against the 'Delta' variant which has taken hold in the UK.

She has been met with various levels of support, with French President Emmanuel Macron backing her plans - while Madrid is adamant that it will set its own border policy.

Tourism insiders in Gran Canaria today claimed they have been told some British holidaymakers will be able to visit without quarantine on their return from mid-July.

Hundreds of people dance during a pilot test of nightlife at the Hard Rock Ibiza, on June 25, 2021 in Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain

Spain was yesterday preparing for the return of British tourists, with the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza (above) hosting a pilot test event with nearly 1,500 attendees

Women make a toast as they sit around a table during the 'Rita's Night' event at Autocines Madrid on Friday

All those involved were required to present a negative PCR test performed 72 hours prior, or confirm whether they are vaccinated

If confirmed, this could mean Spain will open up to fully-vaccinated Britons earlier than August, as initial reports suggested.

Jose Maria Manaricua, for the Federation of Entrepreneurs and Hoteliers of Las Palmas, said he was given the July 15 date by 'sources close to the British government' and is expecting confirmation in the coming days.

He added: 'The good news for the tourism sector and for the Canary Islands is that from July 15 it appears the British government is not going to force people to quarantine when they come to a destination like the Canary Islands.

'It means we can look forward to receiving British tourists from July 15 who will not have to self-isolate when they return. It's great news for the Canary Islands.'

Spain was yesterday preparing for the return of British tourists, with the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza hosting a pilot test event with nearly 1,500 attendees.

Elsewhere, in Madrid, people gathered in outdoor areas of clubs to drink and dance with their friends, which was previously banned under the country's Covid restrictions.

Others queued to enter bars last night, the first Friday that clubs were permitted to remain open until 3am with 50 per cent capacity and outdoor-only dancing.

Spain also yesterday celebrated the end of the mandatory use of face masks, with young people seen throwing them into the air in Puerta del Sol square, Madrid.

The 'Children of the 80s' event in Ibiza was arranged ahead of the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza and Mallorca, being formally added to the 'green list' on Wednesday.

Photographs from the pilot - which took place from 7pm to midnight - show dozens of partygoers wearing face masks as they dance.

Elsewhere, in Madrid (above), people gathered in outdoor areas of clubs to drink and dance with their friends, which was previously banned under the country's Covid restrictions

Others queued to enter bars on Friday, the first night that clubs were permitted to remain open until 3am with a 50 per cent capacity and dancing outside. Pictured: Madrid

Several tables of attendees inside a venue during the first weekend in which nightlife establishments are allowed to open until 3am in Madrid, Spain

The 'Children of the 80s' event in Ibiza was arranged ahead of the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza and Mallorca, being formally added to the 'green list' on Wednesday

A couple sits inside a restaurant in Madrid, Spain, in the early hours of Saturday morning

All those involved were required to present a negative PCR test performed 72 hours prior, or confirm whether they are vaccinated.

Industry leaders in the area have suggested that Ibiza's clubs could reopen fully as early as July 17 should the pilot project be successful.

Some 2,000 people were initially due to attend, but the number was reduced.

Ocio de Ibiza manager Jose Luis Benitez said: 'The pilot project is designed to show that nightlife activity can be resumed with the application of preventive measures.

'It's a priority to demonstrate that an entertainment venue offers more health guarantees than a clandestine party without any safety controls.

'We must prepare for the return of activity to put a brake on uncontrolled nightlife.'

Various disputes have emerged in the EU over summer holiday plans, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisting Germany and France should bolster their vaccination efforts rather than ban tourists.

He said EU member states should be 'accelerating the vaccinations' rather than imposing further restrictions on British holidaymakers.

Industry leaders in Ibiza (above) have suggested that clubs could reopen fully as early as July 17 should the pilot project be successful

People make a toast as they sit around a table during the 'Rita's Night' event at Autocines Madrid on Friday

Rita's Night reopened their dance floor on June 25, after Madrid's health measures allowed dancing outdoor at nightclubs

Boris Johnson will attempt to persuade Angela Merkel (seen together at the G7 summit in Cornwall) to allow British tourists to visit EU countries this summer, as uncertainty over foreign trips continues

Spain's tourism minister, Maria Reyes Maroto, also hinted at a split within the bloc on Mrs Merkel's proposals, saying: 'Hopefully we can begin to receive British tourists soon.

'We don't have any restrictions on tourists from the UK at the moment. They're placing restrictions on people when they return.'

This EU infighting could threaten the long-awaited return of summer holidays for millions of eager Britons, after the Balearic Islands, Madeira and Malta were among the destinations added to the UK's 'green list' on Thursday.

Travel firms have since reported an explosion in demand for these holiday hotspots, with airlines scrambling to lay on dozens of extra flights and larger planes to meet demand.

Visitors and tourists are seen walking in the city downtown wearing face masks in Lisbon, Portugal on Friday

Further disputes have emerged elsewhere in the EU over summer holidays, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisting Germany and France instead bolster their vaccination efforts

Bookings for Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca surged 3,000 per cent following the announcement, with demand for Malta and Madeira up by almost 1,500 per cent.

A total of 16 nations were added to the 'green list', with all but one - Malta - also placed on a 'watch list', meaning they are at risk of returning to the 'amber' category.

From June 30, holidaymakers will be able to return from these 'green list' countries without being forced into quarantine for 10 days when arriving back in the UK.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, yesterday criticised Mrs Merkel over her quarantine plans and suggested it was due to the bloc's blow vaccine rollout.

He said he understood why Germany might be 'particularly concerned' about the 'Delta' variant because it 'doesn't have the same level of vaccinations as has happened in this country'.

Merkel has been met with various levels of support, with French President Emmanuel Macron backing her plans - while Madrid is adamant that it will set its own border policy

Pictured: Pretty Bay at Birzebbuga, Malta - which was been added to the 'green list'

The Balearic islands - Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca - along with Madeira, Grenada, Barbados (pictured), and Bermuda have all been downgraded from 'amber' to 'green'

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Shapps added: 'I think it is understandable if you are in Germany.. and you have yet to reach the level of vaccination that we have seen here or in Malta, that you're going to be more concerned.

'That may be just a question of waiting for their vaccination programme.'

The Transport Secretary also insisted he doesn't believe there will be an EU-wide policy, telling Times Radio: 'Malta clearly is not going to restrict British travellers because Malta has very high vaccination rates.'

IN FULL: The UK's new travel green list All changes will come into effect from Wednesday, June 30 at 4am: Anguila

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

Balearic Islands

Barbados

Bermuda

British Antarctic Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory

British Virgin Islands

Brunei

Cayman Islands

Dominica

Falkland Islands

Faroe Islands

Gibraltar

Grenada

Iceland

Israel and Jerusalem - to be moved to the Green Watch List

Madeira

Malta

Montserrat

New Zealand

Pitcairn Islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Singapore

Turks and Caicos Islands The UK Government will move the following countries to the red list from June 30: Dominican Republic

Eritrea

Haiti

Mongolia

Tunisia

Uganda Advertisement

Malta later announced plans to reimpose quarantine rules on unvaccinated Britons from Wednesday.

Downing Street yesterday announced that Mrs Merkel, who is due to step down as Chancellor this year, will visit the UK for talks with Mr Johnson at Chequers on July 2.

A Number 10 spokesman said: 'This will be a chance to discuss a range of issues, including deepening the UK-Germany relationship and the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.'

Mrs Merkel's quarantine plans risk scuppering the Government's proposals to lift self-isolation requirements for double-jabbed Brits returning from amber list countries.

Much of Europe is on the 'amber list' and UK holidaymakers are unlikely to book a trip to the Continent if they face a lengthy stay in self-isolation upon their arrival.

The exact date for the easing of the 'amber list' rules for people who are fully vaccinated is yet to be set but August appears likely.

Told that Mrs Merkel wants all EU member states to impose quarantine rules on British travellers, Mr Shapps told Sky News: 'I understand that. Germany doesn't have the same level of vaccinations as has happened in this country so they will be particularly concerned.

'Each country will have to come to their own decision. A country like Malta which has a very high level of vaccination hasn't said the same thing and other European countries will come to their own decisions and I respect that, that is for them to do.

'But it is different in each country and largely driven by levels of vaccination that they have managed to achieve in each country.'

Mrs Merkel said yesterday: 'We have not yet managed to ensure that all 27 member states have the same entry requirements for people arriving from virus variant areas, in this case Great Britain, but in other countries also.

'With us you have to be in quarantine when you come from the UK. This is by no means the case in every European country. But I would like that.'

Macron has signalled his support for Mrs Merkel's proposals.

He said: 'We must all be vigilant because the much-talked-about Delta variant is coming, which spreads much more rapidly than the other variants and affects people who are not vaccinated or who only have had one dose.

'For me, one of the issues of discussion is to be really taking co-ordinated decisions in terms of opening of borders to third countries and on recognising vaccines because at this stage we have to limit this to the vaccines that have been approved by the European medical authority.'

Mallorca (pictured: Beach El Arenal) is one of the top holiday hotspots to be put on the UK's green travel list on Thursday by Grant Shapps

Jet2 announces 70 extra flights to Malta and Madeira after green list announcement British package holiday firm Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have announced plans to put on 70 additional flights to Malta and Madeira in anticipation for a huge spike in demand in the wake of the Government's latest travel announcement. Bosses of the holiday firm say the move will result in 'thousands of extra seats on sale in July and August'. The plans also include adding a new route to Malta from London Stansted for Summer 21. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: 'We have been urging the UK Government to stay true to their word and follow the scientific evidence when it comes to making decisions about international travel, so today's announcement is an overdue but welcome step in the right direction. 'We believe other destinations should still be added to the Green List, however what this demonstrates is that the Government is firmly committed to reopening international travel and we commend that approach. 'This is fantastic news for our customers who want nothing more than to get away for a much-needed holiday. 'Now that we have some clarity about where we can fly to, our focus is on getting everything ready for the restart of our international flights and holidays from July 1.' In relation to Turkey, a popular holiday destination that remains on the UK's red, Jet2 said it plans to restart flights from July 22 - a decision taken before today's announcement. And on the amber list announcement, Mr Heapy said: 'We welcome recent news reports about vaccinated people being able to travel to Amber List destinations without having to quarantine and we look forward to further updates on this. 'The vaccination programme has been a huge success, so it is time for us all to enjoy the benefits of that.' Advertisement

Jose Ramon Bauza, the former president of the Balearic Islands, which are being added to the green list from next week, said decisions on border rules must be 'based on science' and should not be 'political'.

Asked if he believes Spain will have to agree to a harmonised approach to quarantine rules if that is what is decided by the EU, he said: 'We know that vaccination is working very well and in fact in (the) UK it's working so far.'

But French MEP Veronique Trillet-Lenoir said there should be a 'harmonised' approach to travel rules across the European Union and 'third countries' such as the UK.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'The European Union is concerned by the Delta variant and wants to act in a united and co-ordinated manner as much as possible.'

She said discussions are ongoing over decisions regarding 'third countries' such as the UK.

'Clearly Germany, France and Portugal have already said that they needed a quarantine; what I really would like is a harmonised and co-ordinated manner, although I understand that the vision is not the same for southern and northern countries in Europe,' she added.

The EU infighting comes as eager British holidaymakers yesterday rushed to book trips abroad following the expansion of the quarantine-free 'green list.'

Travel firms reported an explosion in demand for destinations including the Balearic Islands, Malta, Madeira and some Caribbean countries.

Package holiday giant Jet2 has laid on an extra 70 flights to Malta and Madeira following soaring demand, including a new route between Stansted and Malta.

Jet2 chief Steve Heapy said: 'We knew there was a lot of pent-up demand out there but the response from our customers has been truly incredible.

'Bookings to Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Malta and Madeira have gone through the roof, which shows just how much UK holidaymakers want to get away.'

BA is scrambling larger Airbus A320 and A321 planes to replace smaller A319s to deal with demand on some of the busiest routes.

EasyJet said it was laying on 50,000 more seats on planes destined for green list destinations over the next few months.

Ryanair announced an extra 200,000 seats for flights to Malta, Ibiza and Majorca in July, August and September. It also triggered a price war by offering tickets from as little as 19.99.

Travel chiefs said however that more countries should have been put on the green list.

And they criticised the creation of a watchlist which means destinations can return to amber at very short notice, as with Portugal earlier this month.
Diversity charity Stonewall has been accused of using its exclusive diversity rankings to 'coerce' public bodies into lobbying for changes to sex and gender laws.

Stonewall is facing a backlash as documents revealed the organisation may be strong arming employers in return for higher places on its exclusive Top 100 Employers list

The LGBT charity is facing a backlash after documents reportedly revealed the organisation may be strong arming employers in return for higher places on its exclusive Top 100 Employers list.

The Times reports the diversity charity is using its rankings to 'lobby on their behalf' - rewarding those who follow Stonewall's gender policies and punishing those who do not.

And former founding member of the group Simon Fanshawe has slammed the charity: '[The index] started out as a way of helping employers ensure their lesbian and gay staff were well looked after.

'But what it has turned into now sounds more like coercion - a way of coercing employers in their language and structure, instead of encouraging them to embrace the different needs of their LGBT staff.'

The diversity charity is accused of using its rankings to 'lobby on their behalf' - rewarding those who follow Stonewall's gender policies and punishing those who do not. [Stock image]

The Scottish Government is said to have been encouraged to campaign for sex and gender law changes in return for a higher Stonewall ranking. Above: Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, pictured at Pride Glasgow

Stonewall says its rankings - which use the Workplace Equality Index referred to as the UK's 'leading benchmark tool for LGBT inclusion' - provide a list of the 'best employers for LGBT people'.

More than 500 public bodies, from NHS trusts to the Scottish government, applied to be listed on the charity's exclusive index last year.

These bodies must complete a 31-page form that questions social media use, HR policies and inclusion measures which can take months to complete.

The public bodies that have been 'coerced' by Stonewall's workplace diversity scheme Stonewall has been accused of 'coercing' employers by using its Top 100 Employers index to lobby for new sex and gender law in the UK. So who are some of the public bodies who have applied to be part of the charity's exclusive rankings? The Scottish Government Nicola Sturgeon's administration offered up elected ministers' social media activity, as well as mooting possible changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004 as part of its previous applications. Nicola Sturgeon poses at Glasgow Pride It failed to crack the top 100 rankings in 2020, placing 127th. Central London Community Heathcare Trust The NHS body, which cares for more than 2million people in the capital, was told by Stonewall to remove references to 'mother' and replace it with 'pregnant employee' or 'birthing parent'. Intellectual Property Office The IPO soared 80 places in the index to 13th after appearing in a 2018 Stonewall advert that urged people to fill in self-identification forms as part of a government consultation. The organisation denied influencing the consultation and said it does not take part in 'lobbying activity'. Welsh council Rhondda Cynon Taf South Wales council Rhondda Cynon Taf was praised and moved into the Top 100 rankings after the public body removed gendered language from its HR policies. Hackney Council The London council, whose Labour mayor Philip Glanville was the first in the borough to convert a same-sex civil partnership in 2014, was penalised in its 'role models' section in its application. Advertisement

But new documents reveal the lengths these organisations go to in order to satisfy Stonewall's rigid requirements - including offering screenshots of employees social media posts and promising changes to internal inclusion policies.

Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish government is one of many high profile diversity applicants - who are said to have sent details of Pride events attended by the First Minister and examples of dissenting colleagues being muzzled in internal communications.

Legal changes to the Gender Recognition Act were also mooted as part of earlier applications, although Holyrood plummeted out of the top 100 rankings in Stonewall's 2020 index.

Outspoken critics have also slammed Stonewall's attempt to impose its own interpretations of sex and gender on employers.

Kate Lee, a former Stonewall volunteer who lobbied MPs for gay marriage rights, told the Times: 'It [the index] is a Ponzi scheme.

'They have invented an idea [gender identity] which they are imposing on others without their consent. You don't get acceptance by demanding compliance. Gay people are getting sick of it.'

Stonewall told MailOnline that organisations on their Top 100 Employers list are rewarded for their 'impressive work towards becoming a more inclusive workplace.'

A spokesperson for the charity said:

Our Workplace Equality Index is a robust benchmarking tool which offers a free and voluntary way for all organisations to reflect on their own LGBTQ+ inclusion journey.

'All of the organisations who place on our Top 100 Employers list gain their ranking based on their impressive work towards becoming a more inclusive workplace, which is marked against thorough and standardised criteria.

'It is completely normal and appropriate for national charities to engage with public sector organisations to support them in making their workplaces inclusive for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer staff, and we're proud to help over 850 organisations in this work through our Diversity Champions programme.

'Were confident that the advice that we give to organisations is robust and helps to create inclusive and safe environments for everyone.

'All our guidance on the Equality Act is based on the Equality and Human Rights Commissions Equality Act Code of Practice, which was recently reaffirmed in the High Court.

Government bodies and NHS organisations have also tried to place among the Top 100 in recent years.

Central London Community Health NHS Trust was reportedly asked to replace the word 'mother' with 'birthing parent' or 'pregnant employee' in order to receive a better ranking.

The body, which cares for more than two million patients across the capital, was also told to ensure its social media accounts 'clearly shows support for LGBT equality'.

The Trust ranked 339th in the charity's Top 100 employers of 2020.

In 2018, the Intellectual Property Office faced a barrage of questions after appearing in a Stonewall advert that urged people to complete gender self-identification forms as part of a Government consultation.

Members of the public pondered why the IPO, a government body, was taking a stance on a politicised debate.

When Stonewall revealed its Top 100 employers of 2019, the IPO had soared up to 13th place in its rankings - moving up 80 positions on the previous year.

The charity reportedly reserved special praise for the IPO's very 'public support for reform to the Gender Recognition Act' and its social media use that showed a 'commitment to LGBT equality'.

A spokesperson for the IPO told the Times it denied influencing the consultation and said it does not take part in 'lobbying activity'.

Councils across England and Wales have also clamoured to be a part of Stonewall's list, with some going as far as removing all gendered language from its policies.

Rhondda Cynon Taf, the only Welsh council to make the top 100 last year, was praised for removing 'gendered pronouns' such as 'mother' on its application.

Central London Community Health NHS Trust was asked to replace the word 'mother' with 'birthing parent' or 'pregnant employee' in its application. The Trust ranked 339th last year

Hackney Council, whose Labour mayor Philip Glanville was the first in the borough to convert a same-sex civil partnership in 2014, was penalised in its 'role models' section and told to include transgender leaders.

Chair of Sex Matters and barrister Naomi Cunningham, told The Times: 'Stonewall sells its Workplace Equality Index as a scheme to help organisations comply with equality law.

'But what it offers is lobbying  it presents its own highly contentious understanding of what the law should be presented as 'training' on what the law is.

'It tells organisations to treat anyone who identifies as the opposite sex as if they have changed sex, and are therefore automatically entitled to use spaces such as toilets, changing rooms and showers that others rely on for privacy.

'That's not the law.'
Eton College has signed an agreement with an academy trust to open three selective state sixth form colleges for young people who live in deprived northern areas.

The landmark agreement, which was signed this month, has seen the 581-year-old independent boarding school form a partnership with Star Academies to open three highly selective sixth forms.

Star Academies, which specialises in helping young people from deprived areas to achieve outstanding academic results, started off as a small community of Muslim schools but now includes more than 30 schools.

It gained recognition this month after the leading state school provider's chief executive, Sir Hamid Patel, was knighted for services to education.

The three selective sixth forms, the first of which is set to open in 2024, will fast-track young people, often from deprived communities, to the UK's most academic universities.

A landmark agreement, which was signed this month, has seen the 581-year-old Eton College (pictured) form a partnership with Star Academies to open three new sixth form colleges

Eton will make a 'significant and ongoing contribution' to the partnership, which is thought to be hundreds of thousands of pounds each year, according to The Times.

The recruitment of students will be highly selective but the process will focus on young people who who live in deprived areas or are on free school meals.

The exact location of the three colleges is yet to be decided but plans currently suggest all of the schools will open across the West Midlands and North of England.

The colleges will each admit 240 students each year and will offer virtual teaching from Eton's own staff, including teaching from the country's most respected subject-specialists, talks from high-profile teachers.

The schools aim to blend Eton's educational philosophy and rigorous curriculum with the ethos of Star Academies, according to the multi-agency trust's website.

Students will be able to take part in academic essay prizes, debate clubs and Oxbridge-style tutorial sessions, as well as being given the chance to learn Latin and attend Eton College each year for a summer school.

Star Academies, which specialises in helping people from deprived areas, gained recognition as its chief executive, Sir Hamid Patel (pictured), was knighted for services to education

The three new colleges have been inspired by the selective academic sixth form London Academy of Excellence, of which Eton College is a partner.

Eton and Star will be bidding through the much-anticipated next wave of the Government's Free Schools programme to set up the colleges and, if approved, the first college will open in September 2024, with the others following shortly after.

The colleges, whose names are yet to be decided, will be overseen by a partnership board, which will be chaired by Eton's Vice-Provost and will operate as a sub-committee of Star's board of trustees.

Eton's fees currently stand at 44,000 a year but the school's provost Lord William Waldegrave pointed out that the college was originally founded in 1440 to provide free education to poor boys.

The former cabinet minister added: 'Since King Henry VI founded Eton in 1440 to provide free education to 70 poor boys, Eton has long sought out ways to broaden our reach, to ensure that as many young people as possible can enjoy the benefits of our educational philosophy.

'I believe firmly that this partnership with Star is simply a new and exciting development in this long and proud history.'

While Star Academies' chief executive Sir Hamid Patel, 42, said: 'This is a fantastically exciting moment for both our organisations.

'Eton bringing its approach to education to disadvantaged communities, allied to our own successful ethos, has the potential to be transformative for both the students who will attend but also the wider civic lives of the towns and cities in which our new colleges will open.

The three selective sixth forms will fast-track young people, often from deprived communities, to the UK's most academic universities. Pictured: Eton's headmaster Simon Henderson

The location of the three colleges is yet to be decided but plans suggest all of the schools will open across the Midlands and North of England. Pictured: Star's chief executive Hamid Patel

'Our mission has always been to change lives for the better and give young people the best opportunities  this partnership will further help us achieve that.'

Eton have been planning to open three new sixth forms since May 2020, and headmaster Simon Henderson said they now have decided to do so in partnership with Star as they have a 'shared educational ethos'.

He continued: 'When speaking to Star it became immediately clear that, while our contexts may be different, we have a shared educational ethos and vision and I am confident that by working together we can deliver outstanding educational opportunities and outcomes to young people in these communities, which will surpass what either organisation could have achieved on our own.'

Star and Eton said their unprecedented partnership is a ground-breaking example of state and independent sector collaboration, which they insisted will benefit all the students and teachers involved.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'I'm delighted to see Star Academies join forces with Eton College to focus on providing exciting opportunities for pupils.

'Our best schools can lead the way in driving up standards across the country, and it's fantastic to see a leading trust like Star working to expand its reach even further into local communities, supported by the resources and expertise of one of the world's top independent schools, to transform the life chances of young people.'
British shoppers could face a summer of food shortages due to a shortage of more than 100,000 lorry drivers, experts have warned.

A double impact from Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic has sparked a staff shortages after Eastern European drivers returned home.

And the disruption to the chilled food supply chain could result in shelves being empty of some items within weeks, industry insiders say.

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, industry leaders have called for urgent intervention to allow eastern European drivers back into the country, similar to those issued to farm pickers, adding them to 'shortage occupation' lists.

A double impact from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic is said to have sparked disruption

They have warned that without government intervention, British supply chains risk 'failing at an unprecedented and unimaginable level.'

The issues was previously raised by Tesco bosses at a meeting with transport minister Lady Vere last week, warning that growing vacancies were creating 48 tonnes of food waste each week.

Tesco bosses said the shortage was impacting fresh food with a short shelf life the most.

As the UK approaches the summer holidays and the continued reopening of the country following lockdown, there are concerns that the shortages will coincide with major sporting events, such as Wimbledon, which is synonymous with the British strawberry.

There are concerns that the shortages will coincide with major sporting events, such as Wimbledon, which is synonymous with the British strawberry

It also warns that retailers across the country could be impacted as the country builds towards Christmas 2021 from August to September.

The letter was signed by industry groups including the Food and Drink Federation, British Frozen Food Federation, Cold Chain Federation, British Beer and Pub Association and the British Meat Producers Association.

The CEOs of a raft logistics group which included Eddie Stobart, Wincanton, XPO Logistics and KUEHNE + NAGEL also put their names to the letter.

'We firmly believe that intervention from the prime minister/Cabinet Office is the only way we will be able to avert critical supply chains failing at an unprecedented and unimaginable level,' the letter reads.

'Supermarkets are already reporting that they are not receiving their expected food stocks and, as a result, there is considerable wastage.'

It also mentions the IR35 tax loophole as a factor in the issue.

A double impact from Brexit (pictured: Lorries line up at the Port of Dover during Operation Stack) and the Covid-19 pandemic is said to have spark disruption in the coming weeks

The loophole forces agencies to pay enough to cover self-employed drivers national insurance and tax.

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, told the Guardian: 'There is an enormous shortage of HGV drivers that we estimate at between 85,000 and 100,000.

'We are weeks away from gaps on the shelves.'

The letter also blames the closure of the IR35 tax loophole which forces agencies to pay enough to cover self-employed drivers national insurance and tax.

Mr Burnett added that the shortage in drivers could be a result of Brexit.

'We don't know if it's because Europeans who would traditionally be in these roles have left because of Brexit or because of Covid and aren't able to come back yet because of the pandemic, but it is a very real problem' he said.

A spokesperson for the government said it had met with industry figures to discuss HGV driver shortages and possible solutions around recruitment and retention.

'Most of the solutions are likely to be commercial and from within industry, with progress already being made in key areas such as testing and hiring, and a big focus towards improving pay, working conditions and diversity,' the spokesperson said.

'Our new points-based immigration system makes clear employers should focus on investing in our domestic workforce, especially those needing to find new employment, rather than relying on labour from abroad.'
Just four weeks ago, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian stood on a stage in Canberra and declared her state 'would never go into lockdown again'.

Ms Berejiklian was speaking at the Liberal Party's Federal Council on May 29 when she hailed the achievements of NSW Health for its response to the Covid pandemic.

The premier said the lessons learned in last year's lockdown - which started to come into force in mid-March before easing between May and July - meant NSW would never again face such draconian restrictions.

'We've demonstrated in NSW that there's an alternate way to heavy-handed lockdowns,' Ms Berejiklian said in her speech, a video of which is still available on the Liberal Party's Facebook page.

Four weeks ago, Premier Gladys Berejiklian stood on a Canberra stage (pictured here at the Liberal Federal Council) and promised New South Wales 'would never go into lockdown again'

'We made sure that we had the systems in place to be able to weather whatever came our way so that we would never go into lockdown again.'

One month later, those words are ringing hollow. On Saturday at 6pm, more than five million Australians in Greater Sydney were plunged into a two-week lockdown as authorities try to rein in an outbreak of the Indian Delta strain that's swelled to 82 cases.

Anyone in NSW who has been to Greater Sydney since June 21 has been asked to stay at home for the entire lockdown period as the virus continues to spread beyond the eastern suburbs all the way to Sutherland Shire, the northern beaches and western Sydney, where people have potentially been infectious for days.

Those living in the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Central Coast, must remain in their homes for all but essential reasons such as exercise, shopping, seeing a doctor or going to work.

A single airport limo driver infected with the highly contagious Delta strain has sparked what is now the biggest crisis the city has seen since the Ruby Princess disembarked in March 2020, with 663 passengers testing positive for Covid in Australia and around the world, and 28 people dying.

While the outbreak is nowhere near that level of seriousness yet, a delay in the driver getting tested means the virus had a three day headstart in the community - and NSW's contact tracing team is now playing catch up.

One month later, Sydney and its surrounding regions have been plunged into a two week Covid lockdown, with the CBD streets now empty as seen here on Saturday.

'I said (earlier) that this is the scariest time since the pandemic started and that's proven to be the case,' Ms Berejiklian said on Saturday.

'We're never afraid to take a decision that we need to take to keep our citizens safe and even though we don't want to impose burdens unless we absolutely have to, unfortunately, this is a situation where we have to.'

The future looked Covid-free for Ms Berejiklian just last month when she addressed the Liberal Party faithful in Canberra.

She said NSW had everything in place to prevent any repeats of the lockdown endured last year, which crippled the state and the country.

NSW had invested heavily in contact tracers, health capacity and frontline workers to be gold standard guardians against the disease, she said.

'We've had, unfortunately, one lockdown in New South Wales about a year ago,' she said.

Premier Berejiklian had predicted New South Wales had everything in place to prevent any repeats of the lockdown endured last year which crippled the state and the country (pictured here are Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the Saturday's winter sunshine)

'But we used that time to build up our systems. We quadrupled our health capacity, we made sure our contact tracers were well resourced.

'We made sure we employed an extra 1000 people to be frontline contacts with our citizens, including many from the airline industry, who were unemployed at the time.

'Our contact tracers are the best in the world. And we put the police in charge of all logistical arrangements, including the quarantine system.

'We really demonstrated a whole of government approach to make sure our health experts were able to be freed up to do what they do best.'

New South Wales had invested heavily in contact tracers, health capacity and frontline workers to be gold standard guardians against the disease. People are now only allowed out their homes for for specific reasons including exercise, as seen in this picture of bicyclists near Sydney Harbour Bridge on Saturday

However, Ms Berejiklian did warn Covid could again break free from hotel quarantine. NSW was, after all, the nation's main entry point for returning Australians.

She acknowledged mistakes could still be made.

'New South Wales continues to welcome 3,000 Australians home every single week through our quarantine system,' she said.

'This is it is by no means an easy thing to do.

'It is by no means a perfect system, but no quarantine system in the world when you have a contagious disease like Covid can be perfect.

The premier spoke of her pride in the state's record as the nation's main entry point for returning Australians and the quarantine system NSW set up to handle the arrivals

'And I want to put that on the record. When I hear other state leaders talk about perfection, they're trying to achieve something which is impossible.'

And so it proved. The best measures in Australia were still not enough to keep out the Delta strain, which has wreaked havoc elsewhere in the world.

In India, where it originated, more than 400,000 cases a day were being reported last month, with people dying in the street as the country ran out of vital oxygen supplies.

That figure has now dropped almost 90 percent to less than 50,000 cases a day, but that's still some four times what the daily average was prior to the mutant strain's deadly arrival.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant announced a lockdown for Greater Sydney on Saturday (above)

The arrival of the Delta strain in Britain has also seen cases dramatically rise again, despite widespread vaccination of the population and a punishing lockdown that's been in place since January 4.

Just days before the lockdown was due to be lifted, cases rose from 2,000 a day to 15,000-plus a day, with numbers still rising.

It's against this backdrop Ms Berejiklian has been forced to bring in a lockdown she was confident NSW would avoid.

Her argument against lockdown has always been the effect it has on the economy, on jobs, and general well-being.

'We dealt with this crisis as much on an economic footing as a health footing,' she told the Liberals in Canberra.

'This is as much about our economy and jobs in the future and livelihoods as it is about saving lives.

'And it is that mantra which has allowed New South Wales to weather these difficult past couple of years during the pandemic.'

The economic impact of Covid on the UK - which endured two prolonged lockdowns in 2020 and a death toll topping 150,000 - saw the nation's GDP drop 9.9 per cent, the biggest in its history.

Although Australia was plunged into its first recession in 29 years when the virus first gripped the nation, by August 2020, the economy - outside of Victoria which had gone back into lockdown - was already bouncing back and growing again, up 3.4 per cent.

Despite widespread vaccination and a prolonged lockdown in the UK, case numbers are soaring there now because of the Delta variant and NSW wants to avoid that happening here. Pictured here is a health worker at the Bondi testing centre which will be a key weapon in this latest fight against Covid

Since then, the Australian economy has been booming, justifying the focus on avoiding lockdowns if at all possible.

After the end of the initial nationwide lockdown in March 2020, NSW has successfully tackled every outbreak at a local level without the need to look beyond specifically targeted restrictions, unlike Victoria which has had four state-wide lockdowns since the pandemic began.

The last time lockdown was used was during a Covid outbreak on the northern beaches On December 16 that was contained within three weeks.

But the NSW gold standard has so far been defeated by the deadly new Delta strain - something the Premier always realised was possible.

Even in that pride-comes-before-a-fall speech last month, despite her vow never to lock down again, Premier Berejiklian admitted she could not predict what the future may bring.

'We don't know what's around the corner,' she said.

'There's no guarantees about what's around the corner and no assurances about what our communities will face.

'But what I do know is that you can provide any possible freedom to your citizens if you trust your community - and you appreciate that livelihoods and jobs are as critical to the well being of our citizens as is the health and safety.'
Australia's most populous city entered a two-week lockdown from today as authorities struggle to control an outbreak of the rapidly-spreading Delta variant.

More than 80 cases of the infectious Delta variant have been recorded in Sydney as 5million people are now facing strict stay-at-home restrictions.

Last month, Sydney recorded 'zero Covid' cases for consecutive days but this most recent outbreak has been attributed to a Sydney limo driver, dubbed 'patient zero' who faced a police grilling over why he refused to wear a mask and was not vaccinated.

Despite Australia's success in managing the pandemic through swift border closures, social distancing and high compliance, the country's sluggish vaccine rollout has meant small outbreaks have plagued individual states in recent months.

More than a million people in downtown Sydney were already facing the draconian measures on Friday, as health authorities said they needed to widen the lockdown area as exposure sites had increased.

New rules that will be in place until July 9 mean people can only leave home for essential work, medical care, education or shopping.

The news comes as the man accused of being the 'Patient Zero' limo driver blamed for sparking the current Sydney Covid lockdown was cleared by New South Wales Police after an investigation.

Sydney entered a two-week lockdown from today as authorities struggle to control an outbreak of the rapidly-spreading Delta variant

The unnamed driver (pictured) is currently in isolation as he fights his Covid infection and was too ill and too scared of the public backlash to show his face on TV to defend himself

New stay-at-home rules in place until July 9 mean people can only leave their house for essential work, health, education or shopping

New South Wales' premier Gladys Berejiklian, 50, said: 'Even though we don't want to impose burdens unless we absolutely have to, unfortunately this is a situation where we have to.'

'There was no point doing it for three days or five days because it wouldn't have done the job,' Berejiklian told a news briefing.

Today marks Sydney's first lockdown since December, as the city, and Australia as a whole, had battled against Covid outbreaks.

The country has reported just over 30,400 positive cases and 910 deaths from the virus since data was first tracked.

A huge new list of exposure sites was published by New South Wales health yesterday evening - meaning anyone who attended those venues must immediately test themselves and isolate for 14 days.

Another 17 sites were added to the provincial government's ever-growing list, including the same pub - The Crossroads Hotel - that was at the centre of a previous outbreak.

In July last year a Melbourne freight worker visited the pub for a party, which resulted in at least 34 cases. He claimed he didn't know he was sick.

Berejiklian's conservative state government had been reluctant to impose the draconian measures, but a growing number of health experts called for lockdown as Australia remains largely unvaccinated.

A huge new list of exposure sites was published by New South Wales health yesterday evening - meaning anyone who attended those venues must immediately test themselves and isolate for 14 days. Pictured: High-risk exposure site The Crossroads Hotel in Casula

Resident's daily lives will again be altered - with indoor sport and weddings banned from Monday.

Funerals are eligible to continue with a maximum of 100 guests and shops remain open.

Police launched a probe after it was revealed an airport limo driver from Bondi - who was earlier accused of being Sydney's 'patient zero' - had refused the AstraZeneca vaccine because of a family history of blood clots and had not been tested daily.

But the man insisted he was wearing a mask at all times while working as a driver transporting air crew from the airport to hotels.

On Friday, NSW Police confirmed they were investigating whether any Covid regulations had been breached by the driver or the company he worked for.

The Sydney Airport driver (pictured) broke his silence to insist he is not the Patient Zero that caused the new flare-up of Delta variant cases in the city

Health orders require those working around the hotel quarantine system to be tested for the virus daily, and the driver admitted he had not been tested on his days off.

His infection was caught when testing resumed when he returned to work - but he had already been out in the community for several days before getting the positive test result.

On Saturday, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller revealed the investigation had now been dropped through a lack of evidence.

The Sydney Airport driver insisted he was not the 'patient zero' who caused the new flare-up - instead claiming he caught the virus at his local cafe.

His claim was dismissed on Saturday by NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant, who said their investigations had found no evidence to support his story.

The unnamed driver is currently in isolation as he fights his Covid infection and was too ill and too scared of the public backlash to show his face on TV to defend himself.

The infected limo driver believed to be 'patient zero' claims vividly remembered another customer in his 30s sat near to him at the Belle Cafe in Vaucluse (pictured) on June 12 who was violently coughing and sneezing

The unnamed driver, from Bondi, admits he refused the Astra Zeneca vaccine because of a family history of blood clots

Despite his daily close contact with flights crews, the driver believes he was actually infected with the deadly Delta Covid variant by a customer at his regular coffee stop, Belle Cafe in Vaucluse in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

He spoke of how he vividly remembered another customer in his 30s sat near to him at the cafe on June 12 who was violently coughing and sneezing.

The cafe become an exposure site at the start of the outbreak, with an elderly customer catching the virus there from an infected person.
Matt Hancock's wife was spotted tonight clutching her phone and still wearing her wedding ring after he announced on Twitter that he had resigned as Health Secretary.

His resignation came the day after video footage emerged of him kissing an aide in his ministerial office in a breach of coronavirus restrictions.

Martha Hancock, 44, has maintained a dignified silence since images, and a subsequent video, were released showing her husband kissing his married aide Gina Coladangelo at the Department for Health in May.

The Health Secretary's wife of 15 years has remained in the capital with their daughter and two sons, while Mr Hancock is believed to be staying at the family's home in his West Suffolk constituency.

She was spotted in London walking down the street with a friend holding her phone while still wearing a wedding ring, shortly after he disgraced husband sent a letter of resignation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and posted a video message to Twitter.

Matt Hancock's wife was spotted tonight clutching her phone after he announced on Twitter that he had resigned as Health Secretary. Martha Hancock, 44, has maintained a dignified silence since images, and a subsequent video, were released showing her husband kissing his married aide Gina Coladangelo at the Department for Health in May

She was spotted in London walking down the street with a friend holding her phone while still wearing a wedding ring (pictured), shortly after he disgraced husband sent a letter of resignation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and posted a video message to Twitter

Earlier today, Mrs Hancock was pictured being comforted by her mother at her London home amid an outpouring of sympathy amid her husband's scandal.

Mrs Hancock was out on a walk with her mother Victoria Hoyer Millar, 70, when the latter threw her arms around her distraught daughter's shoulders.

The osteopath and her antique-dealer mother were then seen linking arms as they strolled around north-west London.

Hours earlier, a bouquet of flowers was delivered to the London house. While a note could be seen poking out of the arrangement - which was placed on the doorstep by a delivery man - it is not clear who they were from.

Matt Hancock's loyal wife was seen being comforted by her mother (pictured together) during a walk London amid an outpouring of sympathy. Martha Hancock, 44, was out on a walk with her mother Victoria Hoyer Millar, 70. The women were then seen linking arms as they strolled around north-west London (pictured during their walk)

The Health Secretary's wife of 15 years has remained in the capital with their daughter and two sons, while Mr Hancock is believed to be staying at the family's home in his West Suffolk constituency. Pictured: Mr and Mrs Hancock in 2018

Whitehall rumours claim she threw Mr Hancock - who she met at university - out over the allegations.

Mrs Hancock did not say anything to reporters today but looked pensive and sad when she stepped out for an appointment at the Luca Beauty Salon in Chamberlayne Road, North West London.

Mrs Hancock later returned to the family home.

Earlier today, a bouquet of pink peonies in a glass vase were placed on the front doorstep by a florist delivery man who arrived just after 10am.

A card could be seen poking out of the arrangement, but it is not known who the flowers were from.

Whitehall rumours claim she threw Mr Hancock - who she met at university - out over the allegations. Pictured: Mrs Hancock with her mother today

Mrs Hancock was seen with her mother outside the family's London home today

The Health Secretary's wife of 15 years today glanced at reporters as she left the house wearing dark sunglasses for a dog walk

A bouquet of flowers was delivered to Matt Hancock's London home where his wife Martha is living while the Health Secretary hides out over his cheating scandal

The pink peonies in a glass vase were placed on the front doorstep by a florist delivery man who arrived just after 10am

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Hancock said: 'The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

'I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need to be with my children at this time.'

He said: 'We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance.'

He paid tribute to NHS staff and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) officials and admitted that 'we didn't get every decision right'.

But he said: 'I know people understand how hard it is to deal with the unknown, making the difficult trade-off between freedom, prosperity and health that we have faced.'

An ally who was set to defend Matt Hancock on the radio failed to turn up and was 'not answering his phone' in fresh embarrassment for the beleaguered Health Secretary. Pictured: This is the image that has left Matt Hancock fighting for his job that appears to show him kissing his millionaire aide - who is on the public payroll - in May this year

Mr Hancock said sorry for breaking social distancing and asked for 'privacy' for his family, but refused to resign as Health Secretary

In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Hancock said: 'I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, you have made. And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I've got to resign.'

A statement from 10 Downing Street released around 90 minutes later said: 'The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.'

In response to Mr Hancock's letter, the Prime Minister wrote: 'You should leave office very proud of what you have achieved - not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us.'

And he said: 'Above all, it has been your task to deal with a challenge greater than that faced by any of your predecessors, and in fighting Covid you have risen to that challenge - with the abundant energy, intelligence, and determination that are your hallmark.'

On Saturday Conservative MPs began to break ranks to call for Mr Hancock to go.

Veteran Tory Sir Christopher Chope said his constituents were 'seething'.

Norfolk Norfolk MP Duncan Baker said: 'In my view people in high public office and great positions of responsibility should act with the appropriate morals and ethics that come with that role.'

Mr Johnson had refused to sack Mr Hancock, with his spokesman saying the PM considered the matter closed after receiving the West Suffolk MP's apology on Friday.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: 'Matt Hancock is right to resign. But Boris Johnson should have sacked him.'

The Hancocks - who met while they were both students at Oxford University - split their time between London and West Suffolk, the constituency he represents. While his farmhouse (pictured) was closed up, locals hit out at the hypocrisy of married Mr Hancock being caught in a steamy clinch with Mrs Coladangelo yesterday

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: 'It is right that Matt Hancock has resigned. But why didn't Boris Johnson have the guts to sack him and why did he say the matter was closed?

'Boris Johnson has demonstrated that he has none of the leadership qualities required of a Prime Minister.'

Liberal Democrats' leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: 'Matt Hancock's legacy as Health Secretary will be one of cronyism and failure.

'And the fact that Boris Johnson thought Hancock could just carry on regardless brings the Prime Minister's judgement into question once again.'

Mr Hancock's three-year tenure as health secretary came to an end after The Sun newspaper published stills of what appeared to be CCTV footage from inside his ministerial office of him kissing Ms Coladangelo.

Ms Coladangelo, a friend from Mr Hancock's days at Oxford University, was brought into DHSC as an unpaid adviser last year before being given the 15,000-a-year role of non-executive director in the department.

Legislation in place at the time said that 'no person may participate in a gathering' that 'consists of two or more people... and takes place indoors'.

An exception to this rule was that the gathering was 'reasonably necessary for work purposes or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services'.

Tory MPs and ministers will also have been eyeing the by-election in Batley and Spen next week.

Christchurch MP Sir Christopher told the BBC the impact on the West Yorkshire vote was on his mind.

Labour MP for Halifax, Holly Lynch, had been preparing to write an open letter to Conservative MPs and the Tory candidate in the election, Ryan Stephenson, challenging them to tell Mr Hancock to resign.

Before he did, Sir Christopher told Radio 4's PM programme: 'Of course I feel that. And that's another reason why I think that the sooner he goes the better, because otherwise the last few days of the campaign are going to be dominated by this issue and it's obviously not going to be very helpful for the Conservatives.'

Mr Hancock had put Mrs Coladangelo (pictured together), a friend from university, on the public payroll only last year. He made no comment on claims he was having an affair with the 43-year-old in his apology yesterday, but added: 'I have let people down and am very sorry'
Three people were killed in an attack in Germany on Friday by a Somali immigrant, who officials said was placed under compulsory psychiatric treatment days earlier.

The suspect was identified as a 24-year-old Somali immigrant, who was shot in the leg by police and arrested after the Friday afternoon attack in Wurzburg, Germany. Police said his life was not in danger and he was being questioned in hospital.

The knifeman killed at least three people and wounded at least five others in the street rampage at Barbarossaplatz in Wurzburg's downtown area, according to local media reports.

The man, whose name was not released by police, had lived in the German city of Wuerzburg since 2015, the same year that Germany opened its borders to more than a million migrants and refugees fleeing war and poverty.

The knifeman who allegedly killed three people in an attack in Germany on Friday was a Somali immigrant who had been placed in compulsory psychiatric treatment just days earlier.

The suspect had most recently lived in a shelter for the homeless in the city and apparently did not know the victims.

Bavaria's top security official, Joachim Herrmann, said the suspect had been known to police and had been admitted to a psychiatric unit just a few days earlier.

'His condition had been noticed in recent months, including violent tendencies, and a few days ago he was put into compulsory psychiatric treatment,' Herrmann said.

On Saturday, investigators were looking for a motive behind the attack in the German city of Wuerzburg, which saw three people killed and five others wounded.

Herrmann told news agency DPA on Friday that he couldn't rule out an Islamic extremist motive because one witness had reported hearing the suspect shout 'Allahu akbar,' Arabic for 'God is great'.

'That suggests a possible Islamist motive, and that is also part of the investigation,' he added.

The suspect was identified as a 24-year-old Somali immigrant, who was shot in the leg by police and arrested after the attack in Wurzburg, Germany. Pictured: German police in action at the scene on Friday

The knifeman killed at least three people and wounded at least five others in the street rampage. Pictured: Armed police secure the cordoned-off area in the city centre in Germany

People were seen leaving bouquets of flowers at a makeshift memorial which had been set up on Saturday at the scene in tribute to the victims of the deadly attack

People place flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial in tribute to the victims of a deadly attack in the city centre of Wuerzburg

Among the three dead in the knife attack was a young boy and one of his parents, according to Main Post newspaper.

People were seen leaving bouquets of flowers at a makeshift memorial which had been set up on Saturday at the scene in tribute to the victims of the deadly attack.

Police officers were seen at the scene of the attack this morning as people placed flowers, candles and other items in memory of those killed in the horrific rampage.

As investigators continue to try and pinpoint the suspect's motive, police said there was no indication that there were any other attackers, and that the situation was now under control.

Videos posted on social media showed pedestrians surrounding the attacker and holding him at bay with chairs and sticks at Barbarossaplatz in Wurzburg on Friday.

The videos matched the reported location of the attack, though it was not immediately possible to confirm when they had been made.

Bavaria's security official, Joachim Herrmann, said the suspect had been admitted to a psychiatric unit just a few days earlier. Pictured: People place flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial in tribute to the victims of the attack

Police officers were seen at the scene of the attack this morning as people placed flowers, candles and other items in memory of those killed in the horrific rampage

Among the three dead in the knife attack was a young boy and one of his parents, according to Main Post newspaper. Pictured: Women place a candle at the makeshift memorial

On Saturday, investigators were looking for a motive behind the attack in the German city of Wuerzburg. Pictured: People mourn at a makeshift memorial at the scene of the attack

Another video showed one man, armed with a bag, attempting to scare off the knifeman by shouting at him before he disappeared off screen.

A woman who said she had witnessed the incident told German RTL television that the police then stepped in.

Julia Runze said: 'He had a really big knife with him and was attacking people. Then many people tried to throw chairs or umbrellas or cellphones at him and stop him.'

'The police then approached him and I think a shot was fired, you could hear that clearly.'

'The attacker was overpowered after police used a firearm,' Lower Franconia police said on Twitter. 'There are no indications of a second suspect. There is NO danger to the population.'

Bavaria's top security official Joachim Herrmann confirmed five people are in a serious condition and it is 'not certain' if they will live following the attack.

As investigators continue to try and pinpoint the suspect's motive, police said there was no indication that there were any other attackers, and that the situation was now under control

A video posted to social media showed a man, armed with a bag, attempting to scare off the knifeman by shouting at him before he disappeared off screen

The videos of members of the public chasing the knifeman matched the reported location of the attacks on and around Wurzburg's central Barbarossaplatz

A witness reported that the knifeman shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before the attack, he added.

However, a police spokesperson said none of the suspect's previous offences were linked to terrorism.

Police spokeswoman Kerstin Kunick said officers were alerted at around 5pm to a knife attack in Barbarossa Square in the centre of the city.

Bavaria's governor Markus Soeder expressed shock at the news of the attack. 'We grieve with the victims and their families,' he wrote on Twitter.

Police said on Twitter that there was no danger to the population.

Bavaria's top security official Joachim Herrmann was on his way to Wurzburg, a city of about 130,000 people located between Munich and Frankfurt.

Videos posted on social media showed a young man seemingly holding a knife being warded off by other men holding chairs until police arrived

Armed police walk in the German city of Wurzburg on Friday during a 'major operation' in which a 24-year-old Somali man was arrested after reports of multiple stabbings

Police officers run in the centre of the German city of Wurzburg today. The force said multiple people had been killed and injured, but did not give details

Police had sealed off parts of the city centre (pictured) for a 'major operation' on Friday afternoon and asked residents to stay away

Local media earlier reported multiple stabbings in Wurzburg, a city of some 130,000 people south-east of Frankfurt.

Police had sealed off parts of the city centre for a 'major operation' on Friday afternoon and asked residents to stay away.

Footage of the incident posted online showed barefoot attacker wielding a long knife in Barbarossaplatz.

A second man, armed with a bag, can be seen circling the knifeman and shouting at him.

Police secure the area in the German city of Wurzburg on June 25 during a 'major operation' in which a suspect was arrested after local media had earlier reported multiple stabbings

Police securing the cordoned-off area in the city centre today. Several victims were treated by emergency services. No information on their condition was released

Armed police at the scene on Friday. Local media earlier reported multiple stabbings in Wurzburg, a city of some 130,000 people south-east of Frankfurt

He then disappears off screen as the suspect hurls the knifeman towards him. Several bystanders than intervene.

Another video posted on social media appeared to show blood on the ground.

The clips matched the reported location of the attacks on and around Wuerzburg's central Barbarossaplatz, though it was not immediately possible to confirm when they had been made.

The knifeman was overwhelmed by police after being shot in the leg. He was taken into custody.

Several victims were treated by emergency services. No information on their condition was released.

The knifeman was overwhelmed by police after being shot in the leg. He was taken into custody

Police had sealed off parts of the city centre for a 'major operation' on Friday afternoon and asked residents to stay away
Matt Hancock became embroiled in a scandal yesterday when grainy images emerged of the Health Secretary locking lips with his married aide.

Mr Hancock kissed and embraced mother-of-three Gina Coladangelo in the corridor outside his Department for Health office on May 6, days before he lifted the ban on hugging.

The footage sparked an onslaught of criticism and hypocrisy allegations, with Boris Johnson urged to sack the minister despite Mr Hancock issuing a brief apology for breaking social distancing rules.

Fleet Street has joined the furious commentary, with the media's most seasoned columnists dubbing Mr Hancocks's apparent disregard for his own rules a 'betrayal of public trust'.

Below is a selection of today's reaction to the jaw-dropping controversy.

Matt Hancock became embroiled in a heated scandal yesterday when grainy images (above) emerged of the Health Secretary locking lips with his married aide

Alison Pearson - Daily Telegraph

Alison Pearson said Matt Hancock had betrayed public trust

'How exhausting it must be to deliver pious, finger-wagging homilies to the nation, warning the doubly-vaccinated that they still aren't in the clear (breaking an earlier Hancock promise).

'Then, after menacing people to carry on observing the rules, there's just time for a quick 'pilot scheme' with the mistress before dashing home to the wife and three kids in north London.

'Apparently, Mr Hancock was happy to run the risk of giving "this lethal virus" to his poor family, even though such behaviour was strictly prohibited under his own regulations.

'How dare Matt Hancock think he can flout the rules with impunity, rules which have caused an ocean of suffering to the good people of this country who have strived to do as they were told by this utter charlatan.

'Hypocrisy is too small a word for this betrayal of public trust.'

Janice Turner - The Times

Janice Turner said: 'How can you preach forbearance and restraint to the nation, yet be unable to control yourself?'

'Hands, face, space. You can't voice such mantras and get away with French-tongued embrace.

'Especially since it raises the question of whether Hancock really hired Gina Colangelo, an old college friend, for her lobby company's "deep understanding of the mechanics of government".

'How can you preach forbearance and restraint to the nation, yet be unable to control yourself?

'It is young people who must be angriest with Hancock. Damned unfairly for irresponsibility, most have stuck to the rules to save the oldsters they love.

'Nature is telling these healthy young creatures to go forth and get laid, yet all through winter first dates were reduced to trudging stone-cold sober around icy parks.'

Marina Hyde - The Guardian

Marina Hyde said: 'That said, if Hancock does end up being resigned for this, it would fit with the general twilight mood in the UKs national story'

'Sorry, but the only thing I want to see Matt Hancock doing against the back of his office door is sliding down it with his head in his hands.

'But he can probably bank on not being sacked by Boris Johnson for having an affair. It would be like being sacked by Stalin for being slightly arsey to work with.

'Even so, Hancock will be glad that the British Antarctic Territory has been added to the green list, just as hes been added to the s**t list.

'The South Pole suddenly looks well worth packing his bags for. Temperatures are currently minus 87 but feel like minus 108, making it considerably less frosty than any of Matts current climes.

'That said, if Hancock does end up being resigned for this, it would fit with the general twilight mood in the UKs national story.

'Nothing says country thats going to make a massive success of itself like a guy getting away with contributing to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths but having to quit for a knee-trembler. Its like getting Al Capone for snogging.'

Jan Moir - Daily Mail

Jan Moir condemned the Health Secretary for having 'one rule for us, but another for him'

'A Health Secretary in the middle of a national health emergency breaking the rules that he himself imposed on the nation: if that is not a matter of urgent public interest, then what is?

'At the beginning of this crisis, Hancock asked a lot of this country  and the majority of people responded heroically. We were all in it together, he insisted. Got it, we said, nodding in agreement.

'On this fraught journey, we were his fellow travellers. In matters of community and responsibility, we sacrificed and did our best  in fact, we are still doing our best. Hour upon hour, day after day, month after long month.

'We socially distanced, we wore our masks, most of us somehow managed not to have spontaneous encounters with people who worked for us, no matter how attractive they were, or how neatly they filed important correspondence.

'Yet Matt Hancock did not. It was one rule for us, but another for him.

'What a hypocrite he has proved himself to be  leading the clap for the NHS, pretending to cry when the first vaccines arrived, scuttling back to the office to administer a double-dose love potion of his own.

'And it is not as if he didnt have enough going on.'

Amanda Platell - Daily Mail

Amanda Platell said the photographs show an 'appalling betrayal'

'How can the Health Secretary live with himself after such an appalling betrayal? While [his wife] thought he was saving the world from Covid, he was grappling with something  or someone  beyond her worst fears.

'Martha must feel utterly belittled as her agony is splashed across the public domain. And how world shattering for their three children.

'She won't be fussing over whether the appointment of Coladangelo broke the official rules. All any loyal, betrayed wife would see is that picture of her husband urgently kissing another woman, his hand placed on his paramour's bottom, seared into her mind forever.

'Leaked messages suggest the PM viewed Hancock's performance as Health Secretary as "hopeless". He is worse than that as a husband.

'The arrogance of his 'affair' is breathtaking. And reckless. Do politicians not realise that when they become MPs, their family can become public collateral damage?

'That as holders of the highest offices of state they are expected to hold themselves to a higher standard?'

Melanie McDonagh - The Spectator

Melanie McDonagh said 'hands, face, space' had clearly escaped Mr Hancock's mind

'Matt Hancock has not, we can agree, made it his business to lighten the public mood during the pandemic.

'That lugubrious face was designed by nature for a downbeat message.

'Who can forget his injunction to "hug carefully" and responsibly as lockdown eased?

'(Before that, his regulations meant no one got within hugging distance of anyone.)

'He would, he said, be hugging his parents outside: "Im really looking forward to hugging you, dad, but well probably do it outside and keep the ventilation going: hands, face and space".

'Well! Hands, face and space werent quite what came to mind looking at the completely fabulous if grainy pictures in the Sun of Hancock in a clinch  a real adolescent snog  with his adviser, Gina Coladangelo, an old university friend and PR boss.'
Police in London have launched a murder investigation after a teenager was stabbed to death this week, as statistics show that more teens have been killed in the capital in the first six months of this year than 2020.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to a street in Sydenham, south east London on Friday evening at 21:30 following reports that a 19-year-old man had been stabbed.

The teen died at the scene.

Police were called to the scene at Miall Walk on Friday evening following reports of a stabbing

The man is the 18th teen victim to be killed in London this year, with 16 of those having been stabbed.

A total of 17 teenagers were killed in London last year.

The worst year for teen deaths in the capital in the post war era was 2008, when 29 were unlawfully killed.

Officers attempted first aid on the latest victim of knife crime and London Ambulance Service were also called to the scene at Miall Walk on Friday (June 25).

Homicide detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation into the incident.

The victim, a 19-year-old teenager, died at the scene in Sydenham, south east London

A bouquet of flowers had been left outside the property being examined by forensics

Police tape and cordons at the scene covering areas from the A212 to Champion Road

Formal identification and a post-mortem examination is set to take place in the coming days.

The teenager's family have been told, and Detective Chief Inspector Chris Wood said the victim's mother visited the scene, and is being supported by officers.

Some family members were spotted speaking to detectives within the police cordon, which covers areas from the A212 to Champion Road, on Saturday.

One family member said the victim's mother is 'in pieces.'

Several officers were spotted at the scene on Saturday, while forensic experts examined a property on the A212.

A bouquet of flowers had been left outside the property.

'Met officers have been working through the night to commence what will be a rigorous investigation into the death of this young man,' he said.

'Police cordons remain at the location as a painstaking forensic examination gets under way.

Homicide detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation

Police presence and cordons remain at the scene while forensic examination is undertaken

'[The victim's mother] and other family members will be provided with ongoing support, and my heart goes out to her as she faces up to the first day of the rest of her life without her son.

'I can assure her, and indeed all Londoners, of my total commitment to finding the person or persons responsible for this murder and bringing them to justice.

'The support of the local community, and of anyone who may know anything about this tragic incident, will also be crucial. If you have any information, please get in touch.'
He had staged an elaborate hoax so it looked like she died in a botched burglary

He stretched his legs in the exercise yard of the notorious Korydallos prison

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, was pictured from inside prison for the first time

Lost in thought with his arms on his hips, this is the husband of murdered British mother Caroline Crouch, seen for the first time inside the prison where he is being held for her brutal killing.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, was pictured from behind barbed wire as he stretched his legs in the exercise yard of the notorious Korydallos prison which is located on the outskirts of Athens and is Greece's main maximum-security facility.

Conditions inside the prison are so bad that the Greek government has vowed to shut it down but Anagnostopoulos is being housed in its 'VIP' wing, enjoying a host of luxuries that have left other inmates and prison wardens fuming at the 'five-star' treatment he is receiving.

Photographs were also published in the Greek media on Saturday showing the inside of Anagnostopoulos's cell, which comes with its own shower, toilet, set of furniture, large window which allows in plenty of light and a television.

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, was pictured from behind barbed wire in the exercise yard of the notorious Korydallos prison, which is Greece's main maximum-security facility

Anagnostopoulos also has a fan to help cope with searing heat inside his cell caused by outside temperatures hitting 36C as Greece is gripped by a heat wave.

He has been given the top bunk and is sharing the spacious cell with three other prisoners: one a former prison warden, facing charges of drug dealing and two drug dealers.

Inmates are reported to be so incensed at the soft treatment meted out to Anagnostopoulos that on Friday his lawyer was unable to visit him because of fears that it might lead to violence.

One prison warden was quoted telling Greek TV: 'It's as if he's at home and enjoying his life. There is a lot of anger at the luxury he is getting.'

Anagnostopoulos has become Greece's most notorious prisoner after confessing to murdering Caroline, 20 and then staging an elaborate hoax to make it appear that she had died in a botched burglary.

Prison sources also revealed that after initially being remanded in custody following a court hearing on Tuesday, Anagnostopoulos did not speak at all but since then he has become more sociable with his cell mates.

Anagnostopoulos confessed to murdering Caroline, 20, (both pictured) and then staging an elaborate hoax to make it appear that she had died in a botched burglary

Prison sources revealed that after initially being remanded in custody, pilot Anagnostopoulos (pictured) did not speak at all but since then he has become more sociable with his cell mates

Anagnostopoulos has asked to be given work at the prison and requested a number of books to help him while away the time as his trial is not expected to take place for another 18 months.

His trial is not expected to take place for another 18 months.

While Anagnostopoulos remains in an 'exclusive' part of Korydallos, prisoners on other wings face conditions that have been described as 'degrading' and 'inhuman'.

A number of reports have found that it is controlled by violent gangs with prison wardens too afraid to patrol inside. Drugs are freely available with shipments organised by prisoners openly using mobile phones.

A delegation from the Council of Europe that visited the prison last year found that up to seven people were crammed into mould-infested cells measuring just 9.5 square metres and that many slept on mattresses on the floor.

The delegation also said buildings at Korydallos holding between 230 to 430 people each were often overseen by just one prison officer 'who clearly was not in a position to exert any authority or control.'

The prison was opened in 1967 with a capacity for around 8,000 inmates but it is now estimated that it houses almost 13,000 prisoners.

Caroline, a the mother-of-one, was smothered by her husband Anagnostopoulos over the course of six minutes as their baby daughter Lydia lay nearby.

Anagnostopoulos (pictured with Caroline and daughter Lydia) is in the prison's 'VIP' wing, enjoying a host of luxuries that have left other inmates fuming at his 'five-star' treatment

Caroline, a the mother-of-one, was smothered by her husband Anagnostopoulos (both pictured on wedding day) over the course of six minutes as their baby Lydia lay nearby

For weeks, Anagnostopoulos played the grieving widower as police searched for the 'robbers' he claimed had tied him up and killed his wife, plus the family's pet dog, Roxy.

Then last Wednesday, hours after hugging Caroline's mother Susan at a memorial service, the 33-year-old finally brought the cruel charade to an end with a police confession.

Police claimed on June 17 that Anagnostopoulos had confessed to killing Caroline in a fit of rage after she threatened to divorce him and take their baby daughter.

Not long before Anagnostopoulos' confession, detectives extracted biometric data from Caroline's watch which they believed pinpointed the exact moment her heart stopped beating - hours before the alleged burglary took place.

'I really regret this act, I ruined my life and my family,' he told a judge when he appeared in court in Athens this week, the transcript of which was recently released.

While confessing to his crime, Anagnostopoulos claimed that he staged an elaborate hoax to make it appear that Caroline had been killed in a botched burglary because he did not want Lydia to be brought up without any parent.

Caroline's parents are seeking full custody of Lydia, and earlier this week applied to a court in Athens to be granted care of her. The court will decide next week.

Susan is demanding that she and her husband David - Caroline's father - be given full custody and that Lydia stay with them on Alonnisos until a final decision is made.

Lydia is currently being looked after by Anagnostopoulos's parents at their Athens home and they are demanding that custody of her be shared.

His lawyer, Alexandros Papaioannidis told MailOnline that Lydia's two grandmothers, Susan and Georgia, had spoken on the phone and that both wanted what was best for the child.

For weeks, Anagnostopoulos (pictured outside court on June 22) played the grieving widower as police searched for the 'robbers' he claimed had tied him up and killed his wife

Caroline's parents are seeking full custody of Lydia, and applied to an Athens court to be granted care of her. Lydia is being looked after by Anagnostopoulos's parents (pictured) at their Athens home

He said: 'Both families want different things, but they are on good terms and are communicating. It is the court that will have to find a solution about this.

'Keeping Lydia for part of the time in Athens and part of the time in Alonnisos is not feasible.

'My client is in prison and the only thing that he can do is care for his child as best he can. He wants custody to be shared.'

While on the face of it the couple appeared to have a seemingly perfect life in their Athens villa with their one-year-old child and a number of pets, Anagnostopoulos has claimed that in truth, Caroline was physically and verbally abusive towards him.

He told a court earlier this week that his judgement became 'blurred' prompting him to kill her after she attacked him.

His lawyers have summoned the parents as part of their case that the couple rowed regularly and that on the night of the murder, Anagnostopoulos acted on impulse and did not plan it.

Anagnostopoulos's parents are expected to testify that it was Caroline who was verbally and physically abusive towards their son.

Meanwhile, Susan is to travel from her home on the island of Alonnisos to give evidence, and is expected to describe Anagnostopoulos as 'controlling,' who prevented her from maintaining a healthy relationship with her family.

Anagnostopoulos and Miss Crouch wed in 2019, when she was 18 and he was 31.

Anagnostopoulos (pictured on June 22) claimed he had mounted the cover-up because he could not bear Lydia growing up without either parent

Anagnostopoulos (pictured outside court on June 18) is expected to enter a plea to a murder charge when he next appears in court

Anagnostopoulos claimed the couple had 'argued' again on the night of May 11 but denied he planned to kill her.

In chilling detail, the helicopter pilot spelt out the awful final moments of his wife's life.

He said: 'Caroline started shaking her body, to get out of my arms, and I kept holding her tight.

'At one point, her face was wincing on the pillow. I kept holding her in my arms until she stopped rocking.

'All this lasted for about five minutes, from the time I hugged her until the time she stopped rocking.'

Anagnostopoulos claimed he had mounted the cover-up because he could not bear Lydia growing up without either parent.

Anagnostopoulos is expected to enter a plea to a murder charge when he next appears in court.
A four-page letter written by a Colorado man before he shot dead a police officer with an AR-15 reveals his deep hatred of law enforcement.

Ronald Troyke, 59, was caught on surveillance camera gunning down Officer Gordon Beesley, 51, in the town of Arvada on Monday afternoon. Good Samaritan John Hurley, 40, was shopping nearby and rushed to the scene with his concealed carry pistol.

Hurley shot dead Troyke, potentially saving the lives of other officers and civilians in the process. However, cops who subsequently arrived on the scene believed he was the original gunman and shot him dead in a tragic case of mistaken identity.

The Arvada Police Department has admitted the fatal mix-up and hailed Hurley as 'a hero'.

On Friday, Fox31 obtained excerpts of a disturbing letter Troyke penned prior to his murder of Officer Beesley. It was reportedly uncovered inside Troyke's home.

'My goal today is to kill Arvada PD officers,' the letter reads.

'Hundreds of you pigs should be killed daily,' he added. 'I just hope I don't die without killing any of you pigs'.

Officer Gordon Beesley, 51 (left) was killed by Ronald Troyke in Arvada, Colorado, on Monday afternoon. Good Samaritan John Hurley, 40 (right), also lost his life after reportedly confronting the gunman

The letter continues: 'Today I will kill as many Arvada officers as I possibly can'.

It also featured the sentence: 'This is what you get, you are the people who are expendable'.

It's unclear what sparked Troyke's hatred of local law enforcement.

According to court records cited by The Denver Post, Troyke was convicted of third-degree assault in 1992 and DWI in 1994.

There is no indication that Troyke had had any major run-ins with the law over the past 17 years.

Meanwhile, surveillance footage from the incident shows Troyke parking his dark-colored pick-up truck in Arvada on Mondau afternoon, just minutes before he shot and killed Officer Beesley.

The video clearly shows Troyke exit the vehicle at 1.35 pm dressed in a black shirt and shorts, openly brandishing his AR-15.

He then runs towards an unsuspecting Officer Beesley before shooting him dead.

Gunman Ronald Troyke on CCTV moments after he had ambushed and killed Officer Beesley

Eyewitness Bill Troyanos told The Denver Channel he was working in a nearby store at the time, and Hurley was inside the premises doing some shopping.

The pair heard he gunfire, before Hurley - who was armed with his own concealed carry - ran out of the shop towards the scene.

'He did not hesitate; he didn't stand there and think about it,' Troyanos told the station. 'I just want to make sure his family knows how heroic he was.'

According to Troyanos, Hurley confronted Troyke and fired five or six shots at him, causing the gunman to collapse against a parked car.

A manager at another nearby business told the station that prior to the shooting, he heard Hurley urging bystanders to seek shelter.

'He turned back and looked towards everybody at the restaurant and told us that he [the gunman] is coming, that he is coming back and that we should get inside,' the manager said.

Police officers investigate the scene the shooting in Arvada on Monday, which left Beesley, Hurley and the gunman dead

Meanwhile, the district attorney's office has not commented on whether or not charges could be filed against the cop who fired the shot that killed Hurley.

Arvada police did tell The Denver Post that an officer is on administrative leave, which is considered to be standard protocol, but didn't reveal their identity.

According to his Facebook page, Hurley was a classically trained cook. Until recently, he had been working for a catering company. After the business declared bankruptcy, Hurley took on jobs at a piano-moving company and an arcade, reported Fox 31.

Long-time friend Cody Soules described him in a statement as 'an outspoken activist' who wanted to help people in his community.

Hurley's former co-worker Cole Crocker told Fox 31 that he was dedicated, passionate and caring.

'Johnny was the kind of guy that would think of everyone but himself first, always,' he said.

Sources say a police bullet was responsible for killing Hurley during Monday's shootout

Beesley, 51, 'was targeted because he was wearing an Arvada police uniform and a badge,' police Chief Link Strate said at a news conference on Tuesday.

'Officer Beasley was ambushed by someone who expressed hatred of police officers.'

Beesley was a school resource officer with a reputation for taking a compassionate approach with students.

With school out for the summer, Beesley was working on patrol when he was hit by gunfire shortly after a report of a suspicious incident that police also have not described.

Beesley was a 19-year veteran of the Arvada Police Department, working as a patrol officer and as a motorcycle traffic officer before working as a school resource officer. He is survived by wife Karen and their two children.
A 24-year-old geography teacher lured her 14-year-old student into having sex in classrooms, her car, and the school stairwell by barraging him with desperate text messages and claiming he 'didn't have the balls' to follow through.

Monica Elizabeth Young, 24, has plead guilty to three counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a minor after they boy's aunt and cousin spotted her sneaking the boy into her car and alerted authorities.

Young contacted the boy over Instagram and then their conversations moved to Snapchat where she asked him to send pictures of himself and she would send racy photos in return, NSW District Court agreed facts state.

Young (pictured) was expected to be sentenced on Thursday but the magistrate delayed proceedings to consider the outcome

Of the 23 classes she was assigned, 12 were in geography - a subject which she had no formal training in and was always just 'one page ahead' of her students as she tried to teach herself the curriculum

She would also FaceTime the teenager - whom she taught in geography, science, and PDHPE six times a fortnight - while performing lewd acts on herself. Young initiated the contact after their school shut down in early 2020 because of Covid lockdowns.

They met when school returned six weeks later in mid-May and their online communication turned physical by June.

The liaisons lasted for two weeks with the teacher giving the boy oral sex as a 'farewell present' on the last day of school.

Young would manipulate the teenager by alternately flooding him with text messages begging him for sex and daring him to push the boundaries of their relationship.

She asked him to hug her at school in front of other students and then mocked him when he didn't accusing him of 'not having the balls'.

The dare became a frequent tactic Young used to convince the boy the boy into sexual acts.

Young previously reporting to Bankstown Police Station as part of her bail conditions in May

Young moved in with her grandmother when she was granted bail, where she has no access to internet or a mobile phone

On another occasion, she sent a message which read: 'It's dangerous if we get caught, but if you do it it'll be worth it'.

The duo exchanged messages about the sex acts they wanted to perform on each other, with Young initiated the 'sexting' on several occasions.

Between June 24 and July 6, 2020 the pair had sex numerous times including while they were both at the school and in her car at a nearby park as well as performing other sex acts.

The most brazen of her offending occurred inside the school's classrooms.

She messaged her victim to meet him in an English room to perform a sex act on him, and in another incident she groped the boy at the back of the classroom while the rest of the year nine class watched Disney movie, WALL-E.

The sexting began on Instagram, but quickly moved to SnapChat (above)

During the movie, a friend of the boy even sat on the other side of him as the sex act took place - and Young then returned to the staff room, the statement of facts read.

The victim was also encouraged to lie about his whereabouts, telling his mother on one occasion he stayed back late at school to get help on an assignment, and even skipped afternoon classes to spend time with Young.

On the last day of school, the duo met on the staircase at 3.20pm to kiss goodbye, and Young performed oral sex on the 14-year-old as a 'farewell present'.

The liaisons only ended when the boy's aunt and cousin saw him get into Young's car on July 7 - with the cousin filming the moment he dragged the boy from the car.

He then reported the pair to the school the next day.

Young could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for the offences.

Her lawyer, former prosecutor Margaret Cunneen SC, told Downing Centre District Court on Thursday it was 'unusual' for women in the position of trust of a school teacher to be charged with such offences.

Young sported a slimmed down figure and wore all black when she appeared in court on Thursday, tearfully begging her victim's family for forgiveness

Young had only just started her teaching career when the offences occurred between June 24 and July 6 last year

The court heard that while they couldn't find any comparable cases involving a young female teacher, a borderline personality disorder or post-traumatic stress (PTSD) often contributed to such offending.

The court on Thursday heard Young was sexually abused as a child by a student the same age as her victim.

Her defence indicated there could be a subconscious link between her own trauma and the offending.

'This is by means of explanation and certainly not an excuse... These are the most serious breaches of trust that a teacher could ever be involved in.'

On Thursday, she tearfully told the court she 'regretted letting the relationship progress' and begged his family for forgiveness.

After Young's emotional plea, Ms Cunneen asked the court to consider 'how difficult it would be for a young lady of 23, in her first year of teaching, to maintain proper barriers, distance and authority over boys of this age... without being sexist at all'.

'It cannot be forgotten that she was nine years older than the boy... It was an early time in this woman's career, one gets a picture of a woman who could not cope with what she was given.'

But prosecutor Alexander Terracini dismissed the defence, arguing that gender should not play any role in court proceedings.

He said that despite Young's intentions in becoming a teacher, the 'fact of the matter is that within months of accepting her first job she was abusing one of her students.

'That simply cannot be ignored,' he said.

Monica Elizabeth Young, 24, admitted to aggravated sexual intercourse with the boy in Homebush in June and July, 2020

Mr Terracini argued it shouldn't make any difference if she were a male or a female, and that the only thing that should be considered in sentencing is that a 23-year-old adult abused a teenager.

'Abuse is the key, not gender,' he said. 'It may be unusual... Perhaps I'm displaying more of a modern flavour but how on earth does gender play into it? How on earth is that relevant?

'She chose to work at that school and she chose to abuse one of those students.'

The court heard Young started teaching at the all-boys school in southwest Sydney on March 20th, 2020, and was given 23 classes between year seven and 10.

She'd spent four-and-a-half years at university studying to teach PDHPE, and was 'so proud' of herself when she landed her first full-time role.

Of the 23 classes she was assigned, 12 were in geography - a subject which she had no formal training in and was always just 'one page ahead' of her students as she tried to teach herself the curriculum.

By April, the Covid pandemic had forced the closure of schools and Young was required to teach her classes remotely via online learning channels.

It was at this point that 'the lines were criminally blurred' as Young became 'more accessible' to her students, many of whom contacted her all hours of the night and day.

On Thursday, Young took to the stand in front of the victim's mother and cried as she apologised for 'letting the relationship progress' over the period of offending.

Young told the court that she was sexually abused when she was in Year 7 and could therefore understand the 'trauma' she had subjected the boy to.

'I just never imagined I'd be one of those people I've never been in trouble with the law. I hope he and his family can forgive me,' she said through tears.

'I was foolish.'

Monica Elizabeth Young (pictured) originally pleaded not guilty but admitted to three counts of aggravated sexual intercourse with a minor. Pictured with her former fiance

Young had been in a relationship for several years at the time of offending, but her defence counsel, former top prosecutor Margaret Cunneen SC, told the court it was 'going very badly by this stage'.

'There was a background of physical abuse, infidelity and drug taking In addition she had an experience herself as a child.'

Ms Cunneen implored the Magistrate Kate Traill to consider 'how often this terrible crime rears its' head again in people who have been victims themselves'.

'She can hardly believe that what happened, happened.'

There was confusion about Young's relationship status in the courtroom, as Magistrate Traill asked whether she and her former fiance had ever officially tied the knot.

'She did not marry him according to the laws of Australia, but there was a particular religious ceremony,' Ms Cunneen said.

Young told the court in her tearful letter to the family that she regrets the relationship and understands that both her victim and his family will carry the trauma of the offence 'for the rest of their lives'.

'I knew it was wrong, I knew my actions were inappropriate but I couldn't let myself believe it,' she said. 'He trusted me and I abused that trust.'
Columbian President Ivan Duque has said a helicopter he was flying in on Friday came under fire in the first attack against a Colombian head of state in nearly 20 years.

Duque, 44, said he was flying with several senior officials when the helicopter was hit by gunfire in the southern Catatumbo region, which borders Venezuela.

Nobody was injured in the attack and authorities did not say which side of the border the shots came from. Colombia regularly accuses Venezuela of harboring rebels on its territory.

Photos released by the president's office showed the tail and main blade of the presidential aircraft had been hit.

'It is a cowardly attack, where you can see bullet holes in the presidential aircraft,' Duque said in a statement.

Columbian President Ivan Duque has said a helicopter (pictured) he was flying in on Friday came under fire in the first attack against a Colombian head of state in nearly 20 years

Duque, 44, said he was flying with several senior officials when the helicopter was hit by gunfire (pictured: damage of aircraft) in the Catatumbo region, which borders Venezuela

Duque (centre), 44, said he was flying with several senior officials when the helicopter was hit by gunfire in the southern Catatumbo region, which borders Venezuela

Duque also claimed that the aircraft's 'safety features' had prevented a 'lethal attack' and said he has given orders to 'go after those' who shot at the aircraft.

The president was surrounded by hoards of bodyguards after landing at Camilo Daza International Airport following the attack, pictures showed.

'I have given very clear instructions to the entire security team to go after those who shot at the aircraft,' Duque added.

The US, European Union and UN mission in Colombia all condemned the attack.

Duque said he was flying with the defense minister Diego Molano, interior minister Daniel Palacios, and Silvano Serrano, the governor of Norte de Santander province - which borders Venezuela - when the helicopter was attacked.

The presidential delegation left the town of Sardinata and was heading to the border city of Cucuta when they came under fire. The time of the attack is not known.

Nobody was injured in the attack and authorities did not say which side of the border the shots came from. Pictured: The helicopter sits at Camilo Daza International Airport after the attack

Photos released by the president's office showed the tail (right) and main blade (left) of the presidential aircraft had been hit

Duque also claimed that the aircraft's 'safety features' had prevented a 'lethal attack' and said he has given orders to 'go after those' who shot at the aircraft (pictured after landing)

The US, European Union and UN mission in Colombia all condemned the attack. Pictured: Bullet holes in the presidential helicopter

Duque had attended an event in the Catatumbo region, one of the main coca-growing areas of the country. Colombia is the world's largest cocaine producer.

The last attack against a president in Colombia was a bombing that targeted then-leader Alvaro Uribe in 2003.

A 20kg bomb hidden in a building near the airport in the southwest city of Neiva exploded prior to the landing of a plane carrying Uribe, who is Duque's political mentor.

The blast killed 15 people and wounded 66 and the government blamed the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group for that attack.

Venezuela and Colombia broke off relations after Duque, a conservative, came to power in 2018. Venezuela is governed by socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

There are still drug trafficking turf wars fought along the border with Venezuela by holdouts from FARC, the active guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN), and other armed bands.

The Duque government has repeatedly accused Venezuela of giving refuge to ELN fighters.

'We are not frightened by violence or acts of terrorism. Our state is strong and Colombia is strong to confront this kind of threat,' Duque said after the attack on his chopper.

It comes after a car bomb exploded on a military base in Cucuta on June 16, wounding 36 people.

The president (fourth from right) was surrounded by hoards of bodyguards after landing at Camilo Daza International Airport following the attack, pictures showed

Duque said he was flying with the defense and interior ministers, and the governor of Norte de Santander province, which borders Venezuela, when the helicopter (pictured) was attacked

The last attack against a president in Colombia was a bombing that targeted then-leader Alvaro Uribe in 2003. Pictured: Soldiers stand guard at Camilo Daza International Airport after the presidential helicopter was hit by gunfire

The presidential delegation had left the town of Sardinata and was headed to the border city of Cucuta when they came under fire. Pictured: Helicopter at airport after being hit by gunfire

The government blamed the ELN for the bomb, which it ended peace negotiations with back in 2019.

The talks started after the government concluded a historic peace accord in 2016 with the much bigger FARC that ended decades of civil war.

But since Duque came to power, the country has been enduring its worst outbreak of violence since the peace accord with the FARC, which disarmed itself in 2017.

The government has accused armed groups financed with drug money of carrying out massacres in isolated coca-producing regions.

With his approval record at rock bottom, Duque is also facing anger in the streets.

Tens of thousands of people voiced their discontent on April 28 against a proposed tax hike that they said would hurt the middle class, already suffering economically from the pandemic.

The government withdrew the proposal, but the protests morphed into a broader grassroots movement to air gripes about inequality, education and other woes, amid complaints of heavy handed police action to put down the marches. More than 60 people have died in the unrest.
The Pentagon's newly released public report on UFOs has left many enthusiasts unsatisfied, excluding top-secret information and prompting claims the government is shielding information.

The nine-page public report released on Friday afternoon, separate from classified information that was also provided to Congress, described 144 military ufo sightings mostly since 2019, only one of which could be explained.

Luis Elizondo, the former director of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) program to study UFOs, said the report was only the tip of the iceberg, but nevertheless called it 'historic'.

'This is a historic moment for us, in our country and our military,' Elizondo told Fox News after the report's release.

'The government has formally and officially come out and informed Congress that these things are -- A, theyre real -- and two, that theyre not ours and that they seem to be performing, at least some of them  in remarkable ways,' he said.

Luis Elizondo, the former director of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) program to study UFOs, said the report was only the tip of the iceberg

The USS Omaha filmed a round object making a controlled flight above the water for an extended period of time before it finally entered the ocean

Elizondo said he he believes the majority of UFO sightings go unreported in the military, and that the new report only captures a fraction of sightings.

'A large majority of reporting goes unreported. Why? The stigma and taboo... involving this topic, so one can surmise there's actually a lot more than just 144 incidents involving the Navy and just last year and a half.'

The report said defense and intelligence analysts lack sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects, and did not rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial origin.

It noted that there are likely a variety explanations for different encounters, and said that some of the incidents could have been sightings of advanced technologies deployed by Russia, China or another foreign nation.

The report said that in 18 of the incidents, described in 21 reports, the UFOs displayed advanced maneuvering or flight capabilities indicative of 'advanced technology' beyond current known human capabilities.

Elizondo said that it was important to consider all possibilities, including extraterrestrial or trans-dimensional origin.

Elizondo said he he believes the majority of UFO sightings go unreported in the military, and that the new report only captures a fraction of sightings

The Pentagon's report was released to Congress on Friday, but offered no information on what the UFOs might be

'This is something that could involve outer space, interspace, or the space in between, and that's why we've always said keep all options on the table,' he said.

'The more we learn about this remarkable universe we live in, the more we realize our current understanding of the construct of the cosmos is constantly changing and evolving with new information and new knowledge that we get,' added Elizondo.

'People jump to speculation that it's from the Pleiades or something like that, when in fact one of the hypothesis when I was in AATIP was this could be as natural to Earth as we are, but we are just at a point where technologically we aren't advanced enough we can collect information on it and begin to try to figure out what it is,' he said.

'There's been another hypothesis that these things are possibly from underwater and as outlandish as it may seem, there is some anecdotal evidence that supports all of these observations, so what we want to do is try to get as much data on the table as we can before we start eliminating,' said Elizondo.

Friday's report encompasses 144 observations of what the government officially refers to as 'unidentified aerial phenomenon,' or UAP, dating back to 2004. The report was issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in conjunction with a U.S. Navy-led UAP task force.

The report includes some UFO cases that previously came to light in the Pentagon's release of video from U.S. Naval aviators.

They showed mysterious aircraft off the U.S. East and West Coasts exhibiting speed and maneuverability exceeding known aviation technologies and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces.

Previously released video reportedly taken in July 2019 by naval officers using a night vision device showed pyramid shaped objects hovering 700 feet above a Navy destroyer

The video was taken in July 2019 by naval officers using a night vision device

A senior U.S. official, asked about the possibility of extraterrestrial explanations for the observations, said: 'That's not the purpose of the task force, to evaluate any sort of search for extraterrestrial life. ... That's not what we were charged with doing.

'Of the 144 reports we are dealing with here, we have no clear indications that there is any non-terrestrial explanation for them - but we will go wherever the data takes us,' the official added.

All but four of the sightings, which were attributed to 'airborne clutter,' remain unexplained, subject to further analysis, U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters during a briefing describing the report's findings.

For the remaining 140 cases, the government has yet to rule in or out whether the sightings might be of extraterrestrial origin, the officials said.

Likewise, the task force lacks enough evidence to conclude whether any of those incidents represented some exotic aerial system developed either by a U.S. government or commercial entity, or by a foreign power, according to the officials.

'Of data we have, we don't have any clear indications that any of these unidentified aerial phenomena are part of a foreign (intelligence) collection program, and we don't have any clear data that is indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary,' the senior official said.

'We continue to put a lot of effort and energy into tracking those types of developments, and we watch that very carefully. Nothing in this data set clearly points us into that direction,' the official added.

The government in recent years has adopted UAP as its preferred term for what are otherwise known as 'unidentified flying objects,' or UFOs, long associated with the notion of alien spacecraft.

A second senior official said that 21 of the reports show UAPs 'that appear to have some sort of advanced propulsion or advanced technology,' and appear to lack any means of propulsion or acceleration and exhibit speeds beyond what the United States believes foreign adversaries possess.

The report was ordered by Congress as part of broader intelligence legislation signed by former President Donald Trump in December. Senator Marco Rubio was instrumental in commissioning it.

Friday's report marks a turning point for the U.S. government after the military spent decades deflecting, debunking and discrediting observations of unidentified flying objects and 'flying saucers' backing back to the 1940s.

Many of those sightings are actually believed to have been experimental, top-secret US government aircraft, with officials gladly going along with UFO stories to keep attention off their cutting-edge projects.

But the Pentagon has taken a far more sober approach to the latest spate of sightings - perhaps because so many were caught on camera by respected military personnel.

'Anytime there is a safety-of-flight or counterintelligence concern we take those things very seriously and we will continue to take those things seriously,' the first senior official said.

The second senior official added, 'Our approach has been driven by science and data.'

A number of naval aviators have come forward in recent years to discuss their observations of UAPs with documentary filmmakers and news organizations including Reuters.

'A lot of the work that the task force has done to date has been on the de-stigmatization issue, ensuring that those who observe unidentified things are comfortable reporting that and that it's clear how they should report that,' the first official said.

He was referring to the fears of servicemen and women who were reluctant to report what they'd seen over fears they'd be laughed off as crackpots.

'I think DoD (the Department of Defense) has made very significant strides in recent months in getting the message out on that,' the official continued.

It is not the first official U.S. government report on the subject. For example, the U.S. Air Force carried out a previous UFO investigation called Project Blue Book , ended in 1969, that compiled a list of 12,618 sightings, 701 of which involved objects that officially remained 'unidentified.'

In 1994, the Air Force announced that it had completed a study to locate records relating to the 1947 'Roswell incident' in New Mexico.

That saw a silvery object smash into the desert near the remote town. It was initially reported as a downed flying saucer, but officials have since insisted that the Roswell object was actually a downed weather balloon.
Five of the sites are considered close contacts sites requiring 14-day isolation

An entire hotel is flagged for two whole days, as well as a screening of a hit film

It also includes the city centre train station entrance for busy Town Hall station

EXPOSURE SITES ANNOUNCED EARLY SATURDAY EVENING Potts Point: Cafe de la Fontaine - Sunday June 20, 10.30am  12.00pm Annandale: Revolver Cafe - Sunday June 20, 10.45am and 12.10pm Coogee: Churrasco - Sunday June 20, 5.30 pm to 6.40pm Gregory Hills: Woolworths - Sunday June 20, 3pm to 3:30pm Double Bay: Matteo Restaurant and Bar - Sunday June 20, 6.30pm to 8.00pm Hurstville: H One Hair Salon - Tuesday June 22, 5.30pm to 6.30pm Bondi Beach: Speedo Fitness Club  pool area only - Tuesday June 22, 4.45pm to 6.15pm North Ryde: Macquarie Shopping Centre food court (Level 2) - Wednesday June 23, 2pm to 2.30pm Casula: Crossroads Hotel - Wednesday June 23, 7pm to 10.30pm Burwood: Yang's Dumplings - Thursday June 24, 11am to 11.30am In addition another five casual contact sites were also added to the list of the latest hotspots. Anyone who attended any of the following venues at the listed times is a casual contact and must immediately get tested and self-isolate until a negative result is received. Bondi Junction: Five Star Hot Food - Tuesday June 22, 1.40pm to 1.55pm Bondi Beach Speedo Fitness Club  fitness centre or classes - Tuesday June 22, 4.45pm to 6.15pm Denham Court: Coles - Wednesday June 23, 9.50am to 10.20am Randwick: Bunnings Randwick cnr Clovelly Road and Kemmis Street Wednesday 23 June 9am to 9.30am Chullora: Woolworths Chullora Marketplace Chullora Marketplace, 355 Waterloo Rd Thursday 24 June 7.30am to 8.00am Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed must monitor for symptoms and immediately get tested and self-isolate if they develop: Bondi Beach: Bondi Pharmacy, 81 Hall Street - Friday June 18, 1:35pm to 2:45PM Premier Gladys Berejiklian said a crisis cabinet meeting would be held on Saturday, and foreshadowed the seven-day lockdown - which began overnight - could be expanded to more local government areas in Sydney Advertisement

Town Hall train station is among 26 new Covid hotspots identified across Sydney in a late night alert from NSW Health, including upmarket restaurants and take-aways, just hours after more than 6million people went into two-week lockdown

Eight of the locations - including the upmarket Bistro Moncur in Woollahra, a favourite among the Eastern Suburbs social set and wealthy locals - are considered close contact sites.

The list includes a Sunday evening screening of box office smash Fast & Furious 9 at an Auburn cinema.

The gym at Coogee Diggers RSL is also on the latest exposure list, with a near-two hour window for close contacts.

Anyone there at the times listed must get tested and go into isolation for two weeks regardless of the result.

Gregory Hills: Il Sapore Restaurant - Sunday June 20, 12pm to 3pm

Marrickville: Everest Nepalese Takeaway Cafe - Tuesday June 22, 4.30am to 8.30am, Wednesday June 23, 6.15am to 7am and Thursday June 24, 6.15am to 7am

Rhodes: Bare Witness Cafe - Wednesday June 23, 11am to 12.30pm

Coogee: Coogee Diggers RSL  gym on level 2 - Wednesday June 23, 3.45pm to 5:30pm

Woollahra: Bistro Moncur - Thursday June 24, 7.30pm to 10pm

Bondi: Lyfe Cafe - all day Thursday June 24

Auburn: Reading Cinema - Sunday June 20, 6.30pm screening of Fast & Furious 9

Earlwood: Adora Handmade Chocolates - Tuesday June 22, 32.20ppm to 3.45pm

Many more sites around the Bondi have also been included in the latest list, including ritzy Bondi Diggers' butchery offshoot and beachfront burger joint, Macelleria.

The entire Meriton Suites Hotel near Sydney Airport has been flagged as a casual contact danger zone for two whole days.

Anyone who has been to these sites at the times listed are considered casual contacts and must get tested and go into isolation until they get a negative result.

Mascot: Meriton Suites Hotel - all day Saturday June 19 and all day Monday June 21

Randwick: Bake Bar - Monday June 21, 10.40am to 11am

Moorebank: Cedary Bakehouse - Monday June 21 11am to 3pm

Bondi: The Char Rotisserie - Monday June 21, 5.10pm to 5.25pm

Bondi: Raw Bar - Monday June 21, 1:30pm to 1:40pm

Bondi: RicePot Thai - Monday June 21, 3:25pm to 3:35pm on

Bondi: I Love Pizza - Monday June 21, 3:40pm to 3:50pm

Bondi Beach: La Piadina Bondi - Monday June 21, 2:10pm to 2:20pm and 4:40pm to 4:50pm

Bondi Beach: Oakberry Acai - Monday 21 June 2021 3:15pm to 3:25pm

Bondi Beach: Macelleria Bondi -Monday June 21 1:45pm to 1:55pm

Bondi Beach: Banana Blossom - Monday June 21. 1:00pm to 1:15pm

Rose Bay: Poke Mix - Monday June 21, 4:15pm to 4:25pm

Rose Bay: Pita Mix - Monday June 21, 1:55pm to 2:10pm

Vaucluse: Sushi Dining Den - Monday June 21, 2:45pm to 2:55pm

Sydney: Station entry level and ground floor, Corner of Park Street and George Street Station entry level and ground floor - Wednesday June 23, 3:45pm - 4:15pm and Thursday June 24, 3:45pm  4:15pm

Carnes Hill: Woolworths - Wednesday June 23, 1.30pm to 1.55pm and 2.30pm to 2.35pm

Carnes Hill: Commonwealth Bank - Wednesday June 23, 2pm to 2.12pm

Carnes Hill: CTC Tobacconist - Wednesday June 23 2.12pm to 2.15pm

The latest urgent alerts also include two specific train trips. Anyone who made these journeys at the times listed is considered a casual contact and must get tested and go into isolation until they get a negative result.

T3 Bankstown Line: Belmore-Central - Tuesday June 22, 1.46pm to 2.40pm

T8 City to Airport/South Central Mascot: Tuesday June 22, 2.14pm to 2.21pm

The new sites were announced after an earlier urgent alerts was put out for another 17 new Covid exposure sites, including popular restaurants, a beachside gym and a Bunnings store.

The growing number of venues also includes another Woolworths and the same pub that was at the centre of a previous outbreak.

The alert for Great Ocean Foods in Marrickville has now been extended to take in all day every day from Monday June 21 until Friday June 25.

The Crossroads Hotel in Casula has again been named a high-risk exposure site and anyone who attended the pub on Wednesday June 23 from 7pm to 10:30pm must immediately be tested and self-isolate for 14 days.

In July last year a Melbourne freight worker visited the pub for a party, which resulted in at least 34 cases. He claimed he didn't know he was sick.

Churrasco restaurant in Coogee, Speedo Fitness Club in Bondi Beach and hair salon in Hurstville were also included in Saturday evening's latest exposure drop.

Any person and their household contacts who attended or directly received a delivery from Great Ocean Foods on those days must immediately call NSW Health, get tested and isolate.

Ten more locations were also added to the close contact list and anyone at these locations during the affected times must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.

Stay-at-home orders will apply to all of Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong areas from 6pm on Saturday and will be in place until midnight on Friday July 9.

Locals are only allowed to leave their houses for four reasons, which include for school or work if unable to do so from home, medical reasons including to get the vaccine and to give care, for essential shopping and to exercise outside in groups of no more than ten.

'There is no curfew. You can leave your home at any stage to purchase any essential goods that you need to and that is a given. Be thoughtful and considerate about fellow citizens and no need to panic buy,' Ms Berejiklian said on Saturday during a media briefing.

'I said that this the scariest time since the pandemic started and that's proven to be the case.'

Regional NSW will follow restrictions that were previously placed on Sydney which include having only five visitors at a house, wearing masks indoors, hospitality venues reduced to one person per square metre and outdoor venues reduced to 50 per cent capacity.

'So for those parts of New South Wales that aren't in lockdown, restrictions still apply because we want to make sure that if there have been any occasions where people unknowingly have taken the virus outside into the regions, that we don't have any spread in those regions,' Ms Berejiklian said.

Weddings will be able to go ahead over the weekend but will be banned from Monday.

Funerals can continue with a maximum of 100 guests and masks indoors while community sport will also be shut down over the next fortnight.

Shops will remain open and financial assistance will be available.

The Crossroads Hotel in Casula has again been named a high-risk exposure site and anyone who attended the pub on Wednesday June 23 from 7pm to 10:30pm must immediately be tested and self-isolate for 14 days

The Churrasco restaurant in Coogee has been listed as a high-exposure site by NSW Health

Sydney residents were undaunted by the new stay-at-home-orders, soaking up the sun on an unusually warm late-June day on Saturday. Pictured: Woman on Coogee Beach on Saturday

The Sydney CBD is almost completely deserted as residents are plunged into lockdown with health authorities warning it could be extended

The premier stressed with the current situation a three-day lockdown would not have worked but said restrictions may change if there's a dramatic drop in numbers over the next week.

'If we're going to do this, we need to do it properly. There's no point doing a 3-day and then having the virus continue to bubble away in the community,' she said.

NSW Health has turned its attention to the 40-storey Elan building in the heart of Kings Cross with all 500 residents being tested and forced to isolate after a confirmed case within the complex

'Now, if after seven days there's a dramatic change in the trend, we'll obviously evaluate the situation.

'We're finding that all household contacts, unfortunately, are getting the virus. Transmissibility is at least double what previous variants had been.

'So we do need to brace ourselves for potentially larger number of cases in the following days and that's why it's so important that we take action now.'

Ms Berejiklian said the outbreak of the Indian 'Delta' strain left health authorities with no other choice but to impose the hard lockdown - but warned the worst is yet to come.

'I'm as disappointed as everybody else about what we've had to do but we've only done it because we absolutely had to,' she said.

'The best advice from health is that we should brace ourselves for additional cases. Because the contact tracers have done such a good job in identifying potential cases and their close contacts, just from those numbers alone and how transmissible the virus is, we know that the numbers will go up in the next few days.

'So I just want everybody to brace themselves. Not to be scared because we're taking the right advice, we're doing the right things. But the best advice we received today is that it will take two weeks.'

Sydney's famous Opera House cuts an eerie picture with the area completely deserted after the NSW Government introduced a two-week lockdown for Greater Sydney

A woman wears her mask as she walks down Newtown's King Street on Saturday morning, hours before the area enters a two-week lockdown

The premier said residents should start preparing for the lockdown to extend (pictured Sydney residents exercising on Saturday)
A prisoner smuggled an alleged prostitute into his cell at an open jail in Suffolk and shared images of her half-naked on his bed, reports claim.

The inmate, who is serving time at HMP Hollesley Bay for drugs offences, reportedly took photographs of the scantily dressed woman while inside the prison.

According to the Sun, bosses at the Woodbridge institution are investigating the breach, while police attempt to track down the unidentified woman.

It is understood the prisoner has been moved into a closed prison, and Hollesley Bay's perimeter fencing is being reviewed.

The inmate, who is serving time at HMP Hollesley Bay (above) for drugs offences, reportedly took photographs of the scantily dressed woman while inside the prison

An insider said: 'It shows what a joke the security is there. You've got a serving prisoner bringing a girl into jail, then bragging about it on an illegal mobile to all his mates.

'Apart from that, the girl put herself at serious risk of harm. She went into a prison full of sex-starved men, some of them serving time for violent and sexual offences.

'She could have easily been attacked before staff knew she was even there.'

The source added that the woman isn't believed to be the inmate's girlfriend, adding: 'What self-respecting girlfriend is going to risk their safety to see their other half when they're nearly at the release point anyway?'

In a statement, the Prison Service dubbed the inmate's behaviour 'unacceptable' and said the person in question has been 'punished.'

Labour MP Andy Slaughter, for Hammersmith, said the incident is an 'extraordinary breach and breakdown of security.'
A United Express passenger allegedly tried to enter the plane's cockpit as it taxied for takeoff at Los Angeles Airport, before pulling open a service door and jumping down the emergency slide onto the tarmac.

United Express flight 5365, operated by SkyWest, was pulling away from the gate shortly after 7pm Friday night when the man unsuccessfully tried to breach the cockpit, according to the airport and SkyWest.

The FBI, who responded to the scene, says the passenger got up from his seat and headed towards the cockpit while the plane was taxiing to the runway, a time when passengers are seated.

They said the passenger was pounding on the cockpit door before opening a front door exit and fleeing after the emergency slide automatically inflated.

The plane's emergency slide automatically inflated when the man opened the door, and was visible on the side of the plane when it returned to the gate at LAX

The man was taken into custody on the taxiway, treated for injuries that were not life-threatening and taken to the hospital, authorities said. It's unclear if he has been arrested.

The twin-engine Embraer 175, which was headed to Salt Lake City, returned to its gate, the airport said.

It's unclear what the man's motive was for pounding on the cockpit door.

A spokesperson from the FAA says an altercation on board preceded the incident, though no details were released.

KABC obtained audio of the pilot calling air traffic control to explain the incident.

'Charlie 4 Charlie, would you please call law enforcement because we are gonna head back to the gate,' the pilot declared.

'SkyWest 5365, they are calling law enforcement right now. They are trying to find out which gate you are going to be going to,' the tower responded.

The pilot said, 'OK. Looks like they may have blown one of our slides on the right side as well.'

They later added, 'We might have had a passenger that was a threat level jump out of the aircraft.'

Police say the plane was forced to return to the gate after the incident. Nobody else was injured during the incident.

Fox News reports that Vice President Kamala Harris was at LAX earlier in the day, where she landed following her trip to the U.S.-Mexican border in El Paso.

FlightAware data showed the flight's departure being pushed back several times. It ultimately didn't depart until 10:36pm, over three and a half hours late

Friday's scary incident came just a day after a driver broke through a fence at the LAX airport and led police on a chase on the taxiway

The incident forced a response from the Los Angeles Fire Department as well.

FlightAware data shows that the flight, which was scheduled for 6:55pm, didn't depart until 10:36pm, over three and a half hours late.

It arrived in Salt Lake City without further incident at 1:25am local time.

Friday's incident came just a day after a driver broke through a fence at the LAX airport and led police on a chase on the taxiway.

A man was later taken into custody in that incident. He has also not been identified.

Prince Harry was at the airport during the time of that incident, waiting for a flight to the UK.

Airlines are seeing a surge in anti-social behavior as air travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.

There have been 1,300 reports of unruly passengers in the four months between February and May, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
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Tens of thousands of anti-lockdown protesters marched through central London and towards No10 today demanding the 'arrest' of Matt Hancock after he was caught breaching Covid rules by kissing his married aide while preaching the restrictions to the rest of the UK.

Anti-lockdown protesters were seen marching along through the capital before descending on Downing Street on Saturday as they called for 'freedom' and the end to all Covid lockdown regulations after Freedom Day was delayed from June 21.

As well as demanding the end to lockdown, protesters brandished placards that demanded police 'arrest Matt Hancock' after he was caught breaching Covid safety regulations by kissing his married aide - despite asking the rest of the country to follow the strict restrictions.

The health secretary, 42, has been accused of hypocrisy over images and a subsequent video clip showing him kissing Gina Coladangelo at the Department for Health, despite championing draconian restrictions on ordinary citizens.

The crowds lobbed hundreds of tennis balls with 'not very nice' messages written on them towards the Houses of Parliament before gathering on Downing Street, where they started chanting 'shame on you' and pointing towards Number 10, followed by prolonged booing.

Tens of thousands of protesters had earlier marched through Oxford Street, Regent Street, Hyde Park and Northumberland Avenue as they held placards reading 'the Boris variant', 'no to Covid vaccine' and 'no to Covid passport'.

Anti-lockdown protesters were seen marching along Oxford Street (pictured) in central London on Saturday as they called for the end to all Covid regulations after Freedom Day was delayed from June 21

As well as demanding the end to Covid lockdown rules, protesters also brandished placards that demanded police 'arrest Matt Hancock ' after he was caught breaching Covid safety regulations by kissing his married aide

Hundreds of yellow tennis balls, which had 'not very nice' messages on them, were thrown over the fence into the grounds of Parliament, with police officers kicking them out of the way

Anti-Vaccine and anti-lockdown protestors march through central London on Saturday brandishing placards which read 'it's all for nothing if you don't have freedom'

One anti-lockdown protester appeared to be in the partying spirit as he had vibrant red paint across his eyes and body as he joined in with chanting

Tensions appeared to increase outside Downing Street as anti-lockdown protesters threw the fencing blocking them from the police officers who stood in a line on the other side

Downing Street now - people shouting Arrest Matt Hancock!!!! pic.twitter.com/Rj43yEA1tR  banthebbc (@banthebbc) June 26, 2021

Police officers stand guard in front of the No 10 Downing Street as opponents of the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures, environmentalists and anti-government demonstrators stage a protest

A huge sign reading 'Lockdown kills! Free us Boris' was present at the protest in London earlier this afternoon

A line of police officers watch on after huge crowds packed the streets and gathered outside No10 this afternoon

Some of the protest material featured this image of Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson with blood on their hands

Members of the demonstration began dispersing at around 4pm, although many dedicated marchers still remain outside Downing Street and in Parliament Square

Metal gates separated police and the demonstrators during the protest outside Downing Street earlier this afternoon

A crowd of police officers created a barrier as swathes of demonstrators looked on in London earlier this afternoon

Police officers stand guard in front of the No 10 Downing Street as opponents of the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures, environmentalists and anti-government demonstrators stage a protest in London

A demonstrator uses a megaphone to make his point to police as they stand guard outside 10 Downing Street

One of the demonstrators holds up a sign as they marched through the streets of London to protest earlier this afternoon

Demonstrators then packed the streets outside Downing Street, where flares were set off and tennis balls were thrown towards Number 10, while loud chanting, whistling and music continued.

Members of the demonstration began dispersing at around 4pm, although many dedicated marchers still remain outside Downing Street and in Parliament Square.

Reclaim party leader Laurence Fox was among the tens of thousands of anti-lockdown protestors who attended Saturday's protest and was seen shouting into a speaker as he stood on a barrier outside Downing Street.

Tensions appeared to increase as the crowds gathered near No 10 as anti-lockdown protesters were seen throwing fencing, which blocked them from the police officers who stood guard on the other side.

Hundreds of yellow tennis balls, which had 'not very nice' messages on them, were thrown on Downing Street and over the fence into the grounds of Parliament, with police officers having to duck and kick them out of the way.

Asked why protesters are throwing tennis balls, one man, who did not wish to be named, said: 'They have little messages on them. Most of them are not very nice.'

One protestor brandished a traffic cone as a makeshift megaphone as tens of thousands marched through central London on Saturday

Reclaim party leader Laurence Fox was among the tens of thousands of anti-lockdown protestors who attended Saturday's protest and was seen shouting into a speaker as he stood on a barrier outside Downing Street

One protestor held a sign mimicking the famous NHS England 'catch it, bin it, kill it' poster, but featured Health Secretary Matt Hancock after he was accused of hypocrisy for breaking Covid regulations to kiss his married aide

The crowds of protesters marched down Oxford Street (pictured), Regent Street and Northumberland Avenue as they held placards reading 'freedom is not for trade', 'no to Covid vaccine' and 'no to Covid passport'

Police officers stood by as a smoke canister went off during an anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown demonstration outside Downing street in central London

Demonstrators packed the streets outside Downing Street in the afternoon, with flares are being set off, while the loud chanting, whistling and music continued

And adhesive stickers, some of which read 'no to vaccine passports' were put on police vehicles and ambulances, which were situated around Hyde Park.

People young and old all took part in the anti-lockdown demonstration, which saw people railing against lockdown restrictions, the coronavirus vaccine and Covid passports, which will be used to show travellers' Covid vaccination status when abroad.

One woman stuck a string of face masks together to make a sign that read 'freedom is not for trade' while another protester brandished a placard reading 'mask wearing zombies wake up or comply and die'.

After marching through well-known shopping destinations in central London, the protesters converged with Free Palestine protesters in Parliament Square on Saturday afternoon.

Police officers formed a line hoping to block the majority of marchers from filling the square, directing them instead back down Parliament Street.

Shirley Jones, a librarian from Crystal Palace, urged Boris Johnson to 'sack the philandering and rule breaking' after Mr Hancock was accused of hypocrisy for breaching Covid regulations to kiss his married aide.

She said: 'I'd rather be doing something else with my weekend but I'm going to keep coming on these protests because I don't trust what the Government is doing.

Police officers formed a line hoping to block the majority of marchers (pictured outside Downing Street) from filling the square, directing them instead back down Parliament Street

People young and old all took part in the anti-lockdown demonstration, which saw people protesting lockdown restrictions, the coronavirus vaccine and Covid passports

Adhesive stickers, some of which read 'no to vaccine passports' were put on police vehicles and ambulances which were situated around Hyde Park

Police stood and watched protestors during an anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown demonstration outside Downing Street in central London on Saturday

Anti-lockdown protesters let off brightly coloured flares outside Downing Street, where they started shouting 'shame on you' and pointing towards Number 10, followed by prolonged booing

Protestors gathered in their thousands on the streets of central London during a anti-lockdown protest on Saturday

'I don't believe in wearing masks and I don't believe in the vaccine, especially given my Caribbean heritage and the history of slavery.

'There's a huge mix of people here, all backgrounds and ages, yet what they're saying is being ignored. The numbers who attend are always undermined.

'We want the lockdown to end but we also want Boris Johnson to sack the philandering and rule breaking. He's behind all of these rules and he didn't even follow them himself.'

Kayleigh Brooke, 29, from Manchester, said she has been camped out for four weeks on Clapham Common in protest against the vaccine rollout.

Ms Brooke said she is taking part in the march because of her concerns around children getting the jab.

'We want the Coronavirus Act 2020 gone, and we will keep on protesting until that happens.'

Drums, whistling and chanting could be heard for some distance around, while flags could be seen flying high above the crowds as they moved through central London.

A police officer ducked out of the way as anti-lockdown protesters threw tennis balls at them outside Parliament

Adhesive stickers, some of which read 'no to vaccine passports' also stuck to ambulances, which were situated around Hyde Park during the anti-lockdown protest

Members of the march began dispersing at around 4pm, although many still remain outside Downing Street, where flares were let off, and in Parliament Square

Kayleigh Brooke, 29, from Manchester, said she has been camped out for four weeks on Clapham Common in protest against the vaccine rollout. Pictured: A man throws a tennis ball in Downing Street during an anti-lockdown protest

Drums, whistling and chanting could be heard for some distance around, while flags could be seen flying high above the crowds as they moved through central London

One speaker stood on a plinth near Embankment Station and told crowds: 'We are here to take our freedom back.'

Participant Iain McCausland travelled to London from Devon to attend the rally as he said the Covid lockdown has come at the cost of 'liberty'.

He said: 'The main reason I'm here is because I feel this lockdown has come at the cost of our liberty and rights.

'Our freedom to assemble, our freedom to travel, and work. I'm really quite angry with the Government, so are everyone here.'

There was a party atmosphere as the crowds headed down the Embankment past New Scotland Yard earlier on Saturday, while a DJ also played music out of the back of a lorry as the crowds weaved through the streets.

Photographs showed police officers walking through the crowds of thousands of anti-lockdown protesters as they stopped to gather in Hyde Park, while police motorbikes were seen in front of the crowds on Oxford Street.

Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Twitter: 'Protest activity is currently underway across central #London.

Tennis balls with messages written across them were flung into Downing Street during Saturday's anti-lockdown protest

There was a party atmosphere as the crowds headed down the Embankment past New Scotland Yard. Pictured: Protesters match down Oxford Street on Saturday

Tens of thousands of anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters were seen marching along Oxford Street in central London on Saturday after Freedom Day was delayed from June 21

Tennis balls were thrown inside the Houses of Parliament gates during a anti-lockdown protest in central London before crowds descended on Downing Street

Drums, whistling and chanting could be heard for some distance around, with people young and old taking part. Pictured: Protesters march down Regent Street during anti-lockdown protest on Saturday

'Officers are out engaging with those demonstrating and working to minimalise disruption to local communities including disruption to the roads.'

Ahead of the protests yesterday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they had been in contact with organisers of demonstrations throughout Westminster and areas of Lambeth and Southwark.

Chief Inspector Joe Stokoe from the Met's Public Order Command, said: 'We know a number of people will be visiting London on Saturday and Sunday in order to protest.

'Our policing plan will be proportionate with officers engaging with those protesting to help them ensure any gathering is lawful, safe and doesn't cause serious disruption to those Londoners who are out and enjoying their weekend.

'We urge anyone coming to take part in a protest in London over the weekend to do so in a peaceful and responsible manner.

'We will intervene as necessary to prevent disruptive or unruly behaviour or any action by individuals to intimidate or threaten members of the public, media or police officers.'

Flags could be seen waving high above the dense crowds as tens of thousands of people moved through central London as part of the anti-lockdown protest

People young and old all took part in the anti-lockdown demonstration, which saw crowds marching through Hyde Park (pictured)

The march (pictured on Oxford Street) saw people protesting lockdown restrictions, the coronavirus vaccine and Covid passports, which will be used to show travellers' Covid vaccination status when abroad

Photographs showed police officers walking through the crowds of thousands of anti-lockdown protesters as they stopped to gather in Hyde Park, while police motorbikes (pictured) were seen in front of the crowds on Oxford Street

Adhesive stickers are removed from a police vehicle in Hyde Park during an anti-lockdown protest in central London on Saturday

A young woman grinned as she brandished a placard reading 'freedom to dance' during a anti-lockdown protest on Oxford Street in central London

The Chief Inspector added that police believed certain protest groups were specifically intending to disrupt businesses and 'potentially cause criminal damage to property', adding that further action would be taken if such offences took place.

He added: 'A number of highly specialist policing teams will remain on hand during the course of the weekend to deliver our policing plan. Our policing response will be dynamic and officers will act swiftly to any threat.'

The protest comes as Boris Johnson seemed to dismiss the prospect of easing the remaining coronavirus rules early, as he refused to rule out future lockdowns. He warned the nation should brace for a 'rough winter' whilst visiting a laboratory in Hertfordshire earlier this week.

The Prime Minister has delayed 'Freedom Day' by four weeks to July 19 - but a two week review will take place on July 5 to see if the return to normal can be moved forward.

Mr Johnson said 'Delta' variant cases, hospitalisations and admissions to intensive care are still rising and the country must therefore be 'cautious'.

But he insisted it is 'looking good' for the rules to be lifted at the 'terminus point' of July 19 as he said the 'vaccination rollout is going gangbusters'.

Saturday's anti-lockdown protest in the capital comes not long after the Prime Minister delayed 'Freedom Day' by four weeks to July 19

One protester held a sign which read 'life without liberty is like a body without a spirit, no to coerced vaccines, no to vaccine passports, no to masks'

The anti-lockdown protest comes after Boris Johnson declined to rule out reimposing draconian curbs later in the year as he warned 'some new horror' could emerge which 'we simply haven't budgeted for'

A worker was seen using a broom to move the hundreds of tennis balls which had been lobbed inside the Houses of Parliament by anti-lockdown protesters

A protester grinned and pointed at his sign which read 'we will fight for you until you wake up' as they gathered outside Downing Street

There was a party atmosphere as the crowds headed down the Embankment past New Scotland Yard, while a DJ (pictured) also played music from the back of a lorry as the atmosphere was jubilant

However, Mr Johnson declined to rule out reimposing draconian curbs later in the year as he warned 'some new horror' could emerge which 'we simply haven't budgeted for'.

Meanwhile, the anti-lockdown protesters also called for police to 'arrest' Matt Hancock after he was caught breaching Covid safety regulations by kissing his married aide.

Boris Johnson is being urged to sack Mr Hancock amid a tidal wave of hypocrisy allegations over images and a subsequent video clip showing the Health Secretary kissing his married aide Gina Coladangelo at the Department for Health.

Despite championing draconian restrictions on ordinary citizens, he kissed and embraced Mrs Coladangelo on May 6  eleven days before the ban on hugging was lifted. Both are married with three children.

The Health Secretary's wife of 15 years Martha Hancock today glanced at reporters as she left the couple's London home wearing dark sunglasses, as Whitehall rumours claim she threw her husband - who she met at university - out of the family home.

A Savanta ComRes snap poll found the public wanted Mr Hancock to quit by a margin of 58 to 25. A separate YouGov survey had the margin at 49 to 25.

Police officers removed adhesive stickers from their vehicles in Hyde Park during an anti-lockdown protest in central London

A man is seen throwing a tennis ball with a message written on it in Downing Street during an anti-lockdown protest in central London

Tennis balls at the feet of police officers that have been thrown into Downing Street during a anti-lockdown protest in central London

Two young people were seen wearing decorative masks as they joined the tens of thousands of anti-lockdown protesters in central London on Saturday

A mother was seen with her young child while another woman wore a traffic cone on her head during the anti-lockdown protest in London on Saturday

Mr Hancock had put Mrs Coladangelo, a friend from university, on the public payroll only last year. He made no comment on claims he was having an affair with the 43-year-old in his apology yesterday, but added: 'I have let people down and am very sorry.'

Astonishingly, however, he refused to resign and, after crisis talks in No 10, the Prime Minister personally backed him to stay on and said he 'considered the matter closed'.

Last night, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick backed the PM's stance, adding that the public should allow Hancock to 'get on with the job'.

He told BBC Radio's 4 Any Questions: 'There's a task to be done, Matt is on the job doing that, and I think we should allow him to get on with the job.'

Today's protest has not been the only march the capital has seen this week, as three police officers were injured when an anti-lockdown protest turned violent and cops were forced to make 14 arrests on Monday.

Anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in central London on Monday as they demonstrated against the delay of Freedom Day by blocking roads and hugging strangers in defiance of Covid rules.

After marching through the well-known shopping destinations in central London (pictured), the protesters converged with Free Palestine protesters in Parliament Square on Saturday afternoon

Adhesive stickers were stuck to police vehicles during the anti-lockdown protest, which also saw tennis balls thrown at Parliament and loud horns blasted out

Crowds of anti-lockdown protesters marched through central London's well-known shopping streets after Boris Johnson delayed Freedom Day from June 21

Tennis balls were thrown at the feet of police officers that have been thrown into Downing Street during a anti-lockdown protest in central London on Saturday

One woman stuck face masks together to make a sign that read 'freedom is not for trade' while another man brandished a placard reading 'mask wearing zombies wake up or comply and die'

Earlier this week, police confirmed they arrested 14 people who were 'obstructing' roads and being 'hostile to officers' as they attempted to contain a large group of Covid sceptics in Parliament Square and on Whitehall - on what would have been the day social distancing measures were lifted across the UK.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said at the time: 'We've made fourteen arrests while policing a demonstration in Westminster today. Three police officers were injured, thankfully their injuries are not serious.

'Officers worked hard to minimise disruption to the Westminster community and to keep traffic and public transport moving.

'Despite this, several people within the demonstration obstructed roads or became hostile to officers. Our operation will continue into the evening.'

Protesters offered 'free hugs' and demanded an end to all Covid restrictions held signs reading 'your obedience is prolonging this nightmare' and 'our kids aren't lab rats' as they marched through the streets.

Others held placards reading 'lockdown is a crime against humanity', 'pro liberty', and 'no more lockdowns'.

Photographs showed police officers (pictured) walking through the crowds of thousands of anti-lockdown protesters as they stopped to gather in Hyde Park

There was a party atmosphere as the tens of thousands of protesters headed down the Embankment past New Scotland Yard

Anti-lockdown protesters brandished a banner that deemed Covid the 'Boris variant' as they took part in an anti-lockdown protest in Hyde Park

One speaker stood on a plinth near Embankment Station and told crowds: 'We are here to take our freedom back'. Pictured: Protesters marching down Regent Street on Saturday

The protest (pictured) comes after the Prime Minister has delayed 'Freedom Day' by four weeks to July 19 - but a two week review will take place on July 5 to see if the return to normal can be moved forward

Anti-Vaccine and anti-lockdown protestors marched through central London on Saturday brandishing the Union Flag and a banner that read 'the Boris variant'
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Hundreds of anti-racism protesters have marched through Batley as a rally was held to support a anti-Muslim For Britain candidate the the by-election.

Stand Up To Racism groups in Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield held the counter-demonstration to fight against growing support for the anti-Muslim For Britain founder Anne Marie Waters.

It came amid reports former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson would be at a rally in the West Yorkshire town.

Waters is one of 16 candidates hoping to become the new BP of Batley and Spen in the by-election on July 1.

For Britain, which was denounced by Nigel Farage as 'fascist' and is made up of former British National Party (BNP) members, was expected to stage an anti-Muslim demonstration today, but its numbers dwindled compared to 400 anti-racism protesters.

The by-election will be held following the resignation of Tracy Brabin, who was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire.

Some 100 police officers were at the protest as surrounding forces were drafted in to ensure the rallies were peaceful.

A total of three arrests were made  two for public order offences and a man was also arrested for possession of an offensive weapon.

Officers were forced to stand between the two groups as a stand-off happened in front of Jo Cox House, the building named in memory of the murdered former Batley MP

A man was arrested by a group of police officers during the clash between an anti-Muslim rally and anti-racism demonstrators

This man appeared to laugh as he made it difficult for police officers to get his arms behind his back for handcuffs

As the man was brought to the ground his expression changed, with one woman trying to console him

A man is escorted into a police vehicle after he was arrested during a demonstration in Batley on Saturday

Police officers lined the main square as forces from outside the area were drafted in to help on Saturday

This demonstrator laughed as she held up a sign that read: 'smash fascism and racism' during the protest

Officers also assisted with two people who were believed to have suffered medical episodes.

Police vans were parked along Commercial Street and officers lined the centre of the town as the Stand Up To Racism march was met with hostility.

Demonstrators shouted 'scum' and 'traitors', as marchers retorted by calling the anti-Muslim protesters 'Nazi scum'.

Officers were forced to stand between the two groups as a stand-off happened in front of Jo Cox House, the building named in memory of the murdered former Batley MP.

The Stand Up To Racism Kirklees speaker who organised the rally said: 'I think today has been a massive victory for the anti-racist movement. Have a safe journey home everyone.'

It comes a day after Jo Cox' sister, Labour candidate Kim Leadbeater, was shouted at in the street by an anti-LGBT and anti-Israel campaigner from Birmingham.

A video shared on Twitter showed Ms Leadbeater defending herself verbally as she was challenged in the street about 'LGBT indoctrination in schools'.

Before she walked away to her car and was repeatedly shouted at, she responded: 'This is my community. Don't come here and shout at me in the street. The Muslim community of Batley & Spen deserve better than this.'

The tweet showing the video, from online channel Byline TV, said Ms Leadbeater had been heckled by supporters of hard-Left former Labour MP George Galloway for 'supporting LGBT rights'.

However, Mr Galloway, who is standing against Ms Leadbeater in the by-election, called the claim a 'lie' and said he had 'never seen' the man who shouted.

The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox was heckled and chased by Muslim protesters over her support for LGBT rights as she campaigned to become the next MP in her sister's old Yorkshire seat

A man with England tattoed on his neck appeared to whistle as he joined the anti-Muslim rally in Batley today

Mounted police officers were on the scene in Batley today in case violence broke out at the counter-rallies

At the anti-racism rally protesters held up signs that read: 'Oppose Tommy Robinson. Don't let the racists divide us'

Police officers lined the street to ensure the Stand Up To Racism demonstration could pass safely on Saturday

Colourfully dressed anti-racism protesters held up flags and banners as they marched through Batley

Assistant Chief Constable Scott Bisset, who led the policing operation, said: 'I would like to pass on my gratitude to the local residents and visitors of Batley, partner agencies as well as all officers and staff, for their conduct and co-operation during the demonstration this afternoon, which only caused minor disruption for a short time in the town centre.

'We ensured we had appropriate resources including assistance from additional high visibility police officers, to minimise the disruption caused as much as possible.'

'Our overall aim was to ensure that the demonstrations remained peaceful and was effectively managed, so that the wider public were able to go about their business unaffected.'
A new Russian submarine packed with nuclear firepower and capable of taking out an aircraft carrier or even an entire city has sailed for the first time.

The 604ft Belgorod, the largest submarine to be built in the last 30 years, was put to sea for the first time yesterday as Russia flexed its naval muscles in the wake of an incident with British destroyer HMS Defender in the Black Sea.

Experts fear the 79ft-long torpedoes  dubbed Poseidon  could be detonated underwater to cause a radioactive tsunami and threaten coastal cities with waves up to 300ft high.

The enormous vessel is reportedly operated on behalf of the nation's secretive Main Directorate of Undersea Research, and is understood to be central to Russia's intelligence gathering operation.

But it is also believed to be equipped with up to six nuclear-armed torpedoes, each capable of carrying warheads with an explosive power of two megatons  equivalent to two million tons of TNT, or more than 130 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb.

The earliest pictures of the 604ft Belgorod, the largest submarine of its kind of the last 30 years, have emerged as it set sail for the first time yesterday

The ship is believed to be equipped with up to six nuclear-armed torpedoes, each capable of carrying warheads with an explosive power of two megatons  equivalent to two million tons of TNT, or more than 130 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb

The Belgorod is expected to operate in the Arctic and the North Atlantic  areas where Russian submarine activity has increased tenfold in recent years

In what is regarded as a sinister development, the submarine's commanders will report directly to President Putin rather than to the country's naval top brass, making Belgorod more like a deep-sea intelligence agency than a conventional submarine [File photo]

Dr Sidharth Kaushal, from the Royal United Services Institute, told The Mail on Sunday he believed the fleet of UUVs could be of strategic value for President Putin.

Dr Kaushal said: 'The Belgorod is large enough to act as a mother ship for a unique set of smaller vessels which have deep-diving capabilities and the ability to tamper with undersea infrastructure.

'It's well equipped for sabotage and clandestine operations. Its Poseidon nuclear torpedoes could also be a very effective means of attacking an aircraft carrier in wartime  one against which at present no defence exists.

'The Belgorod will not be part of the Russian Navy per se, meaning its covert and aggressive actions will effectively be deniable.

'The submarine appears set up for non-attributable Special Forces warfare with its commanders answering directly to the [political] leadership and bypassing the Russian naval command structure.'

In sensational scenes, video shows the moment a British warship was fired upon by the Russian navy with repeated warnings on Wednesday.

In broken English, the crew of the UK warship were told: 'Please attention, keep away from me.'

Russia has warned Britain and the United States it will defend its borders using 'all possible means' including military force. Pictured: The Royal Navy's HMS Defender destroyer in the Black Sea near Crimea as part of an exercise, in what Russia says is a violation of Russian territorial waters

In the video released by Putin's regime, three shots each with two shells are seen fired as warning shots, by which time HMS Defender is visible but at a long distance away

HMS Defender's crew are greeted as the ship safely docked in the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi earlier today

The drama took place on Wednesday as Russian jets and the border patrol vessels homed in on HMS Defender after she passed into the disputed waters.

HMS Defender has today docked in the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi, as the ship's commander, Vince Owen, said the British navy was committed to 'providing reassurances and security in the region, and incredible deterrence to those who seek to undermine global security'.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkob on Friday warned Britain and the US that Russia will defend its borders using 'all possible means' including military force and accused the two countries of trying to incite conflict in the Black Sea.

He was speaking a day after Moscow warned the UK it would bomb British naval ships in the Black Sea if what it called provocative actions by the British navy were repeated off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea.

Moscow claimed one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of HMS Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea, which Russia considers part of its territory despite it being an internationally recognised part of Ukraine.

But Britain denied that account and said its ship wasn't fired upon and said she was sailing in Ukrainian waters.

The Belgorod is expected to operate in the Arctic and the North Atlantic  areas where Russian submarine activity has increased tenfold in recent years. There has also be a huge rise in Russian approaches to UK territorial waters.
Britain's daily Covid cases have jumped by nearly 80 per cent in one week - but the number of hospitalisations remains below 250 a day, fuelling hope the outbreak is slowing.

A further 18,270 people tested positive today marking a 77 per cent rise on the 10,321 cases recorded last Saturday. It also marks the highest daily rise since February 5.

And death figures are creeping up too, with today's 23 fatalities 64 per cent higher than the 14 recorded on this day last week.

But, in a sign that the vaccine is working to keep the number of hospitalisations down, just 227 people were admitted today - bringing the total number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals to 1,505.

The figure has barely changed from the 211 admitted last Saturday.

Britain's case total is being driven up by a record number of people testing positive in Scotland, where daily cases have surpassed the peak of the second wave in January.

Nearly 3,000 people tested positive north of the border on Wednesday and Thursday, beating the previous record of about 2,650 on January 7.

While they came down to a more stable 1,700 on Friday, today's figures soared again to 2,836.

The rise in Scotland is being fuelled by the highly infectious Indian variant and a massive testing blitz to snuff it out. But hospitalisations are low in the country too.

The last time Scotland's cases were this high, there were more than 1,000 Covid patients in hospital compared to fewer than 200 now - in a clear sign of the vaccines providing widespread protection.

The growing evidence of the vaccine effect has led top scientists and ministers to be confident that England's Freedom Day will go ahead on July 19 as planned.

Restrictions in Scotland are due to be reviewed on that date, too.

But Downing Street is refusing to bow to backbench Tory pressure to bring the final unlocking forward to July 5, citing the importance of getting as many second vaccine doses into arms as possible.

In another promising sign for England's July 19 Freedom Day to go ahead, SAGE yesterday estimated the reproduction 'R' rate  which measures how quickly the virus is spreading  is still between 1.2 to 1.4 in England.

It has not moved in three weeks, which adds to growing evidence the country's outbreak is slowing.

MailOnline's analysis of Public Health England data revealed this week that Covid outbreaks appear to be stalling in all but one region of the country.

The true state of the crisis is still somewhat of a mixed picture, however, which may be giving officials pause about releasing the country from restrictions on the earlier date. Separate statistics have indicated that the epidemic could still be rising.

SAGE's estimate of the R rate on Friday was between 1.2 and 1.4 - meaning it hasn't changed in three weeks.

But this is still the highest rate since January, when the second wave was spiralling out of control.

Previously, the reproduction rate was relatively flat and stayed between 0.7 and 1.1 throughout April and May, even as restrictions were being eased.

If the figure is below one, it means infections are shrinking. The R number reflects the average amount of people every infected patient passes the virus on to.

No10's top advisers said the R rate was the lowest in the East of England, London and South East, with rates of just 1.1 to 1.3. But it was the highest in the South West (1.3 and 1.7).

The R rate is, however, a lagging indicator and does not reflect the situation currently. Instead, it paints a clearer picture on how quickly the virus was spreading three weeks ago.

Ministers once put the R rate at the heart of their Covid battle plan. But it is now less crucial because experts care more about hospitalisation and death rates, given the country's massively successful vaccination roll-out.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this month: 'At a certain stage, we are going to have to learn to live with the virus and manage it as best we can.'

Ministers are on track to lift restrictions on July 19 as health officials say the data is 'very, very positive', the Mail understands.

Although hopes of Freedom Day being brought forward to July 5 are set to be dashed on Monday, there is growing optimism about the figures and the fact there has been no measurable rise in hospital admissions, despite a sustained increase in infections.

It comes as six cases of a variant first discovered in Peru  the Lambda variant  have been identified in the UK, although health officials are not worried at this stage due to the low number of cases here and around the world.

Figures from Public Health England show that 111,157 cases of the Delta variant have now been identified in the UK, up by 46 per cent on the previous week.

This means that approximately 95 per cent of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UK are the Delta variant, which is more transmissible and may carry a higher risk of hospitalisation than the previously dominant Kent strain.

But PHE also said the vaccines were continuing to have a 'crucial effect on hospitalisation and death', with one source saying the data was 'very, very positive'.

Their latest data shows that one dose of the jab reduces the risk of hospitalisation with the Delta variant by 80 per cent and two doses by 96 per cent.

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'Through the success of our vaccination programme, data suggest we have begun to break the link between cases and hospitalisations.

'This is hugely encouraging news, but we cannot become complacent. Two doses of vaccine are far more effective against Covid-19 than a single dose, so please make sure that you come forward to get your second dose as soon as you are invited.'

The Lambda variant has been classified a 'variant under investigation' because it has certain mutations which can potentially increase its transmissibility and resistance to vaccines. All cases identified in the UK are linked to overseas travel.

The variant is most prevalent in South America and makes up 82 per cent of the cases in Peru, after first being identified in August.

It has also spread to Chile, where it comprises almost a third of cases, and clusters have been found in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico.

Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: 'Through the success of our vaccination programme, data suggest we have begun to break the link between cases and hospitalisations'

It comes as almost 2,500 people who entered Britain and tested positive for coronavirus could not be traced because they gave inaccurate contact details.

The passengers, who arrived between February 14 and May 10 and failed to correctly complete their details on passenger locator forms, include 52 people who tested positive for a variant of concern and three people who had travelled from red-list countries.

PHE SPOTS NEW PERU VARIANT IN SIX BRITS PHE warned it had spotted another new Covid variant that emerged in Peru and has infected at least six Britons. The 'Lambda' strain, as it's been named by the World Health Organization, has been designated a 'Variant Under Investigation' while PHE work out how infectious, deadly or vaccine-resistant it is. The six cases of Lambda have been linked to overseas travel. They were detected between 23 February and 7 June. It has two concerning mutations on its spike protein - known as L452Q and F490S - which are feared play a role in making it more infectious and able to dodge some immunity. The World Health Organisation classified Lambda as a Variant of Interest on 14 June but has not yet upgraded it to Variant of Concern status. The earliest documented sample was reported in Peru and Lambda has been sequenced in 26 countries to date. PHE said: 'All appropriate public health interventions will be undertaken, including additional contact tracing and targeted testing. 'Where cases have been identified, additional follow-up of cases, testing of contacts and if required targeted case finding will be deployed to limit its spread.' Advertisement

It is feared that the individuals, who have not been identified, may have gone on to spread the variants within their communities.

The Government says it is 'a criminal offence to provide false or deliberately misleading information on passenger locator forms'. Those who do so face fines of up to 10,000 or ten years in prison  or both. It was not clear whether any of those who provided inaccurate addresses have been prosecuted.

Yvette Cooper, chairman of the home affairs committee, said: 'This shows there are still real gaps in the Government's Covid border measures. For thousands of cases to effectively be lost after they have arrived in the country is a real problem  and even more troubling when those include new variants the Government is worried about.'

A Government spokesman said it has a 'robust' border and testing regime in place to minimise the risk of new variants entering the UK. They added: 'We have rigorous checks at the border and Border Force is working to ensure that it has the right staffing levels to check that passengers are compliant with border health measures.'

Separate data from the ONS's weekly infection survey showed that one in 440 people in England were estimated to have the virus, up from one in 520 the week before and one in 560 the week before that. Meanwhile the R value  the rate at which the outbreak is growing  was unchanged from last week at between 1.2 and 1.4, according to the latest figures.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation, said people who have had two vaccinations should continue to be cautious.

He told Sky News: 'The safety of putting people together who have been vaccinated is greater than people who are unvaccinated, but if there's a lot of virus circulating there will still be infections taking place.'

He also said there was 'a high probability' that some booster jabs would be needed in autumn. In order to avoid the risk of a winter surge, we may well need to use booster doses, particularly I think in the first instance for the people who had the vaccine (the) longest time ago and who are at highest risk of getting seriously ill when they get infected.

'So I don't think this is a certainty yet, but I think there's a high probability that at least some boosting will need to go on this winter.'
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New York City is celebrating Pride this weekend, the first after last year's official celebrations were hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While Pride is back in NYC, there will still be a mix of in-person and virtual events, meaning the weekend won't be at the same level city dwellers have become accustomed to.

But that didn't stop crowds taking to the street Friday night for the Drag March.

Because the Drag March is unpermitted, it did place last year, albeit in a much smaller version than this year's event.

Thousands marched through New York, down Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park for the 'Dyke March'

Large crowds - many of whom said they were relieved to be gathering with friends after a year of lockdown - marched

Rainbow flags with political messages such as 'Love is Love' could be seen on marchers in the 'Dyke March'

At the World Trader Center in New York City, the 'Occulus' transit hub was done up in rainbow colors to celebrate pride

Two people march in their bikini tops for the 29th annual 'Dyke March' in New York City on Saturday

Thousands of people march in the 29th Annual New York City Dyke March on June 26, 2021 in New York City

At the end of the march, revelers gathered at Washington Square Park in New York City's downtown area

Saturday's Dyke March which calls itself a march protest, rather than a parade, is a 'demonstration of our First Amendment right to protest' according to the organisers' website

There were thousands of attendees at Saturday's event, where people held up rainbow flags and banners reading 'Dyke March'

Drummers set the beat during Saturday's Dyke March, which alongside Pride is a major event in New York City's summer calendar

Members of the New York City Police Department look on as revellers march by during Saturday's annual Dyke March

Due to the coronavirus pandemic the Dyke March was held virtually in 2020. This year's march began at Bryant Park and ended in Washington Square Park

A person marches in the 29th Annual New York City Dyke March on June 26, 2021 in New York City

'I feel like I'm ushering in a new era tonight,' Philip from the Upper West side told Gothamist.

'This is the first time I'm out hugging people without a mask since the pandemic started, and all my friends are here... I feel like it's one big birthday party.'

The march came the day after crowds packed in to a small NYC club to see Madonna on Thursday night in unofficial kickoff to the weekend's proceedings.

The Drag March came about in 1994 after the official Pride March banned drag queens for the 25th Annual Pride March.

Gilbert Baker, who designed the Rainbow Flag, was among those who organized a Drag March in response to the ban.

A woman rides a motorcycle as she takes part in the annual Dyke March, which took place on Saturday

Washington Square Park was one of the key gathering points for the event, which saw thousands of people gather for the lesbian protest event

Two women on a motorcycle by Washington Square Park during the Dyke March in New York City on Saturday

Last year's New York City Dyke March was held virtually because of the pandemic, but this year the event was in full flow

Dozens of motorcyclists took part in Saturday's Dyke March in New York City, contributing to the noisy spectacle

A man holding a rainbow flag walks with protesters during Saturday's Dyke March in New York City

Hundreds of people splashed around in the fountain at Washington Square Park during NYC's Dyke March on Saturday

Crowds of the size seen at Saturday's Dyke March in New York City have been rare during the Covid pandemic

Attendees kiss and splash around in a fountain in Washington Square Park during New York City's Dyke March

Ginger Minj, Jiggly Caliente, Trinity K. Bonet, Scarlet Envy, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Ra'Jah O'Hara and Jan of 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' Season Six play Jenga as they attend the Youth Pride celebration at the 14th St. Park on Saturday

Motorcyclists at New York's Dyke March on Saturday, which began in in Bryant Park, before continuing down 5th Avenue to Washington Square Park

People holding signs reading 'we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes' and 'lesbian power' at Saturday's march

The Dyke Marches seek to reclaim a term that was usually used in a derogatory manner in reference to lesbians

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street lights up in Pride colors yesterday to mark the annual celebrations

People participate in an event called the Drag March on June 25, 2021 in New York City

The annual Drag March, which was held virtually in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, was held on Friday night as a way to begin Pride Weekend

People dressed in drag participate in the annual Drag March which starts in Tompkins Square and ends at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village on June 25, 2021 in New York City

Michaelmasoy wearing 'black girl magic' earrings marches in the 27th Annual New York City Drag March on June 25, 2021

Madonna is among those helping to kick off Pride Weekend in NYC by giving a surprise performance on Thursday

Women read information about the Stonewall Riots at the Stonewall National Monument in Christopher Park

Edwin Diaz the New York Mets warms up with a Love is Love shirt in honor of Pride Night before game one of a doubleheader

'It feels so great to finally be out with other queer people,' Jess of Sunset Park said of the march.

Her friend Eve added, 'Pride weekend is my favorite weekend of the year, and Pride month is my favorite month of the year, but even though I'm so excited, honestly I feel a little shy this year. I've been hiding my face and staying indoors for so long, so this is like a new coming out I think.'

The Dyke March took place on Saturday, with the 51st Annual Pride March on Sunday afternoon, though that event will be virtual once again and broadcast online.

There will still be live performances and interviews during the broadcast.

Limited in-person events are expected to take place, though all will be in accordance with any current New York City public guidelines.

Customers dine outdoors under Pride decorations at Oscar Wilde on June 23, 2021 in New York City

A family holds signs saying 'We Are Family' and 'No Corporations in Our March' during the Drag March

A woman photographs pride flags that celebrate Pride Month at the Stonewall National Monument at Christopher Park adjacent to The Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village section of New York City

Rainbow-colored flags greet visitors at Rockefeller Center as the city celebrates Pride Month on June 25

The grand marshals for the march are Wilson Cruz, Ceyenne Doroshow, Menaka Guruswamy, Arundhati Katju, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Aaron Philip.

Different segments of the virtual experience will highlight each of the grand marshals individually.

There will also be March Pop-Ups, giving artists outdoor spaces to design with Pride as the inspiration, hoping to bring more vibrancy back to the streets. An interactive map will allow attendees to find the pop-ups.

The theme for the march is 'The Fight Continues.'

Organizers said in a release that the theme 'reflects the multitude of battles we've been fighting as a country and as a city.'

'With the coronavirus pandemic still ongoing, issues of police brutality, the alarming murder rate for trans POC, economic hardship, climate disasters, violent efforts to disenfranchise voters, our rights as a community being questioned at the level of the Supreme Court, and more, we are in the midst of many different fights,' the release continues.

People take photos of people dressed in drag riding the subway after the 27th Annual New York City Drag March

The Drag March, which commemorates the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn, started in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village and ended at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village

People dance and sing during the 27th Annual New York City Drag March on June 25, 2021 in New York City

A couple kiss in front of rainbow pride colored lights projected into the sky near the Stonewall inn in the West Village on June 23, 2021 in New York City

Organizers of New York City's event recently decided to ban LGBTQ police officers from marching in uniform in future parades.

The controversial ban is scheduled to be in place from next year through 2025, organizers said.

For some, cops shouldn't have a uniformed presence at a march commemorating the 1969 Stonewall uprising, sparked by a police raid on a gay bar. Tensions between law enforcement and some parts of the LGBTQ community still exist, a half century later.

'Folks still have challenging and traumatic and many times horrific relationships with law enforcement,' said John Blasco, a parade regular. 'If youre an officer ... of course you should be able to celebrate and express your pride, but you dont need to do it in a uniform that has perpetuated violence against many of the people who are trying to celebrate their pride that day.'

For others, presence of LGBTQ police marchers is an expression of hard-fought diversity and inclusion that should be celebrated, a hallmark of how integral LGBTQ people are in the fabric of American life.

'Why should I have to hide a part of me,' asked Ana Arboleda, a sergeant with the NYPD who has marched in the parade several times and is the vice-president of the Gay Officers Action League. 'Why should I have to take off (the uniform) as if Im ashamed?'

'To not celebrate Pride without people would have been a tragedy for me,' Madonna said to the crowd

On Thursday, Madonna joined the Pride action with a surprise performance at Top of the Standard.

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper were among those spotted in the crowd to capture the unexpected thrill from the event space at The Standard Hotel's Boom Boom Room in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

The 62-year-old Queen of Pop proved she hasn't missed a beat and stepped out on stage with her breasts completely exposed in a sheer top to perform two of her classic hits.

Donning an icy blue bob wig, Madonna got the crowd going wild with a rendition of her 2005 dance hit Hung Up.

Madge wore a sheer black T-shirt and no bra, leaving her bare breasts on display for the crowd.

She paired the sultry top with a leather harness and leather shorts and long pink satin gloves.

The legend busted out some sexy dance moves as she made her way across the room while the audience filmed the performance on their smart phones and sang along to every word.

Andy Cohen was positioned towards the back of the space and was recording a video while belting out the lyrics himself next to his pal Anderson Cooper.

'To not celebrate pride without people would have been a tragedy for me,' Madonna said to the crowd, according to Variety. 'Take nothing for granted because you never know what's waiting for all of us around the corner.'

Adding: 'Learn to love yourself.'

Among those lucky enough to catch the exclusive performance in addition to Andy and Anderson were Billy Eichner, Zachary Quinto, Lance Bass and Adam Lambert.

Afterwards, Madonna 'left Boom Boom to go party with the real people who weren't able to catch her performance. She was with the drag queens and the trans people  all the kids who weren't allowed in because of the capacity issue.'

The event reportedly raised money for the Ali Forney Center, Haus of US and The Door.
Bill Maher has slammed Big Tech for censoring posts and searches relating to the COVID-19 lab leak theory.

The comedian, 65, explicitly referenced Facebook and Google during a panel discussion on his Real Time program Friday night, accusing the companies of deliberately downplaying the possibility that the virus was manmade and escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

'Facebook banned any post for four months about COVID coming from a lab,' Maher blasted.

He continued: 'A Wall Street Journal reporter asked the head of Google's health division - [after he] noticed that they don't do auto-fill searches for 'coronavirus lab leak' the way they do for any other question and the guy said, 'Well, we want to make sure that the search isn't leading people down pathways that we would find not authoritative information.'

'Well, you were wrong, Google and Facebook! We don't know! The reason why we want you is because we're checking on this s**t!'

Outrageous. @BillMaher railed against Facebook and Google for banning and suppressing content about lab leak. You were wrong, Google and Facebook....The CDCs been wrong about a lot shit, this is outrageous that I cant look this information up. #RealTime pic.twitter.com/28dwaQGz9W  Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) June 26, 2021

Speaking on his Real Time program Friday night, Bill Maher has slammed Big Tech for censoring posts and searches relating to the COVID-19 lab leak theory

Maher claimed that the head of Google's health division stated that they wanted searchers to see authoritative information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

'That's who I'm checking on!' Maher blasted. 'But the WHO has been has been very corrupt about a lot of s**t and the CDC has been wrong about a lot of s**t!'

The comedian claimed that the liberal bias of Big Tech companies is also leading them to censor information about possible COVID treatments.

Maher mentioned YouTube and the recent removal of a video from the platform about the drug ivermectin, which some say is effective in combatting the coronavirus.

'YouTube should not be telling me what I can see about ivermectin. Ivermectin isn't a registered Republican, it's a drug!' Maher stated.

'I don't know if it works or not and a lot of other doctors don't either.'

Many experts theorize that the virus was manmade and escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. However, Big Tech companies initially downplayed that idea, censoring posts and searches

Earlier this year, Maher - who is a Democrat - claimed members of his own party were fearful of claiming COVID leaked from a Chinese lab because they didn't want to appear racist.

However, Maher insisted that it was possible to be critical of China and its government without stoking anti-Asian hate.

'China does bad things,' Maher stated, referencing the imprisonment of Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps.

'Liberals don't want to say anything because [the Chinese are] Asian and [liberals] don't think very clearly about this, so they conflate it with anti-Asian hate crimes here.... One has nothing to do with the other.'

'Facebook banned any post for four months about COVID coming from a lab,' Maher blasted. He is pictured at left with his panel

The lab leak theory was initially dismissed by many in the media and tech communities.

However, last month President Joe Biden ordered intelligence agencies to launch a probe into whether COVID was man-made after all.

Circumstantial evidence has long raised questions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where researchers were known to be conducting experiments on bat coronavirus strains similar to the one responsible for COVID-19.

China insisted early and often that the virus did not leak from the lab, claiming that crossover to humans must have occurred at a 'wet market' in Wuhan that sold live animals.

But new evidence, including reports of three workers at the Wuhan lab who fell seriously ill with COVID-like symptoms in November 2019, has forced a sober reassessment among doubters.

Additionally, U.S. experts Dr. Stephen Quay and Richard Muller penned a damning essay saying that science strongly suggests the novel coronavirus was manufactured inside a Chinese laboratory.

In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, the men say their proof lies in genome sequencing, or analyzing the DNA, of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Casey Kasem's daughter has said she hopes to 'ruffle some feathers' with a new podcast about her father's controversial death and the bitter legal battles with his widow.

Kerri Kasem, 48, told Fox News she is still hoping for her 'day in court' over the radio legend's death as she denied accusations that she and her siblings filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Casey's wife Jean Kasem because they were 'in it for the money.'

'All we wanted was to see our father I don't care where the money goes,' she said.

Kerri is the executive producer of a new Audible series called 'Bitter Blood: Kasem vs. Kasem' which promises to bring never-before-seen evidence and testimony from family friends and medical staff speaking about the circumstances surrounding Casey's death.

Kerri and her siblings accused Jean of causing their father's 2014 death aged 82 by mistreating him and refusing to allow them to see him.

However, Jean claimed the kids wanted to get their hands on his wealth after he cut them off financially when they turned to Scientology.

She countersued and the two sides finally reached a settlement in 2019 after a five-year legal battle.

Casey Kasem's daughter Kerri Kasem (above) has said she hopes to 'ruffle some feathers' with a new podcast about her father's controversial death and the bitter legal battles with his widow

Casey Kasem with his wife of 34 years Jean Kasem in 2004 - 10 years before his death in 2014

Kerri told Fox she had not wanted to settle the legal battle calling it 'one of the most horrific days of my life' and said she still hopes to see her stepmother in court.

'The settlement is not what I wanted at all,' she said.

'It was one of the most horrific days of my life. That mediation agreement was not anything I would have agreed to.

'Let's just put it this way  there is litigation going on because of that. I hope [this podcast] ruffles some feathers. I hope I do get my day in court.'

Kerri denied that she and her siblings were motivated by their father's fortune to file the suit insisting that she had 'enough money' and did not 'care' where the money went.

'We were never in it for the money,' she said.

'I can't tell you how many times I told the court in front of the cameras, 'Take the money.' We just wanted to see dad. I have a great job. I have enough money. We all support ourselves.'

She continued: 'Whenever it was suggested we stole money, my response was, 'Here's our bank account.' I'm an open book.'

She insisted her primary focus was to see her father who she described as 'my hero, my life.'

Kerri is the executive producer of a new Audible series called 'Bitter Blood: Kasem vs. Kasem' which promises to bring never-before-seen evidence and testimony from family friends and medical staff speaking about the circumstances surrounding Casey's death

'All we wanted was to see our father I don't care where the money goes,' she said.

'That's what we were fighting for, to be with our father. He was my hero, my life. I would have done anything for him.'

The 48-year-old said the fallout with her father's wife of 34 years started long before his health declined and he died.

'She called us 'the old family' whereas she was 'the new family.' It was a divide that she created. She could have had a family who loved her, but she didn't want that,' she said.

She said the children always feared Jean would cut them out of their father's life the moment he fell ill.

'We felt that if my dad ever got sick, we would never see him again,' she said.

'We knew she would keep him from us because she tried that during her entire marriage.'

Kerri said the new podcast will reveal never-before-seen evidence and testimony from family friends and medical staff as she vowed to put 'the truth out there'.

Radio Personality Casey Kasem, wife Jean Kasem, daughter Kerri Kasem, son Michael Kasem and daughter Julie Kasem in 1985

Kerri Kasem, 48, with her father Casey in an undated photo. She told Fox News she is still hoping for her 'day in court' over the radio legend's death

Casey, Jean and their daughter Liberty in 1991. Kerri and her siblings accused Jean of causing their father's 2014 death aged 82 by mistreating him and refusing to allow them to see him

'I wanted the doctors, the nurses, the caretakers and my father's friends who knew what was going on to share their perspective,' Kerri said.

'I wanted to get this story out there. And this is closure for me. I don't want to make this my whole life. People have heard my voice for seven years.'

She said she was speaking out because she wanted to help other people in a similar situation.

'There are many people out there who can't see their loved ones because they're being taken advantage of. There needs to be consequences,' she said.

Jean, 67, did not return Fox's request for comment on Kerri's latest allegations.

However the former Cheers star released a statement in 2019 saying Casey's adult children were trying to frame her with a 'vicious character assassination campaign' after they were cut off by their father for joining Scientology.

'When Kerri, Julie and Mike became involved with Scientology, Casey and I financially cut them off,' she said at the time.

'They then attempted to frame me with a vicious character assassination campaign, seeking media attention to disseminate a false narrative and extort money from me.'

Jean appears in court in May 2014 during the ongoing dispute with her stepchildren over Casey's medical care. He died soon after

Casey's adult children and brother sued Jean after his death. Julie Kasem, Mouner Kasem, Kerri Kasem, Mike Kasem in 2015

Jean claimed Kerri and her sister Julie 'weaponized the Los Angeles Adult Protective Services and Police against me' and tried on multiple occasions to file for guardianship of their father - efforts that were denied.

'Appearing anything but grief-stricken, the Kasem sisters' monetary motive became clear when they immediately filed a claim for a $2,100,000 life insurance policy, insuring Casey's life,' she said.

'Every single allegation made by the co-conspirators against me was proven to be completely false.'

Casey and Jean were married for 34 years and had a daughter together named Liberty.

Casey had three adult children Kerri, Julie and Mike from his first marriage.

The longtime 'American Top 40' host had a form of dementia and a severe bedsore when died at age 82 at a hospital in Gig Harbor, southwest of Seattle.

His death then became the center of a years-long legal battle between Jean and her three stepchildren with both sides accusing the other of causing his death.

Jean claimed the kids wanted to get their hands on his wealth after he cut them off financially when they turned to Scientology

Kerri denied accusations that she and her siblings filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Casey's wife Jean Kasem (pictured with Casey) because they were 'in it for the money'

The opposing sides had fought over visitation access to Casey as his health deteriorated before his death.

Jean had moved him to Washington state after checking him out of a Los Angeles-area medical facility where he was receiving round-the-clock care.

Jean said her decision to relocate her ailing husband was made to protect his privacy but the move led to her being stripped of control of his medical care in his final days.

Control was instead handed to Kerri. Casey died soon in hospital in June 2014.

Kerri, Julie and Mike, along with Casey's brother Mouner Kasem, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his widow claiming her neglect and physical abuse led to his death.

They claimed that she also inflicted emotional distress on his children by restricting their access to him before his death.

Jean denied the allegations and filed a countersuit making similar claims against them.

She claimed the children were motivated by their desire to get his money after he cut them off financially in 2012, and that they had brought emotional distress to her and her father.

In 2018, police in Washington state opened an investigation into his death after Jean submitted a private investigator's report claiming her stepchildren were responsible for the radio host's death.

Police later concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing in Casey's death.

In 2019, both sides agreed to a settlement bringing to an end their dueling lawsuits.

The eight-part podcast launched on Audible on June 15 and features first-hand accounts from Kerri, close friend Mike Curb and protege Ryan Seacrest.
Most of us know that our personal data is being collected, stored and analysed thanks to our relationship with our mobile phones, computers and the internet. But are we really aware of the full extent of the privacy invasions into our daily lives?

Let's start at dawn. What is the first thing you do when you wake up? You probably check your phone.

By doing that, you are informing a whole host of busybodies  your smartphone manufacturer, app developers and your mobile company, as well as intelligence agencies (if they happen to be watching you)  what time you wake up, where you've been sleeping and who you share a bed with, providing they keep their phone with them too.

If you wear a smart watch it will have recorded your every movement in bed  including, of course, any sexual activity. Share a picture or record your thoughts on Facebook, or type a search into Google, and that information is tracked and stored.

Perhaps you've run out of sugar and you decide to ask your neighbour if she has some spare. Standing outside her door, you notice there's a new smart doorbell, which records images of those who come near. It's anybody's guess where the footage is going to end up and what it will be used for.

You turn on your smart TV. It is probably identifying everything you watch and sending the data to the manufacturer, third parties, or both.

If you had time to read the privacy policies of the objects you buy, you would also have noticed that your TV picks up and records your spoken words and reserves the right to transmit them to other organisations.

Intelligence agencies such as MI5 and the CIA can make your TV look as though it is off while they record you. Your digital assistant Alexa may be listening too.

On and on it goes, as your day unfolds  the computerised surveillance that turns your everyday life into data.

It's worth remembering that, as far back as 2010, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) suggested that privacy was no longer 'a social norm', that we had 'evolved' beyond it because of the amount of information we freely shared online.

In today's society, cars can log the locations you visit, the speed you drive at and your musical taste  even your weight is measured by your seat. There are emails that, once opened, allow third parties to track your geographical location.

Even your intimate medical data can be donated by the NHS to commercial organisations without your consent. And if you've ever done a DNA testing kit  for health reasons or to trace your ancestors perhaps  your genetic information is up for grabs to anyone who's willing to pay for it.

We live in a surveillance age  and this is surveillance capitalism.

Governments know more about their citizens than ever before. Even the Stasi managed to have files on only about a third of the population of East Germany. Intelligence agencies today hold much more information  and on everyone. And it's because we're willingly  if unwittingly  giving this information away.

As a professor at the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford, I've researched this phenomenon with growing interest and concern over the past decade.

I've written widely about the importance of privacy in the digital age and what the tech giants  which is, of course, where all of this began  can learn from the far more regulated world of medical ethics.

It's companies such as Facebook and Google which have done more than any other to build the 'data economy'. And it has never been more apparent than during the coronavirus lockdown.

We've used social media to stay connected with friends and family, platforms such as Zoom for work and Google Classroom for school. The past year has shown us how impossible it is to opt out. Collectively and separately, these platforms are watching us. They know I'm writing these words. And, if you're reading this on a screen, they know you are reading them.

It sounds sinister  almost into the realms of conspiracy theory. But if you think it doesn't matter, then read on.

Intelligence agencies such as MI5 and the CIA can make your TV look as though it is off while they record you. Your digital assistant Alexa may be listening too

Facebook alone has violated our right to privacy so many times that a comprehensive account would merit a book in itself. Indeed, it's worth remembering that, as far back as 2010, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg suggested that privacy was no longer 'a social norm', that we had 'evolved' beyond it because of the amount of information we freely shared online.

It is in his interests  and the interests of other tech giants  to believe this is so.

Everything you do while on Facebook gets tracked, from your mouse movements to the things you write and decide to delete before posting.

It may seem like a social network on the surface, but its real business is trading in influence through personal data. It wants to know who we are, what we think, where we hurt. It wants to predict and influence our behaviour. And armed with this, it can then sell advertisers access to your attention.

It's not even possible to stay away from this data-hungry monster. Facebook keeps 'shadow profiles' on people who don't even have accounts. It does this via its pervasive 'like' buttons, which appear alongside content such as news articles on websites across the internet.

Clicking on 'like' means your Facebook friends will see your activity, and Facebook itself gets an insight into your interests.

But what is little known is that Facebook can gather basic info about a visitor's IP address (and therefore their location), and other websites they've accessed which also contain Facebook 'like' buttons, even if they don't click on them and don't have a Facebook account.

So what? Surely all this isn't actively harmful.

But Facebook may connect you with people you're actually trying to avoid. Its 'People You May Know' section recommends people to connect with. This tool has helped expand Facebook's social network, which went from 100 million members when it was introduced in 2008 to more than two billion in 2018.

It can link the real identities of sex workers to their clients. Or scupper medical confidentiality by linking together a psychiatrist's patients. These patients probably had the psychiatrist's details in their phone's contact book  and that alone was enough for Facebook's algorithms to make the link.

The site has suggested a harasser connect with his (previously anonymous) victim, a husband to his wife's lover, and a victim to the man who broke into her car.

For years, Facebook allowed Microsoft's Bing search engine to see Facebook users' friends without their consent, and it gave Netflix and Spotify the ability to read and even delete Facebook users' 'private' messages.

Facebook has probably used facial recognition on your photos  without securing proper consent from you  to develop lucrative new technology. It has certainly filed patents that describe systems to recognise shoppers' faces in stores and match them to their social networking profiles.

In 2019, hundreds of millions of Facebook users' phone numbers were exposed in an open online database, because the server they were on was not password-protected.

By checking your phone in the morning, you are informing a whole host of busybodies  your smartphone manufacturer, app developers and your mobile company, as well as intelligence agencies (if they happen to be watching you)  what time you wake up, where you've been sleeping and who you share a bed with, providing they keep their phone with them too

These are just some of the latest disasters. Everything seems to indicate that Facebook's violations of our right to privacy are not about to stop. It's no wonder that a British parliamentary report has suggested that Facebook has behaved like a 'digital gangster' in the past few years.

It's not alone. Google has also been a major protagonist in this story. In 1996, founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed the core of Google, an algorithm that counts the number and quality of links to a web page to assess how authoritative that website is, and ranks search results accordingly.

It was a brilliant idea. Unfortunately for us all, Page and Brin wanted to turn Google Search from an amazing tool into a money-making company. By 2004 it had revenues of 2.3 billion.

How did they do it? By using the personal data of their users to sell ads: little sponsored links in and around their search rankings.

As users searched for what they desired, feared or were curious about, Google collected oceans of data on them.

Since then, Google has created product after product to help it gather even more data from even more sources. Chrome, Maps, Pixel, Nest and many others were designed as ways to collect even more data from you.

Why would a company offer an extra service like Maps, something that is so expensive to create and maintain, for nothing in return? It wouldn't. Google wanted to mine your location data.

Many other organisations  not always the obvious ones  are similarly making free with our data. If you go to the doctor, be aware that your medical data is often for sale.

Data brokers  traders in personal information  can acquire anonymised medical data from pharmacies, hospitals, doctors' offices, health apps, and internet searches, among other sources. Your medical details could end up in the hands of researchers, insurance companies or prospective employers.

The latest controversial data grab is scheduled for later this year when patient information from GP practices is centralised in an NHS database.

Hospital patient data is already held centrally. It can prove hugely helpful for research purposes, which is to everyone's benefit.

But there are concerns the NHS may decide to donate your records, without your consent, to a company such as DeepMind, the artificial intelligence firm owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet.

This may not be to your benefit at all. DeepMind could link your data to your Google account, thereby further eroding your privacy.

Yet the most intimate information of all concerns your genetic data  the blueprint for who you are.

Let's imagine a friend gives you a home DNA kit as a gift. Such kits, which can tell you about your genetic ancestry, help find distant relatives and even tell you your risk of disease, are being sold for about 100.

By mailing your saliva sample, you are allowing companies such as Ancestry to analyse, sell and communicate your genetic information as they wish.

And what about your family? There is no way of knowing what the law will be like in 30 years, or what we might be able to infer from genetic information by then.

Perhaps you've run out of sugar and you decide to ask your neighbour if she has some spare. Standing outside her door, you notice there's a new smart doorbell, which records images of those who come near. It's anybody's guess where the footage is going to end up and what it will be used for

Your grandchildren may be denied opportunities in the future on account of your genetic test floating out there in the public domain, should it indicate a susceptibility to life-limiting disease or a negative personality trait.

Your right to lawfully protest might also be at risk from new tactics that further violate privacy. Police are thought to be using 'stingray' technology  fake mobile phone towers that grab your location and can eavesdrop on phone conversations, text messages and web browsing.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is secrecy over their use in the UK. A tribunal last year permitted police forces to 'neither confirm nor deny' that they are in use.

Some people argue that invading our privacy might well be necessary for our safety  to fight terrorism or during a pandemic, for example. Contrary to what authorities would have you believe, however, it is much more often the case that privacy invasions bring about unsafe conditions.

With that in mind, consider carefully what you share online, particularly if it concerns your children. Make sure your privacy settings on social media sites are as high as they can be.

Never click on the 'accept cookies' button on a website, choose devices that don't connect to the internet if you can, and use strong passwords.

To those who question whether online privacy matters, I ask them for their password to their email account. Or, better yet, next time they're in a public loo, greet them from the adjoining cubicle as you take a peek over the divider.

There is also the question of what kind of society we would like to live in. Two possibilities lie ahead.

The first is an extreme version of the surveillance society we live in today. One in which your every step, word and purchase is tracked by the authorities.

Drones and satellites watch you from above and facial recognition technology identifies you wherever you go.

Authorities track what you read, when you protest. Police, public health authorities, intelligence agencies and surveillance companies receive this information.

Your data is used mainly to quell pandemics and prevent terrorist attacks, the authorities assure you. But you know it is also used for much more than that.

This is a world in which machines manage you. They order food when your fridge is running low. They time your efficiency at work, including your breaks. They tell you to meditate when your stress levels increase.

You wonder whether your children's future might be compromised when they play games online, as you know their scores are being sold to data brokers who calculate cognitive capacities. You worry about how obedient they have to be to stand a chance in this new world.

This is a society primed for an authoritarian takeover.

But there is a second, far better option. A world where your data is yours alone, not for anyone else to share or sell. We just need the right rules in place.

For we are currently witnessing a civilising process similar to the ones that improved our offline lives. In the way that regulation made sure that food being sold was edible and that cars had safety belts, so regulation can tame the Wild West of the internet.

The ground rules that we set now will determine the privacy landscape of the next few decades.

It is critical that we get things right. We owe it to ourselves and to our children.

 Carissa Veliz, 2021
A conservative legal scholar has argued that the Department of Justice's new lawsuit challenging Georgia's election law could backfire against the Biden administration and fail in court.

'I'm highly skeptical and I think that they may ultimately regret this move. It could indeed clarify this issue in the way that the Biden administration does not want,' Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, told Fox News.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced the suit against Georgia, alleging Republican state lawmakers passed a sweeping election reform to discriminate against black voters.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp staunchly denied the claim, and said that the law's provisions limiting ballot drop-boxes and requiring mail-in voters to identify themselves with a state ID number are necessary to ensure integrity at the polls.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, warned the new DOJ lawsuit against Georgia's election law could backfire against the Biden administration

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday announced the suit against Georgia, alleging Republican state lawmakers passed the sweeping election reform to discriminate against black voters

Turley pointed out that the provisions in the Georgia law differ little from those in many other states, including President Joe Biden's home state of Delaware, which requires an ID to vote at the polls.

'This is a very dubious case in my view. Because the Georgia law has great overlap with other states like Delaware. Voter identification, as an example, is extremely popular with voters,' he said.

Turley added that the suit could also raise issues with the sweeping election bills that Democrats are trying to pass through Congress, which would institute universal mail-in voting and election-day registration.

'One of the issues that the court may ultimately amplify is that elections were left in the Constitution to the state,' Turley said.

'Alexander Hamilton actually wrote in the Federalist Papers, imagine if the federal government was to take over the management of elections and he basically said we would all object,' he added.

'Well, that's what's happening now in Congress, they are trying to essentially federalize elections, and I think they are going to have a serious pushback on this lawsuit.'

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said that the law's provisions are necessary to ensure integrity at the polls and election security

Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, has said he would contest the suit.

'The Biden Administration has been spreading lies about Georgias election law for months,' Raffensperger said in a statement. 'It is no surprise that they would operationalize their lies with the full force of the federal government. I look forward to meeting them, and beating them, in court.'

Kemp, also a Republican, called the Justice Department's lawsuit 'legally and constitutionally dead wrong' and said the accusations made by prosecutors were baseless and 'quite honestly, disgusting.'

'Today, the Biden Justice Department launched a politically motivated assault on the rule of law and our democracy,' he said at a news conference.

While much of the more controversial aspects of Georgia's new voting law were dropped before it was passed, it is notable in its scope and for newly expansive powers granted to the state over local election offices.

Kristen Clarke, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, will oversee the federal lawsuit against Georgia's law

The bill, known as SB 202, also adds a voter ID requirement for mail ballots, shortens the time period for requesting a mailed ballot and results in fewer ballot drop boxes available in metro Atlanta - provisions that drew the challenge from the federal government.

'The changes to absentee voting were not made in a vacuum,' Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said. 'These changes come immediately after successful absentee voting in the 2020 election cycle, especially among black voters. SB 202 seeks to halt and reverse this progress.'

The lawsuit also takes aim at another controversial measure - a ban on the distribution of food and water by various groups and organizations to voters standing in line to cast a ballot.

Democrats say the handouts are needed to encourage voters who find themselves in long lines. Republicans argue freebies should be banned to prevent unlawful electioneering from happening at polling places.

In 2020, just two states had ID requirements for voters requesting a mailed ballot. Along with Georgia, lawmakers in Florida have also passed a law requiring additional identification for mail voting. Clarke described the Georgia law as adding 'new and unnecessarily stringent' identification requirements to mail voting.

In Georgia, drop boxes were permitted last year under an emergency rule prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

State Republicans have defended the new law as making drop boxes a permanent option for voters and requiring all counties to have at least one.

But critics say the new limits mean there will be fewer drop boxes available in the state's most populous communities.

Hundreds of people wait in line for early voting on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, in Marietta, Georgia

For the entire metro Atlanta area, Democrats estimate the number of drop boxes will fall from 94 last year to no more than 23 for future elections based on the new formula of one drop box per 100,000 registered voters.

Clarke noted that metro Atlanta is home to the largest black voting-age population in the state.

The NAACP and advocates such as Stacey Abrams applauded the administration's step. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said Georgias law was a 'blatant assault on the American people's most fundamental and sacred right, the right to vote.'

The law already is the subject of seven other federal suits filed by civil rights and election integrity groups that raise a number of claims under the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in voting.

The Supreme Court also is weighing a voting rights dispute from Arizona that predates last years election in which the court could again significantly cut back on the use of the voting rights law.

Eight years ago Friday, the high court removed the Justice Departments most effective tool in combating discriminatory voting laws: the requirement that states with a history of racial discrimination, mostly in the South, obtain advance approval of any voting changes from the government or a court.

The department also announced Friday that it was creating a task force and advising FBI and U.S. attorneys to prioritize investigations of threats against election officials.
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Martin Martinez, 59, a retired Albuquerque police officer and sergeant in the Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department, and his wife Mary, 62, died in the crash Saturday

Pictures show a retired Albuquerque cop and his wife who were among the five victims to die Saturday morning in a hot air balloon crash in New Mexico.

The hot air balloon is believed to have split in two in mid-air, sending the gondola with passengers still onboard crashing into a power line at 100ft, while the balloon itself drifted off. The reason for the gondola breaking off is not yet known, with police on Sunday telling Dailymail.com they are still investigating the sequence of events.

Martin Martinez, 59, a retired Albuquerque police officer and sergeant in the Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department, and his wife Mary, 62, were identified during an afternoon press conference. Their son is a current prison transport officer in the department.

Family friends paid tribute to the couple on social media, with one writing 'Dios Los Bendiga' - meaning 'God bless you' in Spanish.

The other three victims' names won't be released until their families are notified. They're described as middle-aged and New Mexico residents. KOAT reported that three men and two women were killed - and among the dead were the pilot.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said he worked with Martin Martinez when he first entered the department, which made the tragedy even more traumatic for him and the other officers who responded.

'In 26 years, it was one of the scenes that hit me the most,' Medina said. 'There were officers on the scene who worked with Martin and we did have to send some officers home because they were disturbed by what had occurred and it took its toll on them.'

The Albuquerque Public Schools issued a statement giving condolences to the Martinez family.

'Sgt. Martinez will forever be remembered for his lifelong dedication, courage and selflessness to the profession of law enforcement. He had long careers with both the Albuquerque Police Department and the Albuquerque Public Schools Police Department.'

The balloon came down on a street corner in the West Side neighborhood of Albuquerque around 7am Saturday, about six miles from Albuquerque International Sunport Airport.

Five people have been killed in a hot air balloon crash in New Mexico after it flew into power lines, according to authorities

The hot air balloon basket, shown here, separated from the colorful envelope and crashed on a busy intersection in Albuquerque

The basket lies on the street in the West Side neighborhood of Albuquerque, about six miles from Albuquerque International Sunport Airport, while the investigation continues

The envelope - the colorful balloon part - was later found in the backyard of a home about a mile away.

Medina said several nearby citizens ran to the basket with fire extinguishers and tried to help the victims.

Unfortunately, four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene. One of the victims was rushed to the hospital but died shortly thereafter.

'We want to thank all the individuals who helped out today. There were greats acts of heroics done by citizens,' Medina said.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, at the podium, said during a Saturday afternoon press conference, 'In 26 years, it was one of the scenes that hit me the most.' Behind him is the city's mayor Tim Keller

The hot air balloon split in two in mid-air, sending the gondola with passengers still onboard crashing into a power line at 100ft, while the balloon itself drifted off. The reason for the gondola breaking off is not yet known

The basket plummeted to the ground in flames, landing in a busy street close to a pharmacy

The colorful balloon was later found in the backyard of a home about a mile away (above)

Albuquerque Police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said at a press conference that the multi-colored balloon skirted the top of the power lines at around 7am.

Witnesses told KOAT the basket was on fire when it crashed into the street with several bystanders rushing to try to put the fire out.

Another witness told KOB4 he was in a gym nearby when he heard a loud bang that 'sounded like gunshots'.

Joshua Perez rushed out and saw the balloon part flying off detached, before noticing the basket lying in the street.

He said people turned off the propane on the balloon and ran over with fire extinguishers to help save the victims.

'I was just thinking save these people, save these people and you could just see them on the ground no one was moving,' he said.

'We turned off the propane off the balloon so it didn't blow up on them.'

Police said the four people were already dead when they arrived on the scene.

The basket is seen on the ground in the busy street Saturday with victims lying close by as emergency crews respond to the scene

Gallegos said: 'It's just a very tragic situation. Our officers who arrived first on scene had a tough time when they saw what they saw. These things are just horrible anytime they happen.'

Gallegos said it was not clear what had caused the balloon to strike the power line but 'sometimes winds kick up or things happen that make it difficult for balloons to navigate.'

'Our balloonists tend to be very much experts at navigating, but sometimes we have these types of tragic accidents,' he said.

The collision also left one of the lines dangling down and cut off power to more than 13,000 homes in the area.

Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) crews were seen working to fix the downed line and restore power as soon as possible.

Albuquerque Police, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

The aircraft came down on a street corner in the West Side neighborhood of Albuquerque around 7am Saturday, about six miles from Albuquerque International Sunport Airport

A friend of the victims is comforted at the scene of the fatal hot air balloon crash

Albuquerque Police, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident

Emergency crews on the scene of the deadly crash are seen hiding victims lying by the hot air balloon basket

The deadly crash comes just months after another fatal balloon incident just outside the city of Albuquerque.

In January, a passenger in a hot air balloon was ejected from the basket after a hard landing.

He was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.

In 2016 in neighboring Texas, 16 died when a hot air balloon hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture, killing all on board.

Federal authorities said at the time it was the worst such disaster in US history.

Albuquerque is a popular destination for hot air balloon rides, with colorful balloons regularly spotted above the skies.

Every October, the city hosts a nine-day event that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators and pilots from around the world.

Five people were flying in the craft at the time. Two men and two women including the male pilot were killed while a fifth victim is in a critical condition in hospital
Boris Johnson has replied to Matt Hancock's resignation today by telling him he should be 'immensely proud' of his service - despite the Prime Minister earlier labelling him as 'totally f***ing hopeless' in a private WhatsApp message sent to Dominic Cummings.

Mr Hancock resigned as Health Secretary the day after video footage emerged of him kissing an aide, Gina Coladangelo, in his ministerial office in a breach of coronavirus restrictions.

In response, the Prime Minister wrote to him: 'You should be immensely proud of your service. I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over. '

Mr Johnson's words of encouragement come after Mr Cummings - his former chief aide - stepped up his war with Number 10 in mid-June when he published a number of bombshell messages sent to him by the PM.

In one exchange from March 27 last year, Mr Cummings criticised the Health Secretary over the failure to ramp up Covid testing, with Mr Johnson replying: 'Totally f***ing hopeless.'

Boris Johnson has replied to Matt Hancock's resignation today by telling him he should be 'immensely proud' of his service - despite the Prime Minister earlier labelling him as 'totally f***ing hopeless' in a private WhatsApp message sent to Dominic Cummings

Mr Hancock resigned as Health Secretary the day after video footage emerged of him kissing an aide, Gina Coladangelo, in his ministerial office in a breach of coronavirus restrictions. In response, the Prime Minister wrote to him: 'You should be immensely proud of your service. I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over '

Another from the same day saw Mr Cummings complain that the Department of Health had been turning down ventilators because 'the price has been marked up'. Mr Johnson said: 'It's Hancock. He has been hopeless.'

Mr Cummings also accused the senior minister of lying to the Prime Minister over promises to protect those in care homes during the first wave of Covid-19 infections by testing new residents before being admitted.

In his letter of resignation, Mr Hancock said the Government 'owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down'.

The former Health Secretary added: 'The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.'

In response, Mr Johnson said he was 'sorry' to receive Mr Hancock's resignation.

The Prime Minister wrote: 'You should leave office very proud of what you have achieved - not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us.

'Under your leadership, the Department has led fundamental reforms to the provision of care in this country. The NHS Long Term Plan was a major milestone in the history of that great institution.

In his letter of resignation, Mr Hancock said the Government 'owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down'

Mr Johnson's words of encouragement come after Dominic Cummings (above) - his former chief aide - stepped up his war with Number 10 in mid-June when he published a number of bombshell messages sent to him by the PM. In one exchange from March 27 last year, Mr Cummings criticised the Health Secretary over the failure to ramp up Covid testing, with Mr Johnson replying: 'Totally f***ing hopeless'

The former Health Secretary wrote in his resignation letter: 'The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis'

'Your work on the Health and Care Bill will support our NHS and deliver greater integration between health and social care.'

The then-Health Secretary had previously dismissed the significance of the bombshell Cummings's messages.

Mr Hancock said the communications, sent during the height of the coronavirus crisis last year, represented 'ancient history'.

The senior minister, who had held three cabinet positions before reaching his 40th birthday, announced his resignation in a video and formal letter to the Prime Minister.

He said: 'I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, you have made. And those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I've got to resign.'

Appointed Health Secretary in 2018 after spending 18 months in the culture brief, he has been a prominent figure for the Government during its handling of the coronavirus pandemic until his resignation on Saturday.
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, simply had to go. Sometimes Ministers are forced out for contrived or barely relevant reasons. This was not one of those times. It is no good saying politicians' personal lives are not the public's business  because politicians are making the personal behaviour of the public their business. And none forced his way into the private lives of the people more than Mr Hancock.

Not since the Second World War has any British Government taken such tight control of society or interfered so deeply in the individual lives of law-abiding people. And one man has been at the centre of this.

A flow of decrees, personally signed by Mr Hancock, have prevented us from seeing close relatives even at the point of death. Expressions of normal human sympathy have been banned at funerals. Church services have been invaded by police. Children have been kept from embracing grandparents. Weddings have been reduced to tiny, joyless events. A petulant Mr Hancock even threatened to ban outdoor exercise if we were not more obedient.

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, simply had to go. Sometimes Ministers are forced out for contrived or barely relevant reasons

Where these have not been actual laws, they have been rules pressed on us by relentless propaganda and by the personal urging of Mr Hancock. He was himself merciless to 'Professor Lockdown', Neil Ferguson, when he was caught breaking distancing rules. Mr Hancock claimed to be 'speechless' at this breach. And thousands of workplaces, presumably including those in Whitehall, are plastered with signs reminding us of the two-metre rule. He could not claim to be uninvolved in these matters or unaware of the regulations which were still very much in place at the time the film of Mr Hancock breaking them was taken.

Even in this relaxed age there is another point which we cannot really ignore, though some fashionably claim that they do. Many readers of The Mail on Sunday will feel Mr Hancock's personal behaviour does matter, and it matters all the more because of the high office he holds and the authority he commands. His behaviour will have been a terrible blow to his wife and three children, and to the husband of the woman involved and her three children.

And then there is a simple matter of professional behaviour. What private or public enterprise would tolerate a senior executive behaving like this, canoodling with a subordinate on its premises?

Many questions surround Mr Hancock, who gives off a general air of slipperiness. The appointment of the woman involved, Gina Coladangelo, as his adviser is itself open to question. This newspaper's investigations into the curious affair of his friend and neighbour Alex Bourne do not reveal a smoking gun. But there is still something about his being awarded a huge NHS contract, despite having had no previous experience of such things, which is odd in the extreme.

Mr Hancock was himself merciless to 'Professor Lockdown', Neil Ferguson (pictured), when he was caught breaking distancing rules

And there is no telling how much damage Mr Hancock's hypocrisy will do to the fight against Covid. Like Dominic Cummings's wild drive to Barnard Castle, and Professor Ferguson's rule-breaking tryst with a girlfriend, Mr Hancock's fumble undermined the whole campaign. Millions more will simply cease to take seriously the warnings of a government whose own Health Secretary privately laughed at the rules he solemnly urged us to obey.

Above all, that is why he had to resign. If he had remained at his post, he would have undone much of the good work he undoubtedly did.
Republicans in Congress are calling for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be removed as the head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, with some even accusing him of lying in Congressional testimony.

The latest claims follow a new book that details how Fauci was ordered by former President Donald Trump to formally announce the U.S. grant to the Wuhan lab had been terminated in April 2020.

The book, 'Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration's Response to the Pandemic That Changed History,' that Fauci and National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins were not sure the NIH had the legal authority to terminate a peer-reviewed grant in the middle of a budget cycle and tried to fight the order.

But at a June 2020 hearing before the House Energy and Commerce, Fauci said the grant was 'canceled because the NIH was told to cancel it,' and he didn't 'know the reason'.

Republicans in Congress are calling for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be removed as the head of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, with some even accusing him of lying in Congressional testimony

The claims related to Fauci's testimony about US grants to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which Fauci insisted were not used to fund gain-of-function research

Now GOP lawmakers on the committee claim the new book exposes inconsistencies that need to be explained.

'Dr. Fauci is so obsessed with maintaining his own relevance and downplaying President Trump's role in combatting this crisis that he's once again been caught lying,' Rep. Buddy Carter, a Georgia Republican, told Fox News.

'We need someone leading the pandemic response and our investigation into its origins who is more concerned with the truth than their own PR campaign. It's time for Dr. Fauci to go,' he said.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana told the outlet that 'there are many unanswered questions that can only be answered with a full investigation by Congress.'

Meanwhile, Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has been loudly critical of Fauci, called for his removal.

Last month, Paul clashed with Fauci in a hearing over whether the U.S. grant money had funded so-called gain of function research at the Wuhan lab.

'The NIH and NIAID categorically has not funded gain-of-function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute of Virology,' Fauci said at the time.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana said 'there are many unanswered questions that can only be answered with a full investigation by Congress'

'I would say we would remove him from a position of authority so he shouldn't be leading the effort,' Paul told Newsmax on Thursday.

'Mainly because he discounts one of the most important parts of science, which is natural immunity,' Paul said.

Paul said he believed about 100 million Americans had been infected with COVID and recovered from the virus, and questioned the necessity of vaccinating children.

'They're now talking about going down to the age of two. I suspect they'll go all the way down to newborns,' he said.

'There's no real reason to be hysterical and force this on children, mandate it for school because the thing is for children, the bar is going to be much greater because children get almost no COVID symptoms, he said.

'They rarely die from it. It's about one in a million. So we're going to have to be even more stringent with proving the safety of the vaccine.'

Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has been loudly critical of Fauci, called for his removal

In an interview this week, Fauci fired back at his critics.

'It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves,' he said in a New York Times podcast interview.

'And that's the reason why I say people who then criticize me about that are actually criticizing science.

'[T]he people who are giving the ad hominems are saying, 'Ah, Fauci misled us. First he said no masks, then he said masks.'

'Well, let me give you a flash. That's the way science works. You work with the data you have at the time.'

Fauci said that he was unbothered by both the praise and condemnation that has come as a result of him being the de-facto 'face' of the US COVID crisis, but said he was shocked to have received criticism likening him to Adolf Hitler.

In the preview of his podcast interview, shared with Axios, he said he puts 'very little weight in the adulation, and very little weight in the craziness of condemning me.'

'It gets preposterous, and the thing that bothers you most of all is the impact it has on your family,' Fauci continued.

'I mean, getting death threats and getting your daughters and your wife threatened with obscene notes and threatening notes is not fun. So I can't say that doesn't bother me.

'The more extreme they get, the more obvious how political it is ... 'Fauci has blood in his hands.' Are you kidding me? ... Here's a guy whose entire life has been devoted to saving lives, and now you're telling me he's like Hitler? You know, come on, folks. Get real.'
Crime victims will be asked to collect their own evidence and send it to police to save officers from having to visit the scene, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to implement the controversial scheme in which victims directly upload evidence such as footage from doorbell cameras, CCTV, phones or dashcams via the internet.

His decision comes after Scotland Yard said it would save tens of thousands of man-hours each year.

Police chiefs also cited social distancing rules as a reason why officers should not visit premises  even though all restrictions are due to be lifted next month.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to implement the controversial scheme in which victims directly upload evidence such as footage from doorbell cameras, CCTV, phones or dashcams via the internet

Campaigners fear the scheme will cause further trauma to householders and business owners, who will lose reassuring face-to-face support from officers.

The elderly and vulnerable may also find it difficult to use the technology.

Nevertheless, a report seen by this newspaper reveals that Mr Khan's administration has agreed to roll out the 'Axon Citizen' programme following a trial in North London.

Rebecca Brown, chief executive of victim support group ASB Help, said: 'This shouldn't be used as an alternative to officers visiting, speaking to victims and investigating fully.

'A victim's voice should be heard  but how can it be heard if they are just uploading evidence?'

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: 'The majority of older people are not online so would be unable to engage with the police in this way.'

And Mark Shelford, the crime tsar for Avon and Somerset, said he opposed any plan to 'reduce the face-to-face time between officers and the public'.

The computer program, which was developed by US tech and weapons firm Axon Enterprise, is already being used by Cumbria Police.

The force, which has 1,000 officers compared to the 33,000 in the Met, uploaded 20,000 pieces of digital evidence last year.

Caroline Abrahams (pictured), of Age UK, said: 'The majority of older people are not online so would be unable to engage with the police in this way'

The London trial, in which victims receive a link via text or email to upload digital media to Axon's evidence.com website, began last July and involved 3,500 pieces of evidence. Scotland Yard estimates the scheme will save 27,000 staff days each year as processing a single item of physical evidence can take an officer up to three hours.

It says expanding the scheme, at a cost of 847,000, will allow Met chiefs to shift its focus towards violent street crime or the '12,000 cases of domestic abuse reported every month'.

Some have welcomed the initiative. Chris Nelson, the Police and Crime Commissioner in Gloucestershire, said: 'It sounds exciting. You might have footage which you need to get into the police system so it can build the intelligence picture and I would hope this should mean more contact with victims.'

The Mail on Sunday revealed last year that forces were also developing a mobile app called MyPolice for victims to upload evidence.

Scotland Yard, the Mayor's office and Axon  which also created the Taser  declined to comment.
Activists at the BBC are demanding the right to vet transgender news stories before they are aired on Radio 4's flagship Today programme.

Members of the BBC's Pride Board, which comprises LGBT staff, want to attend commissioning meetings and play a role in 'editorial processes' on the show, according to documents seen by The Mail on Sunday.

Their demand was made a week after Today ran an item about Stonewall's controversial Diversity Champions scheme for employers, which did not feature a transgender guest.

Producers had asked Stonewall to field a representative, but it declined, so Benjamin Cohen, the chief executive of the LGBT website Pink News, was invited on to the programme instead.

The interview became heated when presenter Justin Webb questioned Stonewall's position on the fight by female campaigners to retain single-sex spaces such as toilets.

A Radio 4 interview became heated when presenter Justin Webb (pictured) questioned Stonewall's position on the fight by female campaigners to retain single-sex spaces such as toilets

Mr Cohen criticised the journalist for failing to invite 'a single trans voice' on to the show, and lambasted him for daring to discuss the issue despite not being trans himself.

The charge prompted the host to reply testily: 'Number one, you don't know anything about me. Number two, I asked you a question, so would you answer it?'

On June 16, eight days after the interview, the BBC Pride Board accused the programme of 'poor reporting, poor representation and not knowing the facts'.

Minutes of its meeting state a BBC 'diversity and inclusion' officer had encouraged staff to officially complain about the broadcast.

The board also consulted a colleague with a transgender son about discussing the 'impact of these types of negative news stories' with him.

The meeting said members should approach Today editor Owenna Griffiths to 'discuss the significant negative impact of this piece on staff at a time when we are trying to be more diverse'.

The minutes add: 'We would like to pre-empt these issues by being involved in commissioning meetings. Editorial processes are in place  how do we get involved with these?'

Last night, Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said: 'It's extremely alarming that a group of LGBT activists within the BBC think they can dictate how Stonewall is covered by the Corporation.

'There is a bust of George Orwell outside the BBC's headquarters with the quote, 'If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.' The BBC would do well to remind its Pride Board of those words.'

Members of the BBC's Pride Board, which comprises LGBT staff, want to attend commissioning meetings and play a role in 'editorial processes' on the show

The BBC declined to comment on the board meeting but insisted the Today programme had complete editorial independence.

Meanwhile, the BBC has arranged for some of its stars to receive training from a transgender lobby group about gender identity, the use of pronouns and 'challenges for the trans community'.

The training will be conducted by Global Butterflies, which has opposed feminist groups which want to retain women-only spaces.

The organisation gave a talk in April at St Paul's Girls' School in West London, in which staff were reportedly told that there were at least 150 genders.

Pupils at the 26,000-a-year school subsequently asked for the 'too binary' position of head girl to be replaced with the more inclusive title of head of school.

One BBC presenter said: 'We would like to know who commissions the training groups and on what basis.' The BBC declined to say how much the hour-long training session cost.
Matt Hancock dumped his university sweetheart on Thursday night after learning video footage of him kissing an aide in his ministerial office would be exposed.

The ex-Health Secretary, who announced his resignation this evening, raced home to tell his wife of 15 years that he would be leaving her after he was contacted by The Sun newspaper over his affair with Gina Coladangelo.

Images and video showed Mr Hancock kissing the millionaire lobbyist last month, and the Health Secretary was facing increasing pressure to quit over the breaking of social-distancing rules.

Martha Hancock, a 44-year-old osteopath, had no clue about the affair until her husband told her their marriage was over, reports The Sunday Times.

The break-up came to light after Mr Hancock handed in a letter of resignation to Boris Johnson where he said the Government 'owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down'.

He will be replaced by former chancellor and home secretary Sajid Javid, it has been announced.

Martha Hancock pictured arriving home today in London. She reportedly had no clue about the affair between Mr Hancock and his aide until she was told their marriage was over

The ex-Health Secretary (above, on June 6), who announced his resignation this evening, raced home to tell his wife of 15 years that he would be leaving her after he was contacted by The Sun newspaper over his affair with Gina Coladangelo

The reports of the affair came just weeks after Hancock was seen enjoying lunch out with Martha - the granddaughter of Frederick Millar, 1st Baron Inchyra - in London.

The pair were seen waiting for a taxi after eating at Exmouth market in the capital.

They were last seen together in public at the England vs Scotland Euro 2020 match at Wembley a week ago.

Earlier this year, the father-of-three, who has two son and a daughter, was seen playing rugby in the park with his boys.

Mrs Hancock is said to have met her future husband while they were students at Oxford University. Both are dyslexic and he once revealed that the condition helped them bond.

Descended from a baron and a viscount, Mrs Hancock had a privileged upbringing. Her father, Old Etonian Alastair Hoyer Millar, 84, was secretary of The Pilgrim Trust between 1980 and 1996. The organisation supplies grants to preserve historically significant buildings or artefacts.

Her mother, Virginia Hoyer Millar, 70, an antiques dealer, was yesterday pictured comforting her daughter in the street by putting her arms around her shoulders. They also linked arms as they strolled around North-West London.

The couple divide their time between London and their West Suffolk constituency home, where there was no sign of Mr Hancock following his resignation.

The ex-Health Secretary wrote in his letter: 'The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

'I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need (to) be with my children at this time.'

The reports of the affair came just weeks after Hancock was seen enjoying lunch out (above) with Martha - the granddaughter of Frederick Millar, 1st Baron Inchyra - in London

Matt and Martha seen attending the VO5 NME Awards 2018 at London's O2 Brixton Academy

Mr Hancock wrote in his resignation letter today: 'The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis'

The Prime Minister said he was 'sorry' to receive Mr Hancock's resignation as Health Secretary.

He said Mr Hancock 'should leave office very proud of what you have achieved - not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us'.

Boris Johnson added: 'I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over.'

Ms Coladangelo, initially taken on by Mr Hancock as an unpaid adviser on a six-month contract in early 2020, is also reportedly leaving her position on the board of the Department of Health.

Mr Johnson had refused to sack Mr Hancock, with his spokesman saying the PM considered the matter closed after receiving the West Suffolk MP's apology on Friday.

But on Saturday Conservative MPs began to break ranks to call for Mr Hancock to go.
The sting that brought down Matt Hancock was executed by a whistleblower in his department who contacted opponents of the Health Secretary's stance on lockdown to help expose his affair, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The footage of Mr Hancock kissing Gina Coladangelo was caught on a CCTV camera in his office on May 6, and secretly recorded by a member of his department's staff.

After allowing a month to elapse, the whistleblower approached lockdown sceptics and asked them to help sell the incendiary footage to the media.

Throughout the pandemic, Mr Hancock has been a leading lockdown 'dove', arguing that the ultimate priority of government policy should be protecting the NHS against being overwhelmed. His critics have argued that the cost of the measures has been too high.

When the images detonated on The Sun's front page on Friday, Mr Hancock's allies speculated that he had been the victim of a 'hit' by No 10, or even a foreign power such as China.

The sting that brought down Matt Hancock was executed by a whistleblower in his department who contacted opponents of the Health Secretary's stance on lockdown to help expose his affair, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The clinch took place around this corner (bottom right part of image). The camera in question can be seen on the ceiling (top right-hand corner)

After allowing a month to elapse, the whistleblower approached lockdown sceptics and asked them to help sell the incendiary footage to the media

The footage of Mr Hancock kissing Gina Coladangelo was caught on a CCTV camera in his office on May 6, and secretly recorded by a member of his department's staff. Above, the pair's kiss is in clear view of the camera in the ceiling

The door (to the left) is the same one as seen in the footage of Matt Hancock's clinch

They said they had no idea the camera existed, that it was 'unheard of' for cameras to be installed in Ministers' offices, and wanted to know why it had been put there without Mr Hancock's permission  and with what motivation. It was speculated that the images had been caught by 'a small covert camera that had been placed in a light fixture'.

In fact, pictures taken in September 2017, just before Mr Hancock moved in, show that the camera which caught the clinch is clearly visible on the ceiling of his office.

It is trained on the area by the doorway where the couple embraced.

Six weeks after the fateful images were captured  and a fortnight after they had been wiped from the department's CCTV system  the worker who had secured the footage contacted an anti-lockdown campaigner, who promised to try to place them in the media.

The Mail on Sunday was not one of the outlets approached. It is not known if The Sun obtained the video from the whistleblower or from another source entirely.

In a series of Instagram messages seen by this newspaper, the whistleblower says they need 'to be very careful with the information I am about to share'.

They add: 'I have some very damning CCTV footage of someone that has been recently classed as completely f*****g hopeless.'

The first message was sent on June 17, the day after former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings released a text exchange between him and the Prime Minister in which Boris Johnson expressed his frustration with Mr Hancock.

Messages from an anonymous Instagram account. The Mail on Sunday was not one of the outlets approached. It is not known if The Sun obtained the video from the whistleblower or from another source entirely

Mr Cummings had highlighted the Health Secretary's scepticism about the UK being able to match the US's ambitious testing programme, to which Mr Johnson replied: 'Totally f*****g hopeless'.

On June 19, the whistleblower explains more about the footage, writing: 'I really need to be careful with this but it involves him in a very compromising position with some [sic] who isn't his wife last month.' Later they reveal: 'I have the full video it's now been deleted off the system as it's over 30 days.'

In a separate message, the whistleblower admits working for the Department of Health.

The video shows Mr Hancock, just after 3pm, checking the corridor outside his ninth-floor office before closing the door, leaning against it to make sure it cannot be opened, then embracing his lover.

At the time, under Mr Hancock's own rules, hugging anyone from outside your household was banned.

Having sent a 'grab' image from the video to the anti-lockdown figure, the whistleblower discussed a potential payment, but said they were not looking for a large amount.

Asked for further material, they conclude: 'I really don't feel comfortable sending any more than I already have at the moment.'

The whistleblower said they could be contacted on an encrypted Protonmail email account. It is also understood that the Instagram account on which the original messages were posted has since been deleted.

It is not clear whether the footage was copied directly from the system or filmed on a mobile phone trained on a monitor. The security for government buildings is usually contracted out to private firms.

As Mr Hancock's allies thrashed around in panic in the aftermath of the story breaking, they saw, in the words of one source, 'demons everywhere': was it a plot by No 10, or Mr Cummings himself?

Could it even be part of an elaborate operation by a hostile foreign power: officials latched on to the fact that the CCTV cameras in the office were made by Hikvision, a Chinese firm banned in the US over concerns that it could be used by Beijing as a spying tool. The company denies the claim, saying there is no evidence that its data is relayed to China.

Hikvision has also been accused of aiding the Chinese government's campaign against the Uighur minority by monitoring the detention camps in which they are held in the Xinjiang region.

The Department of Health building is owned by a Singapore-based property firm.

The police have not been called in. Last night, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The Met is aware of the distribution of images alleged to have been obtained from within an official government premises. No criminal investigation has been launched. It remains a matter for the relevant department.'
Police have opened fire and killed a crazed gunman who stole a plumbing truck, crashed it into a building, and then fatally shot two innocent bystanders.

The shocking events unfolded at 2.41pm Saturday afternoon in Winthrop, Massachusetts, where police responded to reports of a large truck crash as well as 911 calls of shots fired.

Arriving at the scene near the intersection of Shirley Street and Cross Street, cops found two people found shot and quickly identified and confronted the suspected shooter, opening fire on him, police said.

Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty confirmed that police fired at the suspect during the encounter.

A gunman has shot two people in suburban Boston before being shot by police, in an incident that saw a plumbing truck crash into the side of a house

The incident unfolded at 2.41pm Saturday afternoon in Winthrop, Massachusetts , where police responded to reports of a large truck crash as well as 911 calls of shots fired

The suspect sustained serious, life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

According to WHDH-TV, the gunman stole the box truck, which has the logo of a plumbing company on the side, before crashing it into a brick building in the quiet residential neighborhood.

The shooter then immediately exited the cab of the truck and began firing on bystanders, hitting a female pedestrian and a male victim, who police say may have confronted the shooter to try to stop him.

Photos from the scene also show a separate vehicle crash nearby, with an SUV lying mangled in front of a house.

Medics wheel a gurney toward the scene after two people were shot in suburban Boston

Police secure the scene after a large truck crashed and shots were fired

It was not immediately clear whether the victim fatalities were the result of the shooting or the truck crash.

One police officer was taken to an area hospital for an evaluation but was not seriously injured.

Police say that there is no further danger to the community, but urged motorists and members of the public area asked to avoid the area to allow emergency crews and investigators to work.

The Massachusetts State Police issued a statement urging media helicopters to withdraw from the scene, saying notifications have not yet been made to the families of the victims.

Developing story, more to follow.
Cindy Friedemann, the sister of John McAfee's murdered Belize neighbor, has said she would like to see proof that tech mogul is really dead.

Friedemann has said she has 'no doubt' McAfee is 'responsible' for the death of her brother Gregory Viant Faull, at his home in 2012, and says 'proof' of the tech mogul's demise would bring her 'much comfort'.

Faull was shot to death in early November 2012 in the Belize resort town of San Pedro where both men lived at the time, with police describing McAfee as a 'person of interest' in the case.

Faull had complained to police that the 'rogueish' McAfee was scaring people by firing off his guns and allowing his pack of nine aggressive guard dogs to run free on the beach.

Cindy Friedemann, pictured right, the sister of John McAfee's murdered neighbor, Gregory Viant Faull, seen left, has she would like to see proof that tech mogul is really dead

Faull was shot to death in early November 2012 with McAfee the prime suspect. McAfee's San Pedro home is seen here

Faull had complained about the behavior of McAfee's nine guard dogs and it was reported he then had poisoned the animals before he was then shot dead the following day

Shortly afterwards, the dogs were poisoned with spiked meat.

The following night, an intruder got into Faull's home, tasered him repeatedly and then shot him in the head.

McAfee immediately fled, first hiding by burying himself in sand and putting a cardboard box over his head.

He later escaped over the border into Guatemala with a 20-year-old girlfriend.

McAfee insisted he didn't kill his neighbor and that he had only gone on the run because police and politicians were trying to frame him.

However, McAfee's caretaker later alleged his boss paid $5,000 to have the American killed.

McAfee always insisted he was not involved in the killing, and the claims were never proven in criminal court.

In Guatemala, McAfee faked a heart attack to prevent him being sent back to Belize.

'McAfee was cowardly. I believe he evaded justice. It would bring us much comfort to have proof he died,' Friedemann said.

'We do feel vulnerable just coming forward, I have never spoken before,' she told The Sun.

'We do feel safer now that he is dead. So many people have been harmed by him,' she went on.

McAfee enjoyed life in Belize and posted pictures of his life to an blog he maintained in 2013

Friedemann said: 'Our family has been haunted for years by the knowledge of the torture that Greg suffered in the last hours of his life.

'Although we will never recover from our loss, we are now comforted that the continuing threat to our family has come to an end.'

Faull, who was a contractor, owned the home in Belsize for 13 years and rented it to McAfee before moving to the country himself.

'When he rented the home to McAfee it was left in a terrible mess, in complete disarray. We actually think that was because McAfee had attacked the man who had been living there with him.

'My brother was a fearless man. He was adventurous and very entrepreneurial.

McAfee went on the run from Belize, convinced he'd be set up there for Faull's death. He fled to Guatemala but was arrested there in 2012 and extradited to Miami. He is shown being transferred in an ambulance to the Police Hospital in Guatemala

In 2019, McAfee fled the US after being charged with tax evasion. He is shown in the Dominican Republic (left) after being arrested there because authorities thought he had illegal weapons on his boat, and right, in Belarus in 2020

'We were aware that Greg had been upset by McAfee's bizarre behavior happening next to his home. Other neighbors were also concerned by him,' Friedemann said.

Prosecutors in Belize suggested McAfee might have been involved because he had long argued with his neighbors about the guard dogs on his property.

'It would not surprise me if he decided that the dogs McAfee disciplined with tasers, that he should put him and them out of their misery,' Friedemann said.

Faull, 52, was found dead having been shot in the back of the head the day after the dogs had been poisoned.

McAfee said that he believed he was being persecuted by the Belizean government but the local police denied that, saying they were simply investigating a crime about which McAfee may have had information.

Then-Prime Minister Dean Barrow expressed doubts about McAfee's mental state, saying, 'I don't want to be unkind to the gentleman, but I believe he is extremely paranoid, even bonkers.'

McAfee was never charged with any crime in the country over Faull's killing but a Florida court ordered McAfee in 2019 to pay $25 million to Faull's estate in a wrongful death claim.

He refused to pay it, writing in a statement posted on Twitter that he has 'not responded to a single one of my 37 lawsuits for the past 11 years.'

June 21, 2021: McAfee appears via video-link for his extradition hearing after being arrested in Spain. He spent seven months in jail then found out this week that he would be extradited to the US. He was found dead in his jail cell on Wednesday and Spanish authorities say it was a suicide

He claimed to have no assets, he wrote, making the order a 'mute point,' a misspelling of 'moot.'

'I want to say I have sympathy for McAfee's family but not for the reasons you might think. I have sympathy that they had the bad luck that he was their father, husband, sibling,' Friedemann told The Sun.

'He was in complete contrast to my brother, who was a good man. The world has heard lots of stories about McAfee, I wish everybody knew about my brother.

'I am sure John McAfee is responsible for the death of my brother. I have no doubt.'

It was after Faull's death that McAfee went into hiding, crossing the border into Guatemala before being deported back to the US.

McAfee's death last week sparked conspiracy theories just minutes after it was reported when his official Instagram account posted an image of the letter 'Q' - in an apparent reference to QAnon.

The conspiracy-related chatter came after the antivirus pioneer said eight months ago he would never take his own life 'a la Epstein.'

McAfee and his wife Janice were both active on social media while he was on the run. They are shown in one picture, which he described as showing them 'in their retreat'

The widow of John McAfee, Janice, pictured, said Friday that her husband was not suicidal when she last spoke to him hours before he was found dead

McAfee, the pioneer creator of popular computer antivirus software, died on Wednesday behind bars in a Spanish prison at the age of 75.

He was found dead in his cell in Brians 2 Prison in Barcelona and officials said that the early investigation points to a suicide.

McAfee had tweeted on October 15, 2020: 'I am content in here. I have friends. The food is good. All is well. Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine.'

Jeffrey Epstein, who had been charged with sexually abusing dozens of young girls in the early 2000s, died in 2019 - sparking a number of conspiracy theories and hashtags alleging 'Epstein didn't kill himself.'

Reports of McAfee's death came hours after Spain's National Court approved his extradition to the US to answer tax-related criminal charges which may have carried a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

On Friday the 75-year-old's widow Janice released a statement claiming McAfee was not suicidal, and blamed the US government for his death.

'I blame the US authorities for this tragedy. Because of these politically motivated charges against him. My husband is now dead,' she said in a statement.

'His last words to me were: I love you and I will call you in the evening.

'He would have never quit this way, he would never take his life in this way, ever.'
Boris Johnson will this week face down Angela Merkel in a bid to save summer holidays, as the German Chancellor stands accused of trying to punish the UK.

Germany has been pushing to impose a European Union-wide quarantine on British tourists, including those who have been double-jabbed, arguing it would protect the bloc against Covid variants.

Government sources told The Mail on Sunday they fear British tourists are being unfairly punished by the EU because of the UK's advanced ability to identify new mutations of the virus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will this week face down Angela Merkel in a bid to save summer holidays, as the German Chancellor stands accused of trying to punish the UK

The 'genomic sequencing' capability in Britain is recognised as world-leading, which means it is better at spotting new variants.

Sources stressed that other countries also have variants of concern, but are not as good as identifying them.

On Friday, the Prime Minister will meet Ms Merkel at Chequers and will use the meeting to try to persuade her to back down.

Her visit will be one of her last visits abroad before stepping down as German leader.

The meeting between Mr Johnson and Ms Merkel will focus on the pandemic, as well as post-Brexit relations.

Tomorrow, Germany, with the support of France, will propose an EU-wide 14-day quarantine policy for visitors from what it considers countries of concern for Covid variants, including the UK.

Mr Johnson faces mounting internal pressure to speed up quarantine-free travel for people who are double-jabbed

The move threatens to derail holidays for millions of Britons, who have rushed to book trips to Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca, Malta (pictured) and Madeira after the UK Government put them on its green list of places not requiring quarantine on return

Covid hotel guards 'sex pests' Women staying in Covid quarantine hotels claim to have been sexually harassed by security guards paid to monitor them. One alleged victim claimed that a guard mimed having sex and that others asked for a hug, a date or made lewd comments. Travellers returning from 'red list' countries have to quarantine for ten days in a hotel room and can only leave for daily exercise when accompanied by a guard. Harriet Wistrich, from the Centre for Women's Justice, said: 'Essentially, these women are in detention. The state is responsible for their safety.' The Government has contracted the security firm G4S to provide guards to Covid hotels. The claims were made to the BBC by four women. G4S said: 'Should we be made aware of any wrongdoing, robust procedures are in place to ensure the employee is removed from the site while an investigation is carried out.' Advertisement

The move threatens to derail holidays for millions of Britons, who have rushed to book trips to Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca, Malta and Madeira after the UK Government put them on its green list of places not requiring quarantine on return.

French President Emmanuel Macron has echoed the German Chancellor's comments, saying the EU should be 'taking co-ordinated decisions in terms of opening of borders to third countries'.

This has provoked a furious row within the bloc, with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling on France and Germany to speed up its vaccination programme instead.

Spain, Cyprus, Malta and Portugal are also expected to resist the plans.

Grant Shapps last week blamed the EU's slow vaccination rate for the calls to ban British tourists. The Transport Secretary said it 'may be just a question of waiting for their vaccination programme'.

Huw Merriman, chairman of the Commons transport committee, said it would be 'madness' for the EU nations to impose mandatory quarantine for all British tourists considering how much they contribute to their hosts' economies.

Mr Johnson faces mounting internal pressure to speed up quarantine-free travel for people who are double-jabbed.

Last week, Mr Shapps said people who have had two jabs will be free from having to self-isolate on return from amber list nations 'later in the summer'.

Details will be set out in July. But sources said the move may apply from next month if efforts to speed up the rollout of jabs succeed.
Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon wore a diamond necklace worth nearly 50,000 as she was quizzed by MPs about the 'obscene' salaries the broadcaster paid its senior staff.

Ms Mahon, who earns 991,000 as chief executive, donned the jewellery for her appearance before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee last week.

The extravagant creation consisted of two pieces from jeweller Jessica McCormack's Ball N Chain range  a 19,250 necklace and a diamond pendant believed to cost just over 28,000.

The parliamentary session put Channel 4's finances under scrutiny, including Ms Mahon's pay  which rose by 50,000 last year despite the pandemic and a 150 million cut to the programming budget.

Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon wore a diamond necklace worth nearly 50,000 (above) as she was quizzed by MPs about the 'obscene' salaries the broadcaster paid its senior staff. Ms Mahon, who earns 991,000 as chief executive, donned the jewellery for her appearance before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee last week

Ms Mahon, 47, wore the designer bauble again the next day (above) when she addressed staff to discuss Channel 4's planned privatisation by the Government, which may mean job losses

Programme director Ian Katz also had a pay increase, to 536,000. At the hearing, SNP MP John Nicolson said: 'These salary levels, I think to most people, seem obscene. They are absurdly large.

'I sometimes think listening to TV executives at these hearings that they live in a parallel universe.

'Just think of what some of your employees must think when they hear about your salary levels and how demotivating it must be for them.'

Ms Mahon, 47, wore the designer bauble again the next day when she addressed staff to discuss Channel 4's planned privatisation by the Government, which may mean job losses.

One worker commented: 'She's wearing the equivalent of someone's job round her neck.'

Ms Mahon, a mother of four, and husband Richard Barker divide their time between two homes  a 1.9 million house in London and a country retreat in the Cotswolds.

She has also just taken up a part-time role as a non-executive board member at fashion house Chanel but for her appearance before MPs she wore a 1,750 wool jacket from rival Gucci.

Ms Mahon didn't declare the job, which is thought to earn her tens of thousands of pounds a year, at the committee.

Ms Mahon's Channel 4 salary is more than double the 475,000 Tim Davie (pictured) is paid as director-general of the BBC, which has 19,500 employees compared to C4's 900

Critics will wonder how she can juggle her new appointment with her work at Channel 4.

Last year, the broadcaster announced a 20 per cent pay cut for executives, with their bonuses axed, but just four months later it quietly restored remuneration and bonuses back to full levels.

Ms Mahon declined to comment on her necklace, but friends say that 'she loves fashion'.

Her Channel 4 salary is more than double the 475,000 Tim Davie is paid as director-general of the BBC, which has 19,500 employees compared to C4's 900.

Ms Mahon's decision to appear at the hearing from Leeds is also believed to have antagonised staff since neither she nor Mr Katz will not be based at the new satellite HQ in the city.
E-scooter casualties in London soared by more than 570 per cent in just a year  but the true increase is likely to be far higher.

Figures show the number of riders injured in collisions in the capital leapt from 27 in 2019 to 181 between January and November 2020.

The number of pedestrians hurt by e-scooters doubled over the same period, from 13 to 26, according to data released under Freedom of Information legislation.

In an email to crash victims passed to The Mail on Sunday by a pedestrian hit by an e-scooter, a Metropolitan Police officer admitted: 'We know collisions are increasing, but they are still incredibly under-reported.'

Figures show the number of riders injured in collisions in the capital leapt from 27 in 2019 to 181 between January and November 2020 (file photo)

Legalise them, says Halfords Legalise them, says Halfords The car and bike specialist Halfords has launched a petition to have privately owned e-scooters allowed on public roads. The retailer, which has more than 450 UK stores, sells the scooters, with prices ranging from 90 up to 990. The petition says: 'Join us in calling for an end to the road ban on privately owned electric scooters.' Posters have gone up in shops urging customers to sign. Privately owned e-scooters are banned on public roads and footpaths, but trials are taking place in more than 40 areas across the UK. The petition adds: 'Any new regulations should deliver safer roads and ensure that electric scooter road-users behave responsibly and with due care and attention.' A Halfords spokesman said: 'E-scooters are permitted on roads in many European countries and in other parts of the world. We believe e-scooters can make a significant contribution to reducing congestion and making urban travel greener.' Advertisement

The force has recently cracked down on illegal e-scooter use in the capital, seizing more than 500 last week. Despite that, the sharp rise in collisions will put London Mayor Sadiq Khan under pressure after he gave the green light to a year-long e-scooter rental trial in six of the capital's boroughs.

It comes as charities warn that e-scooters are endangering the lives of blind people, even forcing them to re-train their guide dogs.

Sarah Gayton, street access campaign co-ordinator at the National Federation of the Blind, said: 'The mounting deaths, serious head injuries, broken bones and lives devastated or changed forever has to be a wake-up call to the very politicians who allowed the trials to start. When there are so many other mobility options available in cities and towns, why would you put your life at risk by jumping on an e-scooter?'

More than 70 per cent of the public have reported seeing an e-scooter being driven illegally on a pavement, according to a survey of over 2,000 people by the charity Guide Dogs. A spokesman said: 'Fast-moving and silent vehicles such as e-scooters are always much more difficult for blind and partially sighted people to detect and thus it becomes very difficult for the dog's training to be reinforced.'

Vaughan Rees, 79, who lost his sight 40 years ago in a car accident, was nearly knocked over by an e-scooter outside his local Tesco store in Warwickshire. 'The incident has made me feel frightened and shaken up,' he said. 'Because the scooters are silent it gives me the added disadvantage of being oblivious to them. I have to heavily rely on my hearing, which is not good.'

Zoe Courtney, of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said: 'E-scooters are fast-moving, difficult to detect and are often ridden on the pavement, despite this being illegal.

'We want to see the rules on not using e-scooters on pavements enforced, adequate off-pavement parking provided, and the appropriate street infrastructure in place to keep pedestrians safe.'
A driver remains on the run and a female passenger has been charged with murder after a police officer was allegedly run down by a stolen car.

Senior Constable David Masters, 53, died on the scene when he was hit by a white Hyundai Kona SUV while trying to deploy a tyre-deflating device on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane, at 3am on Saturday.

The vehicle was later set alight and its burnt-out remains discovered 25km away in Moodlu.

Police arrested a 24-year-old woman at a home in Upper Caboolture, in the Moreton Bay Region, on Sunday.

A driver remains on the run while a female passenger has been charged with murder after a police officer was allegedly struck down by a stolen car (pictured, senior constable David Masters, 53, died on the scene when he was struck by the white Hyundai Kona SUV

Senior Constable David Masters, 53, died on the scene when he was hit by a white Hyundai Kona SUV while trying to deploy a tyre-deflating device on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane at 3am on Saturday

Queensland Police Officers are seen comforting each other at the scene where 53-year-old Senior Constable David Masters was killed on the Bruce Highway at Burpengary in Brisbane, Saturday

They allege the woman was a passenger in the car and charged her with murder, arson, and unlawful use of a vehicle.

She was refused bail and will face Caboolture Magistrates Court on Monday.

The woman was arrested after police surrounded a home in Moodlu, near where the burned-out car was found.

Queensland Commissioner Katarina Carroll delivered an ominous message to the runaway driver, who is yet to be found after fleeing the scene.

'Our message is you come to us, because we will be coming to you very shortly,' Commissioner Carroll said.

'It is with a very heavy heart we confirm the loss of a senior constable who was working hard to protect his community.

'My sincerest condolences go out to the officer's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.'

'My sincerest condolences go out to the officer's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time,' Queensland Commissioner Katarina Carroll said following the incident

Senior Constable Masters was a well loved member of the police force having joined in 2011

A woman is seen leaving flowers outside the Deception Bay Police Station following the tragedy

Police are appealing for witnesses - especially anyone with dashcam footage - to the incident.

The registration of the vehicle involved with the tragedy is 803ZLA.

Queensland Police Forensic Crash Unit and Ethical Standards Command immediately began investigating the horrific incident.

'This is devastating news for our police family and we are offering support to all officers and staff,' Commissioner Carroll said.

'Sadly, this incident demonstrates the dangers our officers face when working to keep our community safe each and every day.

Masters had been trying to pull the car over around 3am on Saturday on the Bruce Highway, near Deception Bay north of Brisbane

One man delivers flowers to the police station in honour of Mr Masters who died on Saturday morning

A police officer is hugged by friends outside the Deception Bay Police Station on Saturday

'I spoke to his colleagues and spent some time with them at Deception Bay and they had nothing but wonderful words for Dave  hard-working, capable, a beacon at the station, much loved by everyone at the station and across the community.'

The incident closed the Bruce Highway for close to eight hours on Saturday morning.

Mr Masters leaves behind his wife Sharon and their son Jack, and had joined the force in 2011.

Queensland Police Union General Secretary Mick Barnes struggled to fight off tears as he spoke about his friend.

'It's one thing to turn up to these scenes in the hours of darkness but when you realise that it's one of your friends  David lived for the job and he was dedicated and loved the outdoors, loved these horses  hence he was in the mounted unit,' he said.

Investigations are continuing.

Officers were seen comforting each other at the scene of this morning's fatal incident on the Bruce Highway where Senior Constable David Masters was struck and killed by a driver who remains on the run
Priti Patel has demanded that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick do more to stop pro-Palestine protest convoys travelling to London.

Since mid-May, large numbers of cars have repeatedly driven into the capital from as far afield as Bradford and Sheffield to join demonstrations against Israel, with some occupants shouting antisemitic abuse from megaphones.

Police can stop or restrict protests if officers can show there is a threat of people being intimidated or a risk of serious disorder or criminal damage.

Priti Patel has demanded that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick do more to stop pro-Palestine protest convoys travelling to London

The Home Secretary is understood to have repeatedly asked Ms Dick (pictured) to halt the protests

The Home Secretary is understood to have repeatedly asked Ms Dick to halt the protests.

Boris Johnson described antisemitic taunts made during the first protest on May 16 as 'shameful racism'.

Opponents of the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures, environmentalists, supporters of Palestine, and anti-government demonstrators stage a protest in London on Saturday

Tennis balls thrown by protesters are seen at the yard of the prime ministry building during a protest by opponents of the new type of coronavirus measures, environmentalists, supporters of Palestine, and anti-government demonstrators in London yesterday

An insider said: 'The Home Secretary is not happy with the Commissioner on this issue and has repeatedly made her view clear that more should have been done to stop the convoys.'

A source close to the Home Secretary said: 'These antisemitic incidents were designed to intimidate Jewish people. Clearly Priti was concerned about the impact.'

Scotland Yard declined to comment, but a source said the response to the convoys had been 'robust'.
Victoria has recorded zero new cases of Covid-19 despite fears Sydney's outbreak could spill over the border.

But hundreds are in isolation after passengers and crew members on two flights, in and out of Melbourne, were exposed to the virus.

The fresh figures were released on Sunday morning after three people linked to the Sydney outbreak tested positive earlier this week.

On Thursday, man in his 60s from Oakleigh tested positive after returning from a weekend trip to the Harbour City, and his co-worker at Sandringham Dry Cleaners has also tested positive.

Victoria recorded just one new case on Saturday, which was linked to the outbreak at a Southbank apartment complex which has been in lockdown for almost a fortnight.

Pictured: Healthcare workers at a pop up Covid-19 testing facility outside of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art complex in Melbourne on June 16

A Virgin flight attendant (not pictured) tested positive for the virus on Saturday night after potentially being infectious on five flights through Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne

The infections sparked fear into the hearts of residents who were terrified their government would plunge them into a fifth lockdown - the last of which ended only two ago, and was prompted by two cases.

Restrictions including travel limits and and mask wearing were still in place last week, but state authorities relaxed the rules over the weekend as the new infections were identified and isolated.

Travel limits were dropped, schools resumed face-to-face contact, and locals can now invite 15 people over to their homes, but masks are still mandatory inside public venues.

Meanwhile, health authorities in Sydney are scrambling to contact passengers on five flights after a Virgin Australia crew member tested positive to Covid.

Pictured: People walking along a busy Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne on June 24, as new infections arrived in the city from Sydney

The five flights on Friday and Saturday took passengers either to or from Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast.

'The crew member is now in isolation, and Virgin Australia is rapidly contacting all team members who are close contacts,' the airline said in a late-night statement on Saturday.

'Virgin Australia is requiring those crew members to cease flying, get tested and isolate. All passengers on flights the crew member operated will be contacted by health authorities and advised on the correct protocol.'

The worrying news comes as Greater Sydney and surrounding areas were plunged into a 14-day lockdown due to the latest Covid outbreak - originating in the city's east - that is threatening to spiral out of control.

A further 52 venues were added to the exposure list on Saturday night as the city comes to grips with its most dangerous coronavirus period to date, with 80 cases already.

Pictured: People exercise in Melbourne on June 2. Victoria recorded zero infections on Sunday morning

Stay-at-home orders will apply to all of Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong areas from 6pm on Saturday and will be in place until midnight on Friday July 9.

Town Hall train station is among 26 new Covid hotspots identified across Sydney in a late night alert from NSW Health, including upmarket restaurants and take-aways, just hours after more than 6million people went into two-week lockdown.

Locals are only allowed to leave their houses for four reasons, which include for school or work if unable to do so from home, medical reasons including to get the vaccine and to give care, for essential shopping and to exercise outside in groups of no more than ten.

'There is no curfew. You can leave your home at any stage to purchase any essential goods that you need to and that is a given. Be thoughtful and considerate about fellow citizens and no need to panic buy,' Ms Berejiklian said on Saturday during a media briefing.

'I said that this the scariest time since the pandemic started and that's proven to be the case.'

The city's new light rail system was running at extremely limited capacity, with public transport virtually non-existent throughout the city

Regional NSW will follow restrictions that were previously placed on Sydney which include having only five visitors at a house, wearing masks indoors, hospitality venues reduced to one person per square metre and outdoor venues reduced to 50 per cent capacity.

'So for those parts of New South Wales that aren't in lockdown, restrictions still apply because we want to make sure that if there have been any occasions where people unknowingly have taken the virus outside into the regions, that we don't have any spread in those regions,' Ms Berejiklian said.

Weddings will be able to go ahead over the weekend but will be banned from Monday.

Funerals can continue with a maximum of 100 guests and masks indoors while community sport will also be shut down over the next fortnight.

Shops will remain open and financial assistance will be available.
A powerful new aide to Sir Keir Starmer has been accused by Ministers of being a 'sleeper agent' who used her Government contracts to gain access to sensitive information about the Tories.

They fear polling expert Deborah Mattinson, who worked for Whitehall before being appointed last month as the Labour leader's director of strategy, will be able to pass on inside knowledge to Sir Keir's team.

One Tory Minister said last night: 'Mattinson's lot have been involved in road-testing all sorts of policies, so she is in a good position to know exactly what we are up to.

'Her company gets a lot of work because they tender low on costs but it has effectively made her a sleeper agent for Starmer.'

A powerful new aide to Sir Keir Starmer has been accused by Ministers of being a 'sleeper agent' who used her Government contracts to gain access to sensitive information about the Tories. Pictured: Deborah Mattinson

The high-powered pollster was one of the first 'new signings' by Sir Keir following Labour's catastrophic defeat in the by-election in Hartlepool where the Tories stormed to victory.

A former strategist for Labour, she advised past leaders including Tony Blair, John Smith and Neil Kinnock before becoming chief pollster to Gordon Brown.

Following Labour's disastrous 2019 General Election result, she wrote an analysis of how the party lost its Northern and Midlands heartlands, entitled Beyond the Red Wall: Why Labour Lost, How the Conservatives Won and What Will Happen Next.

In 2010, she co-founded the Britain Thinks consultancy but is due to leave to take up her new role.

They fear polling expert Deborah Mattinson, who worked for Whitehall before being appointed last month as the Labour leader's director of strategy, will be able to pass on inside knowledge to Sir Keir's team

Labour insiders hope Ms Mattinson's appointment will shore up Sir Keir's beleaguered leadership which faces another Red Wall test this week in West Yorkshire's Batley and Spen by-election, which the Tories are expected to win.

One said last night: 'We do desperately need her expertise.

'But we need the Leader's office to get a grip and start turning the tide against Boris Johnson.'

Labour MPs have been privately scathing of the performance of Sir Keir's inner team, focusing on key aide Baroness (Jenny) Chapman who was blamed for picking a Remain supporter to be the party's candidate in strongly Leave-voting Hartlepool.

His office has also faced fury for allowing Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin to stand for the West Yorkshire mayoralty, precipitating a by-election in the Labour marginal when she was elected as mayor last month.

Last week, Sir Keir axed Lady Chapman as political secretary and moved her to be a Brexit spokesperson in the Lords.

He also moved his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney to a new 'strategic role' overseeing preparations for the next general election.

Labour dismissed the 'sleeper agent' claims, with a source saying 'this is absolute nonsense from the Tories' who should spend 'less time worrying about who Labour employs' and more time dealing with the scandal over former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who was shown to have broken his own social-distancing rules.

When her new Labour post was announced last month, Ms Mattinson said: 'I am very much looking forward to joining Keir Starmer and his team.

'The coming months will be challenging but I will be proud to play a part in helping Labour reconnect with the voters it has lost.'
A Norwegian team has developed a massive offshore wind turbine that he claims can power a town of 80,000 homes.

The Windcatcher is as big in size as it is in innovation, though: for developer Asbjrn Nes's design to work, the wind-power generator has to be longer than the 963 feet of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and taller than the Eiffel Tower, which is just about a thousand feet from base to tip.

The turbines familiar to most people are Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT), essentially massive poles with a vast rotating blade attached.

Often you'll see rows of these turbines 'seeded' in the water.

Nes and his collaborators at Wind Catching Systems AS, Arthur Kordt and Ole Heggheim, all have experience in the oil and gas industry and thought it would be more efficient to create one massive interlocking grid of turbines.

The turbines the company wants to use are nothing special, CFO Ronny Karlsen told IFLScience.

'But the innovative [part] is the design  how you put this all together into one system that is different from everything else out there currently in the market,' Karlsen said, comparing them to 'oil rigs that are [fixed] to the sea bed and stationary.'

Scroll down for video

The Windcatcher would be like a 'wall' of traditional wind turbines, able to go faster, taking up less space and avoiding any harm to wildlife. It would be taller than the Eiffel Tower or Statue of Liberty and longer than the QE2

With the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement attempting to lower greenhouse gas emissions, and limit the global temperature increase to just 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era, governments and business concerns are looking to energy production with a smaller carbon footprint.

Wind turbines definitely fit the bill, but they also come with some big drawbacks.

Offshore wind farms have high overhead costs, with specialized vessels needed to reach the behemoths at sea. Its estimated maintenance alone on a wind farm costs between $42,000 and $48,000 per year, according to UK data firm IHS Markit.

Karlsen envisions an elevator system, 'so that you can actually do all the maintenance and repairs without having these specialized offshore vessels available,' he tells IFLScience.

Instead of the specialized vehicles currently needed to reach offshore wind turbines, the Windcatcher would have an elevator and operator more like an oil rig. According to the company's research 'several small rotors close to each other... produces more power than if you have each one standing individually'

Wind turbines are also low ENERGY? producersspin the blades too fast and they start pitching over.

But because the Windcatcher's individual rotors are smaller, they can spin a lot faster, Karlsen said, 17 or 18 meters a second, compared to the standard 12 meters per second. PLEASE PUT IN FEET TOO, NOT JUST METERS

They actually generate more power exponentially THAN WHAT?, Karlsen told IFLS, because the turbulence they create 'actually increases the production.'

Tests have shown 'several small rotors close to each other, in sum, produces more power than if you have each one standing individually,' he said.

 Slide me  A slider shows how much acreage is taken up by a series of Windcatchers (right) as compared to a traditional offshore wind 'farm'

But with colossal blades that spin at speeds of more than 200mph, they pose a serious danger to wildlife, killing hundreds of thousands of birds and bats every year.

In the US alone, the blades are responsible for between 140,000 and 500,000 deaths alone, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. LINK

Even out at sea, birds of prey are attracted to the massive structures.

It's believed they dislike crossing large expanses of open water and feel safe having a place to land during windy conditions.

HOW DO WIND TURBINES WORK? Wind turbines harness the power of the wind to turn propeller-like blades around a rotor connected to a main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity. It's the opposite of a fan, which sucks up electricity to turn blades and create wind. Horizontal-axis turbines typically have three blades and pivot to face the wind Wind turbines can be installed on land or in lakes or oceans. Larger and more powerful, offshore turbines are often clustered in large groups known as wind farms. There are two main kinds of wind turbines, according to the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The more familiar horizontal-axis turbines usually have three blades and operate 'upwind,' with the turbine pivoting at the top so the blades can face the wind. The more familiar horizontal-axis turbines usually have three blades and operate 'upwind,' with the turbine pivoting at the top so the blades can face the wind. Vertical-axis wind turbines come in different varieties, including the eggbeater-style Darrieus model, and are omnidirectionalthey don't need to be adjusted to point into the wind. Advertisement

The Windcatcher's blades would be black, not the industry-standard white, to make them more visible.

Wind Catching Systems is also looking into the kind of airguns deployed at airports to keep birds at bay, Karlsen said.

But it's also betting that even the dumbest bird wouldn't fly into a metal monstrosity 1,000 feet tall.

'What we've been told  and it needs to be verified  is that since this is almost like a wall of turbines, a bird wouldn't  fly straight through it. It would be very visible,' he said.

'One of the problems you have with  conventional rotors is that it seems like they're spinning around slowly, but they're not. They're spinning around really fast, so the bird thinks, "oh I can fly through here, I see nothing"  and then suddenly a blade comes around.'

'We hope that this thing is more visible to birds, and they'd think twice before flying through it,' he added. 'We're looking at all options, and if anyone has good suggestions, we're always willing to talk.'

Wind Catching Systems is still in the development stage.

It's received support from Innovation Norway and, in 2020, Ferd and North Energy came in as the company's first external investors.

Right now Nes, Kordt and Heggheim are working with engineers at the Polytechnic University of Milan on a proof of concept.

They expect to finish in the fall, which could mean a Windcatcher in production as early as next year and in the ocean by 2023 or 2024.

The Norwegian trio aren't the only ones trying to reconceive the wind turbine: in 2018, Dutch power company TenneT proposed an artificial island in the North Sea surrounded by offshore wind turbines that would supply renewable energy to up to 80 million Europeans.

The 2.3 square mile landmass, which would include an airstrip, staff housing, green spaces and even an artificial lake, could be up and running as early as 2027.

Dogger Bank, off the coast of East Yorkshire, England, was identified as a potential site for the $4 billion project.

And Vortex, a Spanish company, is developing a wind turbine that doesn't require blades at all to generate energy.

The Vortex uses the movement caused by air hitting its 10-foot pylon to generate power.

The design takes advantage of 'vortex shedding,' the aerodynamic phenomenon that occurs when air hits a solid object.

Two rings of repelling magnets are positioned at the base of a 10-foot pylon.

When the breeze pushes the pylon one way, one of the magnets pulls it in the other direction  providing a boost, even when wind speeds are low.

The device buffets back and forth, like a wacky waving inflatable tube 'guy' outside a car dealership.

Unlike a traditional wind turbine, the Vortex has no gears, brakes, bearings, or shafts. It uses repelling magnets to buffer a pylon back and forth, generating energy

Those movements are transformed into electricity using an alternator that increases their frequency.

In addition to being quieter and much smaller, it could save some of the 500,000 birds killed by traditional turbines every year.

Right now, the device can only generate a small amount of energy, but developers hope to scale up and provide energy for dozens of homes with a single device.

According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, wind power was the second largest form of renewable energy in 2018 after hydroelectric power, and it accounted for more than 5 percent of global electricity.

The leader in wind power, surprisingly, is Chinawhich has an installed capacity of 221 Gigawatts, more than a third of the 591 GW globally.

It's followed by the US and Germany, according to Economic Times.

This year, the Biden administration greenlit the first offshore wind farm in US waters, off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.
Indiana Jones might be asking, 'Why did it have to be spiders?' after reading a new report indicating its not uncommon for arachnids to kill and devour snakes.

Poring over scientific research, news reports and even social media, Martin Nyffeler, a spider expert at the University of Basel in Switzerland, and University of Georgia herpetologist J. Whitfield Gibbons found more than 300 instances of spiders smiting snakes.

According to their research, published in the Journal of Arachnology, it wasn't just large, hairy tarantulas going in for the kill: First-hand accounts encompassed more than 40 spider species, including widows, and over 90 different kinds of snakes.

'I was surprised that so many different spider groups are capable of killing and eating snakes,' Nyffeler told National Geographic.

'I was surprised that so many different snake species are occasionally killed by spiders.'

Researchers have found spiders killing and eating much larger snakes in nearly every corner of the world

While reports of serpenticide came from every continent (except Antarctica), half were in North America and another 30 percent came from Australia.

And a spider family known as theridiidae, which includes the black widow, took down the most snakes.

The ones that fell prey were relatively small usually 10 inches or underbut that's still magnitudes larger than your typical inch-or-smaller arachnid.

In part that's because they weave such tough webs.

While the snakes preyed on by spiders are smaller by snake standards, usually 10 inches or under, they still tower over their arachnid foe. But the spiders, especially those in the family theridiidae, weave strong webs

Spiders digest their food by liquifying the insides of an animal's body, and 'drinking' the juices. A snake presents a super-sized meal that can last daysor even weeks

'Even though I talk all the time about how strong spider silk is, I think I was still underestimating this incredible material,' Arachnofiles editor Sebastian Echeverri told Nat Geo. 'I kind of assumed that a snake could rip their way out and get to safety. Snakes are basically all rock-hard ab muscles!'

But they slither into the arachnids' web and get stuck.

The spider can then causally deliver a venomous bite, while the snake can't really use its fangs on such a tiny opponent.

Half of all snake-on-spider attacks took place in North America. Pictured: A lined snake killed in web of black widow spider in a building in Tulsa, Oklahoma

A spider can deliver a paralyzing bite to a snake, while the snake can't really use its fangs on such a tiny opponent. Pictured: A juvenile scarlet snake trapped in the web of a brown widow (L. geometricus) in Georgia

Soon, the serpent is paralyzed and the snake goes about wrapping his meal up in silk.

Spiders digest their food by liquifying the insides of an animal's body, and 'drinking' the juices, so a snake presents a super-sized meal that can last daysor even weeks.

Out of 319 spider-vs.-snake showdowns the team counted, the spider succeeded in killing the snake 87 percent of the time.

Usually if the snake survived, it was because a human stepped in to rescue it.

In 2017, researchers in Brazil discovered a tarantula devouring a snake under a rock in Serra do Caveral, the first time the species had been seen eating a serpent in the wild

In 2017, researchers from the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil discovered a tarantula devouring a snake under a rock in Serra do Caveral, the first time the species had been seen eating a serpent in the wild.

Despite being just a fraction of the size, the Grammostola tarantula had it twisted a 15-inch Almaden ground snake into a knot and was slurping on its innards.

'Predation of such a large snake in relation to the size of the spider was extremely surprising to us,' biodiversity researcher Leandro Malta Borges told Live Science at the time.

Grammostola tarantulas had been induced to eat snakes in captivity but this was the first time the scene was observed in the wild.

Unlike black widows, tarantulas don't spin webs.

Most likely, Borges theorized, the snake slithered by the tarantula's rock or tried to use it as a den.

When the researchers discovered the scene the tarantula already liquified the snake's front and middle sections.

The spider can paralyze a snake with a bite, but a snake's fangs are impractical against such a tiny foe. Pictured: A red back spider takes down a deadly Australian brown snake

A year before, in 2016, a redback spider was filmed devouring a much larger brown snake in Victoria, Australia.

Native Down Under, the brown snake is one of the most venomous in the world, causing muscle weakness, paralysis and even death in humans.

Other witnesses in Australia have attested to seeing a daddy long-legs claim a surprise victory against a brown snake, after the serpent got caught in its web.
The Holiday Guru is always on hand to answer your questions.

This week issues tackled include the rules for travelling to America and Cunard cruise refunds.

Q. I have a holiday booked to Gibraltar in August. I have had both Covid jabs. Will I be able to hire a car and go on a day trip to Spain?

Bob Richards, via email.

A reader asks the Guru if they can take a day trip to Spain from Gibraltar (above)

A. Yes, you could go as entry restrictions/tests for UK visitors to Spain no longer apply  jabs or not. Gibraltar will also allow you to return (visit gibraltar.gi). However, because you will have visited Spain, an amber list country (Gibraltar is green), you may have to go into quarantine on return to the uk, if the Government does not introduce its proposed exemption for fully vaccinated travellers in time.

Q. In July, we are due to drive to Germany from the Hook of Holland. Will we be allowed to travel through Holland for three hours not stopping or getting out? Weve both had two jabs.

Ron Goodwin, Torbay, Devon.

A. Not unless rules change in the Netherlands, which is not allowing non-EU residents to visit for non-essential reasons. See gov.uk.

Q. We are planning to travel to America on July 2 for my brothers wedding. Is there any way we can go?

Kirsty Yates, via email.

A. Not now. The only way is to travel to a country from which the U.S. accepts tourists and stay there for 14 days before flying  a complicated procedure.

The Guru confirmed that at the moment it's not possible to travel from the UK to the U.S

Q. We paid a 5,000 deposit for a Cunard cruise around New Zealand, plus a rail journey across Australia in December, arranged as a package by Imagine Cruising. The final balance of 13,000 is required next month, but ministers in Australia say travel will not be open by then. We clearly cannot go but are being told we must pay the balance or lose our deposit. It is causing us sleepless nights. Any advice?

Gwyneth Lewis and Colin Sanders, Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

A. Events have moved on since you wrote in and Cunard has cancelled your cruise, while Imagine Cruising is allowing you to transfer the 5,000 to a similar holiday in 2023 and is not pushing for a final payment. It is good that common sense has (finally) prevailed.

WERE HERE TO HELP

If you need advice, the Holiday Guru is here to answer your questions. Email us at holidayplanner.co.uk.
The full extent of Bob Irwin's sad and reclusive life has been revealed after his granddaughter Bindi Irwin's recent explosive allegations about their relationship.

According to a friend of the 82-year-old conservationist, Bob hasn't had any contact with his extended family since 2008, when he severed ties with Australia Zoo.

The father of Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin quit his role at the wildlife park he'd founded in 1970 because he was concerned it was becoming a 'circus'.

Lonely life: The full extent of Bob Irwin's sad and reclusive life has been revealed after his granddaughter Bindi Irwin's recent explosive claims about their relationship. Pictured in 2008

Various reports from the time of Bob's exit claim he was worried the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction was becoming 'too commercial' - and even feared a then nine-year-old Bindi was being pushed into child stardom.

Despite this, Bindi claims Bob has wanted nothing to do with her since she was a child.

The wildlife warrior, 22, addressed her strained relationship with her grandfather in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday.

Losing touch: According to a friend of the 82-year-old conservationist, Bob hasn't had any contact with his extended family since around 2008. Pictured with (L-R) Bindi, Robert and Terri Irwin at the unveiling of the Irwin family statue at Australia Zoo in November 2007

Sharing a sweet post to celebrate Father's Day in the USA, Bindi said she was thankful for the 'three most incredible fathers in her life': her late father Steve, her husband Chandler Powell, and her father-in-law Chris.

When a fan asked why she hadn't included her grandfather, Bindi gave an uncharacteristically raw account of their relationship, claiming he'd ignored her since she was a 'little girl'.

'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with [my daughter] Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family,' she began.

Stepping down: The father of Steve Irwin (right) quit his role at Australia Zoo because he was concerned the wildlife park he'd founded in 1970 was becoming a commercialised 'circus'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

Walking away: Various reports from the time of Bob's exit claim he was worried the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction was becoming 'too commercial'. Pictured at a press conference outside Australia Zoo in September 2006, days after his son's death

It's not the first time Bindi has spoken out against her estranged grandfather, having claimed in 2016 that he'd cut ties with her family.

'Everyone deals with grief differently. When my dad passed away he chose to distance himself from everything that Dad loved most,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'At the moment, we're really just respecting his wishes because he hasn't had anything to do with us for a long time and he decided his own path. That's important, so good for him.'

Estranged: Bindi claims Bob has wanted nothing to do with her since she was a child. Pictured with husband Chandler Powell and daughter Grace

Explosive: Bindi, 22, addressed her strained relationship with her grandfather in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday

Despite once being the patriarch of the Irwin family, Bob was later forced to contact Bindi through the media in 2019 after failing to receive a response when he congratulated her on her engagement to American wakeboarder Chandler Powell.

Bindi married Chandler, 24, in March last year, and they welcomed daughter Grace on their first wedding anniversary. Bob Snr hasn't met his great-granddaughter.

By his own admission, Bob felt he'd become an unwelcome presence at Australia Zoo as the business grew into a major attraction aimed at American tourists.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' Bindi (pictured with daughter Grace) said of her grandfather

'It's a strange feeling to spend half your lifetime building something up and walking away from it,' he told ABC's Australian Story in April 2008.

'I was becoming a disrupting influence, not that I meant to be.'

It comes after Daily Mail Australia unearthed the financial settlement offered to Bob when he quit Australia Zoo 13 years ago.

Missing member: It's not the first time Bindi has spoken out against her estranged grandfather, having claimed in 2016 that he'd cut ties with her family. Pictured with mother Terri, brother Robert Jnr and daughter Grace

In January 2008, he received a $1million package when he departed the zoo - which he had founded as Beerwah Reptile Park in 1970 - plus a $100,000-per-year pension.

Meanwhile, with Steve's grave situated in Australia Zoo, it emerged on Tuesday that Bob has been unable to visit his late son's resting place.

In 2017, he admitted he still speaks to his late son from beyond the grave, especially 'if he's having a hard day and things aren't going all that well'.

A family of her own: Bindi married former American wakeboarder Chandler in March last year, and they welcomed daughter Grace on their first wedding anniversary

'I'll go into a meditative state and I may talk to Steve. He gives a little bit of advice here and there. I'd rather keep those things to myself,' he explained.

In an interview with Hit FM's Stav, Abby & Matt on Tuesday, Bob's friend Amanda French admitted it's been 'hard' for the grieving father.

'Steve's burial place is inside the zoo... That's hard for him, not to be able to return to his son's resting place. He hasn't been back to Australia Zoo since 2008,' she said.

Pushed out: By his own admission, Bob felt he'd become an unwelcome presence at Australia Zoo as the business grew into a major attraction aimed at American tourists. Pictured at the launch of the Bob Irwin Wildlife and Conservation Foundation in April 2012

She added that Bob always says positive things about Bindi and grandson Robert, 17, adding: 'He says they're always welcome if they ever turned up. But I think it would be hard for Bob to ring up Australia Zoo and be like - can we fix this?'

In a separate interview with Channel Seven's The Latest on Monday, Ms French said Bob has been left 'deeply upset' by Bindi's recent comments.

'Naturally Bob's quite upset about it, and to be perfectly honest we haven't told him the full extent of the comments because we're quite concerned about how he might take that,' she added.

Departure: 'It's a strange feeling to spend half your lifetime building something up and walking away from it,' he told ABC's Australian Story in April 2008. Pictured at the launch of his book, The Last Crocodile Hunter, in Sydney in October 2016

Two years after Steve's tragic death from a freak stingray attack in 2006, Bob retired to the small town of Kingaroy in Queensland.

He established another wildlife sanctuary on the property called Camp Chilli, with his second wife, Judy.

But while Australia Zoo welcomes tourists from around the world, Bob urges people to stay away from his 259-hectare bush property.

Cared for: In January 2008, he received a $1million package when he departed the zoo - which he had founded as Beerwah Reptile Park in 1970 - plus a $100,000-per-year pension. Pictured at the launch of his book, The Last Crocodile Hunter, in Sydney in October 2016

'We don't encourage people to come here,' Bob said, with reports claiming he 'rarely leaves his home' anymore and has become somewhat of a recluse.

Now officially retired, he spends his days tending to his animals and bushwalking.

He has previously said he's not a social person: he's only tried alcohol once as a teenager and admitted that travelling and attending media events 'wears him down'.

Grief: As the world mourned the beloved Crocodile Hunter, Bob admitted he found himself at a loss as to how to move on with his life without his only son by his side.

Bob also revealed his home gets no mobile phone reception, and he drinks 15 cups of Bushells tea a day.

As the world mourned the beloved Crocodile Hunter, Bob admitted he found himself at a loss as to how to move on with his life without his only son by his side.

He had essentially lost his entire immediate family, as just six years earlier his first wife, Lyn, died in a car accident in February 2000.

Seeking solitude: While Australia Zoo welcomes tourists from around the world, Bob urges people to stay away from his 259-hectare bush property. Pictured at a memorial service for Steve at Australia Zoo in September 2006

'Once we lost Steve, those were difficult times, and a lot of it all I wanted to forget, I suppose,' he told ABC's Australian Story in 2015.

'I basically buried myself in physical work, I didn't want anything to do with people.

'I had things to get sorted out in my own head and that took a long time to get those sorted out. I didn't want to be like a hermit because that wasn't doing me any good.'
They partied it up in style on Thursday night, and for a mighty good cause.

Lea Michele and Drew Barrymore led the stylish stars in attendance at alice + olivia's charity Prom event benefiting the Ali Forney Center, in Water Mill, New York.

The Hamptons event, timed for Pride Month, brought together an eclectic mix of stars all outfitted in a+o's colorful attire in support of AFC, the largest LGBTQ+ community center and charity in the country geared toward helping queer and trans homeless youth. Volkswagen was the title sponsor of the event.

Beauty in blue: Lea Michele led the stylish stars in attendance at alice + olivia's charity Prom event on Thursday, benefiting the Ali Forney Center, in Water Mill, New York

Glee star Michele, 34, stunned in an electric blue halter gown that hugged her curves.

She added cantaloupe-colored heeled slides.

It was one of the embattled actress's first public event outings since the end of lockdown, and since the birth of her infant son Ever last year.

Drew, 46, looked lovely in a floral pleated skirt that power-clashed with her red-patterned blouse, worn under a large magenta blazer.

The one and only: Also there was Drew Barrymore, in support of the LGBTQ+ community center and charity in the country geared toward helping queer and trans homeless youth

Stunner: Glee star Michele, 34, stunned in an electric blue halter gown that hugged her curves

The Firestarter star accented her shirt with a red necktie, and she wore brown suede boots.

Barrymore posed for pictures with other guests in attendance at the event, like alice + olivia CEO and creative director Stacey Bendet, along with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Cuba, 53, looked stately in a bright grey sharkskin suit, worn over a black vest and white dress shirt.

Barrymore posed for pictures with other guests in attendance at the event: alice + olivia CEO and creative director Stacey Bendet, along with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Lea, meanwhile, stopped to take a selfie and pose with Bachelorette star Tayshia Adams, who wowed in a bright green spaghetti strap gown.

The TV personality also had on showstopping footwear, in the form of lace-up pink strappy sandals.

Tayshia carried a multicolored clutch purse, and modeled a fair share of bling as well.

Fab twosome: Lea stopped to take a selfie and pose with Bachelorette star Tayshia Adams

Lovely: Tayshia wowed in a bright green spaghetti strap gown

Stepping out in style: The TV personality also had on showstopping footwear, in the form of lace-up pink strappy sandals

Hands up: Cuba, 53, looked stately in a bright grey sharkskin suit, worn over a black vest and white dress shirt

AnnaLynne McCord was also at the event, brightening up the night in a strapless white pantsuit.

She posed in front of the colorful floral step and repeat, as well as a rainbow-striped wall on a bright orange bicycle.

Real Housewives of New York stars Eboni K. Williams and Barbara Kavovit brought their style A game, posing together as well as on their own for photos.

Statuesque: AnnaLynne McCord was also at the event, brightening up the night in a strapless white pantsuit

Having fun: She posed in front of the colorful floral step and repeat, as well as a rainbow-striped wall on a bright orange bicycle

Eboni was splendid in a beautiful orange mumu dress, while Barbara was chic in a black top and sparkly pinstripe pants.

Rounding out the guest list were America's Next Top Model's Kim Stolz, as well as producer Claudine De Niro.

Kim donned a simple white shirt dress, while Claudine stood out in a bright green floor-length evening gown.

Reality gal pals: Real Housewives of New York stars Eboni K. Williams and Barbara Kavovit brought their style A game, posing together as well as on their own for photos

Contrasting styles: Eboni (left) was splendid in a beautiful orange mumu dress, while Barbara was chic in a black top and sparkly pinstripe pants

Rounding out the guest list: America's Next Top Model star Kim Stolz, in a white shirt dress...
Teresa Palmer has posted a sweet selfie on her Instagram with her son, Forest Sage, as she prepares to leave hotel quarantine in the coming days to head to Adelaide.

The 35-year-old pregnant Australian actress is set to give birth to her fourth child in August with husband, American actor and director Mark Webber, and their family by her side.

Teresa's photo, shared on Friday, shows Forest Sage kissing her cheek and putting up two peace signs - signifying how many days the family has left in quarantine.

On the home stretch!: Teresa Palmer, 35 (pictured) shared a sweet selfie with her son in hotel quarantine as she prepares to head home to Adelaide to give birth to her fourth child in August

'4 days left of hotel quarantine!!! These kids have been total troopers,' Teresa wrote. 'We are coming for ya Radelaide!'

Fans of Teresa also chimed in and shared their love for the post and concerns regarding quarantine.

American YouTuber Anna Saccone said, 'Omg that must be so tough!!'

'We are coming for ya Radelaide!' As her family counts down the days until they can leave for Teresa's home state, her fans chimed in and shared their love for the post and concerns regarding quarantine

One user, who went through hotel quarantine previously, remarked, 'I found the next two days the hardest. But I was without my husband. Good luck.'

'Ohhhh I hope it all goes swell with getting out of Sydney & back into Adelaide with the current restrictions,' said another follower.

One fan commented to Teresa, 'you are glowing.'

Making the most of her time: Like many celebrities stuck in hotel quarantine, Teresa has been documenting her day-to-day life in a series of posts

Like many celebrities currently stuck in hotel quarantine, Teresa has been documenting her day-to-day life in a series of videos and posts.

The actress arrived in Sydney with her family in mid June after a long-haul flight from the US, before they were whisked away into quarantine.

Teresa is currently more than 30 weeks pregnant and shares three children with her husband Mark - sons Bodhi Rain, seven, Forest Sage, four, and daughter Poet Lake, one.

Mark is also father to older son Isaac Love, 13, who he shares with ex Frankie Shaw.
Diplo's ex, Shelly Auguste, has filed a lawsuit against the DJ, which accuses him of sexual battery, assault, defamation and fraud.

In new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Auguste claims the 42-year-old performer first contacted her on Twitter when she was just 17 and 'solicited nude photos of her.'

They went on to exchange 'explicit' images 'before meeting in person for the first time in 2018, when she was 21.'

Legal battle: Diplo's ex, Shelly Auguste, has filed a lawsuit against the DJ for allegedly failing to inform her that he had an STI before they were intimate and pursing her as a minor; pictured 2021

She went on to state that after she moved to Los Angeles 'Diplo really began pressuring her for sex by sending unsolicited graphic photos of himself in sexual situations.'

The court documents also alleged that after Auguste confronted Diplo about the rumors he had herpes, he 'cut off all communication' with her.

But after they reconciled, a year later, in 2019, she claims 'she gave in to the pressure and lost her virginity to Diplo.'

Speaking up: In new legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Auguste claims the 42-year-old performer first contacted her on Twitter when she was just 17 and 'solicited nude photos of her'

She also alleges he 'recorded video of their sexual encounter despite her telling him she didn't want that' and tried to 'coax her into a threesome with a girl she believes was underaged at the time.'

After Auguste declined the threesome, she says he 'forced himself on her as she tried to fight him off.'

Not long after, she says she 'was diagnosed with chlamydia' and 'believes she got it from Diplo because she says he was her only sexual partner at the time.'

Shocking claims: They went on to exchange 'explicit' images 'before meeting in person for the first time in 2018, when she was 21'

Diplo's attorney, Bryan Freedman, denied all allegations to TMZ.

'As has already been made clear in the restraining order we obtained against this individual, she has repeatedly stalked, defamed, threatened and attempted to shake down [Diplo] and his family,' Freedman told the outlet.

Freedman continued: 'These latest false claims are just part of that ongoing campaign of harassment, and we will not allow them to deter us from pursuing justice against her to the fullest extent possible under the law.'

Firing back: Diplo's attorney, Bryan Freedman, denied all allegations to TMZ; seen in 2020

In December, Diplo requested a judge sign a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Auguste, citing incessant harassment of him and his family, TMZ reported.

Diplo also claims his accuser has been publishing nude images of him across social media, in addition to sending them some of his ex-lovers, including the mother of his children, Kathryn Lockhart.

The move came just over three weeks after his accuser, identified as 'Shelly', alleged that Diplo - real name Thomas Wesley Pentz - had 'groomed' her and filmed her engaging in sexual activity without her permission.

New legal documents: Auguste also alleges he 'recorded video of their sexual encounter despite her telling him she didn't want that' and tried to 'coax her into a threesome with a girl she believes was underaged at the time'

The woman first published the accusations on Twitter in October. Shortly afterwards, a nude image of her appeared on the site that was published by a user she believes was acting on behalf of the DJ in an attempt to 'humiliate' and silence her.

Shelly successfully obtained a restraining order to stop the artist from distributing any more 'revenge porn'. A judge also instructed Diplo to identify anyone he may have sent the images to and to get 'express written permission' from his accuser to further distribute any images.

Through his attorney, Diplo denied the allegations to DailyMail.com at the time, before hitting back with his own filing.

The thread Shelly posted about Diplo on October 26 is shown in full above

In his filing, Diplo claimed he and Shelly first met in 2018, when they immediately began exchanging nude photos and videos with each other, which he said he expected to remain private.

The artist also conceded in the filing that he and the woman had sex on a number of different occasions.

However, at some point in 2020, Diplo said his relations with Shelly soured, which is when he claims she began distributing explicit images of both him, and them both together, without his permission.

At odds: Diplo claims Shelly has been routinely harassing and stalking him, and asked a judge to approve the restraining order to prevent her from allegedly leaking any further compromising footage of him

The performer also claimed Shelly began circulating videos of him with other women that Diplo claims he'd sent to her.

Diplo says the apparent images in question were posted to her personal Instagram, before he claimed she allegedly then began sending erotic videos and photos to his former partners.

He also claims Shelly has been routinely harassing and stalking him, and asked a judge to approve the restraining order to prevent her from allegedly leaking any further compromising footage of him.

Diplo said his relations with Shelly soured when she allegedly began distributing explicit images of both him, and them both together, without his permission; seen in 2021

The DJ's attorney, Bryan Freedman, told DailyMail.com: 'Unfortunately, in spite of repeated requests to stop, this individual has continued to stalk and harass my client and his family for more than a year.

'As a result, we have asked the Court to grant a restraining order against her and to continue this case so that this troubling situation can be resolved once and for all,' he continued.

The allegations made by Diplo strongly resemble those made by Shelly in her filing.

Shocking allegations: In her Twitter thread on October 26, Shelly alleged that Diplo took explicit footage of her without her consent, writing: 'I SPECIFICALLY asked him not too & his reply was 'f*** it. I'm recording this' (pictured in 2020)

Attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents his accuser, told The Daily Beast: 'We are pleased to announce that by an order dated November 16, 2020, the Court ordered our requests 'all granted' and the restraining order issued.'

Shelly's attorney Lisa Bloom (pictured) said she has spoken to three other women with similar allegations against Diplo

In response to the nude image of Shelly that was reportedly posted to Twitter, Bloom said: 'The only person that had that picture other than her was [Diplo],' adding that they think the photo came from a 'front account and a fake account' operated by Diplo or someone acting under his direction.

The attorney also claimed that she has spoken to three other women with similar allegations against Diplo.

Shelly had previously accused Diplo of 'preying' on her after the two first made contact when she was 17-years-old and he was 36.

Court papers state: 'Respondent messaged me on Twitter. I was shocked and excited because Respondent is a well-known DJ, record producer, and songwriter.

'After communicating via Twitter, we exchanged phone numbers and Snapchat usernames. I was 17 years old when we met and Respondent was 36 years old.'

They did not meet until March of 2018 but 'regularly exchanged sexually explicit photos, videos, and messages', according to the filing. They are said to have had sex for the first time time April 2019.

In his filing, Diplo claims he and Shelly first met in 2018, and began exchanging nude photos and videos with each other, which he said he expected to remain confidential.

In her original filing, the woman adds: 'I was caught off guard and shocked when Respondent sent me unsolicited videos of him engaging in sex with other females in or about October of 2018.

'I sternly told Respondent that I did not want him to ever record us engaging in sexual activities.'

After claiming to have been contacted by a private investigator hired by the DJ the woman says she felt 'threatened and intimidated'.

In her Twitter thread on October 26, Shelly alleged that Diplo took explicit footage of her without her consent, writing: 'I SPECIFICALLY asked him not too & his reply was 'f*** it. I'm recording this.''

She also claimed he hired a private investigator to contact her after they got in an argument - saying that he wanted to 'scare' her so she wouldn't share the 'disgusting details' she knew about him.

'The private investigator stated to me that he knew my address, he knew my parents address, he knew my place of work as well as my parents place to work,' she tweeted.

Diplo also claims Shelly has been routinely harassing and stalking him, and is asking a judge to approve the restraining order to prevent her from allegedly leaking any further compromising footage of him

'Take that as you may but most people will take that as a threat.'

In another tweet Shelly wrote: 'I never had the will or intention to expose Diplo being that I did not want all the years I invested into speaking & hanging out with him to go in vain.or end nasty.

'But I slowly started to realize he is a huge manipulating liar / gaslighter who PREYS young women of ALL races (to be honest) but primarily young naive women of color.'

Talk about it: Shelly's Twitter thread alleged misconduct by Diplo came as he was hit with backlash over his relationship with 19-year-old TikTok star Quenlin Blackwell

Shelly's Twitter thread alleged misconduct by Diplo came as he was hit with backlash over his relationship with 19-year-old TikTok star Quenlin Blackwell.

Blackwell announced that she was living with the artist 23 years her senior in a video that went viral as critics remarked that he is way too old for her.

She defended herself by saying that Diplo was more of a father figure to her than a romantic pursuit - as he insisted that they are only friends.
Rebel Wilson is busy filming her new movie, Senior Year, in Atlanta, Georgia.

And on Friday, the 41-year-old was seen making her way to set - channelling Olivia Newton-John's Grease character Sandy Olsson - dressed in a sleek leather look outfit.

The Australian comedic actress was spotted stepping out of a black SUV, flaunting her slimmed down figure in a black long sleeve top with matching leggings.

Glamorous! Rebel Wilson channelled Grease star Olivia Newton-John (pictured right in the 1978 film) as she flaunted her incredible 30kg weight loss in a sleek all-black leather look outfit while out in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday

She oozed confidence as she flaunted her trimmed down figure while making her way to set - wearing a pair of AUD$450 Givenchy slides.

The Sydney-born star teamed her look with a pair of chic cat-eye sunglasses, as she carried designer bags - a black leather tote and a blue holdall - likely filled with her essentials.

She was also holding a green gym bag featured the name Steph - her character's name - embroidered in yellow on the side.

Stunning: The blonde beauty's luscious locks was styled in waves that cascaded down her shoulders - reminiscent of Olivia's curls in Grease - as she made her way to set of her new movie, Senior Year

Stylish: Rebel teamed her look with a pair of chic cat-eye sunglasses and AUD$450 Givenchy slides. She carried designer bags likely filled with her essentials. She was also holding a green gym bag featured the name Steph - her character's name - embroidered in yellow on the side

The blonde beauty's luscious locks was styled in waves that cascaded down her shoulders - reminiscent of Olivia's curls in Grease.

Senior Year is currently in production and stars Wilson as a cheerleader - Stephanie Conway - who wakes up from a 20-year coma.

Stephanie returns to high school in the hopes of regaining her popular status and the prom queen title.

Pretty in pink: Senior Year is currently in production and stars Wilson as a cheerleader - Stephanie Conway - who wakes up from a 20-year coma. Stephanie returns to high school in the hopes of regaining her popular status and the prom queen title

What a difference: In January, Rebel told The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed and Erin that people have been treating her differently after her 30kg weight loss. Pictured in July 2019 (left) and this week (right)

It will also star Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone and is set to land on Netflix in March 2022.

In January, Rebel spoke to The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed and Erin that people have been treating her differently after her 30kg weight loss.

Rebel said it was 'interesting' to see people's attitudes change following her transformation.

Change: Rebel said it was 'interesting' to see people's attitudes change following her transformation. 'Now that I'm in good shape, people offer to carry my groceries to the car and hold doors open for you,' she said

The Pitch Perfect star noted: 'Sometimes being bigger, people didn't necessarily look twice at you'

She added: 'Now that I'm in good shape, people offer to carry my groceries to the car and hold doors open for you.

'I'm like, is this what other people experienced all the time?' Rebel said, after declaring 2020 her 'Year of Health'.
Already it has been quite the show, and the curtain hasnt even risen on Andrew Lloyd Webbers long-awaited Cinderella.

Thanks to the ever-changing Covid restrictions  dictating how many theatregoers can be welcomed to the venue  the 6 million retelling of the beloved fairy tale has been at the centre of an extraordinary political fracas.

For months the theatre mogul has been insisting he would open yesterday for press previews come what may, and he was prepared to go to jail rather than let down his audience.

But the Freedom Day of June 21 was pushed back to July 19. Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to do whatever we can to be helpful for the show.

However, Lloyd Webber rejected his offer of allowing the show to be part of a scheme to allow some theatrical productions to go ahead at full capacity, as it would not have helped other shows.

He is to put on the production with the audience at 50 per cent capacity.

Its a financial disaster and he reveals that he will personally bear the cost. Sources indicate its likely to exceed 100,000 a week  possibly as much as 500,000 in all. But what of the show itself, written by British Oscar-winner Emerald Fennell?

Alison Boshoff reports on the musical that Covid couldnt kill...

Already it has been quite the show, and the curtain hasnt even risen on Andrew Lloyd Webbers long-awaited Cinderella

Cinderella goes goth

Cinderella is a refusenik in a fairy-tale village where all the girls are size eight blondes in pastel frocks.

By contrast, Cinderella, played by Carrie Hope Fletcher, wears big black Doc Marten boots, with fishnets and black lace gloves and is scornful of the fairy-tale aesthetic.

Writer Emerald Fennell has turned Cinderss home town, Belleville, into a modern version of the fairytale village, complete with a witch-dunking lake, a convent for unsightly women and a nip and tuck tavern.

Cinderella, played by Carrie Hope Fletcher, wears big black Doc Marten boots, with fishnets and black lace gloves and is scornful of the fairy-tale aesthetic

Fennell says: Part of that is the world of the godmother, a sort of megalomaniacal, terrifying plastic surgeon-cum-couturier who has made everyone in that town look the way they look.

Prince Charming has left town and his younger brother, Prince Sebastian, is the love interest.

Fennell says that Sebastian is similar to Cinderella in that hes always been overlooked, and that the romance springs from a point of friendship. They have been friends their whole lives and suddenly everything changes.

In keeping with her rebellious leading role, Carrie Hope Fletcher, pictured with Andrew Lloyd Webber, has spoken out in support of his rejection of Boris Johnsons offer of help. Yeah, I did get a few tweets that day going, tell your mate Boris and Im like, my mate Boris? What? As if Ive got a batphone!

The glass slipper and Prince Charming remain, but gone is the idea that you have to change yourself for someone to love you.

Fletcher said: I do wish this version of Cinderella had been around when I was 17, because Id have been obsessed.

Rehearsing in a bubble

The cast and crew have been in a bubble since March. Everyone who attends the Gillian Lynne Theatre where they are rehearsing has had to have a Covid test every 48 hours.

Technical rehearsals  with everyone in place and together  have been going on for almost two weeks. Leading lady Carrie Hope Fletcher observed: Were bibbidy-bobbidy back!

Prior to that, choreography was initially done in a studio in Connecticut, with dancers at the Gillian Lynne Theatre and on Zoom working through pieces like the waltz at the ball.

Lloyd Webber said in March: We just had our first run-through for Emerald. She hadnt actually heard her script for the first time properly. It was an absolutely extraordinarily emotional moment for all of us because we were like, Oh, my God, were in a theatre. Were actually doing what we do.

I walked off to the back and I must say, I did have a tear.

Sparkles and castles

Emerald Fennells script may be a feminist retelling, but there are still plenty of sparkles in this fairy tale.

Costume designers have fixed over 15,000 Swarovski and Preciosa crystals to the costumes, and more than 250 pairs of hand-made shoes have been created.

Costume designer Gabriela Tylesova commissioned custom-printed fabrics from Italy and the UK for the costumes which are contemporary fashion but influenced by period costume.

For the set, Lloyd Webber was inspired by the fortress at Carcassonne, France, although what has resulted is a toned down version of the famous medieval citadel.

There are over 5,000 lights embedded in the floor and back wall. The set was built by workshops based in Plymouth, Cardiff, Tunbridge Wells and Cambridge. The back wall of the show is formed by a series of handmade ribs which give a sense of movement. There are 210 of them, and if laid end to end they would run for 2km.

The A-list fans

The show only opened to its first preview last night, but Fletcher has already found herself an army of fans.

This week, she woke up to a tweet from Hollywood star Mia Farrow in response to a video of her performing one of the shows songs.

Russell Crowe tweeted the same video, seemingly so impressed that he simply wrote the words Carrie Hope Fletcher.

Star with a pop prince brother

Carrie Hope Fletcher, 28, is an actress, writer and blogger  and the younger sister of McFly star Tom Fletcher.

Carrie Hope Fletcher, 28, is an actress, writer and blogger  and the younger sister of McFly star Tom Fletcher

She started in showbiz aged five, in a Honey Nut Cheerios advert.

Like Tom, she went to the Sylvia Young Theatre school. At nine, her West End career began when she was cast in Les Miserables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Mary Poppins.

She said: I had a difficult start to secondary school, missing the first month because of Mary Poppins. Everyone knew who I was, who my brother was  McFly were huge by then  and had made their mind up about me. One girl made everyones life a misery, picking on insecurities. But thats just teenagers.

She didnt go to drama school or university but wrote a blog and a self-help memoir, plus four romantic novels.

Fletcher, who lives in London, is providing a tuck shop for the cast in her dressing room including fizzy drinks and chocolate bars.

Anyone who wants a drink or snack is being asked to write a joke in her Cinderella journal by way of payment.

She lives in North-West London with her cat, and is dating actor Oliver Ormson.

Fletcher has been outspoken on the issue of the theatre industrys treatment of women, and body image.

During her second stint in Les Miserables  from 2013 to 2016  she was referred to by a senior member of the creative team as our butch Eponine, which knocked her confidence.

She said: It was my first adult job, and just a throwaway comment. They were like, Well, weve not had anyone as big as you before. I thought, OK, will I have to put up with that for the rest of my career now? Thankfully, producers are opening their eyes and having discussions for the better.

More than one Prince Charming

Actor Tosh Wanogho-Maud was cast as Prince Charming, and completed four weeks of rehearsals before leaving, citing a schedule clash.

He has been replaced by Caleb Roberts who had a small role in the 2018 TV series A Very English Scandal about former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe.

Caleb Roberts, who had a small role in the 2018 TV series A Very English Scandal about former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe, will play Prince Charming

Fairy tale of a first-time lead

The male lead is dancer Ivano Turco, a graduate of Urdang Academy in Islington, who is a newcomer to the stage.

Born in Zimbabwe, he grew up in Milton Keynes and went to his first audition in July for an ensemble part. There he caught Lloyd Webbers eye.

He said: I was asked to stay behind and I remember being in the dressing room pacing nervously. I had to dance and sing in front of the creative team and then . . . two days later I got the call.

It still feels weird now saying: My role. I cant believe it. It really is the stuff of fairy tales. It is a magical story.

Born in Zimbabwe, Ivano Turco grew up in Milton Keynes and went to his first audition in July for an ensemble part. There he caught Lloyd Webbers eye

Lloyd Webber said: Ivano initially came in to audition as a dancer but has a natural acting talent, a wonderful voice and an innate charm and warmth, and from the day we met I just knew Id found our Prince.

The midwife with an Oscar

Actress and writer Emerald Fennell, 35, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film Promising Young Women this year, is the writer of Cinderella.

Lloyd Webber has been a friend of her father, society jeweller Theo Fennell, for decades.

She recalls: I was sitting next to Andrew at a friends dinner, which makes my life sound much more exciting than it is.

He said hed always wanted to make Cinderella, but had never found a way to do it that was different.

I told him the problem with Cinderella is that it relies upon the fact that a makeover makes a woman better, and then wrote him an outline.

He is incredibly decisive and collaborative. And he really does take everything on board. I know that if I say something he might not agree with me, but if he doesnt, he will almost certainly be right.

Actress and writer Emerald Fennell, 35, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film Promising Young Women this year, is the writer of Cinderella

Its a huge first theatre job for Fennell, left, a credited writer on Killing Eve who has also written novels, starred in Call The Midwife until 2017 and more recently portrayed Camilla Parker Bowles in the Netflix drama The Crown.

Lloyd Webber says: It is faithful to the original and has the beloved elements  the ball, the glass slipper.

But in the original the story rather runs out of steam when the Prince is holding the slipper, but here there is a bit more to it than that. There is an edge.

But can we actually go to the ball?

The theatre has been sold to 100 per cent capacity, and Andrew Lloyd Webber has written to ticket holders  whove paid up to 162 for entry  to thank them for their patience and to warn them that they might have to change their plans at short notice.

Lloyd Webber has previously said he will lose money if the theatre is less than 80 per cent full. He will now open at 50 per cent capacity.

He said: Having taken legal opinion from senior counsel, if we had gone ahead at 100 per cent it would be very likely that every member of my cast, crew and orchestra, the front and backstage staff, plus our loyal audience members, could be individually fined hundreds of pounds, which I couldnt possibly risk.

'If it were just me, I would happily risk arrest and fines to make a stand and lead the live music and theatre industry back to the full capacities we so desperately need.

For now, Cinderella is the first world premiere of a new musical in this country since the pandemic. It is the product of hundreds of peoples tireless effort for years. Win, lose or draw, we have to continue.
Hilaria Baldwin is back to business as usual after shrugging off her falsified Spanish heritage controversy last December.

The wife of Alec Baldwin, 37, took to Instagram on Friday as she continued to give workout tips while reflecting on her body after five pregnancies, two miscarriages and rounds of IVF.

Accompanying a video of her working her abdominal muscles in a rolled up T-shirt she also spoke on 'self abuse,' as she nodded to her fall from grace, after her true heritage was unearthed.

Business as usual: Hilaria Baldwin, 37, shared fitness tips as she posted a video of her working her abdominal muscles in a rolled T-shirt while speaking about 'self abuse' following her Spanish heritage scandal

In the video Hilaria cradled her newborn daughter Marilou  who she seemed to use as added weight  while swinging her hips and flaunting her toned stomach in black sweatpants and a leopard thong.

She proceeded to give workout tips to her 906K followers as she spoke about the 'act of core/ab "engagement"' and detailed the move before saying 'have fun.'

'Think of your abdominal sides as a cage that are knitting together at the midline of your belly button, zipping up your center, pulling your front body towards your back body (belly towards back). This is the act of core/ab engagement.

'Then have fun: move from side to side, front to back. I love this because it effectively strengthens the muscles from deep inside,' she said, as she filmed herself doing the move in the mirror.

Multitasking: In the video Hilaria cradled her sixth child Marilou who was born in March seemingly via surrogate while swinging her hips from side to side as she flaunted her toned frame

Workout tips: She proceeded to give workout tips to her 906K followers as she spoke about the 'act of core/ab "engagement"' and detailed the move before saying 'have fun'

Side shot: She seemed to use Marilou as added weight as she harped on the benefits of engaging ones abdominal sides

The Mom Brain podcast host then divulged deeper truths as she seemed to vaguely confirm she had welcomed her cradled daughter Marilu via IVF surrogacy  following months of speculation and reports that it was 'no one's business' how the child came to be.

'After 5 babies out of my body, 3 chemical pregnancies, 1 miscarriage at 9 weeks, one at 4 months and a round of ivf, resulting in Marilumy body has gone on quite a journey for the family we have,' she shared.

Hilaria had coyly announced Marilu's addition to the family on March 1, writing '7' as she shared a photo of she, the pair's five kids, and a new tiny baby which prompted surrogacy chatter.

Many were confused about the timing of it all as she would have been pregnant with Eduardo while moving forward with surrogacy  and it was inconceivable she could have welcome 'Edu' in September and then another baby just six months later.

Mom of six: Hilaria has given her brood of six Spanish sounding names: Carmen, seven, Rafael, five, Leonardo, four, Romeo, two, Eduardo, and Marilu; pictured May 9

Parents: Amid the heritage scandal husband Alec who also maintained in many interviews that his wife was 'Spanish' has continued to have her back at hit out on trolls

Additionally she had follow a surrogacy agency, Alcea Surrogacy, on Instagram, and the account had posted a photo congratulating two intended parents 'H + A' on the 'amazing birth of their daughter,' days before Hilaria's announcement.

In her Friday post Hilaria then continued to speak on 'self-abuse' which seemed to be a nod to the explosive Spanish heritage scandal that rocked the internet.

'I have done my fair share of self abusebut, through much work on my mental health, I've learned to be grateful for her and support her. When we grow to love our changing formsloose skin and allthat we honor our full life's journey.'

She continued to say: 'Don't torture your body into shape-you and she deserve so much more. If we focus on feeling and intention, we nurture and energize our bodies into a healthy and loved space...You are worthy, you are capableyour body is capable, your body is worthy..just let her know.'

Baby making machine: 'After 5 babies out of my body, 3 chemical pregnancies, 1 miscarriage at 9 weeks, one at 4 months and a round of ivf, resulting in Marilumy body has gone on quite a journey for the family we have,' she shared in her caption

Bouncing back: The yoga instructor has a rapid body bounce back rate as she has taken to Instagram to show off workouts and her slender frame after all her pregnancies

In December a post on Twitter went viral that raised questions about the authenticity of Hilaria's Spanish upbringing, after she was seen talking sans-Spanish accent in a video.

'You have to admire Hilaria Baldwin's commitment to her decade long grift where she impersonates a Spanish person,' the tweet read.

She had claimed to be born in Mallorca, Spain, only moving to the United States for college, but it was later uncovered that she was born Hilary Thomas and was actually from Boston.

On both sides of her family she had affluent multi-generational ties to Massachusetts and her parents Kathryn Hayward and David Thomas only relocated to Mallorca in 2011.

Spanish touches: The pair's wedding had tons of Spanish touches so she could bring 'a bit of [her] culture,' she said in 2012 and she read vows in both languages while holding a flamenco fan; pictured 2019

Both Hilaria and Alec had claimed for over a decade that English was her second language, and a viral clip showed the yoga instructor seeming to forget the English word for 'cucumber' during a cooking segment.

The pair's wedding had tons of Spanish touches so she could bring 'a bit of [her] culture,' she said in 2012. Hilaria held a flamenco fan and they read their nuptials in both languages, and their wedding bands even had the inscription 'somos un buen equipo,' inside.

Additionally she had chosen to give all six of their children Spanish names: Carmen, seven, Rafael, five, Leonardo, four, Romeo, two, Eduardo, nine months, and Marilu, four months.

Hilaria tried to come clean about all of it in an Instagram video, confessing, 'Yes I am a white girl, my family is white,' while clarifying that she had grown up 'in this country.'
She is well-known for heading out in daring outfits.

And Sophie Kasaei once again turned heads in a risque outfit as she headed for dinner in Manchester on Friday night.

The 31-year-old Geordie Shore star showed off her ample assets and hourglass physique as she made her way to Menagerie for dinner.

Daring: Geordie Shore's Sophie Kasaei puts on a busty display in a risque red crop top as she enjoyed dinner at Menagerie in Manchester on Friday

Sophie flashed underboob in a daring red crop top that was sleeveless on her left-hand shoulder, and was covered with a black outlining consisting of distressed threads.

She paired her top with black denim jeans and added height to her ensemble with black high heels.

Sophie accessorised her look with a gold chain necklace and gold hooped earrings.

The TV personality was also seen carrying a small black bag in her left hand as she walked through Manchester.

Stunning: The 31-year-old Geordie Shore star showed off her ample assets and hourglass physique as she made her way to Menagerie for dinner

Her appearance comes after she revealed she wouldn't want to date a fellow celebrity as she would rather know 'what the banter has been on the building site'.

Appearing on Thursday's Fubar Radio via videolink, the Geordie Shore star told host Bobby Norris that she wouldn't want to be romantically involved with someone in the same industry, explaining: 'I don't think I could do it. I really don't. Like, I get that they understand us a little bit more, but I want to go home and talk about their job and their life.'

Suggesting she has her eyes set on a workman, Sophie added: 'I don't want to be like, ''So how much did you get paid for that Instagram post?'' Or, ''What's your call time today? What time do you wrap?'' Like I don't want to know about call time or anything. I want to know what the banter has been on the building site.'

Night out: Sophie flashed underboob in a daring red crop top that was sleeveless on her left-hand shoulder and she paired her top with black denim jeans

The northern beauty also discussed the fact that being in the public eye means it's difficult to be trusting when it comes to relationships.

'We struggle to trust people,' she said. 'And also you don't know if they're with you for the right reasons or the wrong.'

Sophie also told TOWIE's Bobby that she has met men in the past who struggled to accept that she is the breadwinner in relationships.

'I think with girls, if we're a little bit more successful than the person or the boy, their egos are taken away. So when their egos are taken away, it's like, they don't want to be with us. Because what can they get from us? Do you know what I mean?'

No celebs: Sophie recently revealed she wouldn't want to date a fellow celebrity as she would rather know 'what the banter has been on the building site'

Future partners: Appearing on Thursday's Fubar Radio, the star told host Bobby Norris that she wouldn't want to be romantically involved with someone in the same industry

She added: 'We don't need them and they don't need anything from us. Do you know what I mean? So men like it when they like bring home the money, it's just like an egotistic thing. And it's been going on for years.'

Sophie also admitted she had struggled with being single during the pandemic, particularly in the run-up to Valentine's Day.

'It's not like you could go on a date on Valentine's day or like go out or with your friends,' the TV star explained.

'All my other friends were like with their boyfriends and getting presents and showing the love.

'And it was then I was like sitting in my living room, like on my own and nobody could come and visit us because we were in a full lockdown. And I was like, wow, this is hard. This is really hard.'

She continued: 'I really doubted myself and I started thinking, ''Is there something wrong with us? Why is everyone settled and I'm not?'' And I just really doubted [myself] because I was in my own little bubble.'

Looking on the bright side, Sophie added: 'I'm at a point now where I'm like, ''You know what? Yes, I'd love a relationship and I'd love a baby, but if the time's right, it's right.'' So I've just got to stay on this path.'
A luxury mansion on the Gold Coast is reportedly on track to become one of the most expensive houses ever sold in Australia.

According to the Daily Telegraph, everyone from Silicon Valley billionaires to Hollywood A-listers are eyeing the property.

One of the rumoured buyers is American actress Julia Roberts, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

Is she? Julia Roberts is rumoured to be a potential buyer of a luxury Gold Coast property

The property is a sprawling 4255sq and boasts six-bedrooms. It's located on the Sovereign Islands, which is a gated community.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Julia's management for comment.

The actress has continued to remain under the radar after arriving in Australia earlier this year with her family.

Luxury: According to the Daily Telegraph, everyone from Silicon Valley billionaires to Hollywood A-listers are eyeing the property

But she recently ran into a speed bump with her children's education during what is likely an extended stay Down Under, as she prepares to film movies later this year.

According to The Daily Telegraph earlier this month, the 53-year-old, who was raised Catholic, is trying to enroll her children into exclusive Catholic schools in Sydney's affluent North Shore.

The Academy Award winner and her cinematographer husband Daniel Moder are parents to 16-year-old twins - son, Phinnaeus and daughter, Hazel - and youngest son Henry, 13.

Doing her best: Julia (pictured) is 'pulling some strings' to get her children enrolled into exclusive Catholic schools in Sydney's affluent North Shore, according to a recent report

As term two prepares for its final weeks, the publication reported that the Notting Hill star is said to calling on her friend, Nicole Kidman to help her out.

Both Nicole and her sister Antonia Kidman were students of exclusive schools in Sydney's North Shore.

'If anyone can pull some strings in getting accepted into a top Catholic school in North Sydney you would imagine it's Nicole,' a source told The Daily Telegraph.

'But even mega A-list movie stars have to meet a certain enrolment criteria,' they added.
She has been working with clothing brand Missguided to release her own collections.

And Zara McDermott proved to be her own best model on Friday as she shared a sultry throwback snap wearing one of her designs from a recent Portugal getaway.

The Love Island star, 24, took to Instagram to post the sizzling snap where she displayed her sensational figure in a tiny cut-out lilac bikini from her Missguided collection.

Work it: Zara McDermott proved to be her own best model on Friday as she shared a sultry throwback snap wearing one of her Missguided designs from a recent Portugal getaway

Zara accessorised her swimwear look with gold jewellery and styled her blonde locks into a sweptback bun, adding a pair of sunglasses.

The reality star knew how to work her best angles as she posed up a storm on the beach from her Portugal getaway last month.

Zara captioned the photo with: 'Teleport me here pls bikini from my @missguided collection one of my faves in the whole collection!  [ad].'

Only recently, the reality star and her boyfriend Sam Thompson, 28, announced on Instagram that they are moving into his mother's house together.

Work it: The Love Island star, 24, took to Instagram to post the sizzling snap where she displayed her sensational figure in a tiny cut-out lilac bikini from her collection

Turn up the heat: She has been working with clothing brand Missguided to release her own collections

Made In Chelsea star Sam and his Love Islander girlfriend are having modifications made to their London property and will not be able to move back in until later this year.

Yet Sam revealed his mother had offered him a place to stay, explaining on Instagram Stories that he'd be living alongside his parent, as well as his sister Louise Thompson, 31, and her fiance Ryan Libbey, 30, for a while.

Sam said: 'It's a huge day. We're moving out. Terrified. Absolutely terrified. We are extending the kitchen and the whole ground floor basically so we are being turfed out.

'We're going to move in with mum and Louise and Ryan who are also living with mum. So it's going to be a hectic couple of weeks.'

On the move: Only recently, the reality star and her boyfriend Sam Thompson, 28, announced on Instagram that they are moving into his mother's house together as their London property undergoes renovations

Zara recently told fans she was struggling to find somewhere to live on social media, calling for any estate agents to let them know of any properties they had available.

Sharing a picture of herself sitting in her car on Instagram, she wrote: 'This is a random one  not sure if anyone can help.

'But do any estate agents have any available properties to let in Fulham/ Imperial Warf/ Chelsea Creek/ Fulham riverside area from mid June for a few months? Till mid August?'

She added: 'Sam and I need a place to live while our house is underway and I'm STRUGGLING. Legit having a nightmare. Have called every estate agent in the area and no one gets back to me?!?!'

Zara has been decorating the home she shares with Sam in recent months and has been keep her fans up to date with her progress online.

Sam and Zara first began dating in 2019 after Zara 'slid into his DMs' and quickly become inseparable.

However, the pair were plagued by scandal when it emerged in August 2020 that Zara had cheated on Sam with a music producer the year before while competing on Celebrity X Factor.

Despite their very public fall out, the couple reconciled in November, and began living together before the first lockdown.
Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon have reportedly been filming a new BBC festive comedy special called Ray & Gaynor in the Scottish Highlands.

The actress, 54, and actor, 56, are best known for their roles as Nessa Jenkins and Bryn West in Gavin & Stacey.

And now Ruth and Rob are said to be trying their hand at new characters, playing old friends Ray and Gaynor, for a new one-off festive comedy for BBC.

Exciting! Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon have reportedly been filming a new BBC festive comedy special called Ray & Gaynor in the Scottish Highlands (pictured in 2019)

It comes after Ruth previously revealed that there are 'no plans' for Gavin & Stacey to return anytime soon after the 2019 Christmas special broke records with a staggering 17.1million viewers.

Ruth and Rob's Ray & Gaynor is said to be made by Tidy Productions, which the actress runs with her screenwriter and producer husband David Peet, while Sandy Johnson will direct the one-off special.

A source told the Mirror: 'It's a festive half-hour comedy for this year starring Ruth and Rob, who are old friends, in the title roles as Ray and Gaynor.

Iconic: The actress, 54, and actor, 56, are best known for their roles as Nessa Jenkins and Bryn West in Gavin & Stacey (pictured in show still)

Fun: And now Ruth and Rob are said to be trying their hand at new characters, playing old friends Ray and Gaynor, for a new one-off festive comedy for BBC (pictured in 2020)

'Everyone is delighted to have a little bit of Gavin & Stacey on the BBC this Christmas. Even if it doesn't have Gavin. Or Stacey.'

Ray & Gaynor is said to have already started filming in the Scottish Highlands and will also shoot scenes in south Wales.

MailOnline has contacted both Ruth and Rob's representatives, as well as BBC, for comment.

Only recently, BBC bosses confirmed that Gavin and Stacey will return 'one day' in the future.

While outlining the 2020 Christmas television schedule last year, the channel's Chief Content Officer, Charlotte Moore, discussed the future of the BBC1 sitcom.

She explained: 'That wasn't something that was going to happen this year,' and followed that up with: 'One day.'

However, the sitcom's co-creator Ruth previously revealed that there are 'no plans' for the series to return anytime soon, largely thanks to the current pandemic.

The actress admitted she and co-creator James Corden have to be 'in the same room' to write their episodes, which has been impossible during the Covid crisis.

Noooo! It comes after Ruth previously revealed that there are 'no plans' for Gavin & Stacey to return anytime soon after the 2019 Christmas special broke records with a staggering 17.1million viewers (pictured with co-star James Corden in 2019 show still)

The long-awaited 2019 Christmas Special ended on a heart-stopping cliffhanger, with Nessa [Jones] proposing for Smithy [Corden] after confessing her love for him.

Ruth previously told Lorraine Kelly: 'It's lovely that people ask me. People always say ''I'm really sorry to ask..."

'I wish I could say yes but as has always been the case, James and I love to write together in the same room and that's just not possible at the moment because he's in America and I'm in the UK. There aren't any plans at the moment, but who knows?'

Fans were left speechless on Christmas Day 2019 when the long-awaited special ended on a shocking cliffhanger, a decade after the beloved show had last aired on screen.

She said: 'I wish I could say yes but as has always been the case, James and I love to write together in the same room and that's just not possible at the moment because he's in America and I'm in the UK. There aren't any plans at the moment, but who knows?'

The festive special become the most-watched scripted show of the decade after viewing figures soared to 17.1 million.

The series was penned by Ruth and James, who also starred as on-off lovers Nessa and Smithy alongside Mathew Horne as Gavin and Joanna Page as Stacey.

In April, Rob - who plays Bryn West in the show - hinted at one more Gavin & Stacey special.

Speaking during his podcast, Brydon &, the actor told guest Sheridan Smith: 'I think they might do one more special because they left it hanging, didn't they, with the proposal?

'So it would seem strange if they didn't. But they should crack on if they are going to do it.'
John Cameron Mitchell created rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch and starred in the lead role in the 1998 Off-Broadway production.

The American actor, who is currently in hotel quarantine in Sydney ahead of filming Joe Exotic TV series in Brisbane, told The Daily Telegraph on Friday that any actor should be free to play the role of Hedwig.

He said of the role: 'I don't believe that only gay people can play gay people or only straight play straight or that trans should only play trans.'

Honest thoughts: Hedwig and the Angry Inch playwright John Cameron Mitchell called the 'well-meaning protest' that ousted Hugh Sheridan from the rock musical 'a little misguided'

John, who identifies non-binary, told the publication he hopes the production will return to a Sydney stage soon.

'We don't want it to die on the vine because of some well-meaning protest. Well-meaning but I think a little misguided,' the actor said, referring to the petition that saw actor Hugh Sheridan dropped from the Sydney production last year.

The objection was made by the Queer Artist Alliance Australia after the former Packed To The Rafters star was announced he would be playing the role of Hedwig for the musical last year.

For any actor: The American star, who created the musical and starred in the lead role in the Off-Broadway production (pictured), said of the role of Hedwig: 'I don't believe that only gay people can play gay people or only straight play straight or that trans should only play trans'

The QAAA activists said in a statement on social media that while Sheridan was a talented and deserving actor, it was not appropriate for him to 'be the gatekeeper of a trans story'.

'The choice to cast a cis-gender male as a transgender character is offensive and damaging to the trans-community, and continues to cause genuine stress and frustration amongst trans- and gender- nonconforming performers all across Australia,' part of their statement read.

In March, Hugh spoke to Sam Armytage's Something to Talk About podcast about feeling 'sad and lost' after being dropped from the cast of stage musical.

Dropped: Actor Hugh Sheridan was dropped from the Sydney production last year after the Queer Artist Alliance Australia said not appropriate for him to 'be the gatekeeper of a trans story'

The QAAA statement read: 'The choice to cast a cis-gender male as a transgender character is offensive and damaging to the trans-community, and continues to cause genuine stress and frustration amongst trans- and gender- nonconforming performers all across Australia'

Hugh moved his entire life from the U.S. to Australia for the role, only for it to fall apart.

'I signed up [to Hedwig] thinking I was going to have an income and actually I was feeling very sad and lost. I was wondering why I was in Australia.'

Hugh was set to play eight roles in the one-man show version of Hedwig and said that it was unfair he lost his job just because the title character is trans.

'What I found very difficult was that if you told me today you wanted to explore the idea of trans, I would say "go ahead",' Hugh told Sam.

'I was wondering why I was in Australia': In March, Hugh spoke to Sam Armytage's Something to Talk About podcast about feeling 'sad and lost' after being dropped from the cast of stage musical

Role: Hugh explained the role was more of a drag character than a 'trans' character, as playwright John Cameron Mitchell said himself

Hugh explained the role was more of a drag character than a 'trans' character, which playwright John Cameron Mitchell has said himself.

'It has traditionally only ever been played by gay men or straight men. I think there's one trans person who has played it. And a woman has played it,' Hugh said.

The role of Hedwig was famously played by openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris in the 2014 Broadway revival and won four Tony Awards that year.
Season 22 Big Brother: All-Stars contestants Christmas Abbott and Memphis Garrett announced their engagement on Friday.

The pair  who confirmed they were dating in December just two months after the series finale are now set to tie the knot as both shared snaps from the beach proposal which occurred on Wednesday, June 23.

Christmas, 38, donned a silky lilac slip dress and heels as she told E! News that she had 'no idea' it was going to happen. 'I was 100 percent surprised!'

Big Brother engagement! Big Brother season 22 contestants Christmas Abbott, 38, and Memphis Garrett, 37, announced their engagement as they share snaps from June 23 proposal

In the series of snaps shared to Instagram the loved up couple shared moments leading up, during, and after the proposal.

While vacationing at the Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Florida, Memphis got down on one knee as they took a beach walk before a sunset boat ride.

He carried a bottle of champagne in anticipation of the celebration afterwards and she debuted the emerald cut sparkler while writing: 'We just want to hang out with each other...Forever!'

Christmas had posted photos from the momentous occasion to Instagram a day after the proposal but had strategically cut out the ring in some photos.

On one knee: Memphis proposed to Christmas during a vacation at Little Palm Resort & Spa in Florida

Shocked: 'I was 100 percent surprised! He's so great at making me feel like I'm the most special person in the world every day, and this day was the most of all' she told E! News

Cropped out: In sharing a carousel of photos to Instagram, she strategically cropped out the ring before they were ready to announce

Speaking about the events leading up to the sunset proposal, Christmas said she had 'no idea' it was going to happen.

'I had no idea it was going to happen then. I know, a beautiful island, sunset at a beautiful resortwho wouldn't have guessed? I didn't'! That's because that's the kind of thing he does regularly to show me how special he believes I am.'

She continued: 'I was 100 percent surprised! He's so great at making me feel like I'm the most special person in the world every day, and this day was the most of all.'

Alongside a series of engagement photos she wrote: 'We knew we would love each other forever. I'm just so excited to officially say YES!!!'

Surprise! 'I had no idea it was going to happen then. I know, a beautiful island, sunset at a beautiful resortwho wouldn't have guessed?' she said

Grand gestures: 'He's so great at making me feel like I'm the most special person in the world every day, and this day was the most of all'

#final2forever: The pair debuted their wedding hashtag '#final2forever'

Champagne celebration: The Garrett Group CEO shared that even before the pair met on the All Stars season he 'felt a cosmic attraction to her'

Boat ride: After he proposed they went on a sunset boat ride

And the CEO of the Garrett Group said he worked tirelessly to create the custom ring. 'My favorite part was creating her custom engagement ring with my longtime friend and jeweler Adam Campbell.

'The entire process was awesome. Adam and I reviewed so many diamonds until I found the perfect one for Christmas,' he said, also adding that even before the pair met on the All Stars season he 'felt a cosmic attraction to her.'

'Before I even met Christmas, I felt a cosmic attraction to her. Once we spent 24/7 together for three months, I knew she was the one that I would spend the rest of my life with. I knew I found my twin flame,' he added.

Christmas continued to say that their love story was also wild. 'It's wild to know Memphis and I fell in love with each other before we even shared a kiss. He's my best friend, twin flame and brings out the best of me everyday.'

Debut: 'Sometime people come into your life and you know they just belong. We tried to fight it but fate had its own plan. Excited for the future,' he wrote as he shared snaps in December

Proud: For their big Instagram reveal, the couple uploaded their favorite photos with one another and proudly voiced their happiness

Big Brother: During their stint on the 22nd season of Big Brother: All-Stars, which premiered over the summer, Christmas came in fourth place, while her man Memphis came in fifth

Love wins: 'The questions can be complicated but the answers are simple. Love always wins,' wrote the star on her Instagram Story as they made their debut

The pair revealed they were dating in December as he posted a selfie with the caption: 'Sometime people come into your life and you know they just belong. We tried to fight it but fate had its own plan. Excited for the future.'

They had met during season 22 of the hit CBS show which occurred over the summer. After debuting their romance she said: 'I wasn't looking for a relationship, I was there to WIN.'

Christmas came in fourth place, while her man Memphis came in fifth, but they walked away with the grand prize of love.

'It's so wild to have this experience because we reverse engineered how society promotes falling in love. Memphis and I got to know one another through real conversations, building trust with each other and not starting with a physical connection. That's a rare thing,' she previously told E! News.
The Irwins are currently locked in a bitter family feud involving the late Steve Irwin's father, Bob.

But things weren't always this way, with a personal letter that Steve wrote to his parents in 1994 recirculating online this week.

In the letter, Steve, who was 32 at the time, praised his parents for giving him strength.

Kind words: A sweet letter than Steve Irwin wrote to his parents in 1994 has resurfaced among the Irwin family feud

'At 32, I am finally starting to figure it out. In good times and in bad, you were there. Your strength and endurance to raise me will not go unrewarded. My love for you is my strength!' he gushed.

'For the rest of my life I will reflect on the unbelievably GREAT times weve shared and will continue to share. Youre my best friends!'

The letter, which first surfaced online back in 2016, has been making the rounds again amid the Irwin family feud.

Touching: In the letter, Steve, who was 32 at the time, praised his parents for giving him strength

The feud involves 82-year-old conservationist Bob Irwin - the father of the late Steve Irwin - and his granddaughter Bindi, 22, who claims he has 'ignored' her since she was a child.

The rift dates back to early 2008 when Bob was pushed out of Australia Zoo - which he had founded as Beerwah Reptile Park in 1970 - over a disagreement with Steve's widow Terri about how the business should be run.

At the time, he received a $1million package plus a $100,000-per-year pension.

Making headlines: The letter comes amid a bitter family feud involving 82-year-old conservationist Bob Irwin (pictured) - the father of the late Steve Irwin - and his granddaughter Bindi, 22, who claims he has 'ignored' her since she was a child

An earlier financial arrangement had been reached in 1992 when Bob and his first wife, Lyn, handed over ownership of the zoo to son Steve and daughter-in-law Terri.

Because Steve and Terri were unable to afford the $300,000 required to purchase Australia Zoo, they instead agreed to a retirement package for Bob and Lyn whereby they would pay them a wage for the rest of their lives.

Lyn died in the year 2000 in a single-vehicle accident.

An Australia Zoo spokesperson said in 2008: 'Australia Zoo, under instruction from Terri Irwin, will continue to provide financial assistance to Bob with a retirement package worth over $1million, plus an ongoing annual pension of $99,840 per year.

Agreement: The rift dates back to 2008 when Bob was pushed out of Australia Zoo - which he had founded as Beerwah Reptile Park in 1970 - over a disagreement with Steve's widow Terri about how the business should be run. Pictured: Steve, Terri and Bindi Irwin in 2002

'The $1million package includes the purchase of Mr Irwin's 632-hectare property near Kingaroy, and the construction of a new home, a car each for him and his [second] wife [Judy] plus a bulldozer and other equipment.'

Australia Zoo was opened by Bob and Lyn Irwin in 1970 under the name Beerwah Reptile and Fauna Park.

Their son Steve and his American wife, Terri, eventually transformed the wildlife park into the modern Australia Zoo.

Bolstered by Steve's television fame as 'The Crocodile Hunter', the park became an extremely popular tourist destination - but Bob Snr became disillusioned because he wanted it to remain focused on wildlife conservation.

Terri became the sole owner of the zoo in September 2006 after Steve died aged 44 in a freak accident while filming a wildlife documentary in Batt Reef, Queensland.

It comes after the Irwins' daughter, Bindi, addressed her relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday, and claimed her family had been supporting Bob financially since 1992.

Financial arrangement: At the time, Bob received a $1million package plus a $100,000-per-year pension. Pictured: Robert Jnr, Terri and Bindi Irwin

The mother of one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace [her baby daughter]. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'

She went on to claim that Bob had 'returned gifts I've sent after he opened them', and ignored any letters sent from her.

'From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,' she continued.

'He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.'

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply.

Feud: It comes after the Irwins' daughter, Bindi, addressed her relationship with her estranged grandfather Bob in a scathing Facebook comment on Sunday, and claimed her family had been supporting Bob financially since 1992. Pictured: Bindi and her husband, Chandler Powell

'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' she added.

'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

'I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

'I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.'

Claims: The mother of one wrote: 'I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace [her baby daughter]. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.'. Pictured from left: Bindi, Robert Jnr, Terri and Bob Snr in 2007, one year after Steve's death

Statement: 'We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,' Bindi said in her Facebook post. 'We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing'

Following her harsh post, members of Bob's inner circle fired back at Bindi.

Bethany Wheeler, another granddaughter of Bob's by marriage, declared on Facebook: 'The time has come to speak up.'

Ms Wheeler, whose stepmother Mandy is Bob's daughter, defended her grandfather's character, calling him 'one of the most genuinely beautiful humans on this planet' who has 'never spoken out or put down anybody'.

Amanda French, a family friend who co-wrote Bob's 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, also accused Bindi of assassinating her grandfather's character.

'To read the sad comments online today has sickened me, and people who are closest to him,' Ms French wrote on Facebook.

She described Bob as 'kind, gentle, generous and extremely f**king introverted'.
Drag queen Courtney Act has opened up about being selected to host the ABC's interview show, One Plus One.

Courtney, real name Shane Jenek, was chosen by ABC executives to host after her appearance on the political and news panelist program, The Drum, in early February.

The 39-year-old drag queen and TV personality was initially reluctant to take over - knowing she had to fill the shoes left by the ABC's most well known journalists.

'I'm not a journalist': Drag Queen Courtney Act, 39 (pictured) was initially reluctant after being asked to become the new host of the ABC's interview series One Plus One

'[It] was kind of nerve-wracking at first,' Courtney told TV Tonight.

'But then I was assured that the whole point is that I'm not a journalist.'

She added: 'So it was really exciting to be trusted with this opportunity.'

In the hot seat: Courtney commented on how the ABC reaffirmed her ability to host and was supportive of the decision after her appearance on The Drum

Missed out: The new gig will certainly be welcomed by Courtney, who recently missed out on hosting Drag Race Down Under

Courtney commented on how the ABC reaffirmed her ability to host and gently guided her.

The series will include celebrity guests such as The Veronica's Lisa Origliasso, YouTube star Nat's What I Reckon, and South Sudanese Australian model Aweng Chuol.

Courtney gladly welcomes the gig after just missing out on hosting the new season of Drag Race Down Under.

Act was originally said to be a shoo-in to for the Stan Original series, but dispelled the rumours when she was on The Project, saying it would be logistically impossible.

Courtney is best known for appearing on Drag Race, Celebrity Big Brother UK, Australian Idol, and Dancing With The Stars.

The new season of One Plus One, with Courtney at the helm, will air on Monday the 28th of June at 8pm on ABCTV and iView.
Kourtney Kardashian shared a stunning series of pictures of herself rocking a midriff-baring ensemble, that showcased her very toned abs, on Friday.

The reality TV superstar, 42, looked incredible in a black cut-out corset and $265 mini skirt from Mother Of All, which she wore to a PrettyLittleThing and Galore Magazine bash at The Mondiran Hotel earlier this week.

In the unseen snaps, she can be seen striking a number of different poses at home in a corner by a set of extra long white curtains.

Busty display: Kourtney Kardashian shared a stunning series of pictures of herself rocking a midriff-baring ensemble, that showcased her toned midriff, on Friday

Her dark brown tresses were styled in a half-up, half-down hairstyle and she rocked a glamorous makeup look, which included a nude matte lipstick.

'Who is she,' Kardashian cheekily captioned the picture, which seemed to be in reference to a recent comment left on one of her sister Khloe's Instagram selfies.

Her boyfriend Travis Barker immediately commented: 'My vampire' with a flirty black heart emoji.

Stunning: The reality TV star, 42, looked incredible in a black cut-out corset and mini skirt, which she wore to a star-studded PrettyLittleThing and Galore Magazine bash at The Mondiran Hotel earlier this week

Flirty: Her boyfriend Travis Barker immediately commented: 'My vampire' with a black heart emoji

Oozing confidence: In the unseen snaps, she can be seen striking a number of different poses at home in a corner by in front of a set of extra long white curtains

Just hours earlier, Barker shocked his fans by tweeting that he might fly on an airplane again, more than a decade after he last set foot on one.

The 45-year-old Blink-182 drummer was last on a plane during a deadly 2008 accident, in which the private jet he was aboard crashed shortly after takeoff, killing four and leaving him as one of only two survivors.

His renewed confidence comes amid his burgeoning relationship with Kourtney, who regularly flies across the world in private jets.

Gorgeous: Her dark brown tresses were styled in a half-up, half-down hairstyle and she rocked a glamorous makeup look, which included a nude matte lipstick

'Who is she,' Kardashian cheekily captioned the picture, which seemed to be in reference to a recent comment left on one of her sister Khloe's Instagram selfies

Happier than ever: Kourtney was glowing as she beamed at the camera with a bright smile

Travis tweeted, 'I might fly again,' and his fans quickly launched adoring tweets in support of him returning to the sky.

'Wow bro! Strong move, but I never doubted your strength!' tweeted a supportive fan.

Another person replied that they were impressed 'that he could use his bus for long' and that 'he's almost ready to leave the bus behind!'

All in the details: Later, she was seen rocking a Christian Dior Saddle Bag

High heels: The petite star rocked a pair of sky-high, open-toed pumps

Strutting her stuff: Later she posted a photo to her Instagram Story, which showed her walking down the hallway

One user admitted to sharing Travis' traumatizing experience with her children.

'This is an amazing step for someone with your past,' she wrote.

One user had shared in the experience of being in a plane crash, though they were eventually able to get back in the air.

'It took me years to fly again,' they admitted. 'I fly all the time now, but every once and awhile the fear creeps back in. Breathing helps.

Just hours earlier, her boyfriend Travis Barker shocked his fans by tweeting that he might fly on an airplane again, more than a decade after he last set foot on one; seen on Wednesday

'I hope you make it back up one day,' they added.

Travis has recently been opening up about the trauma he experienced during his 2008 plane crash.

In a May interview with Men's Health, he shared that the crash helped motivate him to stop abusing prescription drugs.

'People are always like, 'Did you go to rehab?'' he recounted. 'And I [say], 'No, I was in a plane crash.' That was my rehab. Lose three of your friends and almost die? That was my wake-up call. If I wasn't in a crash, I would have probably never quit.'

Terrifying: Travis was on a plane in South Carolina with his assistant, body guard and friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein when a tired blew during takeoff; seen in 2008

Late at night on September 19, 2008, Travis boarded a private jet in South Carolina to head back to Los Angeles following a show, while accompanied by his friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, his security guard Charles 'Che' Still, and his assistant Chris Baker.

As the small plane was attempting to take off, one of its tires suffered a blow out, causing the craft to overshoot the runway, burst through the airport's fence and over the nearby highway, and finally crash into the embankment on the side of the road.

The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane erupted into flames on impact, according to the Chicago Tribune. Still and Baker were also killed on impact.

Devastating: The plane overshot the runway and crossed a highway before crashed into an embankment and bursting into flames. All but Barker and Goldstein were killed; seen in 2008

Travis and Adamwere able to escape from the burning plane via an emergency exit over the wing, but both were engulfed in flames as they slid down the wing and got covered in burning jet fuel.

The drummer had third-degree burns over 65 percent of his body and had to spend three months in the hospital while having skin grafts and 26 surgeries to repair the damage.

After the crash, Travis was overcome with a debilitating fear even at the sight of an airplane.

Traumatized: In a May interview for Men's Health, the drummer recounted not even being able to look at a plane in the sky after the crash. That month he tattooed 'Survivors guilt' on his arms

'I was dark I couldn't walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash, and I just didn't want to see it,' he said, adding that he was 'haunted' by the experience of 'being burned' and 'trying to grab my friends from a burning plane.'

But he also struck a more hopeful not now that nearly 13 years have passed since the crash.

'Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it,' he said.

The incident has certainly been on his mind recently, as last month he got the words 'Survivors guilt' tattooed on his forearms.

Travis may have some newfound confidence thanks to his girlfriend, who's a noted flier and traveler.

Supportive: Travis may have some newfound confidence thanks to his girlfriend, who's a noted flier and traveler

She and the rest of the KardashianJenner family regular travel across the globe on elite private jets, though she's had to stay on the ground when traveling with her musician boyfriend due to his debilitating fear.

She regularly shares the highlights from her international trips to her Poosh lifestyle site, though her trips were curtailed amid the ongoing pandemic.

The reality star doesn't appear to have any issues traveling by air as evidenced by a 2019 Keeping Up With The Kardashians episode in which she gushed about how much she enjoyed traveling with her children now that they were getting older.

Since she's taken countless private jet rides, she may be the perfect person to accompany Travis on a short flight.

Pushing through fear: The drummer certainly wants to get back in the air, despite how terrifying the idea might be

The drummer certainly wants to get back in the air, despite how terrifying the idea might be.

'I have to,' he said in his Men's Health interview. 'I want to make the choice to try and overcome it.'

The musician added that he yearns for the normal, everyday feeling of returning home from a plane trip.

'If I do it, and the angels above help me in my travels and keep me safe, I would like to come back and [tell them], 'Hey, I just flew here, and then I flew home. And everything was fine.' I have to tell them, because I almost left them,' Travis said, adding, 'That's a perfect day.'
Amelia Gray Hamlin launched her first-ever fashion collaboration, featuring more than 40 pieces, with UK-based online retailer Boohoo on Thursday.

But just one day later, the 20-year-old ditched her clothing collection and slipped back into promo mode - this time modeling for the lingerie brand Boux Avenue.

Showing an equal dose of confidence and humor, Hamlin posted a couple of snaps of herself posing in front of a statue dressed in a revealing red ensemble.

Promo mode: Amelia Hamlin, 20, struck a seductive pose in front of a naked statue in red lingerie for the brand Boux Avenue on Friday

'pls don't touch the artor the statue. @bouxavenue,' the model teased in the caption, in a reference to her fab figure and undergarments.

Amelia, who is the daughter of actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, slightly leaned her derriere back against the statue in two photos, with her long brown tresses pulled back into a ponytail.

She flashed a seductive look to her left in one image, and had her head tilted up into the air in the other.

Hamlin sat down in a chair with her legs crossed, while still dressed in the sexy combo, in a third photo shared with her Instagram following.

Statuesque: The social media influencer tilted her head up into the air in another image

Sexy: Hamlin showed an equal dose of confidence and humor by writing, pls don't touch the artor the statue,' she wrote in the caption of the Instagram post on Friday

Earlier on Friday, the social media influencer made a sales pitch for her new Boohoo x Amelia Gray collection while decked out in an elegant, cream-colored dress that hugged her womanly curves.

'the piece from my @boohoo collection you need for the weekend,' she said of the sexy number in the caption.

For the Boohoo promo, she pulled her locks into a tight bun as she stood with her arms wide, with palm trees and the gorgeous clear blue sky in the backdrop.

Sales pitch: Earlier on Friday, the social media influencer made a sales pitch for her new Boohoo x Amelia Gray collection while decked out in an elegant, cream-colored dress

Feeling Friday: The model also declared 'Happy Friday' in another promotional post where she's wearing a multi-colored ensemble, consisting of flared pants, jacket and crop top

Summer vibes: There's also a photo of Hamlin wearing a white-patterned jacket and pants combination from her Boohoo collaboration

She also declared 'Happy Friday' in another promotional post where she's wearing a multi-colored ensemble, consisting of flared pants, jacket and crop top.

There's also a photo of Hamlin wearing a white-patterned jacket and pants combination.

Hamlin celebrated the launch of her highly-anticipated clothing collaboration by hosting a Boohoo x Amelia Gray luncheon at the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

While playing host she put her taut tummy on display in a white cropped denim jacket and a pair of matching wide-legged jeans from the 'bold and boujee' collection.

Premiere promo: In recognition of her new collection, Boohoo shared numerous promotional images that showed Amelia modeling the sexy pastel pieces, among others

Social butterfly: Hamlin also made the announcement of the launch of her new collection with Boohoo on social media

She took the entire ensemble up a notch by throwing on a dainty gold body chain and several gold bangles, and styling her lengthy brunette tresses with a center part and sleek bun.

In recognition of her new collection, Boohoo shared numerous promotional images that showed Amelia modeling the sexy pastel pieces, among others.

'boohoo x @ameliagray is here, the fashion brand announced on its Instagram page.

'The exclusively designed collection by muse of the moment Amelia Gray. Effortless summer pieces in dreamy pastel hues, this is the collection to fall in love with this summer.'

Launch party: Hamlin celebrated the launch of her first-ever clothing collaboration by hosting a Boohoo x Amelia Gray luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday
Some of her fellow Real Housewives of New Jersey stars have joined her in admitting to their cosmetic procedures.

And Teresa Giudice looked beautiful and in love on Friday, when she was spotted walking hand-in-hand with her boyfriend Louie Ruelas in Union Square, New York City.

The television personality, 49, wore a black tank top with shoulder straps of varying thickness.

Holding hands: Teresa Giudice looked beautiful and in love on Friday, when she was spotted walking hand-in-hand with her boyfriend Louie Ruelas in Union Square, New York City

On the bottom, Teresa wore shiny black satin cargo pants.

She donned black and white sneakers with stars on the side.

Giudice sported her highlighted hair down, parted at the middle.

The mother of four had some bling on her wrists, and a black Balenciaga handbag hanging from the crook of her elbow.

Balenciaga realness: The television personality, 49, wore a black tank top with shoulder straps of varying thickness

Ruelas, 46, was Friday casual in a navy blue T-shirt and lighter shorts.

The couple has been enjoying summer in the city of late, stopping off for romantic meals at high end restaurants including Mr. Chow as well as Italian eatery Cacio e Pepe in the East Village as seen on Teresa's Instagram.

Last month, the reality star admitted to using lip fillers after appearing with a very puffy pout on the RHONJ reunion on Bravo.

Couple of diners: The couple has been enjoying summer in the city of late, stopping off for romantic meals at high end restaurants including Cacio e Pepe in the East Village

She made sure to include the fact that Louie likes them.

Around the same time, her costar Dolores Catania shared a topless photo on social media after 14 hours of lipo, Botox and filler treatment, which followed her tummy tuck and facelift.

And earlier this month, Teresas costar Jennifer Aydin revealed her bandaged face after a nose job and potential chin implant.
Kevin Hart is best known for his hilarious comedy films and for selling out arenas around the world with his stand-up shows.

But now, the American comedian and actor is changing his pace with his latest Netflix film, called Fatherhood.

The 41-year-old told The Australian on Saturday: 'I say this humbly  but I'm as talented as f**k.'

'I'm as talented as f**k': Kevin Hart discussed his ability to go from comedy to drama this week with his new Netflix film Fatherhood

'I'm really good at what I do,' he added in reflection on his ability shift to a more dramatic type role.

In the Netflix film, which is based on a real life story, Hart plays Matthew Logelin - a single father struggling to look after his daughter, played by Melody Hurd, following the death of his wife.

The heart warming and emotional movie is getting plenty of positive attention from viewers online.

Emotional: 'I'm really good at what I do,' he added in reflection on his ability shift to a more dramatic type role. In the Netflix film, Hart plays Matthew Logelin - a single father struggling to his look after his daughter following the death of his wife

Tear jerker: The heart warming and emotional movie is getting plenty of positive attention from viewers online

But elsewhere in the interview, Hart spoke about 'cancel culture' and the numerous times he's been 'cancelled'.

In 2019, the comedian faced backlash online after tweets his homophobic comments resurfaced, which lead to him deciding to stand down as presenter of the Oscars that year.

But he said he's 'never bothered' by it all.

'If you allow it to have an effect on you, it will,' he told The Australian.

'If you allow it to have an effect on you, it will': But elsewhere in the interview, Hart spoke about 'cancel culture' and the numerous times he's been 'cancelled'

Over the past five years, Kevin has starred in box-office hits such as Get Hard, Central Intelligence and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, as well as sell out comedy tours.

In his personal life, Kevin is a doting father of four children. He shares three-year-old son Kenzo and eight-month-old daughter Kaori Mai with his wife of four years Eniko.

He shares two older children, daughter Haven, 16, and son Hendrix, 13, with ex-wife Torrei.
They attended one of the hottest concerts of the weekend, announced just two days ago.

And Megan Fox along with her 'twin flame' Machine Gun Kelly were spotted outside of the Whisky A Go-Go concert venue in West Hollywood, California on Friday night, heading out after the Yungblud concert.

Megan, 35, was sexy in a taupe-colored spaghetti strap tank top and skin tight black PVC pants.

Cozy couple: Megan Fox along with Machine Gun Kelly were spotted outside of the Whisky A Go-Go concert venue in West Hollywood on Friday night, after the Yungblud concert

She slipped her feet into pointy toed transparent heels, and shouldered a dainty black purse with silver chain handle.

Megan also layered some silver chain chokers on her neck, and had some baubles on her fingers.

She stayed close to her boyfriend, born Colson Baker, who was wearing a pink sweatshirt with yellow smiley face logo on the front.

Strutting: Megan, 35, was sexy in a taupe-colored spaghetti strap tank top and skin tight black PVC pants

The rapper, 31, paired this with black pants with a fabric belt.

The Bloody Valentine crooner walked along in white Doc Marten-style shoes with thick black soles.

MGK sported a pearl necklace and had his bleach blonde hair hanging shaggy in front of his face.

Hand-in-hand: Fox stayed close to her boyfriend, born Colson Baker, who was wearing a pink sweatshirt with yellow smiley face logo on the front

He walked hand-in-hand with his Transformers star girlfriend while security helped clear a path for them outside of the venue.

The loved-up pair were seen the evening prior at Travis Barker's step-daughter Atiana De La Hoyas PrettyLittleThing-sponsored Galore Magazine bash at The Mondrian Hotel.

Megan and Machine looked similarly comfortable with and close to one another at the affair.

Just last night: The loved-up pair were seen the evening prior at Travis Barker's step-daughter Atiana De La Hoyas PrettyLittleThing-sponsored Galore Magazine bash at The Mondrian Hotel

Their whirlwind relationship began last year while filming Randall Emmett's crime thriller, Midnight In The Switchgrass, with Bruce Willis, Emile Hirsch and Lukas Haas in Puerto Rico.

In May, the rapper shared with his millions of social media followers of Megan: 'she said 'i love you' one year ago today.'

And during an interview on Lala Kent's podcast, Megan said last year she 'knew right away that he was what I call a twin flame.'
She's one of the friendliest faces on Australian TV.

But even Melissa Leong has experienced the harsh reality of mental 'burnout'.

The 39-year-old MasterChef judge penned a piece in The Daily Telegraph on the topic on Saturday, after returning from her first vacation in more than four years.

A time out: MasterChef judge Melissa Leong (pictured) has opened up about the harsh reality of experiencing a mental 'burnout'

Melissa admitted there was a 'shameful pride' when it came to taking a break from working, before also fessing up about her 'burnout' moment.

'I started asking myself why I found it so hard to admit that I was doing something purely for enjoyment's sake,' she wrote.

Melissa suggested that coming from a migrant family, like her own, or an Australian family, there's a need to justify having a break with family over continuing to work.

Long time! The 39-year-old MasterChef judge penned a piece in The Daily Telegraph on the topic on Saturday, after returning from her first vacation in more than four years

'We wear being busy like a badge of honour and consider not having time for recreation and recuperation as an indication of success,' Melissa explained.

The celebrity chef acknowledged that Australians suffer some of the highest work burnout rates in the world, before reflecting on her own experiences.

Melissa had her own 'burnout' moment a few years ago, where she was working a job in food that she loved a little too much.

Hard: 'I started asking myself why I found it so hard to admit that I was doing something purely for enjoyment's sake,' she wrote

'It was a one-two punch that stopped me in my tracks for a while. And yet there I was, at it again,' she said.

At the time, she took a few much-needed days off, which she said was beyond liberating.

According to the Channel Ten star, practicing self-care is more than just treating herself to an indulgent meal, glass of wine or even a face mask.

Time for herself: According to the Channel Ten star, practicing self-care is more than just treating herself to an indulgent meal, glass of wine or even a face mask

The outing comes after Melissa revealed what she and fellow MasterChef judges Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo eat while filming the show.

Melissa told the Herald Sun the trio are partial to toasted sandwiches.

'Often we make a round of breakfast jaffles for ourselves and the team, and if we're shooting long hours, they usually make a return later in the day,' she said.
We're less than two weeks away from the return of Farmer Wants a Wife.

And the show's long-time host Natalie Gruzlewski promises that more than one farmer will find love this season.

The 44-year-old shared the good news during an appearance on The Morning Show this week.

Exciting: Farmer Wants a Wife host Natalie Gruzlewski promises that more than one farmer will find love this season

'There is so much romance on the land this year,' she gushed.

'I'm not gonna give too much away, but more than one farmer does find love,' she added.

'And it's a bit of a bumpy road ahead, but loads of romance this year.'

It's been revealed the hit Channel Seven reality dating show will premiere on Sunday, July 4.

Coming soon: Farmer Wants A Wife is set to return to TV screens in less than a month. It's been revealed the hit Channel Seven reality dating show will premiere on Sunday, July 4

Natalie will return as host, with this year's farmers - Will, Sam, Matt, Andrew and Rob - all looking for love.

'I'm so excited to guide our newest crop of nervous and lovable Aussie farmers in their search for true love,' the 44-year-old TV host said in a statement.

'These farmers and ladies have opened their farms and hearts in the hope of finding their happily ever after, and it's a privilege to be a part of their life-changing love stories.'

While this year's show attracted thousands of applicants, each farmer selected just eight women for a series of speed dates.

Back for more: Host Natalie Gruzlewski (pictured) will return, with this year's farmers - Will, Sam, Matt, Andrew and Rob - all looking for love

From there, they'll each choose five women to move in with them on their farms as they get to know each other better and decide if the country life is for them.

This year, one woman will be given an advantage over the others, getting to spend 24 hours alone with her farmer before the other hopefuls arrive.

The selected women will then spend six weeks with their farmer as they decide if they're compatible.

Looking for love: While this year's show attracted thousands of applicants, each farmer selected just eight women for a series of speed dates

The show is considered to be one of the most successful reality dating shows, generating nine marriages, one long-term relationship and 23 babies.

A trailer for the upcoming season dropped on Instagram on Sunday, teasing what fans of the show can expect from the upcoming series.

'Five new Farmers are looking for love... and more than one will find it,' it promised.
Her Instagram feed is littered with sizzling snaps of her jaw-dropping figure.

And Rhian Sugden did not disappoint on Friday, when she took to the site to reveal her incredible curves in very racy yellow lingerie.

The glamour model, 34, posed in the sheer lace bra and briefs in front of a plaster wall, joking to fans about the state of her Manchester home that's being refurbished.

Setting pulses racing! Rhian Sugden (pictured), 34, flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in very racy yellow lingerie for a sultry Instagram snap on Friday, as renovations at her Manchester home continue

In the photo, Rhian drew attention to her ample cleavage, tiny waist and toned tummy as she rested one manicured hand against the wall.

She added touches of bling in the form of a pendant necklace, bangles, and rings on her fingers, and shot a sultry gaze at the camera.

Rhian's cropped blonde locks framed her face, and her striking facial features were enhanced with elegant makeup, including bronzer on her defined cheekbones.

'The Rhi-furb,' Rhian began her post's caption, referencing her home's extensive renovations.

Confident: The glamour model is certainly not shy when it comes to showing off her incredible curves. Rhian's Instagram feed is littered with lingerie-clad snaps, delighting her fanbase

'I've been sent some sexy-a** underwear over the past few weeks but due to living in my house at the same time as doing a full refurb I only have bare plaster walls as my background,' she continued.

'Kills the vibe a little but let's go with it. Plaster work is spot on though right??'

The sizzling post comes after Rhian revealed that a married businessman had offered her 200K to spend the night with him.

The blonde bombshell also revealed that one inappropriate social media user asked if she could sleep with their wife so they could film it.

Rhian told fans on her Instagram Story last month: 'Eurgh there are some right creeps in my inbox this week.

Inappropriate: The sizzling post comes after Rhian revealed that a married businessman had offered her 200K to spend the night with him. The bombshell also revealed that one inappropriate social media user asked if she could sleep with their wife so they could film it

Not impressed: Rhian sternly ended her Instagram Story post last month with: 'Leave it out will you. This isn't a knocking shop,' followed by a 'barf' emoji

'Just woke up to an offer of 200K for one night with a married businessman... and another offer to couple up with someone's wife and be filmed!!'

Rhian sternly ended her post with: 'Leave it out will you. This isn't a knocking shop,' followed by a 'barf' emoji.

The social media star spent the UK's multiple lockdowns with her husband Oliver Mellor and their gorgeous dog.

Back in November, Rhian revealed her third round of IVF failed and said even though she was disappointed, she was 'OK'.

Loved-up: Rhian spent the UK's multiple lockdowns with her husband Oliver Mellor (pictured) and their gorgeous dog. The couple, who wed in 2018, revealed last year they had endured gruelling IVF for 18 months

The couple, who wed in 2018, revealed last year they had endured gruelling IVF for 18 months.

The IVF treatment came after Rhian discovered she couldn't conceive naturally.

Before their third go, Rhian and Oliver bought a puppy and Rhian told Instagram fans: 'So many people told me that getting a puppy after failed IVF is a godsend and a good distraction.

'After two failed rounds I tell you what, I've not been this happy in months. My heart could burst.'
She has her own successful brand Elizabeth Hurley Beach, and she regularly promotes it by putting on a sizzling display in the swimwear.

And Elizabeth Hurley proved to be her own best advert as she shared a behind-the-scenes snap via Instagram on Saturday.

The model, 56, looked sensational as she showed off her slender figure in a plunging silver swimsuit, as she prepared for a shoot for her beachwear company.

Wow! Elizabeth Hurley, 56, showed off her sensational figure in a plunging silver swimsuit in behind-the-scenes snap from shoot for her beachwear brand she shared on Saturday

Elizabeth's swimwear gave a generous glimpse of her cleavage as she was tended to by a make-up artist prior to the shoot.

The halterneck swimsuit was cut high on her waist to accentuate her slender legs, and she kept her accessories to a minimum so all attention remained on her attire for the snaps.

In the snap behind-the-scenes, Elizabeth pulled her brunette locks back into a stylish up-do, and she then styled it into loose waves for the official shoot.

Businesswoman: Elizabeth has her own successful brand Elizabeth Hurley Beach, and she regularly promotes it by putting on a sizzling display in the swimwear

Earlier this month, Elizabeth cut a glamorous figure as she shared a series of stunning snaps of herself wearing a Versace gown on Instagram.

The actress showcased her jaw-dropping physique as she ditched her underwear to model the gold garment, which comes 27 years after she rocked her iconic safety pin dress by the late Italian designer.

Elizabeth styled her brunette locks into loose waves while she added to her look with a light pallet of makeup.

Striking a series of poses, the Bedazzled star also donned a silver necklace as she fixed the camera with a sultry stare, and alongside the post, she wrote: 'About last night'.

Stunning: Earlier this month, Elizabeth cut a glamorous figure as she shared a series of stunning snaps of herself wearing a Versace gown on Instagram

Elizabeth's stunning display in the Versace gown comes almost 30 years after she wowed in a another racy number by the designer - the infamous safety pin dress.

The beauty slipped into the iconic dress when she accompanied then-boyfriend Hugh Grant to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994.

Hugh later said in a BBC documentary that she had only worn that dress because other fashion houses had declined to dress her on the night because she was not very well known at that point.

He said: 'Poor Elizabeth rang some top designers and they all said: "No, who are you?" or "No, we're not lending you anything".'

Iconic: Elizabeth wowed in another outfit by the designer, the infamous safety pin dress for the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral with then-boyfriend Hugh Grant in 1994 (pictured)

'Then Versace said: "Yes, we'll lend you a dress", and they just sent one round which is that one with the safety pins.

'So she shoved it on and I raised my eyebrows a fraction and we set off.'

Elizabeth herself reflected on the night she wore the dress in a candid interview in 2019 as she admitted she was 'unprepared' for the impact the ensemble holds in today's fashion industry.

While Elizabeth made a bold style statement during the glitzy evening, the Royals star confessed the process of achieving the striking look was less than glamorous.

She told Harper's BAZAAR: 'was so unprepared for what happened that night.

'I urgently needed to find a dress to wear for Hughs premiere, and in those days I had no idea about fashion.

'I remember going to an office where they literally fished a dress out of a white plastic bag. I took it home and did my own hair and makeup, fighting Hugh for the mirror, which wasnt even full-length, in our tiny one-bedroom flat.'

The mother-of-one, who dated screen star Hugh, 60, for 13 years until 2000, added: 'It was all very unglamorous compared to how things get done these days.'
She's been enjoying a sun-drenched getaway in Lake Como, Italy for her fiance Benjamin Mascolo's birthday.

And Bella Thorne enjoyed a bit of girl time on Friday at the decadent Grand Hotel Tremezzo, with prices starting from 1,074 a night.

The 23-year-old former Disney star showed off her toned figure in a tiny purple string two-piece as she lounged about by the pool with her bikini-clad pals.

Sizzling display: Bella Thorne (pictured), 23, showed off her incredible figure in a TINY purple string bikini as she soaked up the sun with pals on vacation in Lake Como, Italy on Friday

Bella teamed the skimpy swimwear with tie-dye shorts that accentuated her trim pins, and concealed her gaze behind statement narrow-frame sunglasses.

She added bling in the form of watches, bangles, rings including her sparkling engagement ring, as well as a choker with her fiance's name Ben on the front.

Bella swept her red locks back into an effortless ponytail, and looked to have worn minimal makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.

Life of luxury: Bella teamed the skimpy swimwear with tie-dye shorts as she relaxed by the pool at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, with prices starting from 1,074 a night

Edgy style: The actress concealed her gaze behind statement narrow-frame sunglasses and swept her red locks back into an effortless ponytail

Relaxed: Bella appeared in great spirits as she engaged in conversation with her pals at the idyllic location

The Chick Fight actress appeared in great spirits as she stretched out her toned frame on a sun lounger and engaged in friendly banter with her pals.

A resort employee was also seen topping up their drinks as they soaked up the sun.

Bella and Ben have been in Italy for nearly a week in celebration of the Italian-born hunk's 28th birthday.

Girl time: It appeared fiance Ben had not joined the girls as they worked on their tans

Catered: A resort employee was also seen topping up their drinks as they soaked up the sun

Cheers! The girls enjoyed a cocktail by the pool and engaged in friendly banter

On his actual birthdate, June 20, Bella penned a heartfelt message on Instagram.

'Happy birthday to my forever @b3nm,' she began.

'I'm so proud of the person you have become and I'm so lucky I get to watch your growth and evaluation, and I know I say it every day but I'm so happy you asked me to marry you.'

Details: Bella carried her essential items in a black shoulder bag and added touches of bling to her ensemble, including watches, bangles, her sparkling engagement ring, and a choker with Ben's name emblazoned on the front

Idyllic vacation: Bella and her pals moved to another idyllic spot, no doubt taking in the incredible views

On her way: Bella kept light on her feet in slip-on shoes and carried her cocktail in hand

Staying connected: The Chick Fight actress has been capturing fun snaps from her travels in Italy to her Instagram

Bella included photos of Ben as well as her favourite pictures of them together.

Ben proposed to Bella back in March, with the beauty taking to Instagram to share the news with her 24.5million followers.

'You would have said yes too, she captioned the post, which included several snaps from the surprise proposal.

Partner: Bella and Ben (pictured) have been in Italy for nearly a week in celebration of the Italian-born hunk's 28th birthday. They are pictured in April
Rebel Wilson is hard at work on her new film, Senior Year, in Atlanta, Georgia.

And on Saturday, the actress, 41, posed alongside two of her body doubles - Meredith Richardson and Brooke Bowe - in a post shared to Instagram.

The Pitch Perfect star showed off her 30 kilogram weight loss in a pink, satin leotard that sat off her shoulders.

Wow! Rebel Wilson is hard at work on her new film, Senior Year, in Atlanta, Georgia. And on Saturday, the actress, 41, posed alongside two of her body doubles - Meredith Richardson and Brooke Bowe - in a post shared to Instagram. All pictured

It featured puffy details at the sleeves, and the swimsuit-style cut put her incredible figure and shapely pins on display.

Rebel wrote in her caption: 'Double trouble (or should I say Triple threats?) ! @bamastunts & @brookebowe crushing it as per usual!'

Last week, the star looked every inch the belle of the ball when she shot a prom scene for the movie, and shared the images to Instagram.

Wow! Last week, the star looked every inch the belle of the ball when she shot a prom scene for the movie, and shared the images to Instagram

Wow: The Pitch Perfect star looked sensational as she showcased her slimmed-down frame in a floor-length pink frock, while steeping out of a black Tesla

The actress looked sensational as she showcased her slimmed-down frame in a floor-length pink frock, while steeping out of a black Tesla.

The Australian actress wore her blonde tresses down, allowing them to cascade past her shoulders.

'Stephanie Conway arriving in style Senior Year arriving 2022! Can't wait for you guys to see this movie next year,' Rebel wrote.

Changes: Rebel has lost over 30 kilograms after declaring 2020 was her 'year of health'

'Crushing it on the costumes for this huge Prom sequence,' she added.

Senior Year is currently in production and stars Wilson as a cheerleader who wakes up from a 20-year coma, and returns to high school in the hopes of regaining her popular status and the prom queen title.

It will also star Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone and is set to land on Netflix in March 2022.
Jennifer Hawkins welcomed daughter Frankie Violet with her husband Jake Wall in October 2019.

On Saturday, the model, 37, opened up her family album, sharing candid moments from a family getaway.

The series of images, shared to Instagram, show Jennifer and a giggling Frankie in a picturesque field.

Family: Jennifer Hawkins welcomed daughter Frankie Violet with her husband Jake Wall in October 2019. On Saturday, the model, 37, opened up her family album, sharing candid moments from a family getaway. Pictured with Frankie

Both are rugged up against the cold as they enjoy the view, with rolling hills in the background.

Further photos showed Jake helping the toddler walk across the sand of an idyllic beach.

A final photo pictured Frankie napping across her father's chest, blissed out after her outing.

Fun: The series of images, shared to Instagram, show Jennifer and a giggling Frankie in a picturesque field

Help from dad! Further photos showed Jake (pictured) helping the toddler walk across the sand of an idyllic beach

The former Miss Universe Australia wrote in the caption, simply: 'Little photo dump. #myloves'.

The beauty first revealed she and husband Jake were expecting a child together in May 2019.

Their first child together, daughter Frankie, was born in October that year.

So sweet: A final photo pictured Frankie napping across her father's chest, blissed out after her outing

The former Miss Universe Australia wrote in the caption, simply: 'Little photo dump. #myloves'

She had expressed her desire to start a family in September 2018, following her departure from Myer after 12 years as the department store's ambassador.

Speaking at her final runway show for the retailer, Jen said: 'I'd love to have a family, it's taking the time to look ahead. I want to have the time to be able to do that.'

Jennifer married Jake, 37, in Bali, Indonesia, in 2013, after eight years of dating.
She's nearing the end of her mandatory two-week hotel quarantine in Australia.

And on Saturday, Charlotte Crosby risked an Instagram ban when she posed in the nude next to the curtains of her hotel room for a sizzling snap.

The 31-year-old, who is understood to be in Sydney ahead of work commitments, showed off her pert derriere and lean legs, covering her bare chest with her hands.

Confident: Charlotte Crosby (pictured), 31, risked an Instagram ban when she posed in the NUDE next to the curtains of her quarantine hotel in Australia on Saturday for a sizzling snap

Charlotte also drew attention to her large dragon tattoo on her back, and smouldered for the camera.

Her brunette locks cascaded down her back, and she wore minimal makeup, drawing attention to her natural beauty.

Showing off her playful side, Charlotte captioned the post: 'Love these curtains.'

The reality star secretly flew into Australia in mid-June, with her manager Shane Tyler Greaves telling Daily Mail Australia: 'Charlotte is back Down Under for a series of meetings and work commitments, none of which include any TV production.'

Hilarious: Showing off her playful side, Charlotte captioned the post: 'Love these curtains'

Racy display: The Geordie Shore star is certainly not shy when it comes to showing off her sensational figure. Charlotte shared this racy photo to Instagram earlier this month

Charlotte will instead spend her time in Australia doing several jobs and producing content for her Nova podcast Values and Vibrators.

The brunette bombshell told fans she was sad her longtime boyfriend Liam Beaumont wasn't allowed to travel with her due to Covid restrictions.

'I have to work so I have a special work visa. Liam couldn't get a visa as he wouldn't be working there,' she said.

'As you can imagine Australia is so strict at the moment. They aren't even accepting tourist visas!' she added.

Keeping busy: The reality star secretly flew into Australia in mid-June, with her manager Shane Tyler Greaves telling Daily Mail Australia: 'Charlotte is back Down Under for a series of meetings and work commitments, none of which include any TV production'

Charlotte has been making headlines of late, thanks to her new podcast.

Last month, the television personality spoke about her sex life after being quizzed by a nosey fan.

'I've had a good sex life, but it's not in the hundreds and it's not in the single figures,' she began.

Latest project: Charlotte will instead spend her time in Australia doing several jobs and producing content for her Nova podcast Values and Vibrators

Charlotte admitted she had let the public's imagination go wild when she said she had slept with 'a few people, not thousands' on Geordie Shore.

'It made it sound like I had slept with hundreds,' she remarked. 'But it's not in the hundreds and it's not in the singles.'

The reality star said her fans shouldn't assume that it's a small amount just because she's a girl.

Setting the record straight: Last month, the television personality spoke about her sex life after being quizzed by a nosey fan. 'I've had a good sex life, but it's not in the hundreds and it's not in the single figures. It's not a p***y amount either,' she said

'It's not a p***y amount either. So don't just think because I am a girl I'm going to be like, "oh, I've only slept with seven people'',' she said.

'We're not about that life anymore girls. If we want to have sex with someone, we will go out, take a condom with us, and ride that d**k.'

Prior to dating Liam, Charlotte was linked to fellow Geordie Shore star Gaz Beadle and Australian Married At First Sight star Ryan Gallagher.
Love Island host Laura Whitmore was spotted out and about in Mallorca on Saturday ahead of the much-anticipated launch of the new 2021 series.

The presenter, 36, who jetted into Spain on Friday, was seen enjoying a stroll in Palma De Mallorca with her mother Carmel Whitmore and her newborn baby daughter as she made the most of her downtime before her hosting duties began.

Laura looked radiant in a black floral mini dress as she took in the local sights with her mum, who will no doubt be in for baby-sitting duties while Laura and narrator husband Iain Stirling, 33, are working.

There she is: Love Island host Laura Whitmore was spotted out and about in Mallorca on Saturday ahead of the much-anticipated launch of the new 2021 series

The Irish beauty teamed her dress with a black cardigan and white trainers, while she shielded her eyes with rounded shades.

She slung a large black bag with a neon green strap over her shoulders, which likely held essentials for her 12-week-old baby girl.

Laura appeared relaxed as she made her way around the area, keeping cool by sipping on her official Love Island water bottle.

The devoted new mum, who adhered to Covid rules by wearing a face mask, was spotted doting on her little girl on several occasions, before the group stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Family time: The presenter, 36, who jetted into Spain on Friday, was seen enjoying a stroll in Palma De Mallorca with her mother Carmel Whitmore and her newborn baby daughter

There was no sign of Laura's husband Iain during the outing, with the comedian no doubt having already began his narrating duties ahead of the series seven launch on Monday.

The previous day, Laura was seen arriving at the airport with her daughter and team as she prepared to reprise her hosting duties.

The new mother carried her little girl in the leopard print carrier while wheeling her suitcases out of the terminal ready to head to her hotel.

Lovely: Laura looked radiant in a black floral mini dress as she took in the local sights with her mum, who will no doubt be in for baby-sitting duties while Laura and narrator husband Iain Stirling, 33, are working

Mallorca style: The Irish beauty teamed her dress with a black cardigan and white trainers, while she shielded her eyes with rounded shades

Mummy duties: She slung a large black bag with a neon green strap over her shoulders, which likely held essentials for her 12-week-old girl

On hand: Laura's mum Carmel will no doubt be in for baby-sitting duties while Laura and narrator husband Iain Stirling, 33, are working

Adhering to Covid safety guidelines, Laura donned a taupe face mask as she loaded her things into the waiting car before being driven away.

On Saturday, Laura shared a photo to Instagram of her crew pass for Love Island 2021, poking fun at her very glamorous hair in the post's caption.

'Casual photo for the pass. Wind machine always a necessity!' she hilariously wrote.

Glam: On Saturday, Laura shared a photo to Instagram of her crew pass for Love Island 2021, poking fun at her very glamorous hair in the post's caption. 'Casual photo for the pass. Wind machine always a necessity!' she hilariously wrote

Gorgeous: And in an earlier Instagram post, the beauty shared a selfie captioned 'golden hour', drawing attention to her vibrant tie-dye ensemble, cat eye sunglasses and sun hat

And in an earlier Instagram post, the beauty shared a selfie captioned 'golden hour', drawing attention to her vibrant tie-dye ensemble, cat eye sunglasses and sun hat.

Laura took to Instagram once again on Thursday, revealing she was taking her daughter on her first trip abroad, as she brandished her passport in an airport snap alongside members of her team, and captioned the post: 'Girls trip.'

Meanwhile, ahead of the show, Laura opened up about the new series as she said: 'I am so excited to be back hosting.

Cool: Laura appeared relaxed as she made her way around the area, keeping cool by sipping on her official Love Island water bottle

Style: Laura wore her blonde locks loose for the outing, while she covered much of her face with a tan mask

That's my girl: The new mum spent a lot of the time checking on her baby girl amid the outing in the hot weather

Down time: At one point, doting grandmother Carmel took over buggy pushing duties

'It's been a year where I think we all need a bit more love and fun in our lives and I think everyone is ready for Love Island to be back  myself included.

'I'm really excited about seeing the Villa. I've never seen the Villa in Mallorca so I'll probably be there a little bit fangirling at the Villa. It's almost like a person to me. So I need to remember that I'm there doing a job, not just a fangirl.

'I haven't met any of the Islanders yet but I've heard from the people behind the scenes that they are an incredible cast - it's really exciting.'

Asked whether she missed the series during its time off the air, Laura added: 'I've never worked a summer Love Island, so I'd normally be watching it on the telly. I really missed watching it. I couldn't watch the news anymore.

Sweet: The devoted new mum, who adhered to Covid rules by wearing a face mask, was spotted doting on her little girl on several occasions, before the group stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant

Busy: There was no sign of Laura's husband Iain during the outing, with the comedian no doubt having already began his narrating duties ahead of the series seven launch on Monday

Good idea: The star adjusted a portable fan to ensure her baby gil stayed cool in the ehat

'I needed something that was a bit more fun  I think everyone's the same. Having the break from it has made people appreciate it more.'

Earlier this month Laura and Iain sparked speculation that they had already touched down in Mallorca, as he shared a snap of their personalised water bottles.

Iain didn't specify if he had landed on the island yet but did send fans wild with the caption that read: 'Not long now...'

Laura will once again be hosting the show after taking over duties for the winter series in January 2020 following Caroline Flack's decision to step down amid her ongoing trial for assault.

The presenter tragically died by suicide in February, with Laura continuing to host the show in honour of her close friend.

Love Island returns on Monday June 28 at 9pm on ITV2 and the ITVHub.

Ready to host: The previous day, Laura was seen arriving at the airport with her daughter and team as she prepared to reprise her hosting duties

Day out: The TV presenter looked to be enjoying her time in Mallorca ahead of her hosting stint
She is known for her closeness to her six children, three of whom she adopted.

And on her recent trip to New York City, Angelina Jolie was spotted spending time with her daughter Shiloh, 15, and her son Pax, 17, while visiting visual artist Daniel Arsham's studios in the Queens borough.

The 46-year-old actress was first seen strolling around before entering the space, and she was seen briefly removing her face mask prior to being escorted in to meet the designer.

Quality time: Angelina Jolie was seen hanging out with her daughter Shiloh and son Pax while visiting visual artist Daniel Arsham's studio in the Queens borough of New York City earlier this month

Jolie was outfitted in a flowing white dress that obscured much of her shapely frame while spending time with her kids.

The Girl, Interrupted performer contrasted the light tone of her main article of clothing with a sizable dark gray cardigan sweater that featured partially rolled-up sleeve ends, as well as a pair of light beige shoes.

The Academy Award-winning actress' beautiful brunette locks gently fell onto her shoulders and the nape of her neck and added an element of color to her neutral-toned outfit.

She was seen wearing a light gray facial covering, which she later removed during part of her outing with her kids.

Taking it easy: The Academy Award-winning actress was outfitted in a flowing white dress worn underneath a sizable dark gray cardigan sweater

Jolie began the process of adopting her eldest child Maddox, aged 18, in 2002 and was married to her second husband, Billy Bob Thornton, at the time.

Prior to becoming involved with the Sling Blade actor, the performer was involved with her Hackers costar Jonny Lee Miller, and although the two divorced in 1999, they remain good friends.

Although she and her second husband initially intended to raise Maddox together, they split up in 2003, and she decided to bring up the child on her own.

She went on to adopt a daughter named Zahara, aged 16, in July of 2005 before beginning a relationship with her Mr. & Mrs. Smith costar Brad Pitt in October of that year.

Proud parent: Jolie adopted two children from Cambodia and Ethiopia before she and her former husband Brad Pitt had a biological child of their own; she is seen with four of her kids at the 2019 premiere of Dumbo

The two were the subject of much media attention due to the fact that the now-57-year-old actor had previously been married to Jennifer Aniston, with whom he broke up shortly before dating Jolie.

In January of 2006, the actress announced that she was pregnant with the couple's child, and she eventually gave birth to Shiloh in May of that year.

The following year, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider star adopted Pax, aged 17, from Vietnam as a single parent, and Pitt legally became his father upon his arrival in the United States.

The Fight Club star would go on to officially adopt all of Jolie's adopted children before they welcomed a set of twins named Knox and Vivienne, aged 12, in 2008.

Moving quickly: The former couple first met while filming the action-comedy flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith and went on to begin dating in 2005; they are seen at the 2015 premiere of By The Sea

Formerly happy couple: The two went on to welcome a total of three biological children and Pitt legally became the father of all of Jolie's adopted kids; they are seen with Maddox and Zahara in 2014

The pair went strong as a couple for several years and went on to announce their engagement in 2012 before they solidified their union two years later.

They only enjoyed marital bliss for a short period of time, however, as they separated in September of 2016 when the Maleficent star filed for divorce.

The actress cited an alleged incident when Pitt became drunk on a plane and began physically abusing his children, and although the actor was investigated by several agencies, he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.

Splitting up: Although the former couple tied the knot in 2014, Jolie eventually filed for divorce two years later; she is pictured with Vivienne, Zahara, Shiloh and Knox in 2019

They engaged in a lengthy legal battle regarding their kids before a tentative custody deal was reached in 2018, which remained in place for two years.

In October of last year, the couple went back to court, as the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actor requested that a 50/50 arrangement regarding his parenting be reached.

Although Jolie objected to the tentative plan, a judge ruled that Pitt was to receive partial custody of his biological and adopted children last month.

The actress has spoken out regarding the outcome of the case, as her children under the age of 18 were not allowed to testify at the trial.
She has continued to weather criticism for her past bullying online behavior in recent weeks.

But Chrissy Teigen looked as if she was trying to put the controversy out of mind on Friday when she stepped out for lunch in Los Angeles' Studio City neighborhood with her mother Vilailuck.

The 35-year-old model and cookbook author beat the heat afterward as she cooled down with a large ice cream cone afterward.

On the town: Chrissy Teigen, 35, looked casual chic in a black double-breasted blazer as she enjoyed an ice cream cone and had lunch with her mother Vilailuck in LA's Studio City neighborhood on Friday

Chrissy looked chic in a black double-breasted blazer with minuscule lapels as she arrived with her mother.

She covered up with a dress-like white button-up shirt that she wore with a white scarf.

The runway star added some edge to her ensemble with wrinkled thigh-high brown leather boots with intriguing clear plastic spool heels.

She had her blond-dyed locks swept to one side and blocked out the sun with aviator-like sunglasses.

Covered up: She wore a dress-like white button-up shirt with thigh-high brown boots and large sunglasses

Luxurious: Later, Chrissy and Vilailuck (R) stopped by Beverly Hills for some upscale shopping at Tom Ford and Gucci on swanky Rodeo Drive

Chrissy accessorized with a black Valentino Garavani handbag with gold Roman studs.

Chrissy's mother was dressed more casually in a busy blue floral shirt with a gray cardigan and jeans, plus a straw hat with a black band.

Later in the afternoon, the motherdaughter duo headed to Beverly Hills for some high-end shopping on the swanky Rodeo Drive.

They were spotted browsing around the Tom Ford and Gucci boutiques.

'will never stop saying yolo': Chrissy seemed to have been in a good enough mood to document the outing with a closeup selfie for her Instagram account

Chrissy seemed to have been in a good enough mood to document the outing with a closeup selfie for her Instagram account.

She showed off her sunglasses and a tiny nose ring, along with her studded ears and gold hoop earrings, as she buckled up in her car.

'Will never stop staying yolo,' she playfully captioned the snap.

Although she has returned to Instagram in recent days, Chrissy has mostly been lying low on Twitter, where she was previously more prolific.

Last month, social media star Courtney Stodden shared bullying text messages that Chrissy had sent them in 2011, when they were only 16.

Courtney  who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns  shared posts in which the wife of John Legend urged them to take a 'dirt nap,' a euphemism for dying.

Accuser: Chrissy has been getting some unwelcome attention of late, due to accusations from the likes of Courtney Stodden (pictured) and Michael Costello of cyberbullying

Chrissy shared an apology on Twitter and went silent in late May, before returning returning on June 14 with a statement more fully addressing her bullying behavior online.

But after her tentative attempts at a return to social media, Project Runway designer Michael Costello reenergized the debate by claiming that she sent him a series of bullying direct messages and hounded him over a photoshopped racist social media post.

He claimed to have suffered suicidal thoughts brought on by the online harassment and the damage it allegedly did to his business.

Not so fast: Last Friday, a furious Chrissy returned fire and claimed that the messages Michael shared had been 'fabricated'; seen in 2019 in Hollywood

Fighting back: She said that her Instagram handle had been misspelled in the screenshots posted by Michael, and she also claimed that the screenshots showed Instagram design elements that weren't part of the site at the time the messages were allegedly sent

Shortly afterward, a furious Chrissy returned fire and claimed that the messages Michael shared had been 'fabricated,' while her husband John Legend also supported her.

'No idea what the f**** Michael Costello is doing,' she tweeted.

In her statement, Chrissy said that her Instagram handle had been misspelled in the screenshots posted by Michael, and she also claimed that the screenshots showed Instagram design elements that weren't part of the site at the time the messages were allegedly sent.

Amid her social media scandals, the catwalk star has relied on her husband John Legend, who also accused Costello of fabricating past messages from Chrissy.
She has established a successful modelling career.

And Bella Hadid used the pavement as her own catwalk on Saturday as she enjoyed a stroll in Paris, France.

The 24-year-old model took to the streets of the French capital in a striking ensemble consisting of an MM6 Maison Margiela oversized knitted vest top from their Resort 2022 collection and black leather-look trousers.

Work it: Bella Hadid used the pavement as her own catwalk on Saturday as she enjoyed a stroll in Paris, France

Bella finished her look with another long-sleeved white shirt and chunky black boots as she headed out for a stroll.

The model accessorised her ensemble with a simple black face mask, a small pair of sunglasses and a pair of gold hooped earrings.

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.

Work it: The 24-year-old model took to the streets of the French capital in a striking ensemble consisting of an oversized knitted vest top and black leather-look trousers

Details: Bella finished her look with another long-sleeved white shirt and chunky black boots as she headed out for a stroll

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.'

Details: The model accessorised her ensemble with a simple black face mask, a small pair of sunglasses and a pair of gold hooped earrings

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.'
She has an enviable work wardrobe which she shows off on a daily basis.

And Myleene Klass turned heads once again in an effortlessly chic white spotted dress as she arrived at the Global Radio studios for work on Saturday.

The radio host, 43, looked in great spirits as she strolled through Leicester Square ahead of her afternoon Smooth FM show, embracing the warm weather in the summery ensemble.

Chic: Myleene Klass turned heads once again in an effortlessly chic white polka dot dress as she arrived at the Global Radio studios for work on Saturday

She draped a quilted Chanel handbag across her torso and made sure to add a touch of sparkle with layered gold necklaces and a watch.

Myleene protected her eyes from the glaring sun with large black shades.

She completed her outfit with black sandals and she held her mobile in her hands, and oozed confidence and looked incredibly elegant as she entered the studio.

Stunning: The radio host, 43, looked in great spirits as she strolled through Leicester Square ahead of her afternoon Smooth FM show

Smile: She completed her outfit with black sandals and she held her mobile in her hands

Myleene recently hit back after being accused of getting lip filler, insisting her Filipino heritage is behind her plump pout.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the star shared a series of behind-the-scenes clips of herself and Rachel Riley filming Countdown, flashing her fans a pout while looking typically chic in a tailored red suit.

Her post prompted one user to ask: 'Have you had your lips done or is this your selfie pout?' to which doting mother Myleene swiftly responded: 'I'm biracial! These are the lips I was given.'

Beautiful: She draped a quilted Chanel handbag across her torso and made sure to add a touch of sparkle with layered gold necklaces and a watch

Pose: The star oozed confidence and looked incredibly elegant as she entered the studio to present her afternoon programme on Smooth Radio

Defiant: Myleene recently hit back after being accused of getting lip filler, insisting her Filipino heritage is behind her plump pout

Myleene also added the hashtag 'pinoypower' alongside the country's flag.

Poking fun at her show-stopping outfit, Myleene also revealed to her fans that Countdown presenter Anne Robinson had told her: '[You] look like [you're] from the cast of Dynasty.'

Myleene also made sure to gush about Rachel, 35, who is heavily pregnant with her second child, writing on social media: 'I've just watched this girl do five hours worth of sums that I wouldn't attempt without baby brain, let alone with. Total legend.'

Last June, Myleene, who has a Filipino mother and Austrian father, detailed the horrific racial abuse she experienced in her childhood and the prevalent prejudice she still witnesses.

Behind-the-scenes: The mother-of-three shared a series of clips of herself and Rachel Riley filming Countdown

The songstress, who was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, took to Instagram to reveal she was struggling to explain racism to her children amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

In her impassioned post, Myleene listed some of the horrendous slurs she has faced over the years, with a shocking list reading: 'Chink. Slit eye. Number 69, Fried rice. Mongrel. Ping pong. Slut. All Tai girls are sluts. Banana'.

Discussing her own experiences - yet conceding she cannot understand the struggles in the US - Myleene shared the lengthy caption beneath a childhood snap.

Sweet: Myleene also made sure to gush about Rachel, 35, (pictured) who is heavily pregnant with her second child

Myleene opened the post with explaining what she is working to do by revealing the struggles she has faced in her past. She wrote: 'I'm trying so hard to explain the complexities of racism to my children. How it happens...

'How whilst I don't understand the struggles a black person living in America might be experiencing, how I do understand and know my own experience of being a mixed race Filipino girl growing up in Norfolk...

'I had those words thrown at me. On other occasions, it wasn't just words, it was rock filled snowballs by a group of boys as I walked home, I had my hair cut in the school cloakrooms by some girls, later they threatened a lighter...

'There was spitting. Why does your mum speak like that? Why don't you have an accent? 'I was born here. Yeah, but you don't belong here'...

'I also remember the pride and relief I felt when a bus of school children, aged 10 pulled up next to my own bus and the children opposite all started making ''Chinese eyes and buck teeth'' to then have my own bus retaliate with fist signs and fingers..

'It was small ''victory'', I felt embarrassed, hot, shamed but I remember it so well because for the first time, I didn't feel alone, I had a small token of solidarity that gave me courage'.

Speaking about her experiences at college, she went on: 'At college, I walked into the canteen only to have a group of students hand me their trays loaded up with dirty plates. You're Filipino, you're all cleaners right? Then the laughter.'

Speaking about how she is now living with and addressing the issues, she went on: 'The world looks different now. I am mixed race and I am so proud of that.'

Heartfelt: The songstress, who was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk took to Instagram last year to reveal she was struggling to explain racism to her children amid the BLM movement
Friends of Prince Harry believe that while back in Britain he's planning to reconnect with old pals from the life he left behind.

I can reveal that the Duke of Sussex arranged a surprise 'lads' lunch' when he was last in the country  for Prince Philip's funeral in April  leading his friends to expect more socialising now he has returned to unveil the statue to Princess Diana.

Though lunch with your old mates may be normal for most people, many of Harry's closest friends have felt sidelined since his 2018 wedding and his drastic move to California.

But his secret get-together with members of his former inner circle has revived hopes that he hasn't been lost to his ultra-woke new life after all.

Friends of Prince Harry believe that while back in Britain he's planning to reconnect with old pals from the life he left behind. Pictured: The Duke and Jack Mann

'After the wedding Harry cut everyone from the UK off,' says my source. 'But now he's at last showing signs of wanting to reconnect with his old life.

'His friends are really excited, they think that the old Harry is coming back out of his shell.

'It sounds like he's starting to realise that he doesn't have to abandon his old life to enjoy a new one in California with Meghan.

'The two worlds he now occupies are not mutually exclusive for his friends, though they may well be for his family.'

For while Harry might be keen to reconnect with his friends, the rift with his brother seems deeper than ever.

My source says that William was conspicuous by his absence from the April lunch, which was arranged specifically to include some of the male guests and ushers from Harry's wedding party.

The Duke of Cambridge was best man at the Windsor ceremony.

Others in Harry's circle who were key players at the ceremony include so-called 'deputy best man' Jack Mann, Charlie van Straubenzee, LA pal Arthur Landon, and Harry's 'surrogate godfather' Mark Dyer, who owns a chain of West London pubs.

With coronavirus restrictions in full force they could not have their get-together in Dyer's Fulham boozer Brook House, which might have been a favoured option.

My source adds: 'It's sad that William was not included in Harry's plans for a lads' lunch during the last visit. The only Royals who seemed to see a lot of him were Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.

Though lunch with your old mates may be normal for most people, many of Harry's closest friends have felt sidelined since his 2018 wedding

'But then, Harry had a strange 'deputy' best man arrangement at his wedding, so as far back as then he can't have been privately counting William as his best friend any more.'

Last week The Mail on Sunday reported that Prince William and Harry had their biggest disagreement to date on the night before the 2018 wedding.

Some sources suspected they might even have had a physical bust-up as they emerged from their encounter with their shirts ruffled and out of place.

Let's hope this visit goes off without a hitch... even if what happens on tour, stays on tour.

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pledged to refrain from using the word 'royal' in any context, surely it's time to delete their Instagram handle?

It's still @sussexroyal even though they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.

They haven't posted on the account since March 30 last year  the day before the official Megxit date  and you'd think they wouldn't want anything to do with their royal roots, given the lambasting they've since given the 'Firm'.

However, the account still has a staggering 10.2 million followers, and it's one of the first things that comes up when you search for them on the internet, as if to remind us they are  or were  royal!

When Prince Charles becomes king, he'll slim down more than just the monarchy. I hear he also wants to reduce the number of fuel-guzzling Land Rover Defenders so beloved by the Queen and his late father Prince Philip, which cost from 44,000.

Charles wants a fleet of electric cars  mainly Teslas, which cost from around 35,000  for the Royal Family to drive around in when changes begin to gather pace down the line.

A source close to the future monarch says: 'Charles is really interested in Teslas and biofuel cars, and he would prefer it if the whole Royal fleet wasn't burning petrol. That's why he has his biofuel Aston Martin, the one Prince William and Kate drove on their wedding day.

'He would like to expand the number of electric cars  maybe not replace the whole fleet quite yet  but watch this space.'

I fear this spells bad news for the family's historic associations with Jaguar Land Rover and Audi!
Most parents would be horrified if their daughter decided to quit her top private school at 17 and not bother with A-levels or university, but not actress Donna Air.

Her reaction to the news that daughter Freya, whose father is Damian Aspinall, was quitting education was: 'I left school at 13 [to star in children's TV soap Byker Grove] and it didn't do me any harm.'

Freya wants to follow in her conservationist father's footsteps and work at the Aspinall Foundation. Refreshingly, her parents are entirely behind her decision.

Actress Donna Air has supported the decision of daughter Freya's decision to quit school at 17

Her reaction to the news that daughter Freya, whose father is Damian Aspinall, was quitting education was: 'I left school at 13 [to star in children's TV soap Byker Grove] and it didn't do me any harm'

'I don't see what the big deal is,' Donna, 41, told me at the private view of Elephant Family: Coexistence, by George Butler.

She adds: 'My daughter is incredibly bright. University is a wonderful thing, but education comes in all different forms and my daughter has had a wonderful education. She's been incredibly lucky, but I felt and she felt it's time for a different form of education. I don't have any objections.

'As a parent you just have to make a decision on what's best for your child  and if the pandemic has taught us anything it is that the most important thing is your child's happiness and mental health. Damian left at 16 and he was fine.'

Of course, having parents who are worth millions does help with this kind of thing...

I wonder what first attracted stunning actress Amy Jackson to her new 'friend' Richard Livingstone  who is 27 years her senior... and a multi-billionaire?

Amy, 29, was seen looking very close to the property developer during dinner at the Chiltern Firehouse last week.

She hasn't been seen with her fiance, hotelier George Panayiotou with whom she has a one-year-old son, for months  and no longer wears an engagement ring.

Amy Jackson, 29, was seen looking very close to property developer Richard Livingstone during dinner at the Chiltern Firehouse last week.

Richard and older brother Ian own luxury properties such as Cliveden House in Berkshire and the London Hilton on Park Lane as well as the David Lloyd leisure centres through their company London & Regional Properties  and have amassed an eye-watering fortune estimated at 7.4 billion.

Given that the Livingstones have previously been described as 'arguably the lowest-profile billionaire siblings in London' they will be keen to play down rumours of a blossoming friendship, while a spokesman for Bollywood actress Amy confirmed the dinner at The Chiltern but described them as 'good friends.'

While there's no sign of George, perhaps Richard's wealth will continue to see Amy wined and dined at the most ostentatious restaurants. Well, you know what they say: money talks, but wealth whispers

Huge congratulations to Alisa Green this week, as I can reveal the previously unlucky-in-love model has accepted a proposal from businessman Scott Anderson  who is now set to be her third millionaire husband.

Former Elle magazine fashion editor Alisa was previously married to French Connection founder Stephen Marks, who is father to her three children.

He later had to sell 38 million shares in his business to pay Alisa a 32 million divorce settlement.

Huge congratulations to Alisa Green this week, as I can reveal the previously unlucky-in-love model has accepted a proposal from businessman Scott Anderson  who is now set to be her third millionaire husband

Her second marriage to Belgian businessman Didier Thiry ended with him being jailed for contempt of court, when the couple disputed a multi-million pound loan and other marital assets.

But Alisa, 57, has hit the jackpot once more after meeting Scott. The US-based businessman runs Muffin Town, a large-scale family-run Massachusetts bakery that supplies hospitals and schools and rakes in a reported 18.8 million a year.

So Alisa is rich in her own right and set to marry a muffin millionaire  talk about having your cake and eating it...

My lips are sealed but...

Which well-known young member of the Royal Family pitched up at Kensington Palace in the early hours of the morning with their eyes like saucers after a night of raving?
Priyanka Chopra was seen arriving at her restaurant, SONA, near the Flatiron District of New York City on Friday night.

The 38-year-old media figure flashed a wide smile while celebrating the end result of several years of hard work on the part of both herself and the eatery's devoted team.

Later in the evening, the former Miss World took to her Instagram account to share several behind-the-scenes looks from her visit to her passion project.

Showing up: Priyanka Chopra was pictured arriving at her passion project-restaurant SONA near New York City's Flatiron District on Friday night

Chopra was dressed in a blue pinstripe sleeved blouse and left its top portion partially opened while arriving at the grand opening event.

The wife of Nick Jonas notably tucked her top into a wide-legged pair of bright yellow-green pants that obscured much of her toned legs.

The Quantico star's luscious brunette locks gracefully cascaded onto her shoulders and backside during the celebratory function.

She also sported several articles of gold jewelry that added numerous elements of shine to her clothing ensemble.

Eye-catching ensemble: The former Miss World tucked a blue pinstripe sleeved blouse into a wide-legged pair of bright yellow-green pants

During the evening, Chopra shared several images from the event to her Instagram account for her nearly 65 million followers to see.

A few of the images were also reposted to SONA's official Instagram account, and the actress wrote a lengthy message that was placed in the post's caption to express her excitement for her venture.

The entrepreneur began her message by writing: 'thank you all for your support and for helping to make SONA a success. Last night I finalllllllly got to experience the magic of SONA for myself since the opening.'

Chopra then pointed out that she was ecstatic about her passion project's finalization and that she had been brought back to her roots during her time at the restaurant.

Giving a look: During the evening, Chopra shared several photos from her time at the restaurant to her Instagram, many of which were reposted to the eatery's own account

Satisfied: She also wrote a lengthy message in the caption for the reposted images and expressed that everything about the restaurant was 'beyond my expectations'

'Everything was beyond my expectations and for a moment I felt like I was home in IndiaSONA is truly an absolute dream come to life,' she said.

The producer commented on how the project quickly took on its final form and briefly spoke about the vision of the restaurant's team.

'It feels like only yesterday Maneesh, David, Chef Hari and I were discussing the initial idea of creating a fine dining destination for Indian food in NYC,' she noted.

Ecstatic entrepreneur: The producer also wrote that seeing the restaurant in person was 'an absolute dream come to life'

Chopra concluded by expressing her gratitude for her collaborators and for those who have already patronized the establishment.

She wrote: 'I am grateful to see this golden vision manifest in such a wonderful way and am so proud of everyone involved in realizing our dream. Thank you for all of your support of our baby SONA!'

The restaurant was the result of several years of planning, and its investors began brainstorming about the venture in 2015.

Recognizance: Chopra went on to express gratitude for the work of her collaborators and wrote that she was 'grateful to see this golden vision manifest in such a wonderful way'

Chopra intended for the eatery to be a representation of the finer sides of Indian cuisine and brought on several figures from high-end culinary institutes to design the menu.

Construction initially began in the latter portion of 2019, although the establishment's opening was delayed due to the onset of the global pandemic.

SONA opened its doors to the public in late March and has received mixed to positive reviews from numerous customers.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill sailed away on Saturday with nearly all vaccinated passengers on board.

Celebrity Edge departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6 p.m. with the number of passengers limited to about 40% capacity, and with nearly all 1,100 passengers vaccinated against COVID-19. Celebrity Cruises, one of Royal Caribbean Cruise's brands, says 99% of the passengers are vaccinated, well over the 95% requirement imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A giant greeting was projected on a wall of one of the port buildings: "Someday is here. Welcome back."

Passengers arrived with matching T-shirts that read phrases such as straight outta vaccination and vaccinated and ready to cruise."

Words cant describe how excited we are to be a part of this historic sailing today, said Elizabeth Rosner, 28, who moved from Michigan to Orlando, Florida, in December 2019 with her fiance just to be close to the cruise industrys hub.

To comply with both the CDCs requirement and a new Florida law banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination, Celebrity Cruises asked guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. Those who did not show or say they are vaccinated face additional restrictions.

Saturdays sailing kicks off the cruise lines return to business with Carnival vessels already scheduled to depart from other ports next month.

This is an emotional day for me. When I stepped on board the ship, I was proud. Its a beautiful ship, said Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain, after expressing condolences to the victims of the Surfside building collapse, less than 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) south of the port.

Celebrity Cruises had unveiled the $1 billion boat in December 2018  betting on luxury cruising, offering a giant spa and multifloor suites. The seven-night cruise will sail for three days in the Western Caribbean waters before making stops in Costa Maya, Cozumel and Nassau.

The ship is led by Capt. Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a cruise ship, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

You can truly feel the palpable sense of excitement and energy amongst the group as we prepare for our welcoming of our first guests, McCue said. I've never honestly seen a group so excited to get back to work.

Industry officials are hoping all goes smooth to move past a chapter last year of deadly outbreaks on cruise ships that prompted ships to be rejected at ports and passengers to be forced into quarantine. Some passengers died of COVID-19 at sea while others fell so ill they had to be carried out of the vessels on stretchers.

The CDC extended no-sail orders repeatedly last year as the pandemic raged, and came up with strict requirements for the industry that have already been contested in court by the state of Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the industry generates billions for the state's economy.

On Saturday, officials at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale said only that port lost more than $30 million in revenue in fiscal year 2020 from the cruise shutdown.

During that hiatus, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the three largest cruise companies, have had to raise more than $40 billion in financing just to stay afloat. Collectively they lost $20 billion last year and another $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The pandemic forced Kurt and Carol Budde to cancel their beach celebration wedding aboard the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas, in March 2020. COVID-19 halted cruising six days before they were scheduled to tie the knot in St. Maarten. Kurt Budde's part-time gig as a travel agent also dried up.

It's a honeymoon make-up cruise, said Kurt Budde, sporting matching shirts with the phrase On Cruise Control."

We are living our best lives post COVID today," he said.
The NCSC has issued a notice to the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Bhongir district. (Photo: Representational)

New Delhi: Taking strong note of a Dalit woman's death in police custody allegedly due to torture, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has sent a notice to Telangana chief secretary and DGP seeking facts and information about action initiated in the matter.

The commission has also asked the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Telangana's Bhongir district to submit their action-taken report within a week.

According to information available with NCSC, the woman who was working as a cook, was arrested along with her son following a complaint of theft by the house owner. She died in the lockup of Addagudur police station in Bhongir district due to alleged police torture, it said.

The woman was allegedly beaten by the police in the presence of her daughter despite repeated requests, the commission said citing reports.

The NCSC has issued a notice to the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Bhongir district, and also the chief secretary and the police chief of Telangana asking them to submit the facts and information on action taken in the matter within seven days.

NCSC Chairman Vijay Sampla, on whose orders the notice was sent, has cautioned the officers that if the action-taken report is not received within the stipulated time, the panel would exercise its powers of the civil courts conferred on it under article 338 of the Constitution and issue a summons for personal appearance before the commission in Delhi.

"As Chairman I am duty-bound to secure the rights of the Scheduled Castes and ensure that they get justice in all respects," Sampla said in a statement.
Six genome sequencing labs are being set up at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura. (PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: The Centre has urged Karnataka to take up immediate containment measures, including preventing crowds, conducting widespread testing as well as increasing vaccine coverage on a priority basis in districts where the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 has been detected.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to Karnataka Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar in this regard. Pointing out that this variant has been found in Mysuru district, the letter dated June 25 said, "the Public Health Response, in this case while broadly remaining the same, has to become more focused and stringent."

"Thus, you are requested to take up immediate containment measures in these districts and clusters including preventing crowds and intermingling of people, widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as vaccine coverage on a priority basis," it said.

The letter also asks the state to ensure that adequate samples of positive persons are sent to the designated laboratories of INSACOG promptly so that the clinical epidemiological correlations can be established. Similar measures have been suggested to seven states other than Karnataka.

According to INSACOG, the Delta Plus variant which is currently a Variant of Concern (VOC) has characteristics like, increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, and potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday had held a meeting with senior Ministers and officials and instructed officials to maintain vigil over the "Delta Plus" variant of coronavirus, especially in border districts.

Health Minister K Sudhakar on Friday had said there are two cases of Delta plus variant in the state, one in Bengaluru and the other in Mysuru, both with mild symptoms. Six genome sequencing labs are being set up at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura.
The 71-year-old NCP leader has been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case at the agency office. (PTI file image)

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh for questioning on Saturday in a money laundering case related to an alleged multi-crore bribery-cum-extortion racket that led to his resignation in April, officials said.

The 71-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader has been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case at the agency office in the Ballard Estate area here by 11 am, they said.

The central agency had Friday night arrested his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde after it carried out raids against them and Deshmukh in Mumbai and Nagpur.

The aides were brought to the ED office for questioning following the searches and arrested subsequently.

They will be produced before a special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Mumbai on Saturday where the ED will seek their remand for custodial interrogation, officials said.

The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary inquiry followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court.

The court had asked the agency to look into the allegations of bribery made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Deshmukh, who had resigned from his post in April following the allegations, has denied any wrongdoing.

Police officer Singh was shunted out from his post after the role of assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, who has since been dismissed from service, surfaced during the investigation into an explosive-laden SUV that was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai.

In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the police commissioner's post, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

Deshmukh was the home minister in the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra headed by Thackeray.

In the letter, Singh also alleged that Palande was present when Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort money.

Palande and Shinde had been questioned by the CBI in the past.

The role of the two in the operation of certain shell firms is being looked into by the ED.

The CBI booked Deshmukh and others under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy and the section of the Prevention of Corruption Act for "attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty".
The Chief Minister contacted CPM and CPI party's state secretaries Chada Venkat Reddy, Tammineni Veerabhadram over the phone requesting to send their senior Dalit leaders to the meeting. (DC)

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has decided to call an all-party meeting to prepare guidelines for Chief Minister dalit- empowerment scheme in Hyderabad on June 27. In the meeting, Dalit public representatives, all Dalit MPs, MLAs, MLCs from all political parties are likely to participate.

As per the official release, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has decided to have an all-party meeting to prepare guidelines for the CM dalit- empowerment-scheme on June 27 (Sunday) at Pragati Bhavan here. The proposed meeting will start at 11.30 AM at Pragati Bhavan.

In the meeting, the Dalit public representatives, all Dalit MPs, MLAs, MLCs from all the political parties including the opposition AIMIM, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parties floor leaders are likely to participate.

The Chief Minister contacted CPM and CPI party's state secretaries Chada Venkat Reddy, Tammineni Veerabhadram over the phone requesting to send their senior Dalit leaders to the meeting. The CM has also decided to invite other Dalit leaders who have awareness and working for the progress and development of Dalits. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, CMO Officials, and other higher officials from the Government departments would also participate in the meeting.

The Telangana government is working for the welfare of Dalits in all the sectors. The proposed meeting would discuss at length the qualitative changes that the government can bring in and the measures to be taken to attain this. CM KCR said that the all-party meeting would discuss the welfare and development of Dalits and finalise the guidelines for the same.
The birth-death data revealed by the KMC now confirmed the fears of massive deaths due to the pandemic, more than reported by official agencies. (Representational Image/AP)

KURNOOL: A sudden increase in deaths registered in May at the Kurnool Municipal Corporation (KMC) has confirmed the fears about the Covid-19s devastating effect on the lives here. The number of deaths outnumbered the number of births registered during the month.

KMC data, shared with Deccan Chronicle, showed May alone recorded 1,139 deaths, the highest in the past 14 months. During the month, there were 1078 births.

In April 2020, when the Covid-19 deaths started, Kurnool reported just 53 deaths. In the last four months of 2021, a period that also saw the second wave of the pandemic, 2,419 deaths were registered.

Ironically, the district as a whole registered just 811 deaths due to Covid19 ever since the deaths caused by Coronavirus started to be registered. The skewed nature of the data collected by KMC needs to be reviewed, said a retired bureaucrat.

Kurnool was one of the first cities hit by Covid infections in the state following the arrival of the Tablighi Jama-ath return-ees from Delhi. During the first blow, the city lost some famous doctors and frontline workers.

The birth-death data revealed by the KMC now confirmed the fears of massive deaths due to the pandemic, more than reported by official agencies, said a resident in Ganigalli, the cramped locality in the old city that bore the brunt of Covid-19 and lost many lives.

Kurnool Government General Hospital (KGGH) that has been converted into a full-service Covid hospital with all its 1,200 beds witnessed at least 30 deaths every day.

The hospital superintendent G. Narendranath Reddy said as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines, deaths are classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Though the number of deaths remai-ned high, we are classifying them as Covid deaths when the death occurred only due to Covid infection, Reddy said.

If the patient had other ailments like cancer, cardiac-related diseases, or any other co-morbidity, even though such patients got admitted to hospital due to Covid-19, his death was not classified as due to Covid19. That is the reason why the medical bulletin showed less number of deaths, Reddy said.

District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr Rama Giddaiah rejected the KMC data and said the abnormal death cases in May were improbable. He said the Covid bulletin issued by the state government was accurate as far as this district was concerned.

KGGH superintendent G. Narendranath Reddy noted that there are several private nursing homes in the KMC area. Most of the deaths could have happened there. Dr Praveen, a private nursing home doctor, however, said the deaths were abnormally higher in the second wave in the last three months
Hyderabad: The TRS has intensified its attack against neighbouring Andhra Pradesh over the proposed Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS).

Several ministers raised their voices against what they described as stealing of Telangana water by AP and even personalised their attacks to the extent of calling Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy a dacoit and his father and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy a thief.

Telangana tourism minister V. Srinivas Goud went a step further and blamed Rajasekhar Reddy for the death of popular Congress leader P. Janardhan Reddy who was insulted by the then dispensation for his relentless fight against diversion of Krishna waters into Rayalaseema through the Pothireddypadu project. YSR was a devil in the form of a human being, he said.

The TRS revived the attack on RLIS in the past few days and accused the Jagan Mohan Reddy government of carrying out civil works relating to the project. The AP government, on the other hand, informed the National Green Tribunal (NBT) on Friday that no works of RLIS were taken up. The Telangana state government pressed the Centre to send Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) officials to verify the genuineness of APs claims.

The RLIS turned a bone of contention between the two states last year when both the government traded charges against each other on constructing illegal projects on Krishna and violating the KRMB directions. The fresh attack on RLIS gains significance against the backdrop of the political atmosphere getting charged in the run up of Huzurabad bypolls.

Energy minister Jagadish Reddy questioned the silence of the BJP and the Congress over illegal projects taken up by AP. Instead of fighting against the AP government, the opposition is targeting us, he said.

The minister also accused the BJP-led government at Centre for creating rift between the two Telugu states by not finalising the sharing ratio even seven years after the bifurcation.

Agriculture minister Niranjan Reddy asked the Congress leaders to come out of the mindset of remaining as 'slaves' to Seemandhra rulers even after formation of Telangana state. He alleged that they were slaves to Rajasekhar Reddy in undivided AP and kept mum when he constructed Pothireddypadu project to divert Krishna water and accused the BJP leader D.K. Aruna who was then in the Congress of offering Mangala Harathi to Rajasekhar Reddy, when he came to Mahbubnagar district to loot Telangana water.
Nagababu, Prakash Raj and Sana ignore COVID-19 protocols during the meeting of Movie Artistes Association at the film chambers in Hyderabad. (DC)

Hyderabad: The general public looks up to the film fraternity for inspiration. On Friday morning, however, they looked at some of them with a different feeling.

Some movie artistes were seen moving around without face mask and without observing the social distancing norm at the film chambers. The occasion, telecast soon after, was an event got up to introduce members of a panel contesting the Movie Artistes Associations elections in September.

Actor Prakash Raj is planning to contest for the post of president of the association. It was his panel that met to introduce the other prospective contestants and also to discuss the agenda for the elections. The dignitaries on the dais threw Covid norms to the wind. Such meetings gain higher TRPs when telecast on TV screens.

The blatant disregard to Covid-19 norms from the film fraternity surprised many. They raised questions on social media. If someone is seen in the street without a face mask, will the police tolerate this or fine him or her? Why this exemption to movie stars, they asked.

Stardom means responsibility, especially when a pandemic spread is making lives miserable, they pointed out.
Kamal Haasan had earlier announced that he will take measures to strengthen the party. (PTI Photo)

Chennai: In a post-poll shake-up following the drubbing in the April 6 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder-president Kamal Haasan on Saturday announced new appointments, and will also be the party General Secretary.

The changes come in the wake of a spate of resignations, including then vice president R Mahendran, after the elections where the party, along with its allies, could not return even a single legislator.

Two key political advisors, as many vice presidents, three State Secretaries, an additional Central Governing Body member, Coordinator of the Narpani Iyakkam (welfare) Wing were appointed today, a party release quoting Haasan's virtual interaction with functionaries said.

"More such appointments will be made in the days to come. The newly appointed state secretaries have represented the party in the 2021 TN State Assembly elections," he said.

"The Party President shall take the additional responsibility of General Secretary" of MNM, it added. The appointments come in the wake of an exodus in the party following its poor show in the April 6 polls, with then close confidante of Haasan, R Mahendran, calling it quits from the organisation blaming lack of democracy. More senior functionaries, including former IAS officer Santhosh Babu who contested the polls, had also left the party, some citing personal reasons as well.

Haasan had earlier announced that he will take measures to strengthen the party. Veteran politician Pala. Karuppiah and former aide of ex-President, the late APJ Abdul Kalam, Ponraj Vellaisamy have been appointed political advisors while A G Mourya and Thangavelu are vice presidents, Organisation and Implementation and Activation, respectively.

Senthil Arumugam, Siva Elango and Sarath Babu, a well-known entrepreneur, are State Secretaries with different responsibilities.

While Haasan appointed Sripriya Sethupathi as Central Governing Body member, G Nagarajan is Coordinator of Narpani Iyakkam Wing. "Join me in welcoming these new appointees who have dedicated their life to serving the people. They will work with you to strengthen the party. Cooperate with them to the fullest. The Local Body elections are coming soon, we must get ready to face it," Haasan added.
BJP National President JP Nadda at a meeting with party's National General Secretaries at party headquarters in New Delhi.(Photo: Twitter @BJP4India)

New Delhi: Preparation for the assembly polls in five states early next year was the main agenda of a meeting of senior BJP leaders, including several Union ministers, on Saturday as they deliberated on political and governance issues linked to these states.

Party president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan were among those who attended the meeting, party leaders said.

"Preparation for the assembly polls in five states was the main agenda of the meeting," a party leader said after the meeting.

Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Mansukh Mandaviya and Hardeep Singh Puri, besides BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav and its vice president Baijyant Jay Panda also attended the meeting.

Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa are slated for early next year.

The BJP is in power in all these states except Punjab, and has been holding a series of meetings of its senior leaders as it works to put up an impressive show in the next round of elections.

In the meeting, party leaders also took stock of various development works going on in these states as the BJP leadership has often stressed on the need for coordination among different ministries and the party organisation in an effort to factor in the feedback, sources said.

Uttar Pradesh is especially crucial to the BJP's political fortunes as the party has been the dominant power in the country's most populous state since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led it to power at the Centre in 2014.

The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for weeks over a number of political and governance issues.
A few Congress leaders reportedly argued that party MLAs walked into the trap laid by Chandrashekar Rao ahead of the bypoll to send a message that the TRS and the Congress stood united to defeat the BJP. (Photo:Twitter @TelanganaCMO)

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao meeting Congress MLAs at Pragathi Bhavan on Friday does not seem to have struck the right chord with many Opposition leaders  of both the Congress and the BJP.

The Pragathi Bhavan meeting has not just raised political heat in the state but also led to differences of opinion among cross section of leaders in the Congress with some reportedly expressing their views in support of the meeting while some others strongly opposing it saying such meetings would send wrong signals to people and confuse voters especially at a time when the crucial Huzurabad Assembly bypoll is round the corner.

The Pragathi Bhavan meeting triggered speculation over what could be the motive behind the Chief Minister meeting Opposition parties all of a sudden. They suspect a political strategy ahead of the bypoll to push Opposition parties on the defensive and spread confusion among them.

Congress leaders on Saturday held a demonstration at Gandhi Bhavan to protest against increasing attacks on Dalits under the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) regime. After the programme, the issue of Congress MLAs meeting the Chief Minister reportedly came up for discussion.

It was learnt that Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed his displeasure over party MLAs meeting the Chief Minister. But Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and MLA D. Sridhar Babu strongly defended the meeting arguing that there was nothing wrong in meeting the Chief Minister on people's issues.

A few Congress leaders reportedly argued that party MLAs walked into the trap laid by Chandrashekar Rao ahead of the bypoll to send a message that the TRS and the Congress stood united to defeat the BJP. They reminded the party leadership of the BJP leaders falling into the trap of Chandrashekar Rao by meeting TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao at Pragathi Bhavan in April seeking the TRS not to contest bypoll for the Lingojiguda division in the GHMC. The BJP lost the seat to the Congress even after the TRS abstained from contesting as per the BJP's request. They expressed fears that the same would be repeated in Huzurabad. This meeting created fissures in the BJP then forcing party high command to order an inquiry and take action against errant leaders.

The BJP which accused the TRS and the Congress of striking a 'political deal' to defeat BJP's Etela Rajendar in Huzurabad.

BJP insiders say the meeting clearly proved that the Congress was the B-team of the TRS and both had joined hands to defeat the BJP. They said attacks on Dalits were nothing new under the TRS regime over the past seven years and Chandrashekar Rao was unwilling to meet Opposition leaders on these issues despite several requests, but giving appointment all of a sudden to Congress MLAs within minutes on Friday showed 'well planned political strategy' of the Chief Minister.
Pakistan's former caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso passed away on Saturday due to a cardiac arrest, his family said.

Khoso died in Quetta, capital of Balochistan. He was 95. His body will be buried in the Lehri area of the province.

His son Amjad Hussain told the media that his father had been unwell for sometime and the cause of death was a cardiac arrest.

Khoso was a retired judge and served as acting Prime Minister for three months in 2013 to oversee the federal elections which resulted in the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

He was born on September 30, 1929, in the Jaffarabad district of Balochistan and graduated in law in 1956 from the University of Karachi.

He practised law from 1957 until 1987 when he was appointed as Judge of Balochistan High Court.

In 1989, he was elevated to the Chief Justice of the court. He retired in 1991.
When Hanad Abdi Mohammad grabbed the wheel of a foundering smuggling boat off the Aegean island of Lesbos in December, he said he was scared but determined to save himself and the other 33 people on board.

Six months later, Mohammad, 28, from Somalia, is in a prison on the Greek island of Chios after receiving a 142-year sentence for human smuggling.

I still have nightmares about that night, Mohammad said in comments relayed by his lawyers from prison, describing the fateful crossing from Turkey, in which two passengers died. But he said he had no regrets. If I hadnt done it, wed all be dead.

A copy of the ruling from the Lesbos criminal court, dated May 13 and seen by The New York Times, said Mohammad had been sentenced to a total of 142 years and 10 days in prison for illegally smuggling migrants into Greece. But it added that he would serve a total of 20 years, the maximum allowed under Greeces criminal code.

Read more: Space is for everyone: Europe's Space Agency to hire first disabled astronaut

Mohammad is one of several asylum-seekers in recent months to have received long prison terms for trafficking or facilitating illegal entry despite arguing that they were just seeking safety, according to human rights groups. The groups have identified dozens of such cases over the past few years, although it is difficult to arrive at an exact number.

According to legal experts and rights groups, the practice of putting migrants on trial for smuggling began around the time of the migration crisis of 2015-16, when more than 1 million refugees streamed through Greece, overwhelming its resources. The practice has intensified as Greece hardened its migration policy in recent years and the European Union doubled down on deterrence, they say.

Greece, for its part, defends itself, saying that its courts are fair and that it has an obligation to guard its borders.

In Greece as in the US and the whole Western world, justice is strong and independent, judging on the basis of facts presented during hearings, the migration minister, Notis Mitarachi, said in a written statement when asked for comment on the convictions. Greece will continue to guard its land and sea borders, which are also Europes borders, as its duty, respectful of international and European law.

In the same Chios prison as Mohammad are two Afghan men, ages 24 and 26, both of whom received 50-year sentences for facilitating illegal entry into Greece on sea voyages last fall, according to Lorraine Leete of the Legal Centre Lesvos, which represented them. One had travelled with his pregnant wife and child.

And a 28-year-old Syrian man is in prison in Athens after receiving a 52-year term in April after crossing from Turkey with his wife and three children, according to his lawyers, Vicky Angelidou and Vassilis Psomos.

The lawyers, who declined to name those convicted on privacy grounds, said there was no evidence that they were driving the boats and that there was only one witness, a Greek Coast Guard official.

Mohammads sentence was heavier because two women drowned in that crossing. But eight migrants who had been on the boat said that the Turkish smuggler transporting them had abandoned the vessel and that Mohammad tried to save it after a Turkish Coast Guard vessel forced it into Greek waters, according to his lawyers. Only two of the migrants were allowed to testify in court because of coronavirus restrictions.

The criminalization of migrants as a means of deterrence has been a strategy for a long time, said Francois Crepeau, an expert on international law and a former top United Nations official on the rights of migrants. The latest step is what weve seen in Greece recently, which is obscene numbers of years in prison for people who are basically trying to save their lives and protect their families.

Over the past two years, smugglers have been increasingly limiting the time they spend on boats, abandoning migrants when they approach Greek waters or training them to take the wheel, according to Dimitris Choulis and Alexandros Georgoulis, the lawyers defending Mohammad and others in similar predicaments.

When boats arrive on Greek shores, one migrant is typically singled out by officials, Choulis said. But the decision is often made without real evidence, he added, noting that one Afghan man is facing smuggling charges simply for having the GPS open on his cellphone during a crossing.

Casting a refugee as a smuggler is treating a small-time drug offender like Escobar, said Clio Papapadoleon, a prominent human rights lawyer, referring to the Colombian drug lord. She said there were no real efforts made to trace the actual traffickers.

In none of these cases has there been an investigation by the police and judicial authorities to trace the smugglers, she said. Those arrested are never asked, 'Who gave you the boat? Who abandoned you at sea?'

Papapadoleon, however, acknowledged that migrants may sometimes agree to take the wheel in return for a small payment, or free passage, as smugglers take advantage of their desperate financial situations.

Outrageous and far-fetched prison sentences are a method of intimidation, said Ioannis Ioannidis, chairman of the Hellenic League for Human Rights and a former government official, likening it to the illegal practice of pushing migrants back out to sea. Theyre saying, You will face thousands of difficulties and risks to get here and if you do get here your life will be hell, Ioannidis said.

He added that there was heavy pressure applied on security services by the government to find smugglers. So the services might be overzealous in their approach, thinking they will prosecute someone, but ultimately justice will decide, he said.

It is unclear how many of the hundreds of migrants serving time in Greek prisons for human smuggling or facilitating illegal entry may have been unfairly sentenced.

But according to a report published in November by Border Monitoring, a German charity, at least 48 cases had been identified just on Chios and Lesbos, where the defendants did not profit in any way from the smuggling business. According to Valeria Hansel, one of the authors of the report, that number was likely to be just the tip of the iceberg, since most arrests take place on boats, making it hard to monitor them.

The Greek police said in a statement that every suspected case was fairly investigated under the supervision of a prosecutor and that all offences were prosecuted in accordance with Greek law.

Alexandros Konstantinou, of the Greek Council for Refugees, said convicting refugees as smugglers was part of a broader strategy to deter more arrivals.

Other measures included the criminalization of illegal entry in 2020, applied to migrants at the Greek-Turkish land border, which led to dozens receiving prison terms instead of going to reception centres for identification, and a recent decision by Greece to designate Turkey as a safe country for asylum-seekers. That move was aimed at pressuring Turkey to take back migrants currently in Greece and make it harder for migrants to apply for asylum there.

A root of the problem is Greeces strained relationship with Turkey, which early last year stopped enforcing an agreement struck with Brussels in 2016 to halt the flow of migrants and take back those who manage to cross into Greece illegally who do not qualify for EU protection, some observers say.

Its very difficult for Greece but also for the EU to cooperate with Turkey to crack down on trafficking, said Camino Mortera-Martinez, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in Brussels. Its easier for the Greek authorities to say, You were there, you were steering the boat and so you are charged with this crime.

According to Gerald Knaus, architect of the 2016 EU-Turkey deal, the trend comes in the context of an incredible hardening of migration policy globally, including the normalization of violence at borders, notably in Hungary and Croatia, and regular pushbacks.

In Greeces case, he said, the authorities were likely to keep resorting to such measures until Turkey agreed to take back migrants who do not need protection in the EU. Unless the EU puts a new deal on the table for Turkey, he said, I fear were going to see continued lawlessness.
President Joe Biden has told his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani that the people of Afghanistan "are going to have to decide their future" but assured him that the US is going to "stick with you" even after the American troops leave the war-torn nation by September.

Biden, who had his first face-to-face meeting with Ashraf Ghani at the White House on Friday said America's partnership with the South Asian nation is going to be sustained.

The partnership between Afghanistan and the United States is not ending. It's going to be sustained, Biden told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in a joint media appearance with President Ghani and the CEO Abdullah Abdullah.

American troops may be leaving, but support for Afghanistan is not ending in terms of helping maintain their military as well as economic and political support, Biden said.

"Afghans are going to have to decide their future of what they  what they want. What they want. But it wont be for lack of us being a help.

"But were going to stick with you. And were going to do our best to see to it you have the tools you need," the US president assured the top Afghan leaders ahead of the US troop withdrawal before September 11.

Read | US-Afghan partnership to be sustained, says Joe Biden

Ghani, sitting alongside Biden, said Afghanistan was grateful for the blood and treasure America had spilled during the past two decades to defend his country, which now finds itself facing direct battle against the Taliban militants.

Biden has announced that the American military presence in Afghanistan will end by September 11 of this year  the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 coordinated suicide attacks against the US by al-Qaida, which was based in Afghanistan.

The meeting between Biden and the Afghan leaders comes as Taliban fighters have captured dozens of key districts in Afghanistan in a recent offensive.

The visiting Afghan leaders also held meetings with top officials of the Biden administration including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA Director William Burns and the top Congressional leadership.

As the US prepares its Afghan exit, Biden said the two visiting leaders have got very difficult jobs.

They are doing important work, trying to bring about unity among Afghan leaders  across the board. Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want. But it won't be for lack of us being helped... The senseless violence, it has to stop, but it's going to be very difficult," Biden said.

Also Read | US to evacuate some Afghan interpreters ahead of withdrawal: official

Ghani said the US is entering a new chapter of bilateral relations with Afghanistan where the partnership would not only be military, but comprehensive regarding their mutual interest.

We are very encouraged and satisfied that this partnership is taking place. Thank you for ordering the priorities, he said.

The Afghan nation is at an 1861 moment, like President (Abraham) Lincoln rallying to the defence of the Republic, determined that the Republic is defended. It's a choice of values. The values of an exclusionary system or an inclusionary system. We're determined to have unity, coherence, national sense of sacrifice, and will not spare anything, he said.

The Afghan Defence and Security Forces have retaken six districts, both in the south and the north of the country. It's showing our determination. So, I hope that nobody does the Bernard Shaw on us. Exaggerating our debt before something has happened, he added.

Let us understand that in moments of great transition, things happen. But you will see that with determination, with unity, and with the partnership, we will overcome all odds, Ghani said.

Earlier at the Pentagon, Defence Secretary Austin mentioned how the Department of Defense is deeply invested in the security and stability of Afghanistan and in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement. He reaffirmed the US commitment to an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, especially the strong defence relationship.

Also Read | White House preparing to relocate Afghans who helped US

I am confident that as resolute support begins to wind down, we will make the transition to a new relationship with Afghanistan and the Afghan forces. One that continues to meet your responsibilities to your citizens, said Austin.

We will remain partners with the Afghan government and the Afghan military. And we will continue to work toward our common goal in a new and different way, he added.

In his remarks, Ghani noted the shift from war to peace and how the implications of this are profound. The Afghan leader said that in his discussions with the Congress, he respected the decision of withdrawing US forces.

Ghani said Afghanistan is entering its 1861 moment when President Lincoln entered a besieged Washington and ultimately saved the United States. Afghanistan has a similar approach. The republic has strong roots in support but actually together we will be able to do it.

In a fact sheet, the White House later said the US will continue to provide assistance through its enduring partnership with Afghanistan to promote a peaceful and stable future that the Afghan people want and deserve.

Our strong support and partnership is designed to prevent Afghanistan from ever again being used as a safe haven for terrorism; maintain Afghan stability and build self-reliance; promote economic growth; preserve social gains in education, health and womens empowerment and the rule of law; protect the rights of women, girls, and minorities; bolster Afghan civil society; and respond to humanitarian needs, the White House said.

Since 2002, the US has provided nearly $88 billion in security assistance, $36 billion in civilian assistance, including $787 million specifically intended to support Afghan women and girls, and nearly $3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, it further said.
The pace of vaccination of the 60-plus population has become sluggish in the past few weeks after an initial high, with healthcare experts attributing it to mobility issues and misinformation and unsubstantiated apprehensions about the jabs.

According to Health Ministry data, 2.29 crore elderly people have been fully vaccinated so far while 6.71 crore have received just one dose of Covid-19 vaccine till now.

The 60-plus population in India was projected to be at 14.3 crore in 2021, so that would imply that just 16 per cent of them have been fully vaccinated till now.

Vaccination for those over 60 years of age and those of 45-plus with co-morbidities started from March 1 at both government and private centres.

On an average about 80.77 lakh vaccine doses were given to the 60-plus population per week between March 13 and April 2, but the weekly figure dropped to about 32 lakh between June 5 to 25, according to the data.

Also Read | Coronavirus may have existed over 20,000 years ago!

Healthcare experts expressed concern over the slow place of vaccination of the 60-plus people who are more prone to have co-morbidities and remain more susceptible to severe disease.

Dr Sujeet Ranjan, Executive Director of The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (CFNS), said myths, misconceptions and rumours about Covid-19 vaccines are the biggest hurdle to vaccination coverage.

"Some people think they will never contract Covid-19, others believe that the virus itself is on the way out. Irrational mistrust of scientifically approved vaccines is also a factor. While vaccine hesitancy has always been a phenomenon in our country, today it tends to accentuated by opinions on social media, where even people with no subject expertise but having wide following can influence people," he said.

"Some people in rural areas believe that Covid-19 is mostly for urban people. Also, many people have heard on the social media that the vaccine and its side-effects will show up two to three years from now. These rumours, suspicion and fear are making it harder to remove vaccine hesitancy," he added.

He said it has also been observed that most public places in rural areas lack senior citizen-friendly infrastructure.

Hospitals have expressed concern over the slow pace of vaccination of 60-plus people who also suffer from the maximum number of comorbidities.

Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, said vaccine hesitancy in the elderly population is a very real issue.

"Among many factors, one is a fear that people with previous heart disease will have some issue because of some unfortunate videos that were circulating around. Some people have done their CRP (c-reactive protein) tests also to see if that was raised and then they feel that they should not take the vaccine," Bajaj said.

Bajaj said mobility is also a very big issue for the 60-plus age group.

"The most important problem is mobility because they are not really able to visit the vaccination centres themselves and also they have a fear that if they go into a crowded place, they will catch Covid. We need to ensure that we educate them about the various risk factors and try to provide vaccination to them at their doorstep," he said.

Dr. Piyush Goel, Senior Consultant- Pulmonary and Critical Care, Columbia Asia Hospital, Palam Vihar, Gurugram, said for mass-scale vaccine coverage, vaccine hesitancy is one of the biggest hurdles.

"As there has been a recent drop in the pace of vaccination among people above the age of 60, there are fears that this vaccine hesitancy can hamper the coverage of this population group most vulnerable to Covid-19," he said.

Dr. Roshan Palresha, Consultant - Emergency Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune, said the recent drop in Covid vaccine coverage among the 60-plus group of people is a cause of concern as they are more prone to have comorbidities, and remain more susceptible to severe disease.

People aged 60 and more must understand that while the number of infected people may go up or down, their vulnerability to the disease and chances of mortality remain the same, and can be reduced only with vaccines," he said.

"In the past we have successfully reduced cases of HIV/AIDS and polio through sustained and focussed media campaigns, and it should help this time too. Government representatives must engage in dialogue with these people and may also come up with non-financial incentives to encourage people," he suggested.

Dr. HK Mahajan, Anesthesiologist, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Vasant Kunj, said focus should be on getting across two key vaccine messages -- vaccines provide protection against Covid-19 and vaccines are safe.

Mahajan said vaccine hesitancy in people over the age of 60 years in India could also be because of misinformation, myth and skepticism.

To counter this, Mahajan suggested that front-line health workers and hospitals should issue statements in favour of vaccination.

"Influential people like film actors, famous personalities should also be tapped to appeal to the public to get vaccinated," he said.

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In a bid to enhance military cooperation with friendly nations, stealth frigate INS Tabar commenced its prolonged deployment and will visit a number of ports in Africa and Europe till the end of September.

During port visits, Tabar will conduct professional, social and sporting interactions. The ship will also participate in a number of joint exercises with friendly navies.

During the deployment, Tabar will transit across the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea and Baltic Sea, while making port calls at Djibouti, Egypt, Italy, France, UK, Russia, Netherlands, Morocco, and Arctic Council countries like Sweden and Norway.

In addition to Passage Exercises (PASSEX) with host navies of countries being visited, the ship is also scheduled to participate in bilateral exercises like Ex Konkan with the Royal Navy, Ex Varuna with the French Navy and Ex Indra with the Russian Federation Navy.

The deployment will also see the ship participate in the Russian Navy Day celebrations from July 22-27.

The ship will operate in conjunction with the friendly navies, so as to build military relations, develop interoperability and project long-range sustenance. IN undertakes regular overseas deployments particularly in the maritime areas of primary interest. These engagements are aimed to further strengthen maritime security in the region and to consolidate combined operations against maritime threats. These interactions will also offer an opportunity to navies to observe and imbibe the Best Practices followed in each others Navy.

INS Tabar, is a Talwar-class stealth frigate built for the Indian Navy in Russia. The ship is commanded by Captain M Mahesh and has a complement of 300 personnel. The ship is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors and is among the earliest stealth frigates of the Indian Navy. The ship is part of the Indian Navys Western Fleet which is based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.
A string of Assembly election victories, most notably in Bengal recently, has shown that the formidable Modi-Shah election machine is fallible, and has given the Opposition wind beneath its wings. Add to this a fear of persecution by central agencies, defections to the cash-rich ruling party, and in some cases, existential worries, the rationale for Opposition unity ahead of presidential elections in 2022 and Lok Sabha polls two years later is clear.

The first steps appear to have been taken. But several questions swirl: What shape will it take? Who will bring it together? It may work in some key states, but how will it dislodge the still-popular Modi from Delhi? What role will poll strategist Prashant Kishor play? And where does Congress, an embarrassing underperformer but still the only truly national party in its ranks, fit into the scheme of things?

This week, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who, many believe, could be a magnet to bring different parties together, held a meeting of political leaders and eminent persons from different walks of life, who called for the need of an "alternate vision" in the country and hit out at the current NDA dispensation.

Read more: Opposition alliance at national level incomplete without Congress: Sanjay Raut

The meeting was called under the banner of Rashtra Manch headed by former finance minister Yashwant Sinha, a known detractor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prashant Kishor, who had finalised the electoral strategy of several Opposition chief ministers, met Pawar thrice in a fortnight, including a day before and a day after this meeting, setting the circles abuzz.

Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai admits "No one expected a regional front with its leaders and plans emerging out of this meeting" but insists the talks make one sit up and take notice because Pawar is the face of Opposition unity and Sinha is the vice president of TMC, which halted the Modi juggernaut in Bengal. "This is laying the road or testing the ground for larger Opposition unity before 2024 elections, and also working out things before 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls. Expectedly, the noise has begun around it," Kidwai says.

The first sign was visible when regional parties like the NCP (Maharashtra), RJD (Bihar), SP (UP) and JMM (Jharkhand) rallied behind TMC's Mamata Banerjee in Bengal polls this year, which she won for the third consecutive term.

Also read: Rashtra Manch and the Opposition: Need to chew the cud

The unity continued, with leaders projecting her as a challenger to Modi. Months after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal backed Mamata over the row over transfer of three Bengal IPS officers, which he condemned as Centres blatant interference, Mamata backed him by slamming the Centres NCT Bill on Delhi.

But the question is, whether this bonhomie of regional parties will help them come up with a unanimous alternative to Modi in 2024.

No doubt, Pawars meeting with eight leaders has kickstarted the long-drawn-out process of realignment of forces in the Opposition backyard.

While Shiv Sena, in its mouthpiece Saamna, urged Rahul Gandhi to join hands with Pawar to take on the BJP and underlined the need to go beyond debates and discussion, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Dinesh Gundu Rao backed it, saying, It is necessary and I am sure there is a conversation happening already. I welcome whatever the Shiv Sena has said. Its a good suggestion.

This was the first time a senior leader from the main Opposition party indicated something is indeed cooking. While the AICC has so far steered clear of questions regarding the possible formation of a third front, this time, none in the party attacked or mocked the idea  something they have done in the past.

Congress role

On Saturday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut made a clear assertion that work is on to bring all Opposition parties together at the national level, where the Congress has a key role. The Congress will play an important role in the alliance. It will be a strong alternative to the present dispensation, he said.

While none of the five Congress leaders who were invited to the June 22 meeting showed up, senior party leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath met Pawar separately.

After losing two consecutive general elections, the Congress has not been able to hold its pack together while the resurgent BJP has not spared any chance to poach potential leaders after 2019, including Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada.

According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 42% of MLAs who defected between 2016 and 2020 belonged to the Congress. Most of them joined the BJP, including in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The near-rebellion by G-23 leaders also points to a growing desperation in the Congress camp. A third shot at power to the BJP could sound the death knell for the oldest party.

With challenges upfront, realisation is dawning on the Congress that it cant ignore regional forces, which did a good job of trampling the BJP in states  be it Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi or Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. The Congress also owes to regional parties like DMK and RJD for its existence in states like Tamil Nadu and Bihar.

On the other hand, regional parties are also aware that without an anchor, Opposition unity will be a short-lived affair in both pre- and post-poll scenarios.

Bringing them together

While Yashwant Sinha and Sharad Pawar did not speak much and instead chose to listen, leaders of eight Opposition parties, including SP, RLD (both players in poll-bound UP), the Left, and eminent citizens like former MP Javed Akhtar minced no words in criticising the current dispensation. Some views that reverberated were: The Congress should be the fulcrum of any Opposition unity attempt and such attempts need to involve people and not remain confined to documentary-writing or television debates.

And here comes the role of Kishor to bring regional satraps (not always supportive of each other) and Congress to the negotiating table.

Though Kishor denied any grandiose plan, his meetings with Pawar assume significance given his role in scripting the poll campaigns of a number of chief ministers from the Opposition camp  Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin, Captain Amarinder Singh, Arvind Kejriwal and Jaganmohan Reddy. It makes him a suitable candidate to evolve consensus over a face by negotiating through competing ambitions, something he had done between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar in 2015 Bihar polls. His proximity to Priyanka Gandhi could also come in handy here.

Pawar and Kishor are also credited with the seemingly impossible task of bringing the Shiv Sena and Congress  two poles of Maharashtra politics  together to form a government.

A common grudge that could set parties against the BJP is that the Centre is using its investigating agencies selectively against Opposition leaders. The NCP, in fact, slammed the BJP for using probe agencies to target political rivals.

The Centre is sparing no chance to corner the Opposition. It is this adversity which will bring them together, said a senior Opposition leader, who preferred anonymity.
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After months of pressure from U.S. Rep. Keller, the National Personnel Records Center for veterans will resume in-person operations
Brandi Levy wears her cheerleading outfit as she looks at her mobile phone outside Mahanoy Area High School in Mahanoy City, Pa.
Shahid Kapoor approached for an action thriller, Nikkhil Advani to produce?

Shahid Kapoor is a busy bee. The actor has already shot for the remake of Jersey and is currently keeping himself busy with the shoot of his OTT debut directed by Raj and DK. That's not all- he is in talks for several other projects. Now we hear that he has been approached for yet another action thriller and this one would apparently be produced by Nikkhil Advani.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor)

According to a report, Nikkhil has been planning the film for over a year and has finally approached Shahid for the same. A source quoted by Bollywood Hungama revealed, "Not much is known about the film yet but it is an action thriller that Nikkhil has been planning for over a year now. He wanted an A-list actor from the younger generation to play the lead. He approached Shahid for the same and they have discussed the whole project virtually over a meeting, since Shahid is not in town. Shahid has liked the whole idea and the script and now, the team is trying to work out the modalities, before finalising it."

Well, that sounds super interesting, to say the least. Fans are eagerly waiting for Shahid's OTT debut oo, where he would share the screen with Vijay Sethupathi and Rashii Khanna. The fact that The Family Man creators Raj and DK are making it makes it even more interesting.
Family Man 2 actor Shahab Ali was forced to shift back to Delhi during lockdown due to financial crisis, says 'hopefully things will change'

The Family Man has already gained a lot of applause from the audience from season 1 itself. With season 2, it reached new heights. But, there are certain characters that are not coming back, including Shahab Ali's Sajid, who was killed by Manoj Bajpayee's Srikant Tiwari. Now, in a recent video, Shahab has revealed that he has been struggling with a financial crisis. In fact, the lockdown has made it so bad that he has returned back to his home in Delhi from Mumbai.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahab Ali (@shahab.thespian)

Talking to News18, Shahab revealed, I come from a very humble background. Financially, it has always been tough for me. It is still the same. Everything depends on the upcoming work. This needs to translate into more work. If that happens, everything is going to be great. Both the musical shows gave me some stability. I was able to support my family and pursue my dream. I wanted to come to Mumbai but knew that I couldnt afford to be there. Coming from Delhi to Mumbai was a really big step for me. I could shift because of the stability these musicals gave me. The Family Man has also given me some hope."

He further added, Before the release of The Family Man, I was in a very difficult situation. All work had stopped and I vacated my flat in Mumbai and came back home. Even now, I am still here. Season 2 (of The Family Man) has arrived now and hopefully, things will change."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahab Ali (@shahab.thespian)

Shahab had started out as a journalist and made the shift to acting through theatre. He also revealed, I started with street theatre in the Delhi University. The circumstances were not favourable so I did a course in journalism and even worked for a year for a newspaper. I always felt I was not very good at it. I was not enjoying it either. Then I decided to take a U-turn and told my mother about it. She supported me and I applied for the National School of Drama (NSD), from where I graduated in 2015. Here, life changed completely. Post this, I cracked the audition for Indias first Broadway-style musical, Zangoora. I did it for three years till 2018. Then I started doing Mughal-e-Azam in Mumbai. Im still a part of the show where I play Salim. For me, the struggle ended when I thought of pursuing acting. When I was not able to decide what I wanted to do with my life, that was a really difficult time."

Well, we hope he finds some great work because he is a treat to watch on the screen. He would be seen in an MX Player series next, where he would be an addition in the second season.
Sushmita Sen shares update on Aarya 2, says 'It should be done very soon'

Actor Sushmita Sen has revealed that she has almost completed the shooting for the second season of her acclaimed web series "Aarya". The 45-year-old actor had ventured into the digital space with the crime thriller show, which is a remake of the Dutch series "Penoza". The first season, which debuted on Disney+ Hotstar in June 2020, was well-received for its taut narrative and effective performances. Sharing details about the sophomore season during an Instagram Live session on Friday, Sen said she hopes that the new chapter will also be received well by the audiences.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47)

"The last schedule of 'Aarya' is left and it is not a long one. It should be done very soon. What is important is the love and appreciation you have given 'Aarya'. When we come back you have to love season two. You have to wait for good things," Sen, who started shooting for the show in February, said.

Sen, who was accompanied by her two daughters, Renee and Alisah, along with her boyfriend Rohman Shawl, thanked her fans for their love and support throughout her career. "You guys have inspired me, every day, for decades now. To be a better person, to be giving, because that's what you've done for me," the actor said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47)

"Aarya" features Sen in the titular role of a happily married woman, whose world turns upside down when her husband, pharma baron Tej Sareen (Chandrachur Singh), is shot. After the incident, she finds out that Tej may have been involved in an illegal drug racket, which now threatens her family. The Disney+Hotstar series is created by Ram Madhvani and Sandeep Modi. The duo also serves as directors along with Vinod Rawat.

Penned by Sandeep Shrivastava and Anu Singh Choudhary, the first season of "Aarya" also featured Sikander Kher, Ankur Bhatia, Namit Das, Manish Chaudhary, Jayant Kripalani, Vikas Kumar, Maya Sarao, and Sugandha Garg.
Its only been in recent years that Ive started to see buzzards in the skies locally. Not that they werent there before, its just that I hadnt really known about them or twigged that they were birds of prey. And quite impressive ones at that.

A friend, Eamonn, from Jenkinstown, has had a fascination with them since childhood, he told me. Of course, theyre more readily visible out on the Cooley peninsula, as opposed to where I live in the centre of urban Dundalk.

I started seeing them more often in the last few years soaring overhead while driving along the M1 motorway. They seemed almost suspended in mid-air; wings spread wide, but not feeling the need to flap them to remain aloft. Using the updraft of warm air from the ground to glide elegantly across great expanses of land, keenly watching for prey.

But, according to several reports coming in from Eamonns neck of the woods out on the peninsula last week, buzzards, or perhaps just one rogue bird, had rather unfortunately made some human beings a target for some particularly unsavoury air to ground attacks.

And it seems to be runners that this buzzard has a problem with  go figure. According to Ravensdale Community Alert a nesting buzzard attacked a local runner near the top of the Gyles Quay road aggressively swooping from behind, causing a number of injuries and drawing blood from this persons head and back. That description makes it sound like a truly terrifying encounter, in fairness. But it wasnt an isolated incident either - a different local person out walking was also attacked in the last few days too, added the post on the community groups Facebook page last Wednesday.

A local armchair ornithology expert responded to the post in a valiant effort to try and explain what was going on and why the buzzard was trying to take lumps out of runners, writing:  Some buzzards are more aggressive at the nest site. Runners seem to be at higher risk of being attacked, most likely because their higher approach speed is seen as a greater threat to the birds. This nest is later than normal. If possible, its best to avoid the area over the next three weeks or so, by which time the chicks should have fledged. Helpful advice indeed.

But the Cooley area is no stranger to moments when weird nature strikes back, or at least unexpectedly rears its head. A trip through the Democrat archives this week brought up a delightfully bonkers front-page story from May 15th, 2004.

Throughout that particular week stories of a mysterious black panther on the loose across the northeast had captured the imagination. From Clones to Cooley, people in rural areas were on their guard as unsubstantiated stories of a large black cat roaming fields picked up traction. So much so that one unverified woman from Cooley rang into RTEs Gerry Ryan Show to tell the nation what she had witnessed.

The Democrat report states: The woman was walking in the Cooley mountains with her family when she spotted a curious shape emerge from the edge of the forest. With our appetites whetted, the next paragraph, unfortunately, fails to bring the scares, it simply continues: However no further information could be found and even senior RTE researchers failed to take the womens details. She did go on the record to tell Gerry and Ireland that it was definitely a big black panther though.

In fact, the mysterious Cooley woman proved more intriguing than the big cat story, with the Democrat report going on to say that the womans name could have been Margo and the number she rang RTE on was an 046 number, which would suggest the Kells area of County Meath  not exactly a neighbouring parish of Cooley.

The article reports on other big cat sightings in Monaghan - upping the creepy element by quoting a veterinary superintendent named Des Patton who had examined the mutilated carcass of a young calf on a Clones farm just days before hand. We have never witnessed an animal being mauled in such a manner. It appears the calf was killed by some kind of creature with very sharp claws, he presumably added with a theatrical glint in his eye.

The sense of both fear, excitement and intrigue about the whole thing even reached as far as the Department of Agriculture, with an officer named Alan Walsh, stating that it is hard to figure this out as no one saw the calves being attacked. The panther has allegedly travelled from the Cooley mountains to Cavan, he then adds - entirely straight-faced we must assume - but not unreasonably, that is quite a distance for the animal to travel and is unlikely.

In what I hope and pray was a nod and wink to that Father Ted episode about the hoax Beast created by Giant Reed and Hud Hastings to rig the King of the Sheep competition, local sergeant Joe Flynn, wonderfully concludes the Democrat report with this chilling warning: Mind your children and dont approach the beast if you spot it.

These types of urban legends are legion across the centuries and territories of the world  Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster being the two most famous, but its remarkable how they still capture the imagination today and while the stories are nearly always red herrings, it doesnt take much for reports to grow arms and legs, or as Fr Dougal feverishly exaggerates in that Father Ted episode, when describing the Beast: It has no mouth, but instead has four arses.

We simply want to believe theres unexplained things lurking outside our modern, safe, sealed-off, digital lives. It makes life that bit more interesting and unexpected when something out of the blue is spotted  also scary and potentially dangerous, lets not forget.

Regardless, take care if youre out running near Gyles Quay this week. Look to the skies!
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Claremont, NH (03743)

Today

Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. High 59F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Occasional rain. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. High 58F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low near 55F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.


Erin McCusker is the district director of the Umatilla County Special Library District. Reach her at 541-276-6449 or director@ucsld.org.
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POWER has been restored on the Mizen peninsula in West Cork after a swan hit power lines and ignited a gorse fire earlier today.

ESB crews were on site all day working to restore power supply to affected areas after the incident in the Toormore area, near Schull this morning.

At one stage during the day almost 1,000 customers were affected by this mornings incident. Full power was restored this evening at 6.31pm.

ESB Networks apologised to those affected by todays incident.

A spokesperson for ESB Networks told The Echo:

Personnel from Dunmanway depot attended an overhead line fault near Cealfadda Bridge, Toormore (Goleen) in West Cork this morning. Conductors on the infrastructure were damaged, apparently by a swan impacting on the line.

A gorse fire possibly caused by the fallen conductors at the scene was tackled by the Fire Service units from Bantry and Schull, facilitating safe access to the network for our network technicians."

"Damage to the network and an associated switching of the lines was significant and repairs were carried out. Supply was restored to all customers this evening. We apologise to all impacted customers.

Two fire brigade units attended the scene of the gorse fire. One unit each from Schull Fire Station and Bantry Fire Station attended the scene at 9.49am this morning before returning back to their base at 2.45pm.

The two fire brigade units were called back out to the scene at 3.10pm before they successfully concluded their work within the hour.
MEDICAL professionals in Cork have backed the possibility of using the AstraZeneca and Janssen (J&J) vaccines in younger age groups to fight the spread of the Delta variant.

Speaking at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Friday, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the "balance of risk" had changed due to the Delta variant and told reporters that making the AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines available to a younger cohort would really broaden the portfolio of vaccines available for July and August.

Speaking to The Echo, Dr John Sheehan of Blackpool Bridge Surgery said that the use of both vaccines in younger people certainly merits consideration.

As time has gone on and more data has become available weve learned that the risk involved is even lower than what originally thought, he said.

Dr Sheehan said that the potential benefits of administering two different types of vaccines should also be considered because there is good evidence showing that it produces quite a good immune response.

Weve known for the last month or two that our supply is going to go down in July in terms of vaccine availability, so I think we need to look at all options particularly as things change, he said.

He said that the difficulty with the Delta variant is that it can spread much easier, with about 80% of cases in 18 to 24-year-olds.

The younger people have given up some of the most but they are also the last in the queue for vaccination so if we can get the vaccine out more, particularly with the Delta variant, every week well see another two to three hundred thousand doses of vaccine given so we can get it out there its certainly worth considering, he said.

Dr Sheehan said that while everyone anticipates the return of indoor dining, he suspects it will be pushed out by a few weeks.

Dr. John Sheehan. Picture Dan Linehan

I think a few weeks would see an extra close to three-quarters of a million doses of vaccine being administered and there is a very strong argument with the Delta variant to push out the reopening of indoor dining by a few weeks.

I know its really hard on businesses but I would be surprised if that is not what happens.

Wed be opening up just at the time when the Delta variant is the dominant variant and it would be very hard to justify that, I have to say, he said.

Dr Fiona Kelly, a GP in Castletownbere, whose mother runs a pub in town, said that while she would love to see them opening that stalling the reopening of indoor dining would allow us to buy a bit more time and get more people vaccinated.

This variant is significantly more transmissible. It is up to 2.5 times more likely to hospitalise somebody. It would be a pity to ruin what we have achieved for the sake of a few weeks. It is really hard for people. Most people at this stage have Covid fatigue. I would love to get back to normal. It is a case of short-term pain for long-term gain, she said.

Dr Kelly said the immediate emphasis should be on getting as many young people vaccinated in the coming weeks.

We have achieved so much so far and another three weeks would buy us more time and get around 15% of the population vaccinated and protected. We have to get the vaccine into the younger people as the Delta variant is more prevalent amongst the young people. The projections are that the Delta variant could account for 40% of the cases next week. The vaccines are our way out.

Pharmacist Rose Murphy of Murphys Pharmacy on North Main Street, which has a stock of the Janssen vaccine, said that the vaccine should be available for younger people and that people should be able to make the decision for themselves as to whether they want the vaccine or not.

People are losing patience and there are side effects but it is rare and we should be relying on peoples own intelligence and responsibility for themselves and they should be able to make that decision.

We have the Janssen J&J vaccine here now and theyre only allowing it for over 50s at the moment which is very frustrating because the uptake is low because a lot of people are already done, she said.
Washington, MO (63090)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High near 85F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mainly clear skies. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Ricky VanHoozer, 65, of Athens, Alabama, died Tuesday, June 29, 2021, in Madison Hospital. A 2 p.m. graveside service will be Saturday at Bottom Cemetery with son-in-law Billy Sims officiating. Visitation is from noon until 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Spry Funeral Home in Athens. Pallbearers will 
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.
Princess Diana did not get the chance to see her children again after her death in 1997.

After a few years, Prince William and Prince Harry will spearhead the unveiling of the royal princess' statue on her birthday.

But before the notable event happens, Daily Mail collected all the most controversial theories surrounding her death.

In 2005, Pierre Mutz and Sir John Stevens launched an investigation by talking with the Paris police HQ. At that time, Mutz asked his companion why the senior policeman in Britain started investigating a simple accident.

However, little did the Prefet de Police know, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner actually wanted to conduct the most important investigation yet.

"Because the central allegation I am investigating is that Her Majesty the Queen's husband conspired with MI6 to murder the most famous woman in the world," he said.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Paget, was launched in pursuit to find the answers surrounding Princess Diana's death.

Over 100 allegations of murderous conspiracies, here are the creepiest and shocking claims yet.

The Mysterious Fiat Uno

Initially, they looked into the mystery of Fiat Uno that collided with the Princess of Wales' Mercedes moments before it crashed.

The driver, bodybuilder Le Van Thanh, was only 22 when the tragic accident occurred. This time, he claimed he was never around the area in the early hours of August 31, 1997.

The three-year Operation Paget found out that Van Thanh was truly at the wheel when he bumped into the princess' car.

He claimed that he was working as a security guard and that the car was repainted on August 30. Since red was a lucky color in his home country, Vietnam, he wished it could give him more jobs.

READ ALSO: Wendy Williams Faces Massive Backlash For Wishing Death Upon Britney Spears' Parents

Princess Diana Was Pregnant

Witnesses said that the Princess of Wales was not expecting a baby when she died. However, the Paget found something else.

Per Stevens, a test was run on the sample of the late princess' blood from the carpet of the car. Following the request of the Paget team, a private forensic company then performed another test to find out whether she has pregnancy hormone HCG.

"Not conclusive but on a sliding scale, no, she was not pregnant. Taken together with other eyewitness accounts, and her use of contraceptives at the time, there is a degree of certainty," the statement debunked.

Embalmation Was Done To Hide Pregnancy?

Al Fayed then claimed that Princess Diana's body was embalmed before Prince Charles and Princess Diana's sisters arrived.

However, Stevens said that the formaldehyde used in the process could lead to false-positive pregnancy. He added that a female embalmer conducted the process in the afternoon following the request of French attorneys.

READ MORE: Rapper Gift of Gab Dead at 50: Tragic Cause of Death Explored

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
NBC cancels yet another series, "Good Girls," starring Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman, after abruptly taking down some of its shows recently.

After four seasons, the well-supported drama series has nothing else to go but conclude its five remaining episodes from airing on NBC.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the chances of moving the series on Netflix, which is the streaming home after a global rights deal, have imploded as it will not move to the platform.

Sources note that NBC and Universal Television wanted to bring the show back for another and final season but could not come to a financial agreement that would have allowed the show to continue.

Now, it makes the cancellations streak for NBC bubble shows following "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" and "Manifest" early June, while "Debris" was canceled at the end of May.

READ ALSO: #SaveManifest: NBC Cancels' Manifest' Series Despite Being Number 1 On Netflix, Fans And Cast Protest

'Good Girl' Gets Canceled After Failed Negotiation With Netflix

Sources also reported that one factor could have been an issue with the show moving would have been Universal TV asking Netflix to take on more production costs.

Netflix allowed "Good Girls" for streaming before the drama premiered on NBC as part of their new business model created by the former VP for content Bela Bajaria.

However, the failed effort to move the series to Netflix comes after former NBC co-president Tracey Pakosta exits to become head of comedy at Netflix, reporting to Bajaria, who now serves as VP of global television.

The move helped offset the series costs and limited how producers Universal Television could further profit is given Netflix had already secured both global and SVOD rights.

At the time, the model made sense for shows like Good Girls, The CW's "Dynasty," and Syfy's since-canceled "Nightflyers" as the early sales to Netflix reduced the financial burden of pricey original scripted series.

But now, in an era where every significant media conglomerate has its streaming platform, such a structure prohibits the ability to move a show like Good Girls to NBCUniversal's platform, Peacock.

READ MORE: #SaveZoeysPlaylist Petition Trends: NBC Cancelling 'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' After 2 Seasons Got Fans Furious

'Good Girls' Cast And Fans Express Feelings On Social Media Amid Cancellation

The show starred Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman as a trio of moms and criminal (sometimes) masterminds who get tired of trying to make ends meet.

Hendricks and Whitman have both expressed their sadness on social media, reported by E!

Whitman shared a meme of her eyes being covered by Hendricks in the face of the cancellation news, and Hendricks reshared the post.

"Well, we gave it our all. We really did," she wrote in the caption. Fans have also gathered on Twitter to share their thoughts on the cancellation of the show.

I wanna talk to whoever canceled Good Girls pic.twitter.com/6dnk8EqB7q  Jonny (@DrinkLeafJuice) June 25, 2021

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
International DJ and musician Diplo face a lawsuit after being accused of sexual battery, fraud, and harassment by the same woman he filed a restraining order against to.

According to TMZ, Shelly Auguste claims that the DJ started talking to her on Twitter when she was 17 years old. She revealed that she had solicited naked photos of her at the time, and Diplo replied with explicit comments.

The legal documents obtained by the outlet states that the two finally met in 2018 when she was 21, the accuser later moved to Los Angeles, California. The DJ pressured her into having sex with him by sending unsolicited sexual photos.

Auguste had also heard a rumor about Diplo having a sexually transmitted infection called herpes; she later confronted the DJ and got frustrated by her question, making him stop their fling immediately.

They later reunited in 2019, where she was forced to give up her virginity; the woman also claims that the "Get It Right" hitmaker recorded their sexual activity even though she refused to consent to it.

Another shocking claim that the woman stated is when Diplo had a show in Las Vegas; she mentioned that the DJ persuaded her into having a threesome with "underaged girls."

Diplo allegedly forced himself on Auguste while she was intoxicated.

Auguste concluded her statement in the legal documents that she was later diagnosed with chlamydia, an STI, that she allegedly got from the DJ.

READ NOW: Kim Kardashian 'Looks Like Jeffree Star' In New 'SKIMS' Campaign: Draws Hilarous Reactions

Diplo's team speaks out

According to Bryan Freedman, the DJ's legal representative, Auguste's claims are false, and they believe that it's an act of harassment. "We will not allow them to deter us from pursuing justice against her to the fullest extent possible under the law." the attorney stated.

Diplo sued Shelly Auguste for stalking and harassment

In early reports, Diplo sued Auguste earlier this year. According to legal documents obtained by the outlet, the woman created fake accounts that send him and his family distasteful messages.

The woman also allegedly sent his nude photos and videos to his friends and family. Diplo claims that Auguste often comes to his house without permission leading him to sell his property as he was scared of her behavior.

Diplo also claims that the woman sent racist messages to Jevon King, the mother of his child.

READ ALSO: Paris HIlton Feels Betrayed By Britney Spears? These Actions Speak Louder than Words

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world with a net worth of $196.2 billion.

But when it comes to paying back what he is owed, he will do just about anything to get it back.

The Amazon chief and his girlfriend's brother are still embroiled in some legal battle for allegedly hiding cash to avoid forking over some massive dough.

It was previously reported that Lauren Sanchez's brother, Michael, sued Jeff for defamation for allegedly tarnishing his name by accusing him of leaking private texts to the media before his and Lauren's relationship became public.

However, a judge decided to rule against Michael and ordered him to pay the legal bill of the billionaire and his private investigator $254,404.

Jeff Bezos is claiming that Michael is concealing ownership of his multi-million-dollar Hollywood home to avoid paying the court-ordered ruling.

The lawsuit filed by Jeff Bezos on Friday revealed that for Michael to skirt the court's ordered payout, he reportedly tried to transfer his massive asset, the West Hollywood mansion, to a shell company he controls before listing it for sale worth $2.5 million.

However, Michael's lawyer told the Seattle Times that the tech mogul's lawsuit is some type of "classic bullying."

Tom Warren told TMZ, "The world has been accusing Mr. Bezos of not paying his fair share of taxes, exploiting Amazon employees, and spreading fake conspiracy theories about the future king of Saudi Arabia. You can now add bullying his future brother-in-law to the list."

Warren further claimed that they are planning to appeal that, if successful, would make Michael Sanchez owe Jeff Bezos nothing.

Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez enjoy date night in New York City https://t.co/p8qyLvYhSH pic.twitter.com/UcAFTM5CJQ  Fabluc (@Fabiolucv) May 7, 2019

READ ALSO: Prince Harry Almost Didn't Make It To His UK Flight Because of a Police Chase [REPORT]

What's Going On With Jeff Bezos and His Girlfriend's Brother?

Jeff Bezos investigators identify the brother (right) of Bezos girlfriend (left) as the person who leaked the personal texts to the Enquirer. Some brother. With a family like this, Bezos should run for the hills. pic.twitter.com/wScQiqzwOC  Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 11, 2019

The National Enquirer revealed in January 2019 that Jeff Bezos had an affair with his now public girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, who is Michael's sister.

At that same time, Jeff and his wife 25 years MacKenzie divorced.

The tabloid's next print edition wasn't reportedly scheduled for publication for the next couple of days, but they rushed the cheating story online that night.

They wrote in the headline, "BEZOS' DIVORCE! THE CHEATING PHOTOS THAT ENDED HIS MARRIAGE."

When the media had a field day, Jeff Bezos hired private investigator and security consultant Gavin de Becker to find out who leaked his and Lauren's text messages.

The CEO of the Enquirer's parent company AMI, David Pecker was reportedly pissed off with the investigation so he emailed Jeff in Feb. 2019 and threatened to publish ten nudes and personal photos unless he called off the investigation of the source who leaked the texts.

Though Michael didn't deny leaking the texts between the couple, he said that he didn't have any explicit photos of the first richest man in the world.

That same month, Jeff called David Pecker's bluff and published the email in full, saying he refused to be blackmailed.

Michael Sanchez then went on to sue Jeff Bezos and Gavin de Becker for defamation claiming that he was accused of providing the tabloid magazine with Jeff's nudes.

READ MORE: 'Duck Dynasty' Star Kay Robertson Hospitalized: Condition After Brutally Attacked Revealed

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Estes Park, CO (80517)

Today

Sunny skies this morning. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday, June 26, 2021

Yesterday, I posted an article by Art Kevin from his website regarding Jim Garrison's case against Clay Shaw. It was a text version, with a few changes, from an article in The Assassination Chronicles, a newsmagazine from JFK Lancer :

Several important points stick out about this article. Whenever I post an article from the so-called mainstream media, conspiracy theorists like James DiEugenio cry foul because he believes their journalists are all tainted. But Art Kevin was not a journalist from the mainstream media; he was a big supporter of Jim Garrison and wrote often for the L.A. Free Press, which was a big booster of Garrison.

Needless to say, James DiEugenio did not like the Art Kevin article :

"What is so dumb about this is that Kevin did not use any of the declassified files on the New Orleans case when he wrote this dumb article. By this time there were many of them, which as Garrison always said, would prove his case. Remember, Newman published his book before this which has a focus on New Orleans and AMSPELL, and Bill Davy had published his monograph on Clay Shaw based on the declassified record of the ARRB. Both of those pieces of work showed that what Garrison was saying was correct: Oswald was in Banister's office, Shaw was CIA, and they knew each other. Weird, if Oswald was a commie as Litwin says he was. Further, that the FBI and CIA had covered up evidence that showed the DA was right about what was happening with Oswald, Ferrie and Banister in New Orleans. So Mr. Kevin obviously was not doing due diligence, and Litwin says, hey, OK with me. What do you think, I am a real journalist or something?"

Art Kevin didn't have to use any ARRB documents because he was in New Orleans speaking to Garrison and to his staff. His first-hand story is devastating, and thus DiEugenio has to ignore what he writes.

For instance, Garrison also brought up the issue of homosexuality to Kevin:

"Lee Harvey Oswald was dead of course but I heard constant reminders from Garrison that Oswald was likely bi-sexual which is what brought him into contact with David Ferrie. Even Jack Ruby who'd killed Oswald on national TV was allegedly gay or at the very least bi-sexual! As for Ferrie, he had been fired from a major airline for homosexual activity."

This mirrors what Jim Garrison told Hugh Aynesworth, James Phelan, Merriman Smith, and Jack Anderson. It also mirrors the QUICK article that we have discussed over the past two weeks.

In New Orleans, Kevin met with Jack Martin:

"I also tracked down a private investigator who'd allegedly given Garrison names and "hot tips." He turned out to be an alcoholic and tried to get me to pay for his story."

Kevin wasn't the first person Martin asked for money .

It didn't take Art Kevin long to realize that Garrison had no case and that his witnesses were suspect:

"When I pointed out to Sciambra that the witness list seemed shaky at best, he went quiet. "Why can't Russo remember without medical and psychological help?" I asked. Wouldn't his questioning under hypnosis be suspect because of the possibility of recall being implanted? Wouldn't the drug addict [Vernon Bundy] be suspected of trying to deal down for a lighter sentence? Wouldn't it seem Garrison went after Dean Andrews for perjury because Andrews refused to cooperate? And what about Andrews refusal to tie Shaw and Bertrand together as the same man? And what about the disparity of Bertrand-Shaw's physical appearance as Andrews told the WC? Sciambra, clearly looking as if a ton of bricks had come down on his shoulders, told me to take it up with Garrison. I did."

He then confronted Garrison who told him he had "some things up my sleeve." All Garrison had was the Zapruder Film. Back and to the Left. Back and to the Left. Looking back, Kevin realized that the Garrison cupboard was bare:

"I knew in my heart that had the Warren Commission Report been on trial, the verdict would have been "guilty." But it was Clay Shaw who was on trial and based on the evidence presented, there was no doubt he was innocent. I have often wondered if, in his heart of hearts, Jim Garrison didn't know the same thing and decided to gamble anyway?"

All of this was ignored by DiEugenio. Instead, he has to fall back on this belief that the ARRB rescued Garrison's sham investigation. It didn't.

Let's have a look at DiEugenio's claims. First, was Oswald in Banister's office? The only witnesses that DiEugenio presents in his book Destiny Betrayed in support of his theory are Delphine Roberts, Vernon Gerdes, and Jack Martin. Here are links that debunk each one of these witnesses:

Did Vernon Gerdes See Oswald with Ferrie and Banister?

Did Delphine Roberts See Oswald in Banister's Office?

Did Delphine Robert See Oswald in Banister's Office? (Part Two)

Did David Ferrie Introduce Jack Martin to Lee Harvey Oswald in Banister's Office?

But Clay Shaw "was CIA," no?

If you don't have a case against Clay Shaw, well, tie him to the CIA. That'll do, no? You can say the same about Hugh Aynesworth and James Phelan. Can't rebut their damning stories about Jim Garrison? Well just tie them to the FBI. Conspiracy theorists love this sleight of hand.

The Art Kevin article included two pages from a CIA document on Clay Shaw and his role as a domestic contact:

Clay Shaw was a domestic contact of the CIA, just like many other businesspeople, There's just nothing nefarious here.

DiEugenio's last claim is that Clay Shaw knew David Ferrie. Over the last several months, I have systematically debunked every witness that DiEugenio claims tied Ferrie and Shaw together:

Did Herbert Wagner see Shaw and Ferrie together?

Did Clay Shaw's Secretary see David Ferrie in Shaw's Office?

Did Sandra Anderson have a Photo of David Ferrie with Clay Shaw?

Did David Ferrie Go Fishing with Clay Shaw?

Did Clay Shaw Know David Ferrie? (Part One)

Did Clay Shaw Know David Ferrie? (Part Two)

Did Clay Shaw and David Ferrie Fly to Montreal?

Did David Ferrie Fly Clay Shaw to Canada and to Cuba?

Reverend Raymond Broshears Reveals the Shaw-Ferrie Link!

Did Woodrow Hardy See Shaw, Ferrie and Oswald Together?

Did Charles Krop Have a Recording Mentioning Shaw and Ferrie?

Did David Ferrie Speak to Clay Shaw from Banister's Office?

Art Kevin realized what was obvious to the Clay Shaw jury - Jim Garrison had no case.
Texas traffics in big and bold. It has an outsize history, unmatched iconography, unparalleled cultural diversity. And it also enjoys a global reputation for food. The state is home to iconic foods that make it a culinary powerhouse. From beloved mom-and-pop eateries to fine-dining meccas, the Lone Star States food scene prove everythings bigger  and tastier  in Texas. Here are 10 of the best.

Houstonians love their day trips and antique treks to Round Top, and no visit would be complete without a stop at this iconic cafe known for its comfort-food menu dishes served with homey sides of jalapeno cheese grits or mashed potato casserole. Royers is known far and wide for its pies, though. Eat there, take to go, or order online  Royers is a slice of pie heaven full of Texas charm. 105 Main, Round Top, 979-249-3611; royersroundtopcafe.com

Snows BBQ

How can a Texas barbecue joint be world famous if its open only one day a week? Well, thats just one of the many delicious idiosyncrasies of this Lexington smoked-meat shrine that Texas Monthly named the best barbecue in Texas. Since that 2008 distinction, Snows has been mobbed by global barbecue enthusiasts who wait in line for those precious few hours on Saturday mornings to savor smoked brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage. Owner Kerry Bexley had the good sense to hire Tootsie Tomanetz as pitmaster; she has since become the much beloved and most famous face in Texas barbecue. 516 Main, Lexington, 979-542-8189; snowsbbq.com

Christies Seafood & Steaks

Greater Houstons oldest restaurant  founded in Galveston in 1917, it moved to Houston in 1934  has been under the ownership of the same Greek family since 1967. The Christies continue to excel at the fried fish sandwich that made the restaurant famous, but the menu offers so much more: seafood platters, steaks, gumbo, Gulf shrimp in many guises and the oyster stew that was President George H.W. Bushs favorite. 6029 Westheimer, 713-978-6563; christies-restaurant.com

The Big Texan Steak Ranch

This Amarillo restaurant takes to heart the bigger and better in Texas motto with a menu of giant steaks, including the original 72-ounce Steak Dinner Challenge (you eat the meal in an hour and its free). Founded in 1960, the Big Texan is a tourist destination thanks to its brewery, motel, RV ranch and the restaurant where diners feast on platters of mountain oysters, slabs of ribs and plate-defying chicken-fried steak. 7701 Interstate 40 East, Amarillo, 806-372-6000; bigtexan.com

Patillos Barbecue

Central Texas great sausage traditions were brought by German, Czech and Polish immigrants, but the Cajun and Creole influences of sausage making can be found at this Beaumont institution. Its the oldest Black-owned barbecue joint in Texas. Founded in 1912, Patillos serves iconic beef hot links, also known as greaseballs or garlic bombs  spicy handmade lanks that ooze molten-red liquid fat. A true taste of Southeast Texas barbecue traditions. 2755 Washington, Beaumont, 409-833-3156; patillosbbqtx.com

Matts El Rancho

Classic Tex-Mex restaurants can be found in every corner of the state, but the legacy created in 1952 by Matt and Janie Martinez lives large in Texas culinary history. The menu offers a full lineup of combo-plate staples, but it is the houses Bob Armstrong Dip that has made Matts world famous. Named for the former Texas Land Commissioner, the dip is a bowl of queso heaped with taco meat and guacamole  a much-copied invention that will forever make Matts a Tex-Mex destination. 2613 S. Lamar, Austin, 512-462-9333; mattselrancho.com

Fearings Restaurant

James Beard Award-winning chef Dean Fearing isnt known as the father of Southwestern cuisine for nothing. Beginning at The Mansion on Turtle Creek and then at his signature restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Fearing, along with a handful of other regional chefs, pioneered a style of cooking that would distinguish Texas for generations. His menu feels at once nostalgic and new, with dishes such as tortilla soup, barbecue shrimp tacos, short rib enchiladas and mesquite-fired Texas steaks. 2121 McKinney, Dallas, 214-922-4848; fearingsrestaurant.com

Gaidos Seafood Restaurant

Galvestons legendary restaurant has been dishing up seafood to the beach-going public since 1911, and it remains must-do Texas dining. Perched on the Seawall, the rambling restaurant continues to offer oysters, shrimp cocktail, shrimp scampi, shellfish towers, fried seafood platters, gumbo and cast iron-seared steaks in an atmosphere both joyous and reverential. In Galveston, all roads lead to Gaidos, Texas quintessential seafood restaurant. 3802 Seawall, Galveston, 409-761-5500; gaidos.com

Rays Drive Inn

The history of the San Antonio-born puffy taco can be complicated, but even locals will defend the supremacy and originator history of this hole-in-the-wall mecca for the citys beloved, iconic creation. Here at this Westside landmark, the puffy taco (deep-fried masa dough shell) can be stuffed with chicken, carne guisada, shrimp or beans but the old-school beef picadillo is the best. The cheese enchiladas, nachos and fried fish plates are also beloved. But the puffy taco is the glorious star, and rightly so. 822 SW 19th, San Antonio, 210-432-7171; raysdriveinn.net

Blue Bonnet Cafe

This Marble Falls restaurant has been serving homey fare and Texas hospitality since it opened in 1929. Today, the cafe, once considered a townie gathering place, is known far and wide as a culinary legend where diners can get breakfast all day and heaping slices of mile-high pie. The cafes menu is a study in Lone Start State foodways: chicken-fried steak, burgers, pot roast with brown gravy, chicken and dumplings, cheese enchiladas and crispy beef tacos, fried catfish and malted milkshakes. 211 N. U.S. 281, Marble Falls, 830-693-2344; bluebonnetcafe.net
CANDELARIA  Here in the unforgiving parched lands of West Texas, the first half of the year has been marked by a surge of undocumented migrants equipped, guided and all too often abandoned to their fate by Mexicos smuggling gangs.

Local police and Border Patrol agents have detained thousands of migrants found crammed into cars, trucks, horse trailers, train cars and recreational vehicles. Theyve caught others who trekked for days through the desert in smuggler-led columns.

High-speed police chases of smugglers vehicles have become common. Desperate migrants beg for rescue at isolated homes and on rural roads. Ranchers tending livestock on the far reaches of their land also have encountered migrants.

And dozens have been found dead from heat and dehydration.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

The numbers passing through the Big Bend region remain a small fraction of the nearly 900,000 people detained along the entire 2,000-mile border since October. But they are much higher than have ever been seen in these parts, residents and officials say.

Nerves have become more than a bit jangled.

Human trafficking has just exploded, said Sheriff Ronny Dodson of Brewster County, which envelops Big Bend National Park. President Biden wasnt even in office when they started coming our way. He has got to get control of this.

The increase in illegal crossings has fueled criticism from Republicans about Bidens border policies. Its a main talking point for Gov. Greg Abbott, who has set aside $250 million in state money to build more border walls and said he will direct state troopers to arrest immigrants for trespassing, a tactic that previously was blocked in Arizona by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jessica Phelps, Staff photographer / San Antonio Express-News

Visiting the border Friday for the first time as vice president, Kamala Harris touted the extreme progress the Biden administration has made in addressing the migration surge.

Noting much of the issue is about families, children and suffering, Harris said the administrations approach has to be thoughtful and effective.

This isnt politics, she said. This is cartel. This is human trafficking.

With an eye on the 2022 midterm congressional elections, former President Donald Trump is expected to visit the Texas border with Abbott on Wednesday, where he is expected to repeat claims that Biden policies have spurred the current migration increases.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Occupied territory

For all the local angst it has stirred, this years migration through the Big Bend doesnt amount to much on a national scale.

The little more than 25,000 migrants detained by U.S. border agents in the Big Bend sector amount to just under 3 percent of the nearly 900,000 arrested along the entire border from last October through May.

Nine in 10 migrants detained in the Big Bend Sector, which includes 570 miles of the Rio Grande, were traveling as single adults. By comparison, more than half the migrants detained in the lower Rio Grande Valley, which includes the McAllen and Brownsville areas, were unaccompanied minors or parents traveling with small children.

No one can be certain just how many people slip through the net.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

More people are migrating with the intention of avoiding capture  driven by poverty and violence in many places or pulled by the promise of jobs. Many migrants say theyve been encouraged by the rebounding U.S. economy and by the toning down of the last administrations harsh rhetoric.

But U.S. detection and prevention efforts have also improved.

The vast desert here is seeded with motion detectors and cameras. An aerostat radar surveillance balloon hovers high overhead. Border Patrol agents have been backed up by National Guard soldiers, state troopers, local officers and sheriffs deputies. Coordination between the agencies has been greatly enhanced in recent years.

When I was in school, I was not happy about Big Brother, Sheriff Dodson said. Now I live for it.

We call ourselves occupied territory because we have everyone here, he joked of the law enforcement crush. Its not quite a police state, but its getting that way.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Misled by smugglers

With once favored routes more heavily monitored, hiking migrants and drug packing smugglers have plied more remote desert. In recent months, smugglers have clad many of the migrants  and others packing illicit drugs in backpacks  in cheap new boots and camouflage outfits.

The goal is to reach either U.S. 90 or Interstate 10. On both thoroughfares, relatives or smuggler vehicles spirit the migrants west toward California or east into the U.S. heartland. More than 50 miles of desert separate the border from the towns of Marfa or Alpine, both prime destinations.

The hike is less than half that farther northwest near Valentine, but the terrain can be even more challenging.

The smugglers will tell them its four or five hours walking to get to the highway. Its four or five days, said Dianne Burbach, manager of the Chinati Hot Springs, near the famed local peak of that name, 7 miles from the border.

Its a very big problem, she said. How many more kids will be abandoned out there? If its this bad now, just imagine what this winter is going to be like.

So far this year, federal agents have recovered more than two dozen bodies in the region. County officials have recovered still more. Officials say any tally is all but certainly an undercount.

In sparsely populated Hudspeth County east of El Paso, anchored by the the town of Sierra Blanca, officials have recovered the bodies of nine migrants since January, meeting the annual average toll even before the summer scorch begins in earnest.

Jessica Phelps, Staff photographer / San Antonio Express-News

Responders recovered four bodies in the past week alone, said Joanna MacKenzie, the Hudspeth emergency management coordinator.

This is all dehydration and exhaustion, MacKenzie said. We are an extremely vast county. We know there are bodies out there that may never be found.

Severe drought has emptied many livestock tanks that migrant guides rely on for water. Emergency responders recently recovered the body of a man next to one of those tanks, MacKenzie said. He had an empty water bottle in his hand.

Despite their worries about the rising numbers  fueled by a drumbeat of news reports about the police pursuits, columns of migrants and large-scale detentions  many area residents express sympathy for the migrants.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Ranchers here depended upon undocumented Mexican workers for decades. And many residents have family ties or friends in Mexico. The deserts scorching heat, prickly brush and ankle-twisting terrain is a shared human challenge.

Ranchers and other residents carry extra water and food when driving on rural roads, at times giving rides or calling in help when they encounter migrants in distress.

Historically, we are part of the problem, said Albert Miller, 71, a fourth-generation rancher who serves as the senior elected official in the farming hamlet of Valentine. We have employed these people for cheap labor for years, for generations.

They are coming because there is opportunity, Miller said, echoing the suggestion of many on the border that some sort of solution involving legal work permits is the answer. And I cant say I blame them.

The long-deserted house where Miller and his siblings spent their early years was burned down earlier this year by a migrant apparently signaling for help after being abandoned by smugglers.

The incident provoked outrage among some in the area. But Miller seems more saddened by the buildings loss than angered by the migrants action.

I guess his group went off and left him, and he was terrified, Miller said.

Jessica Phelps, Staff photographer / San Antonio Express-News

Dried-up Rio Grande

Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.

They also might be forgiven for not noticing the international line.

The Rio Grande, upstream from where its replenished by Mexicos Conchos River, is little more than a tree-shrouded creek bed, no wider than a mobile home. The river channel is completely dry now, as it is much of the year unless it rains. A decade of severe drought and upstream irrigation has taken its toll.

Many of Candelarias 100 or so residents were born in the neighboring Mexican community, San Antonio del Bravo, or live in both places at once. Officials say the Mexican villages farther along the border are prime staging areas for human smugglers.

On a recent day, three SUVs and two pickup trucks sat unattended in a grassy clearing on the Mexican side. Large canisters of liquid, perhaps for drinking, filled the pickup beds. A sign implores visitors not to throw trash; only a single plastic bottle and a cup litter the clearing.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

A small handmade wooden cross  a tattered low hiking boot hanging from it  serves as a shrine to the migrants risking this snippet of border.

Across the well-trod border gulley stands a chest-high wire fence, buckled by a steel gate. A plaque attached to a fence post warns that illegal crossing here is punishable by law. The gate is chained shut, but not locked.

Out here its very calm, said Sergio Pena, a ranch manager who lives on both sides of the border.

The deeply rutted dirt lane leading from the gate runs a few hundred yards to the paved road from Presidio. At the corner stands a well-kept ranch house and compound. A faded and badly fraying banner flies atop a tall staff at the gate.

TRUM the flag declares, its P chewed away by wind and time.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Marooned in Mexico

Most of the detained migrants are quickly returned to Mexico under regulations put in place by the last administration that suspended normal due process.

Those returned to Ojinaga, a raw city of about 30,000 that is the largest Mexican community in the region, have met a widely indifferent, sometimes openly hostile, reception. Unlike those in other Mexican border cities, outgoing Mayor Martin Sanchez has refused to allow non-Mexican returnees to stay at the citys charity shelter.

We dont have the budget to handle this kind of situation, Sanchez said recently, explaining his policy. Its not just food. They arrive here barefoot, without clothing. We have to give them everything.

While praising the few Cuban nationals who have been marooned in Ojinaga in recent months, Sanchez dismissed the far more numerous Central Americans in the city as undisciplined, rude and ignorant.

Its worse where they are from than is this whole journey, Sanchez said of the migrants. Because its not easy to get here. They dont want to go home. They want to try to cross again.

Jessica Phelps, Staff photographer / San Antonio Express-News

With few other options, humanitarian officials with Mexicos immigration agency drop the most destitute of the returnees, most of them Central Americans, at a threadbare shelter set up several years ago by an evangelical preacher and his wife on the hardpan outskirts of Ojinaga.

During the high migration season last winter, Pastor Jose Medrano and his wife, Reyna Madrid, tended to dozens of migrants at a time, with little financial help.

Men bedded down on donated cots or sleeping mats in the concrete and tin-roofed chapel attached to the familys home. The far fewer women and children slept in two small rooms flanking a simple kitchen.

The Bible speaks of the pilgrim, Madrid, 60, said. We have to help these people. They have no support, no guardian angels. We are their protectors, sent by God.

Most the men in the shelter said they planned to return home after several failed attempts to slip into the U.S. A few were waiting for family and friends to send more money to pay for another try.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Many of the men said smugglers had told them that crossing in the Big Bend area was both faster and more assured than through Arizona or California. Some crossed in groups of about a dozen people, others with columns of up to 60. All were caught either quickly or after days of hiking toward U.S. 90 or Interstate 10, as much as 55 miles distant.

We heard the desert is a shorter route, said Anselmo Arzate, 44, a Guatemalan father of two daughters. But everything here is difficult. 

Arzate said he was captured on a first attempt after walking four days and on a second after a weeklong trek in which his group stumbled upon the bodies of four other migrants.

Its just not worth the effort, Arzate said. At least we tried.

Last week, only a few Central Americans were staying at the shelter.

Lucio Lopez, 30, a father of two from Guatemalas Maya highlands, had tried four times to slip into El Paso. U.S. officials sent him to Ojinaga after the final attempt, hoping the desert would discourage him more than the border fence of the city.

Honduran Maribel Aguilar, 27, said she had tried several months ago to ask for asylum at El Paso with her 13-year-old daughter and a friend.

U.S. officials admitted the other two, and they are now living in Florida. Aguilar was returned to Ojinaga, where she has been stuck at the shelter plotting her next move, awaiting funds that may never come. Whatever happens, she said, returning to Honduras isnt an option.

I have faith in God that I am going to get in, she said in a whisper.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Design by Angela Alcala-Bach

A version of this article will appear in print on July 4, 2021, on Page A1 of the San Antonio Express-News. | Today's Paper



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No mention that the Childrens Shelter currently occupies 2939 W. Woodlawn Ave.; maybe just a coincidence? There is an aging, red-brick building in one corner of that property that has fallen into disrepair and may have been a part of the original orphanage. It looks quite old and maybe historic.

 Arthur Wilson

Corny as it sounds, I learn something old every week, if not more often. Before looking into this question, I didnt know about this building, much less the person who willed it into being.

Last Sundays column was about the Protestant Orphans Home, founded in 1886 by a group of 13 local women.

The institution took a great leap forward in the 1920s when a capital campaign made it possible to move in 1926 into a more stately mansion, also of red brick, at 3031 W. Woodlawn Ave. The building you ask about was originally an infirmary intended to isolate sick children. It became known as the Lambeth Unit, named for one of the homes most tenacious and successful fundraisers.

Hortense Ross Lambeth (1879-1962)  usually referred to in the style of the time as Mrs. David Lambeth  formed the Protestant Orphans Club in 1920 with Mrs. A.L. Wright and Mrs. L.B. Stoner, and the three women took on the responsibility of clothing 176 children. Because the orphanage didnt have the money to purchase uniforms, it had depended on donated clothing  a hit-or-miss system that didnt ensure clothing and shoes in the necessary quantities and sizes.

Lambeth personally painted white mite boxes with Help the Protestant Orphans Home and set them out in groceries, beauty shops, drugstores, cleaners and cigar stores  anywhere that money (was) handled, says the San Antonio Express, March 22, 1925. A few more boxes brought the appeal to New Braunfels, Sonora and Gonzales, where the Lambeths had lived as a young couple. Club members also solicited cash donations from individuals and recruited church groups and sewing circles to help by making things for the orphans. Change from the mite boxes added up to enough to supply not only school clothes and shoes but extras, such as socks, baby powder, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

As president of the Protestant Orphans Club, Lambeth made monthly rounds of the mite boxes to pick up the proceeds and thank the merchants who hosted them. She also served as the homes volunteer purchasing agent. It wasnt unusual for her to take 35 children shoe-shopping at once. She bought on a schedule, hunting off-season bargains and staggering her buying trips throughout the year.

Incredibly, Lambeth absorbed yet another core duty, looking after the homes ailing residents. She raised funds for a 48-bed hospital  the Lambeth Unit  the first building completed after the main one, from which it was about 100 yards distant. When she first started her work with the home, says the San Antonio Light, Feb. 3, 1946, there was no hospital, not even a hot-water bottle. The resulting facility was furnished entirely with memorials, gifts solicited to honor the memory of someone the donors wanted remembered.

Lambeth could relate to that impulse. Her quarter-century of work with children, especially the sick and the crippled, has been a living memorial, the Light reports. She comforted and play(ed) a mothers role to young patients because her own children had been lost to her decades earlier.

The Lambeths elder son, David Nash Lambeth Jr., was born in 1898, a year after the couple was married. The promising little boy, says his obituary in the Gonzales Inquirer, June 9, 1902, died at home, only days after his fourth birthday. It was not known that he was seriously sick, and the death came as a shock. The little boy was a favorite with all who knew him  a bright and manly little fellow.

Young David was survived by a little brother, but not for long. Born in 1901, William Ross Lambeth died in 1904, four months before his third birthday. It was hardly known that he was sick, says the Inquirer, March 2, 1904, dating only since Saturday, though he has been in delicate health for some months. He was a bright little boy and a pet and favorite with all who knew him.

The Lambeths had no more children.

On the night of her second sons death, says the Light, she told her husband she would devote the rest of her life to children who have no mothers to take care of them. She kept her promise, in part by raising funds for the hospital so skillfully that the hospital never cost the Home a cent. Lambeth also recruited volunteer doctors, including the surgeons who repaired a girls club foot and performed a series of operations to correct a tubercular spine. She also paid daily visits to children who were seriously ill, bringing small gifts and holding them if they were in pain.

After 26 years of involvement, she resigned from the board of the Protestant Orphans Home  not to retire, but to raise funds for a hospital at Boysville, another local childrens home. Lambeth also served on the boards of the Bexar County Tuberculosis Association and Santa Rosa Childrens Hospital. Before her death in 1962  six years after her husband  she had been made an honorary life member of all three boards. She was buried beside her family in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Gonzales.

At that time, the orphans home was moving away from the dormitory concept represented by the mansion to a small-group, family-style model, for which five cottages were built on a nearby property at 2939 W. Woodlawn. The Lambeth Unit subsequently was used to house administration, the education department and a speech pathologist.

The property you ask about was sold in 2001 to the Childrens Shelter by the Southwest Mental Health Center, formerly known as the Protestant Childrens Home, now the Clarity Child Guidance Center. The emergency shelter of the recently troubled Childrens Shelter was known as the Cottage, in homage to the earlier facility on the site.

historycolumn@yahoo.com | Twitter: @sahistorycolumn | Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn
A 33-year-old man was killed Friday in a single motorcycle crash in the citys Northwest Side, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Officers found the mans wrecked motorcycle around 3 p.m. on Interstate 10 West at Vance Jackson.
A San Antonio man who police say was firing a gun while arguing with his girlfriend has been indicted on a murder charge in connection with the death of a driver who crashed his car after being hit by a stray bullet.

The case of Kevin Lee Perez, 34, was among the 269 felony indictments handed down this week by two Bexar County grand juries, the District Attorneys Office said Friday.

San Antonio police responding to a car crash around 8 p.m. on Dec. 29, found Arnulfo Cortez, 35, with a gunshot wound to his torso and head injuries from hitting his windshield at the intersection of Moss Rock and Robin Hill. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Perez, who has a lengthy criminal record that includes robbery, assault and resisting arrest, was also indicted on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm. He had been released from prison in January 2020 following a February 2015 conviction of possession of body armor by a felon.

If convicted of murder, he faces up to life in prison. His case is being prosecuted in the 227th District Court.

Also indicted on murder charges this week were Hayley Ann Gibbens, 23, and Douglas Skaggs, 55, in connection with the fatal shooting March 17 of Tito Roman, 39.

Each faces up to life in prison. Their cases are being prosecuted in the 399th District Court.

Grand jurors also indicted Justin Antwan Jackson, 30, on a charge of failure to stop and render aid resulting in the death of Donna Falkenberg, 46.

According to police, Jackson was driving an 18-wheeler that struck a stalled Ford Fiesta that had its hazard lights on in the 20000 block of Interstate 10 near Dominion Drive on May 22, 2020.

Jackson fled and, when located by police, told conflicting stories until later confessing, an affidavit stated.

If convicted of the second-degree felony, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The case is being prosecuted in the 437th District Court.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
The San Antonio Police Department has published an online dashboard that gives the public an insight into the departments use of the cite-and-release program.

The program allows officers and deputies to issue citations for low-level misdemeanors instead of arresting and charging a person. Eligible offenses include possession of small amounts of marijuana, theft of service and driving with an invalid license.

The dashboard currently includes data from Jan. 1 to March 3.

The data is broken down by enforcement activity  whether someone who committed a cite-eligible offense was ultimately arrested or cited  race, age, gender and offense type. The dashboard also includes an interactive map showing the location of the enforcement activity.

Additionally, the map can be broken down by council district, SAPD district or SAPD service area.

On ExpressNews.com: Bexar DA says 'cite-and-release' for petty crimes is working well

According to the data, 896 people committed a cite-and-release eligible offense. Of those people, 519 had an outstanding warrant and/or multiple arrests, making them ineligible for cite-and-release. However, a total of 377 were eligible and 299 were given a citation. Among those eligible, 72 were arrested, the data showed.

Citations are up to the officers discretion, meaning an officer can decide to arrest someone based on factors such as their criminal record, the specifics of the incident or whether they were uncooperative or seen as a danger.

According to SAPD, graffiti  which is considered a class A or B misdemeanor  was excluded from the authority to cite-and-release after consultation with the Bexar County District Attorneys Office.

Under the policy, people are required to report within 30 days to prosecutors at Bexar County Reentry Services. They do not have a mugshot taken of them and are not fingerprinted.

The prosecutor will decide on a case-by-case basis who is eligible for a type of pretrial diversion program that may require the offender to take a class, complete community service or pay a fine.

The dashboard and latest cite-and-release report can be accessed from the city of San Antonios website.

gabriella.ybarra@express-news.net
It was the mid-1960s, and the schoolchildren at Roosevelt Elementary School didnt have a proper library or a trained librarian.

The school didnt have a cafeteria either, but thats another story.

A classroom was converted into a makeshift library and stocked with old books. The library attendant was lovely. She teased me about how many books I checked out, warning me that in time she might not have any left to lend me.

I read every biography of a U.S. leader I could find, including my favorite, Benjamin Franklin.

Most of the biographies were part of a series that sat on the shelves in blue, green and black bindings.

They told the stories of the great, selfless men who founded a nation, fought and won wars, and wrote stirring words about liberty and justice.

They were all white men. I dont recall wondering why women, Black people and brown people were absent.

I was in the fourth grade.

None of the books said that those great men were in any way part of a genocide of Indigenous peoples and the violent takeover of their lands. Or that any of the founders were involved in buying and selling African men, women and children.

None of the books said the nations founding documents denied women the right to vote and most other rights.

Nor did they say that the three-fifths compromise of 1787 counted a slave as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of apportioning seats in the House, and that this bargain gave slave-holding states greater representation in Congress, even though the slaves couldnt vote and were considered property.

It would take years for me to learn about the nations best intentions in the context of its worst. It would be years before I understood that San Antonio once was part of Mexico and that much of the story of the Alamo was myth.

Over time, curriculum and library offerings improved, though not nearly enough and far too slowly.

The writers, publishers and buyers of those books probably didnt see themselves as responsible for the inaccuracies, half-truths and lies. The books might not have been called racist or misogynist at the time, though Ive got to believe some educators begged for better texts.

I thought of my little library a lot during the last legislative session, as Texas Republicans passed and Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that will make it harder for students to learn the whole truth about Texas and U.S. history.

If its ever put into practice, House Bill 3979 (a bill relating to the social studies curriculum in public schools) would prohibit honest discussions of racism and sex discrimination in the classroom and re-whitewash our history in the name of patriotism.

The legislation didnt surface because students were being ill-served or indoctrinated, but because such conversations mess with the sensibilities of white adults watching unreliable cable news.

Clearly, the laws intentions are political  to stir up the Republican base, nurse feelings of victimhood and demonize progressive Democrats as part of a GOP re-election strategy.

HB 3979 will make teachers jobs harder, and it is likely to be challenged in court. It doesnt represent how democracies behave but rather how autocracies do.

The law seeks to micromanage teachers and put classroom discussions in a straitjacket. Teachers could not be required to discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs. Those who chose to do so would have to incorporate diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective.

The law bans coursework that requires or gives students credit for civic activism or advocacy, including attending a City Council meeting or sending a letter to a lawmaker.

Course materials could not suggest that anyone bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex or that the concepts of meritocracy and a strong work ethic were created by a members of a particular race to oppress members of another race.

The stilted language gives away the laws real purpose: to keep critical race theory out of the classroom. That theory holds that racism in our country operates in subtle, even unconscious ways and has entrenched itself in our institutions and social relations, even in the absence of overt racism or explicitly discriminatory laws.

HB 3979 requires students to put on rose-colored glasses and read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, excerpts of Alexis de Tocquevilles Democracy in America, the first Lincoln-Douglas debate and writings of founding fathers.

But students wouldnt be able to discuss candidly how the language in such documents remains both inspiring and aspirational.

Abbott wants tougher restrictions on classroom give-and-take and has vowed to stir up more restrictive legislation during a July 8 special session of the Legislature.

Its all part of Republicans strategy for the 2022 congressional midterm elections, and theyre off to a good start.

eayala@express-news.net
WANTED: Trained security professionals to deal with elevated levels of crime and mayhem at risk to their own life and limb, while getting called racist oppressors and potentially thrown under the bus by elected officials.

This has become the de facto employment notice for police around the country, and, unsurprisingly, cops and prospective cops dont find it particularly enticing. Why would they?

Americas cities are feeling the effects of a years-long experiment in what would happen if nearly everyone celebrated a movement based on the idea that police are racist goons, excused rioting and explained away spiraling crime, and made it clear to cops that if they make a mistake, they will, at the very least, become instantly infamous.

It hasnt gone well.

Portland, Ore., has been a veritable research lab for this experiment. The latest blow to the city is the mass resignation of the Portland Police Bureaus Rapid Response Team, which is responsible for policing protests in the city  a challenging, endless and literally thankless job.

Rioting has become part of the fabric of urban life in Portland, where demonstrators have battled with cops nearly every other night since the death of George Floyd.

On ExpressNews.com: Lowry: Joe Manchin gets smeared by the left

The citys leadership has been hapless, at best, in dealing with the chaos, and loud voices have been condemning the cops.

After an officer in the unit was charged with a crime for striking a photographer in the head with a baton after he pushed her to the ground, the members considered it a last straw.

Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty kicked them on the way out the door, calling the resignations yet another example of a rogue paramilitary organization that is unaccountable to the elected officials and residents of Portland. She didnt want them to quit but to stay on the job so they could be fired.

Either way, she thinks its a great opportunity to show what de-escalation in policing looks like  effectively blaming the police for black-clad thugs constantly trying to burn things down. The same argument was made about federal officers during the Trump administration, but, lo and behold, the disorder continued even after federal forces stepped back and Joe Biden was elected president.

The head of the Portland police union issued a stinging statement in reply to Hardesty, saying that members of the unit did not volunteer to have Molotov cocktails, fireworks, explosives, rocks, bottles, urine, feces, and other dangerous objects thrown at them. Nor, he continued, did they volunteer to be subject to warrantless criticism and false allegations by elected officials, or to suffer through baseless complaints and lengthy investigations devoid of due process.

Whats happening in Portlands riot unit is a microcosm of whats happening everywhere. According to a survey by the Police Executive Research Forum, police resignations were up by 45 percent and retirements up 18 percent over the last year, while hiring has been slow.

On ExpressNews.com: Lowry: Texas Democrats aren't heroes preserving democracy

In other words, when we need more cops in response to rising crime, we are getting fewer. This is like cutting back on firefighters while a wildfire is raging or reducing the Army while it is fighting a war. No rational person would want smaller forces right now, yet the elite culture, leftist politicians and obnoxious street protesters are conspiring to shrink them.

The crux of the matter is the moral status of the police. The question is whether they fulfill a crucial role that deserves to be honored and supported by public officials, who unstintingly back order on the streets as a foundational public good  or not.

There are signs that even liberal jurisdictions are beginning to get this (crime has a been a top issue in the New York City mayoral race). We arent going to keep or recruit good cops unless the job description, which has become so off-putting, is again worthy of the indispensability of the work.
This year, the Texas Legislature adjourned without addressing the largest demographic shift confronting the state: The number of seniors 65 and older is expected to diversify and more than double, from 3.9 million in 2020 to 8.3 million by 2050.

Evidence shows that longer lives are increasingly accompanied by longer periods of compromised health and declining physical and cognitive capacities. Texas, like many other states, will be forced to reassess its ability to provide the care that a rapidly aging population needs. The central question: Who will pay the bill for how the state provides the most basic services to those in need?

This session focused on nursing home regulation but not community-based, long-term services, meaning staying home as you age with care coming to you. According to AARP, 76 percent of Americans 50 and older want to stay in their homes as they age. In Texas, the Medicaid program provides many of these services, including physical and speech therapy, as well as cleaning and bathing those who need assistance to remain at home.

Our research reveals that these long-term services and supports make up close to one-third of Texas Medicaid budget. To contain costs while keeping enrollment high, Texas provides full benefits only to the poorest of those individuals who rely on Medicaid and for a fraction of low-income Medicare beneficiaries eligible for nursing-facility level of care. Research found that the most comprehensive plans had more than 35,000 people on their waiting lists, which can take years to move through.

The problem for Texas is that while more than 70 percent of individuals reaching normal retirement age can expect to use some form of long-term care, many people believe that Medicare will pay for it. But that is not the case.

Demographers also project that older parents will have fewer grown children to rely on for support in the coming decade. Plus, low-income families who are caring for parents while working and raising children are unable to deal with their increasing care needs, which means that many people will be dependent on Medicaid, a joint federal-state program.

Editorial: Legislature, pandering to far right, left needs unmet

Given these aging trends and the fact that state expenditures for Medicaid  the primary financing mechanism for long-term care  are growing at an alarming pace, we need a task force on aging to use managed care principles, and take a fresh look at new and cost-beneficial options for caring for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. These encompass both public and private solutions, including Medicaid waivers, state-funded home- and community-based long-term care insurance, family caregiver credits and expanded access to geriatric social workers.

Although home and community-based care was not taken up this legislative session, lawmakers have an opportunity to tackle this issue in the coming months. Specifically, they can explore many of the services that are not a permanent fixture of our Medicaid program.

Texas operates these Medicaid community care services through experimental waivers, which are agreements between the federal and state governments to fund these programs. One example: the 1115 Medicaid Transformation, which gives states flexibility to transform, support and improve the quality of a coordinated care-delivery system for the most vulnerable seniors.

However, the waiver was recently revoked by the Biden administration due to lack of sufficient public input prior to the waivers approval in January  and now it is asking for more public comments. The cost of the states long-term care services and supports, including for dementia care, may be worth the investment if sufficient resources are prioritized.

The explosive growth of Texas senior population will place an increasing fiscal and care burden on the state. The state cannot do it alone and must collaborate with local governments, the private sector and the nonprofit sector to promote financial options for a healthy aging and productive economy. New programs that address this growing need must be developed so we take the opportunity to rethink senior care before 2050. Texans can build on our strengths while seeking solutions to improve the lives of those we care for most.

Jacqueline Angel is the Wilbur J. Cohen Professor of Health and Social Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. Jason Castillo is a graduate student in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin.
DALLAS (AP)  Southwest Airlines plans to raise minimum pay to $15 an hour for about 7,000 employees, citing the need to attract and keep workers as the airline industry continues to recover from the pandemic.

Southwest said Friday that it intends for the raises to take effect on Aug. 1.

The airline said the raises will work out to 7% to 11% for new hires and cover call center operators, customer service agents, skycaps and others. For some, the company will have to negotiate with labor unions.

Southwest continually works to attract and retain the best candidates for open positions, said spokesman Brad Hawkins. As part of this ongoing effort, Southwest is increasing minimum pay rates so that all hourly employees will make at least $15 per hour.

Southwest's announcement comes as air travel picks up at the beginning of the summer vacation season after the pandemic turned last year's peak season into a disaster. The number of people going through security checkpoints at U.S. airports has topped 2 million seven times in the past two weeks, hitting levels not seen since early March 2020.

However, domestic travel this month is still running 27% below June 2019, according to figures from the Transportation Security Administration.

Dallas-based Southwest carries more passengers within the United States than any other airline and is less dependent than rivals American, Delta and United on business travel, which is still in a deep slump. Those factors have helped Southwest fare better than other airlines this year  it turned a small profit in the first quarter, thanks to federal pandemic relief, after losing $3 billion in 2020.

Southwest has about 56,000 employees, down from about 61,000 a year earlier, according to a regulatory filing. The company announced Wednesday that longtime CEO Gary Kelly will step down next February and be succeeded by Robert Jordan, the airline's executive vice president of corporate services.

News of the pay raises was reported earlier by Bloomberg.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Dozens of volunteers formed the letters HIV SOS at a health event Saturday as activists seek a public health emergency declaration in a city with one of the nation's highest spikes of such cases.

Kanawha County, which includes Charleston and has 178,000 residents, had two intravenous drug-related HIV cases in 2018. The number grew to 15 in 2019 and 39 last year, according to state data. There have been 14 such cases so far in 2021.

After volunteers wearing red T-shirts formed the plea for help along the Kanawha River near downtown Charleston, Joe Solomon, co-founder of the nonprofit group Solutions Oriented Addiction Response, called on the City Council and Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin to act on the HIV crisis and overdoses from prescription pain pills.

In Charleston and Kanawha County, there's a family butchered by the overdose crisis every other day, Solomon said. "All we're asking is for (them) to take one day to declare a public health emergency. We need to treat this like the emergency that it is.

Earlier this year, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the CDCs chief of HIV prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called Kanawha County's outbreak the most concerning in the United States. He warned it could take years to address the surge and that the case count possibly "represents the tip of the iceberg.

Earlier this week the CDC presented preliminary findings of an investigatio n that showed emergency departments and inpatient medical personnel in Kanawha County rarely conducted HIV testing on intravenous drug users.

Republican Gov. Jim Justice in April signed a bill to introduce more stringent requirements to needle exchange programs like those offered by Solomon's group. The move came over the objections of critics who said it would restrict access to clean needles amid the spike in HIV cases.

The bill requires licenses for syringe collection and distribution programs. Operators would have to offer an array of health outreach services, including overdose prevention education and substance abuse treatment program referrals. Participants also must show an identification card to get a syringe. Advocates view the regulations as onerous.

The American Civil Liberties Union on Friday filed a lawsuit challenging the new law.
DENVER (AP)  Johnny Hurley was hailed by police as a hero for shooting and killing a gunman they say had killed one officer and expressed hatred for police in a Denver suburb. But when another officer rushed in to respond and saw Hurley holding the suspects AR-15, he shot Hurley, killing him, police revealed Friday.

The disclosure helped clarify what happened on Monday when three people  Hurley, Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesley and the suspected gunman, Ronald Troyke  died in a string of shootings in the historic downtown district of Arvada, an area with popular shops, restaurants, breweries and other businesses about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of downtown Denver.

According to a timeline and video released by police, Troyke, 59, ambushed Beesley after he pulled his truck into a parking spot near Beesley's patrol car as Beesley was responding to a report of a suspicious person.

The video shows Troyke running toward Beesley down an alley. When Beesley turns around, Troyke raises his gun and fires at him as two people stand nearby, police said. Beesley falls to the ground in the video.

According to the video, apparently from a surveillance camera, and a police narration of it, Troyke grabs an AR-15 rifle from his truck and is carrying it when Hurley confronts him and shoots him with a handgun. When another officer arrives, Hurley is holding Troykes AR-15 and the officer opened fire, police said.

Hurley's shooting of Troyke and the officer's shooting of Hurley are not shown on the video.

Police had not previously confirmed Hurleys role or said who shot him. In the video posted Friday, Police Chief Link Strate described Hurley as a hero whose actions likely saved lives. He didnt offer an apology but called Hurleys death by a responding officer equally tragic to Beesleys killing.

The threat to our officers and our community was stopped by a hero named Johnny Hurley, Strate said. Johnnys actions can only be described as decisive, courageous and effective in stopping further loss of life.

In a separate statement, the Arvada Police Department said: Finally, it is clear that the suspect bears responsibility for this tragic sequence of events.

The unnamed officers shooting of Hurley is being investigated by a team of other area law enforcement officers led by the district attorneys office. The district attorney will use the findings to decide whether the officer was justified in using deadly force or whether the officer should be charged with a crime.

That officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Police say Beesley was targeted because he was an Arvada police officer. The department on Friday released excerpts from a document written by Troyke in which he said he planned to kill as many Arvada police officers as he could, seeing his actions as a way to hold police accountable.

We the people were never your enemy, but we are now, it said.

About 40 minutes before the shootings, Troykes brother called police asking for them to check on him because he said his brother was going to do something crazy. Beesley and another officer tried finding Troyke at his home near downtown but were unable to, police said.

A teenager then called police to report a suspicious person  an older man who walked up, made a weird noise and showed him a condom. Thats the call Beesley was responding to when he was shot and killed.

Hurleys family issued a statement late Friday saying they were thankful for support from the city and police and were waiting for the outcome of the third-party investigation into the shooting that killed the 40-year-old.

A witness had said this week that Hurley was shopping in the area on Monday when he heard gunshots and ran out to confront the shooter with his own gun.

He did not hesitate; he didnt stand there and think about it. He totally heard the gunfire, went to the door, saw the shooter and immediately ran in that direction, Bill Troyanos, who works at the Army Navy Surplus store in downtown Arvada, told Denver news station KMGH-TV.

Troyanos said he heard Hurley fire five or six shots. The gunman fell against a parked vehicle, he said.
Farmers will see an even three-way funding split between the UK's future farming schemes from 2028, the government has confirmed.

The new Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery Schemes will help farmers deliver environmental projects.

It is the most significant change to UK farming and land management in over five decades.

Defra Secretary George Eustice shared new information on the schemes during a speech at the Groundswell agriculture show on Friday (25 June).

Mr Eustice confirmed that from 2028, there would be an even-split of funding between the future farming schemes.

We envisage that it'll be roughly a three way split in the budget, between these three types of schemes," he said.

"It's also important to note that we don't see these schemes as being like the old EU pillar structure, where a budget was trapped in one pillar and could not be transferred.

"We see these schemes complementing one another and there being a continuum of objectives throughout.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to regenerative farming in developing future policy, with the aim that 70% of farms will take part in environmental land management schemes by 2028.

The Environment Secretary added that regenerative techniques would be further encouraged by the governments new agri-environmental schemes.

Examples include topsoil regeneration, the use of winter cover crops, integrated pest management and cultivating crops alongside rearing livestock to fertilise the soil.

Mr Eustice said: Everyone recognises that we need to change our approach to tackle the environmental challenges both on climate change, but also on biodiversity.

"Leaving the EU gives us a great opportunity to show the world how we can do this, through a seven year transition to reorder farming incentives so that we support a regenerative agriculture."

The government is set to publish an update to the Agricultural Transition Plan next week, covering plans for an early rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in 2022.

What are the UK's new farming schemes?

The Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery Schemes will help producers deliver green goals.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive will reward actions taken at farm level to support sustainable approaches to farm husbandry to deliver for the environment.

These include actions to improve soil health and water quality, enhance hedgerows and promote integrated pest management.

Meanwhile, the Local Nature Recovery scheme will pay for actions that support local nature recovery and deliver local environmental priorities.

It will continue to be developed this year through tests and trials, with further piloting starting next year, and will be focused on delivering the 'right things in the right places'.

This will factor in the views of local people and local nature recovery strategies being developed under the Environment Bill.

Landscape and ecosystem recovery will be delivered through the final scheme, the Landscape Recovery Scheme.

These will be long-term land use change projects to restore, where appropriate, wilder landscapes, large-scale tree-planting and peatland restoration.

Proposals include consideration of applications for sites of an unprecedented scale  between 500 and 5,000 hectares.

The agreements and payments will be bespoke and long term, the government says, with engagement to start this summer.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
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It was a warm summer night an eclectic group of friends was seated in an Asian restaurant in New York, each trying to make the perfect dinner choice. I was trying to settle on my favourite maki roll with an order of tempura, when my lovely Japanese-origin Us-born friend went, Is vegetarian sushi even sushi?

While he did not mean it in a derogatory way, he was just aghast at the idea that anyone could enjoy the quintessential Japanese dish without the presence of its main ingredient: raw fish! A hard-core meat and fish eater who would not opt for vegetables even if his life was at stake, my dear friend, who was always immediate to settle for his favourite California roll, was complete oblivious to the modifications, additions, alterations and evolutions the food from his country had gone through over the years.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 25, 2021) - Cordoba Minerals Corp. (TSXV: CDB) (OTCQB: CDBMF) ("Cordoba" or the "Company") announces today that at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on June 25, 2021, all Directors nominated as listed in the Management Information Circular dated May 14, 2021 were re-elected. Shareholders voted to set the number of Directors at six (6) for the ensuing year.

The detailed results are as follows:

Director Votes

For % Votes

Withheld/Abstained % Eric Finlayson 46,450,931 99.98% 7,762 0.02% Govind Friedland 46,306,814 99.67% 151,879 0.33% William (Bill) Orchow 46,306,814 99.67% 151,879 0.33% Dr. Huaisheng Peng 46,306,843 99.67% 151,850 0.33% Gibson Pierce 46,306,843 99.67% 151,850 0.33% Luis Valencia Gonzalez 46,189,197 99.42% 269,496 0.58%

Cordoba reports that shareholders voted in favour of the re-appointment of Deloitte LLP as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year. Shareholders have also approved certain amendments to the Company's long term incentive plan and deferred share unit plan, as well as re-approving the Company's stock option plan, as more particularly described in the Management Information Circular of the Company dated May 14, 2021.

About Cordoba

Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the exploration, development and acquisition of copper and gold projects. Cordoba is developing its 100%-owned San Matias Copper-Gold-Silver Project, which includes the Alacran Deposit and satellite deposits at Montiel East, Montiel West and Costa Azul, located in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia. Cordoba also holds a 25% interest in the Perseverance Copper Project in Arizona, USA, which it is exploring through a Joint Venture and Earn-In Agreement. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY

Sarah Armstrong-Montoya, President and Chief Executive Officer

Information Contact

Investor Relations +1-604-689-8765

info@cordobamineralscorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/88714
DGAP Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act]

Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution



26.06.2021 / 16:18

Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Announcement on Poll Results and Resolutions of the 2020 Annual General Meeting and the Second Class Meetings of 2021

Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hongkong, 26 June 2021 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-Share 690D.DE, A-Share 600690.SH, H-Share 06690.HK) published an announcement on Shanghai Stock Exchange and Hongkong Stock Exchange with regard to Poll Results and Resolutions of the 2020 Annual General Meeting (the "AGM") and the Second Class Meetings of 2021 (together the 'Shareholders Meetings'). All resolutions haven been passed at the Shareholders Meetings. Content of this announcement: I. Poll Results of 2020 Annual General Meeting and the Class Meetings; II. Change of Director; III. Change of Supervisors and Election of Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors; IV. Amendments to the Articles of Association; V. Payment of Final Dividend; and VI. Adjustment to the Composition of Special Committees under the Board I. Poll Results of the AGM and the Class Meetings 1. Poll Results of the AGM The board of directors (the 'Board') of the Company is pleased to announce that the AGM was held at 14:00 CST on 25 June 2021 (Friday) at Haier University, Haier Information Industry Park, Laoshan District, Qingdao, PRC. All resolutions were duly passed. The meeting was convened by the Board and voting was conducted through a combination of on-site voting and online voting. The convening of the meeting was in compliance with the Company Law of the People's Republic of China, the Articles of Association of the Company and pertinent provisions of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (the 'SSE') , Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Deutsche Borse. The on-site meeting was presided by the Chairman of the Company. As at the date of the AGM, the total number of issued Shares of the Company was 9,408,929,038, which was the total number of Shares entitling the holders to attend and vote for or against or abstain from voting in respect of the resolutions at the AGM. Haier Group and its associates hold 33.73% of the total issued shares of the Company and are entitled to exercise control over the voting right in respect of their Shares. Haier Group and its associates will abstain from voting on the resolution in respect of the New Financial Service Framework Agreement and its proposed annual cap at the AGM. Shareholders or their proxies holding 6,080,584,192 shares in the Company carrying voting rights (representing approximately 64.63% of the total share capital of the Company in issue as at the date of the AGM) attended the AGM. Pursuant to the Listing Rules, voting on the resolutions at the AGM was conducted by way of poll. The voting results in respect of the resolutions proposed at the AGM (of which special resolutions marked with**) are set out as follows: RESOLUTIONS In favour Against Abstain Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) 1. To Consider and Approve 2020 Financial Statements 6,053,999,529 99.5706 1,235,066 0.0203 24,875,597 0.4091 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 2. To Consider and Approve 2020 Annual Report and Annual Report Summary 6,053,998,249 99.5705 1,235,066 0.0203 24,876,877 0.4092 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. RESOLUTIONS In favour Against Abstain Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) 3. To Consider and Approve 2020 Report on the Work of the Board of Directors 6,053,986,249 99.5703 1,247,116 0.0205 24,876,827 0.4092 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 4. To Consider and Approve 2020 Report on the Work of the Board of Supervisors 6,053,985,769 99.5703 1,247,196 0.0205 24,877,227 0.4092 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 5. To Consider and Approve 2020 Audit Report on Internal Control 6,053,985,749 99.5703 1,247,066 0.0205 24,877,377 0.4092 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 6. To Consider and Approve 2020 Profit Distribution Plan 6,068,331,837 99.8063 99,566 0.0016 11,678,789 0.1921 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **7. **To Consider and Approve Resolution on the Anticipated Provision of Guarantees for its Subsidiaries in 2021 6,068,295,367 99.8057 123,766 0.0020 11,691,059 0.1923 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 8. To Consider and Approve Resolution on the Conduct of Foreign Exchange Fund Derivatives Business 6,068,302,962 99.8058 116,166 0.0019 11,691,064 0.1923 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 9. To Consider and Approve Resolution on the Adjustment of Allowances of Directors 6,047,693,021 99.4668 20,451,732 0.3364 11,965,439 0.1968 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 10. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Closing Certain Fund-raising Investment Projects from Convertible Corporate Bonds and Permanently Supplementing the Working Capital with the Surplus Funds 6,068,105,207 99.8026 124,766 0.0021 11,880,219 0.1954 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. RESOLUTIONS In favour Against Abstain Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) **11. ** To Consider and Approve Resolution on the General Meeting to Grant a General Mandate to the Board of Directors on Additional Issuance of H Shares of the Company 4,795,537,276 78.8664 1,273,137,777 20.9378 11,909,139 0.1959 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **12. ** To Consider and Approve Resolution on the General Meeting to Grant a General Mandate to the Board of Directors on Additional Issuance of D Shares of the Company 4,787,456,021 78.7396 1,280,745,312 21.0645 11,908,859 0.1959 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **13. ** To Consider and Approve Resolution on the General Meeting to Grant a General Mandate to the Board of Directors to Decide to Repurchase Not More Than 10% of the Total Number of H Shares of the Company in Issue 6,064,207,486 99.7384 9,149,136 0.1505 6,753,570 0.1111 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **14. ** To Consider and Approve Resolution on the General Meeting to Grant a General Mandate to the Board of Directors to Decide to Repurchase Not More Than 10% of the Total Number of D Shares of the Company in Issue 6,064,249,011 99.7391 9,108,211 0.1498 6,752,970 0.1111 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **15. ** To Consider and Approve Resolution on Amendments to the Articles of Association 6,034,125,919 99.2437 33,885,164 0.5573 12,099,109 0.1990 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 16. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Amendments to the Rules of Procedure for the Board of Directors 6,068,094,707 99.8024 98,766 0.0016 11,916,719 0.1960 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. RESOLUTIONS In favour Against Abstain Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) 17. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Amendments to the Rules of Procedure for the Board of Supervisors 6,068,094,707 99.8024 98,766 0.0016 11,916,719 0.1960 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 18. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Amendments to the External Guarantee Management System 6,068,058,367 99.8018 94,286 0.0016 11,957,539 0.1967 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 19. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Re-appointment of PRC Accounting Standards Auditor 6,029,291,705 99.1642 38,900,768 0.6398 11,916,439 0.1960 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 20. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Re-appointment of International Accounting Standards Auditor 6,026,716,505 99.1219 41,476,368 0.6822 11,916,039 0.1960 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 21. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Renewal of the Financial Services Framework Agreement and its Expected Related-Party Transaction Limit with Haier Group and Haier Finance 1,976,275,261 67.9756 917,554,275 31.5600 13,499,034 0.4643 The resolution has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **22. **To Consider and Approve the A Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2021-2025) (Draft) and its Summary 5,979,458,459 98.3369 89,224,714 1.4674 11,899,739 0.1957 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **23. **To Consider and Approve the H Share Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan (2021-2025) (Draft) and its Summary 5,978,917,859 98.3357 89,224,714 1.4675 11,966,339 0.1968 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. RESOLUTIONS In favour Against Abstain Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) Shares Percentage (%) **24. **To Consider and Approve Resolution on Authorization by the General Meeting to the Board of Directors to Handle Matters Pertaining to the Core Employee Stock Ownership Plan of the Company 5,978,520,478 98.3292 89,689,160 1.4751 11,899,274 0.1957 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **25. **To Consider and Approve the H Share Restricted Share Unit Scheme (2021-2025) (Draft) 5,441,815,774 89.4950 626,904,529 10.3099 11,862,609 0.1951 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. **26. **To Consider and Approve Resolution on Authorization by the General Meeting to the Board of Directors or the Delegatee to Handle Matters Pertaining to the



Restricted Share Unit Scheme 5,440,815,683 89.4855 627,429,500 10.3194 11,863,729 0.1951 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. Resolution (Cumulative voting) Number of votes received Number of votes received as a percentage of the valid voting rights present at the meeting (%) 27. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Election of Independent Director 27.1 WU Qi 5,531,210,622 90.9337 The resolution has been adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 28. To Consider and Approve Resolution on Election of Supervisors of the Company 28.1 LIU Dalin 5,364,617,093 88.1949 28.2 MA Yingjie 5,521,016,205 90.7661 The resolution has been adopted as an ordinary resolution with over one-half of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the AGM cast in favour thereof. 2. Poll results of the A Shares Class Meeting As at the date of the A Shares Class Meeting, the Company had a total of 6,308,552,654 A shares in issue, which was the total number of shares entitled to vote on the resolutions at the A Shares Class Meeting. Shareholders and Shareholders' proxies attending the A Shares Class Meeting held a total of 4,029,351,155 A shares, representing 63.87% of the total number of A shares in the Company carrying voting rights. Details of Shareholders attending the A Shares Class Meeting are set out as below: Special Resolution In favour Against Abstain Number of shares Percentage (%) Number of shares Percentage (%) Number of shares Percentage (%) 1. To consider and approve resolution to grant a general mandate to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase not more than 10% of the total number of H Shares of the Company in issue 4,016,711,394 99.6858 7,428,200 0.1844 5,231,861 0.1298 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the A Shares Class Meeting cast in favour thereof. 2. To consider and approve resolution to grant a general mandate to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase not more than 10% of the total number of D Shares of the Company in issue 4,016,711,394 99.6858 7,428,200 0.1844 5,231,861 0.1298 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the A Shares Class Meeting cast in favour thereof. 3. Poll results of the D Shares Class Meeting As at the date of the D Shares Class Meeting, the Company had a total of 271,013,973 D shares in issue, which was the total number of shares entitled to vote on the resolutions at the D Shares Class Meeting. Shareholders and Shareholders' proxies attending the D Shares Class Meeting held a total of 140,727,610 D shares, representing 51.93% of the total number of D shares in the Company carrying voting rights. Details of Shareholders attending the D Shares Class Meeting are set out as below: Special Resolution In favour Against Abstain Number of shares Percentage (%) Number of shares Percentage (%) Number of shares Percentage (%) 1. To consider and approve resolution to grant a general mandate to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase not more than 10% of the total number of H Shares of the Company in issue 140,627,486 99.9289 49,275 0.0350 50,849 0.0361 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the D Shares Class Meeting cast in favour thereof. 2. To consider and approve resolution to grant a general mandate to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase not more than 10% of the total number of D Shares of the Company in issue 140,669,061 99.9584 8,300 0.0059 50,249 0.0357 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the D Shares Class Meeting cast in favour thereof. 4. Poll results of the H Shares Class Meeting As at the date of the H Shares Class Meeting, the Company had a total of 2,829,362,411 H shares in issue, which was the total number of shares entitled to vote on the resolutions at the H Shares Class Meeting. Shareholders and Shareholders' proxies attending the H Shares Class Meeting held a total of 1,989,396,251 H shares, representing 70.31% of the total number of H shares in the Company carrying voting rights. Details of Shareholders attending the H Shares Class Meeting are set out as below: Special Resolution In favour Against Abstain Number of shares Percentage (%) Number of shares Percentage (%) Number of shares Percentage (%) 1. To consider and approve resolution to grant a general mandate to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase not more than 10% of the total number of H Shares of the Company in issue 1,986,253,552 99.8420 1,672,211 0.0841 1,470,488 0.0739 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the H Shares Class Meeting cast in favour thereof. 2. To consider and approve resolution to grant a general mandate to the Board of Directors to decide to repurchase not more than 10% of the total number of H Shares of the Company in issue 1,986,253,552 99.8420 1,672,211 0.0841 1,470,488 0.0739 The resolution has been duly adopted as a special resolution with over two-thirds of valid votes held by Shareholders (including proxies) attending the H Shares Class Meeting cast in favour thereof. 5. Witnessing Lawyer King & Wood Mallesons Beijing has expressed its opinion as witness to the AGM and the Class Meetings. In the opinion of the witnessing lawyer, (i) the convening of the AGM and the Class Meetings and the procedures thereof are in compliance with the provisions of pertinent laws, regulations, regulatory documents and the Articles of Association; (ii) the eligibility of the persons attending and the eligibility of the convenor of the AGM and the Class Meetings is legal and valid and in compliance with the provisions of pertinent laws, regulations, regulatory documents and the Articles of Association; and (iii) the voting procedures of the AGM are in compliance with the provisions of pertinent laws, regulations, regulatory documents and the Articles of Association and the voting results are legal and valid. Tricor Investor Services Limited (H share registrar of the Company), King & Wood Mallesons Beijing (PRC legal advisor of the Company), the Shareholders' Representatives and Supervisors' Representatives of the Company jointly acted as vote counters and scrutineers at the general meeting. II. Change of Director



The resolution appointing Mr. WU Qi as an Independent Non-executive Director of the Company has been duly adopted as an ordinary resolution. His term of office shall commence on the date on which his appointment is approved at the general meeting of the Company and end on the date on which the term of the current session of the Board expires. The biographical details of Mr. WU are set out in the Circular. Save as disclosed above, there has been no change to the biographical details of Mr. WU as at the date of this announcement. As at the latest practicable date, save as disclosed in the Circular, Mr. WU has not held any directorship in any other public companies the securities of which are listed on any securities market in Hong Kong or overseas, or served other positions in other members of the Group, or held other major appointments or professional qualifications during the past three years. Mr. WU does not have other relationships with any Directors, Supervisors, senior management, substantial Shareholders or controlling Shareholders of the Company and do not hold any interest in the shares of the Company or its associated companies within the meaning of Part XV of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong). There is or was no information which is required to be disclosed pursuant to the requirements set out in 13.51(2) (h) to (v) of the Hong Kong Listing Rules nor are there any matters which need to be brought to the attention of the Shareholders of the Company. The Company will enter into a service contract with Mr. WU with a director's allowance of RMB260,000. On the same day, Mr. DAI Deming will no longer hold any position in the Company. The Company would like to express its sincere gratitude to Mr. DAI Deming for his contribution to the Company during his tenure as an independent non-executive director of the Company. III. Change of Supervisors and Election of Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors The resolutions appointing Mr. LIU Dalin and Ms. MA Yingjie as Supervisors of the Company have been duly adopted as ordinary resolutions. Their term of office shall commence on the date on which their appointments are approved at the general meeting of the Company and end on the date on which the term of the current session of the Board expires. The biographical details of the aforementioned supervisor candidates are set out in the Circular. On the same day, LIU Dalin was elected the Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors of the Company on the 16th Meeting of the 10th Session of the Board of Supervisors of the Company. Save as disclosed above, there has been no change to the biographical details of the aforementioned supervisor candidates as at the date of this announcement. As at the latest practicable date, save as disclosed in the Circular, none of the supervisor candidates have held any supervisor position in any other public companies the securities of which are listed on any securities market in Hong Kong or overseas, or served other positions in other members of the Group, or held other major appointments or professional qualifications during the past three years. The supervisor candidates do not have other relationships with any Directors, Supervisors, senior management, substantial Shareholders or controlling Shareholders of the Company and do not hold any interest in the shares of the Company or its associated companies within the meaning of Part XV of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong). There is or was no information which is required to be disclosed pursuant to the requirements set out in 13.51(2) (h) to (v) of the Hong Kong Listing Rules nor are there any matters which need to be brought to the attention of the Shareholders of the Company. The Company will enter into a service contract with each of the appointed supervisors. The supervisors will not receive any supervisor's fee from the Company. All remunerations of Ms. MA Yingjie, including salary, bonus and other benefits, amount to RMB340,000. On the same day, Mr. WANG Peihua and Mr. MING Guoqing will no longer hold any position in the Company. The Company would like to express its sincere gratitude to Mr. WANG Peihua and Mr. MING Guoqing for their contributions to the Company during their tenure as supervisors of the Company. IV. Amendments to the Articles of Association



The resolution on the amendments to the Articles of Association has been duly adopted as a special resolution. For details of such amendments, please refer to the Circular. The Articles of Association as amended shall come into effect on the date of this announcement. The full text of the amended Articles of Association is available on the respective websites of the SSE (http://www.sse.com.cn), The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (http://www.hkexnews.hk) and the Company (https://smart-home.haier.com/en/). V. Payment of Final Dividend



Upon approval by the Shareholders at the AGM, the Board is pleased to announce that details relating to payment of final dividend to the Shareholders are as follows: The Company will distribute a cash dividend for the year ended 31 December 2020 of RMB3.66 (tax inclusive) per 10 Shares (the 'Final Dividend') to the Shareholders whose names appear on the shareholder's register of the Company on the Record Date. The Final Dividend will be distributed on or around Friday, 20 August 2021. The actual amount of Euros to be paid is calculated at the average benchmark exchange rate of RMB against Euro (i.e. EUR 1 = RMB 7.6954 ) published by the People's Bank of China for a week prior to the announcement of dividend and payment decision (i.e. 25 June 2021). Accordingly, the cash dividend per D Share is approx. EUR 0.0475609 (tax inclusive). For D shareholders, the Company will further publish the Announcement on D Share Dividend with regard to the exact dividend amount, payment date, record date and taxation details in due course. VI. Adjustment to the Composition of Special Committees under the Board



Based on the actual situation of the re-election of independent non-executive directors of the Company, the needs of the Company's business development, the workload of the special committees and the requirements of the relevant system, the Board agreed to adjust the composition of the special committees under the Board. The composition after adjustment is as follows: (1) The members of the Strategy Committee are LIANG Haishan, XIE Juzhi, LI Huagang, LIN Sui, WU Qi, LI Shipeng, of which LIANG Haishan is the Chairman; (2) The members of the Audit Committee are WONG Hak Kun, CHIEN Da-chun, WU Qi, YU Hon To, David, WU Changqi, of which WONG Hak Kun is the Chairman; (3) The members of the Remuneration and Assessment Committee are CHIEN Da-chun, LI Shipeng, WU Qi, LIANG Haishan, WU Changqi, of which CHIEN Da-chun is the Chairman; (4) The members of the Nomination Committee are WU Qi, CHIEN Da-chun, WONG Hak Kun, LI Shipeng, LIANG Haishan, YU Hon To, David, of which Wu Qi is the Chairman; (5) The members of the ESG Committee are Eva LI Kam Fun, LI Huagang, LIN Sui, CHIEN Da-chun, of which Eva LI Kam Fun is the Chairman. The terms of office of the above members of the specific committees are effective from the date of consideration and approval by the Board, and the terms of office shall expire at the conclusion of the terms of office of the tenth session of the Board.

26.06.2021 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


-- MRI data showed that Givinostat counteracted muscle deterioration supporting its continued development as a treatment for Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) despite miss of primary endpoint --

-- The company will meet with regulatory authorities to discuss future development plans for Givinostat in BMD --

-- Safety profile for Givinostat in line with previous observations --

Italfarmaco Group announced today topline data from its proof-of-concept Phase 2 trial with Givinostat, the company's proprietary histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, in 51 adult males with Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). The study was designed to evaluate the effect of Givinostat in BMD, building on the experience developed in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Based on this experience, change in total fibrosis in the muscle biopsy was selected as the primary endpoint of the study and change in fat fraction and contractile CSA using quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as key secondary endpoints. Givinostat did not show significant difference in the primary endpoint compared to placebo. However, significant difference from placebo in MRI of muscles in the whole thigh as well as quadriceps confirmed the ability of Givinostat to counteract muscle deterioration in the treated BMD patients. The safety profile of Givinostat in BMD was in line with previous studies and no serious safety concerns were observed. Based on the overall results, the Company plans to meet with US and EU regulators to discuss the next development steps for Givinostat in adults with BMD. The topline data was presented by Paolo Bettica on June 26, 2021, at the virtual Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) Annual Conference.

"Becker Muscular Dystrophy is a debilitating rare disease with no treatment currently available. We are very encouraged by the significant difference in muscle fat infiltration between the two groups after 12 months, indicating a beneficial effect of Givinostat in delaying muscle deterioration. These, as well as other measures, support the further development of Givinostat in BMD and we will evaluate the best path forward in discussion with the regulatory bodies," said Paolo Bettica, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at the Italfarmaco Group. "We will continue to analyze the data to understand better the lack of meeting the primary endpoint, which could be attributed to high variability and imbalances of baseline histology parameters between cohorts, and lack of progression within the 12 months of study duration."

Dr. Bettica added: "Although this clinical trial in BMD was a stand-alone study, the study further confirms the ability of Givinostat to prevent downstream pathogenic effects due to dystrophin genetic defects, which was already seen in young boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy."

The Phase 2 trial investigating Givinostat in BMD patients was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03238235). In total, 51 patients between the ages of 19 and 61 years were randomized in a 2:1 ratio and treated with an oral suspension of Givinostat or placebo twice per day for a period of 12 months. Of the patients enrolled in the study, 30 out of 34 in the Givinostat group and 17 out of 17 in the placebo group completed the trial and were included in the analysis. Two patients had to withdraw from the trial due to the occurrence of an adverse event, which was resolved, and two patients were not able to travel back to the trial site due to the Covid-19 pandemic and had to be withdrawn.

Overview of Clinical Results

Primary Endpoint: Muscle tissue fibrosis was selected as the primary endpoint to assess the efficacy of Givinostat based on the previous experience in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Tissue biopsies taken at the end of 12 months from the biceps muscle in the upper arm to determine the change from baseline in total muscle tissue fibrosis (%), did not show a change over the 12 months of treatment in both groups with no difference between the Givinostat-treated group and the placebo group.

Secondary Endpoints:

Fat infiltration: A key secondary endpoint was the change from baseline of fat infiltration of muscles in the whole thigh and the quadriceps using MRI. The imaging results revealed no change of fat infiltration in the Givinostat-treated population while an increase in fat infiltration was observed in the placebo group over the study timeframe of 12 months with a significant difference between the groups. Fat infiltration in these muscles is a characteristic of disease progression in BMD patients and the data suggests that Givinostat treatment can prevent such disease progression.

Contractile and total thigh muscle cross-sectional area (CSA): The Givinostat-treated patient cohort did not demonstrate changes in the muscle contractile CSA, whereas the placebo group showed a reduction in contractile CSA after 12 months indicating a progression of muscle atrophy in the placebo group that was prevented by Givinostat.

Functional tests: Several functional tests administered, including time function tests and the 6-minute walking test did not show changes over time in both groups with no difference between Givinostat and placebo. However, the Standing and Transfer Domain of the Motor Function Measure (MFM) scale showed a significant decline in the 12 months of the study with a difference between the Givinostat and placebo groups close to significance (p=0.06) at the end of the study, suggesting a functional benefit with Givinostat treatment.

Safety: No serious Adverse Events (AE) or death occurred during the course of the trial. The initial dose of Givinostat (70 mg twice daily) according to the trial protocol was changed to 50 mg twice daily in the amended protocol to reduce the occurrences of any Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAE). Similar to what previously observed, the most frequent TEAE were diarrhea, platelet decrease and triglyceride increase. No other safety concerns were observed; Givinostat treatment continues to show a good safety profile.

Giacomo Comi, MD, Professor of Neurology at the University of Milan and Principal Investigator of the study commented, "BMD is a milder form of muscular dystrophy manifesting later in life in many patients as a result of slow disease progression. Clinical variability is a recognized feature of this disorder. The lack of significant change in some parameters with Givinostat treatment could have been related to the protocol-defined timeframe of 12 months. BMD patients remain an underserved population with only very limited treatment options, and I am encouraged to see a positive trend towards clinical benefit with Givinostat treatment. I look forward to continuing our investigation of Givinostat to define its full potential for patients with BMD."

Krista Vandenborne, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Florida added, "The non-invasive method of MRI imaging allows us to analyse a range of important parameters in determining disease progression in muscular dystrophy. The highly significant correlations between MRI and function/strength at baseline suggests that reduced muscle degeneration will translate into a functional benefit in due course with continued treatment."

"Individuals with Becker Muscular Dystrophy develop damaged muscle cells over time and due to the lack of the proper functioning of a protein called dystrophin in these cells, they fail to repair themselves effectively and muscle function is declining in the long term. I am encouraged to see the initial effect of Givinostat in counteracting this," said Erik Niks, MD, Neurologist at Leiden University Medical Centre

Italfarmaco is also investigating the effect of Givinostat treatment in patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in a Phase 3 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02851797). DMD, although genetically similar to BMD, is a more severe form of muscular dystrophy and differs significantly in terms of disease pathophysiology. The topline results of this Phase 2 trial in BMD support further development of Givinostat in the adult population with BMD.

The study was funded by Italfarmaco SpA and Regione Lombardia, Grant 231836, as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the Regional Operational Program (ROP) 2014- 2020.

About Becker Muscular Dystrophy

Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is a rare, genetic muscular dystrophy characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness due to degeneration of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle. Onset is usually in childhood, typically after 7 years of age, but can be later. Symptoms in children include toe walking gait and/or exercise-related cramps with or without myoglobinuria. In older patients, cardiomyopathy heart muscle weakness- may occur, which can be disproportionate to skeletal muscle involvement. As BMD progresses, muscle weakness leads to functional difficulties. The condition is slowly progressive and about 40% of affected patients will eventually become wheelchair-dependent. In wheelchair-dependent patients, restrictive respiratory insufficiency occurs due to weakness of the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm. Currently, no specific treatment is available for individuals with BMD.

About Givinostat

Givinostat is an investigational drug discovered through Italfarmaco's internal research and development efforts in collaboration with Lorenzo Puri (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute, San Diego, formerly Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome) and his team, and partnerships with Telethon and Parent Project aps. It is being evaluated for safety and efficacy for the treatment of Duchenne- and Becker- Muscular Dystrophy. Givinostat inhibits histone deacetylases (HDACs). HDACs are enzymes that prevent gene translation by changing the three-dimensional folding of DNA in the cell. Studies show that higher than normal HDAC activity in individuals with DMD and BMD may prevent muscle regeneration and also trigger inflammation. In the company's clinical study in DMD, boys aged 7 to less than 11 years, Givinostat was observed to slow disease progression, significantly increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of fibrotic tissue. Givinostat treatment also significantly reduced muscle tissue necrosis and fatty replacement, two additional parameters related to disease progression (Bettica et al., Neuromuscular Disorders 2016).

About Italfarmaco Group

Italfarmaco is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of branded prescription and nonprescription products in more than 60 countries on 5 continents. Italfarmaco's research and development expertise is best demonstrated through its HDAC inhibitor development programs, addressing new therapeutic treatments of specialty and rare diseases. Through both marketed drugs and compounds in development, Italfarmaco is dedicated to serving patients whose needs remain largely unmet.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210626005019/en/

Contacts:

Italfarmaco Group

Paolo Bettica, MD, PhD

Chief Medical Officer

+39 02 6443 2511

p.bettica@italfarmaco.com

For media enquiries:

Trophic Communications

Jacob Verghese, PhD or Laura Mittmann, PhD

+49 (0) 89 2388 7731

italfarmaco@trophic.eu
When investors looking for a dependable forex broker start their search they prioritise one that has a huge client base, ease of use, regulatory background, genuine reviews, and advanced technical features.

Finding a reliable forex broker which is compatible with MetaTrader 4 is not an easy process. Not because there are few of them in the market but you have to consider several other features before choosing any particular broker. It is normal to spend months in search of such MT4 forex brokers that are functionally complete, easy to use, have a competitive price, include add-on trading tools, etc. MT4 was developed in 2001 and after that, it quickly became one of the most preferred trading platforms by forex enthusiasts all over the world. Below are some important facts regarding MT4:

It was created by a software company called MetaQuotes.

The main focus of MT4 is to allow margin trading in forex.

MetaTrader was not created for the stock market and ETF.

An improved version of MT4 was released in 2005.

By 2010, MetaTrader grew largely popular with traders, 3rd party scripts, and advisors.

MT4 is a great addition to any type of forex broker whether they are ECN, STP, or even CFD-based brokers. Even today, traders will find more MT4 forex brokers than those who use the MT5 trading platform.

Components of an MT4 forex broker

When you come across a popular MT4 forex broker during your search for the best, there should be no problem in terms of navigating and comprehending their user interface. Typically, any forex broker that utilises the MT4 trading platform must have some of the following areas of interest:

At the top of the trading window, every single icon should be visible and ready to be used by traders in an area called the Toolbar.



After the toolbar comes an essential window where traders are supposed to keep a watch on the market. In this window, you may also find a list of forex pairs along with their prices.



Under the aforementioned market watch area, there is another window where users may put certain account information, expert advisors, scripts, and even useful indicators.



A common MetaTrader 4 is complete with one more window which is placed at the bottom. This particular area is where traders can keep a track of all activities and control trading.

Top features of MT4 forex brokers
Tampa, FL (33646)

Today

Thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 76F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
(CNN) -- Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd on a Minneapolis street last year, was sentenced Friday to 22 and half years in prison.

Chauvin, in a light gray suit and tie and white shirt, spoke briefly before the sentence was imposed, offering his "condolences to the Floyd family."

Under Minnesota law, Chauvin will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence, or 15 years -- and he will be eligible for supervised release for the remaining seven and a half years.

Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death.

At the intersection of Chicago Avenue and 38th Street in Minneapolis, where Floyd took his last breaths, people watched the hearing on mobile phones.

Floyd's sister, Bridgett, who founded the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, said in a statement that the sentence "shows that matters of police brutality are finally being taken seriously."

"However, we have a long way to go and many changes to make before Black and brown people finally feel like they are being treated fairly and humanely by law enforcement in this country," she added.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, in a statement, said the "historic sentence" brings the family and nation "one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability."

"With Chauvin's sentence, we take a significant step forward -- something that was unimaginable a very short time ago," he said.

Chauvin offers condolences to Floyd family

After members of Floyd's family delivered victim impact statements, Chauvin stepped to the lectern beside his lawyer and said, "I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family." He said he could not say more because of pending legal matters.

The sentencing hearing opened with victims' impact statements, including an emotional video from Floyd's seven-year-old daughter, Gianna, who wore a bow wrapped around her hair.

"I ask about him all the time," the little girl said, responding to questions about her dad.

"I miss you and I love you," she said when asked what she would tell her father.

Chauvin, in a light gray suit, white shirt and tie, wore a mask as he listened from the defense table.

Floyd's two brothers and a nephew spoke about the birthday parties, graduations and other family milestones that he will miss.

Philonise Floyd said he has nightmares in which he hears his brother pleading for his life and calling out for their mother. He said he relives the video of his brother "being tortured to death" by Chauvin and the smirk on the former cop's face.

"My family and I have been given a life sentence. We will never get George back," he said.

Philonise wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke about Gianna. Terrence Floyd, another brother, struggled to speak as he asked for the maximum penalty.

"We don't want to see no more slaps on the wrist," nephew Brandon Williams said. "We been through that already -- in my community, in my culture."

Carolyn Pawlenty, Chauvin's mother, also grew emotional as she described him as her favorite son. She said the happiest moments in her life were when Chauvin was born and when she pinned his badge on his uniform for the first time.

"Derek, I want you to know I've always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that," she said.

Chauvin's post-verdict motion for a new trial was denied by a judge hours before the hearing.

Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill ruled Thursday night that Chauvin "failed to demonstrate ... the Court abused its discretion or committed error such that Defendant was deprived of his constitutional right to a fair trial."

Cahill also ruled that Chauvin failed to demonstrate prosecutorial or juror misconduct.

Defense attorneys had argued that "errors, abuses of discretion, prosecutorial and jury misconduct" made the trial unfair.

Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence

Prosecutors for the state of Minnesota have requested a 30-year prison sentence, saying it "would properly account for the profound impact of Defendant's conduct on the victim, the victim's family, and the community," according to a sentencing memo.

Chauvin's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, argued that the former officer should instead receive probation and time served, or at least a sentence less than what the law guides.

"Mr. Chauvin asks the Court to look beyond its findings, to his background, his lack of criminal history, his amenability to probation, to the unusual facts of this case, and to his being a product of a 'broken' system," Nelson wrote in a filing.

The guilty verdict on all three charges against Chauvin came nearly a year after he impassively kneeled on the neck and back of Floyd, handcuffed and lying prone on the street, for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Under the officer's knees, the 46-year-old Black man gasped for air, repeatedly exclaimed "I can't breathe" and ultimately went silent as a group of horrified bystanders looked on.

Floyd's final moments, captured on searing cell phone footage by a 17-year-old, illustrated in clear visuals what Black Americans have long said about how the criminal justice system treats Black people. Floyd's death set off mass protests across the globe as well as incidents of looting and unrest.

Chauvin arrived at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis hours before his sentencing hearing Friday.

Three other officers who were on scene during Floyd's fatal arrest -- Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng -- have pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting. Their trial is currently set for March 2022.

How the sentencing will go

Chauvin was sentenced at the Hennepin County Government Center.

Since his conviction, Chauvin has been held at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, outside of Minneapolis, and was put into a segregated housing unit for his own safety, a prison spokesperson said. The Minnesota Department of Corrections will decide on where Chauvin will serve his time after receiving Cahill's sentencing order, spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald told CNN.

Legally, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for manslaughter. The second-degree murder charge said Chauvin assaulted Floyd with his knee, which unintentionally caused Floyd's death. The third-degree murder charge said Chauvin acted with a "depraved mind," and the manslaughter charge said his "culpable negligence" caused Floyd's death.

Chauvin has no prior criminal record, so Minnesota's sentencing guidelines recommend about 12 and a half years in prison for each murder charge and about four years for the manslaughter charge.

In this case, state prosecutors asked for a tougher sentence than the recommendations provide, citing five aggravating factors they said applied. Judge Peter Cahill has ruled that four of the five factors were proven beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) Chauvin abused a position of trust and authority, (2) he treated Floyd with particular cruelty, (3) children were present during the offense, and (4) Chauvin committed the crime as a group with the active participation of at least three other people.

The findings allow the judge to sentence Chauvin beyond what the guidelines recommend.

Over about three weeks of testimony in court, Minnesota prosecutors repeatedly told jurors to "believe your eyes" and rely on the infamous video of Floyd.

"This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first, when you saw that video. It is exactly that. You can believe your eyes," prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher said in closing arguments. "This wasn't policing. This was murder."

The defense called seven witnesses -- but not Chauvin himself, as he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify. Nelson argued that Chauvin's use of force was reasonable, that he was distracted by hostile bystanders and that Floyd died of other causes.

Chauvin faces other legal issues as well. A federal grand jury indicted all four former officers in connection with Floyd's death, alleging they violated his constitutional rights, according to court documents filed in federal court in Minnesota. They are due to be arraigned on the charges in September, according to a court filing.

Chauvin also was charged in a separate indictment related to an incident in which he allegedly used unreasonable force on a Minneapolis 14-year-old in September 2017, the Justice Department said in a statement. He is also expected to be arraigned in that case in September, according to court filings.

CNN's Omar Jimenez and Brad Parks contributed to this report.
Versace L'Homme: The First Versace Masculine

Vintages

Versace L'Homme is a wonderful fragrance. It has many admirers who consider it a true classic for men. However, they cannot agree about its classification. In the Fragrantica database, it has long been a leather scent. Osmotheque attributes it to the aromatic subgroup of woody scents. The Haarmann & Reimer classification puts it between wood and leather chypre. Nigel Groom and Euroitalia (Versace perfumes' license owners) consider it a woody oriental. There are opinions supporting all these definitions, plus one more is added: They say this is a classic fougere scent akin to Tuscany Aramis and Kouros YSL. Moreover, the decor on the glass bottle resembles fern leaves, so this is a clear indication of fougeres.

The bottle is a really great classic, of that there is no argument. I have a bottle from 1995 and it's the Anniversary edition, a batch released for the tenth anniversary of the fragrance. (For how to find out the year of release, I advise consulting the Raiders Of The Lost Scent blog.) I think that it's not worth arguing about classification either - let everyone keep his or her own opinion; over time all those who are mistaken will understand their mistakes and find out the truth (if they want.) To close the subject, for me Versace L'Homme is a woody chypre, and I have admired this fragrance from afar for over ten years.

Once or twice a year I take out my bottle from the perfume wardrobe, and for the whole day it helps me recall my Soviet childhood, Saturday trips to the hairdresser with my father, the strong masculine smell of Soviet chypres, and "The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia" film by Eldar Ryazanov and Dino de Laurentis (the 1973 film was named Una matta, matta, matta corsa in Russia in Italy.)

And maybe the Italians may remember how Versace L'Homme was presented to the public in October 1984, which took place at the Teatro Piccolo in Milan - Maurice Bejart specially created an expressive triptych dance, presenting the fragrance in three parts, for which Gianni Versace himself designed the dancers' costumes.

The French people discovered the fragrance for themselves in March 1985, at the exhibition "Gianni Versace: Obiettivo Moda" in Paris, where Versace's works were presented in photo art by Avedon, Penn, Newton, Barbieri etc. (French President Jacques Chirac visited the exhibition to award the fashion designer.)

Dionysos ballet: Gianni Versace costumes, Maurice Bejart choreography

Let me also walk on the thin ice of exaggerations and assumptions. In my opinion, the chypre theme in Versace L'Homme did not appear out of nowhere, of course - Italian designers embodied in their work a nostalgia for the wonderful time of La Dolce Vita. The name for this period of the 1950s and 60s, with their freedom and the economic boom in Italy, came from Fellini's film starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee and Anita Ekberg. Chypres were the most popular genre at the time - OK, there were other popular varieties in Italy, citrus and lavender colognes, spicy, pine, tobacco ... but chypres were an international theme, a 20th century classic. It was necessary to start with the classics - the feminine debut Gianni Versace (1981) was also a floral chypre, and Versace L'Homme had to match its female half.

Firmenich perfumer Roger Pellegrino, author of Versace L'Homme, created it as a strong chypre with a green citrus beginning - the basil and cinnamon in the initial citrus accord really makes it a bit like its peer Tuscany Per Uomo Aramis. But then - no, they develop in different ways. Versace L'Homme is a lighter citrus, Tuscany Per Uomo is deeper and darker, Versace L'Homme is rather sweet and spicy-woody, Tuscany Per Uomo is more bitter-woody, with an emphasis on aromatic herbs and patchouli. These are two shades of daylight - bright daylight and dim sunset.

In my opinion, Versace L'Homme is much closer in its structure and power to the Antaeus Chanel chypre, although it is much inferior to it in its leather component. Instead of a rich leather core and base, it has a carnation-cedar, powdery-spicy woody base. True, sometimes in a distant base, a slightly hairy and slightly leathery character wakes up in the fragrance - but mainly citruses, spices, cedar and moss determine its character. While all the details are in place (moss, leather, labdanum, patchouli, cedar), these woody and leather chypres, Versace L'Homme and Antaeus Chanel are chypres that complement each other like day and night.

The first bottles of Versace L'Homme were produced in France in the same factories as Yves Saint-Laurent (both were in the portfolio of Lanvin-Charles of the Ritz, which belonged to E.R. Squibb). They are distinguished by thin letters of the Versace logo (perhaps, this is a more leathery version); From 1988 to 2004, the fragrances were produced by the company Giver SpA, owned by the Versace family; it was then sold to Euroitalia, which replaced the gold boxes with black ones. Nowadays, you can still find a sufficient number of vintage bottles at a low price, as well as new bottles. Classic chypres are not very popular among today's young consumers, but the adventures of the Italian fragrance Versace L'Homme continue.

Versace L'Homme Versace

Top notes: Lemon, Basil, Bergamot, Petitgrain, Pimento and Green notes; Middle notes: Carnation, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Rose, Cedar and Jasmine;

Base notes: Leather, Oakmoss, Musk, Vanilla, Labdanum, Amber and Tonka Bean.

Photos: (C) Fragram - jyga, Ciprian, Martin Nguyen; Thank you, guys!
More Information

The two busts, constructed by artists from StudioEIS in Brooklyn, New York, will be displayed at the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society's Museum of the Ironworker once it opens. Funds raised during Thursdays event will be used to help finance renovations underway at the museum. For details, go to catoctinfurnace.org.
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In Galveston, a cautious perspective on lab leak theories

GALVESTON

For weeks, national newspaper pages and websites and cable news reports have been filled with similar stories.

The headlines report theres growing concern COVID-19 originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology and escaped through a mistake. The theory conflicts with another that the virus emerged in nature and was passed from an animal, like a bat, into human populations.

Both theories lack crucial pieces of direct evidence. No bats have been found in the wild infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus; but there have been no confirmed reports of a leak at the Wuhan lab. The origins still are unknown.

Calls for an investigation into the origins of a pandemic that has contributed to the deaths of millions, brought much of the world to a halt, smothered economies and consumed many billions of dollars are growing, however, and even some lab theory skeptics have joined the push.

VETTING THE POSSIBLE

For one of the most prominent names in viral research, the flood of news coverage isnt necessarily backed up by new scientific discoveries.

Im not aware of anything new, said Dr. James LeDuc, recently retired president of the Galveston National Laboratory, the islands world-renowned infectious disease research center. Thats the same answer I would have given you six months ago.

Last year, LeDuc told The Daily News that he, like many, leaned toward the theory that coronavirus originated in nature. But, he acknowledged at the time that sometimes accidents happen.

LeDuc is among a group of prominent experts who say governments and scientists should commit to studying and trying to identify the origin of the virus. Many of those calls came after a failed World Health Organization attempt to identify the origin and somewhat contradictory statements from WHO officials.

I think we need to keep looking at the facts, follow the science and keep pushing to identify it, LeDuc said in a recent interview.

The big news about COVID-19 these days is its ability to transform into new variants, which has allowed the virus to keep spreading more efficiently and remain dangerous, he said.

The Galveston National Lab is on the cutting edge of research to combat the variants, LeDuc said.

WHAT CHANGED

Theories about a lab leak origin of the COVID-19 virus have existed since the virus first emerged in China in December 2019. Initially, any talk that the virus leaked from the Wuhan lab was dismissed as fringe conspiracy theory. But the theory took on new life earlier this year and gained even more traction in the past month.

The inciting incident was the highly anticipated release of a WHO report made after a field investigation in Wuhan, China, that aimed to discover the true origin of the virus.

The WHO report declared the laboratory incident hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain introduction of the virus into the human population.

Two days after the release of that report, however, WHO officials started walking back the reports strongly worded conclusion, noting Chinese officials had not been fully forthcoming with WHO investigators.

The gist of the reaction to the WHO report was that it didnt rule out the lab leak theory. Investigative reports following the WHO report also yielded more questions and more speculation.

For instance, in March, an Australian newspaper reported three Wuhan researchers were hospitalized with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 in November 2019. That reporting was repeated by NBC News in March and a May article in the Wall Street Journal.

At least one former State Department official has speculated that group was the first cluster of COVID-19 in the world.

LeDuc said he had doubts whether the sick lab workers meant anything at all.

November in Wuhans temperate zone, they get some pretty strong winters there, LeDuc said. Its respiratory season. Who knows what they got.

The fact that three people went to the hospital or contracted a respiratory disease in respiratory disease season, its intriguing, but its certainly not a smoking gun.

Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist, made a similar observation to NBC News, saying seasonal sickness in China was certainly not a big, big thing. Koopmans opinion on the sick researchers was the only opinion shared by the Journal, which also noted it wasnt unusual for people in China to go directly to a hospital for treatment.

Reports like the sick lab workers, and the speculation that followed, are among reasons there should be more investigation into the virus origins, and why China should cooperate more with the probes, LeDuc said.

The challenge is going to be getting good transparency from the Chinese government, he said.

Thats absolutely critical. But you look at the world, and theres the scientists, who have been collaborating throughout history and have continued to do so, and there are the politicians, and theyve got an agenda.

Im absolutely convinced the Chinese have looked closely at the laboratories and the natural origin. The problem is they just havent shared the information.

Days after the Wall Street Journal report, President Joe Biden said he had asked the U.S. intelligence agencies to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion about the origins of COVID-19 and report back to him by the middle of August.

RETRACTIONS AND LETTERS

A mass reset of public opinion about the possible origins of the virus came after Bidens call for redoubled investigation.

There have been other public reckonings. In one case, The Washington Post corrected a February 2020 report that referred to the lab leak theory as a conspiracy theory. The Post amended its report to read fringe theory that had been disputed rather than debunked.

Elsewhere, the medical journal The Lancet added an addendum to a widely shared March 2020 open letter that also appeared to dismiss the lab leak theory outright. In the letter, 27 prominent public health experts condemned conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin.

The addendum noted one of the letters signers, zoologist Peter Daszak, had a potential conflict of interest that wasnt stated initially. Daszaks nonprofit organization, EcoHealth Alliance, directs U.S. grants to international researchers, including some in China.

More recently, a group of prominent scientists took a different stance in a letter to the journal Science about the WHO report on COVIDs origins.

We must take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers seriously until we have sufficient data, the letter stated.

The letter cites no new direct evidence, and The Washington Post noted this week the letter had been criticized for giving equal weight to the lab leak hypothesis. Most scientists still say the virus most likely came to humans from nature, The Post argued.

Meanwhile, a June 15 letter in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine called for peace among researchers until the work of science was completed.

... [M]isinformation, unsubstantiated claims, and personal attacks on scientists surrounding the different theories of how the virus emerged are unacceptable, and are sowing public confusion and risk undermining the publics trust in science and scientists, including those still leading efforts to bring the pandemic under control, the letter stated.

WHAT OF THE GALVESTON LAB?

Despite its prominence in viral research, the Galveston National Laboratory has stayed out of the public discourse about COVID-19s origin. No lab employees appeared on the Science letter or other, similar open letters calling for more investigations.

Dr. Randall Urban, the interim director of the Galveston National Lab, said the lab isnt directly involved in any of the investigations about the origins of the virus.

I think its important that we understand that from a perspective that it has been a very devastating virus, and its important to know how it came about now that were all focusing on pandemic preparedness and how we get ready for the next virus, Urban said.

At the GNL, were not into investigation, he said. We dont do investigations. Were not part of those investigations. So, I cant really comment on that. Were focusing on treating and coming up with better diagnostic tests and getting ready for the variants.

Still, the Galveston lab is frequently mentioned in articles about COVID because its research is similar and because the Galveston lab has helped train some Chinese researchers associated with the Wuhan lab.

The renewed discussion about lab leak theories havent prompted any widespread discussion about the wisdom or safety of the Galveston facility. The lab hasnt reported any leaks or serious incidents since it opened in 2008.

When the lab was created in 2008, it formed a community liaison committee, made of up people who live in Galveston, to communicate local concerns about lab safety to the medical branch and communicate updates about the labs work to the community.

Two members of the liaison committee who spoke to The Daily News said its meetings with medical branch officials have been curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But they said Chinas problems, whatever they might be, hadnt seemed to sow distrust in Galveston.

Theyre doing an investigation and until then we cant go by their hearsay, said Steven Marsh, a member of the nine-person committee, of the talk about lab leaks.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Rain this morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 86F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall possibly over one inch..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 79F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
The Linn County Board of Commissioners said on Tuesday that its willing to participate in a multi-million dollar settlement with Purdue Pharma and other manufacturers or distributors that have been responsible for whats been dubbed a deceptive marketing scheme that fueled the opioid epidemic.

While Linn County is not joining the lawsuit as a plaintiff, the county board on Tuesday gave permission to its legal department to negotiate with both sides of the suit in order to hash out a settlement. Just what amount that settlement would be, or how much Linn County would stand to receive from it, remains to be seen.

Three Oregon counties are listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit dating back to 2018: Clackamas, Washington and Lane. However, other counties are joining in on the negotiations because settlements of this size usually come with the stipulation that all involved parties agree not to sue the defendants again in the future for the same tort claims. In order for such a promise to have teeth, all 36 of Oregons counties would need to sign on.

The defendants include Purdue Pharma, the manufacturers of OxyContin, Teva Pharmaceutical and Johnson & Johnson, both manufacturers of other opioid pain-killers, and distributors like McKesson, which has a distribution center in Clackamas.
Downing, the lead author for the report, noted that refugia can be transient and survive a single fire because of random weather or fire behavior conditions, or there can be persistent refugia that dont change very much in the face of multiple fire events.

Figuring out which areas are most likely to persist requires using landscape-scale assessments of the factors behind fire behavior and severity: topography, fuels and weather, Krawchuk said. Refugia are ecologically important parts of fire severity mosaics, and it appears that the more times a landscape burns, the more important terrain features are for refugia persistence.

The models analyzed by the researchers also show that smoke density strongly influences the results. Refugia are more likely to occur when smoke is moderate or dense in the morning, a connection the scientists attribute to the shade smoke provides.

Our hope is that this study can inform management strategies designed to protect fire-resistant portions of biologically and topographically diverse landscapes, Krawchuk said.

The Klamath-Siskiyou ecoregion is ideal for studying refugia occurrence and resilience, Downing said, because its a biodiversity hotspot in which fire has been a key ecological component for thousands of years.
Gettysburg, PA (17325)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 77F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Pune, Feb. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biofuels Market Analysis/Biofuels Market Trends

The global biofuels industry is highly lucrative and predicted to witness significant growth at a healthy 5.10% CAGR over the forecast period (2019- 2025), reveals the Market Research Future (MRFR) report. Biofuels are a form of fuel that is derived from algae material, animal waste, or plants. It is regarded as a renewable fuel as the feedstock material that is used can be replenished at a quicker pace compared to conventional fossil fuels.

Alluring Features that Bolster Market Growth

As per the Market Research Future report, there are numerous factors that are propelling the biofuels market size. These include the renewability of biodiesel, growing government support for biofuel development through regulations, policies, and programs, growing use of glycerin from biodiesel production, and use of crude glycerin as a dust suppressant, and coal freeze protection. Besides, limited accessibility of fossil fuel-based resources, growing awareness to curb carbon emissions, and the presence of different tax incentives, growing demand in the transportation sector, and supporting regulatory policies worldwide on the use of biofuels are also adding to the biofuels market share.





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On the contrary, the inadequate accessibility of every form of feedstock like sugar, starch, and algae, and the uncertain feedstock prices of the project and capital intensity & yield may limit the global biofuels market revenue over the forecast period.

COVID-19 Analysis

The COVID-19 outbreak has turned the world upside down. It has impacted the worldwide economy and also cast its shadow on different industries, which also includes the biofuels market. This industry has been hit hard due to the sharp decline in the demand for fuel across the country, with residents following the federal, state, and local guidance to minimize travel and practice social distancing. Lockdown measures have resulted in a contraction in demand for transport fuels into which the biofuels are blended. Besides, low prices of oil mean biofuels are less competitive, thus will struggle to maintain the market share. The aviation industry is the hardest hit from the ongoing crisis, with most airlines needing government bailouts while others are facing bankruptcy. Thus investments in bio-jet programs may suffer. Biofuel producer margins have faced tremendous pressure for low oil prices, supply disruptions affecting feedstocks, and reduced demand. Low margins for a prolonged period can result in a wave of industry consolidation. On the other hand, the crisis has boosted the usage of canola oil in the biofuel sectors this is owing to the production of the main competing feedstocks of canola has been severely curtailed. All these have impacted the market growth.

Market Segmentation

The MRFR report offers an inclusive analysis of the biofuels market based on the type of feedstock and type of fuel.

By type of fuel, the global biofuels market is segmented into ethanol and biodiesel. Of these, the ethanol segment will lead the market over the forecast period for the growing need for bioethanol as an automotive fuel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that is attributable to their eco-friendly feature.

By type of feedstock, the global biofuels market is segmented into third generation, second generation, and first generation. Of these, the first generation segment will dominate the market over the forecast period as this contains less saturated fat that makes it simpler to process, and thus cut down the overall production costs. Besides, in comparison to algae and cellulosic, the feedstock required to produce vegetable oils is more readily available.





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Regional Segmentation

By region, the global biofuels market covers growth opportunities and the latest trends across Europe, the Asia Pacific (APAC), North America, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and South America. Of these, North America will spearhead the market over the forecast period. Government-wide supporting policies, government tax incentives, growing demand in the US for its strong incentives and policies to encourage the use, production, and study of renewable fuels in new technologies, the presence of a large amount of feedstock for biofuel production, and the presence of supporting infrastructure for the production & favorable government policies for the use of these fuels are adding to the global biofuels market growth in the region. Besides, the major growth is driven by the EU, China, the US, and Brazil, growing awareness to curb carbon emissions and improve the use of the fuels, the growing awareness about the advantages of biofuels over conventional fuels, need for environmental conservation, and increasing environmental concerns are also adding market growth.

APAC to Have Healthy Growth in Biofuels Market

In the APAC region, the biofuels market will have healthy growth over the forecast period. Introduction & the increasing adoption of biofuel supporting regulations and policies in India, Australia, Indonesia, and China, growing demand in the transportation sector in the form of blending with conventional fossil fuels, and rapidly growing population are adding to the global biofuels market value. Besides, the improving economic conditions in India and China and the availability of raw materials in abundance are also likely to have a positive impact on the biofuels market outlook over the forecast period.





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Competitive Landscape

The prominent players profiled in the global biofuels industry report include Cargil (US), GLENCORE Magdeburg GmbH (Germany), Biowanze S.A. (Belgium), Cosan (Brazil), BlueFire Renewables (US), Renewable Energy Group Inc. (US), Neste Corporation (Finland), INEOS Group AG (UK), Aceites Manuelita S.A. (Colombia), and Archer Daniels Midland Company (US).

The global biofuels market is competitive and fragmented in nature with the presence of several well-established international and domestic players. These players have incorporated several strategies to widen their portfolio and create a foothold in the market, such as mergers and acquisitions, geographic expansions, strategic alliances, R&D, and others.

Industry Updates

February 2021- bluShift Aerospace has launched its first-ever rocket that is powered by biofuels.

January 2021- Bilfinger is supporting Clariant to build a new advanced biofuels plant.







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Dublin, June 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol) Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecast (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The ethyl alcohol (ethanol) market size is projected to register a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period (2021-2026).



The market was negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. Beverage manufacturers are affected by the shortage of labor and raw materials essential for the production process. The demand is also expected to be affected by the uncertainties in consumer demand as pandemics have surged healthy food habits, and consumers are focusing on home dining as several governments have initiated preventive measures such as banning mass gatherings, especially in restaurants.

Over the short term, major factors driving the growth of the market studied are the rising demand for ethanol as biofuel, growing to use in beer production and food processing, and stringent government policies to restrict the usage of fossil fuels. On the flip side, an increase in awareness about the ill effects of alcohol consumption and the advent of hybrid electric vehicles are likely to hamper the growth of the market studied.

The fuel segment dominated the market, and it is likely to grow during the forecast period, owing to increased practice of ethanol blending with gasoline across the world. The surging demand to produce ethanol from corn and sugar is likely to provide opportunities for the market studied during the forecast period. North America dominated the market across the world due to increasing regulations and rising demand for the food processing industry.

Key Market Trends



Fuel Segment to Dominate the Market Demand

Ethanol is gaining support for application as fuel, owing to its renewable source and eco-friendliness with lower emissions. Ethanol has a higher octane number than gasoline, providing premium blending properties.

Low-octane gasoline is blended with 10% ethanol to attain the standard 87 octane. Carbon monoxide production from ethanol fuel is significantly lower when compared to gasoline engines.

Moreover, for the past several years, refiners have been adding ethanol to fuel, as it burns cleaner than pure gas, which helps in cutting the carbon footprint. Additionally, the use of ethanol as a fuel helps to reduce oil dependency.

According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India, the country has preponed the target of achieving 20% ethanol-blended fuel by five years and now to complete the target by 2025. The country needs 4 billion liters of ethanol for 10% ethanol blend, and for 20% ethanol blend, the country needs 1,000 crore liters of ethanol, which will cost approximately INR 65,000 crores.

European countries are majorly using 5% ethanol-blended fuel. The region is focusing on reducing the carbon dioxide emission from transportation through 10%-20% ethanol blending based on the countries' infrastructure.

In California, ethanol replaced methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) as a gasoline component. E10, one of the most common blends, contains 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol in order to oxygenate the fuel and reduce emissions.

In Brazil, fuel ethanol consumption is driven largely by an ethanol blending mandate and lower prices relative to gasoline. However, the country's fuel ethanol prices are not competitive with fuel ethanol from the United States, primarily on account of higher agricultural feedstock costs, especially along with the Brazilian coastal areas.

Hence, all such trends in the market are likely to drive the demand for ethanol for fuel application during the forecast period.

North American Region to Dominate the Market

The North American region dominated the global market share. Stringent regulations toward reducing the usage of fossil fuels and rising demand from the food processing industry have been driving the demand for ethanol in the region.

The government in the countries such as the United States, Canada, and Mexico, have been focusing on reducing the usage of fossil fuels and the pollution caused by them. In this regard, the region has been resorting to ethanol-blended fuels, with ethanol being a cleaner resource, which serves as one of the major factors driving the growth of the ethanol market in the region.

According to Renewable Fuel Association, the United States produced 15.8 billion gallons in 2019, out of which 90% of ethanol was exported and the rest 10% was domestically utilized.

Additionally, in 2019, the Japanese government's biofuel policy allowed the use of the US-based corn ethanol to be used up to 44% for the production of ethyl tert-butyl ether, additves used in petrol to improve combustion, impacting the demand for ethyl alcohol.

According to the Mexican Chamber of Cosmetic Products (CANIPEC), the Mexican cosmetics market was valued at around USD 10 billion in 2019 and held the second position in the Latin American market and 11th in the world. Growing demand for premium skin care products, along with the need for a better lifestyle, is driving the market for personal care in the country, positively impacting the demand for ethyl alcohol.

For instance, in the United States, more than 97% of gasoline contains ethanol. E10, one of the most common blends, contains 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol in order to oxygenate the fuel and reduce emissions. Since 2001, the E15 blend, which contains 15% ethanol, has also been approved for use.

The food processing industry is significantly growing, owing to higher dependency on processed, ready-to-eat, and frozen and packaged food. Thus, owing to the growing population through new births and migration, the demand for the industry has also been increasing, which is further increasing the output of, and demand for, ethanol from the industry in the region.

Hence, all such market trends are expected to drive the demand for ethanol in the region during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape



The ethyl alcohol (ethanol) market is fragmented in nature. Some of the key players in the market include ADM, POET LLC, Valero, Bunge North America Inc., and Flint Hills Resources, among others.



Reasons to Purchase this report:

The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format

3 months of analyst support

Key Topics Covered:



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Rising Demand for Ethanol as Biofuel

4.1.2 Increasing Demand for Ethanol in the Food Processing Industry

4.1.3 Growing Use in Beer Production

4.1.4 Stringent Government Policies to Restrict the Use of Fossil Fuels

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Increase in Awareness About the Ill Effects of Alcohol Consumption

4.2.2 Advent of Hybrid Electric Vehicles

4.2.3 Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak

4.3 Industry Value Chain Analysis

4.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.4.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.4.2 Bargaining Power of Consumers

4.4.3 Threat of New Entrants

4.4.4 Threat of Substitute Products and Services

4.4.5 Degree of Competition

4.5 Import Export Trends

4.6 Price Trends



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Grade

5.1.1 Food Grade

5.1.2 Industrial Grade

5.1.3 Pharmaceutical Grade

5.1.4 Lab Grade

5.2 Purity

5.2.1 Undenatured Ethanol

5.2.2 Denatured Ethanol

5.3 Application

5.3.1 Industrial Solvent

5.3.2 Fuel/Fuel Additive

5.3.3 Bacteriacide/Disinfectant

5.3.4 Beverages

5.3.5 Personal Care

5.3.6 Other Applications

5.4 Geography

5.4.1 Asia-Pacific

5.4.1.1 China

5.4.1.2 India

5.4.1.3 Japan

5.4.1.4 South Korea

5.4.1.5 Rest of Asia-Pacific

5.4.2 North America

5.4.2.1 United States

5.4.2.2 Canada

5.4.2.3 Mexico

5.4.3 Europe

5.4.3.1 Germany

5.4.3.2 United Kingdom

5.4.3.3 France

5.4.3.4 Italy

5.4.3.5 Rest of Europe

5.4.4 South America

5.4.4.1 Brazil

5.4.4.2 Argentina

5.4.4.3 Rest of South America

5.4.5 Middle-East and Africa

5.4.5.1 Saudi Arabia

5.4.5.2 South Africa

5.4.5.3 Rest of Middle-East and Africa



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Mergers and Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Collaborations, and Agreements

6.2 Market Share/Ranking Analysis

6.3 Strategies Adopted by Leading Players

6.4 Company Profiles

6.4.1 Advanced BioEnergy LLC

6.4.2 The Andersons Inc.

6.4.3 ADM

6.4.4 Braskem

6.4.5 bp PLC

6.4.6 Cargill Incorporated

6.4.7 Flint Hills Resources

6.4.8 Green Plains Inc.

6.4.9 INEOS

6.4.10 HPCL Biofuels Limited

6.4.11 Kirin Holdings Company Limited

6.4.12 LyondellBasell Industries Holdings BV

6.4.13 Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

6.4.14 Alto Ingredients Inc.

6.4.15 SABIC

6.4.16 Sasol Limited

6.4.17 POET LLC

6.4.18 Solvay

6.4.19 Valero



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS

7.1 Surging Demand to Produce Ethanol from Corn and Sugar

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k1hr8c
Swedish English

PRESS RELEASE

June 25, 2021

Saniona (OMX: SANION), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, today announced that its partner Productos Medix, S.A de S.V, (Medix) has provided Saniona with an update on the Mexican regulatory authority Comision Federal para la Proteccion contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS)s ongoing review of tesofensine for the treatment of obesity.

According to Medix, as part of the ongoing review process, the tesofensine application was reviewed by a COFEPRIS technical committee on new molecules (El Comite de Moleculas Nuevas). The committee was unable to provide a favorable opinion on tesofensine at this time and cited the need for additional information regarding certain topics, including weight loss maintenance. Medix informed Saniona that it will gather the requested information and continue discussions with the committee as soon as possible, and that it fully intends to continue to pursue the process of seeking approval for tesofensine. However, Medix advised that the continuing discussions with the committee may delay the anticipated final approval decision from COFEPRIS into 2022.

Medix licensed the rights to develop and commercialize tesofensine in Mexico and Argentina from Saniona in 2016. Saniona retains all rights to tesofensine in the rest of the world.

For more information, please contact

Trista Morrison, Chief Communications Officer, Saniona. Office: + 1 (781) 810-9227. Email: trista.morrison@saniona.com

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 19.45 CEST on 25 June 2021.

About Saniona

Saniona is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and delivering innovative treatments for rare disease patients around the world. The companys lead product candidate, Tesomet, is in mid-stage clinical trials for hypothalamic obesity and Prader-Willi syndrome, severe rare disorders characterized by uncontrollable hunger and intractable weight gain. Sanionas robust drug discovery engine has generated a library now consisting of more than 20,000 proprietary modulators of ion channels, a significantly untapped drug class that is scientifically validated. Lead candidate SAN711 is entering Phase 1 for rare neuropathic disorders, with SAN903 for rare inflammatory and fibrotic disorders advancing through preclinical development. Led by an experienced scientific and operational team, Saniona has an established research organization in Copenhagen, Denmark and a corporate office in the Boston, Massachusetts area, U.S. The companys shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Small Cap (OMX: SANION). Read more at www.saniona.com.

Attachment
NEW YORK, June 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity announced today that FCB won the coveted Network of the Year title, a first for the network in its 148-year history. After celebrating a momentous week that included Healthcare Network of the Year for FCB Health Network, Healthcare Agency of the Year for AREA 23, an FCB Health Network company, two Titanium wins, five Grand Prix, the prestigious honor of Network of the Year was the crowning achievement for the network. In total, FCB accumulated an amazing 80 Lions, consisting of two Titanium, five Grands Prix, 15 Gold, 26 Silver and 32 Bronze  no easy feat, especially in these unprecedented times.

FCBs historic showing this year can be attributed to the creative leaders who comprise our global network, said FCB Worldwide Chief Executive Officer Carter Murray. One of Murrays top priorities since becoming CEO has been creating an environment where talented individuals can thrive and grow. Its also a testament to Global Chief Creative Officer Susan Credles creative vision.

This incredible honor has been a tremendous affirmation of FCBs Never Finished spirit and 456 scale, said Global Chief Creative Officer Susan Credle. And most importantly the generosity of the network-wide Global Creative Council (GCC) where, bi-yearly, our Chief Creative Officers come together to evaluate and amplify the brightest work around the global network. Credle, with worldwide creative partner Fred Levron, and the GCC, have put FCBs creative transformation on full display this week on the largest creative marketing stage in the world.

FCB Chicagos Boards of Change on behalf of the City of Chicago and FCB Chicago/FCB New Yorks Contract for Change on behalf of AB InBev achieved Titanium glory  a prestigious honor given to game-changing work that breaks new ground  on the final day of the festival. Boards of Change won an astounding 14 Lions total, including a Grand Prix. Contract for Change garnered 9 significant wins during the Festival, including an esteemed Grand Prix.

Major highlights across the network include FCB Chicago placing third for Agency of the Year and notching 24 total wins, FCB New York ending the week with 18 wins, FCB Canada with 7, FCB Inferno with 6, FCB Interface with 7 and AREA 23, an FCB Health Network company, with 11 Lions, including two amazing Grands Prix.

This incredible showing at Cannes comes on the heels of an impressive year for the FCB Network, including being named Adweeks 2020 Global Agency of the Year, which recognized the networks continued growth, innovation and unwavering focus on its people, clients and the creative work they accomplish together.

Please refer to the charts below for information on all of FCBs Cannes Lions 2020/2021 accolades:

Cannes Lions  Sustainable Development Goals Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Sustainable Development Goals  Reduced Inequalities Bronze Lion FCB CHICAGO/FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Sustainable Development Goals  Responsible Consumption and Production Bronze Lion FCB ULKA OUT AND PROUD CLASSIFIED THE TIMES OF INDIA Sustainable Development Goals  Gender Equality

Cannes Lions  Titanium Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Titanium Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Titanium Titanium Lion FCB CHICAGO/FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Titanium

Cannes Lions  Brand Experience & Activation Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Brand Experience & Activation  Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Brand Experience & Activation  Healthcare Silver Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Brand Experience & Activation  Live Brand Experience or Activation Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Brand Experience & Activation  Tech-led Brand Experience Bronze Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Brand Experience & Activation  Social Behaviour Bronze Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Brand Experience & Activation  Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility Bronze Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE Brand Experience & Activation  Not-for-profit/Charity/ Government Bronze Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Brand Experience & Activation  Digital Installations

Cannes Lions  Creative Business Transformation Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO/FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Creative Business Transformation  Brand Purpose & Impact Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO/FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Creative Business Transformation  Venture Models & Corporate Innovation

Cannes Lions  Creative eCommerce Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Grand Prix FCB INFERNO RAISING PROFILES THE BIG ISSUE & LINKEDIN Creative eCommerce  Market Disruption Gold Lion FCB INFERNO RAISING PROFILES THE BIG ISSUE & LINKEDIN Creative eCommerce  Social Commerce Bronze Lion FCB INFERNO RAISING PROFILES THE BIG ISSUE & LINKEDIN Creative eCommerce  Not-for-profit/Charity/ Government

Cannes Lions  Creative Effectiveness Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB NEW YORK THE WHOPPER DETOUR (2021) BURGER KING Creative Effectiveness  Acquisition Bronze Lion FCB NEW YORK THE WHOPPER DETOUR (2021) BURGER KING Creative Effectiveness  Retail

Cannes Lions  Innovation Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Innovation  Early Stage Technology

Cannes Lions  Mobile Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Mobile  Connected Devices/Wearables Bronze Lion FCB/SIX PUBLICLY TRADED LIFESTYLES HEALTHCARE Mobile  Brand-led Mobile Websites

Cannes Lions  Radio & Audio Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Grand Prix AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Radio & Audio  Healthcare Gold Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Radio & Audio  Use of Audio Technology Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Radio & Audio  Use of Music Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO BEDTIME STORIES WALMART Radio & Audio  Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility

Cannes Lions  Digital Craft Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Digital Craft  Experience Design: Voice Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Digital Craft  Innovative Use of Technology

Cannes Lions  Entertainment Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Bronze Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Entertainment  Sports: Brand Integration & Sponsorships/ Partnerships Bronze Lion FCB&FIRE UNBOXING IBAI NETFLIX & PLAYSTATION Entertainment  Innovation in Branded Content

Cannes Lions  Entertainment Lions for Sport

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Bronze Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Entertainment Lions for Sport  Sports Live Experience

Cannes Lions  Creative Data Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion FCB/SIX ME TOO. ACT TOO. ME TOO. Creative Data  Data Integration Silver Lion FCB/SIX PUBLICLY TRADED LIFESTYLES HEALTHCARE Creative Data  Data-enhanced Creativity

Cannes Lions  Creative Strategy Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion FCB INFERNO RAISING PROFILES THE BIG ISSUE & LINKEDIN Creative Strategy  Collaboration Bronze Lion FCB CHICAGO/

FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Creative Strategy  Food & Drink

Cannes Lions  Direct Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO/FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Direct  Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility Silver Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Direct  Co-creation & User Generated Content Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Direct  Not-for-profit/Charity/ Government Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Direct  Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Direct  Social Behaviour Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO/FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV Direct  Food & Drink Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY THE INEVITABLE NEWS THE INEVITABLE NEWS Direct  Use of Print/Outdoor Bronze Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Direct  New Realities & Voice-activation Bronze Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Direct  Immersive Experiences & Interactive Screens

Cannes Lions  Media Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Grand Prix FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Media  Social Behaviour Gold Lion FCB INFERNO RAISING PROFILES THE BIG ISSUE & LINKEDIN Media  Use of Social Platforms Gold Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Media  Use of Events Bronze Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Media  Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale Bronze Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Media  Corporate Purpose & Social Responsibility Bronze Lion FCB NEW YORK MICHELOB ULTRA COURTSIDE AB INBEV Media  Social Behaviour

Cannes Lions  PR Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Grand Prix FCB CHICAGO/ FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV PR  Corporate Image, Communication & Reputation Management Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO PR  Social Behaviour Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO/ FCB NEW YORK CONTRACT FOR CHANGE AB INBEV PR  Food & Drink Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY THE INEVITABLE NEWS THE INEVITABLE NEWS PR  Media/ Entertainment Silver Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE PR  Not-for-profit/Charity/ Government Bronze Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO PR  Brand Voice & Strategic Storytelling

Cannes Lions  Social & Influencer Lions

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion FCB INFERNO RAISING PROFILES THE BIG ISSUE & LINKEDIN Social & Influencer  Audience Targeting/ Engagement Strategies Bronze Lion FCB BRASIL SWEET BLOCK ABRAJI & CONGRESSO EM FOCO Social & Influencer  Cultural Insight

Cannes Lions  Design

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Design  Event Storytelling Silver Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Design  Spatial & Sculptural Exhibitions and Experiences Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SEE SOUND SEE SOUND Design  Consumer Technology & Homeware Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SEE SOUND SEE SOUND Design  Medical Products Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY THE INEVITABLE NEWS THE INEVITABLE NEWS Design  Design-driven Effectiveness

Cannes Lions  Health & Wellness

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE Health & Wellness  Nonprofit/

Foundation-led Education & Awareness Silver Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE Health & Wellness  Nonprofit/

Foundation-led Education & Awareness Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY THE INEVITABLE NEWS THE INEVITABLE NEWS Health & Wellness  Nonprofit/

Foundation-led Education & Awareness Bronze Lion FCB CANADA PROJECT UNDERSTOOD GOOGLE AI AND CANADIAN DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY Health & Wellness  Health & Wellness Tech

Cannes Lions  Outdoor

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Gold Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Outdoor  Live Advertising and Events Silver Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE Outdoor  Ambient Outdoor Bronze Lion FCB CHICAGO BOARDS OF CHANGE CITY OF CHICAGO Outdoor  Displays Bronze Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE Outdoor  Single-market Campaign Bronze Lion FCB INTERFACE THE PUNISHING SIGNAL MUMBAI POLICE Outdoor  Social Behaviour

Cannes Lions  Pharma

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Grand Prix AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Pharma  Regulated Gold Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Pharma  Regulated Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY TRAPPED INSMED INCORPORATED Pharma  Regulated Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY UNBREAKABLE INSMED INCORPORATED Pharma  Regulated Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY FIGHTING FOR WORDS  THE FIRST POSTERS TO HELP TREAT APHASIA  SHEEP CONSTANT THERAPY Pharma  Regulated Bronze Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY SICK BEATS WOOJER Pharma  Regulated

Cannes Lions  Print & Publishing

Award Office Campaign Title Client/Brand Category/Media Silver Lion AREA 23, AN FCB HEALTH NETWORK COMPANY THE INEVITABLE NEWS THE INEVITABLE NEWS Print & Publishing  Media/Entertainment

About FCB

FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) is a global, award-winning and integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Named Adweeks 2020 Global Agency of the Year, Cannes Lions 2019 North American Creative Agency of the Year and a 2019 Ad Age A-List global top 10, FCB focuses on creating Never Finished campaign ideas that have the power to transform brands, businesses and communities. With more than 8,000 people in 109 operations in 80 countries, the company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). Visit fcb.com or follow @FCBglobal on Instagram and Twitter and FCB Global on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contact:

Melanie Mitchem

Melanie.Mitchem@fcb.com

917-902-0998
English French

TORONTO, June 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock) (NYSE:BLK) today announced an update to the investment risk ratings of certain iShares exchange-traded funds (iShares ETFs), changes to the names of certain iShares ETFs and semi-annual distributions for certain iShares ETFs. These changes are reflected in the prospectus for the iShares ETFs that was filed on or about June 25, 2021 (the Prospectus). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this press release have the meaning ascribed to them in the Prospectus.



Risk Rating Updates

BlackRock Canada has updated the investment risk ratings of the iShares ETFs, or class of the iShares ETF, as applicable, listed below, effective on or about June 25, 2021:

iShares ETF Name Previous Risk

Rating Updated Risk

Rating iShares MSCI World Index ETF Medium Low to Medium iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF1 Medium Low to Medium iShares MSCI Min Vol USA Index ETF2 Medium Low to Medium iShares Core S&P 500 Index ETF1 Medium Low to Medium iShares Global Water Index ETF Medium Low to Medium iShares MSCI Min Vol Emerging Markets Index ETF Medium Low to Medium iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF Low to Medium Medium iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Preferred Share Index ETF Low to Medium Medium iShares S&P/TSX SmallCap Index ETF Medium to High High

________________________

1 The investment risk rating change only applies to the CAD Units and not the USD Units of the fund.

2 The investment risk rating change only applies to the USD Units and not the CAD Units of the fund.





A copy of the standardized risk classification methodology used by BlackRock Canada to identify the investment risk levels of the iShares ETFs is available on request, at no cost, by calling us at 1-855-255-5951 or by writing to BlackRock Canada at 161 Bay Street, Suite 2500, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2S1.



Name Changes

Additionally, effective June 25, 2021, the iShares ETFs listed below have changed their names as follows:

Former iShares ETF Name New iShares ETF Name iShares Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF iShares Core Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF iShares Canadian Government Bond Index ETF iShares Core Canadian Government Bond Index ETF iShares ESG Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF iShares ESG Aware Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF iShares ESG Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF iShares ESG Aware Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF

Semi-Annual Distributions



BlackRock Canada today announced that for distributions beginning in 2022, the iShares ETFs listed below will change from paying distributions on a quarterly basis to paying distributions on a semi-annual basis:

iShares Emerging Markets Fundamental Index ETF

iShares S&P/TSX Global Base Metals Index ETF

iShares S&P/TSX Global Gold Index ETF

Additionally, for distributions beginning in 2022, the iShares ETFs listed below will change from paying distributions on an annual basis to paying distributions on a semi-annual basis:

iShares Global Agriculture Index ETF

iShares Japan Fundamental Index ETF (CAD-Hedged)

About BlackRock

BlackRocks purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate

About iShares

iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 900+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$2.81 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm.

iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

MSCI is a trademark of MSCI, Inc. (MSCI). The ETF is permitted to use the MSCI mark pursuant to a license agreement between MSCI and BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., relating to, among other things, the license granted to BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. to use the Index. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. has sublicensed the use of this trademark to BlackRock. The ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MSCI and MSCI makes no representation, condition or warranty regarding the advisability of investing in the ETF.

Standard & Poors and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poors Financial Services LLC (S&P). TSX is a registered trademark of TSX Inc. (TSX). All of the foregoing trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and sublicensed for certain purposes to BlackRock Fund Advisors (BFA), which in turn has sub-licensed these marks to its affiliate, BlackRock on behalf of the applicable ETF. The Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, and has been licensed for use by BFA and by extension, BlackRock and the applicable ETF. The ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively known as S&P Dow Jones Indices) or TSX, or any of their respective affiliates. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices nor TSX make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in the ETF.

2021 BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. All rights reserved. iSHARES and BLACKROCK are registered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. Used with permission.

Contact for Media:

Grace Christus

T  1 (646) 231-8710

Email: Grace.Christus@blackrock.com
FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, housing activists erect a sign in Swampscott, Mass. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire soon. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
GOSHEN [mdash] Thomas went to be with his Lord and Saviour early July 2. He was born to John W and Elizabeth (McNeilly) Detwiler on Jan. 14, 1949. He married D Sue (Shaum) on Nov. 27, 1969. He is survived by his wife, three children Thomas Edward (Wendy), Audra J (Scott) Hoover, and Anthony 
In this grab taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on June 23, a view of the British destroyer HMS Defender as it sails near Crimea in the Black Sea. The Russian military has launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes capable of carrying hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea.
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Governor Northam Announces Administration Appointments

RICHMONDGovernor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his Administration today.





Secretariat of Natural Resources

Katie Sallee, Special Assistant for Policy and Communications to the Secretary of Natural Resources

Katie Sallee has been appointed Special Assistant for Policy and Communications to the Secretary of Natural Resources. She has served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Natural Resources since March 2019. Prior to joining the Northam Administration, Katie was a field organizer for the League of Conservation Voters and served as a legislative intern in the office of Delegate Betsy Carr. Katie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.





Secretariat of the Commonwealth

Dana Legere, Special Assistant for Constituent Services and Community Engagement

Dana Legere has been appointed Special Assistant for Constituent Services and Community Engagement. She has served in the Office of Constituent Services and Community Engagement since September 2020. Prior to joining the Northam Administration, she served as the Virginia Community College System representative on Governor McAuliffes Civic Engagement Task Force. Dana received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences from James Madison University and her Associates Degree from John Tyler Community College.



Austin Walker, Special Assistant for Clemency

Austin Walker has been appointed Special Assistant for Clemency. Prior to joining the Northam Administration, Austin was a legislative intern in the office of State Senator Jennifer McClellan. Austin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University with a focus in administration, planning, and policy practice. She is a native of Rockingham County and resides in the City of Richmond.





Board Appointments

Advisory Board on Occupational Therapy

Raziuddin Ali* of Midlothian, Physician, Wellpath



Aquaculture Advisory Board

Martin Gardner of Martinsville, Vice President of Business Development, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Inc.

of Martinsville, Vice President of Business Development, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Inc. Michael J. Oesterling* of Gloucester, Executive Director, Shellfish Growers of Virginia

Board of Historic Resources

Trip Pollard* of Midlothian, Land and Community Program Leader, Southern Environmental Law Center





Eastern Virginia Medical School Board of Visitors

Guy R. Rusty Friddell III of Norfolk, Executive Vice President, Landmark Media Enterprises, LLC





Judicial Review and Inquiry Commission

Reverend Cozy Bailey of Dumfries, President, Prince William County NAACP

of Dumfries, President, Prince William County NAACP Kyung (Kathryn) Dickerson of Fairfax, Partner, SmolenPlevy





Southwest Virginia Energy Research and Development Authority

Lydia Sinemus* of Bristol, Corporate Director of Human Resources and Environmental Health and Safety, Strongwell Corporation





State Air Pollution Control Board

Joshua G. Behr of Norfolk, Research Professor, Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, Old Dominion University

of Norfolk, Research Professor, Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, Old Dominion University Richard D. Langford* of Christiansburg, Retired Chemical Engineer and Owner, Langford Accounting, LLC





State Water Control Board

Tim Hayes* of Bruington, Retired Partner, Hunton & Williams LLP

of Bruington, Retired Partner, Hunton & Williams LLP Lou Ann Jessee-Wallace* of St. Paul, Russell County Board of Supervisors, District II





Virginia College Savings Plan

Dante Jackson* of North Chesterfield, Vice President, Atlantic Union Bank Wealth Management





*denotes reappointment

# # #
Grand Haven, MI (49417)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 69F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Mercedes is behind a new FIA clampdown that looks set to slow down the lightening speed of title rival Red Bull's pitstops.

That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, after the FIA circulated a new technical directive that on paper will add at least several tenths to the quickest pitstop times from Hungary.

Red Bull is renowned for its lightning-fast - and often sub-2 second - pitstops, for which the energy drink owned outfit holds the outright record.

"If you stick to the rule, pitstops under two seconds will not be possible," Alfa Romeo team manager Beat Zehnder told Auto Motor und Sport.

While the new guidelines are highly complex, they essentially build in minimum times between the fitting of the new wheels and the car's release.

"Mercedes pushed this because they wanted to steal our advantage in the pitstops," Red Bull's Marko alleged.

"Seven years of work and training have gone into the speed and consistency of our pitstops. Now we will lose up to four tenths," he lamented.

However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insists he is "not 100 percent sure" why the FIA issued the new guidelines.

But he did admit that the German team "enquired with the FIA" about pitstop safety with regards to a "safety mechanism" in use by Mercedes.

"This was three or four weeks ago and it was a technology question. Did that trigger anything else? Maybe. I don't know," Wolff said.

Alpine sporting director Alan Permane said: "It was high time something was done.

"The rules demand that humans give the (pitstop) order. But if you analyse Red Bull's stops, some processes are below the human response time."

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl added: "We welcome the FIA initiative because pitstop safety is very important to us.

"It's good that something is done now before something bad happens."

However, Marko is sceptical the FIA will even be able to police the new rules.

"It's practically impossible during the race," said the Austrian. "So you'd have to do it afterwards. And do you really want to punish teams like this after the race?"

Marko added: "All this does is worsen the show and punish the best. Two-second stops fascinate people.

"It is inexplicable to me that the FIA always reacts the same when Mercedes comes knocking on the door."

(GMM)
Mario Isola has played down suggestions Pirelli is introducing a new rear tyre purely because of the Baku blowouts.

Formula 1's official supplier announced in Austria that the "new rear construction", which is designed to "improve robustness", will be tested by teams in free practice next Friday.

The aim is to race the new tyre from Silverstone.

The obvious conclusion is that Pirelli is effectively admitting that the sub-standard 'robustness' of the existing rear tyre design contributed to the blowouts suffered by Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll at Baku.

But the Italian company's F1 chief Mario Isola actually said Pirelli has been thinking about doing this since last year.

"We had this idea last year when we were looking for solutions to develop a more robust rear tyre," he said at the Red Bull Ring.

"We used this idea to build a few prototypes, which we then successfully tried in our indoor test program.

"With the 2021 tyre, we had already strengthened the construction a step. This new version is another step in that direction," Isola added.

He said the teams and drivers should easily adapt to the new tyre because the weight and aerodynamic profile are the same.

"On paper, it shouldn't have any impact on the teams' balance of power," Isola insisted.

(GMM)
The location of the Russian GP will move from Sochi to St Petersburg for 2023.

In April and May, we reported that moves were afoot to move the annual event to a new circuit in Leningrad Oblast called Igora Drive.

The reports were officially denied.

However, the state-owned news agency Ria Novosti is now quoting F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali as confirming that Igora Drive will indeed host the Russian GP in 2023.

The Italian was speaking as he visited St Petersburg's traditional Scarlet Sails festival.

"Formula 1 will be held in St Petersburg in 2023 at the Igora Drive circuit," Domenicali is quoted as saying.

"This is the result of intensive work with our Russian partners and a detailed study of this great circuit.

"I am impressed by St Petersburg and sure that the Russian GP at Igora Drive will be an amazing event," he added.

The news was later confirmed by Russian GP title sponsor VTB Bank, whose president Andrei Kostin said the move "will only add interest to motorsport in our country".

"However, it takes time to prepare for such an event, so the next two (Russian) Formula 1 races will be held in Sochi," he added.

After his Russian visit, Domenicali returned to Europe for the Austrian GP, where it was revealed that Turkey will host a race this year - in the place of the cancelled Singapore GP.

Istanbul Park had earlier been scheduled to replace the similarly-axed Canadian GP, until the situation with covid within Turkey cancelled those plans.

"It's great to have Turkey back as a replacement for Singapore," said Aston Martin boss Otmar Szafnauer. "It's a good track.

"I hope the rest of the calendar can remain so we get 23 races in."

McLaren's Zak Brown said Domenicali has done "an excellent job" navigating the covid crisis, but he warned that the pandemic "isn't behind us" yet.

"We have various issues in various parts of the world and I think Stefano has plan A, plan B and plan C with the full intent of putting on 23 grands prix this year," he added.

(GMM)
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Life-long resident of the Greensburg/Jeannette area, Diane Bargerstock went to sleep, softly, and quietly on June 24, 2021 at the age of 70 years old and now she is resting in the arms of Jesus. Diane spent her work life with the Mercy Behavior Health System. She enjoyed her life with her hu
One new Democrat has entered the race for the seat in the 36th Senate District, but two prominent Greenwich Democrats say they are passing on a run.

State Rep. Stephen Meskers, D-150, and Selectperson Jill Oberlander said they will not seek to succeed Alex Kasser, who resigned unexpectedly on Tuesday.

A special election will be held to fill the open seat, which represents all of Greenwich, the northern part of Stamford and the western part of New Canaan.

Greenwich resident Alexis Gevanter said she plans to run for the spot as a Democrat, as does John Blankley, another Democrat who announced Thursday his plans to seek the seat.

3 1 of 3 File / Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 File / Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





I have been advocating for others my entire life, Gevanter said Friday. Right now, I am laser-focused on continuing to make progress here in Connecticut. I am the candidate who will champion both the economy and our values. We cannot go back to a time when candidates would compromise one for the other.

Meskers, who in 2018 was the first Democrat to win a state representative seat in Greenwich in 100 years, sent a message to supporters Thursday that he will remain in his current position.

I love the job I have and the opportunity it gives me to serve, Meskers said in his statement. I am ever grateful for the trust you have placed in me. However, I have decided to hold fast to the commitments I made to the people of the 150th and therefore will not seek election to the 36th Senate District seat. I look forward to continuing to serve in my present capacity.

In 2020, Meskers was reelected by a larger margin than in 2018.

Oberlander, who is not running for reelection to the Board of Selectmen, confirmed Friday that she also will not be a candidate for the Senate seat because the timing is not right. In 2014, she narrowly lost the race for state representative in the 150th District to Republican Michael Bocchino..

I didnt seriously consider running, said Oberlander, who acknowledged receiving a number of inquiries about a possible run. There already are strong candidates ready to continue the important work Alex was doing. Im committed to finishing out my term on the Board of Selectmen and continuing my efforts to ensure Greenwich remains a town we all want to live in.

An attorney and mother of two, Gevanter has worked as a legislative aide for former U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman from New Jersey. She is a volunteer with the Junior League of Greenwich and serves as the Connecticut chapter leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

If elected, Gevanter said she pledged to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to fight for causes our communities care about and protecting what she called shared values in economic growth, voting rights, womens rights, keeping the community safe from gun violence and bringing civility back to politics.

Connecticut is on an incredible path, Gevanter said, noting recent company moves into Connecticut as well as federal dollars coming to invest in infrastructure and rail. This is incredibly exciting and I want to ensure we continue to make this kind of economic progress. I would keep taxes low and fight for our small businesses, homeowners and families, especially as we all recover from the pandemic. I have vast experience building coalitions by listening and finding common ground.

Meskers and Oberlander praised Kasser, who resigned Monday, citing her ongoing divorce. Oberlander wished all the best for Kasser and thanked her for her service.

She was a strong voice for women, smart government, investment in infrastructure, inclusion, the environment, gun violence prevention and many more really important issues, Oberlander said.

Republicans held the seat for more than 75 years before Kasser defeated incumbent Republican L. Scott Frantz in 2018.

Several GOP candidates could be in the running for the partys nomination. State Rep. Harry Arora, R-151; Ryan Fazio, who ran against Kasser last November; and Republican National Committee member Leora Levy have all expressed interest in running but have not made official announcements.

One Republican who had eyed a run said he will not be moving forward, though. Carl Higbie, a former official in the administration of former President Donald Trump, said Friday he will be supporting Fazio.

I have decided to throw 100 percent of my support behind Ryan Fazio, Higbie said. He has the infrastructure and means to win this seat. I will be working to make my MAGA crowd in Greenwich his army.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Mark Peel. Photo: Gary Friedman/Shutterstock

The Los Angeles chef Mark Peel, who co-founded the influential, now-closed restaurant Campanile, has died at the age of 66. His death was reportedly sudden, occuring only nine days after he was diagnosed with cancer, his daughter Vanessa Silverton-Peel tells the Los Angeles Times. In a statement to Eater L.A., Peels family writes, We will miss him and his cooking with all our hearts (and stomachs).

During his career in the restaurant industry, Peel worked for several of the chefs credited with shaping whats called California cuisine, including Wolfgang Puck at Ma Maison and Spago (where he was chef de cuisine), Ken Frank and Jonathan Waxman at Michaels, and Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. (He started his career, the Times notes, as a dishwasher in high school.)

In 1989, Peel and his then-wife Nancy Silverton opened Campanile, a place that was, in its heyday, the quintessential Los Angeles restaurant, per the Times. (The two started La Brea bakery around the same time, selling it in 2001; they divorced in 2005.) In a separate remembrance, Times restaurant critic Bill Addison shares memories of his first meal at the restaurant in 1997, writing that few chefs, then or now, really pull off the simple-yet-profound style of cooking with consistency and abject deliciousness. These feelings were widely shared. When Campanile closed in 2012, the late and legendary food critic Jonathan Gold wrote, A lot of great restaurants have opened since Campanile came online in 1989, but nothing since has been quite the same.

Gold argued youd be hard-pressed to overstate Campaniles contributions to American cooking, and credited it as the place that codified the style of fine-dining restaurants built around grills and serving more rustic food. Campaniles impact can be further felt in the people who worked there, including A.O.C.s Suzanne Goin, Hippos Matt Molina, Cassias Bryant Ng, and Jars Suzanne Tracht.

After the closing of Campanile, Peel would go on to open Prawn Coastal Casual in the Grand Central Market. He also made appearances on food televisions shows like Top Chef Masters and Knife Fight. Speaking with the Times, Peel-Silverton says she doesnt think her father was made for the rock-star chef era, and that he always thought of himself as a cook, he thought of himself as doing manual labor.
Huawei confirmed just a couple of days ago that the brand new nova 8i smartphone is headed to Southeast Asia and also disclosing a few major specs. Aside from the brief description of the design, we still don't have a good look at it. Until now, that is.

An official-looking render of the handset appeared online, courtesy of Playfuldroid, showing part of the back design. And as expected, the phone adopts a Mate 30 Pro-like look with a circular camera module carrying four shooters and an LED flash positioned next to it.

It may be due to the render itself, but the back glass looks more curved than usual and the side frame is pretty thin too. The volume rocker and the power button, which most certainly doubles as a fingerprint reader too, are placed on the right side next to each other.

The pictured color is likely the Moonlight Silver leaving the Starry Black and Interstellar Blue a mystery for now. The front design also remains unknown, but Playfuldroid said in the previous report that it would adopt a punch-hole cutout for the front-facing camera in the upper-left corner of the screen.

Source
The Motorola Edge 20 leaks have been sporadic at best for the last couple of months but we finally have a really good look at the specs of what appears to be the whole Edge 20 lineup. Of course, the names in the table refer to the codenames of the devices and only Kyoto has been confirmed to be the Edge 20 Lite. Evan Blass also points out that the PStar could be just another moniker for the rumored Sierra.

Anyway, the Berlin NA handset is supposed to bring a 6.78-inch 1080 x 2460px 120Hz display with a centered punch-hole for the front-facing camera. The Snapdragon 778G sits behind the wheel aided by either 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128 or 256GB of internal storage, respectively.

The main camera will likely be 108MP and will be joined by an 8MP ultrawide unit capable of taking macro shots and one more 2MP sensor for depth sensing. The selfie cam will be 32MP and battery capacity is rated at 5,000 mAh. As the name suggests, the Berlin NA will be available for the North American market and will be offered through Verizon.

The global version of the device will have a smaller 6.67-inch 1080 x 2400px display, also supporting a 120Hz refresh rate and adopts a cutout in the middle for the front camera. The chipset and memory configurations are identical to the Berlin NA but the camera setup is quite different.

The 108MP main camera is coupled with 16MP ultrawide and 8MP 3x telephoto shooters. The selfie cam is again 32MP. The battery capacity is considerably lower here, though - 4,000 mAh.



A screenshot of all the specs

Kyoto, or also known as Edge 20 Lite, will be available worldwide too, but with toned-down specs. MediaTek's Dimensity 720 is expected to be in charge along with 6 or 8GB of RAM and just the one storage option of 128GB. The display is 1080 x 2400px with a 90Hz refresh rate and a single hole in the center.

All cameras are taken from the Berlin NA along with the battery.

PStar looks to be the beefiest of them all featuring a Snapdragon 870 chipset and taking the rest of the specs from the global version of Berlin. One small addition would be the 12GB RAM variation and the fact that the telephoto goes up to 5x lossless zoom. A 4,500 mAh battery will be powering up the device.

It's interesting to note that only the PStar has an under-display fingerprint reader mentioned in its specs, which could mean that it's the only one of the bunch with an OLED panel while the rest will settle for LCDs.

Source (private Twitter account)




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Haiti - Guyana : Towards the reintroduction of a compulsory visa for Haitians





Anil Nandlall the Attorney General, concerned about the number of Haitians traveling to Guyana (an English-speaking nation, but culturally linked to the Caribbean) and the recent incidents involving these migrants, said this week that the civic administration of the People's Progressive Party will begin to strengthen its immigration laws by requiring citizens of Haiti to obtain a visa before traveling to Guyana.



"Guyana will be moving in that direction and we have to take a position against our country being used as an international smuggling transshipment point. We have notified the international agencies that bear responsibility for human trafficking and human smuggling, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Interpol and other international agencies " said Attorney General Anil Nanldall.



The majority of Haitians who travel to Guyana do so legally through Barbados and Panama. They come mainly to Guyana to go to Brazil and French Guyana which each have a large Haitian population of over 120,000 members.



However, Prosecutor Nandlall remains convinced that many Haitians arrive clandestinely in Guyana and are victims of unscrupulous smugglers, recalling the recent arrests of Haitians deprived of their passports which remained in the hands of the individual who had organized their trip to Guyana...



S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Insecurity : The PNH dismantles the gang Makak in Laboule 12





This week the Haitian National Police (PNH) during a "muscular" operation dismantled the "Makak" Gang which operated in Laboule 12.



During the police intervention 3 bandits were killed in. Exchanges of fire with law enforcement and 6 other individuals arrested. 2 firearms, tear gas canisters and 2 vehicles were seized.



The leader of the gang alias "Makak" was injured but managed to escape. He is actively sought after.



Let's recall that since the beginning of June the police have arrested 152 people including 65 individuals for criminal conspiracy and 5 for kidnapping.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Its not just mania about college hoops that puts the madness in March Madness. 
SUE Ryder has refused a request to build or pay for a new hospice in the Henley area following a meeting with campaigners.

The charity said it had responded to demand by closing its inpatient unit at Joyce Grove in Nettlebed in March last year.

Chief executive Heidi Travis also said it wasnt responsible for hospice provision but would liaise with the Oxfordshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, which is proposing to have two NHS hospice-style beds at Wallingford Community Hospital.

Ms Travis and chief operating officer Alan Bowers met town councillors Stefan Gawrysiak and Ian Reissmann privately on Tuesday in response to their campaign for more beds.

The councillors want a share of the proceeds from the forthcoming sale of the old hospice to go towards building a new one with six to 10 beds within the

27-acre grounds or for Sue Ryder to provide a plot there so another provider can build a hospice.

The Grade II listed property is expected to be put on the market for 20 million. Alternatively, the campaigners wanted Sue Ryder to contribute 5million towards a new 12million hospice elsewhere.

Cllrs Gawrysiak and Reissmann say they were disappointed at the result of meeting but will keep pressing the case for more beds, which they say is backed up by families who say Joyce Grove offered a lifeline when their loved ones became ill and they would have struggled without it.

They want the charity to ask every patient if they would have preferred a bed had this been an option.

Sue Ryder says its outpatient palliative care hub in Crowmarsh is proving increasingly popular.

The charity has been invited to send representatives to a public meeting of the Townlands Steering Group, an advisory committee to Henley Town Council which Cllr Reissmann chairs, on Wednesday and it is considering this. The campaigners have pledged to scrutinise the commissioning groups claim that only two beds are needed locally.

Councillor Gawrysiak said: Ms Travis and Mr Bowers insisted that the sale of Joyce Grove wasnt driven by the need to fill a financial black hole so there should be no issue with a portion of the proceeds going back into the community.

Patients still get fantastic care from its nurses in their homes but I know for a fact that some would benefit from a stay in a bedded unit, as would their families.

When somebody is dying, it puts enormous pressure on loved ones and a stay of two or three weeks can offer vital respite. We still desperately need something to take that strain off.

We told them the suggestion that need is decreasing is blatantly ridiculous considering that hospices are still active in other areas. Were not special or different from anywhere else.

We still have hope that both Sue Ryder and the commissioning group will step up to the challenge of meeting the true level of need.

Cllr Reissmann said: We explained that the community was deeply concerned about the lack of beds. Joyce Grove had 12 beds for a population of 140,000 people until recently and that very quickly went down to nothing.

We accept that Sue Ryder still provides a range of services but they maintained the need for beds had significantly reduced by the time of closure and said a hospice would need more like 14 or 15 beds to remain viable. They were very clear that provision is the commissioning groups job and we pressed them on this, arguing they should be involved in ensuring need is met.

When we asked them whether the drop in bed occupancy was down to a genuine lack of demand or just them closing beds so that people didnt get their first choice of service, they didnt have an answer.

They were also completely firm that building a new hospice was something they couldnt or wouldnt do.

Looking forward, we hope the commissioning group will continually assess the need for hospice beds and will seek assurances that it will flexible on this once an initial figure is established.

Sue Ryder didnt wish to comment after the meeting because it was private.

But a spokeswoman did say: The inpatient bed closures at Nettlebed were closed after careful monitoring and consideration of occupancy levels, referral levels and patient demand.

If a patient did not want to receive hospice at home care from Sue Ryder, they would have been referred to a Sue Ryder inpatient ward or a partner local hospice.

We closely monitor preferred place of death data for all of our patients and it shows a clear trend of our patients dying in their preferred place with the type of care they requested.

Sue Ryder says it shut Joyce Grove because it couldnt sustainably run a hospice in an historic building not built for the purpose and it gradually reduced the number of beds because referrals were dropping.

The virtual public meeting on Wednesday will begin at at 6.30pm. To view it, visit https://bit.ly/3wCyMUs
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McDonough City Council approves FY2022 budget

Special Photo The McDonough City Council unanimously approved the fiscal year 2022 budget Monday, June 21.

McDONOUGH  The McDonough City Council unanimously approved the fiscal year 2022 budget with one exception.

At the suggestion of City Administrator Preston Dorsey, the council removed the portion of the budget that would have awarded approximately $47,000 in raises to city employees by way of changes to pay grades and salaries.

The council was set to discuss the proposed changes during its retreat June 16-17 which was postponed due to an illness.

Dorsey asked the $36.1 million budget approval include the councils intent to further discuss the adjustments when the board reschedules its retreat. The operating budget, which the city uses to run the city, is $19.3 million.

McDonough City Council to continue budget discussion during retreat McDONOUGH  The McDonough City Council has opted to defer approving its fiscal year 2021-22 budget until its retreat on June 16-17.

During the June 3 meeting, council members questioned how the previous Human Resources director determined what pay grades should be adjusted and by how much. Dorsey said no written documentation accompanied the directors recommendations, only that she had spoken with her counterparts in surrounding cities.

The fiscal year 2022 budget was built using the same 3.806 millage rate as last years. However, due to an estimated 6.5% increase in the property tax digest, homeowners can expect to pay more in taxes. The final millage rate will be adopted in July.

The budget does not include a Cost of Living Adjustment for city employees; however, those eligible will receive a step increase and merit increase. Employees can receive up to a 4% increase based on their annual evaluation. Finance Director Mike Clark said the average is 3%.

Mayor Billy Copeland remarked, its a good thing as long as the city can keep a balanced budget while providing services with a few extra dollars in the bank.

New dates for the boards retreat have not been announced.

To view the budget, visit www.mcdonoughga.org.
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On Friday morning, protesters gathered outside a border patrol post in Texas, anticipating the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris. Along with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Democratic legislators, Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting the El Paso Central Processing Center, a US Customs and Border Protection facility.

Her first trip to the southern border since President Joe Biden appointed her to help address the immigration issue comes after she met with officials in Guatemala and Mexico to discuss the influx of people seeking to enter the United States. The trip is criticized by legislators on both sides of the aisle.

Kamala Harris' visit to the southern border

Harris visited the El Paso Central Processing Center, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility, which President Joe Biden has entrusted with leading his administration's response to undocumented immigration and the surge of migrants at the border. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as several Democrats, accompany the vice president.

Per Newsweek via MSN, protesters holding placards supporting former President Donald Trump awaited Kamala Harris' arrival, with some falsely claiming that "Trump won" the 2020 election, according to a video from the event shared online. Several people carried banners that read "Que Mala Harris," a play on the vice president's name in Spanish. "How mean" is the English translation of "Que mala."

Protestors outside Border Patrol station awaiting VP Kamala Harris. @ArmendarizDis16 @ElAmerican_ pic.twitter.com/mTLLRhTL4V  Informed with Anthony (@InformedAnthony) June 25, 2021

Following a border news conference in El Paso, Texas, in which she blamed the Trump administration for the migrant situation there, Vice President Kamala Harris came under fire on Friday. While answering reporters' questions, Harris went on to outline numerous Trump administration border measures adopted in El Paso, claiming they had "disastrous repercussions," and praising the Biden administration for efforts she said relieved the situation.

Read Also: Joe Biden Announces Zero Tolerance Approach, Investment in Law Enforcement to Combat Gun Violence, Crime

The vice president blames the previous administration

In a separate press conference earlier in the day, Harris seemed to blame the Trump administration for the problem, saying that the government had inherited a difficult position but had made progress in the previous five months, Fox News reported. Following the press conference, one critic quickly corrected Harris, claiming that the situation had become worse under Biden, presumably referring to the Trump administration's relaxation of border restrictions, which resulted in an unprecedented rise in the number of migrants attempting to enter the border.

Rather than receiving applause, the vice president was greeted by a procession of MAGA protestors carrying pro-Trump flags and holding banners mocking her border response. Before the administration labeled the border situation a "crisis," one sign questioned how many "young girls" needed to be raped.

Despite being ordered by Biden to address the "root causes" of migrant crossings in March, Harris' border trip on Friday came after months of GOP pressure and criticism over her seeming hesitation to visit the region. A border agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he wasn't shocked Harris took so long to make the trip.

At the end of her short trip, Harris told reporters that Biden inherited a difficult situation at the border from the previous administration and that the spike of crossings was due to a series of "disastrous" Trump-era measures. Trump and some Republican lawmakers chastised Harris for visiting El Paso rather than the Rio Grande Valley's so-called "epicenter" of the migrant influx, which is 800 miles away, as per The Sun.

Related Article: Kamala Harris Will Visit US Border, Criticized for Scheduling Visit After Donald Trump Decides to Do So

@YouTube

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Indonesia witnessed its most volatile volcano erupt on Friday. It released plumes of ash high into the air and sent streams of lava with searing gas clouds flowing down its slopes. There were no casualties recorded.

According to an official, Mount Merapi, situated at the border of Indonesia's Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces, flared up three times on Friday. Hanik Humaida, leading the Center for Geological Disaster Research and Technology Development (BPPTKG), stated the initial discharge transpired at 04.43 AM local time (2143GMT). It ejected hot clouds that reached 3,000 meters away.

Avalanche of Gas and Lava

Clouds of hot ash shot up 1,000 meters. A rockslide of searing gas and lava spilled down Mount Merapi's shaking slopes up to 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) at least six times since the morning as the volcano reverberated, according to Hanik Humaida, the head of Yogyakarta's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center, reported US News.

Humaida remarked that a throng of strong pyroclastic flows was discharged from the actively growing lava dome in the inner summit crater of the 2,968-meter height of the volcano. A pyroclastic flow is a volcanic occurrence that involves hot and turbulent avalanches of ash, hot lava rocks, and volcanic gasses merged together, reported AP.

The hot clouds enveloped five villages in two sub-districts identified as Pakem and Cangkringan. Humaida wrote in a statement, "We advise residents to remain calm and wear masks if they go outside to reduce the adverse impact of inhaling volcanic ash," reported AA.

Humaida described the volcano's lava dome as rising hastily. This resulted in gas clouds and hot lava to come streaming down its slopes. However, parts of the lava dome are beginning to subside.

Read Also: Reused COVID-19 Nasal Swab Tests Puts 9,000 Indonesian People at Risk, Firm Staff Fired

The BPPTKG reported Mount Merapi spewing lava 11 times with a maximum sliding distance of 1,000 meters over the course of six hours. The agency maintains the level of the volcano at Level III or Alert.

Ash enveloped many nearby towns and villages. The volcano has witnessed bolstered volcanic activity in the past few weeks. Ash plumes extended around 1.8 kilometers to the southwest of the volcano prior to dawn.

The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center of Indonesia did not raise Merapi's alert level. It was already at the second-highest of four levels since it started flaring up in November 2020.

According to the agency, villagers residing on Merapi's fertile slopes are recommended to stay 5 kilometers away from the volcano crater's mouth and need to be aware of the jeopardy of the lava. Mount Merapi sits on the densely populated Java island within proximity to the ancient city of Yogyakarta. It is the most active volcano of over 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Eruptions featuring gas clouds and lava are frequent.

The volcano's last significant eruption in 2010 recorded 347 fatalities.

Indonesia is susceptible to volcanic activity and earthquakes because it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Related Article: Mount Etna Spews Ash Cloud Unto the Sky After Eruptions

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Gaza Strip in Palestine has effectively become an open-air jail, with people's movements severely limited and regulated, due to the influence of Israel's military. To add to the confusion, Israel is now sending killer robots to patrol the border.

Thick barriers, a naval blockade, drones, machine gun turrets, and armed soldiers protect Gaza's border with Israel. Adding to these are Jaguars, tank-like robots armed with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, which are now patrolling the heavily secured border.

The Jaguar has already been spotted near the Palestinian border where it will be used to disperse crowds. It is also equipped to shoot down armed militants attempting to enter or fire missiles into Israel. According to an Israeli militar press release, the Jaguar robot is semi-autonomous, which means it can guide itself to a target and identify problems along the route.

Israel's semi-autonomous robots

However, in most cases, a human operator will instruct the robot to fire its machine gun - or, if it has been corrupted, to self-destruct. While those human operators must use a point-and-shoot interface to pull the trigger, the Jaguar's software can automatically change its aim to better target whatever the soldier is instructing it to fire at.

While the Jaguar's deployment may achieve its claimed purpose of keeping more Israeli soldiers out of harm's way, the Daily Beast points out that the robots are likely to exacerbate tensions along the Gaza border.

Israel recently announced that it will relax trading and fishing restrictions in the Gaza Strip, which were imposed during 11 days of conflict with the Palestinian enclave's Hamas leadership last month. With the help of Egypt, Israel maintains tight control over Gaza's borders. During the last month's fighting, Israel tightened its restrictions and suspended Gaza exports. It also restricted raw material importation and reduced the fishing area available to Palestinians.

With the ceasefire imposed by Egypt mostly holding, Israel permitted a limited reopening of commercial exports from Gaza on Monday. Hamas, on the other hand, wanted a broader relaxation of restrictions and hinted at the prospect of restarting hostilities, Reuters via MSN reported.

Due to Israeli limitations on raw materials imports, notably carbon dioxide gas, at least one factory in the Strip, Pepsi Gaza, closed. Coordination of Government Activities in Territories, the agency that oversees civilian activities in the area, did not specify which raw commodities will be permitted into the country.

Last week, Egypt and the UN stepped up mediation after incendiary balloons fired from Gaza triggered retaliatory Israeli air attacks on Hamas targets, putting the fragile ceasefire in jeopardy. Gaza militants fired rockets at Israeli cities and Israel conduct airstrikes across the coastal enclave last month. At least 250 Palestinians and 13 Israeli were killed.

Read Also: Ethiopia's Military Airstrike Hits Tigray Marketplace; 64 Killed Including Children

Tensions between Hamas and Israel may re-escalate

Israel has permitted Palestinians stranded in Jordan to return home through the Erez border, according to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) General Authority for Civil Affairs in Gaza. It also allowed for the return of inbound and outbound mail to Gaza, as well as the export of agricultural commodities and sewing industry items. This is in response to a ban that went into force on May 11.

In Gaza City on June 22, Hamas met with Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and his delegation to further UN efforts to stabilize the cease-fire and lift the Gaza barrier. However, the conference concluded on a bad note, with tensions mounting once more.

The discussion with the UN was unfavorable, according to Yahya al-Sinwar, the Gaza Strip's Hamas head, who warned Israel about the "consequences of maintaining the barrier on the coastal enclave in place and blackmailing the resistance and the Palestinian people." The Hamas leadership released a statement warning Israel against slow steps in removing the closure and failing to commit to the previously agreed-upon understandings, and delaying the reconstruction work, as per Al-Monitor.

Related Article: Israel Launches Airstrikes on Gaza Strip 3 Weeks After a Cease-Fire Halted 11 Days of Fighting



@YouTube

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amid the rising number of unruly behavior incidents among airlines that affect crew members, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) plans to resume self-defense training for pilots and crew.

Some of the most recent incidents include an airline passenger in Denver allegedly biting two TSA officers and another where a Louisville passenger was charged with assault. Thousands of reports have been sent to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that alleged incidents involving unruly passengers in airlines, including attacks on crew members, since January.

Self-Defense Training

The incidents took place amid the FAA's newly enforced zero-tolerance policy. While authorities are still investigating the Denver incident, the Louisville passenger is facing criminal charges for criminal trespass, fleeing and evading police, a misdemeanor assault, and resisting arrest.

This week, the FAA also announced more fines, totaling about $124,500 in civil penalties, including the amount of $9,000 to $22,000 against eight passengers who allegedly interfered with the work of flight attendants. The incidents include one where a passenger allegedly assaulted a crew member and refused to wear a face mask.

However, the largest fine the agency proposed is against a passenger on SkyWest Airlines who was traveling from Denver to Gypsum, Colorado in February. The suspect allegedly ignored instructions from flight attendants to wear a face mask, walked through the cabin to the bathroom while the aircraft's fasten seatbelt sign was on, and drank alcohol not served by the airline, CBS News reported.

Read Also: Protesters Taunt Kamala Harris on Her First Visit to US-Mexico Border as They Hold 'Trump Won' Signs

Authorities are also charging a $21,000 fine for a Southwest Airlines passenger who was flying from Dallas to Albuquerque in February. Officials said he repeatedly refused instructions to wear his face mask and took it off several times after wearing it. When the aircraft returned to the gate, the suspect allegedly threw the face mask at a customer service supervisor who tried to escort him off the plane. Dallas police cited the passenger for assault, the FAA said in a news release.

The surge of incidents comes amid more passengers opting for air travel as vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus continue. Since March 7, 2020, the TSA recorded the most number of people passing through security at airports across the United States, totaling more than 2.1 million.

Unruly Passengers

While many may be excited to finally return to air travel since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, others would be struggling with the sudden surge of passengers, TSA Acting Administrator Darby LaJoye said.

The voluntary flight attendant self-defense training will resume in early July to help those working onboard flight, the TSA said. The coronavirus pandemic forced authorities to suspend the program amid risks of spreading the disease, CNN reported.

Since the beginning of the year, the FAA announced it has received roughly 3,100 reports of unruly passengers on airline flights. The agency has since proposed fines totaling about $563,800 against suspects in the incidents that occurred in February. This suggests the total amount will increase depending on the number of cases in other months, CNBC reported.

Related Article: UN Human Rights Chief to Investigate China Without the Blessing of the Communist Country

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Court officials allowed a Frenchwoman, who confessed to killing a man who she said abused her for nearly two decades, to go free on Friday evening. Many of the public onlookers who have been supporting her in France erupted into applause when the decision was handed down.

Authorities sentenced Valerie Bacot to four years in prison, three of which have been suspended, for the death of Daniel Polette in 2016.

Bacot previously admitted to the murder of Daniel Polette in 2016 who court documents state raped her when she was only 12 or 13 years old. During that time, Polette was still the boyfriend of Bacot's mother. He later became Bacot's husband, with who she had four children. She referred to him as her stepfather before they got married.

Nathalie Tomasini, Bacot's lawyer, announced her client was released after spending a year in jail.

Set Free

Outside the courtroom, Bacot expressed her gratitude to the court and all of the people who supported her throughout her ordeal. She said her case was the beginning of a movement that should affect other women and victims of other mistreatments. Despite being set free, Bacot did not feel relieved, rather, she said she was "emptied mentally and physically."

Tomasini said justice was served for her client and that they were grateful to the decision of the court. She said Bacot would be able to go back home to her children after being set free and that it was a huge victory for them, CNN reported.

Read Also: Israel Reportedly Sends Robots Armed With Machine Guns to Gaza Border Days After Easing Some Restrictions

After hearing the sentence in court on Friday, Bacot fainted due to shock and relief because she was going to be free. If the court did not rule for her freedom, she would have been in jail for life for shooting Polette dead.

Bacot said her experience with abuse from her husband was one where her mother and French police turned a blind eye to. Her children later tried to report the abuse against their mother to the gendarmerie, but they were only forced away.

Decades of Abuse

France has one of the highest rates of femicide, which is the murder of a woman by a current or former partner, in Europe. Bacot's case highlights the country's continued failure to address and deal with widespread domestic abuse against women. This year, authorities have recorded at least 55 women losing their lives in murder cases where the suspects were current or former partners in France, The Guardian reported.

During their time together, Bacot said Polette physically abused her with slaps, kicks, and punches. She said he would also strangle her from time to time. She told the court she was afraid because she felt she would die every single day because of her husband's actions.

In a book published last month, "Tout le monde savait," which translates to "Everyone Knew," Bacot recounted her experiences with Polette. The book detailed her continued struggles starting at the age of 12 when she was coerced to have sex with her stepfather. Police arrested Polette and imprisoned him for sexual assault against Bacot. However, officials allowed the suspect to go home after three years, who then resumed the abuse, with the victim's mother ignoring the issue, the New York Times reported.

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Related Article: Indonesia's Mount Merapi Erupts, Volcano's Lava Dome Growing Rapidly

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New information regarding the purported feud between Prince William and Prince Harry has surfaced. Robert Lacey, a royal biographer who also serves as an official consultant on Netflix's "The Crown," has updated his book "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry - The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult" with additional chapters and information.

The British historian addressed the royal family's ongoing problems in the original book, which was released in 2020. The veteran author expanded on the purported conflict between the brothers in fresh passages published on Saturday.

In 2019, British bestselling author Katie Nicholl said that after Prince Harry announced his engagement to American actress Meghan Markle in 2017, Prince William became increasingly concerned about his brother and his whirlwind affair with the actress. According to Lacey, relations between the princes improved by the time Harry and Markle married in May 2018, but they plummeted in October 2018 when William learned of bullying claims leveled against Markle by a top royal aide.

Royal expert claims Prince William raged at Meghan Markle

Tensions erupted when Jason Knauf, who worked in communications for both the Cambridges and the Sussexes, sent an official email alleging bullying. Meghan Markle allegedly responded by saying it was not her business to "coddle people," while a courtier said the duchess was driven by fear.

Lacey said that after discovering the allegations, Prince William approached Prince Harry. However, it sparked an "intense and bitter" argument. Following the altercation, William ejected Harry and Markle from the joint office they shared, The Sun reported.

The Duke of Cambridge was immediately outraged after seeing a "Dossier of Distress" produced by Kensington Palace communications head Jason Knauf, according to his book. Staff workers were allegedly "humiliated" by the Duchess of Sussex, while Prince Harry was also apparently chastised by aides.

In his book, Lacey claims that William was "appalled" by the accusations and that it confirmed for him that Meghan was opposed to the royal system. Prince William allegedly said that "look at how that bloody woman treated my employees - she was ruthless!" Lacey writes in the Daily Mail.

Meghan Markle has firmly denied the allegations, and a representative for her and Prince Harry has stated that she is the victim of a well-planned smear campaign. Harry last visited the United Kingdom in April to attend the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.

As the brothers walked back from the ceremony at St George's Chapel, he was spotted talking with William in the Quadrangle after the cameras were turned off. Two hours after the burial, his father, Prince Charles, 72, and brother Will, 39, were spotted leaving exits near Frogmore Cottage, where Harry resided. This story comes as palace finances show Harry paid five months' rent and 2.4 million for the home in September.

Read Also: Britney Spears Demands End of 13-Year 'Abusive' Conservatorship; Justin Timberlake and Others Voice Support

Prince William reportedly warned Prince Harry that Meghan Markle had agenda

Per The Mirror, Prince William thought Meghan Markle was "stealing his beloved brother away," according to a new version of Battle of the Brothers. The future king was claimed to be "extremely worried" when he learned of the claims of bullying made against Meghan by palace employees.

He tried to contact his younger brother to help smooth things over, but Harry allegedly hung up on him. The Duke of Cambridge also reportedly informed friends that Meghan had an "agenda," and his wife Kate Middleton had been suspicious of Meghan from the start.

When the accusations were initially made public, a Sussex family representative firmly denied them. The feud between Prince William and Prince Harry is believed to have erupted when the third in line to the throne encouraged his younger brother not to rush into marrying Meghan.

Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Reportedly Receive Funds From Prince Charles Despite Claiming They Were Financially Cut Off



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The Good Clinic set to open later this year in St. Louis Park
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Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is not only looking for a more lucrative contract but also may prioritize a return to Los Angeles, where he grew up, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.

Dinwiddie is declining his $12.3MM player option in order to test the free agent market despite missing most of this season due to a partial ACL tear. Dinwiddie seems unlikely to return to the Nets and would prefer to join one of the L.A. teams, with Winfield noting he rehabbed his injury in California. However, due to his likely contract demands, Dinwiddie could only join the Lakers or Clippers in a sign-and-trade scenario.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure deal was thrown in doubt Friday as Republican senators felt blindsided by his insistence that it must move in tandem with his bigger package, while the White House doubled down on the strategy and said it should have come as no surprise.

The rare accord over some $1 trillion in investments faced new uncertainty barely 24 hours after Biden strode to the White House driveway, flanked by 10 senators from a bipartisan group, with all sides beaming over the compromise.

Senators were described as stunned, floored and frustrated after Biden publicly put the conditions on accepting their deal, according to two people familiar with the private conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the reactions.

Ive been on the phone with the White House, my Democratic colleagues, my Republican colleagues, all darn day, said Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, the lead Republican negotiator, in an interview Friday.

My hope is that well still get this done. Its really good for America. Our infrastructure is in bad shape," he said. "Its about time to get it done.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who was asked at her briefing about the GOP dismay, said senators should not have been surprised by the two-track strategy that Biden has publicly discussed on many occasions.

That hasnt been a secret. He hasnt said it quietly. He hasnt even whispered it, she said.

Psaki said the president plans to stand by the commitment he made to the senators. And he expects theyll do the same, she said.

The path ahead is now uncertain.

Senators launched into calls Friday seeking answers from the White House after a tumultuous past month of on-again, off-again negotiations over Bidens $4 trillion infrastructure proposals, his top legislative priority.

The Democrats two-track strategy has been to consider both the bipartisan deal and their own more sweeping priorities side by side, a way to assure liberal lawmakers the smaller deal won't be the only one.

But Bidens vow to essentially veto or refuse to sign the bipartisan accord without the companion package being negotiated by Democrats, which is now eyed at nearly $6 trillion in child care, Medicare and other investments, was an additional step that throws the process into doubt.

No deal by extortion! tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Friday.

Biden reached out Friday to the lead Democratic negotiator, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and reiterated his strong support for the compromise agreement, according to a readout from the White House.

Tensions appeared to calm later in the day, after senators from the group of negotiators convened a conference call, according to another person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

A bipartisan accord has been important for the White House as it tries to show centrist Democrats including Sinema, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and others that it is working across the aisle before Biden tries to muscle the broader package through Congress under special budget rules that allow majority passage without the need for GOP votes.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky set the tone for the sudden turn of events, signaling late Thursday where the party was headed.

He framed the argument in a floor speech and a subsequent Fox News interview, declaring that Bidens messaging from his two news conferences Thursday makes your head spin.

McConnell has been highly skeptical of Biden's agenda, vowing his 100% focus to defeat it. He is not part of the negotiating team of five Republican and five Democratic senators who have been laboring for months on a potential deal.

Senators who were part of the bipartisan group were initially thrilled at striking the compromise. Many of them spoke about how it would be good not just for rebuilding the nation's roads and bridges, but also for showing the world that the United States government was functioning well.

Only after senators tuned in later to Bidens second news conference, where he outlined the path ahead, did frustrations mount and frantic phone calls begin.

At the press conference, Biden was asked what he meant by having the two packages move through Congress to his desk in tandem.

If they dont come, Im not signing. Real simple, Biden said.

Senators from the group were never told of such an explicit linking of the two packages, the two people familiar with the discussions said.

It never came up in their talks with the White House advisers or with Biden himself during Thursday's meeting of the group of 10 key negotiators, they said.

Theres a lot of conversations taking place right now as to what the president meant," said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in an interview with a Fox affiliate in New Orleans shared by his office.

Cassidy noted that the president may have misspoken and said he hoped "it wont be as if we crafted something just to give the president a point of leverage to get something that Republicans disagree with.

Ten Republican senators would be needed to pass the bipartisan accord in the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance most bills.

While the senators in the bipartisan group are among some of the more independent-minded lawmakers, known for bucking their partys leadership, it appears McConnells criticism of Bidens approach could peel away Republican support.

The White House insisted that senators have been well aware of the two-bill strategy, which has been openly discussed for months. They all but dared the Republicans to argue their way out of supporting what appeared to be a popular compromise of shared priorities.

Thats a pretty absurd argument for them to make, Psaki said. Good luck.

Democrats plan to push the broader package through using a special budget process that would allow passage of their own priorities on a simple majority vote of 51 senators, with Vice President Kamala Harris a tiebreaker.

Progressive lawmakers have pushed for the more robust investments and could withhold their votes, as well, on any bipartisan package unless they have guarantees the $1 trillion effort won't be the end of the road.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Friday that the bipartisan infrastructure bill simply isnt enough."

___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Josh Boak, Kevin Freking and Dan Sewell contributed to this report.
Sociologist Corey Keyes has a term for what many of us have been doing: languishing. Thats what he calls the gray area between burned out and flourishing.

So no more languishing in our living rooms. Its time to break out and live a little.

On vacation to West Texas, I had no problem visiting restaurants and greeting people on Big Bends hiking trails. Ive decided to bring that attitude home with me and venture out to eat at restaurants; visit the Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; walk Memorial Parks trails; and head back to Pilates class.

Attending a recent luncheon that Neiman Marcus hosted for the Houston Chronicle Best Dressed honorees and hall-of-fame members, I realized how much I had missed little things like lipstick and floral arrangements  not to mention seeing peoples faces. Know what I didnt miss? Spanx and high heels.

Perhaps what many missed most is traveling. For those eager to get out and see Texas, Greg Morago takes us around the state to 10 destination restaurants  iconic spots that represent Texas cuisine well.

Also in this issue, well meet two former Houston residents who have opened a New Mexico glamping resort outside Santa Fe. Emma Balter explores the desert hideaway.

And even more far-flung, Jen Murphy, a part-time resident of Hawaii, introduces us to the art of aloha in our cover story. Through its new Malama program, Hawaii is encouraging tourists to give back culturally and philanthropically when they visit the islands.

Murphy also spent time in Borealis Basecamp in Fairbanks, Alaska, observing the Northern Lights.

Now, she hasnt been languishing.
Crime

Crime

Does Harris County need constables? In scandal fallout, critics want to know
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A lawyer for the family of George Floyd called for a federal conviction for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, saying he hopes that would lead to a longer sentence.

Chauvin was convicted of murder in April and sentenced in state court Friday to 22 1/2 years in prison. After his sentencing, some of Floyd's family members said that sentence wasn't long enough and they wanted to see more.

Family attorney Ben Crump pointed to pending federal charges against Chauvin that allege he violated Floyd's civil rights, suggesting they offer a way to get maximum accountability" for Chauvin's death.

We got to take with some measure of accountability and we understand that there are still federal charges pending. So as his brothers and his family ask for the maximum, were still holding out for the maximum, Crump said.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said that if Chauvin is convicted federally, the federal sentence could run consecutively, giving Chauvin more time in prison, which is why we are saying that we still want full justice.

If Chauvin is convicted of federal counts in Floyds death, he would be subject to a new set of sentencing guidelines, with the ultimate sentence up to a judge. Experts said it's possible but unlikely that a federal sentence would be longer than a state sentence. It's also more likely that the two sentences would run at the same time, but judges have discretion.

Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said federal judges have enormous discretion in sentencing.

It is whatever the federal judge wants to do, Turner said. If he wants the sentence to be consecutive, he can.

Turner said a prime justification in the past for indicting officers federally was to ensure that, if they are acquitted on the state level, they could still go to prison on a federal conviction. He said the fact that Chauvin was convicted and sentenced on the state charges makes it extremely unlikely he would get consecutive time from a federal judge.

Mark Osler, a professor at University of St. Thomas School of Law and former federal prosecutor, said any federal sentence would be concurrent.

Osler said theres a clear possibility he could get a life sentence in the federal system but he also said he could get less than the 22  years he received in the state system.

__

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
Summer is here, and so is the Delta variant

The latter, of course, is not a new dance move or craft cocktail but rather an iteration of the new coronavirus that could prevent us from enjoying such things.

The variant of concern, as the Centers for Disease Control describes it, was identified in Fort Bend County this week. Five residents, according to the county, are experiencing symptoms as a result.

And the identification of the Delta variant in Texas has epidemiologists on edge. This variant, which was first identified in India, appears to be far more transmissible than others that have been circulating in the state thus far. Missouri, for example, has seen a spike in severe COVID-19 cases in recent weeks  and the Delta variant is to blame. And a regions vulnerability to this variant is directly related to vaccination rates  which are, in Texas, not great.

President Joe Biden in May set a goal of having 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by the Fourth of July. As it stands, it looks like the nation will narrowly miss that goal  and states such as Texas are partly to blame. As of Friday, state figures show, just 48.34 percent of Texans age 12 and older were fully vaccinated; 56.96 percent had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Dallas and Houston in the coming days to help promote the cause. But how much impact will her efforts have, given the high level of vaccine hesitancy among self-identified Republicans?

Right now, the biggest problem are young conservatives who have this element of defiance, Dr. Peter Hotez told the Chronicles Gwendolyn Wu in an interview earlier this month. He added that significant inroads have been made with Black and Latino Texans, thanks to the efforts of leaders in those communities. Such efforts have not been replicated by Republican leaders.

A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday found 29 percent of Texas adults do not plan to receive a COVID vaccine, with a stark partisan divide underlying that overall number: 45 percent of Republican respondents said they had no plans to get vaccinated, compared to 30 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats.

In Fort Bend County, which is led by Judge KP George, a Democrat, 61 percent percent of residents age 12 and older were fully vaccinated, as of Friday. Among residents 65 and older, 85 percent are fully vaccinated and 95 percent had received at least one dose. In Montgomery County, where County Judge Mark Keough has chafed at COVID restrictions imposed by the states Republican governor, just 44 percent of residents over age 12 are fully vaccinated.

It would be facile to suggest that the disconnect between these densely populated suburban counties is entirely due to partisan alignment, but it does seem to be a factor. And its not as if Republican leaders are incapable of promoting vaccines; Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, for example, announced this week that 68 percent of those eligible have been fully vaccinated. He celebrated by calling for more vaccines.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Half of Texas Republicans say they won't get COVID-19 vaccine, new poll finds

The Texans with no plans to get vaccinated cite various reasons for that decision, which is theirs to make. Some are skeptical of vaccines in general, or the COVID-19 vaccines in particular, which are relatively new. Others consider themselves to have natural immunity to COVID-19 as a result of having contracted it at some point during the pandemic, or simply reckon that they could survive a bout with COVID-19, as most people do.

But the public health experts are heckling us with good reason. The COVID-19 death rate has declined, but nearly 300 Americans are still losing their lives to this virus each day  and most of the Americans dying, at this point, are unvaccinated, according to an Associated Press analysis .

Nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19 is at this point entirely preventable, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing this past week.

If they are unvaccinated, they are at risk, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White Houses chief medical adviser, in an appearance on NBCs Today show.

Those who are vaccinated can have a great Fourth of July, he continued. I mean, you could just do all the things you want to do on the Fourth of July if, in fact, youre vaccinated.

In Texas, you can pretty much do whatever you want on the Fourth of July regardless. A business you choose to patronize might require that you wear a mask on its premises, but under a new law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott this month, its employees cant ask too many nosy questions of any of you, even if their curiosity is motivated by concerns for their own safety.

Texas is open 100%, and we want to make sure you have the freedom to go where you want without limits, he said in signing a law that bans businesses from requiring proof of vaccines.

More than 51,000 Texans have died due to COVID-19 already, and this is not the message we need to hear, at this juncture, from our states leaders.

The failure to get more Texans vaccinated and achieve herd immunity, coupled with the arrival of a more transmissible variant of the virus, puts people at risk. State leaders should be focused on mitigating that risk, not delivering self-congratulatory speeches about Texas being open for business. Even better than enjoying our freedoms this year would be to enjoy them for many years to come, surrounded by friends and family.

erica.grieder@chron.com
Harris County Sheriff's Office

Authorities are searching for a suspect who they say shot a 6-year-old while he was inside his home north of Houston on Monday.

The child was playing in the stairwell inside his home in the 15400 block of Bammel Fields Court in the Bammel Village Subdivision when a bullet was fired into the home, striking him, his mother told the Harris County Sheriffs Office.
INFOWars host and noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is expected to protest on Saturday the firings of numerous Houston Methodist Hospital employees over the hospital chains recent COVID-19 vaccine requirements, according to the protest organizer.

On Friday, the lead plaintiff in a now-tossed lawsuit against Methodist, Jennifer Bridges, appeared on Jones show. Bridges, who is organizing the Saturday rally and was until this week a nurse at the hospitals Baytown location, said Jones told her he was likely to join protesters outside Methodists main Houston location.

Bridges said it was her second appearance on the show, and that shes been listening to Jones show for at least a few months.

She said she doesnt agree with many of his takes, but didnt cite specifics.

I just respect the fact he has got a lot of strong views and he doesn't back down, Bridges said. He calls people out when they do something wrong, and I appreciate that.

Jones has been heavily criticized for deploying and amplifying us vs. them-style rhetoric at a time of tense political debate and fracture. Jones has previously questioned whether the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was faked as part of a big-government conspiracy.

His website was as recently as Friday making similar, outlandish claims, including that so-called false flag attacks maybe used to conceal an unfounded and repeatedly debunked conspiracy to steal the 2020 presidential election from Donald Trump.

Last month Bridges and more than 170 other Methodist employees filed a lawsuit in which they claimed the hospitals requirement that all employees be fully vaccinated violated their right to not partake in a medical clinical trial without their consent.

The plaintiffs argued vaccines have not been proven safe, and objected to Methodists promise to fire any employee that wasnt inoculated as of this week.

U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes ultimately tossed the suit and chided the arguments made by the plaintiffs.

The hospital announced 153 firings or resignations on Tuesday.

Twenty-seven of the 178 employees who were suspended for two weeks without pay as a result of the requirement earlier this month had already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital said then that those employees would no longer be at risk of termination if they receive their second during the suspension.

On Tuesday, a Methodist spokesperson said a portion of the employees became compliant with the policy. Some chose to resign during the two-week suspension period, the spokesperson said.

Asked about the affiliation between her group and right-wing political actors, Bridges said her motivation was about one thing: Reversing Methodists policy.

This has nothing to do with politics, she said. Im not affiliated with any one side. I just appreciate every one coming together to fight for this cause.

robert.downen@chron.com
The history of gay people in Houston and the community theyve built, often in restaurants, bars and bookstores, but also among street protests and planning rooms and shared struggles, has created a geography of gay civil rights that has begun to fade as LGBTQ+ people more than ever before are able to be themselves wherever they are. Here are seven landmarks in that history that together help tell that story.

1936. Wagon Wheel night club outside of Houston on Airline and Little York, on the road to Dallas. Local historians say in all likelihood, this early club catered to straight men looking for a wild time, rather than as a place where men could meet each other. But it heavily promoted its star attraction  a widely heralded troupe of female impersonators  and eventually drew the determined scrutiny of the grand jury, despite the sheriffs insistence at the time that no law existed that the shows, purposely staged outside of city limits, violated. It burned in 1938, with inspectors blaming arson.

1945. Opening of the Pink Elephant at the corner of Fannin and Bell Streets. Prior to the opening of this bar, which wed recognize today as a gay bar, men and women who wanted to meet each other for sex or socialization had to take their chances at an elaborate network of coded places, such as lobbies in downtown hotels such as the Rasthskeller and Rice Hotel where they could subtly indicate their availability, essentially hiding in plain sight.

1976. The Exile, 1011 Bell Street. Houston had its first Pride parade in June of the Bicentennial year, six years after New York Citys inaugural parade in 1970. As former Houston Mayor Annise Parker told me this week: I was there. Not really a parade and a rather short march! But it was a start. When funding ran dry the next year there was no second march, not yet anyway.

June 16, 1977. Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Texas Bar Association had invited country and western star Anita Bryant to perform at its convention in Houston. Bryant was an indefatigable campaigner against gay rights and loathed among the community. Earlier that day outside of City Hall, speakers led a crowd of 300 through a call-and-response denunciation of homosexuality. Three thousand gays and allies marched in a candle-light procession that night to the Hyatt. In many ways, this was the galvanizing moment for large-scale gay rights protests in Houston.

June 28, 1980. 2400 Capitol Street in east downtown. Houston gay activist Fred Paez is killed by an off-duty police officer who attempted to arrest him for public lewdness, after Paez reportedly hit on the officer outside a warehouse where the officer was working a second shift security job. He was tried on a misdemeanor charge and found not guilty.

Westheimer and Montrose, July 14, 1991. One thousand-plus people gather in a takeover of the intersection organized by the national gay rights group Queer Nation in protest of the brutal murder of Paul Broussard by a group of 10 young people who had driven to Montrose from the Woodlands and jumped Broussard and two friends as they left a gay bar early on the morning of July 4.

Sept. 17, 1988. Colorado Club Apartments, # 833, in far east Houston. A jealous lover calls the police on John Lawrence and Tyron Garner. When they respond, they cite the couple for having sex in their apartment. The case goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in June 2003 issues a sweeping decision striking down any laws that make private sex between members of the same sex illegal.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Sources: Much credit goes to Brian Reidel and Joanna Collier for help in pointing me to original sources for these and other events, and to J.D. Doyle, whose massive online collection of gay history artifacts is a treasure.
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Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address in the Senate chambers of the Missouri State Capitol Building on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. The speech was moved from the House chambers over coronavirus concerns. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
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Williamstown's Cole Kuster finished as high as 11th in swimming three events at the 2020 Olympic trials this month.

'24 Olympic Hopeful Kuster Makes Best of Bad Situation, Stays on Track with Training

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Williamstowns Cole Kuster dropped his personal record times significantly in swimming three events at the recently concluded 2020 U.S. Olympic Team trials in Omaha, Neb.

The venue was something different for the Harvard University sophomore. The experience of shaving time was anything but.

For the past couple of years, Ive been on a good trend in terms of dropping time, Kuster said. Since 10th grade, Ive continually ramped up my training a little bit. In college, I started lifting weights. I continued my training and added the weights.

This past year in San Diego was a little different from my training in college.

Different is an understatement for the way most Americans lived their lives over the past 16 months, and Kuster was no different. But the 2019 Mount Greylock Regional School graduate found a way to continue pursuing his Olympic dream in spite of the global pandemic that, among other things, pushed the 2020 games into 2021.

Kuster qualified in three events for the trials: the 400 meter freestyle, 800 freestyle and 1,500 freestyle. His best finish came in the 1,500, where he placed 11th out of 35 competitors in the trials, just missing a berth in the eight-man final.

Although he did not achieve his Olympic dream this time around, Kuster already is thinking about what it will take to get to Paris in 2024  after he spends the next three years building on the all-Ivy League season he had as a freshman for the Crimson in 2019-20.

Back in the Berkshires after a busy week of competition at Omahas 17,500-seat CHI Health Center, Kuster took some time to chat with iBerkshires.com about the experience.

Question: What was it like being in that environment of the trials?

Kuster: It was an amazing experience. I didnt know exactly what to expect. I had seen it on TV and heard about it from other people. But being there in person was totally different -- how big the place is, this massive arena with seating all the way around, the big Jumbotron. It was overwhelming. It made me nervous and anxious going into the first race, but after that, I settled down and enjoyed it.

I was surrounded by so many awesome people and fans and my family.

Q: Have you had a chance to compete with and be around Olympic-caliber athletes much in the past?

Kuster: Ive been around Olympians before at national-level meets and things like that. But there never has been such a high concentration in such a small area. And this year, a lot of people made the Olympics for the first time. It was cool to be around them achieving their dreams and realizing it could be me in three years.

Q: What is the social environment like at the meet? Is there a lot of interacting with your competitors? All we ever see on TV is swimmers sitting alone waiting to compete, listening to their ear buds, looking off into space and things like that.

Kuster: Everybody has friends from all over from meeting random people at meets and things like that. You get to see a lot of old friends and people you havent talked to. Theres definitely a lot of talking and interacting.

If you sit there the whole time thinking about your races, its going to make you really nervous. And the meet is seven full days long, so you have a lot of down time between events. You may not have a race for another two days. You have to stay motivated and stay involved.

Q: How long were you out in San Diego [training with the Coronado Swim Association]?

Kuster: I was there from September until June 10. I came home for Christmas, but that was it.

Q: Were you taking classes the whole time?

Kuster: No. I took a gap year.

In June 2020, when we were still in quarantine, Harvard announced that we would not be allowed on campus or to train with my team. I knew taking online classes was not what I wanted to do. I had a taste of online the end of my freshman year.

I had an internship with an alumnus for the whole year. That allowed me to keep training.

Q: The internship was out there in San Diego?

Kuster: The alum is from San Diego, but the internship was all virtual. The reason I took it was because it was very flexible. I needed it to fit around my swim schedule.

Q: So while obviously no one would ever say the pandemic was a good thing, in a way it worked out for you in terms of finding these other opportunities?

Kuster: I think I definitely made the most of a year that would not have been so great. Not only was the training good, but I got some valuable experience with the internship, which will be good for other jobs in the future. I also met a ton of new people training on the team in San Diego.

All the pools were outside, so we were able to keep training through the pandemic.

I was just talking about this with my roommate. The last year could have been spent sitting around in our room, not getting out and training. This year could have been terrible. But we definitely made the most of it. I made the right decision on that front.

Q: And, speaking of timing, the delay in this years Olympics means theres only a three-year gap to 2024.

Kuster: Other things go along with that. Heading into the next trials, Ill be a senior instead of one year after graduating. It will be easier to keep training after school right through the trials.

Q: So was the program in San Diego something they always offer for college athletes or was it something they set up just for the pandemic?

Kuster: There is a club team that swims out there, but this program was specifically made for college athletes who were not taking classes or who were taking [online] classes but also looking for someplace to have access to weight-lifting and training.

Q: How many athletes are we talking about?

Kuster: In the fall, there were probably 18 of us or so. And then in the spring, more people heard about it because we were telling our friends. In the spring it peaked at around 30 people down there, which was really awesome.

We did the social distancing and stayed in our own pods, but it was nice to have people to train with.

Q: Did they provide testing?

Kuster: We didnt really do testing that much because we never left our small group of people, especially in the fall, before the vaccines started rolling out.

If someone did have symptoms, pretty much every club in the country was doing the same thing: They got tested and the whole team shut down for two weeks. Fortunately, that never happened where I was.

Q: What is left for you this summer? Are there any meets for you to compete in?

Kuster: Im not sure about meets.There are some things kind of more local that I can go to. Right now, Im taking a break from swimming. Ive been going for nine months. Im taking two weeks off and then training. Im not sure if Im going to any meets or not. I put a lot of mental energy into preparing for [the trials]. Im not sure how soon I want to start racing again.

Ill probably go to one, though.

Q: And do you think things will pretty much return to normal in the fall with school and the team?

Kuster: Theyre doing full enrollment with everyone allowed on campus. They havent said anything yet about whether classes will be online or in person, but I imagine the majority will be in person. They did say the training, for the most part, will be back to normal, which is good.
Berkshire Community College holds its pinning ceremony for the Practical Nursing Program in the Robert Boland Theatre on Thursday. Dean of Nursing Lori Moon says it was the first time she'd seen all of our students without a mask on. Elizabeth Kirby reminds the students that the mission of nursing is to help their fellow man. PreviousNext

Resilient Nursing Graduates Honored in BCC Pinning Ceremony



Graduate Natalie Weeks speaks of how the class went above and beyond during the pandemic.

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Twenty-four graduates of Berkshire Community College's Practical Nursing Program were recognized Thursday evening at a traditional pinning ceremony in the Robert Boland Theatre.

A sense of honor was in the air for the class that became nurses in the thick of a global pandemic while working on the front lines.



"This has been a very stressful year, probably the biggest understatement I could ever make, right? I think everyone here can agree," Dean of Nursing Lori Moon said to the students, whose faces she saw without masks for the first time at the ceremony.



"This group of practical nursing students are very special, they weathered the storm with grace and resilience, they went above and beyond when our community needed their help, and they've successfully completed this program, so they have a lot to be proud of."



Class speaker Natalie Weeks spoke on the trials tribulations the class endured the past school year that resulted in a communal bond.



"We are all on our own personal journeys and it's incredible, some of us are from other countries, speak other languages, have different work backgrounds, have kids, and the list goes on," she said to her peers.



"This class has shown and proven that your past does not define who you can become and what kind of life you can live, despite our differences we have cared for and supported each other within the past 10 months."



"Not only have we learned skills from class, but we have learned skills from our classmates' skills such as working together, listening, putting away biases, and making a positive impact in someone else's life, these skills not only make you an amazing nurse, but an amazing person, and you are all amazing people."



Weeks said that throughout this journey, she pondered the meaning of being a nurse, a student, and most importantly how she can make a positive impact in patients' lives.



"I know this program has taught us all how to make this a priority, the connections we have made with each other are strong enough to last a lifetime, no matter our future endeavors," she concluded. "We will all take different paths in our careers, but no matter what we will all have this experience in common and will go on to do great things and make positive differences in our patients' lives. I believe nurses have a unique perspective on how valuable life is, this perspective is a gift, and hope we can all use that to make our own lives more meaningful."



Guest speaker Elizabeth Kirby, a registered nurse and director of education at Berkshire Health Systems, spoke on the significance of the nurse's pin and how the pinning ceremony pays honor to the graduates as they officially enter their professions.

Founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale extended the honor of a pin to her most talented nurses by giving them each a medal, she explained, and, in 1880, the first nurse's pin as we know it today was given to the graduating class at Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York City.



By 1916, every nursing school was honoring its graduates with the pins that are a "special symbol of who nurses are and why they are here."



"We exist in this profession to help our fellow man. And we when we lose sight of that we become very disillusioned," she said.



"We need to push ourselves beyond those difficult days and times we need to realize that not only do we deal with sadness and difficulty, but we also deal with miracles, the birth of a new baby, the cancer patient cured, the trauma patients saved, the COVID patient recovered and may be going home after several months in the hospital. These miracles happen because we were there to care, there to help, and do whatever was needed for the patient."



Also in the ceremony, Maryblessing Nnodim was presented with the Academic Excellence in Nursing Award: Xiomara Serrano-Guzman with the Clinical Excellence in Nursing Award: Katherine Morton with the Professionalism in Nursing Award: and Amy Slattery with the Spirit of Nursing Award.



The nursing pins were a donation from former adjunct professor Paula Walczyk and Stan Walczyk.

The class of 2021 graduates are:

Herika Carvalho-Galusha

Lisa Curley

George Fiadjoe

Rhianna Graham

Danielle Harriott

Samantha Hillard

Samantha Ireland

Allison Klink

Emily Knickerbocker

Anita Kusi

Caroline Maina

Heather Marsh

Molly McKenna

Katherine Morton

Kelvin Mwai

Briannah Nichlen

Maryblessing Nnodim

Marguerite Ouimette

Angelica Sanchez

Xiomara Serrano-Guzman

Amy Slattery

Samantha Stockley

Natalie Weeks

Gislain Yanga-Njike
Stephanie Hodges, zoo educator with the Zoo at Forest Park in Springfield, speaks at an event Thursday hosted by the Adams Free Library at the Vistors Center. Daisy the Hedgehog is about a year old. Hedgehogs have poor eyesight but have a great sense of smell. Squash the Corn Snake is pretty easygoing, unless you are a mouse. Squash is a young snake but probably won't get much bigger. Sage the Rabbit was most likely someone's pet at some point. The hissing cockroaches are essentially garbage disposals. A few brave souls held the cockroaches. Hodges said Angus is a good traveling companion because she doesn't have to worry about him running off. Angus had a good day. A few pets and a few bites of the Visitors Center Lawn. Hodges said Cheese the Rooster is related to dinosaurs but has an attitude more like a sleepy cat. PreviousNext

Zoo at Forest Park Brings Animals to Adams



Children had the chance to learn about some wild and domestic animals, such as a bunny and a rooster. ADAMS, Mass.  The zoo came to town Friday as the Zoo in Forest Park and Education Center visited the Visitors Center with some of their animal ambassadors.

"A lot of people don't get the opportunity to see nonnative species up close and personal like this," said Stephanie Hodges, a zoo educator with the Springfield zoo. "We think it is an enriching experience to have kids see something they might not see otherwise and it gets them interested in conservation and could spark a new passion."

The program is part of the Adams Free Library's "Tails and Tales" summer reading program.

Hodges had a variety of animals to show off including Daisy the African pigmy hedgehog. Hodges explained that her quills work as body armor and make predators think twice about approaching her.

She said the quills are sort of like human hair in some ways and that like many people, hedgehogs often lose their hair as they get older.

"Some of our grandparents lose their hair when they get older. When hedgehogs get older they lose their quills," she said. "We have some at the zoo that look bald."

Squash the corn snake was also in tow. Hodges said Squash is about 2 years old as she pulled him from his snake bag, the preferred snake travel method.

Corn snakes are pretty easygoing and can often be found in cornfields. She said farmers like having the snakes around because they keep the mouse populations under control.

Sage, the 27-pound rabbit, was a big hit among the kids. Hodges said Sage's origins are quite sad: a woman brought the rabbit to the zoo after the rabbit hopped up to her during a walk.

Hodges said this is something wild rabbits typically do not do.

"There is no way a wild bunny would hop up to you and jump on your lap," she said. "She is the sweetest rabbit."

She said Sage was likely once someone's pet and was abandoned. Hodges did reiterate to the kids the importance of pet ownership and explained that with pets come great responsibility.

She said Sage has things pretty good now and has an indoor-outdoor habitat with other rabbit friends. And yes, Sage likes to frolic in the snow.

Hodges had some smaller creepier animals to show and brought out a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Some kids stepped back in horror, but Hodges explained how important the little critters were.

"They eat banana peels, orange peels  things other animals throw away," she said. "They are like little garbage disposals ... they are really important to the ecosystem."

And, yes, they do hiss. Hodges explained that they have little holes down their bodies and are able to force air out to make a hissing sound. This sound makes them sound bigger and scarier to predators.

Unlike the cockroach, Cheese the rooster was a familiar sight to many in attendance. Hodges said Cheese pretty much has run of the zoo and often gives visitors a little peck, encouraging them to give him a cuddle.

She explained that chickens and roosters are sort of modern-day dinosaurs and are closely related to the giant reptiles that used to roam the earth.

Although Cheese is related to velociraptors, they don't have much in common.

"He is your modern-day velociraptor who is falling asleep in Sabrina's [Hodges assistant] arms right now," she said. "Apparently he is half cat  he is a special rooster."

The kids were asked not to touch the animals but were allowed to give Angus the tortoise a pet on the shell. He was eating grass off the Visitors Center Lawn and didn't seem to mind.
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Many working parents, especially those with small children, welcomed the chance to do their jobs while staying home during the pandemic. With offices reopening but remote work now a norm, many of these parents want to keep on working from home. But if they're smart, they won't do it. And if they're your employees, you shouldn't let them, says Nicholas Bloom, professor of economics at Stanford.

Bloom is most famous for a huge 2013 study proving remote workers are more productive than those in the office. These days, though, he's advising companies not to allow employees to work from home full time, and not to let them choose their own work-from-home days. "It feels weird to be having this conversation, because up until March 2020, I was one of the biggest advocates for working from home," he tells Inc.

To be clear, Bloom supports the idea of employees working from home some of the time, such as two or three days a week. And he thinks it's fine to have employees work at home full time if the entire company does the same, as WordPress and its parent company, Automattic, do, for example. But problems can arise in a hybrid company where employees have the freedom to choose which days, if any, they come to the office.

Mothers want to work from home

As with most of his opinions, this one is grounded in serious research. Bloom and his team have surveyed more than 30,000 working-age Americans in the past year. Asked about their post-pandemic preferences for working at home versus coming to the office, the majority said they would choose to work in the office one day a week or more. Thirty-two percent said they wanted to work at home all the time. "It turns out that who wants to work from home after the pandemic is not random," Bloom wrote in a recent Harvard Business Review piece. "In our research we find, for example, that among college graduates with young children, women want to work from home full time almost 50 percent more than men."

Why is this a problem? Because, research shows, working from home full time when you have colleagues who go to the office is detrimental to your career. In one study in China, Bloom randomly separated 500 volunteers into two groups. One group worked in the office five days a week, and the other group only came in one day a week. After 21 months, the second group had a 50 percent lower rate of promotion.

Put those two findings together and you can see the problem. Research has already shown that the pandemic's economic hardships fell disproportionately on women. The last thing they need is to be deprived of promotion opportunities, but that's what working at home five days a week will do. Over time, this means there will be even more men and fewer women in top positions than there are now.

Remote employees get forgotten

Why do people working from home miss out on promotions? For two reasons, Bloom says. The first amounts to "out of sight, out of mind." People who work from home tend to be forgotten when it comes to handing out plum assignments or promotions. Bloom says this problem may disappear in time, with more people working from home and companies learning to deal with them better. But the other problem is stickier. "When you come in to work and you go for lunch or coffee or chat with people, you're developing more firm exposure and culture, and managerial ability," he says. "You have a better sense of what's going on." People who don't come to the office regularly risk getting disconnected from their colleagues, and that limits their potential as leaders, he says. Looking back on his famous work-from-home study, Bloom notes that the workers he observed were travel agents who spent most of their time on the phone. It could be that other types of jobs, especially managerial jobs, can only be done well if you're in the office at least some of the time, he says now.

This is one big reason why he recommends that company leaders set work from home schedules for employees to follow, rather than letting them choose for themselves. (Another is that most employees would choose to work at home on Mondays and Fridays, which could lead to the office being empty on some days and overfull on others.) But where does that leave parents--usually mothers--of small children who may be stuck scrambling for child care if they have to return to the workplace?

For one thing, he says, many employers plan to allow employees to work from home two or three days a week. "Two days a week is miles better than zero," he says. "And if you have a couple, maybe you can organize it so there's one parent home four days a week."
The number of UK daily Covid-19 cases jumped to 18,270 on Saturday as stadiums, shopping centres and other large venues were opened up as walk-in grab a jab vaccination centres in a boost the number of people getting immunised.

It is the highest figure since 3 February, and a 20 per cent rise on Fridays total.

The steady rise in cases comes as experts warn the country is in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19 thanks to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Sporting grounds involved in the weekend vaccination drive include Arsenals Emirates Stadium.

Buses offering jabs will also operate in Dudley, Colchester, Ipswich and elsewhere, while community vaccinators will visit those who are housebound.

NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens said the country was in a race to the finish line in its vaccine programme.

The government aims to have offered a first dose to all adults by 19 July  the date when the final stage of lockdown easing is now scheduled to go ahead, having been delayed from 21 June.

A total of 64,089,251 Covid-19 vaccinations had taken place in England between 8 December and Friday (25 June), according to NHS England data, including first and second doses  a rise of 310,890 on Thursday.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi and London mayor Sadiq Khan joined a London vaccine summit on Friday in a bid to boost jab uptake in the capital, which lags behind the rest of England.

Data shows that an estimated 83.1 per cent of over 50s in London had received both doses of vaccine by 20 June.

But all other regions across the country are above 90 per cent, according to the figures published by NHS England.
 Close Related video: Watch as Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel make a joint statement

Angela Merkel has raised the prospect of fully vaccinated Britons visiting Germany after holding talks with Boris Johnson at Chequers, amid concerns over plans to restrict travel to the EU.

The German chancellor declined to immediately lift controls and pointed out that the UK had also imposed rules of its own on German travellers, but said restrictions may be eased for those who have had both doses of a Covid jab in the forseeable future.

We have adopted certain protective measures when we were not, as yet so familiar with a Delta variant, the chancellor told reporters at a press conference.

The chancellor also said she was optimstic about a solution being found to problems in Northern Ireland relating to the post-Brexit trading arrangement.

She said she believed that pragmatic solutions could be found so that both the integrity of the single market is maintained and acceptable solutions are created. I think Im optimistic that this can happen, she said.
A father and son who lead a church in Florida have been arrested for their alleged role in the Capitol riot after a member of the church who is also facing charges in the attack outed them to investigators.

On Thursday, the US Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia announced that James "Jim" Varnell Cusick Jr, 72, and his son, Casey Cusick, 35, had been arrested and charged with knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted area and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building. They were also charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The FBI were turned onto the Cusicks after receiving an anonymous tip that the men, who lead the Global Outreach Ministries church in Melbourne, Florida, traveled to Washington DC for the 6 January rally and were among those who entered the Capitol. Another member of the church, David Lesperance, was also implicated by the tipster.

Mr Lesperance granted investigators an interview and "admitted that his pastor" was also at the Capitol riot, though he refused to identify his pastor by name.

Investigators managed to use iCloud data to determine that Mr Lesperance, as well as the Cusicks, were near and inside the Capitol during the time of the insurrection.

The FBI also found photos on the Cusicks' phones showing them in the area before and after the attack in which they were wearing the same clothes. They were spotted in security footage from the Capitol and on body-camera footage worn by law enforcement on the day of the attack.

All three men were released on $25,000 bonds, according to court documents.

The men join the more than 500 people who have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riot.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland reported on Thursday that the number of those arrested includes 100 people who have been charged with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, and at least one person charged with attacking a journalist.

Mr Garland said that the massive number of arrests was due in part to Americans offering tips to investigators.

Our efforts to bring criminal charges are not possible without the continued assistance of the American public, he said in a statement. To date, we have received their more than 200,000 digital tips.

Mr Garland assured the public that the Department of Justice would continue to follow up on tips to hold the participants of the Capitol riot accountable.
 Close Trump tells supporters We will never back down

Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, pleaded not guilty to 15 felony counts on tax matters. The indictment against him unsealed on Thursday afternoon alleged he hid about $1.7m in income over a 15-year period.

The charges against Mr Weisselberg and the Trump Organization represent Donald Trumps most dire legal crisis since he left the presidency, coming after a two-year investigation that is not thought to be anywhere near over. In a statement, the company described Mr Weisselberg as a pawn in a scorched earth attempt to harm the former president.

The news is a dramatic blow to the presidents business empire, which remains heavily indebted  and therefore vulnerable to nervous creditors recalling their loans if they have reason to worry about the organisations future. It comes just as the president returns to the public eye, visiting the Texas-Mexico border yesterday as part of a string of national appearances.
A bizarre conspiracy theory suggesting that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president in August has caused concern at the Department of Homeland Security, according to reports.

The idea has been floated by people close to the former-president including Sidney Powell, an attorney who is being sued over her claims that Mr Trump was cheated out of re-election by a conspiracy involving the operators of voting machines and communist leaders in Venezuela, and Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO also facing legal action for a series of far-fetched claims about the 2020 vote.

Mr Trump himself apparently believes he will be reinstated in August, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, although it is unclear why.

Mr Lindell reportedly suggested the former president may have settled on the idea because he had heard others  including him  saying it publicly.

While the theory has been largely dismissed as the latest in a series of substance-free predictions of the sort pushed by QAnon, reporting by Politico suggests it is being treated seriously by some within the Department of Homeland Security.

The outlet says John Cohen, a top counter-intelligence official, was asked about the August theory during a private conversation with members of Congress.

He apparently said there was serious concern over the prediction because it feeds into the false narrative that the election was stolen from Mr Trump and therefore raises fears of another violent reaction by his supporters.

However, he was reported as saying he had no intelligence on any specific credible threats of violence linked to the conspiracy theory.

In a statement to The Independent, a DHS spokesperson said: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is focused on the nexus between violence and extremist ideologies, as well as hateful and false narratives. DHS is enhancing its ability to prevent acts of violence inspired by disinformation, conspiracy theories, and extremist narratives spread through social media and other online platforms.
Malta has announced that only fully vaccinated persons will be admitted from the UK from 30 June  the same day the Mediterranean nation joins the British governments travel green list.

Children under 12 are exempt from the ruling, but those aged 5 to 11 must undergo a PCR test in the 72 hours before arrival in Malta.

In an online update on Saturday 26 June, Visit Malta said: Currently, only the Maltese vaccination certificate is a valid certificate accepted by the Maltese authorities.

As from 1 July, the UK (two dose certificate) and the EU digital Covid vaccine certificate will be accepted as well.

It is understood the NHS app will be accepted as certification.

The Independent is trying to establish what rules will be in place for British travellers who are due to arrive in Malta on 30 June.

In its announcement, the tourist authority emphasised: Those aged 12+ can only travel with a full vaccination certificate.

The decision will cause great concern for families with children aged 12 or over planning to visit Malta. At present the minimum age in the UK for Covid vaccination is 18, and around one in three of those aged 18-24 have had a single jab.

If the rule remains in place through the summer, it will mean that many families will have to abandon plans to holiday in Malta.

Malta is following in the footsteps of a number of EU countries, including Italy and Poland, in increasing restrictions on British travellers.

In a joint statement issued by the office of the deputy prime minister, ministry of health and ministry of tourism and consumer protection, the Maltese government said: This decision was taken on the basis of an epidemiological study of the situation of variant cases reported in the United Kingdom.

The measure is being introduced to protect the health of Maltese residents, and of all those who visit our country, the statement added.

The news emerged shortly it was confirmed that Malta would be the only new unconditional addition to the green list of locations from which quarantine is not required on return to the UK.

Fifteen other destinations, including Madeira, Spains Balearic Islands and a number of Caribbean islands, were moved from the amber list to the green watchlist, meaning the quarantine requirement is removed but could be reimposed at short notice.

In addition, Israel was also put on the watchlist.

The latest review to the UKs traffic light lists for international travel was released on 24 June.
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On Thursday, the Health Ministry declared that the Delta Plus variant of the COVID-19 is a 'variant of concern' (VOC) for India.

When the presence of the mutant strain Delta, identified as AY.1 was acknowledged it was reported only from three states, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala.

BCCL

Nine more states reported Delta Plus strain cases

Since then, nine more states, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Karnataka have reported at least one case of Delta Plus strain there.

At 22, Maharashtra has the highest number of Delta Plus variant cases. The state has also reported one death from the new strain, taking the total confirmed fatalities in India so far to three. The other two deaths were reported from Madhya Pradesh.

"There are nearly 50 cases that are found in 12 districts and this has happened in the last three months. It cannot be said that in any district or state it is showing an increasing trend," Sujeet Singh, the director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), said on Friday.

BCCL

One of the biggest fears the new variant is causing is how fast and easily it can spread.

It evolved from the Delta strain, which was already highly infectious and was blamed for the deadly second wave in India.

The variant has the characteristics of increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells and potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response.

However, scientists have said that it is too early to say if Delta Plus is equally or more infectious than Delta and if it could trigger the third wave of the pandemic in India.

BCCL

States not taking chances

But states are not taking any chances, with the third wave almost certain to hit some time this year itself, according to most predictions.

Maharashtra, which had started the unlock process has gone back to Level-3 lockdown, which means some restrictions will continue to remain in place across the state.

In Tamil Nadu, the Centre has advised the government to take immediate measures to contain the spread of Delta plus variant in Madurai, Chennai and Kanchipuram districts where the variant has been found.

AFP

In Jammu and Kashmir, the local traders' body at the biggest grain market in Jammu has announced a voluntary weekend lockdown following the detection of the first case of the COVID-19 Delta Plus variant.

"We have decided to continue the weekend lockdown for the next three weeks as a precautionary measure in view of the detection of the first Delta Plus variant case and the apprehension of the third wave," the federation president Deepak Gupta said.

In Rajasthan, the facility for Genome Sequencing has been started in the SMS Medical College in Jaipur, thus making it the first state to have its own Genome Sequencing lab.
AP

Cases of Delta Plus variant have been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka. Out of the 48 confirmed cases of Delta Plus strain in India, 21 have been from Maharashtra. The state has also recorded one death from the new mutant strain. While 21 does not sound like a big number, in a state which is still recording over 9,000 cases every day the newly identified strain which is highly transmittable is a matter of concern. Read more



Below is a list of top stories that made headlines across the country today.

"Just Give Us The Vaccines," WHO Pleads, As Poor Countries Lack Doses

Agency

Even as the COVID-19 threat is seemingly subsiding, the struggle to vaccinate the population remains and countries across the world are leaving no stones unturned. However, rich countries are much ahead of the poorer ones. The rich nations have opened up societies and vaccinating young people who are not at great risk from COVID-19, while the poorest countries cruelly lack doses, the World Health Organization said, condemning a global failure. Read more



Chardham Yatra: Uttarakhand To Issue Guidelines For Pilgrims From 3 Districts

File Photo

Uttarakhand government announced that it will issue a new set of guidelines for Chardham Yatra pilgrims from three districts of the state. The three districts are - Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi. Government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal informed that the state government will ensure that all necessary Covid-19 protocols are followed and that priests are vaccinated. The four pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Read more

Farmers' Protest: Seven Months On, Thousands Observe Save Democracy Day, March To Delhi

BCCL

To mark the completion of seven months of their protest, thousands of farmers who had been demonstrating at the borders of Delhi on Saturday observed 'Save Farming, Save Democracy Day'. Various farmers groups that are observing the same in other states said they will submit a memorandum to the governors all across India. Read more

Species Extinction, Unliveable Heat: Leaked UN Draft Reveals Climate Change Impact On Earth

AFP

A leaked draft report from the United Nations has painted a distressing picture of how climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Millions of people worldwide are in for a disastrous future of hunger, drought and disease, according to the draft report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Read more
In recent years, there has been an increase in awareness, especially among the younger generation about the need of preserving the environment and forests.

But as more and more trees and forests continued to be cleared for 'development', it is an increasing challenge to protect whatever greenery is left.

This is particularly true in the big cities, where 'development' becomes the priority and not the long-term wellbeing of the people there.

BCCL/FILE

Even though authorities routinely plant saplings to compensate for the number of trees that were cut, not many of these ever grow into trees.

That is because it takes well over a decade for saplings to grow into trees, and until then they need utmost care and nurturing, which does not happen often.

However, a revolutionary method developed by Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist has been a gamechanger around the world, especially when it comes to urban forestry.

Mulund Micro Forest

What is this?

The "Miyawaki method" is used to restore native forests from seeds of native trees on very degraded soils which were deforested and without humus.

One of the biggest advantages of the Miyawaki method is how fast the saplings grow into trees.

Instead of the decades that it would take otherwise, under the Miyawaki method, it takes a few years.

This method ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster, and the results in up to 30 times dense forest.

Mulund Micro Forest

In Mumbai's Mulund, a two-year-old Miyawaki forest is proving how effective the technique is, even in Indian conditions.

Project started in July 2019

The project was started by a group of environmentalists in Mumbai with the support of the BMC in July 2019.

Sushant Bali, an environmentalist who is trained in the restoration of urban forestry led the initiative along with other volunteers.

Mulund Micro Forest

"We started in July 2019 in a 100sqm plot, and later an additional 100sqm was provided to us by the BMC in HaiOm Nagar, in Mulund East. Sushant Bali has studied and worked on several similar projects in other places," Preeti Ghanekar, a member of the project told Indiatimes.

One of the first things they did was to prepare the ground. Unlike the conventional method, where saplings are planted in small pits, in the Miyawaki method the entire area is dug up.

"We dug up an entire trench of 2-3 feet and filled it with a mixture of rice husk, cocopeat and soil along with other fertilizers. The biggest advantage of this is the faster growth of the plants. Under this method, a forest that usually takes up to 40 years to reach its full potential will reach there in 15 years," Ghanekar explained.

Mulund Micro Forest

Breakthrough method

Another key factor in the Miyawaki method is how local species, that are best suited to the conditions there are used.

"We used only plant species that are native to Mumbai. We coordinated with tribals from the Aarey Forests and all the plants were local to the area. We planted four kinds of saplings including those that would grow into tall trees and form a canopy, then there are shorter trees, herbs and creepers. These are planted very close to each other so that once they grow, it will be a dense forest," she said.

Other than the land and labour costs that were involved, which were done by volunteers, the group spent around Rs 80,000 on the project of the purchase of saplings and cocopeat, etc.

Mulund Micro Forest

"When we started it was just around 10 of us. But as the word spread, and people saw our work, more joined in. Right now we have around 25 volunteers with us who are involved taking care of trees," she said.

According to Ghanekar, such micro forests can be grown in any city in the country in limited space and without much expense.

Mulund Micro Forest

"The biggest advantage this method has is how fast the saplings grow into trees. These will grow into a full forest in 15 years, as compared to the conventional methods. And since only local saplings are planted, there are no invasive species that we have introduced. Similar projects have already been undertaken by the BMC in Mumbai and several other cities," Ghanekar said.
In order to provide relief to the taxpayers facing the hardship due to COVID-19, the government has announced certain tax benefits and compliance reliefs for the taxpayers. Here are some of the important announcements that you should know about.

Tax exemption on COVID treatment, deaths

Several taxpayers received financial help from their employers or well-wishers for meeting their expenses incurred in COVID-19 treatment, said the statement, adding that, income tax will be exempted on the amount received by a taxpayer from an employer or from any person.

BCCL

The employers of those taxpayers who died due to COVID-19 had extended the financial assistance to their family members, in order to provide relief amid the difficulties due to the sudden loss of an earning member of the family. To provide further relief to those family members, the government exempted the income tax on the financial aid received from the taxpayer's employer or from any other person.

The government has allowed the exemption without any limit for the amount received from the employer and it will be limited to  10 lakh in aggregate for the amount received from any other persons.

Extension of deadlines

Apart from the tax exemptions, the government also extended some of the major tax compliance deadlines, to provide relief to taxpayers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

TOI

Among the most important deadline extension, the linking of PAN card and Aadhaar card is extended by another three months - i.e., till September 30, 2021. This is the third such extension for linking the two identification documents amid the pandemic.

Other than the last date of PAN-Aadhaar card linking, the time to invest in a residential house for tax deduction is also extended by more than three months and the Vivad se Viswas' payment without interest is extended by two months from June 30 - August 31.

The last date to file the TDS return or tax deducted at source is extended from June 30 to July 15, 2021. The deadline to submit the equalization levy is extended from June 30 to July 31, 2021.

File

How to claim the exemption?

'Taxpayers intending to claim the exemption in respect of sums received during FY 2019-20 would need to revise their return of income to claim refund of tax paid. It is expected that government may also extend the due date for filing a revised return for Assessment Year 2020-21....Taxpayers shall have to carefully read the fine print to check the applicable deadlines as diverse set of dates have been prescribed under different sections,'' said Kumarmanglam Vijay, Partner, J Sagar Associates.

PTI

Meanwhile, earlier last month, the Income Tax department announced that hospitals, nursing home, COVID care centres, or similar other medical facilities providing treatment for coronavirus could accept cash payment of  2 lakh or more till May 31, 2021, after receiving a valid identity proof such as PAN card or Aadhaar of the patient and the payee.


A leaked draft report from the United Nations has painted a distressing picture of how climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Millions of people worldwide are in for a disastrous future of hunger, drought and disease, according to the draft report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

4000-page document

In what is by far considered the most comprehensive catalogue ever assembled of how climate change is upending the world, the IPCC drafted a 4,000-page document that was seen by AFP news agency on Wednesday.

CC0 Public Domain

But the document, designed to influence critical policy decisions, is not scheduled for release until February 2022  too late for crunch UN summits this year on climate, biodiversity and food systems, some scientists say.



Report's warnings

Species extinction, more widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas  these and other devastating climate effects are accelerating and are bound to become painfully obvious before a child born today turns 30, according to the draft report.

The report warns of a series of thresholds beyond which recovery from climate breakdown may become impossible, The Guardian said. The report warns: Life on Earth can recover from a drastic climate shift by evolving into new species and creating new ecosystems humans cannot.

twitter

The worst is yet to come, affecting our childrens and grandchildrens lives much more than our own, the draft report says. The report warns that previous major climate shocks dramatically altered the environment and wiped out most species, raising the question of whether humanity is sowing the seeds of its own demise.



UN panel's statement

The IPCC released a statement saying it does not comment on the contents of draft reports while work is still ongoing.

Respected climate scientist Francois Gemenne, who leads the Hugo Observatory and is an author on the IPPC report, stressed that the draft seen by AFP will undergo revisions before it is finalised and may even include extra sections.

AFP

This is not the version that will be adopted in February 2022, he said on Twitter. He added that it would be a serious mistake to imagine that any focus on the key messages was useful.



Disclosure of results prior to the outcome of this process undermines the credibility of the work of the IPCC as a whole, Gemenne said.



Three main takeaways

There are at least three main takeaways in the draft report, which may be subject to minor changes in the coming months as the IPCC shifts its focus to a key executive summary for policymakers.

The first is that with 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming clocked so far, the climate is already changing. A decade ago, scientists believed that limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius above mid-19th century levels would be enough to safeguard our future. However, current trends suggest a three degrees Celsius rise at least.

AFP

The second crucial takeaway of the draft report is that the world must face up to the reality of the changing climate and prepare for the onslaught.



There is very little good news in the report, but the IPCC stresses that much can be done to avoid worst-case scenarios and prepare for effects that can no longer be averted, the final takeaway.


Someone once said that business is in any Gujarati's blood, and this saying has been proven to be true many times. What's commendable is their willingness take on any kind of small job to make things happen even if it means going door-to-door selling their products.

Karsanbhai Patel is one such example from Gujarat. He quit his full-time government job to follow his dream. He is said to have gone door-to-door selling detergent on his bicycle thereby turning the company into a formidable group. Today, he is one of the richest businessmen from Gujarat with a net worth of $4.1 billion, according to Forbes.

Karsanbhai Patel founder of Nirma group a company | Wikipedia

Almost everyone who's spent their time on the TV screen in the 90s can't ever forget the lyrics and catchy jingle young girl in a spotless white frock in a Nirma commercial advertisement. But most of us didnt know the real reason for set up one of the most popular detergent brands in India and a man who nurtured this brand like a daughter. Heres all you need to know about Karsanbhai Patel and the reason he set up the Nirma brand.

Who is Karsanbhai Patel?

Karsanbhai Patel founder of Nirma group a company | Forbes

In 1945, Karsanbhai Patel was born to a farmers family in Ruppur, Gujarat and By the age of 21, he graduated in Chemistry. After graduation, Karsanbhai tried to do a regular job like his peers. Karsanbhai also worked as a lab technician in the New Cotton Mills belonging to the Lalbhai Group. Following this brief stint, he even took up a job at the Geology and Mining Department of the Gujarat government.

ALSO READ: How An Insult Drove Ferruccio Lamborghini To Create The World's First Supercar

How did Karsanbhai Patel invent Nirma detergent?

The year 1969 was a turning point in Karsanbhai's career, when a small farmer son and a qualified Science graduate, Karsanbhai Patel, was trying to mix Soda Ash and few ingredients to make detergent produce. One fine day, he got the formula right and it was then that he started producing detergents in the 100sq ft backyard of his home as an after office business.

The accident that changed his life

Karsanbhai Patel founder of Nirma group a company | gqindia

Everything was going well in Karsan Bhai's life, but when Karsanbhai lost his daughter in a car accident his life almost changed. Instead of mourning, he found out a way to bring his daughter back to life. Only a few people knew of his daughter when she was alive, but it was this mans sheer determination and willpower that made his daughter famous throughout the country, even though she was no more.

ALSO READ: From Rs 150 Job To Owner Of Rs 1.5 Cr Luxury Car; Inspiring Story Of Jaipur's Rahul Taneja

A journey from 100sq ft backyard to every middle-class house

Twitter

A one-man company, Karsanbhai would cycle through the neighborhoods selling handmade detergent packets door to door at a price of Rs 3 per kg, (one-third the price of leading detergent brands) and it was his instant success Mantra. Karsanbhai branded his detergent soap, Nirma, after the name of his daughter. The good quality and low price of the detergent made a remarkable journey from Karsanbhai 100sq ft backyard to the middle-class house in India for a great value. Fuelled by housewife-friendly advertisement jingles, Nirma revolutionized the detergent market, creating an entirely new segment in the market for detergent powder. At the time, detergent and soap manufacture was dominated by multinational corporations with products like Surf by Hindustan Lever, priced around Rs. 13 per kg.

Love of a father for his daughter

Nirma

The product was close to Karsanbhais heart and so he decided to name it Nirma- the nickname of his lost daughter Nirupama. He also put her illustration (girl in the white frock) on the pack and TV commercials just to make sure that everybody remembers her. Such was the love of a father for his daughter. As for Nirma, it still remains among Indias preferred choice of detergents. And its jingles will forever be etched in our memories.

ALSO READ: 14 Famous Brand Mascots And The Inspirations Behind Them

Nirma University

In 1995, Karsanbhai Patel gave a different identity to Nirma when he founded the Nirma Institute of Technology in Ahmedabad. Thereafter, in April 2003, Nirma University was established by the first three institutions, under a special act passed by the Gujarat State Legislative Assembly.

Nirma University

According to Forbes, in the year 2004 Nirma's annual sales were as high as 8,00,000 tonnes. Karsanbhai Patel, who started his surf company from his home, is today 775th on the list of Billionaires of the world and 39th in the list of richest people in India. Currently, his net worth is $4.1 billion, according to Forbes.

Now, Karsanbhai Patel has handed over his successful business in the hands of his two sons Rakesh Patel and Hirenbhai Patel. In 2010, he was awarded Padma Shri by Pratibha Patil, former President of India. Even today, Nirma remains the largest producer of soda ash in the world and the company has gone private since 2012.
The connection between man and machine has existed for years. From #JCBKiKhudai to crane operations there are many bizarre instances that attract thousands of people like right now at Mansas scrap workshop in Punjab.

IAF's junked helicopters have turned a scrap dealers workshop into a major selfie spot in Mansa city.

TOI

Mansa resident, Dimple Arora, the son of scrap dealer Mithu Ram Arora, has reportedly purchased six Indian Air Force decommissioned helicopters from Sarsawa Air Force Station in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Arora had purchased these helicopters in an online bid at a cost of Rs 72 lakh including GST.

TOI

Of the six, three have already been sold to different parties. The remaining three were brought to Mansa by Dimple Arora on Monday, June 21. Since then, this scrap workshop has become a hotspot with Mansa residents.

Dimple said that this work of scrap was started by his father Mithu in 1988. Over time, his scrap work has increased and right now his junk workshop is spread in six acres of land. Dimple dealing a scrap not only from Punjab but also from different parts of the country.

TOI

Due to Covid-19 restrictions delayed the deal with the air force authorities. After some relaxation on Covid-19, Dimple brings the rest of the three helicopters on a trolley. From the Air Force station to Mansa, he had paid over Rs 75,000 for each helicopter as fare. Now visitors are rejoicing by posting videos and selfies with helicopters on different social platforms.

TOI

According to Dimple Arora, Out of six, one copter was sold to a Ludhiana-based entrepreneur, the second one, a person was purchased from Chandigarh and the third one was sold to someone from the Mumbai film industry.
After a bomb killed his mother and sister, a now 46-year-old Ho Van Lang, or the "real-life Tarzan" had stepped away from civilisation at the end of Vietnam War and into a jungle where he stayed put for 41 years.

According to Mirror, he only had his brother Tri and dad for company during his stay in the jungle Tay Tra district of Quang Ngai province. After readjusting to life in a Vietnam village in 2015, the family has chosen the green confines of the jungle yet again.

AFP via Mirror

"They always escaped when they saw people from a distance," Alvaro Cerezo, a photographer, told Mirror.

All the while, he was never told what a woman is. "Today, despite being able to distinguish between men and women, he still doesnt know the essential difference between them," Cerezo had told news.com.au back in 2016.

AFP via Mirror

"I can confirm that Lang has never had the minimum sexual desire and his reproductive instinct has never shown its head in any of its many facets," he'd added.

His brother, too, called Lang a "baby in a mans body."

"Lang is just a child. He doesnt know anything. Most people know what is good or bad in life, but my brother doesnt," he explained.

AFP via Mirror

Share your thoughts with us below.

(H/t: mirror.co.uk)
In a horrific turn of events, a 57-year-old cleric bled to death following a heated argument over what would've been his third wedding.

Already a husband to two, Maulvi Vakil Ahmad wished to marry a third time but his second wife Hazra was unhappy with this decision of his, and seeing no other way out, she bobbitised him.

Representational image/Reuters

The incident is said to have taken place in Shikarpur village, in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday evening. According to TOI, she chopped off his penis with a kitchen knife while he was sleeping. His first wife wasn't home, the report adds.



Representational image/TOI

She had apparently appealed to him earlier to reconsider but he didn't listen. After a heated argument, she decided the only way to stop him was to castrate him. Later, she confessed to the crime.



Meanwhile, the body has been sent for post mortem, and a case registered again Hazra at Bhorakla police station.



Representational image/TOI

Deputy SP of Phugana, Sharad Chad Sharma told TOI, "The woman has confessed to her crime. Her husband wished to marry yet again. And she wanted to prevent him. Their argument turned into a major scuffle."



Facebook image: Reuters/representational


Dr. Anthony Fauci (above), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., June 30, 2020. U.S. Indian American Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy told MSNBC June 23: "I'm quite worried about the Delta variant. It is more transmissible, significantly more transmissible. (Al Drago/Pool via Xinhua/IANS)
Forney, TX (75126)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 68F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Python is not the fastest language, but lack of speed hasnt prevented it from becoming a major force in analytics, machine learning, and other disciplines that require heavy number crunching. Its straightforward syntax and general ease of use make Python a graceful front end for libraries that do all the numerical heavy lifting.

Numba, created by the folks behind the Anaconda Python distribution, takes a different approach from most Python math-and-stats libraries. Typically, such libraries  like NumPy, for scientific computing  wrap high-speed math modules written in C, C++, or Fortran in a convenient Python wrapper. Numba transforms your Python code into high-speed machine language, by way of a just-in-time compiler or JIT.

There are big advantages to this approach. For one, youre less hidebound by the metaphors and limitations of a library. You can write exactly the code you want, and have it run at machine-native speeds, often with optimizations that arent possible with a library. Whats more, if you want to use NumPy in conjunction with Numba, you can do that as well, and get the best of both worlds.

Installing Numba

Numba works with Python 3.6 and most every major hardware platform supported by Python. Linux x86 or PowerPC users, Windows systems, and Mac OS X 10.9 are all supported.

To install Numba in a given Python instance, just use pip as you would any other package: pip install numba . Whenever you can, though, install Numba into a virtual environment, and not in your base Python installation.

Because Numba is a product of Anaconda, it can also be installed in an Anaconda installation with the conda tool: conda install numba .

The Numba JIT decorator

The simplest way to get started with Numba is to take some numerical code that needs accelerating and wrap it with the @jit decorator.

Lets start with some example code to speed up. Here is an implementation of the Monte Carlo search method for the value of pi  not an efficient way to do it, but a good stress test for Numba.

import random def monte_carlo_pi(nsamples): acc = 0 for i in range(nsamples): x = random.random() y = random.random() if (x ** 2 + y ** 2) < 1.0: acc += 1 return 4.0 * acc / nsamples print(monte_carlo_pi(10_000_000))

On a modern machine, this Python code returns results in about four or five seconds. Not bad, but we can do far better with little effort.

import numba import random @numba.jit() def monte_carlo_pi(nsamples): acc = 0 for i in range(nsamples): x = random.random() y = random.random() if (x ** 2 + y ** 2) < 1.0: acc += 1 return 4.0 * acc / nsamples print(monte_carlo_pi(10_000_000))

This version wraps the monte_carlo_pi() function in Numbas jit decorator, which in turn transforms the function into machine code (or as close to machine code as Numba can get given the limitations of our code). The results run over an order of magnitude faster.

The best part about using the @jit decorator is the simplicity. We can achieve dramatic improvements with no other changes to our code. There may be other optimizations we could make to the code, and well go into some of those below, but a good deal of pure numerical code in Python is highly optimizable as-is.

Note that the first time the function runs, there may be a perceptible delay as the JIT fires up and compiles the function. Every subsequent call to the function, however, should execute far faster. Keep this in mind if you plan to benchmark JITed functions against their unJITted counterparts; the first call to the JITted function will always be slower.

Numba JIT options

The easiest way to use the jit() decorator is to apply it to your function and let Numba sort out the optimizations, just as we did above. But the decorator also takes several options that control its behavior.

nopython

If you set nopython=True in the decorator, Numba will attempt to compile the code with no dependencies on the Python runtime. This is not always possible, but the more your code consists of pure numerical manipulation, the more likely the nopython option will work. The advantage to doing this is speed, since a no-Python JITted function doesn't have to slow down to talk to the Python runtime.

parallel

Set parallel=True in the decorator, and Numba will compile your Python code to make use of parallelism via multiprocessing, where possible. Well explore this option in detail later.

nogil

With nogil=true , Numba will release the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) when running a JIT-compiled function. This means the interpreter will run other parts of your Python application simultaneously, such as Python threads. Note that you cant use nogil unless your code compiles in nopython mode.

cache

Set cache=True to save the compiled binary code to the cache directory for your script (typically __pycache__ ). On subsequent runs, Numba will skip the compilation phase and just reload the same code as before, assuming nothing has changed. Caching can speed the startup time of the script slightly.

fastmath

When enabled with fastmath=True , the fastmath option allows some faster but less safe floating-point transformations to be used. If you have floating-point code that you are certain will not generate NaN (not a number) or inf (infinity) values, you can safely enable fastmath for extra speed where floats are used  e.g., in floating-point comparison operations.

boundscheck

When enabled with boundscheck=True , the boundscheck option will ensure array accesses do not go out of bounds and potentially crash your application. Note that this slows down array access, so should only be used for debugging.

Types and objects in Numba

By default Numba makes a best guess, or inference, about which types of variables JIT-decorated functions will take in and return. Sometimes, however, youll want to explicitly specify the types for the function. The JIT decorator lets you do this:

from numba import jit, int32 @jit(int32(int32)) def plusone(x): return x+1

Numbas documentation has a full list of the available types.

Note that if you want to pass a list or a set into a JITted function, you may need to use Numbas own List() type to handle this properly.

Using Numba and NumPy together

Numba and NumPy are meant to be collaborators, not competitors. NumPy works well on its own, but you can also wrap NumPy code with Numba to accelerate the Python portions of it. Numbas documentation goes into detail about which NumPy features are supported in Numba, but the vast majority of existing code should work as-is. If it doesnt, Numba will give you feedback in the form of an error message.

Parallel processing in Numba

What good are sixteen cores if you can use only one of them at a time? Especially when dealing with numerical work, a prime scenario for parallel processing?

Numba makes it possible to efficiently parallelize work across multiple cores, and can dramatically reduce the time needed to deliver results.

To enable parallelization on your JITted code, add the parallel=True parameter to the jit() decorator. Numba will make a best effort to determine which tasks in the function can be parallelized. If it doesnt work, youll get an error message that will give some hint of why the code couldnt be sped up.

You can also make loops explicitly parallel by using Numbas prange function. Here is a modified version of our earlier Monte Carlo pi program:

import numba import random @numba.jit(parallel=True) def monte_carlo_pi(nsamples): acc = 0 for i in numba.prange(nsamples): x = random.random() y = random.random() if (x ** 2 + y ** 2) < 1.0: acc += 1 return 4.0 * acc / nsamples print(monte_carlo_pi(10_000_000))

Note that weve made only two changes: adding the parallel=True parameter, and swapping out the range function in the for loop for Numbas prange (parallel range) function. This last change is a signal to Numba that we want to parallelize whatever happens in that loop. The results will be faster, although the exact speedup will depend on how many cores you have available.
The Prince William Health Districts COVID-19 vaccination tour could soon be coming to a neighborhood near you.

The district recently launched a mobile clinic unit as it shifts its vaccination strategy from mass inoculations to targeted outreach.

The tide is shifting, said health district epidemiologist Andrea Young. Weve reached a point in our community where weve reached those people who are going to approach the mass vaccination clinic.

Saturday is the last day of operation for the community vaccination clinic at the former Gander Mountain location in Woodbridge, although the health districts clinic at the Manassas Mall will continue.

As of Thursday, the Gander Mountain facility had administered 150,398 vaccinations.

Prince William Countys seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases was at 2.6 as of Friday, according to the Virginia Department of Health. As of Friday, 255,220 county residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 220,562 were fully vaccinated. Of the countys population, 46.9% of all residents and 59.4% of all adults are fully vaccinated.

Brian Misner, the countys emergency management coordinator, told the Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday that the Gander Mountain facility was winding down to about 500 doses a day. County Executive Chris Martino said the county did not renew the lease for the building for July.

The mobile clinic will be offered at three locations a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays at least through July. Sean Johnson, the health districts community outreach director, said officials hope to offer 25 vaccinations per location, or 75 per day.

Young said other providers are offering appointments, so the clinic will allow walk-ups. Anybody can walk up as long as vaccine supply lasts and weather permits."

The clinic consists of a mobile trailer and two tents typically used for special vaccination events where it stays in one place per day. Thursday was the first time the trailer traveled throughout the county, and it stopped in the Manassas area. Next week, it will be in the Woodbridge area.

Young said the sites for the mobile clinic are selected using health equity and vaccination rate data. She said it would help reach people who may not be able to travel to the mass vaccination sites for a variety of reasons.

Johnson noted that one of next weeks locations would be the Woodbridge Mobile Home Park. He said some residents there might only have one member of the family who drives and are unable to reach clinics. For them to get to a clinic is almost impossible, so were going to bring the clinic to them.

The health district doesnt just randomly show up at locations. Johnson said the clinic involves legwork ahead of time to canvass neighborhoods and businesses. Once it arrives, officials go back to those businesses to let them know employees can get the shot.

Taking an early look at the first day of operation, Young said getting into neighborhoods seemed most effective at bringing people out.

There have been a number of people who have shown up with flyers or are literally waiting for us when we got here because they knew we were coming, she said. So it seems to be a good strategy with the canvassing before the event.

At the end of the day, Johnson said the health district will review how the operation went and make any necessary adjustments to locations and timing. Although we have data we could go off of, he said, we want to make sure were at the right place at the right time.
On Thursday, June 24, the province of Ontario released details related to its Step 2 Roadmap to Reopen plan. Included in the guidelines was a clause related to motorsports and horse racing facilities. Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity.

Rinaldi continued, And then I had a call directly with Ministry of Tourism, in the afternoon, to get more clarification. So yeah, good news. Were allowed to have 25 percent. There are a couple of restrictions that we can work through.

The announcement came out first thing this morning, said Rinaldi. A bunch of the ministries, including Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Economic Development gave a briefing, soon after, followed by a question and answer period.

Step 2 kicks in June 30, which means most tracks will be able to admit fans starting with the July 2, 3 & 4 weekend.

On the surface, this is welcome news. Brighton Speedway co-promoter Mark Rinaldi  who spearheaded a group called the Ontario Motorsports Promoters  believes most facilities can work with this, for the time being, for their regular events.

CUTLINE: Brighton Speedway co-promoter Mark Rinaldi. He headed the group of Ontario racing facility owners who lobbied the government. CREDIT: Brighton Speedway

Discussing some of the safety guidelines, Rinaldi continued, Some of the things theyre expecting is that every person in attendance has to have a reservation. So, every track is going to have to come up with their own way of tracking.

Some tracks already have online ticketing systems, which would qualify. It could be similar to the reservation systems restaurants use. But it is one extra step that tracks need to do to manage things. Doing this will also address the contact tracing aspects, that were in our original plan.

Some businesses have placed QR Code-driven questionnaires near their entrances. But according to Rinaldi, the health surveys wont be required at motorsports facilities.

Were not required to have a questionnaire for all of the patrons. But we do need to post regulations and the self-exam for staff under the Ontario labour code.

Following the provinces announcement, Rinaldi received calls from many promoters.

I think everybodys happy with the progress, Rinaldi continued. Everybodys looking forward to getting fans back to the track. Its definitely a step in the right direction.

In other good news for the tracks, the 25 percent limit doesnt include the staff, racers and teams, which means they can welcome a full 25 percent of their facilities seating capacity into their stands. Rinaldi said this will help make the situation more manageable.

In the case of Brighton Speedway, the track has a posted seating capacity of 2800, so that means 700 paying fans can attend.

Rinaldi notes that its up to the individual tracks to build their own safety plans based on the guidelines that the promoters group put together. The plan needs to be posted for all to see. Brighton has designated seating, so implementing a reservation system and keeping people well-spaced wont be an issue.

Many of us put these safety systems in place last summer, so it shouldnt be hard to develop them again for this year, said Rinaldi. The big thing is that they (the government) dont want to see packed congregations of people. It could be as simple as breaking your sections into four or five zones and assigning a set number people to a particular zone.

As for food and concession stands, Rinaldi says they will be managed the same way a Tim Hortons, for example, manages its customers.

Looking down the road, to Step 3, the promoter thinks the 25 percent figure could increase significantly if all goes to plan. That stage is set to kick in 21 days after the start of Step 2 (on June 30).

It definitely feels like it will increase for Step 3. As long as vaccination numbers continue to go up and the case counts come down, the feeling Im getting from my discussions is that it would go to at least 50% capacity for Step 3.

And hopefully, were in a good place at some point, this season, they can let us go to 80, 90 or 100 percent. Thats a big goal but it would be great if that happens for all of the tracks by the time we have our year-end events and fall specials. Most tracks make their money at these events, to help them make it through the winter.

CUTLINE: Usually able to hold 2800 fans, Brighton Speedway will welcome 700 on July 3, the most since the 2019 season. CREDIT: Brighton Speedway

Asked to summarize how he feels about the process that has gotten the tracks this far, Rinaldi said, Its been a long, frustrating process to get to the point where were at. But were here, were going to have fans back in the stands. And well be working towards that next step and keep pushing to get answers on that.

Rinaldi is convinced that the tracks working together made a difference in letting them open, even with 25 percent fan capacity, in Step 2.

One hundred percent. I dont believe that motorsports would even have been mentioned in any of these things if we didnt have the group working as one, with everybody coming together. In addition to the group, all of the promoters were pushing their own MPPs and local officials for answers, but the pressure from everyone got racing pushed up the ladder.

We were all getting phone calls with mayors offices, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Tourism, etcetera. It was tough how they left everything to the last minute. And maybe if the province had consulted with the industry while making the regulations, it would have been a better rollout.

Rinaldi wanted to give a shout-out to Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini, who was recently promoted to cabinet as the new Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks.

He pushed real hard for us. Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) is also in the same riding with us and I think he helped our situation.

At this stage, Rinaldi said there are no plans for racing fans to be treated differently depending on whether they are, or arent, vaccinated.

We asked that question and they said, thats a work in progress, and the Federal government is primarily involved with that issue.

Brighton Speedways final fanless race is scheduled for June 26. Fans will be in attendance starting Saturday, July 3.
A woman who said she and her three children became violently ill after using a splash park at the Tanganyika Wildlife Park is suing the attraction, alleging unsanitary conditions led to an illness outbreak.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Sedgwick County Health Department opened an investigation after several cases of a diarrheal illness were connected to Tanganyikas Splash Park.

Health officials have since identified the bacteria that caused the outbreak of illnesses. State and Sedgwick County health investigators said the Shigella bacteria caused a diarrheal illness in at least three infected people who visited Tanganyika Wildlife Park.

Elena Davis claims in the lawsuit that she and her three children suffered bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and fever, and one of her children went to a hospital because of severe symptoms.

Attorneys for the family contend Tanganyika did not maintain proper sanitary conditions and did not warn guests about the outbreak in a timely fashion.

Sedgwick County Health Director Adrienne Byrne said the department is not aware of anyone hospitalized because of the outbreak at the park.

The Shigella bacteria is spread from person-to-person through exposure to contaminated feces, the public health agencies said. That can occur through swallowing contaminated water, touching contaminated items and then touching your mouth, or cleaning up after someone using the bathroom or changing diapers.

More than 200 people have responded to a survey designed to identify Tanganyika visitors with symptoms of fever, diarrhea or vomiting. It is not yet clear how many of the respondents may be connected to the outbreak at Tanganyikas Splash Park, The Wichita Eagle reported.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Kansas
San Francisco city workers will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus when a vaccine receives full federal approval.

The policy covering 35,000 municipal workers may be the first by any city or county in the U.S. Employees who refuse to get vaccinated and dont get an exemption could be fired, according to the policy posted to the city governments website.

The three COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. are being dispensed under emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.

They are expected to receive full approval in several months. San Francisco city employees will then have 10 weeks to get their shots.

San Francisco, a compact city of nearly 900,000 residents, has had some of the strictest pandemic-related restrictions in the country. The city was among the first in the nation to order a lockdown last year and its vaccination rates are some of the highest in the nation. At least 80% of residents are partially vaccinated and 70% of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to Mayor London Breed.

The vaccination policy for city employees covers a wide range of jobs but it does not include teachers, who are school district employees.

Its really a decision for the health and safety of our employees and our public that we serve, Carol Isen, San Francisco director of human resources, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Its about protecting the city as an employer from what we deem to be unacceptable risk.

Starting June 28, employees will have 30 days to report to the city their current vaccination status, including showing proof of vaccination by uploading a photo of their vaccination card or the QR code generated by the states digital verification system, Isen said.

Isen did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Under California law, employers can require their staff to get vaccinated as long as that requirement doesnt interfere with the employees rights, said Leonard H. Sansanowicz, a Los Angeles employment attorney.

Youve got this inherent tension between an employees right to privacy, and right to freedom over their bodies, and the employers need for safety in the workplace, Sansanowicz said.

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing issued guidelines in March that set forth the rationale for employers to mandate staff get vaccinated and that included requiring employers to accommodate those city workers who wont get a vaccine due to religious beliefs or medical reasons, he said.

Los Angeles County, which employs about 110,000 people, is not currently considering mandating employees get a vaccine, said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

That doesnt mean that there arent going to be some places where there may be a need earlier on to in fact think about increasing vaccination coverage, she said.

Ferrer said some high-risk settings in the county, including hospitals and nursing homes, are already requiring their employees to be vaccinated.

In San Francisco, about 55% of city employees have said they are at least partially vaccinated, according to the Department of Human Resources. About 5% of employees have said they are not vaccinated. The vaccination status of the remaining 40% is not known.

SEIU 1021, the union that represents city employees, called on the city to have an inclusive and collaborative approach when enforcing the new policy.

There are numerous cultural, religious, and health status factors that must be considered as we implement vaccination policies, said SEIU 1021 San Francisco Regional Vice President Theresa Rutherford. We can not force the front-line essential workers who have put themselves out there and risked their lives during the pandemic in a position to be worried about providing for their families or having their jobs or livelihood threatened.

The city is the second-largest employer in San Francisco after the University of California, San Francisco. Earlier this month, the University of California reversed course said it will require all students, staff and faculty to be vaccinated against the coronavirus this fall.

UC has more than 280,000 students and 227,000 faculty and staff, and expects to return to mostly in-person instruction at its 10 campuses starting in August.

Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, told the Chronicle protecting the workforce was especially important with the highly infectious delta variant gaining traction across the United States.

Given that the delta variant is here and likely to increase in terms of its prevalence across the city, we need to do everything we can to protect our city workforce and the public we serve, especially as the city reopens, Colfax said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19
The head of the UKs cybersecurity agency has praised the Irish Government for refusing to pay any ransom to hackers involved in the HSE cyber attack.

Lindy Cameron, CEO of the UKs National Cyber Security Centre, said the Governments action will deter ransomware operators from further attacks on health organisations in Ireland and across the world.

Ms Cameron made the comments as she addressed the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA).

The HSE suffered a ransomware attack that caused extensive disruption to hospitals and patients which led to some stolen patient data being published online.

The Government was quite rightly clear that  even by criminal standards  this had crossed a line, Ms Cameron said.

I would like to praise the Irish response not to pay the ransom.

Cybercriminals are out to make money  the more times a method is successful, the more times it will be used.

And payment of ransoms is no guarantee that you will get your data back  and certainly no guarantee you wont be attacked again  in fact, advertising a willingness to pay may make you a more interesting prospect.

So its important that we do all we can to ensure this is not a criminal model that yields returns.

She said that the initial reaction was concern over the possible impact on the Covid-19 response.

A fear calmed through clear and definitive reassurances that vaccines would not be affected, she added.

Coverage then shifted to how other services were compromised, such as cancer appointments and surgeries.

Sadly, there were real-world examples of patients and families facing real-world consequences to this despicable attack.

The cybersecurity official said it also had an impact on Northern Ireland and affected the regions ability to access data held by HSE for some cross-border patient services.

Thankfully the Northern Ireland Business Services Organisation, which provides IT to the NI health sector, was able to stand up its business continuity processes, she added.

The activity almost certainly originated from cybercriminals. The activity has almost certainly caused disruption to hospitals and endangered patient care.

And we know that the cybercriminals likely voluntarily handed over the encryption key several days after the attack. We see this as a public relations move to lessen criticism.

Earlier this week it emerged that the overall cost to the HSE following the recent cyber attack could amount to half a billion euro.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid warned he can never be confident that the HSE has seen the worst of the cyber attack.

Mr Reid said that the health service needs to put in place a security operation centre to monitor its network to prevent further attacks on its system.
The couple whose healthy pregnancy was terminated as a result of incorrect advice that their baby had a fatal foetal abnormality have vowed to continue campaigning until the pre-natal testing system is made safe for all parents and children.

Rebecca Price and Pat Kiely settled their legal action this week when the National Maternity Hospital and private Merrion Fetal Health Clinic acknowledged liability. However, they have not received any apology for the catastrophic failure that resulted in their consenting to the termination of a much-wanted baby.

Speaking after the conclusion of the High Court case, they told the Irish Examiner they want to see action taken to ensure nobody else will be subjected to what befell them.

There has been no apology from anybody associated with it, Ms Price said.

The admission of liability is a start but as far as we are concerned this isnt over until future pregnancies are protected and people are safe from this kind of error.

"The child is not invisible and without rights in the eyes of the law. His or her care and management should meet certain safeguards.

We are different people than we were before this, said Mr Kiely.

'Still ongoing risk'

Part of that is down to the tragedy, but the other thing is closure. There is still the ongoing risk as far as we are concerned. The risk to other couples has not been addressed."

A scan taken at the National Maternity Hospital.

The termination took place in March 2019 and was one of the first, if not the first, to be conducted on the basis of a belief of a fatal foetal abnormality under the new law that came in following the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in 2018.

One element of their case highlighted some basic problems, the couple say, was the inability of the Minister for Health or the HSE to order the maternity hospital to conduct an independent inquiry following a tragedy.

The status of the hospital as voluntary means that the minister has no such powers and any inquiry the hospital organises itself would lack proper independence as a result.

Rejected offer of inquiry by NMH

The couple rejected the offer of an inquiry by the National Maternity Hospital because, they said, it would not have been independent. Following the failure to have the matter fully investigated, they initiated the legal action in 2020.

If something fatal happens in a voluntary hospital this State needs to be in a position to defend its citizens and to demand an investigation takes place, Mr Kiely said.

They failed to protect life which deserves protection and that should have been investigated.

Following an attempt at mediation between the couple and the hospital earlier this year, the HSEs clinical director for the National Women and Infants Programme Peter McKenna noted that what the couple wanted was an acknowledgement of the significance of the event that occurred, an apology for that event and an explanation as to how the hospital had ensured a similar event could not happen again.

Solicitor Caoimhe Haughey speaking to the media on behalf of Rebecca Price and Patrick Kiely after the settlement of their High Court action for damages. Picture: Collins Courts

Mr McKenna pointed out that, in recent years, there have been two cases at the NMH in which the department felt that an independent inquiry would be appropriate.

The first case was a maternal death and this current case involving a termination is the second. In both cases, the personnel suggested by the institution [the NMH], to do the review, were appropriate and their integrity beyond reproach.

What can be said is that the independence of the review could be called into question if it was organised by the institution in which the adverse event took place.

That the funder of the service [department/minister] cannot mandate an independent review seems inappropriate, indefensible and ultimately unsustainable.

Over the last two years, the couple have had meetings with two ministers for health, HSE Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan and numerous officials. They have written to the Attorney General and Dublin City coroner about what they believe to be a breach of the law.
Runners of all abilities and ages have celebrated the return of the first parkrun events in Northern Ireland since the start of the pandemic.

The popular series of 5k runs were permitted to return following the easing of coronavirus regulations to allow up to 500 people to gather for outdoor exercise.

Before the pandemic, around 30 parkrun events took place across Northern Ireland.

While most of the returning events began at 9.30am on Saturday, the Ormeau parkrun  one of the best attended in the region  did not take place due to concern it could attract more than the permitted 500 people.

Brendan Mulgrew is a run director with the Queens Parkrun in south Belfast.

He recalled the last event on March 14, 2020 and speculation then that the break might just be for a few weeks or months.

Runners take part in the 5km parkrun in Victoria Park, east Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

No-one thought for a second there wouldnt be another one for 16 months, he said.

Everyone is just so pleased it is back, there is a real sense of community about the whole thing, people have really missed it. We were getting messages on our social media channels from people saying they missed it and were so excited it was back.

Mr Mulgrew said the return of the runs was planned safely with guidelines around social distancing, particularly stopping the start line from becoming congested and reducing physical contact when runners receive their time at the end.

He added: One of the great things about parkrun is that everyone hangs around afterward and chats. But all of that is being discouraged at this stage, its turn up, run and go home again.

But if thats the road to getting back to what we had, that is fine, its what well do.

Pre-Covid, we had about 160 runners every week at Queens, and I would say 90% were regulars there every week, and we had people who turned up every week to volunteer, people got so much out of it.

"For some people, it is their weekly outing and the only time during the week they get out to chat to people. Physically, and mentally as well, it means a lot to people.

Its important to get it back, and its important to get it back safely.

The parkrun series was started in London in 2004 and has spread around the world.

Runners with two legs and four enjoyed the return of parkrun events (Peter Morrison/PA)

Mr Mulgrew said the first parkrun in Northern Ireland was at the Waterworks in north Belfast, and the Queens one followed. He became involved in 2016.

I enjoy when I go on holiday getting to check out the local parkrun, I have done parkruns in Florida, Italy, loads in the south of Ireland, loads across Northern Ireland, he said.

Its always nice to try a new one, and when youre feeling fit and want to get a good time you go to Victoria Park in Belfast because it is flat  its the fastest one in Belfast.
A 41-year-old man accused of attacking and injuring his ex-partner after cutting up her clothes and work uniform has been held in custody.

Floria Oprea, who had been residing at South Circular Rd, Dublin, was allegedly found carrying pepper spray when gardai arrested him.

The construction worker appeared before Judge Dermot Simms at Dublin District Court today when he was held until bail terms have been met.

He was charged with assault causing harm, criminal damage, and possessing pepper spray as a weapon in connection with the incident in the early hours of this morning.

Garda John Yeats told the court Mr Oprea, who was arrested at 1.15am, made no reply when charged.

There was an objection to bail.

Garda Yeats alleged Mr Oprea had an argument with the woman. It was claimed he cut up her clothes, including her work uniform with a knife.

The court heard he allegedly followed her when she went out of their home and she was assaulted.

Judge Simms was told she was hospitalised after receiving a blow to her face which had resulted in a large lump on her forehead.

Gardai arrived and found the accused was carrying pepper spray, the court was told.

They had lived together in a relationship that lasted three months and the garda feared witness interference if bail were granted.

He agreed with defence counsel Kevin McCrave that the relationship had fluctuated and it was possible that bail conditions could alleviate his concerns.

Counsel proposed that his client could reside at another location in the north of the city.

He said Mr Oprea was a labourer and back working in construction the country began opening up again.

He was willing to have no contact with the alleged injured party.

Mr McCrave said a refusal of bail could result in his client being held in custody pending trial for a substantial period.

Directions from the DPP have yet to be obtained.

Judge Simms granted bail in the accuseds own bond of 250, but insisted that someone else would have to be approved to act as an independent surety which was set at 500.

This would ensure there would be no breach of bail, he said.

He must live at an address on the northside and stay out of the Dublin 8 area after he is released.

He was remanded in custody with consent to bail on these terms and will face his next hearing on Thursday at Cloverhill District Court.
Convicted child abuser Dave Barry attended a major Scouting Ireland event for 5,000 children in 2018 despite previous complaints to the organisation about his interaction with young boys.

Child safeguarding expert Ian Elliott, who was interim head of safeguarding in Scouting Ireland at the time of that year's national jamboree, described the former senior scouting leaders attendance at the event as a failure of the vetting system.

Convicted paedophile David Barry (left) at Jambori 2018 in Stradbally Co Laois in 2018. He was jailed for five years this week after he admitted all 29 charges against him  28 for indecent or sexual assaults and one for attempted assault.

Mr Elliot, who has investigated historic abuse in the association, said vetting procedures were in place for attendance at the event, but they failed to stop Mr Barry getting access to it.

Allegations should have shown up

He said the allegations against Mr Barry dating from 1987 should have shown up.

"It should have shown up. That was one of the issues that my review of historical abuse in Scouting Ireland actually brought to light, Mr Elliot said.

It was not always the case that when allegations were made in the past that they were appropriately handled.

As a consequence, people who it was reasonable to believe were a risk to children, were allowed to continue to have contact with children when they should have been prevented.

The issue is, of course, when did everything come to light in relation to Mr Barry?"

Barry, 73, of Firgrove Gardens, Bishopstown, Cork, was jailed for five years this week after he admitted all 29 charges against him  28 for indecent or sexual assaults and one for attempted assault.

The 10 victims were aged between 13 and 17 when the abuse occurred at the defendants home in Bishopstown between 1986 and 2008.

Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard a scouts mother complained in 1987 about an incident at the defendants house.

Barrys unit, Togher Scouts, subsequently told him to stop holding scout activity at his house but he continued to do so.

Barry received 'special counselling'

The court also heard Barry received special counselling from Scouting Ireland on four occasions  twice in March 2010 and again in March 2017 and April 2019.

Cork Scout leader and convicted paedophile David Barry is pictured in the white jumper at Jambori 2018.

Mr Elliott said he was not present at the 2018 jamboree which Barry attended, but a team of Scouting Ireland professional safeguarding staff liaised with gardai throughout the festival.

There would have been vetting arrangements that apply for all of the officers, volunteers and adults that are part of Scouting Ireland, he said.

The vetting process in a sense confirms what is already known  it doesnt throw up alerts if there arent convictions in place for someone or allegations.

Scouting Ireland has refused to answer a series of questions from the Irish Examiner, submitted last month, and again this week, about what complaints were made to the organisation about Barry and when, how it responded to those complaints, and what child protection measures were in place at the time.

It issued a statement after Barrys conviction, saying it is the policy and requirement of Scouting Ireland that no adult takes part in scouting activities until their Garda vetting has been approved and they have completed the appropriate child protection training.

Child protection training for adults involved in scouting is mandatory and Scouting Ireland trains thousands of adults every year to ensure informed compliance with best practices and statutory obligations.

We have a fully professional child protection team and our safeguarding procedures are independently reviewed by Mr Ian Elliott.

In a statement issued to Scouting Ireland membership last night, the organisation said that all attendees at Jambori 2018 were garda vetted and that "no concerns in relation to Mr Barry were raised during this process".

The former secretary general of the Progressive Democrats, John Higgins, has not responded to repeated requests for comment about Barrys sudden withdrawal as a party candidate just weeks before the 2004 local election.

The partys former chairman, John Minihan, said Barrys withdrawal, just weeks after his selection, was sudden and unexpected.
Apocalyptic conditions can be expected in emergency departments this winter as A&Es are already struggling with capacity now during the summer, a medic has warned.

The HSE today urged people to stay away from already overstretched EDs nationwide as they struggled to cope with a surge in demand, complicated further by the IT issues and manual work arrangements, following the cyber hack.

This is supposed to be the quiet time. If its like this in June, when the weathers fine and we have low rates of respiratory illness I think it will be apocalyptic this winter, Dr Mike Thompson, a GP in Midleton, East Cork, said.

The HSE warned this evening that many EDs are very busy and asked patients to consider all care options before presenting at hospitals.

"Patients needing urgent care will be prioritised, and those requiring non-urgent care should expect significant delays.

We are asking the public to consider all care options including injury units, GP Out of Hours & pharmacies, the HSE said.

But Dr Thompson said that other services, like GP out-of-hours, are also swamped. And patient blaming is unfair, he said.

I think its unfair to direct people to out of hours services which are already at breaking point too," he said.

The population is getting older, there are a lot of people living longer with very complex medical needs and maybe people deferred care during the height of the Covid crisis. But society is opening up again.

Its a sunny Saturday in the middle of summer. People are on holidays, theres little respiratory illness around and yet the A&Es are saying theyre like they are in the January winter crisis.

Its concerning for patients. The system is mired in such trouble that GPs now try to avoid sending patients to ED, Dr Thompson.

Before youd refer patients to Emergency for sanctuary and safety. Now, GPs are questioning whether we can avoid sending our patients to emergency departments at all.

And its not the emergency departments fault. I think its due to chronic underfunding.

I cant imagine working in an Emergency Department, I think morale must be dreadful. Which is a pity because we have great clinicians.

A lot of A&Es are very efficient. But there are often no beds to send patients to in-house so theyre stuck on trolleys.

We need root and branch reform. The system is wrong and we have to be able to question that system and its processes.

A new consultants contract, more hospital beds, more nurses, more elective hospitals, longer stays in hospitals and more homecare packages are just some of the changes that need to be made to bolster the ailing health service, he said.

Huge investment is also desperately needed in primary care out-of-hours services, he said.

The current workload for GPs who provide out-of-hours care on top of their full-time practice is both dangerous and untenable, he said.

Last year, he said that he worked 210 hours, the equivalent of more than five weeks of work, on top of running his own busy GP practice, working holidays like Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.

We cant get GPs to come to East Cork, even though its a lovely place to live and work, because when they hear how often theyll have to work SouthDoc hours, they say no thanks. We work 14 hours on a Saturday, 14 hours on a Sunday in SouthDoc and then turn up for work in our own practices on a Monday morning, the airline industry wouldnt allow that.

The HSE needs to sit down with all stakeholders and get imaginative to fix this, he said.

Private hospitals and urgent care centres are also currently picking up the slack for the HSE, seeing patients that may otherwise present at A&E.

A spokesperson for the South/South West Hospital Group said there are a high number of presentations to CUH and MUH at present

Earlier today, two hospitals in Cork appealed for the public to "explore all other options available" before opting to attend emergency departments.

A spokesperson for the South/South West Hospital Group said today that there were a high number of presentations to Cork University Hospital and Mercy University Hospital at present and as a result the EDs are exceptionally busy.

Due to this increased level of activity and subsequent admissions, it is regrettable that some patients may experience a delay in the ED, they added.

The public is being urged to consider attending their local GP, SouthDoc, the Local Injury Units at Bantry General Hospital or Mallow General Hospital, or St Mary's Health Campus in Gurranabraher before attending the ED at either CUH or MUH.

A statement from the HSE said: Emergency Departments remain very busy with high numbers of patient attendances. As always patients needing urgent care will be prioritised.

"However, due to the IT issues and manual work arrangements now in place patients needing non-urgent care will continue to experience long delays.

"We ask the public this week to continue to consider all care options including Injury Units, GP Out of Hours and your local pharmacy in advance of attending Emergency Departments.

If you are attending an emergency department please bring any information with you that will assist as we are not able to access our patient administration systems. This could be any document or record which includes your Medical Record Number (MRN) or Patient Chart Number (PCN).

"This information is usually on a sticker on hospital documentation, your current list of medications or prescriptions, or any hospital discharge information from a previous time spent in hospital.
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the formation of the historic coalition between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party.

Engulfed by the Covid-19 pandemic and battling the fallout from Brexit, it has been a year of tumult and precious little positive news.

Below, Political Editor DANIEL McCONNELL and Political Correspondent PAUL HOSFORD run the rule over the performance of the Cabinet over the past year and give their verdict as to who has succeeded and who has fluffed their lines.

Micheal Martin, Taoiseach

A disastrous start to his term as Taoiseach was marred by one ministerial sacking and one resignation, all before the summer recess was over.

And that was before he even had to deal with Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael who have continued to show they are rotten coalition bedfellows.

Having weathered an awful Spring filled with school closures, teacher mutinies and vaccine delays, the Taoiseach has shown a dogged determination to continue. Poor poll ratings and noisy internal Fianna Fail criticism aside, he hitched his fate to the success of the vaccine rollout, a gamble which has largely worked.

Despite missing the 80% by end of June vaccine target, the public mood has been transformed as the jabs have gone into the arms. Martins position at the one-year mark is far more solid than it was at Christmas.

Score: 6/10

Leo Varadkar, Tanaiste and Enterprise

As Tanaiste and leader of Fine Gael, Leo Varadkar has helped create a narrative of there being two parties to choose from for many people - Fine Gael and Sinn Fein.

As a member of Cabinet, however, Mr Varadkar has had a habit of causing problems for the Government. Just this week, the former master of the National Maternity Hospital said that Mr Varadkar was "100% wrong" about the ethos of the hospital, a mildly distracting sideshow to the wider issue, but one that was completely unnecessary.

He also forced the Taoiseach to defend a pledge for 4 billion in additional spending on health as well as putting out a mind-boggling figure of 40,000 home deliveries at a time when the country is delivering half that.

His shoot-first mentality works when tackling Sinn Fein in the Dail, but his comments in October about Nphet damaged public confidence in the group ahead of a second lockdown. All the while, a garda investigation into the leaking of a GP contract to a rival union hangs over the once and future Taoiseach. 4/10

Eamon Ryan, Transport

A rocky year to say the least for the Green Party leader who has become a target of genuine public anger.

His return to Government was marred by a farcical leadership contest with his own deputy leader. Having seen that off as well as winning a mandate to enter government, life in office has been far from plain sailing.

Internal recrimination and division have been constant themes of the year. Divisions with Hazel Chu over her Seanad bid and the Dublin Bay South by-election have surfaced.

His failure to get internal agreement over the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada, forced the Government to delay its formal adoption, to the great annoyance of Fine Gael. TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello have come close to leaving the party over the matter.

He also went to war with Willie ODea over a Limerick road only to back down 24 hours later.

Seen by his own to have capitulated on many issues, his big claim is the passage of the Climate Bill which, if implemented, will have huge consequences for Irish society. 3/10

Michael McGrath Public Expenditure and Reform

As spending minister, Michael McGrath is a serious man for a serious time. The Covid crisis has required the use of every asset at the country's disposal and, thankfully for Mr McGrath, there is plenty of cheap money available to throw at the problem.

However, alarm bells are already sounding and the Cork South-Central man has had to reject suggestions from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) that the Government's budgetary forecasts "lack credibility" and its spending forecasts are "not realistic".

That those alarm bells are ringing after his first Budget is worrying, but Mr McGrath says that last October's spending forecasts were forward-planned and prudent. His mettle will be tested as the Covid spending is wound down and ministers are forced to do more with less.

Thus far, he has delivered the largest budget in the state's history but the work is now just beginning. 7/10

Paschal Donohoe, Finance

The Dublin Central TD is no longer just a mere cabinet minister. No no, he is of course also now President of the Eurogroup.

He was present at the recent G7 gathering in London which agreed the introduction of a minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, seen as a major blow to Irelands 12.5% rate.

Donohoe, who has been a staunch defender of our right to set our own tax base, has also signalled the international move will see a drop of 2bn or thereabouts in our tax receipts.

His stock has certainly waned internally amid sky-rocketing debt levels on his watch and his perceived, botched handling of the 2020 General Election campaign as Fine Gael director of elections.

There have been persistent suggestions he is about to down tools and clear off to greener pastures and such rumours persist.

He remains, however, the Governments intellectual heavyweight and is a major asset to the coalition. 7/10

Catherine Martin, Arts and Tourism

As Minister for (deep breath) Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin has a lot of plates to spin and even more stakeholders to keep happy.

In normal times, this would be the "Minister for Fun" position that would revolve around the disbursement of grants or announcing of new initiatives. As it is, Ms Martin has been forced to try and keep a number of industries afloat, including the vital tourism sector, which has been decimated.

Key figures in that industry say that time is running out for a roadmap back to normality, but most have written off the 2021 summer season. Ms Martin is a reserved figure with the media, but one who frequently makes concerns known at the Cabinet table and has raised issues around lockdowns and financial supports.

Seeing a pilot music event go ahead on a summer's night in Dublin was a boost to many people but told us little of the sector's post-Covid future. A 3,500-person festival next week will be a huge bellwether of Ms Martin's plans. 6/10

Norma Foley, Education

The missing minister, whose media appearances are as rare as her successes.

The first time TD was one of two surprise inclusions in Micheal Martin's Cabinet and her early days were as rocky as they come as a minister.

To her credit, she had been dealt a bad hand by her Fine Gael predecessor who botched the Leaving Cert and she had to oversee the results and then the return to school in September.

The coding error in relation to the calculated grades was hardly her fault but once again put her in the spotlight.

Her determination to keep going and her manner helped her keep her backbenchers onside and the worst seemed to have passed.

Reform has all but been abandoned because of Covid and the hybrid model for this years Leaving Cert appears to have been accepted favourably.

Not a big contributor at Cabinet, sources say, and her inability twice in January to get schools re-opened because of teacher intransigence was her low point. 4/10

Simon Coveney, Foreign Affairs

The former Tanaiste has, according to some colleagues, zoned out since the formation of government, As Minister for Foreign Affairs while Ireland is on the UN Security Council, Simon Coveney operates in a strange space.

He is not often in front of the Irish media, save for national radio and his brief often takes him out of the day-to-day limelight. However, the hybrid role of minister/diplomat suits his measured tone and level head. One tweet aside, he was a strong voice on the Israeli bombing in Gaza and called for the international community to be stronger in its condemnation.

His involvement with a cross-party motion condemning Israel meant that the issue was put on the EU agenda.

But at home, it has been more difficult as he and Mr Varadkar have become the villains in the unionist narrative around the Northern Irish Protocol.

A lack of headway in dealing with the revolving door of DUP leaders means that our relationship with the North is strained at a time when collaboration is most needed. 5/10

Roderic OGorman, Children

With his legal and academic background, OGorman was seen as a good fit for this ministry for bad news as described by some of his colleagues.

His tenure in office has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the report from the Mother and Baby Home Commission and his perceived mishandling of it.

His decision to wind up the Commission while a firestorm raged over its final report, damaged him.

Earlier this month, survivors, politicians and historians rejected the "flawed" and "inaccurate" Mother and Baby Homes Commission report and have called on the Government to immediately repudiate it.

Described as earnest and hard-working, he has been praised by Cabinet colleagues for tackling issues and making decisions that his predecessor Katherine Zappone never went near.

Within Government, OGorman is well liked but inoffensive and has been guilty of political naivety at times. While his plan to end Direct Provision is ambitious, many doubt it is realistic. 4/10

Darragh OBrien, Housing

When the American political strategist James Carville was working on Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential bid, he hung a poster which read "The economy, stupid". Fianna Fail and Fine Gael may get one that says "Housing, stupid". The issue is the rising tide which will lift all political boats, but the Government has yet to show that it can make the necessary bold moves to reverse the trend of unaffordable housing being the norm.

To his credit, Mr O'Brien does understand that solving housing will not be done with a silver bullet, but tinkering around the edges and announcing initiatives that will deliver hundreds but not thousands of affordable houses will not wrest the narrative on housing from the opposition. Neither will it ensure that housing slips down the agenda.

His Housing For All strategy will be delivered next month - 13 months into the lifetime of the Government - and must not be another grand announcement with no delivery for the sake of all in the coalition. 5/10

Heather Humphreys, Social Protection/Justice

At the Cabinet table now since 2014, Humphreys has proven herself to be a great political survivor.

Described as direct, stern and no-nonsense, she has taken on the role of a giant ATM machine during the Covid pandemic.

Handing out the extraordinary level of supports is one thing, phasing those out and reigning it in is another matter altogether.

Progress on commitments contained in the Programme for Government has been limited. The Commission on Pensions report is awaited and the auto-enrolment pension scheme wont kick in until 2022 at the earliest.

Humphreys has now stepped into the breach and taken over the reins in Justice, leading to some fears she is stretched too thin.

Still not the worlds most confident media performer, she is a sure vote winner for Fine Gael and a much-needed foil to the Dublin-centric look of the Blueshirt line-up in Cabinet. 6/10

Charlie McConalogue, Agriculture

A very quiet operator, but has outlasted his predecessors by hundreds of days. Inheriting a portfolio threatened by Brexit was no picnic, but the very public anger of fishermen in particular at the post-Brexit trade deal has meant that Mr McConalogue has a real issue to deal with.

On the one hand, his department is spending 2 million convincing people to eat locally-caught fish and on the other, a flotilla of fishermen is coming up the Liffey to say that its quotas are unsustainably low.

As a TD for Donegal, that is proving a difficult nettle to grasp. More troublingly is that the Mica scandal has hit his county most severely and attracted huge public attention. With two fellow Fianna Fail TDs threatening to walk if those affected get less than 100% redress, Mr McConalogue will have to fight at the Cabinet table for just that, lest he be forced to make a major decision. 5/10

Helen McEntee, Justice

McEntees solid performance as European Affairs Minister during the heat of the Brexit madness assured her of a Cabinet slot, despite Fine Gaels reduced status.

There was some surprise that Varadkar placed her in such a senior and serious portfolio.

However, she has proven herself to be an astute appointment and has certainly been active in her time there.

A legislatively heavy department anyway, McEntee has pursued with vigour the reform agenda of the police force as well as her department.

McEntee is now seen as not only a serious contender at Cabinet, but a serious contender to be Fine Gael leader.

Her deft handling of the unforeseen ban on naming child victims of murder was welcomed by survivors and the media alike.

She too managed with some skill the delicate balance of extending emergency powers to An Garda Siochana during the pandemic.

She is also a history maker in being the first Cabinet minister to have a baby while in office and to secure maternity leave. 7/10

Simon Harris, Higher Education

Seemingly demoted this time last year, he has used his time in the new Department of Higher Education to cultivate his standing as the heir apparent to the leadership of Fine Gael.

He wants to be leader and will even pretend to like Leo Varadkar to obtain that prize.

While he backed the other Simon in 2017, Harris clearly feels his time is coming.

His empathetic communications with third-level students, as well as fighting to put money in their pockets, has seen him held in high regard with a demographic with which the overall government is not particularly popular.

His announcement that "college by Zoom" would end in September was widely welcomed, as has the announcement of 4,500 extra college places this year.

His continued use of social media, including an earnest but awkward joining of TikTok, continues to set the pace for communications by any minister. 7 /10

Stephen Donnelly, Health

A surprise appointee to Cabinet ahead of Calleary a year ago, Donnellys future at Cabinet remains inextricably linked to that of his party leader.

At times, his tenure in health has resembled a car crash. At other times he has appeared very convincing when delivering the message.

He has sometimes fallen into the trap of reactionary politics, for example when he sought to ban outdoor drinking, only to have to back down amid opposition from his own Cabinet colleagues.

Despite his already manic workload, it was decided by the Cabinet that he should take ownership of the controversial mandatory hotel quarantine system on top of the vaccine rollout and managing the pandemic generally.

He will be licking his lips at the promise from Leo Varadkar that his budget should retain all the gains offered by Covid, but doubts remain within Government as to his ability to deliver much-needed reform by way of Slaintecare. 5/10
Incoming DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has warned the Government to stop cheerleading for the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Donaldson, who became leader-designate on Saturday, signalled that north-south relationships will be impacted if Irish ministers do not change stance.

He accused the administration in Dublin of only advocating for the nationalist side of the community in Northern Ireland and ignoring the concerns unionists have over the imposition of Irish Sea trade barriers under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

After his leadership bid received the endorsement of the DUP electoral college on Saturday, Mr Donaldson was asked about engagement with the Government going forward.

DUP leader-designate Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the Irish Government must change its stance on the Protocol (Peter Morrison/PA)

I want to make clear to the Irish Government that their cheerleading for the Protocol is simply not acceptable, given the harm that it is doing to Northern Ireland, it is dragging our politics backwards, he said.

Earlier this year, DUP Stormont ministers engaged in a de facto boycott of north-south political meetings with Government ministers as part of their campaign of opposition against the new Irish Sea trading arrangements.

Outgoing DUP leader Edwin Poots announced a re-engagement in such meetings after holding talks with Taoiseach Micheal Martin in Dublin earlier this month. However, a planned meeting of the North South Ministerial Council was cancelled last Friday amid the turmoil surrounding Mr Pootss dramatic resignation as party leader the night before.

Mr Donaldson said it will be inevitable that north-south relations will be damaged if the east-west relationship between Britain and the island of Ireland continues to be harmed by the Protocol.

The Irish Government and the Irish Prime Minister (Mr Martin) have made clear that they want to protect the peace process, they want to protect political stability in Northern Ireland, he said.

Outgoing DUP leader Edwin Poots held talks with Taoiseach Micheal Martin in Dublin earlier this month (PA)

But the Irish Government has to step away from being a cheerleader for one part of the community. If the Irish Government is genuine about the peace process, is genuine about protecting political stability in Northern Ireland, then they too need to listen to unionist concerns.

Its not just London, Dublin also need to understand that if were going to move forward and have co-operation, if theyre intent on harming our relationship with Great Britain, they cannot expect that it will be business as usual on the north-south relationship.

The Belfast agreement is very clear  the three sets of relationships (north-south, east-west and within Stormont) are interlocking and interdependent. If you harm one element, one relationship, you harm all of them.

"If the Irish Government continues to support the imposition of a Protocol that harms our relationship with Great Britain then, by implication, it harms the relationship between Dublin and Belfast.

Now, I dont want to be in that position. But I am very clear, and I will be saying this clearly to the Irish Government, it is not acceptable for them to be on one side of this argument.

"It is not acceptable for them to simply listen to a nationalist perspective and not to listen to the concerns of unionists.
The tension between diversity and solidarity can be the grit in the oyster that wears away common purpose. That unease can be managed or allowed to wreak its own kind of havoc. On Wednesday, European leaders in Brussels confronted a deepening, deliberate divergence from the core principles of tolerance, humanity, and individual rights and protections, when they challenged Hungarys Viktor Orban.

Orbans government has introduced a law aimed at LGBTI people that is so offensive to EU values that the meeting heard unprecedented calls for Budapest to quit the community if it feels it necessary to reject its culture, values, and rules. Orbans legislation, purportedly about combatting paedophilia, bans the depiction of LGBT people and gay propaganda in media content prepared for children. Frustration with Hungary  and Poland  has been building because of Orbans dilution of democratic freedoms. This includes serial rejection of EU conclusions on human-rights issues. The conflict spilled into passionate confrontation when Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, asked Mr Orban why Hungary did not leave the EU if it rejected its laws  blunt language rarely, if ever, heard at a European Council meeting.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd.

The punishment handed out on Friday fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested.

With good behaviour, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

In brief remarks before sentencing, Chauvin offered condolences to Mr Floyds family, saying he hopes they eventually get some peace of mind.

Earlier, Mr Floyds seven-year-old daughter said she wishes she could tell her late father that I miss you and I love you.

Gianna Floyds video interview was played in court on Friday during the sentencing hearing of former Minneapolis officer Chauvin.

Gianna said in the victim impact statement that she believed her father was still with her in spirit and that she wants to know how he got hurt.

We used to have dinner meals every single night before we went to bed, she said.

My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth.

She had a long list of things she would still have liked to do with her father.

I want to play with him, have fun, go on a plane ride, she said.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines and give Chauvin 30 years in prison, saying tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is nine-and-a-half minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life, Mr Frank said.

Chauvins mother Carolyn Pawlenty took the stand to plead for mercy for son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I can tell you that is far from the truth, she told the judge.

I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man.

She added: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.

I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for about nine-and-a-half minutes as the black man said he could not breathe and went limp.

Bystander video of Floyds arrest for suspicion of passing a counterfeit 20 US dollar bill prompted protests around the world and a nationwide reckoning on race and police brutality.

Under Minnesota statutes, Chauvin was sentenced only on the most serious charge, which has a maximum sentence of 40 years. But case law dictates that a 30-year sentence would be the practical maximum sentence Judge Peter Cahill could impose without risk of being overturned on appeal.

Prosecutors asked for 30 years, saying Chauvins actions were egregious and shocked the nations conscience.

Defence attorney Eric Nelson requested probation, saying Chauvin was the product of a broken system and believed he was doing his job.

Judge Cahill has already found that aggravating factors in Floyds death warrant going higher than the 12-and-a-half year sentence recommended by the states sentencing guidelines.

The judge found Chauvin abused his position of authority, treated Floyd with particular cruelty, and that the crime was seen by several children. He also wrote that Chauvin knew the restraint of Floyd was dangerous.

The prolonged use of this technique was particularly egregious in that George Floyd made it clear he was unable to breathe and expressed the view that he was dying as a result of the officers restraint, Judge Cahill wrote last month.

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the states only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights.

The former officer is held away from the general population for his safety, in a 10-by-10-foot cell, with meals brought to his room. He is allowed out for solitary exercise for an hour a day.

It is not clear if Chauvin will remain there. State prisons officials said that decision would not be made until after Cahills formal sentencing order.

Chauvin and the three other officers involved in Floyds arrest are awaiting trial in federal court on charges of violating Floyds civil rights. No trial date has been set.

The three other officers are also scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter.
Police in riot gear on Saturday blocked streets to try to thwart gay Pride marchers in Istanbul, while thousands turned out joyfully in Paris and elsewhere in Europe  although setbacks against LGBT rights tempered some of the celebratory air.

Authorities have banned Istanbul Pride events since 2015, citing public security and, more recently, Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

The Cumhuriyet newspaper said at least 25 people were detained.

Pandemic concerns forced the cancellation of Pride events in Lisbon and the postponement of Londons usually heavily attended event.

People are detained by police in central Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP)

In Berlin, demonstrators set off on three routes toward the central Alexanderplatz in a format meant both to avoid bigger gatherings during the pandemic and to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community.

In Italy, thousands of Pride celebrants rallied in Rome and in some smaller cities.

With a proposed law to combat hate crimes against LGBTQ people stalled in the Italian senate for months, the Vatican and right-wing political leaders have been lobbying to eliminate some of the provisions, claiming the legislation will curtail freedom of expression.

The overarching mood among tens of thousands of participants at the Paris event was of celebration after nearly a year and a half of pandemic-triggered restrictions on gatherings and socialising.

Singing along to I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry, people danced in one of the Metro trains that carried them to the rallying point.

The annual Pride march in Rome (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

With half of French adults now having had at least one vaccine jab, many no longer felt the need for face masks and partied with abandon.

Being locked away was hard, said Georges Gregoire, 33, who came with his partner from Lille. I wanted to have fun.

Many participants in Paris expressed alarm about the curtailing of rights in Hungary and Poland, two EU nations led by right-wing governments.

If European leaders tolerate this, whats to stop them from tolerating that at home? said Mornia Paumelle-Pichon, a 26-year-old illustrator.

Last year, Polands president declared that the term LGBT did not mean people but an ideology more dangerous than communism, a reference to that nations several decades in the Soviet bloc.

In North Macedonia, hundreds of people marched through the capital, Skopje, as the Balkan country hosted only its second Pride parade. The crowd carried a large rainbow banner, blew whistles and cheered and danced to music playing from a vehicle with loudspeakers.
Burma Myanmar Junta Chief Extols Russia Ties, Says US Relations Not Intimate

A TV screengrab of Myanmar coup leader Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing (right) after receiving the title of honorary professor from the Defense Ministry of Russia on Wednesday.

Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing lauded Russia as Myanmars friend forever while stating that the US is not very intimate compared with neighboring China and India due to its far distance, in an interview with Russian media during his visit to Moscow.

The USA is also Myanmars friend but it is in some far distance. But, our neighboring China and India are our close friends, he told Fedor Lukyanov, anchorperson of the International Review program on Russia 24, on Tuesday, adding that we have to take relations with the neighboring countries seriously.

We [Myanmar and the US] are not very close politically like before. Not very intimate in comparison with our neighboring countries, he said. The interview was aired on military-run Myawady TV on Friday night.

Myanmars generals have been suspicious of the US due to its long active support for Myanmars pro-democracy movement and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi since 1988, as well as Washingtons sanctions against junta members and their associates. Since Min Aung Hlaing staged the latest coup in February, the US has imposed a series of new sanctions against the regime, including freezing about US$1 billion in reserves that Myanmars central bank was holding at the New York Fed, which the junta attempted to withdraw after seizing power.

Asked what he thought of Russia if the US is a distant friend while China is a close friend, Min Aung Hlaing replied (according to the translation provided by the Office of the Commander in Chief of Defense Services): Russia is a very friendly among the friend countries.

Both countries are in a far distance but minds are close. Id like to praise Russia as our friend forever.

He explained that Russian-Myanmar relations have been good throughout history, recalling the countries military cooperation in the 1990s. At that time, Myanmar under the former military regime was shunned by the international community, forcing it to rely on Russia and China for military hardware and training. Both stood with Myanmar at every UN meeting.

A lot of our citizens have been sent to Russia for their studies. There are over 7,000. When it comes to cooperation sector, the military technological cooperation that I have said is the deepest, Min Aung Hlaing said.

Military cooperation between the countries remains close. Russia is the second-largest arms exporter to Myanmar after China. Both Moscow and Beijing continue to act as diplomatic shields for Myanmar against any action by the UN.

Min Aung Hlaing was in Russia this week at the invitation of Moscows defense minister. During their meeting the minister described Myanmar as Russias time-tested strategic partner and reliable ally in the Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific Region, adding that the two countries intend to exert further effort to strengthen the bilateral ties.

On Wednesday, Min Aung Hlaing was conferred the title of honorary professor by the Defense Ministry of Russia for his performance to cement relations between two armed forces, cooperation in the improvement of military technologies and sending trainees to Russia for further strengthening friendly relations between the two armed forces and the two governments.

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Burma Seven Local Officials Working for Myanmar Regime Killed in Nine Days

A junta-appointed ward administrator was gunned down in Yangon's Hlaing Tharyar Township in mid-June. / CJ

Seven junta-appointed administrators including members of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and some accused of being junta informants were killed in a period of nine days in Myanmar from June 18.

Following the militarys Feb. 1 coup, ward administration offices, which are the key to the juntas ability to govern the country, initially suffered from a series of arson and bomb attacks.

Then, junta-appointed ward or village administrators and regime informants increasingly became targeted for collaborating with the juntas forces in arresting anti-regime protesters, striking government staff, civilian resistance fighters and others opposing military rule.

During the past nine days, killings of ward administrators and junta informants were reported in Yangon, Mandalay and Sagaing regions and Mon and Karen states.

On Saturday morning, U Nyo Aye, 54, who had been accused of being a junta informant, was stabbed to death by unknown gunmen, according to news reports.

Also, U Than Zaw, the junta-appointed ward administrator of Yangons Kyauktan Township, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his ward office on Friday evening. During the attack, another ward administration official and a police officer wearing civilian clothes were injured.

On the same day, USDP member U Nu Tin, who had been accused of being a junta informant, was shot dead by gunmen in Nyaung Hla Village in Sagaing Regions Depayin Township.

Following the attack, junta soldiers have been deployed in the village and most residents have fled Nyaung Hla, sources told media.

On Wednesday, a regime appointed ward administrator in Karen States Myawaddy Township and a teashop owner in Yangons Hlaing Township were shot dead after being accused of being junta informants.

Locals told the media that around 20 anti-regime protesters in No. 13 ward in Hlaing Township had been arrested by the junta based on information provided to the junta by teashop owner U Kyaw Aye.

On Monday, another junta-appointed village administrator was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Naung Bo Village in Mon States Thaton Township. Following the killing of the village head, two other village administrators from two nearby villages resigned from their positions on June 24 and 25.

On June 18, the junta-appointed village administrator of Yonesigyi Village in Mandalays Taungthar Township was shot dead by the Taungthar Youth Guerrilla force.

The group told Myanmar Now media that it had to kill the village head since the administrator was attempting to have peaceful anti-regime protesters arrested by reporting them to the juntas forces.

Between May 27 and June 3, around 18 administrators including some accused of being junta informants were also killed.

The Myanmar military regime said at a press conference on June 12 that a total of 173 people accused of being junta informants had been killed.

To counter the anti-regime movement, Myanmars military regime has formed Pyu Saw Htee vigilante groups of military supporters across the country. The group members are trained and armed with firearms.

Junta forces continue to use violence in crackdowns, raids and detentions, and several civilians are killed each day.

As of Friday, at least 881 people had been killed by the military regime, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which is documenting the death toll and arrests.

More than 5,100 people including elected leaders, National League for Democracy members, election commissioners, doctors, journalists, protesters, writers and artists have been detained.

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Commentary Amid This Great Depression, Myanmars People Will Never Give Up

Anti-coup graffiti in downtown Yangon in February. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar has entered a Great Depression. It must be spelled with a capital G and D, reflecting the real mood of the people of this country.

This Great Depression began with the coup staged by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Feb. 1, which in turn triggered political, social and economic upheavals that continue to this day. This Myanmar version of the Great Depression differs from the severe worldwide economic depression of the 1930s, though.

The trauma of a coup detator even the prospect of oneis familiar to the people of Myanmar, who suffered through three previous coups, and the total breakdowns in order that resulted, over the past six decades, in 1958, 1962 and 1988.

However, the latest coup has been a particularly serious blow, not only politically, socially and economically, but also psychologically, for the whole population.

Since the coup, all people in the countryrich and poor, educated and uneducated, employers and employees, civil servants and private company staff, parents and children, adults and kids, teachers and students, men and women, doctors and patients, villagers and city dwellers, farmers and traders, Buddhists and Christians, Hindus and Muslims, members of the ethnic majority and minorities, locals and foreignershave been plunged into misery.

Almost everyone I meet and speak to these days has shared with me their deep despair, anger and fear, without even being asked. They all feel lost, and we can all relate to this feeling; there is no need to elaborate.

I tend to express my own feelings back to them with this observation: This is the era in which everyone in our country, from beggars to the president, are experiencing the worst kind of suffering.

Shattered expectations

One especially cruel aspect of this Great Depression was that it was thrust upon the country at a time when people had such great expectations. The people were in a delighted mood after Novembers election, in which the National League for Democracy won a landslide victory, and were waiting to witness the rare spectacle of an elected government returning to power in order to entrench the countrys fledgling democracy, building on the freedoms, rights and economic opportunities that had been initiated over the previous decade.

Actually, their great expectations were largely confined to practical improvements in their lives; they were not overly concerned with idealistic notions, given their countrys complex political situation, in which the military already enjoyed undemocratic privileges.

But one man alonean unprofessional general greedy for powerdestroyed at a stroke their expectations and dreams of a brighter future. Because of his greed, the entire population now exists in this Great Depression.

Since the coup, the country has endured four months of grief. Not a single day has passed without arbitrary killings, arrests or abductions in one place or another in Myanmar.

So far, the regimes forces have killed about 880 people, including many children, and have detained more than 5,000 protesters across the country. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs over the past few months. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned that up to 3.4 million citizens could go hungry this year amid rising food prices and the loss of manufacturing, construction and service jobs. The coup has driven the economy into a state of rapid deterioration, and it is only expected to worsen in the near future.

A third wave of COVID-19 infections has recently hit the country, but the regimes response to the deadly virus has been to do almost nothing. Many people recall the systematic measures implemented by the previous civilian government to handle the first and second waves of COVID-19 last year.

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the problems we face in this depression era. The whole situation on the ground is an indescribable catastrophe created by the coup leader and his regime. Min Aung Hlaings persecution of hundreds of doctors, teachers and striking civil servants has resulted in family separations as those on the wanted list have either gone into hiding or fled the country. His soldiers indiscriminate response to civilian resistance fighters in some urban areas has taken a great toll on people there. In Kayah State, residents returned to their homes to see they had been burned to ashes. Parents mourn their children who have died from pneumonia in rain-soaked forests after being forced to flee heavy-handed raids on their villages by thuggish soldiers.

But this is not the first time for Myanmar. In this country, every generation has its own dark memories. The generations of our fathers and grandfathers suffered similar feelings of despair under successive generals whose decisions destroyed their dreams and their lives too. The older generation felt this despair under the rule of the late dictator General Ne Win for 26 years from 1962 to 1988, while the younger generation felt it under Ne Wins successors, senior generals Saw Maung and Than Shwe, for the next 23 years from 1988 to 2011. These periods under military dictatorship were an ordealearlier examples of the Great Depression endured by the people of Myanmar.

Dragged into a dark past

In the past, however, when Ne Win staged a coup and introduced his autocratic rule to the country, authoritarianism was not peculiar to Myanmar. During the Cold War it was somewhat of a global political trend, existing in countries in Africa, Latin America, East Asia and the Middle East. Myanmar and its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia were not exceptional in this.

In reality, it is not surprising that the rule of such great sinners should bring this kind of Great Depression. One only has to look at the world around us.

Other countries have encountered worse experiences. Just look at the Holocaust, in which Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically killed some 6 million Jewstwo-thirds of the Jewish population of Europeduring World War II. Think about the feelings of Jewish communities across the world; Myanmar people cant compare their current situation to those Jewish victims.

Cambodia, one of Myanmars neighboring countries, suffered such a Great Depression when the Khmer people endured the Khmer Rouge regimes persecution of its perceived opponents, as well as minorities, causing up to 2 million deaths in the 1970s.

They all suffered deeply, experiencing their own forms of Great Depression during such terrible periods. It is a phenomenon that has afflicted the whole world throughout human history with inexpressible suffering. But all those that experienced it had to overcome these ordeals.

Nowadays, however, far fewer countries find themselves in this situationfor most nations, the most recent examples occurred decades ago. Thats why this latest coup in Myanmar feels so much worse to people than previous military takeovers.

But it shall be overcome. How? One simple and fundamental quality is enough: simply, the will to never give up. In previous Great Depression eras, the people of Myanmar didnt give up; each time, they continued to struggle until they were able to bounce back. Thats what they are doing now, and every single person needs to keep doing their part through their respective callings. Thats why were seeing so many people in Myanmar rejecting the coup in so many different ways, to restore the democracy they expected.

Simply put, our motto must be: Never give up!

Naing Khit is a commentator on political affairs.

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"Fast and Furious 9" is back on the big screen today, and it is just a whiplash of lots and lots of physics-defying, engine-revving stunts and references from eight previous movies, plus the "Hobbs & Shaw."

The ninth installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise comes 20 years after the premiere of the first. Dom Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, and the rest of the FF gang are back to take on bad guys, drive fast cars, and blow up some other fast cars. This film is actually cheerfully refreshing, as The Guardian puts it, and a nice change of tone considering the world has been slow and, well still furious, but slow for over a year since the pandemic has forced us into lockdown.

'Fast and Furious 9' Cast and Plot

Before we talk about the whirlwind plot of a movie that is "Fast and Furious 9," be forewarned there will be spoilers.

Dom's back, and he's with Letty, Michelle Rodriguez, in a quaint farmhouse, living off the grid as a little nuclear family with little Baby Brian, named after Paul Walker's character. But then the gang's showing up, presenting the two with a new crisis that they can't just pass up and they hit the road.

Mia isn't Dom's only sibling, it turns out. There's also little brother Jakob, who is played by former WWE wrestler John Cena. The two, as it turns out, had a traumatized backstory. Jakob is on the evil side of the movie, working with Otto to take over the world and even captured Cipher, Charlize Theron's character.

New Wallpaper  Fast and Furious 9 comes out Friday June 25th pic.twitter.com/ZIxTUPBEh2  Obamao (@virus_phantom) June 24, 2021

To save the world, Dom and the FF family go to London, Edinburgh, Tbilisi, and Tokyo, CNet says. Quite the adventure filled with a lot of things blowing up and defying everything Sir Isaac Newton worked so hard to prove. Tej, played by Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, says "As long as we obey the laws of physics, we'll be fine" but really, when your movie set has giant magnets to achieve all those stunts, what laws are the movies following?

In a little tongue-in-cheek moment, Roman, played by Tyrese Gibson, had his little existential crisis moment after he released how everyone in the film has taken part in an insane amount of incredibly dangerous missions but none of them ever broke a bone the very least.

Especially when they all believed Han, played by Sun Kang, was dead back in the end scene of "Furious 6." Roman starts to think they must be superheroes or gods, or quite possibly really well-paid and hilarious actors in a movie.

Fast and Furious 9 was ridiculous fun. Audience giggling along at the absolutely ludicrous situations really added to the experience. Bring on number 10! pic.twitter.com/qfEtEZi1cZ  John Cooper (@PeepJC) June 24, 2021

Both Roman and Tej also get a surreal scene where they get blasted off into space in their car to destroy a satellite, The Guardian recalls. Why not?

Right, but what about Baby Brian? Was he tagging along, sleeping at the back of Dom's Dodge Charger?

Where is Brian O'Conner in "Fast and Furious 9"?

To answer the baby logistics question, we also answer the question all the fans are wondering: "Is Brian O'Conner going to be in the film in any way?"

Director Justin Lin wanted to make sure Paul Walker's character was honored in the film, Insider says, and constantly spoke with Vin Diesel to best do just that.

The movie explains Brian's absence with the really practical reason that they needed a babysitter for both their two sons and Baby Brian. Mia, Brian's wife, was kidnapped back in "Fast 6" and it would just be best for both Brian and Dom's peace of mind that one of them stayed back to take care of the kids.

The film also gave another subtle nod to Walker's character at the end of the film, with Dom giving Jakob a "10-second car" to get away. Dom told his little brother someone once gave him a 10-second car as a second chance, and now he's doing the same. That was a reference to Brian helping Dom escape back in the 2001 "The Fast and the Furious." Subtle, but every FF fan would pick up.

When the whole gang gathers at the original Toretto house for a meal, Mia sits next to an empty seat, with her saying Brian likely won't make it. But the scene cuts to a blue Nissan Skyline racing up to the house, inferring that the driver of the vehicle is Brian. Then the movie ends.

Fast and Furious 9 in four pictures pic.twitter.com/3dNz6JnfPy  daniela (@julios_wife) June 25, 2021

The End Credits Scene Explained

If you stick around until the credits of the film, you'll be able to watch the mid-credits scene that could set up another film for the franchise in the future. It's Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham, who's punching a suspiciously human-filled punching bag, but that's not the important detail.

There's a knock at a door, and when Deckard answers, Han is on the other side patiently waiting.

Deckard, in a revenge rampage, went after all of Dom's family to get to him, and Han was one of the first victims revealed to the audience. But it turns out Han's death was faked so he can work for Mr. Nobody, played by Kurt Russell, in a secret mission that we are being introduced to in "Furious 9," Insider explains.

In "Hobbs & Shaw," Deckard actually lamented his regrets for killing Han. In "F9," we know that Han and the Shaw brothers were pawns for Mr. Nobody and Cipher the entire tie and so instead of Han actually showing up to enact revenge on Deckard, this could be a tease at what's to come for the "Fast and Furious" Franchise.

#F9 had a BIG Thursday Night w/ an explosive $7.1M in pre-shows, topping the previous COVID record - Quiet Place 2 ($4.8M). The film is on track to shatter its opening day ($19.3M) & weekend ($47.5M) record too.



 Hobbs/Shaw - $5.8/$60.8M

 F8 - $10.4/$98M

 F7 - $15.8/$147M pic.twitter.com/YS29UedhTz  DR Movie News  (@DRMovieNews1) June 25, 2021

Where to Watch 'Fast & Furious 9'

The movie is one of the first movies to be premiered in cinemas after the pandemic had put movie theater business on hold.

Currently, you can only watch "Fast and Furious 9" in movie theaters. Be sure to follow the safety protocols and guidelines to keep it a safe and healthy experience.

It won't be streamed on Netflix or HBO Max, as the rights to the franchise are actually Universal's, and both platforms do not have any agreements with the studio regarding the "Fast and Furious" franchise. The studio only releases its films for rent after it has been in theaters for 17 days, Decider says.

If the movie hits the $50 million mark, it will be released on digital platforms for rent around mid-July, and if it doesn't, it could be released at the end of July.

Related Article: Netflix vs. Disney Plus vs. HBO Max: Pros, Cons, Prices and Best Shows to Watch
A hacked phone can lead to all sorts of problems for the user. Stolen sensitive information like bank details and account passwords are always a huge pain in the neck to deal with.

Luckily, it can be relatively easy to assess if your Samsung Galaxy smartphone has been hacked. There are ways to deal with a compromised phone, as well as other preventative measures to ensure the safety of your device and all the information in it.

Is Your Samsung Galaxy Hacked?

According to Samsung, there are five signs that could suggest a hacked smartphone:

5. Check for pop-up advertisements

When using apps or browsing the internet, avoid clicking on or selecting pop-up ads. Samsung suggests using ad blockers in the Samsung Internet app and uninstalling third-party apps with intrusive pop-up ads.

4. Check for messages you didn't send or calls you didn't make

Head to the Phone app or Messages app and check your recent outgoing calls and messages. A hacker could have sent out malware or other maliciously intended messages to your friends and family without you knowing.

3. Check for apps you don't recognize

Look out especially for suspicious apps that you didn't download. Remove these apps by pressing and holding the app's icon and then tap to Uninstall.

2. Check for high data usage

When your phone is hacked, the hacker is trying to extract data from your phone which means it needs a connection to transfer that data. Go to Settings then tap Connections. Select Data usage and then review your current amount of available data, Samsung says.

1. Check for signs of battery drainage

In the same vein as number two, malware can drain an excessive amount of battery from your device. See if your battery is depleting very quickly or that you find yourself needing to charge your phone often.

Read Also: Why Is Samsung Not Downloading Apps From Google Play Store? 8 Ways to Fix the Issue

How to Perform Hacked Samsung Galaxy Troubleshooting

4. Uninstall apps in Safe mode

In Safe mode, your phone will not run any third-party apps and so you can safely uninstall any suspicious or problematic app.

First, have your device enter Safe mode by turning it completely off, then power the phone back on. When the Samsung logo appears, press and hold down the Volume Down key. Safe Mode should display on the bottom left corner of the screen. If it does not appear, repeat the steps.

Open settings then tap Apps. Go ahead and check the list for the apps with black or random letters for the name you don't recognize or apps that you have identified as problematic. Uninstall those apps.

To exit Safe mode, just restart your phone like normal and it will reboot normally.

3. Use the anti-malware on your device

Many Galaxy smartphones include anti-malware protection, but you need to turn it on to take advantage of it. Open Settings > Batter and device care (or Device care) > Device protection (or Security) > Turn on. Some phones may have an additional prompt so just complete those and tap Turn on.

Your phone should now automatically monitor for malware and you can choose to perform a manual scan by tapping Scan phone when on the Device protection screen.

2. Perform a factory data reset

If your phone still hasn't returned to normal, Samsung suggests performing a factory data reset to remove all installed apps from the phone. This will include all your data as well so you should back those up separately. If you backup your entire phone, apps included, you might bring in the suspicious apps back when you restore your phone.

1. Call in the experts

Visit a Samsung walk-in service center or schedule a repair service online through their website to fix the problem.

Read Also: Is Your Samsung Phone Overheating? Possible Reasons and 10 Ways to Prevent Damage

How to Avoid Getting Hacked

Hackers can gain access to your smartphone in several ways but almost always, it requires action on your side for them to even get in, Norton explained. Here are some ways you can avoid getting hacked:

3. Don't download malicious apps

When downloading apps, make sure they are from the Google Play Store only. Apps downloaded from other platforms may be embedded with malware.

Also, confirm that the developer listed for the app is correct. If you want to download the Gmail app, make sure Google LLC is listed as its developer.

Read the app reviews as well, the majority of them should be positive and do not sound like a bot wrote them.

2. Don't click on any suspicious links

If you receive an e-mail or text from a sender you don't recognize, do not click any included links or download any of the attachments. There is a chance malware is included in those.

The same should be kept in mind when browsing the web. Do not engage with any links or attachments that are suspicious.

1. Do not use unsecured public Wi-Fi

Using unsecured public Wi-Fi when browsing on your phone can increase your vulnerability to hacking. Use a VPN (virtual private network) for encryption and online privacy should you need to use public Wi-Fi.

Related Article: Samsung Galaxy Phone Not Connecting to Wi-Fi? 5 Ways to Fix Your Device
Tesla CEO Elon Musk boosted Dogecoin value anew on Friday with tweets trolling Bitcoin bulls, including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

Dorsey tweeted a planned initiative to strengthen Bitcoin awareness among business entities and institutions with an online event tackling the world's top cryptocurrency called "The B Word," Business Insider reported.

In his tweet, Dorsey expressed the need to "protect and spread what makes #bitcoin open development so perfect."

Musk then commented, tongue-in-cheek, "Bicurious?" before further saying, "Oh right...Bitcoin haha."

Bicurious?  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2021

Oh right  Bitcoin haha  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2021

Dogecoin Value Skyrockets 20% Higher After Elon Musk Promotes Dogecoin, Trolls Dorsey

His apparent trolling propelled his pet crypto Dogecoin 20 percent higher in the last 24 hours to $0.27, according to Forbes, with supporters of the meme coin cheering on the self-proclaimed "Dogefather" in this Twitterstorm, Business Insider further noted.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, fell 1.57 percent to $31,711, Bloomberg said.

Another Elon Musk tweet that boosted Dogecoin prices was his response to the meme-coin cofounder Billy Markus, who shared his belief that the Joke coin is "at its best when it's funny." Musk responded with a beer glass emoji signifying his agreement to the sentiment.

Read Also: Dogecoin Price Boost: Elon Musk Tweets 'Space Race' vs. Bitcoin in Support of Meme Crypto

Elon Musk Accepts Jack Dorsey Invitation

For what it's worth, Dorsey replied to Musk, himself commenting tongue-in-cheek, saying it's "Bizarre!" suggesting what the "B Word" stands for. He then continued inviting Musk to the event so they could have a "conversation" for the South Africa mogul to "share all (his) curiosities".

Musk then reacted, "Lmfao omg" before eventually accepting Dorsey's invitation, "For the bitcurious? Very well then, let's do it," Forbes posted.

Lmfao omg  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2021

For the Bitcurious? Very well then, lets do it   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2021

Musk also tweeted about Bitcoin believers, posing the question, "How many Bitcoin maxis does it take to screw a lightbulb?" Giving an impression that these Bitcoin bulls are too serious, he said, "That's not funny! - Bitcoin maxis."

Musk was among those behind the cryptocurrency boom, but he has been getting the ire of Bitcoin supporters as he caused a major drop in the cryptocurrency's value since canceling the token as a payment option in purchasing Tesla cars due to fossil fuel use in its mining.

It is really hard to determine if Musk's tweets were entirely in jest, but his strong influence in cryptocurrency prices has been further validated with Dogecoin's price behavior--although most of the surge of the meme coin's value came before Musk's tweets.

Elon Musk's Tweets Have Led to Dogecoin Price Surges

Musk's previous tweet about closely collaborating with Dogecoin developers on improving "system transaction delivery" led it to a 30 percent increase in value for the meme-based coin.

Musk also previously locked horns with Bitcoin supporters about placing the first literal cryptocurrency on the moon. Musk, who is also CEO of SpaceX, revealed his plan in April of bringing a "literal Dogecoin in the literal moon." Crypto exchange Bitmex responded in a blog post, saying that it plans to beat Musk by placing Bitcoin on the Moon later this year with the help of space robotics company Astrobotic Technology. Musk reacted by saying, "A new space race has begun."

Interestingly, a new asset called Shiba Inu (SHIB), which is a meme of a meme token, went swinging in and out of positive territory after Musk referenced it jokingly in a tweet, MarketWatch reported. SHIB is now trading one percent highter.

Related Article: Dogecoin Investment Boost: Meme Coin Gets New Support Despite Latest Decrease
The Biden Administration struck a deal with a group of senators regarding a new Bipartisan Infrastructure bill for the improvement of American lives. Unfortunately, this bill does not include plans for the fourth stimulus check. Organizations and lawmakers are using a different strategy to push a new wave of stimulus payments.

White House reported on Thursday that President Joe Biden officially supports the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, a critical step for the Build Back Better plan. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework highlights the following goals:

Improve lifestyle and transportation options for millions of Americans

Repair and rebuild roads and bridges for improved safety of its users. This includes creating interstate highway systems

Create a network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in highways and rural communities

Electrify schools and transit buses across the country

Eliminate lead service lines and pipes while improving waterways so they can deliver clean drinking water to up to 10 million American families

Improve connectivity and provide reliable high-speed internet service

Upgrade power infrastructure, resilient transmission lines, and expansion of renewable energy in the county

Create an "Infrastructure Financing Authority" to budget money into cleaning transportation and renewable energy

Prepare the infrastructures for impacts on climate change, cyber attacks, and extreme weather events.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework has an estimated $579 billion spendings in their projects. Unfortunately, none of these objectives refer to a fourth stimulus check approval.

New Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

AS news noted that many of the Senators, and the president, approved the infrastructure proposal because they would like to invest in their country's ability to fight climate change. The proposal got widespread public support except for the Republican Caucus. The party is skeptical in supporting a bill that could increase the corporate tax rate to cover the new spending.

Regardless, Biden said that he and the proposing Senators have officially "struck the deal." Plans of the implementation for the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill are currently being drawn.

Read Also: Fourth Stimulus Check Update: Expert Analysis on Possible $2000 Payments, Online Petition

Fourth Stimulus Check Tracker

The White House and the Biden Administration continue to overlook any proposals regarding a fourth stimulus check. Even though they do not officially reject the proposal, pleas and petitions on the topic continue to be ignored.

Now that the situation has come to this, a recent report said that a fourth stimulus check is unlikely to be approved. It points out that America has successfully overcome the worse of the pandemic's effects and is well on its way to recovery. The budget for the stimulus check would instead be redirected to other projects like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Some lawmakers and families, however, continue to push for the approval of a fourth stimulus check. Stephanie Bonin said that families are deeply struggling because of the pandemic, and many families have lost their only source of income. Her online petition has already gained over 2.4 million signature support and is close to completing its goal of 3 million signatures.



Related Article: Tax Refund for Unemployment: How to Track Your Money Through Your Online Tax Account
Just a few days after National Selfie Day, NASA showed an interesting piece from its Perseverance Rover, who took its first selfie from Mars with the Ingenuity Mars helicopter.

In addition, the Rover's microphone took the sound of the arm's motors operating, NASA said in its Mars Exploration Program website. These selfies would help engineers in checking the wear and tear of the Rover.

NASA Mars Perseverance Rover Selfie, a Complicated Process

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology further bared the process behind this incredible selfie. Taking a selfie for humans would just entail holding out a smartphone camera at arm's length after positioning it right and hitting the button. But for the Perseverance Rover in a faraway planet, taking that snap required a more complicated process.

This Perseverance selfie consists of 62 separate images, snapped one at a time using the Rover's WATSON camera, Engadget shared. JPL said the WATSON camera is designed to take "close-up detail shots of rock textures, not wide angle images."

To piece together the smaller images into one bigger image, the robotic arm moved the WATSON camera around to have an extensive view of the Perseverance Rover itself, the Ingenuity helicopter, and the surrounding Martian landscape--all under the command and control of NASA scientists.

Read Also: NASA Mars Pictures and Video: Perseverance Rover's Mastcam-Z Stereo Imaging System Produces Super Cool Red Planet Clip

The Rover's robotic arm acts as the "selfie stick" of the camera, JPL added, and with the images merged to create one fused product, this arm appeared just out of frame in the end.

NASA Mars Rover Selfie Team Composed of 12 Core Engineers

A core team of about 12 are part of the Perseverance project, JPL said. It included engineers executing tests, camera sequence development, image processing and editing. Commands sent to the Perseverance Rover have been plotted for about a week, JPL further said.

In plotting the commands, engineers used "Mars time," staying awake through the middle of the night and sleeping during the day. They also experience understandable "jet lag" to run the Perseverance selfie process, NASA stressed.

After the Rover sent back the images back to Earth, the Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) image processing engineers edited them and pieced them together. They polished out blemishes coming from dust that settled on the camera's light detector and put together the individual image frames into a mosaic and "smooth their seams using software." This made the effect of appearing like one big photo.

Even with this historic milestone, Perseverance's selfie is actually not the first ever by a rover from another planet. The Curiosity Rover took a grayscale image of itself from the Martian surface in 2012. Because Perseverance's selfie stick turret is 30 inches long, which is longer than Curiosity's, the Perseverance photo was more challenging to take. JPL had to develop software to prevent collisions between the robotic arm and the rover--a mere centimeters away from each other.

Related Article: NASA Mars Rover Helicopter: Where to Track Ingenuity Location After Latest Flight on Red Planet
Ithaca, NY (14850)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 71F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.
A Change.org petition has been set up asking Microsoft to allow more CPUs to run Windows 11, seeing as the 8th-generation Core i-Series processors and up are compatible, even though woefully underpowered select Atom, Celeron and Intel Pentium Gold and Silver processors are also on the list!

Ok, so you have probably already read about the TPM 2.0 requirements for official Windows 11 support on your computer, something that many people have had to enable in their BIOS to have the PC Health Check list their computer as being Windows 11 compatible.

You can download the PC Health Check app on this page with the software towards the end of this page. A lively Reddit discussion on the petition is here.

But even if your PC has a minimum of a dual-core 64-bit 1Ghz processor, if your CPU is NOT an Intel Core i-Series 8th-gen processor or better, or a select Atom, Celeron or Pentium Gold or Silver processor - then no Windows 11 for you!

It will need to be one of the processors on this list.

You won't be able to officially run Windows 11. Maybe there will be some unofficial way to run Windows 11, but for how long?

The latest build of Windows 10 has no problem in running on Intel Core i-Series processors from the 5th-generation and up, as this list shows, but even though Windows 11 has been called a fancy skin on top of Windows 10, Microsoft is effectively obsoleting older computers.

Sure, they'll run on Windows 10 until 2025, but the new start menu? The new App Store and Android apps? All the other Windows 11 goodies? You're not getting to play.

Now comes a world first petition calling on Microsoft to cease its arbitrary blocking of older processors being unable to run Windows 11, which you can see here.

The petition states:

"In a virus-weary world, where climate concerns are at the forefront, and most aren't millionaires or on the pay packets of Microsoft executives like Satya Nadella or Panos Panay, Microsoft's decision to cut older-gen Intel Core CPU's from the 7th-gen downwards from being able to officially run Windows 11 seems to be the wrong decision. Various Intel Atom and Pentium Silver processors can run Windows 11, but a 5th, 6th or 7th-gen Intel processor cannot?

"macOS 12 will support late 2014 Mac minis, early 2015 MacBook Pros and late 2015 iMacs, but my 3 year old Samsung Galaxy Book 12 with every spec matched except it has a 7th-gen Intel Core i5 processor cannot?

"A family with a 5 year old computer can't run Windows 11 officially later this year? People with computers purchased half a decade ago face a new digital divide?

"Unofficial support may well be coming, but forcing consumers and businesses to buy new computers in the midst of a global pandemic seems like a terrible decision.

"Windows 10 runs on much older equipment, and it will be supported until 2025, but Microsoft's famous backwards compatibility can't be turned up to 11, it seems.

"Microsoft: please reverse this decision, or make it clear that older processors CAN and WILL run Windows 11, or the day of Linux desktop might finally arrive, while Mac users will laugh and enjoy macOS 12. C'mon! Do the right thing, Microsoft!!!"

So, who started this petition? Me. I have a Samsung Galaxy Book 12-inch that matches all of the minimum specs - except it has a 7th-gen Core i5 processor.

It's a great tablet computer, and Windows 11 is the operating system should have delivered when it launched Windows 11. It's obviously the OS that Microsoft wished it should have launched with Windows 8.

But unless Microsoft changes its ways, it will be a tablet stuck on Windows 10. It doesn't have to be this way - the upcoming official beta versions of Windows 11 will run on computers that don't match the official spec.

It's just that when Windows 11 launches, those older computers will be forever barred.

Microsoft can change the requirements really easily. It's the author of the operating system.

Please sign the petition, and let's get a ton more Windows users on the Windows 11 train, and they'll be much happier than being forced to buy a new computer in an era where the pandemic is still causing massive economic dislocation.

Here's the petition - please sign and share it!
Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 107F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 82F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High near 110F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Examining IMDb user ratings for shows with more than 5,000 votes, ties broken by votes, Stacker compiled this list of the best British TV shows. Click for more.
There are at least 200 known cases of the Delta Plus coronavirus variant worldwide. Here's what we know
A funeral service for George Zickuhr, of Brownsboro formerly of Jacksonville, is scheduled at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at Autry Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville. He will be laid to rest at Cathedral in the Pines in Tyler. George passed away on June 27, 2021. Arrangements by Autry 
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.
A sign at Solomon's Temple Missionary Baptist Church, located near the the home of 5-year-old Summer Wells, missing since June 15.
Matthew Fetchina convinced two friends to join him on the Appalachian Trail where the three found a fourth. From left, seated are Fetchina and Max Mallick. Standing are Michael Hatzopoulos and John DeBouter.
LAWS AIMED AT LGBTQ EQUALITY

PARENTAGE ACT: Ensures all children have equal access to a legal parent-child relationship, regardless of their parents sexual orientation or gender. Aims to ensure that children have the same protection that legal parentage provides by making it easier to establish parentage at birth, regardless of whether the child is born to married parents.

PANIC DEFENSE: In 2019, the state passed a law prohibiting the use of panic defense by a defendant who attacks a person based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Supporters said it came in response to incidents throughout the country, in which defendants essentially claimed temporary insanity when being romantically pursued by someone of the same sex and reacted with a violent physical attack. At the time of the vote, some lawmakers noted that the defense was used by the attackers of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was beaten and left to die in 1998.

TRANSGENDER INMATES: In 2018, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to treat transgender inmates as members of the gender with which they identify. Protections include placing inmates in a prison that conforms with their gender identity, being searched by a member of the same gender identity, and having access to commissary items, clothing, and other items consistent with their gender identity.

BIRTH CERTIFICATE GENDER: A law passed in 2015 made it easier for transgender people to change their gender on their birth certificates without having surgery.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: The state enacted a civil union law in 2005 that gave same-sex couples some of the same rights as married couples. In October 2008, the state Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to be married, paving the way for the states first same-sex marriages the following month. In 2009, the General Assembly codified the ruling by passing a bill that was subsequently signed into law by Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized Friday for harmful government policies and did not rule out a criminal probe after hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered at a former indigenous residential school in western Canada.

The public mea culpa for the policy of indigenous assimilation and other historical wrongs comes one day after the Cowessess First Nation said it had found at least 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan province. It was the second such discovery in less than a month.

This was an incredibly harmful government policy that was Canadas reality for many, many decades and Canadians today are horrified and ashamed of how our country behaved, about a policy that ripped kids from their homes, from their communities, from their culture and their language and forced assimilation upon them, Trudeau told a news conference in Ottawa.

To the members of the Cowessess community and Treaty Four communities, we are sorry, he said. It was something that we cannot undo in the past, but we can pledge ourselves every day to fix it in the present and into the future.

The graves  some of which may at one time have been marked  were found through ground-penetrating radar mapping.

Excavations at the Marieval school, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of the provincial capital Regina, began at the end of May, after the discovery of the remains of 215 schoolchildren at another former indigenous residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Since the grim find in Kamloops, searches have also started at other such former boarding schools across Canada, with government help.

Nearly Can$5 million (US$4 million) would be made available to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which represents 74 tribes in Saskatchewan, to search for more burial sites in the province, Trudeau said Friday.

 What happened 

Pressed about whether a criminal probe demanded by indigenous leaders was warranted, Trudeau said: I think people want to properly understand what happened.

We are open to taking whatever steps are necessary to learn the truth, he added in French, and to ensure that there are consequences for organizations, institutions, and perhaps in some cases individuals.

The FSIN, the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair, and others have called for an independent investigation to determine if any crimes occurred at the schools.

Until the 1990s, some 150,000 Indian, Metis and Inuit children were forcibly enrolled in 139 of these residential schools across Canada, where they were isolated from their families, language and culture.

Many were subjected to ill-treatment and sexual abuse, and more than 4,000 died of disease and neglect in the schools, according to a commission of inquiry that concluded Canada had committed cultural genocide.

Today those experiences are blamed for a high incidence of poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence, as well as high suicide rates, in indigenous communities.

Trudeau said he has asked Pope Francis to come to Canada and apologize for abuses at the government-funded, Catholic church-run schools.

I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness Pope Francis to impress upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology, but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil, he said.

The Catholic churchs leadership, he said, is looking and very actively engaged in what next steps can be taken.

In the meantime, the Missionary of Oblates of Mary Immaculate  the religious order that operated 48 indigenous residential schools in Canada, including those in Kamloops and Marieval  committed to disclosing all historical documents in its possession to help shed light on the student deaths.

We remain deeply sorry for our involvement in residential schools and the harms they brought to indigenous peoples and communities, the group said in a statement.
Warning: This story contains distressing details.

The Manitoba Chiefs Assembly joined a growing number of indigenous groups and politicians, calling on the Minister of Royal and Indigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett, to resign.

After former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould revealed a private message she received from Bennett, which she characterized as a racist, Bennett has been under fire this week. .

Bennett quickly apologized for the news. She seemed to imply that Wilson Rebald criticized the prime minister because she was worried about losing the MPs pensions.

I think she should find other things to do, War Chief Alan Dumas told CBC Power and politics.

These comments are very provocative. At present, we have found unmarked mass graves all over the country. This is what our minister should be concerned about.

The Union of Indian Chiefs of British Columbia also called on Bennett to resign and told the minister that it is deeply disturbed and disgusted by the extreme coldness, malice, and ignorance you have shown through racist messages.

A day ago, an aboriginal in Saskatchewan reported that they had found hundreds of unmarked graves in a former boarding school and asked Bennett to resign.

The Prime Minister has apologized and condemned Canadas treatment of indigenous people in the past-and also defended Bennett.

Charlie Angus, an indigenous youth critic of the New Democratic Party, continued to call for Bennetts firing on Friday.

Angus said in a statement: On the day Canadians struggled to cope with the discovery of hundreds of bodies in unmarked graves, the Minister made a cheap and derogatory act on an Aboriginal leader who was saddened by these lost lives. Stab wounds.

Trudeau supported Bennett, saying she still has a lot of work to do

Since the Cowessess First Nation report on Thursday initially found that there were 751 unmarked graves in a cemetery near the former Marieval Indian Residential School, Trudeau made his first public speech today.

This is an extremely harmful government policy. It is a reality in Canada for many decades. Todays Canadians are shocked and ashamed of our countrys behavior. This policy removes children from their homes, communities, and culture. Deprive them of language and force them to assimilate, Trudeau said outside his home at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.

The Saskatchewan report is based on the preliminary results of an investigation carried out by Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation on the site of a former Kamloops Indian boarding school in British Columbia last month. The site has 215 The remains of two children were released later.

Watch: Were sorry, Trudeau said after a report of 751 unmarked graves in Saskatchewan:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his thoughts on the reported discovery of 751 unmarked graves in Cowessess First Nation, Saskatchewan. 3:17

Trudeau also said that even though some people asked Bennett to resign, Bennett will remain in her position because she has more work to do in the indigenous files.

Yesterday, Bennett publicly apologized to Wilson Rebald, Canadas first Aboriginal Attorney General. She previously hinted in a private letter to members of Congress that her concerns about boarding schools and the rights of Aboriginal peoples were actually to ensure that they were rich Members pension.

In a social media post, Wilson-Raybould attacked Trudeau yesterday, calling it a selfish campaign and asking him to put these ambitions aside, and promised to implement transformative indigenous rights legislation in 2018.

Bennett responded to Wilson-Raybould in a private message with only one word: Pension? Wilson-Raybould was one of the 142 members of Congress elected for the first time on October 19, 2015, which means if If she loses in the election before October 19, 2021, she will not be able to receive the MPs pension.

Secretary Bennetts approach is wrong, Trudeau said. It hurts. Of course, Im deeply disappointed, Trudeau said, adding that Bennett is right to apologize because it is the wrong approach.

I spoke with Carolyn Bennett this morning. I know how hard she has worked and continued to work on this important document. I understand her heart. I know she has worked for this over the years. We all know that she has more work to do now. I know we will do it together.

Watch: I am deeply disappointed-Trudeau reacts to the angry exchange between Carolyn Bennett and Jody Wilson-Raybould:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the angry online exchange between Royal and Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and Congressman Jody Wilson-Raybould was Incorrect. 1:36

Anyone affected by the boarding school experience and those affected by the latest report can get support.

A nationwide Indian boarding school crisis hotline has been set up to provide support to survivors and those affected. People can call the 24-hour national crisis hotline: 1-866-925-4419 for emotional and crisis referral services. Now you can dial 306-522-7494 to use the special line in Saskatchewan.
The Australian state of New South Wales reported 29 locally infected COVID-19 cases on Saturday, and the authorities said that as exposure locations increase, more restrictions may be imposed on partially locked Sydney.

Saturdays data includes the 17 infections announced on Friday by the countrys most populous state, bringing the number of infections associated with the Bondi outbreak to 80.

Through rapid border closures, social distancing rules, and a high degree of community compliance with these rules, Australia has been more successful in managing the pandemic than many other advanced economies, with slightly underreporting More than 30,400 cases and 910 COVID-19 deaths.

However, the country has encountered great difficulties in vaccination, and the small-scale epidemic continues.

On Friday, the government granted interim approval for Johnson & Johnsons vaccine, which may expand its supply options.

New South Wales Governor Gladys Berejiklian (Gladys Berejiklian) said that she will hold an emergency government meeting with health authorities later on Saturday.

Berejiklian said at the press conference: The situation is getting worse, beyond what we hope to see this morning. The reason is that the new exposure sites are not outside the areas of concern that we have emphasized.

The worrying thing is that some of these cases may have been exposed for several days, and people dont know they are infected with the virus. This is what we are worried about. This is what we will see in the next few hours. of.

New South Wales is working to contain the outbreak of the highly infectious delta variantOn Saturday, more than 1 million people in central Sydney and the eastern suburbs of the city were locked down for a week.

The blockade, which the conservative state government was unwilling to impose, caused chaos.

For example, King Street, a fashionable destination on the outskirts of Sydneys Newtown, is divided into two parts-partly closed and partly open.
A man who allegedly committed a series of dining and sprinting crimes in gastropubs and hotels across East Anglia has appeared in court.

Allegedly, 46-year-old Alan Rogers committed a series of crimes for failing to pay for extravagant meals and drinks while entertaining a blonde girlfriend.

3 46-year-old Alan Rogers allegedly robbed the business owner after promising to return to pay the bills Image source: East Anglia News Agency

On Friday, when he appeared before the magistrate of Ipswich, Suffolk, he chose not to plead and was charged with three counts of false statement fraud.

The magistrate considered the case too serious and they could not review and release Rogers until he appeared again in the Ipswich Criminal Court on July 23.

The court was informed that the prosecutor planned to submit a timetable of 15 other similar crimes for consideration.

In November last year, the Suffolk police announced that they Hunting couple They have been eating, drinking and having fun in restaurants across the country without paying the bills.

Rogers, from Hadley, Suffolk, was later arrested with a 43-year-old woman.

3 He was photographed arriving in court with a blonde woman who was watching the proceedings in the public gallery Image source: East Anglia News Agency

The two were interrogated and later released during the investigation.

The police said the woman was subsequently acquitted and no further action was required.

The hotel and restaurant owners in Suffolk and Norfolk revealed how they were defrauded by the couple after the payment on the real bank card was declined.

The couple will leave, promising that the man will come back to checkout-but he has never done so.

Prosecutor Colette Harper said the father of two children was charged with at least 18 crimes. He and his friends drank and ate, and sometimes stayed without paying anything. Home.

3 Rogers allegedly accumulated more than 10,000 in bills after his dinner and sprint binge Image source: East Anglia News Agency

This is not suitable for summary trial. It involves a large number of victims, a long time, and a large amount of money.

It is believed that Rogers did not make legal payments after leaving many venues and has accumulated a bill of 11,226.30.

These crimes allegedly occurred in Norwich from July 22 to November 18 last year, in Aldeburgh, Suffolk on September 5, and in Ipswich on September 10.

The court heard that the potential cases to be considered totalled 2,285.

Hancock vibrator The latest news of Matt Hancocks extramarital affairs with his close assistant is exposed in the video World exclusive Still dull Matt Hancock and his assistant were loved on a secret dinner date exclusive Hidden Hancocks mistress chartered a car after discovering a secret love affair was about to be exposed Newest London twister A terrible tornado hit east London, leaving traces of destruction on the streets World exclusive Matts embarrassment Watch Matt Hancock kiss the assistant in the wincing video after checking the coast is clear Marital dilemma Hancocks wife was still wearing a ring when she was found for the second time after the affair

Rogers was photographed going to court with a blonde woman who was watching the proceedings in the public gallery.

During the brief hearing, he spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

It is understood that he was making a request when he appeared in the criminal court.
Six months ago, 68-year-old Cindy Sanders (Cindy Sanders) bought a computer so she can learn how to send emails and zoom chat with her great-grandson.

It is still sitting in a box, unopened.

I dont know how to set it up or how to get help, said Sanders, who lives in Philadelphia and was very careful during the coronavirus pandemic.

Like Sanders, millions of senior citizens have regained the motivation to go online and participate in digital products after being kept at home for more than a year, in order to avoid contracting the virus. But many people need help and dont know where to get it.

recent American Association of Retired Persons SurveyConducted in September and October, highlighting the dilemma. The survey found that older people increased their purchases of technology during the pandemic, but more than half (54%) said they need to better control the equipment they buy. Nearly four in ten people (37%) admit that they have no confidence in using these technologies.

Sanders, a retired hospital operating room attendant, is one of them. Computers frighten me, she told me, but this epidemic made me realize that I must change and overcome it.

With the help of her daughter, Sanders plans to turn on her new computer and figure out how to use it by looking up information Generation onlineThe Philadelphia organization was established in 1999 to teach seniors about digital devices and browsing the Internet. Sanders recently discovered this through a local senior citizen publication.

Before the pandemic, Generations on Line offered free face-to-face training courses in senior centers, public housing estates, libraries, and retirement centers.When these programs are closed, it creates a Online course For smartphones and tablets, as well as new tutorials on Zoom and telemedicine, as well as home guidance kits that help seniors use technology. All of these are free and can be used by people all over the country.

During the pandemic, the demand for Generations on Line services increased tenfold, as many elderly people became dangerously isolated and unable to obtain the services they needed.

Those who have digital devices and know how to use them can perform various activities online: contact family and friends, buy groceries, order prescriptions, attend classes, participate in telemedicine meetings, and make appointments for COVID-19 vaccination. Those who dont are often overwhelmed-it can have serious consequences.

I have never described my work as a matter of life and death before, said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Alliance for Digital Inclusion, an advocacy group to expand broadband access. But this is what happened during the pandemic, especially when it comes to vaccines.

Other organizations specializing in the digital literacy of older people have also seen a surge in interest. Internet seniors, The company matches seniors with high school or college students who serve as technical mentors and has trained more than 10,000 seniors since April 2020, which is three times the average level in the past few years. (Services are free, funded by grants and partnerships with government agencies and non-profit organizations, as are the case for several of the organizations discussed here.)

Seniors who are using digital devices for the first time can call 1-844-217-3057 and receive instruction over the phone until they are satisfied with the online training. Cyber??-Seniors managing director Brenda Rusnak said: Many organizations distribute tablets to seniors. This is great, but they dont even understand the basics. This is where we started. One-on-one tutoring is also provided.

Lyla Panichas, 78, who lives in Potucket, Rhode Island, bought an iPad from a company in Rhode Island three months ago. Digital Plan  one of many local technology plans for the elderly that began during the pandemic. She is getting help from the University of Rhode Islands Cyber ??Seniors Program, which plans to provide digital training for 200 digiAGE participants in the communities most severely hit by COVID-19 by the end of this year.

My mentor called me for the first time, I mean, the kids make things so fast. I said, wait a minute. You have a little old lady here. Let me follow you, Panichal Said. I couldnt keep up, I cried in the end.

However, Panichas persevered, and when her mentor called again next week, she began to understand things. Now, she plays games online, plays movies, and holds Zoom parties with her son in Arizona and her sister in Virginia. It kind of relieved my fear of being isolated, she told me.

After recently establishing contact with AARP, OATS (Elderly Technical Services) will significantly expand the scope of its digital literacy program. It has opened a national hotline 1-920-666-1959 for those seeking technical support in six cities (New York; Denver; Rockville, Maryland; Plattsburgh, New York; San Antonio, Texas; And Palo Alto, California). Once the pandemic has closed most of the country, all face-to-face courses will be converted to digital programming.

86-year-old Germaine St. John is the former mayor of Laramie, Wyoming. After signing with Senior Planet Colorado during the pandemic, she discovered an online community for seniors and made dear friends. I have a very good support system in Laramie, but I am very cautious when I go out because I belong to the over 80s, she told me. Without these activities, I dont know what I would do.

Seniors anywhere in the country can participate in the Senior Planet virtual course for free. (The weekly schedule is available at https://seniorplanet.org/get-involved/online/.) Through its partnership with AARP, OATS offers another set of popular courses in AARPs virtual community center. Thousands of elderly people are now participating.

Aging connectionIt is another new OATS program that focuses on getting one million senior citizens online by the end of 2022.

The immediate priority is to educate older people about the governments new US$32 billion emergency broadband benefit for low-income individuals, funded by the Coronavirus Relief Program and launched last month. This short-term plan offers a monthly discount of US$50 on high-speed Internet services and a one-time discount of up to US$100 on the purchase of a computer or tablet. But the benefits are not automatic.people Must apply To get funding.

Thomas Kamber, executive director of OATS, said: We call on people over 50 to try the Internet and understand its value. Nearly 22 million elderly people cannot use high-speed Internet services, mainly because these services are unaffordable or unavailable. January report Co-sponsored by OATS and Humana Foundation (its Aging Connected partner).

Other new companies are also using technology to help the elderly. Cando TechnologyLaunched in February 2019, it works directly with seniors in 32 states and organizations such as libraries, senior centers, and retirement centers.

For various expenses, Candoo Tech provides technical training via telephone or virtual means, and the technical concierge provides support as needed, recommends what technology to purchase and helps prepare the equipment out of the box.

Liz Hamburg, President and CEO of Candoo, said: You can provide seniors with equipment, access to the Internet, and great content, but if they dont have anyone to show them what to do, it will just sit there.

Get settingsThe model relies on older people teaching skills to their peers in small interactive courses. Founder and CEO Neil Dsouza stated that it started in February 2020 and focused on technical training, realizing that fear of technology is preventing seniors from exploring the entire online experience world .

For the elderly who have never used digital devices, retired teachers serve as technical consultants over the phone. Someone can call [1-888-559-1614] We will guide them through the entire process of downloading the application (usually Zoom) and attending classes, said Dsouza. GetSetUp provides approximately 80 hours of virtual technical guidance every week.

For more information about technical training for seniors in your area, please contact your local library, senior center, aging department or regional aging agency. In addition, each state has a National Assistive Technology Act training center for the elderly and disabled. These centers allow people to borrow equipment and provide advice on financial assistance. Some people started collecting and distributing used smartphones, tablets and computers during the pandemic.

For information about programs in your area, please visit https://www.at3center.net/.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that provides in-depth reports on health issues. Together with policy analysis and voting, KHN is one of the three major operating projects in the United States. KFC (Caesar Family Foundation). KFF is a funded non-profit organization that provides information about health issues to the country.

This story can be republished for free (detail).
According to a medical association, more than a dozen fully vaccinated doctors in Indonesia have died of COVID-19 because the Southeast Asian country is struggling with a string of severe cases among vaccinated medical staff and a highly infectious new strain of the virus.

In the past week, the number of infections in this country of 270 million people has surgedAs of Saturday, more than 2.05 million cases have been reported as hospital occupancy rates in Jakarta and other hardest-hit areas soared to more than 75%.

Since the pandemic began, nearly 1,000 Indonesian health workers have died of the virus. The countrys medical association confirmed on Friday that 401 doctors were victims, and 14 of them were fully vaccinated.

Mohammad Adib Khumaidi, head of COVID-19 mitigation at the association, told reporters: We are still updating the data and confirming whether other cases have been vaccinated.

The rise in severe cases of vaccinated medical staff raises questions about Chinas obstetrics and vaccinationBy early next year, Indonesia is heavily dependent on it to vaccinate more than 180 million people.

This month, more than 300 vaccinated doctors and medical staff in Central Java Province were found to be infected with COVID-19, and about 12 of them were hospitalized.

The country is also struggling to deal with new strains of the virus, including the highly infectious Delta variant that was first discovered in India.

According to Detik news website quoting provincial government officials, the surge in cases in the capital Jakarta forced hospitals to set up emergency tents.

In Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, Dr. Inke Nadia D Lubis, a member of the COVID Task Force in the region, reported that as many as 1,800 children have contracted the virus in the past six months, and 14 of them have died.

Detik quoted Inke as saying that more than a third of the reported cases were elementary school students and a quarter were high school students.

On Friday, President Joko Widodo stated that the country is facing extraordinary circumstances and vowed to respond with prompt and appropriate policies while urging his countrymen to cooperate with the governments response.

Close to collapse

Eka Mulyana, spokesperson for the West Java Medical Association, said that clinical symptoms indicate that stress is the reason for the surge in West Java cases.

In West Java, the bed occupancy rate has exceeded 90%. Some hospitals have even exceeded 100%, he told reporters.

At this rate, our health system is close to collapse.

After the Delta variant was detected in local test samples, dozens of communities in Kudus County, Central Java Province were locked down, leading to a surge in virus cases.

On Friday, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Bekasi, a suburb of Jakarta, a patient was lying on the floor of a temporary tent outside the emergency ward of a government hospital [Willy Kurniawan/Reuters]

The surge is partly blamed on the millions of people who crossed the Muslim-majority country from the region at the end of Ramadan last month, Despite the official ban on annual immigration.

The representative of Kudus of the Indonesian Medical Association, Ahmad Ipul Syaifuddin, said that the large-scale population movement is almost impossible to determine the starting point of the surge.

He said: We dont know how to trace and find the first spreader of the Delta case, because the sample test results came out three weeks after the mass exile.

My sample is one of the test samples for the Delta variant. I have now recovered and (have) tested negative, but I still have a cough.

At the same time, the Jakarta Post reported that among the people who had recently contracted the coronavirus was an Indonesian official who did not want to be named, and he was heading to Italy to attend an international conference.

After arriving in the port city of Catania in Sicily, the official was quarantined for 10 days after testing positive, where officials from all over the world are holding a series of G20 ministerial meetings.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.  Former police officer Derek Chauvin, with a shaved head, dressed in casual clothes and a blue medical mask, arrived in the court in downtown Minneapolis to accept the sentence Friday afternoon.

When a small group of people gathered on the grass square outside the Hennepin County Court to hear the verdict, intermittent bursts of No justiceThere is no peace. Others did the same in George Floyd Square, just four miles (6.4 kilometers) away from South Minneapolis, where Floyd was murdered last year.

After several Freud family members and Xiao Wans mother delivered an hours victim impact statement and Xiao Wans brief statement, Judge Peter Cahill issued 22.5 years sentence, Minus the 199 days already served, against Chauvins second-degree murder charge is convicted In April.

Before making his decision, Cahill issued a brief statement that included his approval of the trauma suffered by the community, state, and country as a result of the trial, and sympathy to the Freud family.

I wont try to be deep or smart here, because now is not the right time, he said in a faint Minnesota accent.

On June 25, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presided over Chauvans verdict, the former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, accompanied by defense lawyer Eric Nelson, addressed the court [Court TV via Pool/AP Photo]

Cahill explained that he made decisions based on the law and facts and expressed sympathy or sentiment, adding that the work of the court of first instance is only to handle specific cases, not to convey political or cultural information.

DA Bullock is a filmmaker and Community activist In North Minneapolis, he told Al Jazeera shortly after the verdict was announced that he did not spend any time thinking about how much time Shaw Wen might get.

He said: I never thought that this would satisfy people or change anything around people who are now safe in our community.

I dont think people believe in justice here, because they know Derek Chauvin is not alone. They know this is a [Minneapolis Police Department]-Extensive questions. 

Reports on this case are also frustrating, Brock continued. I know this is a big case, but it conceals the fact that we were killed by the police again. Winston Smith, He was shot and killed by police in Minneapolis on June 3.

We dont know anything about this case-it has no transparency, it does not show the facts of the case to the public, or even why [the police] We are accusing him, he added. Since we have convicted and sentenced this police officer, the story is not over yet. 

Outside the courtroom, Pastor Al Sharpton, Freuds family lawyer Ben Kremp and others gathered to pray with Sharpton, echoing many of Bullocks views.

We did get the court date, conviction and some time. Some people will say this is progress, Sharpton told the crowd.

I would say, as Malcolm X said-if you have a knife on my back, six inches, taking it out four inches is progress, but I still have a two-inch knife on my back.

People gather outside the Hennepin County Government Center on June 25, 2021, awaiting the verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin [Cinnamon Janzer/Al Jazeera]

Four miles (6.4 kilometers) south of the city center, a speaker was playing the Beatles because people joked about cars driving through the recently reopened intersection, where Freud was murdered. Slow down.

A group of young people holding blue Styrofoam egg boxes happily tossed white spheres at each other, while others scrambled to avoid.

At the newly closed gas station across the street, Broderick Johnson and Deon Moore were chatting and exchanging information after they met for the first time in George Floyd Square. Johnson came to Minneapolis from Orlando, Florida for a summer trip, which finally coincided with the verdict.

Just being with everyone, seeing them unite, hearing these words-this is history. I brought my wife and my six-year-old son. To be able to share this moment and come to the area where it actually happened , This is really a blessing, he told Al Jazeera.

Its sad, but this is something we can teach our children in the future. All children are not good police officers. For Broderick, Shavins 22-year sentence is a beginning and a step towards our goal. .

For Moore, who came to Minneapolis from Indiana to attend the funeral of his cousin earlier this week and stayed at George Floyd Square today, coming here today feels surreal. He described the sentence as a misdemeanor of murder.

Thirty years will be great, but guess what? He has to go to Washington, DC, he told Al Jazeera, referring to Chauvins pending decision. Federal indictment.

Under the canopy of a nearby gas station, Larry Hawkins and a colleague from Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis, came to the square today.

He told Al Jazeera that he had come to say goodbye to someone I have never met. He was very happy that Xiao Wan was found guilty, but believed that the sentence should be longer.

I want to say to Xiao Wan: If you think he is wrong, why dont you do your job? Your job is, if he does something wrong, send him to prison. And we wont be here.

Ultimately for Hawkins, We shouldnt come together for this  there shouldnt be no murder or killing that brings us together.
Many people think that a prenuptial agreement or a prenuptial agreement is a bad idea because it means that they are planning a divorce at the same time they are planning their wedding. But the fact is that in the case of divorce, disability or death, a prenuptial agreement can economically protect both spouses. Here, we answer some frequently asked questions about prenuptial agreements.

Do you want to sign a prenuptial agreement? Prepare a financial agreement covering assets, debts and children.

We make it economical and simple.

Should I sign a prenuptial agreement?

Taking financial responsibility is important to everyone. A prenuptial agreement can help protect the existing assets of both parties and ensure that both spouses remain responsible for the debts they bring. If either party has children in a previous relationship, a prenuptial agreement can also help ensure their financial stability.

Prenuptial agreements protect both parties, and they can help if the marriage ends in divorce. Moreover, it is much easier to negotiate financial arrangements that are applicable to both parties when there is good communication, rather than waiting until your relationship becomes disputed.

What happens if I dont sign the prenuptial agreement?

If there is no prenuptial agreement, the state law shall prevail. For couples living in states that comply with common property laws, this means that most of the assets or liabilities accumulated during the marriage will be divided equally between the two parties. However, individuals can keep the assets they brought into the marriage and separated.

In states that do not follow the principle of community property, asset distribution usually follows a process called fair distribution. In these states, various factors are considered to ensure fair distribution of property between divorced parties. Either way, it is helpful to sign a prenuptial agreement in advance, which allows you to keep certain property for the family heir or favored charity.

What should I pay attention to when signing a prenuptial agreement?

Prenuptial agreements, also called prenuptial agreements, are very personal documents and are legally binding. Therefore, you should avoid using generic text in prenup. Instead, make sure that your prenuptial agreement clearly states that you and your future spouse have reached an agreement. Both parties should have separate lawyers review the agreement to ensure that the agreement meets their wishes and does not violate the terms of local laws. Since the prenuptial agreement is a legally binding contract, please read it carefully before signing. Make sure it does not contain any language that is inconsistent with your understanding of what you agree to. Consult a lawyer If you are not sure what a particular term or term means.

When is it too late to sign a prenuptial agreement?

Once you are legally married, it is too late to sign the prenuptial agreement.After that, any written financial agreement between you and your spouse will be called Post-nuptial agreement.

Many times, couples avoid discussing money before getting married. They may feel that the prenuptial agreement is an admission that their marriage may fail. However, the reality is that a well-designed prenuptial agreement can protect both parties and save hours of unnecessary stress in the event of divorce, disability or death.

Remember, prenuptial agreements cannot be oral agreements; they must be in writing. Waiting until the last minute will add pressure to the process. If necessary, allow enough time to make changes, collect signatures and notarize documents.

Whether you are drafting a prenuptial agreement before the wedding or a post-nuptial agreement shortly afterwards, if you have any questions before signing, it is best to contact a lawyer. This step can protect you from unfamiliar legal terms that violate the spirit of the agreement.

Sign a free prenuptial agreement with Rocket Lawyer

If you want to know more about prenuptial agreements or have other questions about the process of designing a prenuptial agreement for you and your future spouse, please contact Rocket Lawyer On Call. A family law lawyer can answer your questions and view the large number of documents you may need to start a new life.

Once you have agreed to the terms of the prenuptial agreement, you can also use the unique services of Rocket Lawyers to Digitally sign documents for freeIn addition, you can store these documents securely online for viewing at any time.

This article contains general legal information and does not contain legal advice. Rocket Lawyer is not a law firm, nor is it a substitute for a lawyer or a law firm. The law is complex and changes frequently.For legal advice, please Ask a lawyer.
Philadelphias experiment to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 has brought rewards to the top 12 winners of the citys ongoing lottery, providing vaccinated city residents with cash prizes ranging from US$1,000 to US$50,000 .

City officials announced on Friday that one of the winners of the two $50,000 prizes was Daniel Silva, a 53-year-old Oak Lane resident, who said he had been hesitant to get the vaccine.

Silva said at a press conference with city officials on Friday: I was hesitant to get the vaccination at first, and I even withdrew from my first appointment. My doctor and partner encouraged me to make arrangements. On the second date, I decided to do the same. I went to Central City and got the first and second shots. I got the shots because my health is the most important thing, because its doing the right thing. I I believe that by doing the right things, good things will continue to flow. Look at my current situation!

Silva explained that his income is limited due to his disability, but the award will help him manage his finances with less pressure.

This award alleviates my worries about what I will do tomorrow, or whether I have enough money to pay for a certain fee. My parents died when I was 6 years old, and since then, I have been trying to climb the ladder instead of putting it down. It. I know this money will help me take the next step towards this stability.

The winner of the second $50,000 prize requested anonymity, and Philadelphia officials only described him as a mechanic living in West Philadelphia.

This Philadelphia Vax Lucky Draw Includes three scheduled drawings, the first of which was held on Monday. The next two draws will be held on July 6th and July 19th. For each draw, two Philadelphia residents will win $50,000, four will win $5,000, and the other six will win $1,000. The total bonus for this coronavirus vaccination reward program is US$400,000.

To be eligible, a person must have a current Philadelphia address, be at least 18 years old, and be vaccinated against COVID-19 at least once before each draw.To ensure that it is included in the drawing, please register online at the following website phillyvaxsweepstakes.com.

Half of the 12 winners of the first draw live in the citys postal code 19126. For each drawing, the city will choose an area with a lower COVID-19 vaccination rate in the city and provide residents there with a better chance of winning. For the first lottery draw, people living in the 19126 postal code were about 100 times more likely to win the prize.

Each of the three drawings will have a selected zip code to increase the chances of the lottery.

Officials said that for the July 6 draw, residents of North Philadelphia with the postcode 19133 will have a better chancethis time the chance is about 60 times. The zip code includes parts of the hunting park and West Kensington.

Officials said a Philadelphia resident who was selected to receive a $1,000 bonus was not eligible to receive the money because he was not vaccinated. The raffle includes all adult Philadelphia residents, which means that those who have not been vaccinated may find that they have missed their chance to win money.

Funding for the Philadelphia Vax sweepstakes was provided by the Wharton School of Business; Penns Behavior Change for Good Initiative; University of Pennsylvania Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics; and the Influenza Laboratory.

Although it is too early to tell whether the sweepstakes has significantly increased vaccination rates, based on evidence that lotteries can inspire change, people are optimistic that sweepstakes will help more Philadelphians get vaccinated, the co-director Angela Duckworth said. The Wharton Schools Behavior Change for Good program.

Philadelphia announced this week that the city has passed the milestone of 70% of adult residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. Philadelphia lifted the remaining COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month.

Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said that there is now greater urgency to vaccinate the remaining city residents because Delta variant of coronavirus, The evidence shows that it is easier to spread.

Bettigole said: Since winter, it has been a goal of the health department to get everyone in Philadelphia vaccinated against COVID. But now we are seeing that in states with low vaccination rates, more and more people have changed because of Delta. The body was infected with COVID  and more people were hospitalized there because of it  so more importantly, everyone in Philadelphia must not only be vaccinated, but also be sure to get a second dose as soon as possible.
Warning: This story contains distressing details.

The Archdiocese of Toronto confirmed on Friday that a priest who mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church had done well in boarding schools had resigned as a pastor.

in Sermon last Sunday, Owen Keenan, pastor of the Mercy Redeemer Diocese of Mississauga West of Toronto, talks about the estimated 215 children found in the site of a former church-run boarding school in Kamloops, British Columbia Remains of

Two-thirds of the countrys people attribute the tragedy there to our beloved church, he said in a video posted to the churchs YouTube page but later deleted.

I think the same number of people would be grateful for the good things the church has done in these schools, but of course, this question has never been asked, and we cant even say good things have been done there. Im waiting to see whats in my inbox .

The Archdiocese of Toronto issued a statement on Twitter on Friday that Keenan had resigned as a pastor and was given indefinite leave.

We apologize for the pain caused by his remarks, the archdiocese said.

About Msg. Owen Keenan, the pastor of the Parish of Mercy Savior in Mississauga, Ontario. Cardinal Collins accepted the bishop. Keenan resigned as a pastor and took an indefinite vacation. We apologize for the pain caused by his recent remarks. @archtoronto

Keenan resigned after the remains were found in the site of another former boarding school in Saskatchewan earlier this week. Cowesses First Nations said it has Hundreds of unmarked graves were found In the former Marieval Indian boarding school.

Keenan also said in his sermon that although the church should apologize for its involvement in badly designed government projects, it should wait to find out who is buried at the Kamloops site before making a final judgment. , And why were buried.

Many people have very positive experiences in boarding schools. Many people have received health care and education and happy experiences, he said, while calling for prayer and reconciliation.

His comment was met with Widespread criticism, Including remarks from the Mayor of Mississauga, Bonnie Crombie, who said his comments indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of one of the core tragedies of the Canadian boarding school system.

On Wednesday, he defended his remarks in a statement to CBC News, saying that he was trying to help his congregation struggle with negative news about the church.

He said in a statement: I am deeply sorry, embarrassed, ashamed and shocked by the exposure of abuse, destruction and injury in boarding schools across the country. I will never condone this systemas a Catholic A disciple and a pastor, I hope I can sayIm sorry to everyone who has been hurt.

The National Truth and Reconciliation Center estimates that about 4,100 children died in boarding schools based on death records, but said the true total may be much higher. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission stated that a large number of indigenous children who were forcibly sent to boarding schools never returned home.

In the same sermon, Keenan criticized Catholic schools for hoisting the pride flag this month, saying that the church wants them to show courage by displaying the cross or the sacred heart.

Anyone affected by the boarding school experience and those affected by the latest report can get support.

A nationwide Indian boarding school crisis hotline has been set up to provide support to survivors and those affected. People can call the 24-hour national crisis hotline: 1-866-925-4419 for emotional and crisis referral services. Now you can dial 306-522-7494 to use the special line in Saskatchewan.
According to the New York Times, three years before the fatal collapse of a condominium building in southern Florida, a consultant warned that there was evidence of significant structural damage to the concrete slab under the pool deck and the underground parking lot. There were a lot of cracks and collapses. Saturday morning.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, most of the 12-story building in Surfside, a suburb of Miami, Florida, suddenly collapsed while residents were still sleeping. The cause of the disaster is unclear.

Four people have been confirmed dead There are still 159 people unaccounted for, and search and rescue teams are working day and night in the unstable debris mountain. A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada told CBC News on Friday that preliminary reports indicate that at least four Canadian citizens may be affected by the Surfside collapse.

According to The Times, an October 2018 report by consultant engineer Frank Morabito helped develop a plan for a restoration project that will begin soon after the construction manager was warned for two and a half years.

The newspaper said that the management association of the complex had disclosed some problems after the collapse. But the Morabito report issued by Surfside officials late Friday clearly showed the full nature of the concrete and steel damage, it said. It said most of the damage may have been caused by years of exposure to the corrosive salt air along the coast of South Florida.

The Times stated that Morabito did not indicate in his report that the structure is at risk of collapse, but he pointed out that the required repairs will be aimed at maintaining the structural integrity of the building and its 136 units.

Watch | Dozens of people are missing after the apartment collapsed:

In a beachside community outside Miami, dozens of people are missing and at least one person died after a 12-story apartment building collapsed. 1:52

Although some of the damage is minor, most of the concrete damage needs to be repaired in time, Morabito was quoted by The Times as saying it was about damage near the bottom of the 40-year-old building.

The newspaper quoted Kenneth S. Direktor, an attorney representing the Resident Leadership Association that ran the building, as saying that repairs have already begun in accordance with the extensive plan drawn up this year.

The Times added that the directors stated that if the owners have any indication that corrosion and collapse are relatively common in many coastal buildings as a serious threat, then the process will be handled very differently.
On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris (Kamala Harris) visited the US-Mexico border for the first time since taking office, calling for an end to political speech and pointing on immigration issues. Republicans have been eager to weaponize this issue. Come to deal with her.

Immigration cannot be reduced to a political issue, Harris told reporters. We are talking about children, we are talking about family, we are talking about suffering. Our methods must be thoughtful and effective.

Under pressure to prevent the surge in immigration from Central America, US President Joe Biden appointed Harris in March to lead his governments efforts to respond to immigration challenges on the border with Mexico.

Harris visit came after months of criticism of her absence and President Bidens absence by Republicans and some in her own party, when immigration officials had documented attempts to cross the border into the United States. The number of immigrants encounters hit a record.

Her half-day stay-she visited the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing center and met with migrant children there, visited a reception center at the border and held a round table meeting with local service providers-it is unlikely to be subdued Republican efforts use immigration as a political stick against the government.

Harris defended the timing of her visit and the choice of El Paso. Some critics say the location is too far from the epicenter of the border crossing, putting pressure on federal resources. After arriving in El Paso, she told reporters that she had said in March that she would come to the border, which was not a new plan.

Child separation policy

She said that El Paso was chosen to emphasize the Biden administrations shift to a more humane immigration policy following the tough stance of former President Donald Trump.

It was in El Paso that the previous governments child separation policy was announced, she said. She also noted Trumps stay in Mexico policy, which forces asylum seekers to wait on the other side of the border for their request to be judged.

We saw this disaster in El Paso, she said.

Harris visited with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Majorcas, Texas Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar, and Illinois Democrat Senator Dick Durbin In the region, the latter is an outstanding representative of the Democratic Party in immigration reform.

Both Majorcas and Escobar stated that they specially invited Harris to the area. Majorcas quickly emphasized that border security is his responsibility, not the vice presidents responsibility.

But Republicans accused Harris of a trip, which they thought was nothing more than a photo shoot. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a conservative Republican and a major critic of the governments immigration issues, accused Bidens policy of opening the floodgates for human smugglers and drug cartels.

Although Cruz said he was happy that Harris had visited, If the vice president came to Texas without a specific plan to protect our borders and was unwilling to reverse the governments failed immigration policy that caused the crisis, then her Visit is just a photo beautification operation.

Indifferent to border security

In an interview with conservative media Newsmax on Friday, Trump said: I think she should go to the real part of the border, not the part of the border that is rarely violated.

Since Biden assigned her to lead the government in efforts to resolve the root causes of immigration from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala to the United States, Harris has been the first to be attacked by Republicans on the immigration issue. She emphasized that her focus is to improve the conditions of residents in these countries through economic and humanitarian assistance, encouraging them to stay at home instead of going to the United States.

Republicans try to portray the government as indifferent to border security and try to revive a powerful political weapon against the Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections. Trump plans to visit the region less than a week after Harris, and he will certainly seize her itinerary to continue pushing the Republican narrative.

Other government officials have visited the border many times, but the absence of Biden and Harris has made some Democrats worry that the damage has already been done. Some people worry that the Biden administration has ceded the border security debate to Republicans.

The government makes Democrats look weak, Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar said in an interview with the Associated Press. I heard from Democrats and Republicans in my area, what happened in this administration?

Cuellars area stretches from the southern part of San Antonio to the US-Mexico border. Last year, he won re-election by the weakest advantage in his career in nearly two years. Although he said he was not worried about his re-election, he added, I am worried about my colleagues.

Record the arrival of immigrants

In the first few months after Biden took office, the number of immigrants trying to cross the border hit a record high. US Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 180,000 encounters at the Mexican border in May, the most since March last year. These figures are driven by the asylum-seeking ban related to the coronavirus pandemic, which encourages repeated attempts to cross the border because arrest will not have any legal consequences.

Harris has been criticized by Republicans for the Biden administrations immigration policy [Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters]

Republicans used these figures to attack Biden and Harris weakness in border security. Government officials, including Harris, refuted the accusation. Harris sent a message to immigrants several times during his recent visit to Guatemala: Dont come.

But these comments caused criticism from some progressives, the most famous being New York Rep. Alexander Ocasio-Cortez, who called the news disappointing.

This incident highlighted Harris political win-win situation and resolved a thorny issue that frustrated the past government and was used by both sides to drive wedge and turnout during the campaign season.

If Biden chooses not to be re-elected, Harris will be seen as the main competitor to succeed him. The immigration issue may become an opportunity to showcase her achievements or become an albatross.

In meetings with faith organizations and providers of shelters and legal services, Harris said that she and Biden inherit a difficult situation.

But she insisted that in five months we have made progress there is more work to be done, but we have made progress.
Over the years, our cannabis lawyers have assisted due diligence Various cannabis transactions from sole proprietorships to listed companies. Therefore, this means that we are very familiar with the mechanism of how the due diligence process handles a series of different transactions, and we have seen various hoaxes and suspicious misconduct during the due diligence process. Today, I will discuss how hard work works and some of the more common red flags we see in the process.

Not everyone is very familiar with the due diligence process, although it is inherent in most transactions. Due diligence is the process by which one party to an agreement reviews the other party or certain assets of the other party (usually by requesting information and documents). In some transactions, both parties conduct due diligence on each other. Some common examples include:

Investment transactions where investors conduct due diligence on the cannabis company they will invest in

Mergers, acquisitions or other methods to purchase equity in the cannabis company in the case of the acquirer conducting due diligence on the target company

Asset purchase, the buyer conducts due diligence on the purchased assets. In some cases, the owner

Real estate purchase where the buyer conducts due diligence on all aspects of the real estate

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some examples where there may be obvious effort, but even in smaller transactions, there are usually some A kind of diligence. For example, if a California-licensed cannabis manufacturer signs a distribution agreement with a distributor, it may ask to see things such as its license. This is due diligence, although it certainly differs from the degree of M&A transactions.

For transactions with a more obvious due diligence process, the process is usually detailed in the letter of intent (you can read about those Here) Or as a condition of closure in the main purchase agreement (for this article, I will talk about diligence in the context of commercial purchases so that everything is consistent).

Before signing the letter of intent, there is usually a small amount of due diligence and negotiation, but in most cases this is the case:

After signing the letter of intent but before signing the final purchase agreement; or Between the signing of the purchase agreement and the transaction; or Some combination of the above two.

There are many reasons for due diligence to be conducted on different trajectories, depending on the transaction. Some parties hope to implement the final purchase agreement as soon as possible and conduct due diligence before closing (in almost all purchase agreements, if the buyer is not satisfied with the due diligence, it will not be required to close). The advantage of this is that the buyer can quickly sign the transaction and lock the seller in many terms. LOIs do this to some extent, but they are usually not even as comprehensive as the main transaction, and are usually not binding, except for some terms (again, see the article I linked above).

The advantage of conducting due diligence before signing is that the buyer can determine whether time and money are wasted to negotiate the purchase price based on due diligence before signing. Consider an example. During the due diligence, the buyer discovered something that caused it to want to lower the purchase price-negotiation is easier before signing the purchase agreement, but once it is signed, it becomes more difficult. Of course, the risk here is that, given the non-binding nature of many LOIs, the buyer faces a higher risk and the seller can walk.

In many cases what happens is point 3 above-the buyer will conduct a certain level of due diligence before and after signing. In these cases, buyers will get some big pictures in advance, sign them, and then conduct detailed investigations. This method may be good because it is a balance of the above two.

Since we have talked about When Hard work happens, lets talk how is it It happened. Usually, it starts when a conscientious party makes a request for information to the other party. Sometimes these are relatively informal, sometimes they involve sending detailed questionnaires that can be dozens of pages long (it all depends on the size and complexity of the transaction). These requests can ask for information about all aspects of the company-employment issues, litigation issues, tax issues, data security, etc.

After receiving the due diligence form or questionnaire, the seller usually responds to certain requests in writing and then provides documents. The bigger the company, the more files. The parties usually use investigation rooms or data rooms, which are virtual solutions that allow parties to upload files and classify them by category (for example, real estate, intellectual property, litigation) and sub-files. -Category (for example, in litigation, Complaint, Settlement Agreement, etc.).

After receiving the documents, sometimes it is a long and challenging review work. Due diligence documents are usually reviewed by some combination of the buyers principal, the buyers lawyer, and the buyers accountant (for financial information). For example, in a more complex and larger transaction, you may see a cannabis regulatory lawyer called in to analyze only the regulatory response and documents.

In almost any situation, there are several rounds of this. The buyer will find places where it believes it has not provided enough information or documents. Or it may have other problems. For example, it may see that a companys lease period for its main property is about to end, and may want to ask what efforts have been made to renew the lease. This process may also take a while.

Also keep in mind that many purchase agreements will set a specific time for due diligence, which requires the buyer to act quickly, review documents quickly, and promptly ask follow-up questions. This is because at the end of these periods, the buyer may lose the ability to withdraw from the transaction because it is not satisfied with the results of the due diligence. Not surprisingly, these time caps are usually negotiated by the seller.

Okay, this is a lot of information. Now let us enter the interesting part-the red flag. Here are some of the larger ones:

Sellers who do not provide information or at least provide specific information. When a buyer wants to buy a business but the seller does not tell them anything, this is by no means a good sign. I have even seen multiple transactions. If buyers keep asking for information, sellers threaten to leave. If the dealer refuses to answer you asking if it is operating normally, would you buy a car? If you keep asking, what if they say the transaction is over? I do not think so.

The seller reduces representations and warranties. Well, this is not a real diligence question, but it is definitely related. In any purchase agreement, the seller is the one who makes the most statements and guarantees, and when they cut them in the negotiation, they always give the buyer a reason for suspension. For example, imagine buying a business and asking the seller to state that its taxes are up to date, but it does not want to make such a promise.

The seller closed the door hastily. Sometimes the need to complete a transaction quickly is justified, such as a government-defined timetable or (in the case of investment) the rapid need for funds to fund specific aspects of the sellers business. But in most transactions, the date is flexible, so it can be a big warning sign.

Lack of organization. Hastily maintained documentation is another important red flag. Companies need to comply with many corporate governance standards when operating. If sellers cannot produce documents in a simple and readable format, this is a bad sign. How confident is the buyer in the sellers compliance with IRC 280E when the buyer does not have a signed copy of its own companys resolution?

A complete lie. Yes, this happens often! Sellers are human, and some people are not good. Unfortunately, sellers have been deceiving and deceiving buyers. This is why it is important for buyers not to accept sellers statements or information at face value. Although fraud in the execution of the contract may be a reason to terminate the contract, it is best to avoid signing the transaction first.

Diligence is a very important part of any transaction. Buyers really need to understand how it works and take it seriously. Be sure to follow us for more updates on cannabis trading.
San Diego  Fridays verdict on the murder of former police officer Derek Chauwan has sparked more calls for police reform among San Diego activists.

In a court in Minneapolis, Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Xiaowan to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Freud. Shavin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in April. He faced up to 40 years in prison for Freuds death.

At Studio Cutz, a barber shop in La Mesa, the owner, Aydraus Sakawe, said Freuds name often appears. He said that anyone who walked through the door knew what the store thought of Xiao Wans case.

It doesnt matter whether you are black, Hispanic or white, Sakawe said. People will always think it is wrong.

Cahill said the verdict was based on Chauvins abuse of his position of trust and authority, and his exceptional cruelty to George Floyd. Freuds family received $27 million in compensation from the citys negligent death settlement.

Local activist Shane Harris said that Chauvin should be a warning story for other cities.

The most expensive officer in America, Harris said. So, there is a sense of relief, but also a sense of urgency. There is an urgent need to pass the George Floyd Justice Act of 2021.

Harris, who is close to the Freud family, said they were relieved of the 22 1/2 years in prison, but not necessarily satisfied.

He has 22 1/2, Harris said. He has no probation and no standby time anywhere else, so he will have to go through 22 1/2 years in prison and he will have to think about what he did.
DEREK Chauvins mom said he is a good man and believes in his innocence over George Floyds death.

It came after 7-year-old Gianna Floyd spoke and described how she misses her dad and loves him.

The former Minneapolis cop is set to be sentenced on Friday afternoon, just weeks after he was found guilty of all charges against him.

Carolyn Pawlenty, Derek Chauvins mom, spoke in court ahead of the decision, telling the judge my son is a good man.

The public will never know the loving and caring man he is, but his family does, she insisted, before adding that a lengthy sentence will not serve Derek well.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for over nine minutes as he said I cant breathe and went limp.

Earlier on today, Chauvins attorney requested a new trial after it was reported that one of the jurors on the case attended an anti-police protest last summer, but Judge Peter Cahill has refused to grant the request.

Attorney Eric Nelson requested the trial on the grounds of: the interest of justice; abuse of discretion that deprived the Defendant of a fair trial; prosecutorial and jury misconduct; errors of law at trial; and a verdict that is contrary to law.

Read our Derek Chauvin live blog for the latest news and updates
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the first step to build a canal on the western edge of Istanbul, worrying about the environmental and economic impact of the project.

Erdogan said at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sazlidere Bridge on the planned route on Saturday: Today, we are opening a new chapter in Turkeys development history.

Lets see Istanbul Canal As a project to save the future of Istanbul to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the citizens of Istanbul and the surrounding Bosphorus, he said.

The government stated that the project will ease ship traffic and reduce the risk of accidents in the Bosphorus Strait (one of the busiest waterways in the world), which connects the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea.

Erdogan called it his crazy project when he first proposed the construction of the canal in 2011. This 45-kilometer (28-mile) long project connects the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea to the west of the Bosphorus. Including the construction of new seaports, bridges, businesses, residential areas and artificial lakes.

Erdogan said the canal is estimated to cost 15 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to be completed in six years.

Look, this is not the opening ceremony of the fountain, he said at the event. Today, we are laying the foundation for one of the exemplary canals in the world.

Transportation professor and former congressman Mustafa Ilikali told Al Jazeera that since 2005, sea traffic in the Bosphorus has increased by 72%.

Tankers cause accidents in narrow straits. Ships to be processed pollute the ocean and cause emissions, he said.

Muzaffer Bayram, a citizen living in Istanbul, believes that the canal is good for Turkey.

See these boats waiting? When we have a canal, they will not wait here. Besides, they will pay more [to pass through Turkey]. This is for the benefit of my country, he told Al Jazeera.

However, opponents say that the canal will cause profound ecological damage in Istanbul, exacerbate the danger caused by the earthquake, and reduce the Weak Turkish economy Under the greater debt burden.

Through this new canal, the Black Sea and Marmara waters will be mixed together. This will have ecological consequences and endanger the already fragile water supply and marine life, Pinar Giritlio, vice president of the Chamber of Urban Planners Lu (Pinar Giritlioglu) said.

Ercument Gulemek, a farmer and livestock farmer in Baclali, said the project will occupy some of his villages.

We want to expand our business and build an indoor barn, but we cant. This is forbidden. What I do is the only job I know. Only after these places become settlements can I become a night watchman, he told Peninsula TV station.

The first structure of the project is an eight-lane, 840-meter (approximately half a mile) road bridge, which will connect the North Marmara Highway, which will also connect to other recent infrastructure projects-a new airport and the first Three Bosphorus Bridges.

This led Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamolu, who represents Turkeys main opposition party, the Republican Peoples Party, to refer to Saturdays ceremony as an illusion and related to the highway plan rather than the canal plan.

The bridge construction here has nothing to do with the canal project. It has to do with the highway hub, he said at a press conference at Sazlidere on Thursday.

Middle Eastern analyst Samuel Ramani said that although the Bosphorus traffic volume has increased by 15 times in the past half century is a serious problem, it must be weighed against environmental and geopolitical issues- Including reports that most of the funding for the project will come from China.

Changing the congestion in the Bosphorus is a valid argument, he told Al Jazeera.

But the other question is-will this weigh environmental costs, and if the project is shelved, will it also pose a threat to Turkish sovereignty? [financed] China? 
Opinion analysis

after Richard Pierce





12:51 PM

When Congress says that companies can apply for an extension of the exemption, are companies that allow the exemption to lapse eligible to apply for the extension?This is Friday the Supreme Court judge HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining v. Renewable Fuel Association. Six justices Said to be, And the three judges said no.

The background of the problem is the renewable fuel plan formulated by Congress in 2005. The plan aims to increase the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol. To further achieve this goal, the regulations require refineries to mix renewable fuels with their refined crude oil. The percentage of renewable fuels that must be blended in refineries is increasing every year.

Congress is concerned that the mixing requirement may have a disproportionately adverse impact on small refineries, so it includes a statutory exemption applicable to small refineries, which will last until 2011. It also instructs the Department of Energy to study whether mixing requirements will have a disproportionately detrimental impact on small refineries. Small refinery. If the department finds a disproportionate adverse effect, the decree will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to consider the application of individual small refineries and extend the exemption to as long as two years. The department did find a disproportionate adverse effect, and the EPA began to consider whether to provide extensions to small refineries that applied for extensions.

The case involves three small refineries, which have been exempted in the past but have rendered them invalid. Every refinery has applied for and received an extension of the exemption. The Renewable Fuels Association questioned the validity of the EPAs decision to approve the extension on the grounds that it claimed that the three refineries were not eligible to apply for the extension. The RFA argued that extension only refers to refineries that have been continuously exempted, and does not refer to refineries that allow the exemption to expire. RFA believes that such refineries do not have an exemption that can be extended.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit agreed with the RFAs interpretation of the extension and held that the EPAs decision to grant the extension was invalid because the three refineries did not have the EPAs extension exemption. In the opinion of Judge Neil Gorsuch, the majority of the Supreme Court disagreed with the opinion of the 10th Circuit and believed that refineries that allowed their previous exemptions to lapse could apply for and obtain an extension of their exemptions.

Most people first pointed out that the regulation does not include the definition of extended. Most people have concluded that although extension may have more than one meaning, its ordinary meaning includes circumstances in which the applicant allows its previous exemption to expire. Most people cited many sources to support their conclusions, including dictionary definitions, usage of the term in other regulations, usage of the term in daily conversations, and the structure of the regulations in which the term appeared.

Most people admit that, in some cases, Congress may use the term only to refer to the extension of continuously effective exemptions. However, most people conclude that there is no reason to believe that Congress wants the term to have any meaning other than ordinary in this case. Most people suggested that Congress could add restrictive language to give the term a stricter meaning, but Congress did not do so. ,

Most people describe the argument in which the RFA urges the court to adopt its preferred interpretation because that interpretation further promotes certain purposes that the RFA attributed to Congress. Most people refuse to consider these arguments because it can only speculate on why Congress might use the term to promote one of several possible alternative purposes, in which Congress did not state the purpose of extending the immunity.

In the end, most people pointed out that it did not grant Chevron respect EPAs interpretation of the regulations because the government did not require it to follow the agencys interpretation of the regulations.

Justice Amy Connie Barrett opposed the opinions of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Dissenting judges believe that although most people think that the congressional assignment of extended meaning is possible, it does not assign the term ordinary meaning. In the view of judges with different opinions, the ordinary meaning of extended does not include companies that allow their previous exemptions to lapse.

In other respects, the objection is the same as the majority opinion. It combines dictionary definitions, usage in other regulations, usage in daily conversations, and the structure of the regulations in which the term appears to support the ordinary meaning version of the term. Like the majority, the dissident acknowledged that Congress may use the term in some cases to have the broader meaning assigned to it by the majority, but the dissident found that there is no evidence that Congress expects it to have the exception in this case. Any meaning other than ordinary meaning. Like most people, opponents refuse to consider arguments based on Congresss intention to use the term to promote a specific purpose because it is unwilling to speculate on the purpose of extending immunity.

I drew seven inferences from the opinions of this case. First, the court begins to search for the meaning of the term used in the statute by looking up the definition of the term in the statute. Second, since there is no legal definition of the term, the court will look for the ordinary meaning of the term. Third, the court looks for evidence of the term usual meaning in the dictionary, its usage in other laws and regulations, and its usage in daily conversations. Fourth, the court is willing to consider the structure of the statute that uses the term and the context in which the term is used, provided that there is convincing evidence that Congress uses the term to have a meaning different from its usual meaning. Fifth, if but only if there is an order When convincing evidence shows that Congress uses the term for this purpose, the court is willing to consider arguments based on the alleged purpose of Congress using the term. Sixth, the interpretation of ambiguous language in the institutional management regulations that peaked when the court issued its famous laws and regulations in 1984 tended to obey the institutional interpretation. Chevron Opinions dropped sharply. Seventh, in many cases, labeling judges as conservative Republicans or liberal Democrats is not helpful. In this case, the majority of judges consisted of five judges (Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh) who are generally regarded as conservatives. It consists of a judge (Judge Stephen Breyer) who is generally regarded as a liberal. The objections include one conservative (Barrett) and two liberals (Sottomayor and Kagan).
After an apparent confrontation between suspected cartels, 18 bullet-filled bodies were found in Zacatecas.

Authorities said on Friday that 18 bullet-filled bodies were found after an apparent gun battle between suspected drug cartels in the state of Zacatecas in northern Mexico.

Rocio Aguilar, spokesperson for the Zacatecas State Security Department, said: There were 18 deaths and the conflict took place in the San Juan Capistrano community in Valparaiso.

She said there is evidence that the death in the remote town of Valparaiso was caused by a confrontation between the gunmen in Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartel.

Aguilar told Milenio TV that the battle was fought between rival gangs vying for territory.

Since the Mexican government began deploying federal troops to fight cartels as part of its so-called war on drugs in 2006, drug-related violence has caused more than 300,000 deaths in Mexico.

Valparaiso borders the state of Jalisco, which is the stronghold of a new generation of powerful cartels called Jalisco.

The authorities said the group was launching a violent campaign to control drug trafficking routes.

Work hard

According to the local government coordination team responsible for security affairs in Zacatecas State, three cars were found at the scene, one of which was burned, and a large number of shells of different calibers.

Local media have reported a series of shooting incidents since Wednesday, when the bodies of two police officers were found on a bridge in Zacatecas.

But Aguilar said that so far, the authorities have not found a connection between this terrible discovery and the gun battle that took place in Valparaiso on Friday.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador admitted on Friday that there are security problems in the area, but said his government is making progress in fighting crime.

The state has an obligation to guarantee peace and tranquility, as well as the safety of all citizens, Lopez Obrador said at a routine morning meeting.

He said the government is making efforts in Zacatecas and other troubled states.

Zacatecas was once ruled by the old Zetas cartel, and is now being contested by an astonishing number of cartels. Those competing for territory in Zacatecas include Sinaloa, Jalisco, Gulf and Northeast Cartels, and the remnants of Zetas.
Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Barrios is one of at least 20 Nicaraguans arrested this month for the governments expanded repression.

The Nicaraguan police arrested the brother of the detained opposition leader Christiana Chamorro, who is President Daniel Ortegas widely criticized crackdown Just a few months before the planned election, questions about potential challengers continued.

Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Barrios (Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Barrios) was arrested on Friday night under the countrys recently introduced sovereignty law.

The police stated that he was under investigation for acts that undermine the independence, sovereignty and self-determination of Central American countries.

Since the beginning of June, at least 20 famous Nicaraguans-including his sister and four other politicians who are expected to run against Ortega in the November presidential campaign-have been one of them, and he is one of them .

This week, Ortega claimed that his government was arresting and prosecuting criminals who planned to stage a coup against him as a defense for the crackdown. It is ridiculous to set them free. We are doing everything we are doing according to books, he said.

But civil society and human rights organizations accused the 75-year-old man who ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, regained power in 2007, and won two consecutive re-election campaigns since thenintensified authoritarianism.

Wave of arrests prompts Mexico and Argentina Withdraw their respective ambassadors Arrived in Nicaragua on June 21 because the two countries expressed concern about the worrisome political and legal actions taken by the Nicaraguan government.

The Organization of American States (OAS) also passed a resolution this month expressing its shock at the countrys recent deterioration in the political climate and human rights situation.

As a former congressman, Pedro Joaquin has always been an outspoken critic of Ortega and a member of the opposition Citizens League that wants to participate in the elections.

He is the son of former Nicaraguan President Violetta Chamorro, who defeated Ortega in 1990.

Pedro Joaquins brother and famous journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro said on Twitter that his brother was kidnapped by the police, who made up suspected crimes and criminal offences against citizens demanding free elections.

This week, Carlos Fernando went into exile with his wife after the police raided his home.

The police in early June Raided home His sister, Cristiana Chamorro, was accused of money laundering. She rejected the accusation, saying it was to prevent her from running for president.
The latest fourth stimulus check in 2021-how to check your funds as the need to confirm new payments grows





Since Congress and the White House have made little progress on this issue, the call for Congress to conduct a fourth stimulus check continues.

Despite the call for more relief, the press secretary insisted that President Joe Biden had proposed a plan that he believed was the most effective in the short term.

At the same time, the new stimulus check tool makes it easier for affected families to apply for a $300 relief fund.

Due to the temporary expansion of the child tax credit, parents can now easily register for a new direct payment or opt-out.

Children Tax Credit Update Web portalsAllow families to see if they are eligible for enhanced childrens credit and how to monitor their payments accordingly.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said: IRS employees continue to work hard to help people earn this important honor.

Read our live blog below for the latest information about stimulus checks..





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Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Summer by Design: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Invite Guests to Chart Their Own Journeys of Discovery

When it came to creating the perfect antidote to a year less traveled and reigniting wanderlust in the most elegant way possible, one of the worlds most exclusive hotel brands has managed to do both with aplomb. Known for thoughtfully immersing its properties into the character and culture of their respective locations, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts recently unveiled a collection of guest journeys designed to encourage exploration, discovery and connection  something many of us are searching for after spending much of last year frozen in time when it came to making travel plans.

As the world opens up and the benefits of travel are available to us once again, Summer by Design inspires guests to create their journeys based on individual desires, says Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. At Rosewood, we believe that building immersive experiences in our destinations forges lasting relationships between our guests and our communities. Were excited to provide guests with unique activities  from a windmill making class in Beijing to a seafari and coral reef clean up in the British Virgin Islands  and to follow along in their explorations.

Additional Summer by Design journey highlights, including antiquing in Paris and a perfumery masterclass in Bermuda, are detailed below.

Cantina Tour on Horseback: Rosewood San Miguel de Allende

When it comes to small towns in Mexico, there is one that stands head and shoulders above all the rest: the city of San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato. Located within easy walking distance of the stunning central plaza, Rosewood San Miguel de Allende blends flawlessly amongst the colorful facades and Spanish Colonial architecture of its surroundings despite having opened just a decade ago. Part of Rosewoods Timeless Traveler offerings, guests can saddle up for a horseback cantina tour of San Miguel that will see them riding through the cobblestone streets like a Mexican cowboy, or vaquero, with stops at some of the most popular and historic cantinas to sip tequila and enjoy traditional ranchera music. Back at the hotel, head to the rooftop Luna Tapas Bar for stellar views of San Miguel's most famous sight, parish church Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel.

Perfumery Masterclass: Rosewood Bermuda

With its aquamarine waters, powdery pink sand beaches and pastel-hued houses its said tropical paradise meets old-school English refinement on the island of Bermuda. And located in Tuckers Point overlooking Castle Harbour, Rosewood Bermuda is an opulent yet informal place to stay when visiting Britains oldest overseas territory. With its serene reflecting pool flanked by chic cabana beds, the Sense, A Rosewood Spa is a must-visit, but for an immersive olfactory experience like no other, the Perfumery Masterclass at Lili Bermuda is a cant miss. Another of RosewoodsTimeless Traveler offerings offers guests the opportunity to develop their own custom scent inspired by notes of fresh sea salt, cedarwood and other native botanicals at this celebrated 90-year-old fragrance house in the historic town of St. George, which is also a designated UNESCO world heritage site.

Rosewood Bermuda

Chalong Temple Tour: Rosewood Phuket

A tropical beach hideaway on Thailands biggest island, Rosewood Phuket, is beautifully ensconced between a lush tropical landscape and the Andaman Sea. Artwork and sculptures with quintessential Siam sensibilities also feature throughout the resort and its gorgeously manicured grounds. Named for the Sanskrit word, which means understanding where you came from, Rosewood Phukets Asaya wellness space has been designed to provide guests an opportunity to discover their unique path to wellness with holistic therapies like Chi Nei Tsang and reiki. In keeping with such serene mindfulness, guests can also pay their respects to the founding monks of the largest and most visited of Phukets temples, Wat Chalong, as part of the Chalong Temple Tour. Built at the beginning of the 19th century and decorated with beautiful paintings illustrating the life of Buddha, locals come to pray here daily, with many claiming the temple experiences miracles.

Rosewood Phuket

Antiquing in Paris: Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

Originally commissioned by Louis XV and built in 1758, and later acquired by the noble Crillon family, when it comes to antiquing in the French capital, no place is perhaps better suited as an inspiring base than former 18th-century palace Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel. Aficionados new to antique shopping and unsure where to start will love Hotel de Crillon's three-hour tour led by interior designer and architect Aline Asmar d'Amman. As part of Rosewood's Curiosity Over Convention programming, Asmar d'Amman shares some of her favorite and secret spots around the city, helping guests find the perfect piece or one-of-a-kind design creation to take home from their travels.

Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

For more information or to make reservations visit rosewoodhotels.com.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and had fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rents.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they face eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in Louisiana:

WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE?

Louisiana is one of several states that enacted a moratorium last year halting eviction proceedings. The measure expired on June 5, 2020, leaving only the CDC moratorium. Housing advocacy groups have urged Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, to implement another Louisiana-based freeze on evictions, so far to no avail.

WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION?

Louisiana received a $308 million share of federal rental assistance passed by Congress in December to help tenants and landlords affected by the pandemic. More money is expected from the federal coronavirus relief package passed earlier this year.

Edwards announced in March that the state would divvy up $161 million of the December allocation through a program run by the Louisiana Housing Corporation covering rental assistance in 57 of Louisianas parishes. The remaining money would go to the seven largest parishes  Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Orleans and St. Tammany  directly from the U.S. Treasury to run their own programs.

Through the state program, the rental assistance can go toward past-due rent and utility fees dating back to April 2020, along with up to three months of future rent payments for those deemed eligible. Priority is given to households where one person has been unemployed for more than 90 days and to households earning less than 50% of the area median income. But others are eligible.

Assistance is moving slowly.

By mid-June, $8.8 million in rental and utility assistance had been paid through the program, with another $1.1 million approved for tenants, according to the Louisiana Housing Corporation. Nearly 20,000 tenants have started applications for the aid, but only about 1,700 have been approved.

Meanwhile, frustrated tenants seeking aid from the parish-run programs also have complained about the sluggish pace of help.

I think it is a dereliction of governments duty to let landlords put people on the street when there is money on the table to help them, said Cashauna Hill, executive director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center. We need to adjust the timelines to end the moratorium until theres been enough time to distribute the money.

HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS?

Eviction hearings have continued in Louisiana throughout the pandemic.

Laura Tuggle, the New Orleans-based executive director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, said landlords have found ways to avoid the federal freeze on evictions by using other reasons to oust people from their housing, such as noise levels or property damage.

Our attorneys, they would say, What eviction moratorium? Tuggle said. In Louisiana, our staff are busier than they have ever been because evictions have never stopped.

HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS?

Louisiana is ranked among the middle of states for apartment affordability, according to a 2020 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Vacancy rates across the state were about 8% before the pandemic, above the 7% national average. But that doesnt necessarily hold true in the New Orleans area, which struggled with affordable housing shortages even before the pandemic.

As of May, the median monthly rent in the New Orleans and Metairie area had risen 8% over the last year to $1,350, according to a report released June 16 by Realtor.com. Median rents for a two-bedroom apartment rose 11% in the area to $1,550. One factor prompting the increase is pandemic-related delays in building more multi-family homes.

ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS?

Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in Louisiana. One indication of the scope of the problem is U.S. Census data showing nearly 69,000 state residents expressing concern that they could be evicted over the next two months.

But the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center and dozens of other advocacy groups warned Edwards in a letter that more than 101,000 households in Louisiana have reported being behind on their rent payments  nearly half of them households with children.

Tuggle worried the end of the federal eviction moratorium, combined with Edwards announcement that hell turn off federal pandemic unemployment assistance at the end of July, will cause an explosion in homelessness.

Once landlords can file for nonpayment of rent, the defenses are extremely limited in the state of Louisiana, she said.
At first glance, the bipartisan infrastructure deal that emerged this week seemed like a ripe opportunity for President Joe Biden to take a dig at his predecessor, whose attempts at focusing on roads and bridges often went awry.

'Welcome to infrastructure week!' read the notecard Biden carried Thursday to microphones set up outside the West Wing.

He nixed the joke. If Thursday marked anything, it was more like the start of a long infrastructure summer, on the back of a sort of infrastructure spring, the outcome of which remains uncertain even as Biden hails victory for his long-held faith in bipartisan compromise.

Already, Republicans are hardening in opposition to Biden's scheme of passing the $1 trillion infrastructure deal  which hasn't been written yet  alongside a much larger package containing the remainder of his agenda that will require only Democratic votes. And Biden set off a frenzy by confidently telling reporters he would not sign the bipartisan deal he had just negotiated unless he had the larger package on his desk, too. 'If they don't come, I'm not signing,' Biden said Thursday. 'Real simple.'

The uproar gained enough steam that by Saturday afternoon, Biden was forced to release a statement clarifying his pledge not to sign the bipartisan bill on infrastructure unless it came paired with a reconciliation proposal for 'human infrastructure,' writing that his comments 'created the impression that I was issuing a veto threat on the very plan I had just agreed to, which was certainly not my intent.'

'The bottom line is this: I gave my word to support the Infrastructure Plan, and that's what I intend to do. I intend to pursue the passage of that plan, which Democrats and Republicans agreed to on Thursday, with vigor.'

The President's statement Saturday was the latest in a series of cleanup attempts from the White House seeking to stem defections from the bipartisan agreement. The move came hours before many of the Republicans who helped broker the deal, and were subsequently frustrated with Biden's Thursday comments, were set to appear on the Sunday morning talk shows where it's expected they would publicly air their irritation.

In a Friday afternoon conference call, 'frustrations boiled' among Republican senators, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who said lawmakers were 'dumbfounded' by White House explanations for Biden's approach.

The White House also looked to reassure its own party.

Concerned about spooking moderate Democrats he had just spent weeks cultivating, Biden's aides hastily scheduled a midday call with Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to reassure her of where Biden stood. The White House even took the unusual step of issuing a lengthy readout of their conversation, a practice typically reserved for foreign counterparts.

A senior administration official acknowledged they were attempting to walk back Biden's remarks, and directly tied his conversation with Sinema to that effort. While they believed his sentiment was accurate -- they want both deals passed in tandem -- his advisers acknowledged the tactic of demanding as much publicly was too forward and needed to be softened.

In their public comments, White House officials -- including press secretary Jen Psaki -- declined to directly reiterate Biden's threat of leaving the deal unsigned if the larger package doesn't materialize.

White House officials believe it has long been clear the two packages would move together and publicly scoffed at suggestions lawmakers were caught by surprise. But Biden's ultimatum did appear to test the durability of the agreement, leading the same aides who negotiated the deal to get back on the phone with lawmakers Friday who were balking. Aides stressed Biden's continued support for the deal and his plans to travel around the country selling its merits, according to a White House official.

Going forward, the White House plans to focus on selling the bipartisan bill instead of getting involved in the order of when Biden receives the legislation, letting Democratic leadership handle the timeline.

Some inside the White House believe the risky maneuvering was the only way Biden could secure enough Democratic support for the eventual $4 trillion reconciliation bill, a telling sign of the degree to which his party's divide is ever-present.

If the agreement falls apart, it could largely poison future opportunities for working across the aisle, particularly as midterm election season nears.

If he pulls it off, the two-track strategy would prove a striking show of legislative mastery for a career lawmaker whose presidency hinges on bringing together the progressive and moderate wings of his party. Aides said as much as Biden was invested in the substance of the deal, he was just as focused on the message it sent about the state of American government -- and the vindication it contained for his personal brand of politics.

Months of walking a tightrope ahead

It was a key ingredient for more than just Biden. Several senators in the bipartisan group that crafted the deal mentioned the need to show government could deliver as a driving force. In the Oval Office before Biden emerged with the group to announce the agreement, it was a central point of the conversation, one official said.

'People really felt committed to one another in this and I think everyone thought it was important for the country to send this signal that we could work together in this way,' said Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the President and one of Biden's lead negotiators and closest advisors, in an interview.

After the deal was struck, Biden's victory lap took on an air of righteousness, claiming he'd proved his naysayers wrong. Behind the scenes, Biden frequently dismissed progressives who said he was wasting his time pursuing talks with Republicans, according to people familiar with the discussions, with the President claiming they knew little about how deals were struck in Washington.

But at best, neither bill will be ready for final passage until the fall, leaving weeks for potential pitfalls to throw off the carefully crafted political balance that the future of Biden's agenda is now contingent upon. Even if the deal ultimately falls apart, Biden's close advisers are still confident he'll get credit among voters for his public outreach to Republicans on the matter.

The tandem strategy flowed from both political necessity and the President's own inclination. As a long-time legislator with close relationships in both parties, Biden takes pride in his ability to cross the aisle and considers it a balm for a polarized nation. He also has ambitious policy goals, a mostly hostile Republican opposition and ultra-thin Democratic congressional majorities behind him, limiting his available strategic paths.

From the beginning, Biden's senior aides acknowledged the two-track strategy might not work. But they stuck with it deep into his fifth month, even as liberal Democrats pressed him to cut it short for fear that Republican negotiators real aim was a crippling delay.

Even as talks with an initial group of six Republican senators began to falter, Biden's advisers were eyeing other possible lawmakers or groups to continue their pursuit.

One of those groups, led by Sinema and Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, had quietly been discussing a possible path forward for weeks. They carried with them a level of trust, and -- to some degree -- success based on an effort to unlock a long-stalled Covid relief package at the end of 2020. When Biden officially ended the talks with Republicans, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, he placed a call directly to Sinema shortly after.

'The President and the team tried to keep as many avenues to success open in this kind of bipartisan structure in the hope that we could keep getting closer and closer,' Ricchetti said.

The White House strategy appeared to work Thursday when Biden announced the bipartisan deal. Even after Republican parties to the deal subsequently grew skittish, Biden aides expressed confidence it would hold, despite what one senior official called 'faux outrage' over the second part of a publicly articulated Biden strategy they'd known all along.

'They will have to vote against their own deal,' one senior official said. 'What they cannot say is that the infrastructure bill is too big, or a waste, or pork, or whatever. Look, in the end, I think it will stick together.'

The official added: 'For us, every step forward is a step forward. It's never a straight line.'

At least on Thursday afternoon, the image of Biden surrounded by Republican and Democratic senators -- none wearing masks -- declaring victory on a major legislative agreement seemed vindication for a President whose campaign pitch rested in large part on ending the pandemic and uniting the country.

Standing in a spot usually reserved for visiting lawmakers or out-of-town dignitaries, not presidents, Biden harkened back to his own days as a senator, when he was the one emerging from the White House to recount meetings with successive commanders in chief. The President insisted on walking out with the senators, aides said, mindful of the image that he believed told a story of unity.

'This reminds me of the days we used to get an awful lot done up at the United States Congress,' he said, crowded by senators whose ranks he left more than a decade ago.

'A lot of us go back a long way, where we're used to doing one thing: Give each other our word and that's the end. Nobody questions it,' he went on. 'They have my word, I'll stick with what they proposed, and they've given me their word as well. So, where I come from, that's good enough for me.'

'Nobody is going to get everything they want'

Whether those rules still apply in today's Washington will be tested as White House aides and Senate staff put the bipartisan proposal into an actual bill, and as Democrats sweep up what wasn't included to put in the massive budget package.

White House aides remained convinced even the existence of a bipartisan bill in the current hyper-polarized environment was a sign that Biden's insistence on consensus was not misplaced.

'I think if you have said to anybody in my party a year ago that we would be talking about a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, that they would have been pretty darn happy,' said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser. 'I think once they've look at the details of this, they'll see a lot to be for. You know, nobody is going to get everything they want when you have to compromise.'

Yet Republicans grumbled that Biden would be getting everything he wanted, should his two-part strategy work, and many GOP senators were reluctant to lend a hand to a presidential victory.

The bipartisan group's efforts had begun in earnest months earlier with one-off meetings between colleagues. Lawmakers managed early to keep their work out of headlines, allowing the White House negotiation with Capito to play out.

Capito and a key Democrat in the bipartisan group, fellow West Virginian Sen. Joe Manchin, were close, and members thought it wise to give the White House the room it needed to try and make a deal with key Republicans who had top roles on the relevant committees.

That effort collapsed right before Biden left for his first overseas trip to Europe, undercutting his efforts at bipartisanship just as he was set to debut on the world stage. He left behind key staffers, including chief of staff Ron Klain, to try and salvage a deal.

The bipartisan group, working until this point in the background, saw an opportunity to step into the spotlight and finish their work.

'We aren't just a hot mess here'

Biden had a message for his senior team soon after he returned from the nine-day, high stakes diplomatic trip across Europe, according to multiple officials: He was ready to accelerate the process toward making a bipartisan deal.

He'd been briefed on the status of the group's work, which had sped up while he was overseas, and thought things were headed in the right direction on the policy side. The opportunity to clinch an agreement, one pursued with no success by a few of his predecessors and still crucial to unlocking the full scale of his economic agenda, was something he didn't want to pass up.

It was a message Biden's negotiating team delivered to the group of senators on Monday. They weren't authorized to strike a deal, and there was still significant work to be done with major differences that needed to be reconciled. But the signal was clear: Biden was ready to make it work.

Biden's team -- including Ricchetti, one of his longest serving advisers; Brian Deese, the National Economic Council director; and Louisa Terrell, Biden's legislative affairs chief -- were committed to be on Capitol Hill as the talks played out. A potential late-week meeting with Biden was dangled should negotiators near a deal -- something the President eagerly awaited, officials said.

Yet after a series of meeting Tuesday, there was little progress. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the Republican whip, told reporters the talks had yielded little forward momentum, and members involved conceded afterward the sessions were not moving quickly enough to yield a deal.

One official acknowledged it had reached a point where there were real questions about whether key differences could be reconciled, with both sides ardently defending their redlines against efforts to massage them open.

On Wednesday afternoon, the attitude began to shift. Lawmakers -- on the cusp of a two-week recess -- marched into the Strom Thurmond room at the Capitol for a meeting with White House officials aware that if a deal didn't come together in a matter of hours, it was possible it never would.

That morning, a bipartisan group of lawmakers attended the memorial service for Sen. John Warner, a Republican from Virginia who had built a legacy of cutting hard deals in the Senate. A centrist Republican, he often crossed his party on issues of gun rights and abortion. In 2014, he was part of a group of more than a dozen senators who helped preserve the filibuster on judicial nominees.

'In the battle for the soul of America today, John Warner is a reminder of what we can do when we come together as one nation,' Biden said in his eulogy at the Washington National Cathedral.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia who had been in the room for much of the negotiations trying to represent the White House's positions, told CNN that at a few moments he thought about packing up and leaving the room.

'There were three or four times where I thought we were literally minutes away in terms of the frustration level on both sides,' Warner said.

After the memorial service that morning, he walked into talks Wednesday afternoon with a new sense of patience.

'What would John Warner do?' Warner said he asked himself. 'Well, John Warner wouldn't have packed up his books, so I opened up my notebook again and tucked back in. I thought about it. It was vivid in my mind.'

White House officials, frustrated and down about prospects just one day prior, recognized a different tone -- and impetus to find a path forward.

'Sometimes deals, before they congeal, spread apart a little bit and then they come back together,' one official said.

Within hours a framework was clinched.

Since announcing their agreement, the bipartisan group's work has come under fire, with progressives arguing the package is 'paltry' and Republican leaders signaling the bill could be in trouble if Democrats hold firm to their promise not to pass the bill out of both chambers without a Democratic-only infrastructure bill riding alongside it.

'We are going to have to sell it,' Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, told reporters. 'Is it going to be as much as some people wanted? No. Is it going to be more than other people wanted? Yeah.'

'It shows the world that we aren't just a hot mess here,' Tester said.

That, of course, remained very much an open question as the senators returned home for a two-week recess and Biden headed off into the warm summer sun for a weekend at Camp David.
MCCLELLAN, Calif.  Summer firefighting in the western United States will get a big boost with the addition of two huge military transport planes equipped to do fire retardant drops on wildfires, the earliest they've been activated for fire season in a decade.

According to fire officials, the US Forest Service has activated two C-130 aircraft, both carrying Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS), sourced from the California and Nevada Air National Guard. They'll be based at McClellan Airbase in Sacramento starting on Saturday.

These aircraft will help augment our aerial firefighting capabilities, said Kim Christensen, deputy assistant director for operations for the Forest Service. Weve already reached National Preparedness Level 4 with elevated potential for significant wildfire activity in the western U.S.to further increase.

Officials said that firefighting-capable military C-130s can provide critical "surge" capability for wildfire suppression when commercial airtankers are stretched thing. These type of aircraft were last activated this early in a fire season back in 2012, and were brought in a month later in 2020.

Our aircraft and aircrews are ready to respond to requests for assistance, said Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, commander of the First Air Force. Our MAFFS-trained team of professionals recently completed annual aerial wildland firefighting training with the USDA Forest Service to ensure they are fully prepared for the wildfire season. We take to heart our teams effort to help protect property and critical infrastructure, with the ultimate goal of saving lives.

MAFFS equipment can drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in less than 10 seconds across a quarter-mile line, according to the Forest Service. The system slides into the back of the C-130, and the retardant is released through a nozzle on the rear left side.

On June 22, officials elevated the National Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to 4 out of 5 to reflect the increase in fire activity across the western US.
The last person who asked me that is still missing.

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You call this hot? Bring it on.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- As the state moves forward with plans to reopen by next Wednesday, many people are wondering whether it's safe or not.

RELATED: OREGON WILL REOPEN BY JUNE 30, GOV. BROWN ANNOUNCES

"It is not the safest option for your health related to COVID, but it is the safest option for our society as a whole at this point," said Brenda Ormesher, an infectious disease specialist at RiverBend Hospital in Springfield.

The Oregon Health Authority reports 69.1% of people 18 and up have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to OHA's most recent data, 31,264 more people need to get their first shot before the state reaches the governor's 70% vaccination goal.

But OHA's director Patrick Allen warned that variants circulating in the community could pose a significant risk to unvaccinated people across the state.

"More contagious and possibly more dangerous variants are spreading in Oregon and posing a threat in counties with low vaccination rates," Allen said.

Some public health officials are concerned about those who live in counties with low vaccination rates. In Douglas County, about 54% of people older than 16 have gotten at least one shot.

"There's always a risk," Douglas County Public Health Director Bob Dannenhoffer said. "Given that, there's more of a risk in Douglas County than other places because we have a lower vaccine rate."

At hospitals across the state, many doctors are reporting an overall decrease in COVID-19 patients throughout the past month. That includes RiverBend in Springfield.

"We have definitely seen a more leveling of COVID patients," Ormesher said.

But hospital beds are filling up with other patients, so if another spike in COVID-19 cases occurs, it's possible they will be stretched for resources.

"We're seeing more non-COVID-related illnesses occurring so our hospitals remain very full, so making sure that we minimize people getting sick from COVID is very important," Ormesher said.

There's also concern about the youngest members of our population. Children under the age of 12 years old are not eligible to get vaccinated yet. Ormesher says it's possible that reopening will cause an increase in cases among that age group if proper precautionary measures aren't taken.

"A lot of what children do is what they see their role models, their parents, other adults do," Ormesher said. "So if those people are not masking, the children will likewise also not mask as often."

The state's epidemiologist, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, said that camps and childcare facilities should put other levels of protection in place.

"These locations will have to have a plan so they know what to do if someone with COVID comes to the location," Sidelinger said.
LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- After Gov. Kate Brown announced on Friday that Oregon will reopen by Wednesday at the latest, local businesses are getting ready for the massive changes ahead.

RELATED: OREGON WILL REOPEN BY JUNE 30, GOV. BROWN ANNOUNCES

KEZI 9 News talked to Brian Debos, manager at The Gateway Grill in Springfield. He said he believes the removal of the mask mandates will be a huge boost for his team's morale.

"It's awesome. It's nice to have it clean cut from the governor," Debos said. "It's been 50/50 on everything on who has to wear a mask, who doesn't have to wear a mask."

Even with the removal of mask requirements, individual businesses still maintain the right to enforce them. With the hotter temperatures arriving in the region, Debos thinks the change couldn't have come sooner.

"Three quarters of my employees are all vaccinated so we would prefer not to wear masks in 113 degrees," Debos said.

Betty Snowden with Glamour Girl Unlimited said those decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.

"I think that each business should do whatever they feel is comfortable," Snowden said.
SALEM, Ore.-- Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2021 with 16-11 votes on Saturday.

This bill would require Oregon to use 100% clean energy by 2040. It would invest $50 million into community-based renewable energy projects to boost community-owned and developed clean energy projects across the state.

Several state representatives co-sponspored the bill including Representative Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) and Representative Khanh Pham (D-Portland).

"100% Clean Energy for All is a huge step forward for environmental justice in Oregon," said Candace Avalos, Executive Director of Verde, an environmental justice nonprofit based in the Cully neighborhood of Northeast Portland.

This bill also makes Oregon the first U.S. state to ban new development or expansions of fossil fuel power plants in state.

Proponents of the bill said this will reduce pollutionj in communities, create local energy jobs and help rebuild from destructive, climate-fueled fires.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Gov. Tim Walz says he will relinquish the special powers that he has been using to manage the COVID-19 pandemic by Aug. 1, ending a peacetime state of emergency that has been in effect since March 2020.

He says about three dozen states are still under a state of emergency. Walz told reporters Friday that it's a responsible plan. But that wasnt assurance enough for Republicans who control the state Senate and complain the Democratic governor has repeatedly cut them out of major decisions. They approved a state government budget bill Friday that would end the state of emergency July 1.

The Democratic majority in the House has repeatedly blocked such moves.
AUSTIN, Minn.  A Fillmore County man pleads guilty after being caught with drugs in Mower County.

Peter Jay Engen, 42 of Preston, entered a guilty plea Friday to second-degree drug possession. Engren and Elizabeth Strain were arrested on October 19, 2020, after the Minnesota State Patrol said an investigation that started with a revoked drivers license led to the discovery of methamphetamine.

A state trooper says he say Engren drive by on Highway 16 in Grand Meadow and believed he had a revoked drivers license. Engren pulled into a gas station before a traffic stop could be made and the trooper followed to question Engren about his license.

Court documents state Engren produced a State of Minnesota identification card but both he and his passenger, Elizabeth Strain, appeared very nervous. After the trooper said he would have a police K9 dog check Engrens vehicle, Strain reportedly went into the mens bathroom in the gas station. The state trooper checked the bathroom and says he found about 40 grams of meth in the garbage can. Court documents state a search of Engrens vehicle then found roughly 13 grams of meth in the glove compartment.

Engrens sentencing is scheduled for August 26. Strain, 42 of Preston, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree drug sales and first-degree drug possession. Her trial is still set to begin on December 6.
ALBERT LEA, Minn. - The Shell Rock River Watershed District confirms that blue-green algae are present near Katherine Island on Fountain Lake.

Blue-green algae are often referred to as algae but are actually a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria, present in many bodies of water in Minnesota.

When water gets warm, surface water temps rise, making perfect conditions for cyanobacteria.

It can be harmful when ingested so it's not recommended to swim or boat in.

Scott Christensen, Technical Specialist for Shell Rock River Watershed District, says, The saying is when in doubt, it's best to keep out. So if you're around area lakes this summer, and you see super green or blue-green water, just stay out.

He adds, If you really want to get in the water, try to find an area that's upwind and has a lot of current running through it. That typically won't facilitate the blooms of the cyanobacteria.

Due to the presence of blue-green algae, the city of Albert Lea and the Freeborn County Sheriff's Office is closing the city beach until further notice.

If you notice any more blue-green algae occurrences, you are urged to alert the sheriff's office or city officials.



For more, click here.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  A judge has convicted a Waterloo man to life behind bars for what prosecutors described as the revenge killing of another man.

Judge Linda Fangman ordered 22-year-old Raymond Birden Jr. to life in prison for the 2018 death of 22-year-old Shavondes Martin. Martin was acquitted earlier that year of killing Birdens brother in 2016. Martin had been one of three people charged with the 2016 drive-by shooting of Birdens brother, Otavious Brown.

Prosecutors say Birden searched for Martin on May 31, 2018. Martin was found hours later shot to death in a Waterloo alley.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 89F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers in Missouri... Osage River near Mari-Osa Campground. Missouri River at St. Charles. Missouri River at Washington. Missouri River at Hermann. Missouri River near Chamois. 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. && ...The Flood Warning is now in effect until late Sunday evening... The Flood Warning continues for the Missouri River at Jefferson City. * Until late Sunday evening. * At 7:45 PM CDT Friday the stage was 25.4 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 Friday was 26.1 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage tomorrow afternoon and continue falling to 10.3 feet Wednesday evening. && Fld Observed Forecasts (7 pm CDT) Location Stg Stg Day/Time Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Missouri River Jefferson Cit 23.0 25.4 Fri 7 pm 22.8 19.4 15.3 12.0 10.3 &&
If anybody has any information on this case please contact Tyler police at (903) 531-1000 or call Tyler-Smith County Crime Stoppers at (903) 597-2833.
LANDER, Wyo. - A Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper is injured and the suspect is dead after gunfire was exchanged during a traffic stop around 3:26 p.m. Friday on Sinks Canyon Road.

Moments into a traffic stop, Wyoming Highway Patrol says the trooper and suspect exchanged gunfire. As a result, the trooper was injured.

The suspect is reported dead.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting the investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Samuel S. Zimmermann is a registered sex offender who was convicted of sexual assault of a child in 1998 and at the time of the alleged rape was out on bond for a sexual assault of a child in Jefferson County.
She started responding to calls on her own last week.

Its pretty much like the academy all over again, Rodriguez said. Its definitely touching up on everything and making sure that what you got taught at the academy is related to the policies we have here. Its just them making sure we know what were doing out there.

Rodriguez is not new to the Lake Geneva Police Department. She worked as a booking officer for the department before becoming a full-time officer.

I think it helps I was already here, so I know each persons personalities, Rodriguez said. I know how to get along with everyone here. Its definitely an amazing department for sure.

Besides the Lake Geneva Police Department, Rodriguez also has worked as a 911 dispatcher for the Delavan Police Department and a community service officer for the Elkhorn Police Department.

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Rodriguez began taking college criminal justice courses during her senior year at Elkhorn High School, where she graduated in May 2015.
The owner of a median-valued home would save about $100 in property taxes next year under the GOP biennial budget, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

The bureau estimates the tax bill on a home valued at $197,200 in 2020 would be $3,214 on the upcoming December tax bill, a 3% ($101) decrease from the previous year. In the next year, the tax bill on the same home would reach $3,246, a 1% ($32) increase from the previous year.

With an unprecedented $4.4 billion in unanticipated revenue, Republicans worked more than $3 billion in tax cuts into their budget draft, including plans to eliminate the personal property tax, which businesses pay on furnishings and equipment.

The GOP proposal would bring down the income tax rate from 6.27% to 5.3% for income between about $24,000 and $263,000 a year. The fiscal bureau said under the tax cut an individual making between $40,000 and $50,000 would save an average of $115 in tax year 2022, while someone making between $125,000 and $150,000 would see $999 in savings.

The GOP budget also includes a considerable increase in school aid spending, which  paired with no increase to district revenue limits  would directly lower local districts property tax levies, rather than provide additional spending.
Wisconsin law protects sex trafficking victims from prosecution on issues related to trafficking, but that defense has not been used in a homicide case before.

Graveley said because legal questions involved in the Kizer case are a "first impression" issue in which the statute's meaning has never been considered by the appellate courts, he thinks it is likely the Supreme Court will accept the appeal.

Arguing the affirmative defense issue at the appellate level before Kizer goes to trial will make the strategy more clear for attorneys for both sides. If Kizer is allowed to present the defense, it gives her a better path to acquittal. If she is convicted at trial, the early decisions on the issue by the appellate courts make it less likely her conviction could be overturned on appeal.

We only want to try the case once, Bias said.

Victim was target of probe

Kizer was 17 when she was charged in 2018 with first-degree intentional homicide for the shooting death of Volar, a man that prosecutors say had been filming sex with underage girls, including Kizer. She is alleged to have shot Volar before setting his Kenosha home on fire and fleeing to Milwaukee in his car.
A reader recently emailed me asking me what it was like working at the U.S. Post Office in Lake Geneva 60 years ago and contrast it with what it is like working there today. I certainly can answer the first part of the readers question, however I can only speculate about what it is like working at the Post Office today.

I am aware that the kind of mail being delivered today is quite different from the kind of mail that I delivered back then. Six decades ago was the stone age of delivering the mail. The internet and computers did not exist then. People communicated either by telephone or by letter. The vast majority of the letters that we who worked at the Post Office sorted and delivered were hand-written. Today most letters sent are bulk mail advertisements imploring recipients to purchase something. Rarely are personal letters sent.

During the early 1960s I had to be at work at 6:00 am. My first task would be to unload the many canvas sacks of mail and packages that had been brought to the Post Offices loading dock from the Milwaukee mail distribution center by two semi-trucks, one at 6:00 am and the other at 6:30 am.
Janet Dietz of Lebanon County amassed an impressive collection of dairy collectables over the course of her life, including milk pails, milk crates and over 1,200 milk bottles.
Marge and Dave Randles celebrated last New Years Eve after making their first batch of cheese at a gleaming new, nearly 7,000-square-foot production facility.

Their firm, Argyle Cheese Farmer, moved there from the family farmstead, about 10 miles away, where Daves ancestors started milking cows in the 1860s.

The transition marked the start of a new growth era for the business while letting the Randles plan for retirement by handing the reins over to new partners, John and Denise Dickinson, a few years from now. The Dickinsons own Ideal Dairy, one of eastern New Yorks largest producers with a milking herd of nearly 3,000 cows.

It works for both of us because it gives us an exit plan, but it also gives them an outlet for their milk, Dave Randles said.

Marge Randles launched Argyle Cheese Farmer in 2007.

We have four kids, she said. Id previously spent 20-plus years running a tax and financial planning practice. I saw that capital investments in farms were going down and down. Dave was the farms fourth generation. I told him, If its going to the next one, weve got to do something else.

So she signed up for a cheese making class whose instructor asked her: Why are you doing this?

Why not? Marge said.

Because dairymans wives never follow through with things like this, the instructor said.

Thats all the motivation Marge Randles needed.

I have this terrible habit, she said, smiling. When somebody says I cant do something, just you watch! Thats what got me started.

I didnt know how it would go, Dave Randles said. We just had to give it a shot.

As we went along it became apparent that we needed more help with the cheese, Marge said. Dave was ready to stop milking cows so he sold his half to his brother and became a full-time cheese maker with me.

High Quality Milk, High Quality Products

The new facility is housed in a former long-time family-run grocery store in the village of Hudson Falls, only a few miles from Kingsbury-based Ideal Dairy.

They provide us with an unlimited supply of high-quality milk, Marge said. We make yogurt  traditional, whole milk and Greek  which were probably known best for plus buttermilk, five varieties of hard cheese, ice cream, gelato and dips.

Yogurt has become the firms top seller.

People call it life-changing yogurt, Dave said. They tell us they cant eat any other kind. I tell people theres three things you have to know about our yogurt. Number one, it has five active cultures. Second, its not homogenized, it will separate and third, it comes with a warning. The warning is that youll never go back to commercial yogurt. People laugh at me, but the next week theyre back and say, That was the most awesome yogurt Ive ever had!

All Argyle Cheese Farmer products are made strictly with A2 milk from a select group of 250 cows at Ideal Dairy.

It still has lactose, but for some people its much easier to digest, Marge said.

At the Randles farm, everything was made with a 150-gallon vat.

Wed grown to a point where we couldnt make enough and we were being inefficient, she said. We needed major improvements to the building. We didnt have the utilities we needed, no three-phase power or natural gas. A lot of things were holding back growth.

The former supermarket was gutted and completely made over. Now Argyle Cheese Farmers spacious processing room has four large vats with total capacity of 2,000 gallons for buttermilk and yogurt making, plus another 560-gallon cheese vat.

Establishing a Legacy

On a weekly basis the facility is able to process 100 pounds of milk, 900 pounds of cheese, 1,700 pounds of whole milk yogurt, 900 pounds of Greek yogurt, and 1,000 pounds of buttermilk.

Customers are greeted by an attractive retail store whose coolers are stocked full of locally produced items including things such as honey and maple syrup from other farms. In addition, shoppers may see cheese and yogurt being made through large pane glass windows in a special viewing room, whose walls are covered with information about Argyle Cheese Farm, Ideal Dairy and the overall industry. A video shows how and where milk is produced.

The new facility also includes an immaculate kitchen and 3,000-square-foot warehouse area.

By expanding operations, Argyle Cheese Farmers employment doubled to more than 20 workers.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball recognized the Randles and Dickinsons achievements by touring both of their operations to celebrate Dairy Month, observed annually in June.

This gives us all an opportunity to recognize New Yorks tremendous dairy farmers and dairy manufacturers who are producing and processing some of the very best dairy products in the world, he said.

Ball touted state initiatives such as its Farmland Protection program and Nourish New York, which provided dairy products to food banks across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, for helping New York farmers.

Prior to the health crisis, two large distributors supplied Argyle Cheese Farmer products to New York City restaurants and coffee houses, which accounted for 46% of the firms wholesale market. These sales quickly dried up when the pandemic hit and Big Apple eateries closed.

That was a bit of a shocker, Marge Randles said. But weve always had relationships with other businesses, especially ones that do home deliveries so that business picked way up in 2020. We built a website so people could pre-order things. New York City is starting to come back now. Its not there yet, but our local and regional business has come back, too. Plus we do farmers markets in Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs and Troy.

Marge said shes confident the Dickinsons will have no trouble finding outlets for Argyle Cheese Farmer products, long after she and her husband have left the business.

Theres a market, she said. The market is always changing. Trends are changing. You just have to stay on top of it.
Vice President Kamala Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border Friday for the first time since taking office and has blamed the administration of former President Donald Trump for the migrant crisis taking place there.

While answering questions from the media after arriving in El Paso, Texas, Kamala Harris cited various border policies implemented by the Trump administration. She noted that these policies had "disastrous effects," Fox News reported.

"It is here in El Paso that the previous administration's child separation policy was unveiled... That the return to Mexico policy from the previous administration was implemented. And so we have seen the disaster that resulted from that," the vice president said just an hour before urging an end to "rhetoric and finger-pointing" over the issue.

Kamala Harris then lauded the administration of President Joe Biden for the work she claimed alleviated the migrant crisis.

She announced that there has been "extreme progress" on the current border crisis despite the increase in illegal crossings. Joe Biden has appointed Harris to address the root causes of illegal crossings at the border.

Kamala Harris noted that they have made progress in five months, particularly on reuniting families, adding that there's still so much work to be done.

But New York Post reported that statistics indicate otherwise. In May, border authorities had recorded more than 180,000 apprehensions in the said month alone, while almost 179,000 people were detained in April.

Kamala Harris had also lashed out at a reporter after intense criticism of the administration's handling of migration influx. The vice president was asked why she chose now to visit the border upon arrival at the El Paso airport.

She said it was not her first trip and she has come to the border many times, adding that she mentioned in March that she was going to the border so it is not a new plan, Daily Mail reported.

Kamala Harris had announced her trip on Wednesday, June 23, days before a scheduled visit to the U.S.-Mexico border by Donald Trump. However, the vice president's office denied that it was a consideration in their scheduling.

As they arrived on the tarmac, Texas Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar described El Paso as the "new Ellis Island," a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station.

READ MORE: Kamala Harris Finally Sets Date for Long-Awaited Trip to Mexico, Guatemala

Kamala Harris Visits U.S.-Mexico Border

Kamala Harris first stopped at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility, where she met migrant girls aged nine to 15. They drew pictures for the vice president and described their hopes for the future.

She also spoke to border guards who deal with the record migrant surge since Biden took office. Kamala Harris also met Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent of the El Paso border sector.

After meeting her, she told reporters that they inherited a tough situation wherein people have been housed in inhumane conditions over the past years but already made progress in five months.

The vice president said their approach has to be thoughtful and effective and cannot be reduced to a political issue. NPR reported that the usual root causes of migration are long-standing such as poverty, violence, corruption, natural disasters, and climate change.

Kamala Harris Visits Guatemala and Mexico

Kamala Harris earlier urged would-be migrants in Guatemala not to enter the United States illegally, BBC News reported. She said they would be turned back at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The vice president noted that leaders should "work together" to find solutions to long-standing problems and give people a "sense of hope" that help is on the way.

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei defended his government's own record of battling corruption. He noted that the fight against drug trafficking should be a key part of tackling the matter.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris toured the immigration facilities in Mexico during her trip and met with young women. Harris noted that the border trip highlighted the need to address the root causes of the surge from the country, CNBC reported.

She cited the lack of economic opportunity, food insecurity, and fear of cartels as the main causes of the migrant surge.

READ MORE: Kamala Harris Purposely Avoiding a Visit to U.S.-Mexico Border, Border Patrol Union Chief Says

WATCH: Harris Makes First Visit To Order As Vice President - From NBC News






Former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin has received a prison sentence of 22.5 years for second-degree unintentional murder in connection with George Floyd's death.

Minnesota District Court Judge Peter Cahill on Friday, June 25, said the sentencing memorandum would explain his reasoning on the sentence more comprehensively, Fox News reported.

Cahill noted that as opposed to trying to be profound on the record, he would prefer for people to read the 22-page memorandum.

The judge added that the sentence was not motivated by public opinion, emotion, or sympathy. He also said he granted Derek Chauvin credit for 199 days in time already served.

According to a CBS News report, Cahill's sentence fell short of the prosecutor's request of 30 years in prison, which is more than double the upper limit specified in sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender.

However, the judge noted that his sentence already surpassed the state's sentencing guidelines of 12 and a half years because the former Minneapolis cop abused a "position of trust and authority." He added that Derek Chauvin also displayed a "particular cruelty" toward George Floyd.

RELATED ARTICLE: Derek Chauvin Prosecutors Seek 30 Years in Jail for George Floyd's Murder as His Lawyer Pushes for No Prison Time

Derek Chauvin's Sentencing

George Floyd's sister, Bridgett, celebrated Cahill's decision on Chauvin's prison sentence. She said it showed that matters of police brutality are being taken seriously.

However, George Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, said in a press conference after the hearing that 22 and a half years was not enough, USA Today reported. Brandon and many others said the sentence was "not justice."

Rev. Al Sharpton noted that it was not justice because George Floyd is still in a grave even though Chauvin will be in jail. Sharpton added that justice would have been Floyd never having been killed and having the maximum sentence for Chauvin.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the sentencing was "an important moment" for the country.

Meanwhile, Derek Chauvin offered his condolences to Floyd's family during the sentencing hearing, but he did not apologize for his actions. The former Minneapolis cop said he was unable to speak further due to other ongoing litigation.

George Floyd's Murder

Derek Chauvin and three other Minneapolis cops arrested George Floyd last May after a convenience store clerk called 911 and reported that the 46-year-old Black man had bought a pack of cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill.

Video footage showed that the police officers had taken a series of actions that had violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department.

The event had turned fatal, leading to Floyd's death after Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on his neck. Floyd was seen pleading as he was unable to breathe. He and other onlookers also called out for help.

The said police department had fired all four police officers that were involved in Floyd's death. Later last May, the Hennepin County Attorney, Mike Freeman, has filed third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges against Derek Chauvin.

There were arguments over the length of time that Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck. However, Jamar Nelson, who is working with the families of crime victims in Minneapolis, said it makes no difference since it was long enough to kill George Floyd.

READ MORE: Derek Chauvin Trial Moves Forward, Video of George Floyd's Final Moments to Be Played

WATCH: Derek Chauvin Sentenced to 22 1/2 Years in Prison for George Floyd's murder - From ABC7






A helicopter carrying Colombia's President Ivan Duque was hit by gunfire while the aircraft was flying near the border with Venezuela on Friday, June 25.

According to BBC News, Ivan Duque was flying through Colombia's Catatumbo region toward Cucuta in the Norte de Santander province.

Along with Duque were Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and the province's governor, Silvano Serrano. A spokesman for the president said nobody was hurt in the gunfire incident.

Ivan Duque described the incident as a cowardly attack, adding that he was not frightened by violence or acts of terrorism.

He noted that the state of Colombia is strong to confront this kind of threat. He added that security forces are under orders to find those responsible for the attack.

Local media reported that the occupants heard a noise as if something had hit the engine just as the helicopter was about to land.

The presidential aircraft was seen with six bullet holes while the crew got around the situation. According to the local newspaper Semana, the officers in charge of transporting the president were able to land successfully in Cucuta.

READ NEXT: Colombia Ready to Rollout COVID-19 Vaccine Once Doses Arrive in the Country

Colombia's Border With Venezuela

The region of Catatumbo, which spans the Colombian-Venezuelan border, is home to extensive coca crops, the chief ingredient of cocaine.

It is also where guerillas of the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) operate, and former FARC fighters who rejected a 2016 peace deal with the government.

Reuters reported that armed criminal groups involved in drug trafficking were also known to operate in the area.

ELN was allegedly behind the car bombing attack at a military base last month. The incident had injured some Colombian troops and U.S. military advisers.

Colombia's Ivan Duque Faces Mass Protests

More than 50 people have already died from a series of protests that started to flood the streets of Colombia last April.

Protesters have blocked key roads leading to shortages of fuel and food in some areas. There also have been clashes between the security forces and demonstrators, according to another BBC News report.

The protests had started when Ivan Duque proposed a set of tax hikes. The Colombian president had already withdrawn the tax proposal.

However, protest leaders have promised more action later this year if the government does not meet a set of their economic demands, Forbes reported.

The government argued that the reform was key to softening the blow to Colombia's economic crisis. It would have lowered the threshold at which salaries are taxed, affecting anyone with a monthly income of 2.6 million pesos or more.

It would also eliminate many of the current exemptions experienced by individuals. The reform would also increase taxes imposed on businesses.

The first rallies were organized by the country's biggest trade unions and joined by many middle-class people, who feared that the changes could see them slip into the poverty line.

Human rights groups reported that the police had not only used tear gas to disperse demonstrators. They said that law enforcement officials have also used live ammunition in some cases.

One of the issues that the protesters are raising were the actions of the riot police. United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, urged the Colombian government to start an independent probe on the deaths of protesters in the city of Cali.

READ MORE: Police Brutality 'Out of Control' in Latin America

WATCH: Violent Protests Erupt Across Colombia Over Tax Reform Outrage - From Global News






Bodies of 18 people riddled with bullets were found in northern Mexico after a shootout between members of the rival Jalisco cartel and the Sinaloa cartel.

According to Rocio Aguilar, state security department spokeswoman, the bodies were discovered in a remote, rural area in the state of Zacatecas on Friday, June 25.

Aguilar noted that there was evidence that the deaths in the town of Valparaiso resulted from a confrontation between gunmen from the Jalisco cartel and the Sinaloa cartel fighting over turf.

NDTV reported that three vehicles, one of which was burned, were also discovered at the scene. The government's Local Coordination Group, which is in charge of the security in Zacatecas, said there was also a significant number of casings of different calibers left on the scene.

Warring Mexican Drug Cartels in Mexico

The Friday shootout between the Mexican drug cartels came two days after the bodies of two police officers were found hanging from an overpass in the state capital of Zacatecas, and seven people were discovered shot to death in the neighbor city of Fresnillo, the Guardian reported.

Before the bodies were found, the police officers from the neighboring state of San Luis Potosi have been reported missing hours earlier.

Mexican drug cartels have been known to hang their victim's bodies from overpasses to send a message to rivals or authorities. But they seldom do the act with members of law enforcement agents.

So far, Aguilar said authorities have yet to find a link between the series of shootouts on Wednesday and Friday's gun battle.

The increasing number of deaths in the state had been suspected to be related to turf battles between the Jalisco cartel and the Sinaloa cartel.

The Friday's gunbattle also followed the incident at the U.S.-Mexico border, which took the lives of 19 people last weekend.

READ NEXT: Clashing Mexican Drug Cartels Leave 2 Police and 7 Others Dead in Mexico

Clashing Jalisco Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel

Violence related to drugs and cartels has taken more than 300,000 lives in Mexico since 2006. This drug-related violence not only concerns the Jalisco cartel and Sinaloa cartel but also other drug groups who fight for dominance as well.

The state of Zacatecas has been the scene of fights between several Mexican drug cartels. It was previously dominated by the old Zetas cartel.

At present, the Jalisco cartel, Sinaloa cartel, Gulf cartel, Northeast cartel, and the remnants of the Zetas, who call themselves "Talibans," are the groups fighting to dominate the state.

Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador acknowledged on Friday, June 25, that the region has a huge security problem. However, he emphasized that his administration was making strides in the fight against crime and drug-related violence.

Lopez Obrador added that the state had an obligation to guarantee the peace and security of all citizens.

READ MORE: Kamala Harris, While Visiting U.S.-Mexico Border, Blames Donald Trump, Touts 'Extreme Progress' Despite Record Migrant Surge Under Joe Biden

WATCH: Asesinan a 18 en enfrentamiento del Cartel de Sinaloa y CJNG en Zacatecas | Noticias con Ciro Gomez - From Imagen Noticias
Jeff Bezos doesn't play around as he sued Lauren Sanchez's brother Michael Sanchez for allegedly hiding money to avoid paying the previous amount for the defamation suit and more about what's happening to the famous power couple.

What is Really Happening?

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, is in a legal battle against Michael Sanchez, brother to Bezos' girlfriend, who finally founds its way to the court of Seattle on Thursday, June 24. The matter first sparked when Sanchez filed a defamation lawsuit against Bezos to leak intimate text messages to the mass media.

The judge presiding over the case threw it out and ordered Sanchez to pay Bezos and his private investigator, Gavin de Becker, a total of $254,404 which has not been paid yet. Hence Bezos took to the courts once again, saying that Sanchez is intentionally stashing secret assets to avoid paying the massive fine.

Read More: Antivirus Creator John McAfee Found Dead in a Spanish Prison Cell

Sanchez Responds From His Liaison

After the first case came to its conclusion, Bezos said that Sanchez transferred ownership of his home in WeHo for $2.5 million to a shell company. Sanchez's spokesperson went to Seattle Times saying that this is classic "bullying."

Tom Warren, Sanchez's lawyer, said "Earlier this week, Mr. Sanchez authorized his team to coordinate with Mr. Bezos' counsel concerning payment of the judgment,"

"Had Mr. Bezos' attorneys bothered to reach out to Mr. Sanchez' counsel before filing a lawsuit against him, they would have known that to be the case." Also, on Thursday, June 17, Sanchez - who is appealing the dismissal of his prior defamation suit - in a court filing asked a California judge to sanction Bezos "for pursuing frivolous motions for sanctions and to dismiss."

Bezos and Lauren Sanchez

Bezos' affair, together with Lauren Sanchez, first came into public view in early 2019. The reason behind this is that Michael Sanchez leaked intimate messages to The National Enquirer. Ever since the public knew about the relationship, the couple finalized divorces with their partners during that time.

In April 2019, Jeff and MacKenzie finalized their divorce. Just a day later, Sanchez and Whitesell did the same and agreed to joint custody over their two children.

It's been two years since the affair came to light, and despite that, the relationship seems strong, regardless of the leaked texts, blackmail, massive divorce fund, and even interference from a possible government.

The couple met through Sanchez's then-husband Patrick Whitesell. They've been married since 2005, but the time Bezos stepped in, they were already separated since the fall of 2019. Since then, The Enquirer tracked the two "across five states and 40,000 miles, tailed them in private jets ... intimate dinner dates and 'quality time' in hidden love nests."

Bezos recently announced that he'll be stepping down as Amazon's CEO in line with being an executive chairman to his top pick for his predecessor, AWS CEO Andy Jassy.

Read More: Fast and Furious 9 Drives Fans Back to Movie Theaters After Long Pandemic Hiatus

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Alec G.
All are invited to our Open-Air Bazaar on Sunday June 27 at our Animal Shelter from 12pm to 3pm.

This is the first major fund-raising event for the KWWSPCA since last Summer. Covid 19 has hugely impacted our fund-raising efforts, so we would love if you could get behind us for this event. We were blessed last July with beautiful sunshine and we are hoping for a similar day on Sunday.

There is something for everyone, with stalls spread across our large field selling bric a brac, pet products, gifts, plants, home grown vegetables and furniture. The book stall has a range to suit everyone's taste and we will be serving tea, coffee and soft drinks. Our ever popular cake stall will have a wide range of delicious homemade cakes, buns and biscuits.

There is no entry fee and we have lots of free parking. As this is an outdoor event, If the weather is very bad on the 27th we will have to postpone until the following Sunday the July 4.

The KWWSPCA may have to leave its present Animal Shelter in the next few months.

The property is leased and although our landlord is happy for the Society to stay, the County Council has informed us that the road sightlines on leaving the property are dangerous and that we cannot continue to use the premises as an Animal Shelter.

Although we are fighting this decision, there is no guarantee that we will succeed and we may be forced to leave. We are actively seeking a new premises so that we can continue caring for the numerous animals that come into the care of the KWWSPCA .

We really do need your support to allow us to purchase a property when we find the right one.

So if you would like a great afternoon outdoors with a blue sky hopefully, please come along to our shelter at Athgarvan, eircode W12 EV60.
It has been all smiles and laughter in the Louth Ladies camp over the past few weeks; as after years of getting closer and closer to finally leaving Division Four of the Lidl National League, a shot at promotion has been secured with a fine display against Offaly.

Wayne Freemans troops have really found their feet lately, notching up emphatic wins against Antrim and Derry before their semi-final win against the Faithful County. They now face into their biggest game under his tutelage when they face Leitrim in Clones this Sunday (Throw in 2pm).

The westerners will be familiar opposition for the Wee County, having faced off in the opening day of the season. Louth had started that game strong, before some dubious refereeing decisions helped play the home side back into the contest which they won by 3-14 to 3-6.

Despite the setback Freeman believes it has almost played in their favour allowing them to re-evaluate everything about their game: There was nothing between the two teams and we just came out on the wrong side of it that day recalls Freeman, Because we lost, it made us look at ourselves a little bit deeper, work harder and analyse our performances more.

We didnt even speak about refereeing decisions at team meetings, we fully blamed ourselves as these things happen and it could go for us this weekend. That is football and that happens, but it made us work really hard, knuckle down and break down our own performances.

We have been very happy with our displays since then and I suppose the Offaly game was our best yet, so we are delighted with our preparations.

They may not have thought too much about those refereeing decisions but cards to his players have occurred throughout the campaign. Eilis Hand was put in the bin against Offaly, Kate Flood a week earlier against Derry while against Leitrim Sarah Quinn was sent to the side lines.

However, the young manager believes these decisions are more to do with the fact players at this level are not let play with as much physicality as their counterparts in the higher divisions and not due to malicious or poor tackling: You hear those players talk about the physicality in Division One, they dont down here as you cant be overly physical or you will end up in the sinbin.

"I thought the referee done very well in our game against Offaly, but the yellow card wasnt a yellow card, we were very disappointed in that decision. Looking back on the game, it wasnt clear what it was for. I do think there is some good referees, like our referee in the Antrim game but they are probably being hampered by the rules and they are being hammered by assessors who are putting them under pressure to blow for certain things.

There are outside influences, but it is what it is and every single referee is different and their judgement on calls will be slightly different to others, you have to learn in the first five or six minutes of a game what the referee is looking for and play that way.

While his players can do little to influence how a ref will see tackles and fouls, what they can do is make themselves heard by slotting over points and in the past few weeks their attacking six has been at their free-flowing best with huge tallies hit from play. 3-9 against Offaly, 3-12 against Derry shows the threat they can bring to the table, with the likes of Lauren Boyle, Kate Flood and Niamh Rice just some of the main protagonists in a Louth attack brimming with confidence.

Having so many weapons at their disposal has left Freeman feeling like they can take on any challenge put in front of them: The best thing about it is that there is not just one player standing out with massive scores week in, week out. The scores have been shared around as we have deadly accurate forwards in every position. Every week there is somebody else stepping up and getting the scores.

It is very difficult for a team to play against us, as when they focus on one player there is three others elsewhere notching up big scores. That is brilliant from our side of things as it something we have worked really hard on as a unit, fluidity in how we run and move the ball.

Sundays final offers up a place in Division Three, a chance to win some silverware which the county has never won as well as the opportunity to gain some revenge on Leitrim who are the only side to defeat them so far in 2021. The loss and the chance to earn some revenge will play into their preparations, however the Kildare native stressed that in the end after coming up short for so many years it was the idea of playing in a league final that served as their biggest motivator.

The loss the first day does play into our preps a little bit as we are very competitive group, we were hurt over losing up there and the circumstances of how we lost has meant it has been on our minds ever since.

Its all about winning, the only way you can get promoted is to win the cup as it is one up, one down. We know that title is our main goal but it is not about who we are playing in the final, it is about performing to the best of our ability, if we do that hopefully we can get over the line.
Lough Ree RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew brought six people to safety after it responded to a call out to a cruiser which was taking on water on Thursday afternoon, June 24, and listing badly north of Hare Island.

Tasked by the Irish Coast Guard, the Lough Ree RNLI crew launched just after 4pm and reached the 34ft cruiser shortly afterwards.

On arrival at the scene the craft was discovered on the Hexagon Shoal, a rock formation near Hare Island. Crew members boarded the stricken vessel and on inspection found that it had been holed, was taking on water and listing badly on the starboard side.

Under helm Stan Bradbury and fellow volunteer crew members Emmet Devereux, Liam Sheringham and Donal Herraghty the six casualties were transferred to the safety of the Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat Tara Scougall.

In relatively calm lake conditions the six people were taken to the jetty at Coosan Point. The grounded vessel remains on the rocks pending safe recovery.

Jude Kilmartin, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Ree RNLI advises boat users to plan your passage, study your charts and dont stray off the charted navigation routes.

Thursdays rescue brings to 30 the number of casualties the charity has assisted this month.

Last week (Friday, June 18) the volunteer lifeboat crew rescued two adults and a child in a boat stranded on rocks adjacent to Thursdays event.
Over twenty people either uploaded or downloaded confidential information stolen in last month's cyberattack on the HSE onto a web service provided by a Google-owned internet security firm, the High Court has heard.

Mr Justice Tony O'Connor heard on Friday that late last month approximately 27 files stolen from the HSE were downloaded onto a malware analysis service VirusTotal which is owned and run by Chronicle Security Ireland Ltd and its US-based parent Chronicle LLC.

The stolen material included sensitive patient information including correspondence, minutes of meetings, and corporate documents, the HSE claims.

It has since been deleted from the service provided by Chronicle, whose ultimate parent is the internet giant Google. However, the HSE says that the material was downloaded 23 times before it was removed on May 25 last.

The defendants have said in correspondence that they want to assist the HSE as much as they can, but for data protection reasons cannot hand over material unless a court orders them to do so.

As a result, the HSE seeks what are known as a Norwich Pharmacal order against the two companies requiring them to provide information about those who uploaded or downloaded the material in question.

The order would require the defendants to provide the HSE with, the currently unknown persons' email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses or physical addresses.

In a sworn statement to the court the HSE's National Director for Operation Performance and Integration Joe Ryan said last month it became aware of an article published by the Financial Times which referred to some stolen data, and a link used to access the stolen data online.

The HSE sought the return of the data referred to in the article and an explanation as to the location of the link referred to in the article.

Mr Ryan said the FT indicated it had obtained the stolen data from a confidential source which it refused to reveal.

Following the cyber attack, the HSE obtained a High Court order on May 20 last restraining any sharing, processing, selling or publishing of data stolen from its computer systems.

When the FT received a copy of the order the HSE obtained on May 20, it handed over the information obtained from the source to the HSE's cyber security advisors, Mr Ryan said.

Mr Ryan said that following an analysis of the material received from the FT it was discovered that the stolen documents were uploaded on the defendant's 'Virustotal' which is a service designed to screen documents to ensure they are virus-free.

After contacting the defendants, Mr Ryan said the stolen material was deleted from the Virustotal platform.

He said that the HSE was also informed that before the material was removed a total of 23 subscribers to Virustotal had downloaded the stolen data.

As part of its ongoing efforts against those behind the cyber attack, the HSE sought information about those persons, as well as any information on the parties that had uploaded the material on the service.

However, the HSE was informed that arising out of data protection concerns the defendants require a court order in order to comply with the request to deliver up the information sought, Mr Ryan added.

Seeking the disclosure order Jonathan Newman SC, with Michael Binchy Bl for the HSE said that the matter was urgent.

Counsel said at this stage it is hoped that the order sought by the HSE could be finalised when the matter next comes before the court.

Counsel said Chronicle's lawyers have said in correspondence that it is unlikely to oppose any order, in an agreed form, requiring it to disclose information sought by the HSE.

After considering Mr Newman's submissions Mr Justice O'Connor granted the HSE permission to serve short notice of the proceedings on the defendant companies.

The matter was made returnable to next Tuesday's sitting of the court.
A TEENAGER who decided to push herself past her comfort zone and do something different throughout lockdown will represent Limerick this year in the Miss Ireland final.

Amy Kerr, 19, from South Circular Road in Limerick city will fly the flag for Limerick in the Miss Ireland final at Killua Castle, County Westmeath on September 5.

A student of Limerick Institute of Technology where she is in her third year studying Property Valuation and Management, Amy says that becoming Miss Limerick has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a little girl.

I used to watch all the beauty pageants on TV and dress up just like them, in my heels and dresses. When I entered this competition, the idea behind it was to do something different throughout lockdown that I could say I did. I never would have expected to receive the title, gain so much self-confidence and meet so many beautiful and intelligent women. It is a dream and an honour to be this years Miss Limerick.

While Amy is currently working with an auctioneering company in Dublin, she still manages to make it back to Limerick every weekend.

Established in 1947, Miss Ireland has been the launch pad for many successful women in Ireland. Virtual heats have been running all over the country to find contestants from each county.

Current Miss World Toni-Ann Singh has been invited to jet in from Jamaica for the Miss Ireland show on September 5 which will also be live streamed.

The winner of Miss Ireland 2021 will receive a lucrative agency contract and a host of prizes as well as the opportunity to represent her country and take part in the 70th Miss World festival which will take place in Puerto Rico in December.
TWO West Limerick schools have been given approval for new extensions.

St Annes Primary School in Rathkeale, which has 169 pupils on the rolls, is to get three new, mainstream classrooms in a move which has been welcomed by Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education Niall Collins.

Approval is vital for the school in order to allow the pupils and staff to work and learn in a safe modern environment. St. Annes provides top class education to the community in Rathkeale and its is only right and proper that the Department recognise this and step in to provide the necessary funding, he said.

Meanwhile, the Courtenay Boys school in Newcastle West has also been approved for an extension under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme.

The extension will include a new ASD unit for the school along with two new classrooms and toilets and work is expected to start in September.

Welcoming the announcement as further good news for Newcastle West, Minister of State Patrick ODonovan said he was delighted to see this level of improvement being made in the school.

The Government had made significant investments in schools across County Limerick and this was the latest one, he added. Im working with other principals and boards of management that are anxious to see improvements for their schools and I would be very hopeful that we will see further funding like this one for the Courtenay shortly.
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal on Saturday said that the company will be institutionalised at any cost and will not go to his family.

The company, he said, cannot be run on a defensive mode.

"Our company will not go to our family. Our family is also an institution, a complete institution ... If it (the family) gets capable of (running Vedanta in the future) then it is a different thing. But a company cannot be a run on a defensive mode," he said.

He was speaking during a webinar on 'Vedanta of Business' organised by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women business wing of the apex body FICCI.

"We are the largest producer of oil in India, largest producer of silver, zinc...we will at any cost institutionalise it (Vedanta). In my opinion 75 per cent must go back to the society....25 per cent is more than enough for the family," the metals and mining magnate said further.

India is a land of entrepreneurship with the advantage of location, young talent, natural resources and sea on three sides, the mining baron said, adding that the country is moving towards a self-reliant economy.

But the world always looked at India as a market and never wanted to see it grow. But presently the process of self-reliance has grown and youth and start ups with new ideas are taking the country to newer heights, he said.

India has the largest deposit of oil, gold and minerals, he said adding that it is high time to explore them and especially the young and the women entrepreneur has to do it.

Worldwide, an average of 44 per cent women are entrepreneurs and head various companies. In India, it is still about 20 per cent. It is time for women to come up as they are convincing and they deliver, Agarwal said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Jackie Collins created a literary empire and attracted millions of fans with her stories of empowered women who successfully navigate the world of the rich and famous. They had fabulous hair, fabulous sex and fabulous lives.

Critics hated Collins novels, dismissing the author as the queen of trash. But thats deeply unfair. Books like Hollywood Wives, Lady Boss and The Stud helped define a certain kind of 20th century feminism, one that saw Collins heroines thriving in board rooms, back lots and executive suites, spaces that had previously been dominated by men.

Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story, a new documentary from CNN Films, traces the authors career and meteoric rise to the top of the best-seller lists, while also revealing the personal struggles that shaped her work. To tell that intimate story, director Laura Fairrie drew on Collins home videos and diaries, and interviewed her children, close friends and sister, Joan Collins, a legend in her own right. Lady Boss airs June 27 at 9 p.m. on CNN. Fairrie spoke to Variety about what attracted her to the project and why the private Jackie Collins was different from the public image she cultivated.

Were you a fan of Jackie Collins books?

She was my sex education as a teenager. Her books were passed around in school, and wed read them sort of hidden in our lessons. What was intriguing about the idea of making a film about Jackie Collins was I knew the woman on the back of the book cover  big hair, shoulder pads. But my immediate instinct as a filmmaker was, whats the story behind that image?

Was the private Jackie Collins all that different from her public persona?

The private Jackie Collins stood in such opposition to that public image. I went through her archives, which were extensive, to start finding the layers and find the woman whose story is a universal story. Her storytelling is absolutely brilliant. You get swept along in the stories. But also theres this wonderful combination of this fantasy. She imagined the world that she wanted to inhabit as a woman. She imagined the female characters that shed like to be. But its also grounded in reality. She took her own experiences. She took the tough times that she observed other woman having and her mother having and she put that all in her books, but then she changed the endings to be what she wanted. Theres always a brilliant imaginary ending where the women come out on top or the tables get turned or the men get their comeuppance. I think women really enjoyed that aspect of her books. Its grounded in reality but theres a fantasy element as well.

Some of her personal relationships were very complicated. As your film makes clear, her father was domineering, and her first husband, Wallace Austin, was volatile and became addicted to drugs prescribed to treat his manic depression. What impact did those experiences have on her?

They definitely informed her work. Her relationship with her father and how she observed the way that he behaved at home and the way that he treater her mother and the way he was so dismissive of her had a big impact on her. It contributed to her instinctive need to go out and find her own identity. It led her to find a sense of freedom and helped her decide not to be trapped at home in the way she felt her mother was. With her first husband, that was a huge shock to her. She wanted to be with someone who was going to give her the life that she wanted and she ended up in a situation that was incredibly traumatic for her. She not only had to fear for her own safety, she also was trapped, which was the exact opposite of the life she wanted. Those experiences impacted the books she went on to write.

Jackie was a major best-selling author at the same time that her sister, Joan Collins, was a huge television star thanks to Dynasty. What was their relationship like?

You cant think of two other sisters like them. There really is a deep love there between them. They loved each other and they needed each other. Theres also an incredible competition between each other that fed them. They had a deep need to find identities that were distinct from each other, but at the same time they had this deep understanding of each other.

How were they different from each other?

Jackie modeled herself as a woman who behaved somewhat like a stereotypical man. She wore trousers. She wore a business suit. She behaved a little like a mogul. Joan is different than that. Shes much more feminine kind of woman. Jackie was more of a tomboy but she observed the beauty that Joan had and the power that beauty gave her and that must have had a really big impact on her and the female characters she went on to write.



Critics loved to beat up on Jackies writing. Did the bad reviews hurt her?

She definitely went through periods of time in her life where it bothered her, but she also got to a point where she accepted it because it had become the norm. In the UK she was looked down upon and sneered at. She was much more embraced in America. I love the idea that she wore a suit of armor with her image. Shed get dressed up in the Jackie Collins persona in order to deal with what was coming her way. It was a shield to protect her from the critics and the male TV hosts who were usually looking down on her. As she moved through her life, that persona became her safe space, the place where when things got bad and difficult she could go to. She could always be Jackie Collins.

Did people underestimate her literary skills?

Definitely. She got a much harder time because she was a woman and because she was writing about sex from a female perspective and writing popular books. And it was also because she was really gorgeous herself and good looking and sexy. People just thought if youre pretty how can you be clever? On so many levels she was a trailblazer, particularly in the kind of feminism she was promoting and sharing with readers in her books.

Jackie died of breast cancer in 2015. What would you have liked to ask her if you had been able to interview her for the film?

I would have liked to ask why she felt the need to present a particular version of her story and present a particular public image? Why were some of her vulnerabilities so difficult to share with the world? What happened in her life that led her to be like that? She was brilliant at putting on a front and telling the story that she wanted to tell the world.

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A two-song performance by Madonna was the big surprise on Thursday night during a Pride party in New York City.

The evening, which took place at the Meatpacking Districts The Standard hotel, was billed as Boom x Pride with appearances by Kaytranada and deejays Honey Dijon, Misshapes and Eli Escobar.

Madonna, dressed in Material Girl gloves and Not My President leather straps, made her appearance in the Boom Boom Room at about 1:30 a.m., performing Hung Up and I Dont Search I Find from the lounges bar top.

At the top of the Standard, a heavy gold-plated door separates Le Bain  the Standards night club  from the hotels exclusive lounge, which Thursday night housed hundreds of New York pride guests awaiting Madonnas performance. Outside the door, a deep crowd of people fought to make their way into the party, where terms like deep red with No Fear, Courage and Resist were projected around the room; earlier in the evening, she had premiered a video bearing that title a few dozen blocks uptown on Times Square jumbo screens.

Free bottles of champagne were offered to anyone willing to wait their turn.

Inside, guests like Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Billy Eichner, Zachary Quinto, Lance Bass, Adam Lambert, Jon Batiste and Lady Fag could be spotted around the room, dancing high above New Yorks skyline. A court of drag performers including Detox, Aquaria, Kandy Muse, Vanessa Vangie Matteo and Gottmik also assembled for the Queen of Pop.

To not celebrate pride without people would have been a tragedy for me, Madonna said to the crowd, decreeing the return of New York City nightlife and voguish, raucous parties of legend, the likes of which New York City hasnt seen for 15 months. Take nothing for granted because you never know whats waiting for all of us around the corner, she said. Learn to love yourself.

There to raise money for the Ali Forney Center and the Haus of US  two LGBTQ advocacy and support groups  Madonna was joined by Quinto to auction off three original polaroid photographs for $10,000, $25,000 and $25,000 each. Together, the pair raised over $100,000, each pledging a personal donation of $25,000.

Everybody in this room is here because youve been successful and are making a difference, said Quinto during the auction. And now youre here at the best fucking pride party, in the best fucking city in the whole fucking world. Now its time to make sure that other people get to be here, too.

Teasing the evening on Instagram earlier in the night, Madonna wrote, We are here to celebrate our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, support some amazing Queer initiatives, declare Pride NY weekend open and the return of NYC.

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If theres life on Mars, there must also be death on Mars: Thats the plainest takeaway from Settlers, a stark, scorched, occasionally jolting sci-fi slow burn in which relocating to the red planet cant save humanity from its basest instincts. Tracing the tumultuous household dynamics of four ex-earthlings over the course of a decade, as they attempt to forge a new life on a hostile surface, Wyatt Rockefellers polished, confident debut feature succeeds most vividly as a feat of minimalist world-building  constructing an overwhelmingly desolate Martian farmstead in South Africas Namaqualand desert, in which avenues of exploration feel infinite, and escape impossible. Rockefellers story world might indeed be more richly imagined than his story, which tends to idle after a tensely wound opening. Still, a fine, surprising ensemble lends human heft to this Tribeca premiere, which could springboard its writer-director to more lavish visions.

With IFC Midnight set to release Settlers on July 23 in cinemas and on demand, this muted genre piece seems likeliest to cultivate an audience on smaller screens, though not for any lack of panoramic sweep on its part. Theres more than a hint of the frontier western to Rockefellers brooding outer-space drama, beginning with the way cinematographer Willie Nels camera languidly surveys the parched, clay-baked vacancy of Mars surface, with its plains and mesas and rolling horizons  for which the arid sandstone expanses of Vioolsdrif, a village near the South African-Namibian border, serve as an evocative substitute.

It doesnt seem like a place youd settle as anything but a last resort: For intrepid survivalists Ilsa (Sofia Boutella) and Reza (Jonny Lee Miller), its where they hope to cultivate some facsimile of life on their uninhabitable former planet. Earth isnt what it once was, Reza tells their nine-year-old daughter Remmy (Brooklynn Prince), who knows the blue planet only as a distant speck from nights of stargazing. When he continues to muse that someday their present home will be just like Earth, that doesnt seem a wholly optimistic prophecy. For humanity  or however much of it has made the journey  hasnt merely brought crops and livestock to Mars, but violence and weaponry too. Though Remmy has never encountered a soul besides her parents on their placid settlement, it soon becomes clear that others are watching them, and resent their presence.

Rockefeller piles up the hints that theyre not alone with a steadily tightening sense of dread, breaking into all-action mode with an impressively orchestrated cat-and-mouse shootout that nonetheless proves a bit of a red herring. We might expect Settlers to expand from here into a wider tale of Martian warfare, but what ensues has the economy and intimacy of a chamber piece, as the family is ultimately disrupted by a single invader: stoic soldier Jerry (a superb Ismael Cruz Cordova), who claims the homestead is in fact his own familial inheritance, and calmly asserts his claim to it, whether the settlers choose to leave or not.

A compromise is reached, though not without bloody conflict and sexual negotiation: The question of what, or who, they leave for the future in this barren wilderness hangs uncomfortably in the balance. If Jerrys arrival on the scene dramatically shifts the axis of the narrative, it takes some time for Rockefellers script to regain its itchy momentum. The same tensions are plucked repeatedly between the principals in the second of the films three headed chapters.

The adults wary stalking of each other plays out largely through the anxious but not fully comprehending gaze of Remmy, whom Prince plays with a cautious, porous reticence quite different from the freewheeling juvenile entitlement of her breakout turn in The Florida Project, and duly taken up by Game of Thrones star Nell Tiger Free as the character ages into unliberated teendom. Boutella and Miller persuasively imbue her parents with mother-bear grit and wounded hippie idealism, respectively, but its Cruz Cordova (fresh from TVs The Undoing) who is the films most exciting presence. Volatile even in his stillness, and turning on a dime from tenderness to patriarchal toxicity, the unpredictability of his characterization fuels Settlers through its most rote passages.

Even at their most dynamic, however, the films human figures are necessarily dwarfed by their vast, punishing environment, which has been vividly realized in all departments on a modest budget. Of particular note is Noam Pipers rustic-industrial production design, which plays off the forms and tones of the landscape in a way that feels convincingly hand-built. The same goes for the films appropriately low-key practical effects work, with a significant assist from veteran puppeteer William Todd-Jones. In the ranks of cinematic journeys to Mars, Settlers ranks among the less fancifully and lavishly invented, yet its all the more effective for its earthly restraint: You can change the planet, Rockefeller suggests, but humanity stays pretty much the same.

Reviewed in Tribeca Festival (online), June 17, 2021. Running time: 103 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 103 MIN.

Production

(U.K.-S. Africa) An IFC Midnight release of a Jericho Motion Pictures presentation of an Intake Films, Jericho Motion Pictures production in association with Brittle Star Pictures. (World sales: UTA Independent Film Group, Los Angeles.) Producers: Julie Fabrizio, Joshua Horsfield, Johan Kruger. Executive producer: Ben Pugh. Co-producers: Kenny Moleme, Jason Mandl.

Crew

Director, writer: Wyatt Rockefeller. Camera: Willie Nel. Editor: Johnny Daukes. Music: Nitin Sawhney.

With

Sofia Boutella, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Brooklynn Prince, Nell Tiger Free, Jonny Lee Miller.

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In Varietys Power of Pride Conversations presented by iHeart Media, two profound discussions touched upon the importance of LGBTQ representation in the media.

Senior film writer Matt Donnelly hosted the first panel discussion with actors profiled in Varietys annual pride issue, including Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant), Ariana Debose (The Prom), Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), Michael D. Cohen (Henry Danger) and Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians).

Santos, who just ended a six-season run as Mateo on NBCs Superstore, said he appreciates that LGBTQ characters portrayed on television are no longer one-dimensional.

All the characters that youre seeing now, its not about their gayness, Santos said. When it serves the story, we lean on that. Its not a crutch anymore like it used to be.

After being on television for nearly 15 years, Matthews became a series regular for the first time on The Flight Attendant.

If youre never paying us, we dont get to tell our stories, Matthews said. We dont get to become producers, we dont get to become homeowners. We gotta let people into that financial pool so that we get more stories from people of color and queer people.

Cohen, a trans actor, thinks our culture is still confused about how reproduction relates to gender and sexuality.

The only thing that is binary is reproduction, Cohen said. Sexuality and gender has a spectrum. People are starting to understand it a little bit, but we have so much more to go.

Nevertheless, Cohen said he likes to view the situation as the glass half-full as he grew up without seeing any LGBTQ representation at all.

I didnt know that I existed, I really didnt, Cohen said. I transitioned in a time when the only thing I had was this internal truth. Now its starting to change a bit.

During the second panel discussion, Laverne Cox joined iHeartMedia CEO Conal Byrne in conversation about what pride means to her and her new podcast, The Laverne Cox Show, with Shonda Rhimes.

As a trauma survivor who has experienced PTSD, Cox opened up about her ongoing struggle with anxiety.

Just the process of leaving my house sometimes is traumatizing, Cox said. Living in New York City most of my adult life, there was just always anxiety when I would leave my own apartment just because its a crazy city.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and living at home for a year, Cox said its been an adjustment to go out again.

Ive never really liked crowds and Im scared of having social anxiety, Cox said. Im sure Im not the only person experiencing that coming out of a global pandemic.

However, Cox said she chooses to focus on the resilience and the wonderful privilege she gets to enjoy. As for the trans community as a whole, she is glad that there is more visibility  but that doesnt come without its setbacks.

Trans people have never been so visible and its a beautiful thing, it brings me such incredible joy, Cox said. But with more visibility, it means that theres backlash and it means that were more targeted. Were chin-deep in backlash right now.

Cox believes that the safety of future trans children heavily depends on what lawmakers decide to vote on.

I dont have faith that theyre going to do the right thing, but I do have faith in our capacity as human beings to love each other. So lets hope Im right.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  A police officer who was injured in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection confronted House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy in a meeting on Friday, asking him to publicly denounce statements by GOP members who have voted against honoring police and downplayed the violence of the attack.

Officer Michael Fanone has said for weeks that he wanted to meet with McCarthy, who has opposed the formation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack and has remained loyal to former President Donald Trump. It was a violent mob of Trumps supporters that laid siege to the Capitol and interrupted the certification of Joe Bidens presidential election victory after Trump told them to fight like hell to overturn his defeat.

Fanone said after the meeting that he had asked McCarthy to denounce 21 House Republicans who recently voted against giving police officers a congressional medal of honor for defending the Capitol and also Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, who had compared video of the rioters to a tourist visit.

He said McCarthy told him he would address it in a personal level with some of those members, a response he said wasnt satisfactory. McCarthys office did not respond to a request for comment on the meeting.

As the House Republican leader, Fanone said, its important to hear those denouncements publicly. And as a police officer who served that day, he said, thats not what I want to hear.

McCarthy and Fanone were joined by Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who was also among the officers who responded to the rioting. Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, was also expected to be in the meeting but did not speak to reporters afterward. Brian Sicknick collapsed and died after engaging with the mob, and a medical examiner later ruled that he died of natural causes.

The meeting comes as many Republicans have made clear that they want to move on from the Jan. 6 attack  frustrating law enforcement officers who were brutally beaten by the rioters as they pushed past them and broke into the building. Senate Republicans have blocked an independent, bipartisan investigation of the attack and some House members are increasingly downplaying the insurrection. Fanone said he found Clydes comments disgusting.

Dunn said afterward that it was an emotional meeting." He declined to go into detail and thanked McCarthy for his time.

He was receptive, and I think ultimately, we have the same goal. Its just going to take a little time getting there, I guess," Dunn said.

The goal, Dunn said, is "accountability, justice for everybody that was involved.

As the officers and family members push for answers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she is creating a special committee to investigate the attack. She said a partisan-led probe was the only option left after the Senate Republicans blocked the commission. .

Fanone, Dunn and Gladys Sicknick have all aggressively lobbied for the independent panel  which would be modeled after a similar panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks  and they visited the offices of several Republican senators before the vote last month. Seven Republican senators voted with Democrats to consider the legislation that would form the bipartisan panel, but it still fell short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.

Fanone was one of many Metropolitan Police officers who was called in to help deal with the increasingly chaotic scene as delays kept National Guard away. He has described being dragged down the Capitol steps by rioters who shocked him with a stun gun and beat him.

Dunn, a Capitol Police officer, has similarly described fighting the rioters in hand-to-hand combat and being the target of racial slurs as he tried to hold them back.

Both officers said they discussed the select committee with McCarthy, who said earlier Friday that he couldn't comment on it because he hadn't talked to Pelosi.

Fanone said he asked for a commitment not to put the wrong people on the panel and that McCarthy said he would take it seriously.

Dunn confirmed that account, saying McCarthy "committed to us to taking it serious.

In addition to Clyde, other Republicans have increasingly made statements defending the rioters and have spread conspiracy theories about what happened that day. Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar has repeatedly insisted that a Trump supporter who was shot and killed that day while trying to break into the House chamber was executed. Others have suggested that the Justice Department should not be charging the insurrectionists with crimes.

And last week, the 21 Republicans voted against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered major injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones. McCarthy voted for the measure.

Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot and killed, and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies. In addition to Sicknick, two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed.

Fanone made clear that the last several months have taken a toll. He said he was mentally and physically exhausted and that he felt isolated.

This experience is not something that I enjoy doing," he said. I dont want to be up here on Capitol Hill. I want to be with my daughters. But I see this as an extension of my service on Jan. 6th.

___

Associated Press writers Padmananda Rama, Michael Balsamo, Nomaan Merchant, Colleen Long and Alan Fram contributed to this report.
PRAGUE (AP)  Hundreds of people gathered in a northern Czech town on Saturday to honor a Roma man who died after a police officer responding to a call about an altercation knelt on his neck.

Police said the preliminary investigation showed no link between the police intervention and the mans death. But the angry participants, displaying banners that read Roma Lives Matter, condemned the police.
Hunter Bogdin, left, with the Western New York Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, inspects the watercraft being put in by Scott Moyn of Cheektowaga and Rob Schooping of Grand Island at Gratwick Riverside Park in NT in 2019.
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View Results
Judge Catherine Staines asked if the money was ever going to be paid back to the victim in the case of a Longford woman convicted of theft from a barber in Tullamore.

On November 13, 2019, Aishling Purcell (26) 108, McKeon Park, Longford, entered Turkish Barbers, Tullamore, as a trespasser and stole 6,440 in cash, the local court heard last week.

The case had been put back to allow for compensation to be paid. Her solicitor Donal Farrelly said she had the sum of 150 with her in court.

Judge Staines asked what she had done with the stolen money. Mr Farrelly said she didn't get the money. He said she was afraid to name the other parties involved. He described her as being in dire circumstances and had one child.

Judge Staines said it was very hard for the court to deal with her when she had admitted she took a substantial amount of money.

Sgt James O'Sullivan said the injured party said she had taken the keys and entered the premises. He said there may have been another person involved.

Judge Staines imposed three months in the Dochas women's prison which she suspended for one year. There is no likelihood of this money every being paid back, she said.
The reality that many Longford learner drivers face months more waiting to sit a driving test is all but confirmed in a new announcement from the Department of Transport.

In it, the Department confirms that the validity of learner driver licences has been extended for another 10 months in response to the level 5 restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A statement said permit step is in response to restrictions on accessing many of the services delivered by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), as a result of Covid-19, some learner permit holders could not avail of driving lessons, sit the driving test or renew their learner permit.

The Department says this means a driver whose learner permit is or has expired between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2021 is being extended by 10 months. This is in addition to previous extensions granted. Therefore:

Permits that expired between 1 March and 30 June 2020 that were previously extended by 8 months will now be extended by a further 10 months, so 18 months in total.

Permits that expired between 1 July to 31 October 2020 that were previously extended by 4 months will now be extended by a further 10 months, so 14 months in total.

Permits that expired or will expire between 1 November 2020 and 31 July 2021 will be extended for 10 months.



By way of example of the above, the Department said that where the date of expiry on the physical learner permit, which can be seen at opposite number 4b on the permit shows

5 March 2020, the new expiry date is 5 September 2021.

5 July 2020, the new expiry date is 5 September 2021.

5 December 2020, the new expiry date is 5 October 2021.



Drivers who are affected by the extension are encouraged to check the new expiry date of their learner permit by using the expiry date calculator on www.ndls.ie. Enter the expiry date printed on your learner permit into the calculator and it will tell you the new expiry date.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton provided more details in the announcement made on Thursday June 24.

Providing this further 10 month extension to the expiry date to Learner Permits will allow for peace of mind to many learner drivers as they continue to work towards passing their driving test in the months ahead. Those who will benefit from this extension dont need to do anything, our systems will update their records automatically.

"A new learner permit will not be issued to drivers with the new expiry date, rather the electronic driver record will be updated to reflect the new expiry date.

"This means that a person whose learner permit expired on 10 March 2020 will have the life of this permit extended to 10 September 2021, while a person whose permit expires on 15 August 2020 will have a new expiry date of 15 October 2021.

"If you have already renewed your permit, and it had an expiry date between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2021 the extension will not apply, and the expiry date of your permit will be as shown on your new permit. The RSA has also told Insurance Ireland and An Garda Siochana about the new expiry date of learner permits, she said.
A teenager who was found with a shopping bag containing over 240,000 worth of cocaine and heroin has received a fully suspended sentence.

Kirsty Cummins (19) entered a flat and emerged carrying a bag which was later found to contain approximately 70,000 worth of cocaine and approximately 172,000 worth of heroin.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the accused, who had recently turned 18 at the time of the offence, was highly unlikely to have any proprietary interest in the drugs. The court heard she is currently pregnant.

Cummins, with an address at Cooley Road, Drimnagh, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and heroin for sale or supply at Ballyfermot Road, Ballyfermot, on February 23, 2020. She has no previous convictions.

Det Gda Mark ONeill told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that on the date in question, gardai were observing the movements of a black Ford Focus in the Smithfield area of the north inner city, following the receipt of confidential information.

The accused woman, along with two other people, was observed entering the car outside of the Maldron hotel in Smithfield, where she had been socialising with a group of friends.

On leaving the hotel, the car was seen by gardai entering St Michans House flat complex. The accused entered a property within the complex before returning to the car carrying a plastic Tesco carrier bag.

The court heard that the car, with the accused sitting in the front passenger seat, was eventually intercepted by gardai in the Ballyfermot area after they had travelled there from Smithfield.

Gardai conducted a search of the car, where they found a significant quantity of controlled substances inside of the Tesco bag. The bag, which had been sitting at the feet of the accused, contained cocaine and heroin with a combined estimated street value of 242,830.

Cummins was subsequently interviewed five times by gardai at Clondalkin garda station, where she relied mostly on her right to silence. In the third such interview, Cummins admitted she was aware of the drugs in the car.

A co-accused of Cummins was jailed after a garda search at St Michans House - conducted after the arrests made on February 23 - found over 300,000 worth of cocaine and heroin.

The co-accused, who was the driver of the car carrying Cummins on the date of offending, received a three year jail sentence.

Michael OHiggins SC, defending, said that Cummins was from a stable and loving family, and that she has their continuing support, as evidenced by their presence in the court.

Mr OHiggins also underlined the defences case that his client volunteered to travel in the car on the evening of the offence in another partys stead, after they were unable to do so because of their state of intoxication. Gda ONeill told the court he could not verify this claim.

Counsel appealed to the judge to consider mitigating factors before sentencing, such as the defendants early guilty plea and her personal circumstances.

Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Nolan said that from the evidence, he could infer that Cummins was to collect and transport the drugs. He said it was highly unlikely she had any proprietary interest in the drugs.

Judge Nolan said Cummins had just turned 18 at the time and had a drug addiction. He said the court was aware she is pregnant and takes it into account to some degree, but it is not a matter that changes things greatly in the case.

He said the higher courts have indicated that a fully suspended sentence in a case such as this should only be considered in truly exceptional circumstances. He said the only issue that allows him to consider the ultimate step in this case is the accused woman's age.

The judge said that since time immemorial courts have considered young people to be less mature and that it seems even 18 year olds can be very stupid. He said he considers the level of culpability to be quite low due to her low level of involvement and her age.

Judge Nolan sentenced Cummins to four years imprisonment, but he suspended the sentence in its entirety on strict conditions including that she follow all directions of the Probation Service for 18 months.
Exton, PA (19341)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 71F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
It all came as a big surprise. A friend told me of a restaurant called Palet that did a good menu del dia at 11.90. So we went to try it. Its in a very busy part of town, up from the Intermodal station at Plaza Espana.

I was expecting the typical menu del dia based on Spanish and Majorcan traditional dishes done by a competent cook (usually a woman) and great value for money.

But when we arrived the huge surprise was that Palet is a Greek taverna. It opened three years ago and is run by cook Stavros Gkouliamanis who is also co-owner. As far as I know, there isnt another Greek restaurant in Palma (or any other part of the island) so this was a most welcome and unexpected find.

Although Stavros has many Greek dishes on the menu, Palet isnt a completely Greek place  it also caters for the Mallorcans and Spaniards in that neighbourhood. But for lovers of Greek food, like myself, theres a nice selection of dishes to keep us happy.

As I was in the middle of writing about hummus for Ultima Hora, the discovery of Palet was most opportune because I was able to get a picture of their hummus to illustrate the article.

Although every Greek restaurant I have visited does hummus, it is not a Greek dish (neither is pita bread). Serious books on Greek food, such as Greek Cookery by Joyce M. Stubbs (1963) and Rena Salamans Greek Food (1983) simply dont mention hummus  or pita bread.

Turkish-Cypriot immigrants first introduced hummus into England when they opened restaurants in London in the 1950s. In a country where war-time rationing was still in force and Mediterranean food was almost unknown, the Turkish-Cypriot hummus was exotic  and an instant success.

The Greek restaurants that opened later jumped on the hummus bandwagon. Since then hummus has become standard dish in all Greek restaurants  even in Greece, because English tourists ask for it.

The word hummus in Arabic means chickpea and in restaurants all over the Middle East hummus is a spread or dip made with mashed chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice.

But the Turkish-Cypriot restaurant cooks in London also added tahina paste, making it a dish called hummus bi tahina. It is native to Syria and Lebanon, but it spread to all Middle Eastern countries and today its especially popular in Israel and Jordan.

Tahina is made with toasted sesame seeds pulverised to a mealy fineness and mixed with sunflower oil to produce a thick paste that adds lots of earthy flavour to a simple chickpea hummus.

As soon as the Palet hummus was on the table we could tell by the colour, and then the taste, that Stavros serves a hummus bi tahina. He had also sprinkled the surface with sesame seeds.

He serves it with his own pita bread. You know he bakes it because it is quite unlike the pita bread in supermarkets.

As always in Greek restaurants, portions are generous and this hummus could be shared between three, making it an economical starter.

Odyssey of Greek cuisine in Mallorca

In the mid-1960s there was a surge of Greek restaurants in London that was partly due to the success of Zorba the Greek (1964) and its unforgettable score by Mikis Theodorakis.

When the Akropolis, Majorcas first Greek restaurant, opened in Playa de Palma 30 years later, the heading on my review was: Greek cooking finally puts down roots on the island.

But those roots didnt take.

Our third Greek restaurant didnt arrive until nine years later. It had the right kind of name, La Taberna del Griego, and was in the centre of Palma.

It was owned by a Greek family and the pretty daughter in traditional dress and the father did energetic folk dances and smashed plates against the floor in the traditional Greek style. I thought it would be a great success but neither it nor the Akropolis celebrated their first anniversary.

In between these two was a place in Festival Park called El Greco (opened in 2003) that was still going in 2008, but I dont know what happened to it. Another place in Playa de Palma opened and closed so quickly I didnt get to try it.

The only other Greek restaurant I know of was in Calle Fabrica run by a family without a word of Spanish. It closed within three months.

Palet has been going for three years and I think cook Stavros Gkouliamanis may have hit on the right formula: enough dishes to keep Greek food fans happy, while catering for neighbourhood residents.

Greek food is simple, rustic and robust with strong influences from the Middle East and Turkey  the Turks occupied Greece for almost four centuries  and later from Italy, which can be seen in those baked macaroni dishes.

Another excellent dish we had at Palet was Greek food at its simple best: courgette fritters that were beautifully deep-fried, crisp on the outside and succulent inside. Thats always a good combination.

The other dishes were enjoyable enough but came with minor faults that cannot be ignored. The pork brochettes lacked an aromatic herby finish, the moussaka needs more minced neat (compare it with an opulent version they show on a screen) and the baklava, done in cylindrical form instead of flat with light flaky layers of filo pastry cut into traditional diamond shapes, was rolled up and was too compact.

Even so, this was a most enjoyable meal and well be returning to try those other Greek dishes.

The verdict

Palma has had several Greek restaurants since the first one opened in 1995 but none of them lasted for very long. Cook and co-owner Stavros Gkouliamanis may have hit on the right formula: a good selection of Greek specialities plus food and drink that appeal to Majorcan and Spanish residents in that neighbourhood. I particularly liked his hummus bi tahina: it had the right texture and taste although for me it lacked a nice touch of garlic, an essential characteristic of a hummus bi tahina.

The courgette fritters were also excellent: so crisp on the outside and beautifully moist inside. Ill nip in for a portion and a cana next time Im in the neighbourhood. I enjoyed the other dishes but improvements are needed. The pork brochettes need more herby flavours, the moussaka wasnt meaty enough, the baklava was of unusual cylindrical shape that was too compact. But Ill be returning to try the other dishes and go down the list, one by one.

The place

Restaurante Palet, Calle Jacinto Verdaguer 15, Palma. Tel:871-034097. Open for lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday, and from 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The bill

Hummus bi tahina, 5.90

Courgette fritters, 6,50

Souvlaki brochettes, 11.90

Moussaka, 10.90

Baklava, 5.90

3 canas, 6

Total cost with VAT: 47.10
Spain and Italy will receive the lions share of the 750-billion-euro EU rescue fund but opinions vary over whether it will help their economies roar back to life or go to waste.

The two countries will receive almost half of the 750 billion euros earmarked by Brussels to relaunch Europes economies that have been devastated by the Covid-19 epidemic, funded through an unprecedented joint borrowing mechanism.

And, in Spain much of that will be shared out to the autonomous communities such as the Balearics and this is where the money has be spent wisely and kept a close track of. Experts say the deep-seated problems within Spains economy are job insecurity, youth unemployment, a fragile pension scheme and an education system in need of an overhaul. However, the Balearic government, for example, is planning on using some of the EU funds to pay for Palmas tram project.

Obviously, apart from central government in Madrid, Brussels will be keeping an eye on how the Covid recovery funds are being spent and I do not think constructing a new tram is going to go down very well when there are going to be much more pressing issues to tackle as we emerge from the pandemic - such as jobs and the publics physical and mental health to begin with.

Now is not the time for a spending spree, the full cost of Covid could take years to cover.
For a time on Thursday the Albercuix beach in Puerto Pollensa needed to be closed. Was this because of the not infrequent spills of wastewater, the source of which - as Mayor Cifre acknowledged on Thursday - is unknown? Not as such. It was caused by a failure of propulsion pumps. There was an electricity cut and this resulted in an escape of water from the sewage network ending up in the sea. Procedures were activated to solve the fault, and the problem was soon sorted out, albeit that the water would have to self-purify, to quote the mayor.

Picking up on this, the opposition Junts Avancam didnt miss the opportunity to once more denounce the inaction of the Cifre administration in dealing with the general problem of spills. A statement from Junts did rather jump the gun in pointing to the arrival of British tourists - it was issued well before the green-list announcement - but as they obviously knew something the rest of us didnt, the statement read: At a time when summer has begun, without Blue Flags, without services on beaches and with the additional factor that British tourism will get the green light to visit us, there are more images of beaches closed due to water spills.

The usual suspects were targeted - the mayor, Andres Nevado (the town halls delegate for Puerto Pollensa), and the environment councillor, Maria Buades - Junts demanding that political responsibilities be assumed. There should be resignations in order to make room for a government which makes it a priority to solve problems. There was moreover, as is also usual, a reference to the salaries of the mayor and councillors - among the highest paid in Spain.
Summer has officially begun. We are having cooler than normal mornings after 2 inches of rain over the weekend. We had a few thunderstorms go through with some trees down in the area. Nothing major compared to other areas nearby.

We feel bad for Joes cousin Margaret and her husband Walter from Milroy, Indiana, whose house was struck by lightning while they were in Montana. They lost everything. What a feeling to come home to and not have your house or anything in it. The best thing about this is that they still have each other, and no one was hurt in the fire. Sounds like they have a lot of support from their neighbors and community, which helps a lot, Im sure.

Last night we went to visit Jacob (sister Emmas husband). He has been discharged from the hospital. He is still very weak, and it will be a while before he gains back his strength. His visitors are limited at the time due to the doctors saying his immune system needs to be built up. Joe and I went for a little while after supper. Hopefully Jacob will continue to gain strength and can stay out of the hospital. Sister Emma is worn out too from traveling the hour back and forth every day to and from the hospital for almost two weeks. She could be with Jacob during the day. Expenses are high with a hospital stay like that.

Emma and Jacobs daughter Elizabeth and Manuel are preparing for church services that they will host on July 4th. I want to go help her clean a day this week yet. They bought a house in our church district and have plans to move sometime this summer.

Fathers Day was on Sunday, so I hope all the fathers out there had a nice day. In honor of son-in-law Mose, our family, some of Moses family, and sister Verena went with daughter Susan and children Jennifer, 3, and Ryan, 23 months, to Moses grave. Susan gave Jennifer and Ryan each a balloon that said Happy Fathers Day to let fly from the graveyard. She had a little note on each one to Daddy from the children. We watched the balloons until they were out of sight. Susan put her address on the note in case someone finds it that might let her know how far the balloons traveled. The next morning Jennifer told me, Grandma, Daddy got my balloon way up in heaven now. Sweet little children who cant fully understand why they dont have their daddy anymore.

Sister Susans grave is close to Moses, so we visited her grave too. Sister Verena is so lost without her. God is in control and His ways are not our ways. He knows best what our future holds and we need to let it all in His hands.

I finally caught up on my reader mail. Im sorry for taking that long in answering some of your questions. I appreciated all the encouragement.

I hope to meet some more readers Saturday, June 26 at Light of Grace Bookstore in Nappanee, Indiana. We will be there from 1-3 p.m. signing books.

Daughters Elizabeth, Susan and Verena have plans to come to my house for the day. We will probably cut out clothes and maybe get some sewing done. And of course I get to spend time with my five precious grandchildren. Gods blessings to all!

A reader shared this recipe with me. So, Ill share it with all of you.

Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her newest cookbook, Amish Family Recipes, is available wherever books are sold. 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.

Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake

1/3 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 egg white

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries

3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yogurt

Glaze

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted or plain tube pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until blended. Add eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons of the flour. In another bowl, mix remaining flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating after each addition just until combined. Fold in blueberry mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack; cool for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix confectioners sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually brush onto warm cake, about 1/3 at a time, allowing glaze to soak into cake before adding more. Cool completely.
Challah, a Pyrenean shepherd, was a puppy when she came to Patricia Linehan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Linehan owns True Connections Canine Academy in Kasota and has been working with Challah to help the dog become comfortable around other people.
Hello everyone and welcome to this Saturday's Euro 2020 live blog. We have two last-16 fixtures this Saturday - Wales vs Denmark and Italy vs Austria - which get underway at 18:00 CEST and 21:00 CEST respectively. On this blog, we'll have updates from those matches, as well as all the build-up, previews, team news and updates from across the tournament.

Euro 2020 latest news and updates LIVE

17:00 CEST: We are approaching kick off

With one hour to go, follow our dedicated Wales vs Denmark live blog HERE.

15:30 CEST: Playing at Ajax's home

The Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam, which is home to Ajax, will play host to Wales vs Denmark this evening. It should be interesting to see how many away fans for each nation are in the stands.

14:30 CEST: Bale likes Wales' underdog tag

Many people around Europe will be rooting for Denmark today after the heartache they went through with Christian Eriksen in Matchday 1, but Gareth Bale believes that the underdog tag could favour Wales.

14:00 CEST: Wales vs Denmark predicted line-ups

Wales will be very reliant on Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey to produce some magic in Amsterdam this evening, while Denmark's hopes will be on the shoulders of Youssef Poulsen, Mikkel Damsgaard and Andreas Christensen, among others. There are three LaLiga Santander players tipped to start: Bale, Daniel Wass and Martin Braithwaite.

13:00 CEST: A historic day

Wales and Denmark will face each other at a major tournament for the first time ever, so it will be interesting to see who can gain the advantage in this historic match. After all, there is a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs.

In the day's late game, Austria have won 33 per cent of their matches against Italy, who will be keen to maintain their good form and book their place in the last eight of the tournament.
Hello everyone and welcome along to this live blog for this Saturday evenings's Euro 2020 last-16 match between Wales and Denmark. This is the first time that these two nations have met at a major tournament, so it should be a fascinating clash.

Final score: Wales 0-4 Denmark

This is the start of our Euro 2020 last-16 live blog for Wales vs Denmark. We'll have build-up right here, before minute-by-minute updates from Wales vs Denmark. So, follow along with us!

The game changed

Wales captain Gareth Bale told the BBC: "It's not how we wanted the game to go, from our point of view we started very well and then the game changed.

"We tried to play in the second half but made a mistake to concede which killed the momentum on our side. To finish how we did is disappointed but the boys are frustrated and angry understandably, I'd prefer us to go out that way.

"If you play the ball through the back of someone it's a foul, I felt the ref was influenced by the supporters here. It's disappointing that's all I can say.

"We've missed an opportunity but I can't fault the effort and that's the minimum requirement, I'm proud of them still."

Nightmare for Wales

Ex-Wales striker Nathan Blake on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Apart from the start of the first half, this Denmark team looked so well drilled, played really good football and kept possession. If you've not got possession then you can't score goals

"Once the first goal went in it was an uphill task, but after that second goal at the start of the second half, it was a bit of a nightmare for Wales. It was an easy finish for Denmark. Then the fourth goal just wiped out the game. Wales lost their shape, lost their head and they couldn't get back into the game."

Other than the opening 10 minutes Wales were completely destroyed by Denmark. A Dolberg double made life difficult for Wales who never troubled Schmeichel in the Denmark goal. Two late strikes from Maehle and Braithwaite put the icing on the cake for Denmark as they move onto the quarter-finals

Minute 94: Number four!

Denmark thought they had another but as Cornelius passed to Braithwaite he was a fraction offside and it was initially ruled offside, but after VAR review the goal was given. Wales 0-4 Denmark

Minute 90: Harry Wilson sent off!

It's gone from bad to worse after Harry Wilson is given a straight red card for a late foul.

Minute 89: Knockout blow from Maehle

It's all over for Wales. Maehle gets the ball in the box, shapes to shoot but cuts inside and fires into the top corner from close range. Wales 0-3 Denmark.

Minute 86: Denmark hit the post!

Wales look out of ideas and Denmark should have killed the game off. Braithwaite hits the post then Maehle drags the rebound wide off the other post.

Minute 81: Denmark freekick sails over

A dangerous run from Cornelius sees the Danish striker tripped on the edge of the Wales box. Braithwaite steps up but puts the set piece well over the crossbar. For now, Wales still have a chance.

Minute 75: Denmark looking comfortable

As Wales seek to pull one back, Denmark don't look particularly troubled. Bale has a cross blocked as a raft of changes for both sides take place.

Minute 67: Better from Wales

Since going two behind Wales have been on the front foot. Dan James had a shot blocked, while Joe Allen fired over. Wales though have to be aware of the counter as a Mathias Jensen cross hit the post.

Minute 53: Wales reaction

Two chances for Wales, both from right hand crosses. First, Neco Williams finds Bale but the Real Madrid man heads wide. Then Andreas Christensen cuts out Aaron Ramsey's cross as Wales break.

Minute 48: Dolberg at the double

Things have gotten a lot harder for Wales as Denmark take a two-goal lead. A Martin Braithwaite cross is cleared by Neco Williams right into the path of Dolberg who smashes home for his second. Wales 0-2 Denmark

Second half starts

We are back underway at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. Wales have 45 minutes to turn things around. Can they do it?

No flow for Wales

Robbie Savage on BBC One: "There's been no real flow to Wales' game, the long ball to Kieffer Moore isn't working. They're not getting the ball to Gareth Bale or Daniel James either."

HALF TIME: Wales 0-1 Denmark

A dominant 45 minutes from Denmark who went ahead thanks to a wonderful strike from Kasper Dolberg midway though the half. Wales did start well and went close through Gareth Bale in the opening 10 minutes, but after that the Danes were unrivalled.

Minute 45: Unrelenting pressure

Denmark are all over Wales, pinning them into their own box as they search for the second. The Danes though are unable to take advantage of mistakes from the Welsh as Maehle forces a good save from the goalkeeper.

Minute 40: Neco Williams replaces Connor Roberts

Roberts goes down with a groin injury and is no longer able to continue.

Minute 35: Wales under the cosh

Since going behind, Wales have been unable to get a footing in the game as Denmark stamp their authority on their opponents. A Damsgaard cross which looked destined for Dolberg is blocked by Danny Ward.

Minute 26: Denmark take the lead

Dolberg with a stunning strike curled into the far right corner, after a brilliant ball from Maehle to Damsgaard which set up the Nice striker. Wales 0-1 Denmark

Minute 20: Denmark come forward

It's taken a while but Denmark have finally made a foray into the Wales box. Two corners were dealt with by Wales, and the third is cleared away by Kieffer Moore.

Minute 15: Things have calmed

After a furious start the game seems to have settled a bit. Denmark are going man-to-man and reverting to a back five when not in possession which is stifling Wales

Minute 10: Bale goes close

The positive start from Wales continues, and Bale cuts in form the right, onto his left foot, and rifles a shot at goal which sails just wide of the post.

Minute 5: Early pressure from Wales

Wales look to be a threat in the opening moments. A freekick is put out for a corner, which is then cleared by the Danish backline. Dan James has started well.

18:00 CEST: Kick off!

We are underway in Amsterdam for the first knockout tie of Euro 2020. Can Wales repeat their 2016 run, or will Denmark cause something of an upset?

17:45 CEST: Damsgaard impressive

Ex-Wales boss Mark Hughes on BBC One: "I've been really impressed with Mikkel Damsgaard, he's got great technical skill, gets into good areas and looks like a player of quality.

"That influence of Christian Eriksen is something they need to replace and he might be one to do that for Denmark."

17:30 CEST: Denmark a tough test

Ex-Wales striker Nathan Blake on BBC Radio Wales: "Denmark's first game should have been cancelled so I don't read much into that result.

"They had a lot of possession against Belgium and held their own and took an early lead and weren't able to hold on. They've got a lot of quality in their side. This won't be an easy match by any stretch."

17:15 CEST: Plenty of shots in store

Denmark were not afraid to test their luck during the group stage and that is likely to continue against Wales, who themselves were used to having other teams shoot at them during their first three matches at Euro 2020.

17:00 CEST: Bale vs Damsgaard

Mikkel Damsgaard has taken on more responsibility since Christian Eriksen's withdrawal from the squad after his heart scare, and now the Denmark playmaker will be looking to outshine Wales star Gareth Bale. Should he do so, the Denmark fans might be going home happy.

16:50 CEST: Denmark's line-up is released

There are two changes from Denmark's 4-1 win against Russia, as Daniel Wass and Youssef Poulsen have come out in place of Jens Stryger and Kasper Dolberg. The absence of Poulsen is very surprising.

16:45 CEST: Wales' XI is here

There are no surprises in Rob Page's Wales XI, as he has opted for his tried-and-trusted starting line-up.
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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
LOS ANGELES

June 25, 2021

Hawaii

State of Hawaii's

Hawaii

Los Angeles

Michael Farzam

Hawaii

Southern California

Hawaii

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Michael Farzam

Michael Farzam

Michael Farzam

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- House Call Doctor Los Angeles is proud to announce its new-certified COVID-19 PCR testing service. As an approved partner of theTrusted Testing and Travel Partners Program, House Call Doctor Los Angeles is able to provide its patients with fast PCR results that authorize healthy travelers to visit. The-based medical concierge service says it is excited to be a part of the process of helping area residents enjoy their summer vacations safely.Board-certified internist Dr.of House Call Doctor Los Angeles says testing services are not just for individuals traveling to. He says the service has both COVID PCR and rapid antigen testing services available for travelers visiting any destination. By providing travelers with fast access to testing and results, Dr. Farzam says any healthy individual can travel without having to worry about quarantining once they reach their destination.Dr. Farzam says that in addition to getting tested for COVID before traveling, getting vaccinated and continuing to follow local health guidelines is the best way for everyone to ensure a happier and healthier summer. The physician notes that some COVID protocols inmay differ from local guidelines in the state ofor elsewhere, so travelers should be sure to research what the ordinances will be at their destinations.About House Call Doctor Los AngelesHouse Call Doctorprovides house call and concierge medical services to patients across, bringing outstanding healthcare directly to the comfort of their home, office, or hotel. Its board-certified physician, Dr., has been a leader in his field for over 10 years.One important benefit of taking advantage of House Call Doctor Los Angeles is a more personalized approach to medicine. While doctors are frequently pressured to keep visits as brief as possible, Dr. Farzam spends an average of 40 minutes with each of his patients. This allows him to fully address his patients' questions and concerns while also reaching a more accurate diagnosis and a more effective treatment when needed.Readers interested in learning more about board-certified physician Dr.and the services of House Call Doctor Los Angeles can call (310) 849-7991 or visit https://www.housecalldoctorla.com/ those specifically interested in PCR and other types of COVID-19 testing can visit https://www.housecalldoctorla.com/covid-19-testing.html.Dr., House Call Doctor Los Angeles, (310) 849-7991, info@housecalldoctorla.comSOURCE House Call Doctor Los Angeles
Back in time, we mostly saw LGBTQ+ characters come on in an irregular manner on shows or movies, mostly to add to the comedic or dramatic effect.

This stereotypical route changed in recent years. Many shows paved the path for queer representation, and honestly, it has never been better.

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As we celebrate pride month and the LGBTQ+ community, we have summed eight shows to stream on Netflix right now:



1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

 Netflix

One of the top-rated shows on IMDb, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is a series that revolves around Jake Peralta, a part of the New York City Police Department. He often comes into conflict with his commanding officer, Captain Raymond Holt.



While it might sound like any other detective shows, it puts light on the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters. The show has received positive reviews throughout its time and is a must-watch.

2. Schitt's Creek

 Netflix

We have often heard people rave about Schitt's Creek.



As someone who recently binge-watched this show, Schitt's Creek has a brilliant storyline. The story talks about the Rose family, who lose their fortune after the business manager defrauds them. The family then settles in a motel but works hard to earn back their life.

David Rose, essayed by Daniel Levy is a pansexual character, who falls for a man later. His relationship receives complete acceptance and no raised eyebrows from the people of the town.

3. Atypical

 Netflix

Atypical released on Netflix in 2017, and the show takes you through an emotional ride. It's based on the life of an 18-year-old, Sam, who is suffering from spectrum disorder.



The lead is in a quest to find himself. His younger sister plays the role of Casey, who holds her family together and keeps her sexuality a secret. The story unfolds more into love, independence and the topic of sexuality.

4. Sex Education

 Netflix

If you haven't watched it already, add this to your list right away.



Sex Education is a Netflix original series, a coming-of-age dramedy. The show received praises for its representation of sensitive subjects and has a diverse take on the LGBTQ+ community.

The story is about a teenager who lives with his sex therapist mother and it talks about his friendship with gay character Eric. The series earned more than 40 million streams at the time of its release and became a successful show.

5. Sense8

 Netflix

Another high rated, queer-friendly show is Sense8. It's a story about eight individuals who embark on their journey and discover that they are 'sensates' connected emotionally and mentally.



The show gets intense with each season and is quite famous for its no-holds-barred concept. The show ran for two seasons, after several controversies.

6. The Half Of It

 Netflix

The Half Of it focuses on a lesbian love story. The American comedy-drama is about three characters in their teens.



Paul is attracted to Aster and hires Ellie to write her letters and text messages. Soon Ellie starts developing feelings for Aster. The show unravels drama and romance and is the best modern-day queer series to watch.

7. Star Trek: Discovery

 Netflix

For the first time, the franchise made headlines for its queer drama. The show boldly presents the life of a gay couple, Lt. Paul Stamets and Dr Hugh Culber.



The duo also locked lips during the show's mid-season finale, which also made it the first gay kiss ever in the Star Trek Franchise.

8. Someone Has to Die

Released in 2020, Someone Has to Die is set in the 1950s.

The show talks about the alleged relationship between Gabino, who arrives home to his traditional Falcon family, with a male ballet dancer.

The Spanish thriller was lauded for its script on homophobia amid the Franco regime.
While some of us have lost all semblance of a work-life balance, thanks to working from home, others have managed to take full advantage of this phenomenon, using some rather ingenious solution.



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A post on Reddit blew up recently when a man shared a rather unique experience about working from home.



He stated that he had discovered a way to finish up 8 hours worth of work in just two hours, and would enjoy the remaining 5-6 hours, just browsing the internet, day trading, and looking at YouTube videos.

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If you think that the man found a super-efficient way to work, well you are just partially right. In reality, the guy found it a very cool trick to hack the system and use automation to do most of the leg work.



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He said, that most of the times, his job entails writing reports based on some calculations. Now, no matter what the situation is, the calculations are usually similar in nature. Therefore, he tried to use some basic MS Office tools to make his work easier.



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He said that he created a large and quite extensively detailed database on Excel, set the formulas every day that he worked, let Excel carry out the calculations, and give out automated sentences, which, again, would be automatically exported as a Word document.



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The end result was, that the work that his colleagues would take about 8 hours to finish, he would finish it up in under two hours.



Seems a little too hunky-dory, doesnt it? Well, the man wasnt supposed to enjoy this utopia that he had created for himself for very long. He had a girlfriend who was working in the same company and would report to the same manager. The OP shared his trick with his girlfriend and taught her how to do this as well. After they broke up for some reason, his ex-girlfriend, revealed this to his boss.

 iStock

She also shared his screen via Skype, and unbeknownst to him, he proceeded to live his workday, as he usually did - set up his work, and then browse the internet, watch YouTube videos, and day-trading.



The next day, he was called in by HR for some disciplinary action. The HR apparently had screenshots and videos of what he was doing. Luckily, the man wasnt terminated. He also stated that he now regretted showing off this hack to his ex-girlfriend.

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Several other users commented below his post, saying that this hack should have been a secret that he should have taken to his grave. Another user commented that this is why one should never reveal the secrets of their trade, to anyone, ever.



What do you make of this situation? Suppose you find a secret hack for your job that made your life much easier, would you keep it to yourself, or tell a select few people? Do let us know in the comments below.
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A few years after the town of Easton bucked for the third time a big residential development, the owner of the underlying land has put it up for sale  with a broker saying developers are hot to trot to get a new project going amid the pandemic real estate market.

At 110 acres, the property running along Sport Hill Road becomes the largest tract of land listed publicly for sale in Fairfield County, edging the Star Meadow Ranch property in north Stamford which has been listed since early May for $20 million.

Registered to a limited partnership controlled by the owner of the adjacent Gold Rush Horse Farm, the Easton property carries a $4.5 million asking price.

File graphic

The Merritt Parkway is within a 10-minute drive to the south, along a stretch of Sport Hill Road with several farms and stables. Silvermans Farm is the towns biggest tourist attraction, drawing throngs in the late summer and autumn for apple picking, pumpkins and its animal farm.

Coldwell Banker Realty posted the listing this week, with a broker saying the listing has gotten immediate attention.

Alexander Soule/Hearst Connecticut Media

There is interest from developers, said Paul Richter who works out of Coldwell Bankers Fairfield office. The towns interest  I dont know yet.

Dr. David Bindelglass, an orthopedic surgeon who is first selectman of Easton, said Friday he remains against any development of the property on the scale that had been proposed previously, saying that section of town is zoned to ensure minimal runoff into waterways that feed into nearby reservoirs that supply lower Fairfield County.

Bucky Stone and Bob Carlson had led efforts to build dozens of homes and duplex apartments at Easton Crossing through an entity called Saddle Ridge Developers, prior to Stones death in December 2018. Stones wife Kyle MacGillivray is trustee of the legal entity with title to the property.

In their final effort to win approval of the project, Stone and Carlson proposed the town create a new planned housing opportunity district zoning designation that would free it from open-space requirements among other changes.

The developers subsequently sued the Easton Planning and Zoning Commission to strike a series of conditions the commission wanted fulfilled, claiming the requests would add costs to jeopardize the financial viability of the project. They argued as well that Easton Crossing would help fill a void in the towns stock of affordable housing, which the state listed at just 15 units of more than 2,700 as of 2015.

The proposal nevertheless hit a dead end in 2017, after a judge sided with the nonprofit Citizens for Easton that it could strain water supplies in nearby Aquarion reservoirs. Demand has only grown since then amid a continuing boom of new apartment buildings in Stamford and Norwalk.

A new surge in real estate has spurred a wave of fresh listings the past 13 months, including expanses of land for development whether single lots along Long Island Sound or larger parcels inland.

In the back half of May, a 620-acre farm site in Goshen near the Torrington Country Club was purchased for nearly $2.5 million, the largest lot sold to date this year in Connecticut.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
On Tuesday, Philip Morris International announced that it would establish its headquarters in Connecticut and add 200 jobs as a result. The company's relocation from New York City to its new Fairfield County destination will be complete by summer 2022. And the worlds largest tobacco company isnt the only one set up shop in Connecticut.

Businesses both large and small have either relocated altogether or established additional locations in Connecticut. In April, the parent companies of Webster Bank and Sterling National Bank announced a merger and the creation of a new headquarters in Stamford. Digital Currency Group also landed in Fairfield County in 2021, taking space in the Shippan Landing complex in Stamford while maintaining its main offices in Manhattan.

On the small business front, Brazilian restaurant Ipanema left New York City for a new Norwalk location at the end of 2020 after being open in Manhattan for over 40 years. Owner Victor Pedro said that his new location in Norwalk fit our vibe and our brand more than other places.

And it's not just New York City owners that like the "feel" of Fairfield County; Westchester County, N.Y. is also sending business to Connecticut. Appetit Bistro and Alex's Lounge III are two Westchester eateries that scooped up space on Washington Street in South Norwalk. And Mike Orefice, owner of Scarsdale, N.Y.-based Iron Vault gym is opening in Norwalk in mid-July. He said the areas potential matches that of his brand.

I think Washington Street and the whole [city] is super up and coming, very young, and kind of fits the same mold that we have at our brand, he told Hearst Connecticut. I think it was a perfect fit. The first time I went and saw it, I was blown away.

So why is this happening so frequently lately? An organization called AdvanceCT could be one of the reasons.

Peter Denious, the president and CEO of AdvanceCT  a nonprofit that aims to retain and recruit businesses and improve Connecticuts economic competitiveness  said that the organization is working in concert with the state to court companies into the state.

We're very actively pitching the Connecticut story to New York businesses and really businesses in some other metro markets that might be considering reconfiguring their urban footprint, he said. All of us are going through a complete reexamination of how we work and where we work  we've just been through this experiment in remote work and figured out we can actually be pretty productive.

Taking a sector approach to pitching companies to come to Connecticut, Denious said AdvanceCT focuses on five key clusters of industries to bring into the state: insurance, financial services, life sciences, manufacturing and technology. They dont do random cold calling, Denious said.

Instead, the organization tries to pitch companies that might already be thinking of relocating or are in one of those five key industries, Denious said. He works with the state Department of Economic Community Development, commissioner David Lehman and deputy commissioner Glendowlyn Thames to do so.

If theres some sort of linkage to Connecticut or some reason why they may want to be in Connecticut or we have a relationship through our board or our members to a companywere proactively reaching out to those companies, he said. We're comparing notes, were sharing pipeline [and] we're figuring out ways in which we can originate some of these ideas and move processes along for companies that have expressed some interest.

Jason Milligan, founder and broker of Milligan Realty in Norwalk, said he is already seeing movement in the retail and office properties he manages.

I have seen strong interest from New York companies, he said in an email. There have been many inquiries for people that live in Fairfield County that commuted to work prior to the [COVID-19] pandemic, and there are also a high number of people that are looking to move from New York City to Connecticut and to bring their business with them or open a new business.

Milligan noted that he has seen the most activity in Norwalk and said the features of the city have something to do with the increased interest in the area.

It is conveniently located, has supply and the most affordable rents in the area, he said. It is home to many small, medium and some larger office buildings of all different classes.

Having attractive accommodations isnt exclusive to one city, according to Denious. Connecticut as a whole has features that Denious said are eye-catching to prospective companies looking to relocate, citing the states 42 colleges and universities that produce a highly-educated workforce, as well as quality of life considerations, such as school systems, health care and childcare.

I think theres a lot of thinking going on about employees and making sure theyre taken care of in this new world, particularly given that work from home is likely to be a component of the new normal, he said.

Additionally, Denious cited Connecticuts smaller cities for their accessibility and livability  especially when compared to New York City and Boston  as well as cost of office space.

It's $90 a square foot or more still in these dense urban environments, particularly New York, he said. We can be half that are well below half that  that counts for a lot.

Also appealing to companies eyeing Connecticut are the organizations that are already here, according to Denious.

Our sort of tagline is if it has to be done right and its a highly-valued, highly-engineered product, it belongs in Connecticut, he said. Were making jet engines; were making nuclear submarines  those are highly complex, to say the least. So if its high quality, highly-engineered in advanced manufacturing, weve got a great ecosystem for that.

Noting that Stanley Black and Decker is considering a shared innovation space for advanced manufacturing in Connecticut, Denious said other companies are also eyeing entry to Connecticut to establish other kinds of shared spaces: satellite offices.

I think we have at least one company in our pipeline that Id put in that bucket of pretty sizeable companiesthat is a spinoff out of a large New York investment firm that has opened an office, he said. Were talking to another company thats not yet landed that fits that mold, too. Obviously, we have a lot of folks that work in Manhattan and live in Connecticut, and now these companies are saying, Hey, maybe we should have a hub out there.

Milligan said he has already seen satellite offices popping up, noting changes in companies employee policies for the move.

"Most people are never going back to a full commute, he said. Companies have changed their policies. People can work from home or remotely.

As companies continue to set up shop in Connecticut in the near future and beyond, Denious said these moves boil down to being able to recognize what the state has to offer.

We have this reputation of being this kind of stodgy place where you know a lot of these big companies have their headquarters, but there's nothing really innovative going on here and that's just not right, he said. When you look at the facts  whether it's technology or life sciences  I think the opportunity to come to a place like New Haven, in the case of life sciences and be a bigger fish in a smaller pond is really compelling and at half the cost than being in Cambridge outside of Boston.
Days after Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation legalizing marijuana, some Danbury-area communities are taking a step back.

Newtown and Ridgefield plan to consider banning cannabis establishments, while Danbury looks to impose at least a temporary moratorium. Local police departments, meanwhile, are bracing for challenges, such as how to tell if someone is driving while high.

Danbury and Newtown officials say they arent saying no to cannabis establishments forever. Danbury officials say they want more time to decide how to regulate them or whether to prohibit them.

The best way to do that is to take a time out, said Sharon Calitro, the citys planning director.

Danbury took the same pause when Connecticut approved medical marijuana, but now allows these dispensaries and expects one to move to the city soon.

The stigma against pot has died down in recent years, said Carl Tirella, general manager of New York-based Acreage Holdings, which owns the medicinal dispensary moving to Danbury.

It has been amazing to watch the growth of the program from a few hundred patients to over 50,000 patients in just over seven years and with rec(reational weed) on the horizon, it shows Connecticut is continually open for growth and change, he said.

His companys Compassionate Care Center of Connecticut hopes to move from Bethel to Danbury by early August. The company is evaluating whether it would want to sell recreational marijuana, too, he said. Becoming a hybrid retailer comes with a $1 million fee.

The law goes into effect Thursday, with retail sales expected to begin in late 2022.

The Town of Prospects Planning and Zoning Commission already voted unanimously to ban cannabis establishments.

Attempts to ban retailers

Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said hes fine with decriminalizing marijuana, but he doesnt want his town to be one of the first with recreational dispensaries. The Planning and Zoning Commissions public hearing on the issue is Thursday.

Its best to sit on the sidelines, see how it plays out, he said. If at some point in the future, the willingness is there to reconsider, then perhaps they do that.

Rosenthal and Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi said theyre worried about the message selling weed in town would send to young people. Pot is legal only for adults 21 and over.

Alcohol and vaping have been a problem among young people, Marconi said.

What I dont want to have happen is find ourselves in the same position with the use of weed or marijuana increasing and additional accidents for various reasons that have been experienced in some states that have passed it, said Marconi, who plans to recommend the Planning and Zoning Commission prohibit the sale of marijuana in town.

A 2019 study found marijuana use among youth may decline after its been legalized, while a 2020 study found minimal short-term effects of pot legalization on substance use among young people, with small declines in marijuana use and an increase in the likelihood of e-cigarette use.

The Danbury Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on July 27 on the citys proposed temporary moratorium on applications, petitions and issuance of permits related to cannabis establishments. The commission will also consider amending the zoning regulations to include definitions related to cannabis.

The state will not begin issuing permits for recreational marijuana retailers until 2022, but businesses could still try to apply beforehand to open a dispensary in Danbury, Calitro said.

We have to get ahead of the curve, she said.

Existing regulations permit two medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, she said. One has already been approved and would not be affected, but new applications could not be submitted under the moratorium.

The moratorium would be in effect for a year at most, less if the city develops regulations on marijuana use sooner, she said.

The city will need to consider what affect weed establishments would have on certain areas in the city and the already permitted uses in those zones, Calitro said.

On the other hand, there is potential revenue to be had, she said. We have to weigh both things.

Newtowns existing regulations allow medical marijuana dispensaries, although the town does not have any, said George Benson, director of planning. The proposal would ban recreational and medicinal marijuana establishments.

Ridgefield prohibits medical marijuana facilities already, so the town must see how that ban is affected by the new law, said Richard Baldelli planning and zoning director and zoning enforcement.

The Brookfield Zoning Commission is expected to discuss how to handle the new law, said Nina Mack, land use administrative assistant. Existing regulations allow medical marijuana dispensaries with special permit approval, but they are not allowed to sell recreational weed without additional approval from the town.

Bethels existing zoning regulations do not permit cannabis to be grown or sold in town. Officials plan to discuss what to do now with legal counsel, said Beth Cavagna, town planner.

Bethel changed its zoning regulations to ban pot in 2014 after approving a medical marijuana dispensary, Compassionate Care Center of Connecticut  the one moving to Danbury. Approval of that dispensary had been contentious at that time, but the new regulations did not affect it, Cavagna said.

Since then, the publics views on pot have changed, and the fears residents had over the dispensary did not play out, she said.

Weve never had issues over there, she said.

The dispensary is moving to Danbury because it needs a bigger space, Tirella said.

Police concerns

Some local police chiefs are worried the new law will make activities like traffic stops more difficult.

Redding Chief Mark ODonnell said police should have been better consulted on the law.

Im just dead set against it, he said.

Few officers in the area are trained to identify whether someone is driving while high on drugs, chiefs said.

It just hasnt been something thats been necessary by and large for quite some time, Danbury Chief Patrick Ridenhour said.

Its harder to test for marijuana than it is for alcohol. Officers must get trained as drug recognition experts, a lengthy, expensive process, Newtown Chief James Viadero said. Grants may be available to do so, he said.

Two officers in Newtown are trained as these experts, which is more than some departments have, he said. When police dont have one of these experts on duty, they call in officers from nearby departments, Viadero said.

Ridenhour said hes not sure whether any Danbury officers are trained as drug recognition experts  maybe one is  but more will need to be.

Well manage, Ridenhour said. We have to do everything we can for the safety of our residents and citizens and our visitors.

Cops can learn the law, but telling K-9s that weed is legal is harder. Police dogs cannot differentiate between pot and other drugs and could prompt an officer to search someone with a legal amount of weed, Viadero said. That could lead to lawsuits over claims of illegal search and seizure.

There is a possible Fourth Amendment issue, Viadero said. Were going to have to work through that.

Departments expect to get more guidance from the state Police Officers Standards and Training Council and will get feedback from officers in other states where marijuana has been legal.

Municipal employees, including cops, could still get in trouble for smoking pot.

Ridgefield plans to create a new policy based on the law, Marconi said. ODonnell is reminding his officers, too.

Its still a federal crime, ODonnell said. Police officers cant smoke marijuana regardless of if its legal here or not...Not that I worry about our personnel. Theyre all pretty good.

Reporters Alyssa Seidman and Shayla Colon contributed to this report.
PHOENIX (AP)  After slashing $1.9 billion in income taxes mainly benefiting upper-income taxpayers and shielding them from higher taxes approved by voters in an initiative last year, the Republican-controlled House returned Friday and passed more legislation targeting Proposition 208.

The House approved the creation of a new tax category for small business, trusts and estates that will eliminate even more of the money that the measure approved by voters in November was designed to raise for schools. The proposal passed despite unified opposition from minority Democrats.

It creates a new small business tax category that will allow many high-earners to entirely avoid the 3.5% surcharge in Proposition 208. The new tax brackets for small businesses start this year at 3.5% and drop to 2.5% in 2025, the same as the new flat tax approved this week for all taxpayers. Estates and trusts will pay slightly more.

In other developments Friday, the House failed to include a massive expansion of the state's private school voucher program in the budget bill for K-12 schools. That sets up a conflict with the Senate-passed version of the budget, which will have to be reconciled next week before it goes to the governor for his approval. A universal school voucher expansion passed in 2017 was blocked by the voters the following year, but it remains a priority of many Republicans. Three Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition to the expansion of school vouchers.

The House did add a provision requiring schools to teach new civics curriculum to be developed by the state Board of Education to include a comparative discussion of political ideologies that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States."

Democrats called it an unprecedented state mandate on what is taught in schools.

The budget also blocks any instruction that infers that one race is inherently racist, should be discriminated against or feel guilty because of their race. It is another in a series of policy items targeting or reacting to so-called critical race theory," which is not currently being taught in K-12 schools.

Another of the 11 budget bills, the one focused on criminal justice issues, has the same House-Senate mismatch that will have to be resolved next week. The other nine bills making up the budget passed the House Thursday and are ready to be sent to Ducey for his promised signature.

The big fight Friday was on the new loophole for people affected by Proposition 208 who can claim their income is from a small business, trust fund or estate.

Profits from Arizona small businesses are currently taxed on personal tax returns. The new tax voters approved in November imposes a 3.5% tax surcharge on income above $250,000 for individuals or above $500,000 for couples. The tax cuts approved this week as part of the $12.8 billion state spending plan shields them from that, setting the top rate with the surcharge at the current 4.5% top tax rate.

An earlier version of the small businesses tax bill would have cut almost half the $827 million expected to be raised for added school funding, according to estimates from the Legislature's budget analysts. An amendment added Friday cut that even more, although Republicans said they did not know by how much, by dropping the proposed 4.5% top rate.

This would create a loophole for the wealthiest in Arizona to file as a small business so they can avoid paying the 3.5% surcharge that Arizonans said they said they want to support public education, Democratic Minority Leader Reginald Bolding said.

Republicans argued that proponents of the initiative wrongly sold it as not affecting small businesses, so they felt compelled to fix that.

They said it's not a business tax - that is gross misinformation, said GOP Rep. Steve Kaiser of Phoenix. And that is either a complete unintelligible response on how businesses are taxed, or it's a straight up lie.

All 31 GOP House members backed the measure. It now returns to the Senate, where it previously passed with only Republican support, for final approval before heading to Ducey's desk.

The governor has expressed disdain for the voter-approved tax, saying it would hurt the state's economy and vowing in March to see it gutted either though Legislation or the courts. The Arizona Supreme Court is considering a constitutional challenge to the new tax and could release its decision at any time.

The budget-approved tax cuts set a flat 2.5% tax on all income levels that will be phased in over several years once revenue projections are met, with those subject to the new education tax paying 4.5% at most. Under the current progressive tax structure, taxes start at 2.59% on the first $26,500 of income and rise to a maximum of 4.5% on income over $159,000.

The state will still direct whatever is still collected under Proposition 208 to a new fund. Half will be used for raises for credentialed teachers, 25% to boosting wages for cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other support staff, and the rest for teacher training, vocational education and other initiatives.

Backers of Proposition 208 have vowed to fight the changes, either in court or the ballot box. The measure was an outgrowth of a 2018 teachers' strike that won them raises but fell short of their other school funding goals.

Weve been part of meetings with more than 30 other groups across the state that are looking at all options for protecting Prop 208 and what the voters intended with it,  Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, said Friday.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the House and Senate have disagreements about the criminal justice bill, not the higher education bill.

___

This story has been corrected to say that three Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition to the expansion of school vouchers, not two.
MANCHESTER  Local police are seeking information in an early Thursday shooting where a residents vehicle was hit by a bullet.

Lt. Ryan Shea said the shots were fired around 2:40 a.m.

A resident was leaving his house when he saw a vehicle slowly driving down Academy Street, with its lights off, Shea said. The vehicle was described as a four-door, maroon car with tinted windows and a temporary license plate.

The car pulled in front of the victims vehicle, blocking the road, Shea said. Two individuals, wearing hooded sweatshirts and neck gaiters, got out of the maroon car with guns and walked toward the victim, Shea said.

As the victim tried to drive around the maroon car, Shea said, one of the individuals fired his gun and a bullet hit the drivers side window of the victims vehicle.

Shea said the victim was uninjured and was able to driver out of the area.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 860-645-5500.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  A state budget that dumps billions in federal coronavirus money into savings, boosts spending on education and provides aid to nursing homes easily passed the Legislature on Friday. Gov. Tom Wolf's office said he plans to sign it next week.

Supporters described it as a sensible approach that targets spending increases while setting aside a large contingency reserve for when federal stimulus ends in the coming years, but Democratic opponents decried what they saw as a missed opportunity to make significant economic and educational progress.

It is not the kind of practice we should do, to keep squirrelling away money while we go begging to get things done, said Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, who nonetheless supported the $39.8 billion general fund budget plan.

The House vote was 140-61, with a handful of the chamber's most conservative Republicans joining dozens of the more liberal Democrats in voting against it. The Senate vote was 43-7.

It puts into savings about $5 billion in federal coronavirus relief money and boosts K-12 education state support by $300 million.

Yes there is money being put away, but this is not austerity simply for austerity's sake, said Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford. We can all see the warning signs  supply shortages, employee shortages. And we understand that yes, a onetime infusion of money into the economy will stimulate it, but only temporarily.

It pumps $279 million into transportation infrastructure and directs $280 million to nursing homes and similar facilities, both drawing from the federal pandemic money.

House GOP leaders highlighted the $2.5 billion added to the state's rainy day fund and that much of the rest of the pandemic money was also unspent, calling it a way to prevent future tax increases. The budget contains no tax or fee increases.

Those people who want to spend every nickel this year are setting us up for a major tax increase in the future, said Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill. This makes sense.

House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, said he voted for it to avoid a government shutdown, but argued Pennsylvania is not in a position to claim a surplus.

We cant afford a surplus because the requirements of this commonwealth haven't been met, Harris said.

Among the budget legislations' other provisions are a ban on the Department of Human Services creating new programs not expressly authorized by the General Assembly, a Republican effort to control costs at the agency. It also would end overtime regulations imposed by Wolf.

About two-thirds of the new spending is on human services, such as Medicaid, while budget makers also had to use $1 billion-plus to fill a hole in the prisons budget created when the state used federal money to cover costs in that department this year.

With federal money and $2.4 billion in coronavirus money in 2020-21, and including additional spending approved later in the year, the current year's budget is about $39.8 billion, according to Republican staff on the House Appropriations Committee.

By comparison, the 2021-22 spending deal passed Friday amounts to $38.6 billion in the general fund, along with $1.2 billion in federal support that mostly pays Medicaid costs and about $1 billion on coronavirus relief, for a total of $40.8 billion, or an increase of roughly 2.6%.

Some Democrats wanted greater spending to help small businesses, improve public health and fix toxic schools. The budget deal did not include a raise in the state's minimum wage.

We have not done anything for the restaurants, for those in our districts who are making $2.83 whether they're serving a hamburger or they're serving a steak, said House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia.

Sen. Katie Muth, D-Montgomery, said the public will not be happy when they find out that this money could have been pushed out in a historic, epic way, to invest in the people of Pennsylvania and it wasnt.

The budget spends about $370 million in federal aid for continuing efforts to combat the current pandemic.

In education, the budget spends about $350 million in pandemic money on learning loss, summer enrichment and afterschool programs, to help children whose educations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

About $100 million is earmarked for the state's 100 poorest districts, partly in response to a lawsuit over school funding that will soon go to trial in Commonwealth Court.

House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, said the money will help lift people up in tough, challenging school districts, while Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, called it an acknowledgement of the struggles that our poor schools face.

The budget also funds $30 million in grants to prevent violence, directed to wherever those dollars are needed, said House Appropriations Chair Stan Saylor, R-York.
GUILFORD  Conflict over the nationwide debate of how race is taught in schools intensified in town when more than 100 people gathered Thursday to address the issue at the community center.

Outside the Guilford Community Center, supporters of the school district held signs reading, teaching the truth is not indoctrination, repeating Trumpist lies is, and my friends come in all colors.

The dozens who gathered outside were protesting a forum that drew more than 100 people inside the community center where a series of speakers discussed their views on critical race theory, a controversial academic framework through which to view systems of racism and oppression in America.

Its alleged presence in schools has been the source of debate in the last year and has polarized people in Guilford as well as nationally. While some parents have accused the Guilford school district of using its social justice and equity mission to bring critical race theory into the classrooms, Superintendent of Schools Paul Freeman and the Board of Education have denied those claims.

We are working in Guilford schools to be more equitable in our practice, to embrace diverse texts in our classrooms, to diversify our teaching ranks, to address difficult historical events honestly and openly, and to ensure that all children feel heard in their schools and that they see themselves in the books and materials they read, Freeman said in a statement Friday morning.

First Selectman Matthew T. Hoey III said he was unable to attend the event on Thursday and did not comment about the rising tensions in town, but said he had no reason to doubt the school districts leaders.

According to our superintendent, Dr. Freeman and the Board of Education (BOE), a team whose stewardship has resulted in a district that is perennially ranked by the state BOE as among the best in the state, we are not teaching CRT in the district, Hoey said in a statement. I have no reason to doubt them.

During the two-hour forum on Thursday, at least one man was escorted out by police after questioning a speakers reference to Hitler. Police also had to clear the hallway outside of the gathering room several times as tensions rose between people debating the issues.

The event was organized by Truth In Education, Connecticuts chapter of No Left Turn in Education, a growing national group that supports parents who oppose lessons on systemic racism.

Speakers included Mike Breen, a former Connecticut police officer who is the New Hampshire state director for No Left Turn in Education, Dan Richards, who said he experienced critical race theory in his New Hampshire school system, a Guilford student and a 2013 graduate of the high school.

Breen discussed the history of critical race theory, tracing its origins to legal studies conducted in the 1970s. He also linked critical race theory to Marxism  an assertion advanced by many of its critics, and challenged by other intellectuals, who say its more in line with the postmodern work of the French philosopher Michel Foucalt.

Whites are morally inferior. They are born racists. This is their language, not mine, Breen told the crowd who filled the room.

However, critical race theory focuses on how racism can be the result social changes and not the explicit prejudices of people.

Critical race theory was popularized by the academics Derrick Bell and Richard Delgado, as well as Kimberle Crenshaw, of Columbia Law School, who coined the term intersectionality, itself a tool to understand how social and personal identities relate to discrimination and privilege. More recent iterations of critical race theory, as identified by critics, include the authors Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, whose books on anti-racism have been used widely as a tool of professional development in schools and in corporate settings.

These conversations had been building during Guilford Board of Education meetings in recent months as well as on social media and in email threads involving the school board and superintendent.

Supporters of the school district spoke about the need for representation in education, as well as for students to see teachers and members of the media who look like them.

We know that representation matters, said Lauren Dennehy, a Guilford parent and clinical social worker. It creates a better picture of the world and how it works. We learn when we are exposed to people different than us.

Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify what caused one man to be escorted out by police.

Includes prior reporting by staff writer Justin Papp.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
A U.S. Air Force Academy cadet has died in an aircraft accident in Texas, the school announced Friday.

The academy disclosed that the cadet, whose name is being withheld for at least 24 hours until the next of kin is notified, died in a single-engine aircraft crash.

"The incident is under investigation and further details will be released as soon as they become available," officials said in a statement.

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According to local media reports, the cadet was one of two people aboard the aircraft when it crashed near Cleburne Regional Airport south of Fort Worth.

Freshmen began arriving at the academy this week for basic training before they become cadets. The fall semester begins Aug. 9.

In 2017, Cadet 4th Class Timothy Barber died in a private plane crash in Texas. He was flying with his father, Gregory Barber, a retired Air Force pilot, who was also killed in the crash, according to Air Force Times.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

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More than a year after the pandemic forced the Honor Flight Network to halt trips to Washington, D.C., the group is ready to once again fly veterans to the nation's capital to visit memorials and share their stories with fellow vets.

The organization announced it will resume full operations Aug. 16. Participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide negative test results taken within 72 hours of departure, according to Honor Flight spokeswoman Carol Harlow.

With no trips taking place, Honor Flight had to get creative over the last year to honor veterans across the country through their local chapters.

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Athletes, journalists, actors and even World War II veteran and former Sen. Bob Dole issued video messages of support through what the organization calls "Operation Reassurance" to vets who were awaiting their turn to fly to D.C. but were instead stuck at home.

Honor Flight began drive-by celebration parades for veterans' birthdays; hosted drive-through "salute to veterans" events; and even sponsored a skydiving outing for a vet who turned 100 years old earlier this year.

For Military Appreciation Month this past May, T-Mobile and Helium, a virtual human performance channel, partnered to issue virtual reality goggles and headsets so vets could tour each war memorial and the National Mall from the comfort of their own homes.

"It's been kind of a continuous effort throughout the country to try to do something, to continue to say, 'Thank you,'" said David Smith, chairman of Honor Flight's board of directors, in a recent interview. The Honor Flight Network has more than 125 independent hubs across the country.

"We're working with all the hubs to make sure they understand what the guidelines are," said Smith, who founded the San Diego, California, chapter in 2010. Participants also include "guardians," who travel with veterans to make sure they get safely from place to place. Local hubs have been asked not to take any flights on their own for health and safety reasons.

As the program restarts, the organization predicts demand from vets will be higher than before because of the long delay.

In 2020, only one flight from St. Louis made it to D.C. in March for a three-day trip before the country began shutting down. During 2019, 22,764 veterans and 18,072 guardians made the trip, with another 42,355 on the waitlist. The majority of them were Vietnam War vets, according to statistics provided by the organization.

World War II vets are usually bumped to the top of the travel list, Smith said. However, they tend to make up 20% or less of each Honor Flight. In 2019, fewer than 2,000 WWII vets made it the trip, compared to 6,135 Korean War vets and 12,880 Vietnam vets. Trips can take anywhere from five to 200 vets at a time.

"That population is shrinking, [and] our effort has always been to honor our most senior veterans," Smith said.

One of the longstanding struggles has been to find eligible veterans, he added. The program currently serves veterans from the WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War eras, and terminally ill vets who served in any conflict.

"All our hubs are chomping at the bit to get up and get flying," Smith said, "but one of our biggest issues is ... letting more people know about our flight mission and to find veterans."

Even as group organizers try to find more WWII vets to bring along, Smith said COVID-19 has given Honor Flight a new perspective.

"Safety is always No. 1," he said. "If we're going to honor somebody, we want it to be safe."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Honor Flights Is in a Race Against Time to Bring World War II Vets to DC
Many unidentified flying objects observed by the military and other government sources since 2004 probably actually exist and may pose a threat to national security, according to an intelligence report released Friday.

Government sources originated 144 reports of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, the term the government now uses to describe objects popularly referred to as UFOs. Many incidents were witnessed firsthand by military aviators and observed by reliable sensor systems, the report adds.

UAPs largely remain a mystery. Aside from one that was identified as a large, deflating balloon, the government can't explain what they are.

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The report gives no indication the UAPs' origins are extraterrestrial. But whatever they are and wherever they're from, the intelligence community says they exist -- and should be taken seriously.

"UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security," states the report from the Director of National Intelligence, or DNI, titled "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena." "Safety concerns primarily center on aviators contending with an increasingly cluttered air domain. UAP would also represent a national security challenge if they are foreign adversary collection platforms or provide evidence a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology."

The Pentagon announced Friday afternoon that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has ordered the military to draw up a plan to formalize the mission now performed by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force.

Hicks said that military aircrews and other personnel need to speak up when they see UAPs.

"It is critical that the United States maintain operations security and safety at DoD ranges," she wrote in a memo released Friday by the Pentagon. "To this end, it is equally critical that all U.S. military aircrews or government personnel report whenever aircraft or other devices interfere with military training. This includes the observation and reporting of UAPs."

The DNI report states that 80 of the UFOs observed were tracked across multiple sensors, including radar, infrared, electro-optical sensors and weapon seekers, as well as visual observation. For that reason, the report concluded that most of the observed UFOs probably were actual physical objects.

In a few cases, the UAPs showed unusual flight characteristics, the report found, such as appearing to remain stationary in the air, moving against the wind, abruptly maneuvering, or traveling at considerable speed without any observable propulsion. The DNI said this could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing or observers misperceiving what was happening; it added that the issue needs further study.

In a handful of cases, military aircraft systems observed radio frequency energy alongside UAP sightings.

Reported UAP sightings tended to cluster around U.S. training and testing grounds, the report states, but that may be because there are more advanced sensors there and greater attention by personnel.

There is probably no single explanation for what UAPs are, the report concluded. They could be as mundane as airborne clutter such as birds, balloons and recreational drones, or airborne debris like plastic bags.

They could also be natural atmospheric phenomena such as ice crystals and moisture registering on some infrared and radar systems, the report states.

They also could be technology deployed by potential adversary nations such as China or Russia, or non-governmental entities.

The report acknowledges that some UAPs could be classified programs run by U.S. agencies, but said this could not be confirmed.

When it passed the fiscal 2021 Intelligence Authorization Act, Congress ordered the DNI and Pentagon to produce a report on the threat posed by UAPs and what progress the Defense Department's task force has made in understanding that threat.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

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UNITED NATIONS (AP)  With no progress toward ending the 10-year Syrian conflict, the U.N. special envoy for Syria called Friday for new international talks on concrete steps like exchanging prisoners and a nationwide cease-fire that the government and opposition could agree on as initial steps to give impetus to a political solution.

Geir Pedersen told the U.N. Security Council he believes these and other areas of vital concern for average Syrians have the potential to achieve common ground among Syrias warring parties. Progress would also promote internal and regional stability and build trust and confidence, he said.

This will not be easy, Pedersen said,

But he said he senses that all key players are interested in deepening talks on a way ahead, which is why we need a new constructive international dialogue on Syria.

Pedersen said he has been in regular contact with senior officials from Russia, a close Syria ally, and the United States, which supports the opposition, before and since this months meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden. He said he has also been in regular contact with many countries on the 15-member Security Council and key states in the region.

Pedersen said he will go to Rome to talk with foreign ministers at a meeting on Syria convened by Italy and the United States and soon after that he will head to Moscow. He also plans to consult Turkey and Iran -- the guarantor states along with Russia in the so-called Astana process aimed at ending fighting in Syria -- ahead of an Astana group meeting in early July.

Asked after the council briefing about when he might launch a new international dialogue, he said, I hope we are not talking about too many weeks.

Since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, there have been many high-level gatherings designed to stop the fighting and guide the country to a political transition. Locations included Istanbul, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Geneva and included assemblies with names such as Friends of Syria and the London 11. In 2016, it was the International Syria Support Group. None has made a lasting impact.

Pedersen told reporters he thinks this might be the right time to try to launch international talks because there are a few very important developments.

He pointed most importantly to the 15 months of relative calm on the ground in Syria, but stressed that it is a very fragile calm, and we need to discuss how we can make sure that this does not break down. He also cited the collapse of Syrias economy, the lack of movement on releasing detainees and abductees and accounting for missing persons, and the millions of Syrians forced to flee their homes.

Warning that the relative calm remains fragile, Pedersen told the council there were alarming signs of escalation in the June 12 rocket attack and shelling of the al-Shifaa Hospital in the northern Syrian town of Afrin controlled by Turkey-backed fighters that killed at least 13 people, including medical personnel, and destroyed parts of the hospital. He also cited airstrikes and shelling in the south of rebel-held Idlib resulting in casualties and more displacement.

Elsewhere, this month has seen more airstrikes attributed to Israel, more turbulence in the southwest and more attacks by terrorist groups including operations claimed by the Islamic State extremist group, he said.

Pedersen said there are worrying signs the Islamic State group may be getting stronger, given the increased frequency and reach of its latest attacks. He urged key international players to cooperate on countering IS and other terrorist groups.

Recovering from the economic impact that most Syrians face after a decade of war and devastation is another area of potential common focus, Pedersen said.

He urged the international community to focus on the 13 million Syrians forced to flee their homes within Syria and abroad -- half the countrys pre-war population.

This is a profound humanitarian and national tragedy and also a ticking time-bomb for regional stability, he warned.

The U.N., U.S., Russia and many other countries support a December 2015 Security Council resolution endorsing a road map to peace in Syria approved in Geneva in June 2012 by major global powers and Arab nations that calls for a new constitution followed by U.N.-supervised elections.

Pedersen has tried unsuccessfully to get the Syrian government and the opposition to start negotiating a new constitution.

Russias U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, stressed the importance of convening the constitutional drafting committee. He called on all sides to engage in constructive interaction" and urged support in every way possible" for the inter-Syrian dialogue.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized Syrias so-called election in May that kept President Bashar Assad in power, saying that it wasn't free or fair and that it violated the 2015 Security Council resolution that declared U.N.-supervised elections should follow the drafting of a new constitution.

The Syrian people deserve elections, she told the council. And these elections should feature a diverse range of candidates, a safe voting environment, and a meaningful way for displaced people to participate.
Figure out what is the most important thing to you. Is it the kids, the pension or the spousal support?

Thats how Raleigh, North Carolina divorce lawyer Mark Sullivan says he begins initial meetings with service members or their spouses who come to him to discuss getting divorced.

Those are the three things people always want to know about: How will property and a military pension be divided and will someone have to pay child or spousal support and how much.

Money and children are the big issues in any divorce and the military lifestyle of frequent moves and long deployments make these issues even more pronounced in military divorces. Military couples often have young children and, because of the lifestyle, the non-military spouse often has been unemployed or underemployed, which might mean that the service member is responsible for spousal support after the divorce.

Stephanie W. is a 36-year-old Army wife living at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She is in the early stages of divorcing her active-duty-soldier husband after she caught him cheating on her last year. They have two young children and Stephanie has not pursued a college degree or a career of her own because she has moved around and stayed home with the children in order to support her husbands Army career.

I want to make sure I know all of my rights and what Im entitled to, Stephanie said. I didnt go to school because he needed me to be a stay-at-home mom so he could deploy and attend military schools.

In Stephanies situation child custody is not likely to be an issue. Her husbands job in the Army requires that he deploy often so he is not likely to seek sole or primary custody of the children. In fact, she plans to ask for a larger than customary amount of child support because his frequent deployments will mean that he is not able to have the children for regular visitation either, placing a larger share of the childcare burden on her.

Mary Commander, a Norfolk, Virginia divorce lawyer who handles many military divorces, said that frequent deployments can also affect the ability of a service member to get full custody of the children. Judges, she said, will look at what is in the best interest of the children and may decide that the children are better off living with the parent who is not likely to deploy.

Its a factor, Commander said. Lately it has been coming up more and more, even with National Guard and Reservists now.

Stephanie and her husband live in military housing and do not own any real estate, so they will not have to squabble over who gets the house. However, she will have to find off-post housing for herself and the kids, as they will no longer qualify for the housing unit they currently occupy.

She and her husband have already discussed child and spousal support and he has also agreed to give her extra money to help with car payments and daycare costs so that she can finish college and go to work.

He recognizes that I have sacrificed a lot for him, she said. Hes going to be strapped for cash when we divorce because hes doing this to us, she said. Im not the one walking away from him.

In the meantime, while Stephanie and her husband wait for their divorce to be final, they will probably file a motion asking for a court order that says how they will pay their bills during the separation period. These orders typically are designed to be temporary and cover issues such as how they will pay for rent, cars, utilities and food for both spouses during the legal separation, Commander said.

Dividing the Pension

Stephanie said her husband plans to retire from the Army and they have discussed how they will divide his pension and retirement money. He has told her that he will give her the contents of his Roth IRA and Thrift Savings Plan if she agrees to not go after a portion of his military retirement pension.

"Its not a ton of money but it does give me some kind of cushion, she said. At least he recognizes that I havent been able to pay into a retirement account of my own because I havent been working because I was supporting his career.

Service members who retire after at least 20 years of active service are compensated with a retirement pension for the rest of their lives. Since 1982, when the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA) was passed, military pensions have been treated as marital property that can be divided in a divorce. While many people are aware that spouses are entitled to half of the pension if they were married to the service member for 10 years, few realize that the division of the pension is actually negotiable.

Usually the spouse gets half of the marital portion [of the pension] if the dates of marriage and service overlap, Commander said, explaining that an overlap occurs when the spouse was married to the service member for at least half of the years that he was serving. However, the spouse can ask for half of the pension even if they were married for less time and the service member can ask for a smaller division of the pension even if they were married for longer than 10 years.

The USFSPA allows state courts to grant up to half of a service members retirement pension to his ex-wife during divorce proceedings but that is simply the most that the finance center will take out of the retirees pay. The court may decide to award more and, if it does, it becomes the responsibility of the retiree to pay that money directly to his ex. Also, if the marriage did not last at least 10 years the finance center will not make direct payment to the retirees ex. If the court awards a share of the pension to an ex who was not married to the retiree for at least 10 years, then the retiree will have to make those payments himself.

Spouses can try to get a share of the pension even if they were only married for one day, Commander said.

Commander said that spouses who were married long enough for there to be a service overlap will usually only agree to a smaller percentage of the pension in exchange for something else of value.

In the past a lot of women have exchanged retirement benefits for houses  but not my clients, Commander said. I have always thought that was stupid, especially with the housing market like it is now.

Sullivan said that he once worked on a divorce case in which a mid-career Army Majors pension was valued at $500,000. He said that both the service member and the spouse should be aware of the actual value of the pension.

Commander said that she has had active duty clients who got out of the military after 19 years, one year shy of the 20 years required to draw a pension, so their ex would not be able to draw retirement benefits. She said other clients have intentionally lost rank or gotten in trouble in order to reduce the amount the ex would be able to collect in benefits.

If youre going to be that dumb and hateful, you cant be stopped, Commander said.

Marsha Thole is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserves and she co-authored a book called Divorce and the Military II (available for purchase here). http://www.americanretirees.org She said she often advises spouses who are divorcing service members to ask for a specific deadline for applying for retirement benefits to be written into the divorce decree.

The spouse cant get retiree pay until the retiree applies for it, Thole said, so the spouse should include time frames in the divorce decree stipulating when the retiree will apply for benefits.

Thole said she has heard of instances where a military retiree was eligible to draw retirement benefits but refused to apply for them because he didnt want his ex wife to begin collecting benefits, as well.

Some adults are two tacos short of a plate, Thole said. Ive talked to guys who say, I dont want her to get a penny, no matter what!

Sullivan said that spouses of service members should also remember the Survivors Benefit Plan, or SBP, when discussing the divorce. A former spouse can get a share of the pension in the divorce but if she does not get a share of the SBP then she will no longer receive pension payments if the service member dies before she does. He said she can ask that the service member be required to pay into the SBP in order for her to continue receiving pension payments if he dies before she does.

Too many attorneys have eyes only on the pension division, Sullivan said, but the SBP is not a pension. Its a contract for an annuity that replaces the pension if he dies.

Stephanie is also asking that her husband leave her and their children as the beneficiaries of his SGLI (Service Members Group Life Insurance) policy. She wants him to stipulate that, in the event that he is killed, $100,000 of the policy will go to Stephanie immediately and that the remaining money be divided evenly and deposited into trust accounts for their kids.

I want it that way so that even if he gets remarried the SGLI would go to me and our kids, Stephanie said. I want to protect my family. If he dies Im going to need the money for the kids because I wont be getting child support anymore.

There are many other issues that make military divorces different than civilian divorces. Nearly every military divorce will have unique circumstances for which there are a myriad of state laws and military policies and someone considering divorce is best advised to hire a good, knowledgeable, lawyer early in the process.

The area of military family law is narrow, unique and oftentimes illogical, said Sullivan. The biggest mistakes I see people make are not getting their own lawyer or getting a lawyer who doesnt understand military issues.

Online Resources

There are many pamphlets with useful information on military legal issues available from the North Carolina State Bar Association. These can be downloaded for free here.

You can find more information on the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA) here on Military.com. Help with other legal matters can be found on Military.com here.
The Mets placed infielder Jonathan Villar on the 10-day injured list with a sore right calf, per MLB.coms Anthony DiComo (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, Travis Blankenhorn has been recalled from Triple-A. The Mets officially made the move after game one of todays doubleheader against the Phillies.

Villar was somewhat of an afterthought as a winter addition this past offseason, but injuries to Jeff McNeil and J.D. Davis thrust Villar into a central role. Villar has started 47 of the Mets 70 games, mostly at third base, a position he hadnt played since 2016. Hes been passable defensively, if not exactly a revelation with -2 Outs Above Average and -1 Defensive Runs Saved. Villar has long been considered a subpar defender, though capable enough and versatile, which is more or less exactly what hes been on that end for the Mets this season.

Where Villar typically hopes to add the most value is on the offensive end. Hes delivered with a .246/.333/.410 line through 208 plate appearances, good for a 110 wRC+. Villars bat will be missed, though McNeils recent return should provide enough thump to maintain the status quo  if not improve upon it.

Luis Guillorme will likely take on some of Villars responsibilities. Despite a mark of -3 DRS in just 72 2/3 innings at third base this season, Guillorme is considered to be a glove-first contributor who should ultimately bolster the Mets defense in Villars absence. He doesnt, however, offer as much with the bat. That said, hes certainly been decent enough with a career 99 wRC+ and 118 wRC+ mark in 62 plate appearances this year.

Blankenhorn, 24, could also be an option. The well0-traveled Blankenhorn has often seen his name scrawled across the MLBTR pages this season. Since being recalled to the Twins active roster on April 20th, Blankenhorn was optioned, designated for assignment, claimed by the Dodgers, designated for assignment, claimed by the Mariners, optioned, DFAd again, claimed by the Mets, and optioned again. The Pennsylvania native made a pretty good argument for keeping him permanently on the Mets roster, however, by slashing .389/.538/.944 in 26 plate appearances spanning seven games for the Syracuse Mets.
The White Sox have reinstated Jace Fry from the 60-day injured list and optioned the left-hander to Triple-A Charlotte. To create room on the 40-man roster, righty Alex McRae was outrighted to Triple-A.

Fry underwent back surgery (a microdiscectomy, specifically) during the offseason and has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL while recovering and getting ramped up to pitch. The early returns have looked good, as Fry has a 2.08 ERA over 13 Triple-A innings thus far, albeit with eight walks in those 13 frames.

Control has been an issue over Frys 132 2/3 career MLB innings, as he has a 13.7% walk rate over four seasons with the White Sox. Fry has a 4.75 ERA but a respectable 4.05 SIERA, as his 50.5% grounder rate and 28.3% strikeout rate have helped to somewhat limit the damage from his free passes. Fry has been very effective against left-handed batters, who are hitting just .184/.302/.257 in 243 plate appearances against the 27-year-old Oregon State product.

McRae has appeared in each of the last four Major League seasons, with the last two in the White Sox organization. He has amassed only five total innings in a Chicago uniform, and since he has been outrighted three times in his career, he has the option of electing free agency rather than accepting his latest outright assignment. McRae has a 7.34 ERA over 38 career innings with the White Sox and Pirates.
[June 25, 2021] Verizon Frontline supporting first responders battling Colorado wildfires Verizon Frontline technology has been delivered to 10 locations in Colorado by the Verizon Response Team (VRT) to help enable mission-critical communications in remote areas as first responders battle wildfires throughout the state.



The VRT is supporting interagency wildland fire management teams in their efforts to combat the Muddy Slide, West, and Sylvan fires.

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders, developed over three decades of partnership with the public safety community.

PUEBLO, Colo., June 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon Frontline recently deployed its advanced public safety platforms and technology, via the Verizon Response Team (VRT) , to support first responders battling wildfires throughout Colorado. Collaborating with Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, the VRT deployed Verizon Frontline technology, includingfour Satellite Pico-cells on Trailers (SPOT) to numerous locations in the state of Colorado, to provide mission-critical voice and data service to public safety professionals operating in remote areas as they combated the Muddy Slide, West, and Sylvan fires. Verizon Frontline technology was also distributed to first responders in six other Colorado cities Thursday and included routers, jetpacks and smartphones. This support, provided at the request of the incident management teams, is a continuation of Verizon Public Sectors commitment to working alongside our partners in public safety and government. Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders  developed over nearly three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies  to meet their unique needs. From network priority and preemption and a commitment to real interoperability, to developing and delivering the most innovative product roadmap, Verizon Frontline is built on Americas most reliable network1, and will be able to harness the transformative power of 5G1. The VRT provides on-demand, emergency assistance during crisis situations to government agencies, emergency responders, nonprofits and communities on a 24/7/365 basis. VRT members set up portable cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance. 1 RootMetrics US RootScore Report: 2H 2020. Tested natl operators on all available all network types. Experience may vary. Award is not endorsement. 5G Nationwide available in 2700+ cities. 5G Ultra Wideband available only in part of select cities. Media contact:

Eric Durie

eric.durie@verizon.com

(516) 382-8219



[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ]
June 26, 2021

Seattle Will Have A Hot Sunday

Washington State is having a hot weekend. I have been there twice but only during fall and winter. I find it hard to image the landscape there with such tropical temperatures.

This picture shows the projected deviation from historic temperatures (1981-2010) for Sunday afternoon local time:

Along west Canada and north west U.S. the temperature will be up to 24F = 13C hotter than it has historically been.

This next picture shows the projected absolute temperature in Fahrenheit for Sunday afternoon:

The hottest point I see is 116F which is equal to 46.6C. Even with all its water Seattle will still heat up to 109F which is a bit too cozy 42.7C.

Both pictures are from Tropical Tidbits.

These and future forecasts can be seen at that site by selecting:

Forecast Models - Thermodynamics - 2m Temp anomaly - Regions set to North America for the first picture

Forecast Models - Thermodynamics - 2m Temperature (shaded) - Regions set to North West U.S. for the second picture

The forecast models run every 6 hours. The one above was created today, June 26, at 12:00 UTC. The selected forecast hour is 36 witch is for Monday, June 28, 00:00 UTC equal to Sunday, June 27 5:00pm in Seattle.

The western U.S. is not only getting too hot but also too dry:

This increases not only the danger of large scale wildfires but also the blackout risk.

Last year California saw the first population decline ever. During the next years many more people are likely to move out of the state. It that trend strengthens it could bring some interesting social-economic changes to the whole of the U.S.

Posted by b on June 26, 2021 at 17:31 UTC | Permalink

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Mike Sommers promised straight talk to his audience in the heart of the nations energy exporting, refining and petrochemicals industry.

Remotely addressing the Houston Economics Club on Wednesday, Sommers, president and chief executive officer of the American Petroleum Institute, offered what he called straight talk about the worlds energy needs as debate swirls around just where that energy will come from.

The world will need more energy, not less, over the next 30 years, he stated. The worlds population is expected to jump from 7.8 billion today to nearly 10 billion by 2050. Energy demand is projected to grow along with population.

That means there will be a need for more crude and natural gas production in the years ahead, preferably more American production because the nations environmental and safety standards are the best in the world, he said.

Renewables are an important and growing part of the energy pie, Sommers continued, but that pie itself is growing as the population grows. We need more energy across the board to enable both developed and developing economies to grow.

API and its member companies in the oil and gas industry share global concerns about the climate, Sommers told his audience. But he stressed that, rather than being blamed for climate change, oil and gas can actually provide solutions.

Climate change is a threat affecting economies worldwide. Its not an issue that can or should be brushed aside. Yet the key to environmental progress in the world isnt the Green New Deal. Its not the Sunrise Movement, he said. If you need proof, think about 2010, the last time Congress considered climate legislation. Back then, lawmakers estimated that CO2 would drop by as much as 10 percent below 2007 levels in 2019 if their bill became law. Well, their bill didnt. Instead, industry innovations like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling increased domestic supply and use of natural gas, and U.S. CO2 emissions declined nearly 15 percent  50 percent more than what Congress predicted.

Those innovations are continuing to help the industry reduce emissions, Sommers said, and API and its members continue advocating for ways to accelerate development of emissions-reducing technologies. As he was addressing the Houston Economics Club, Sommers organization was releasing a new template for individual oil and natural gas producers to utilize in consistently reporting and tracking greenhouse gas indicators.

API members are demonstrating for further innovation, new economy-wide market mechanisms and sensible policy proposals, he said.

It's those innovations, many incubated in Texas, that made the US the global energy leader and will lead to the development of fuels that are not only low or net-zero carbon but reliable and affordable, Sommers said.

Oil and gas will continue to play a pivotal role in world energy needs, whether its produced in the US or in other regions creating jobs and prosperity for those regions rather than the US, he continued.

The surest way to stall Americas economic recovery is to remove affordable energy from the picture  with more regulations, more restrictions, more taxes. Nothing less than our economy and national security are at stake if Washington handcuffs this industry like that, Sommers said.

To build a better world for all, he concluded, its imperative to allow energy development and environmental progress. Texas knows how to get us there. Thats the energy reality.
A lawsuit regarding production in paying quantities and the fate of a lease was heard in the Midland County Courthouse last week.

Centralia, a small Fort Worth-based company that acquires oil and gas interests, particularly in the Permian Basin, had sued Pioneer Natural Resources over a well on its Franklin lease. The goal was to end Pioneers lease and give Centralia and the mineral owner, Clark Franklin, the ability to work with another operator who prioritizes horizontal development of Franklins acreage.

Attorneys for Centralia argued that after a casing leak on the Franklin B #1 well, Pioneer gave up on the well and any work Pioneer did on the well was not to restart production or to increase production but was merely to maintain the lease.

Pioneer attorneys argued that Pioneer did not give up on the well, made numerous attempts to restart the well and continuously maintained operations as the lease required. Attorneys also clashed over what constituted a reasonable amount of time to pause operations, work on a well and return it to production.

In the end, a jury of 10 agreed with Centralias assertion that the well had no produced in paying quantities, that Pioneer had not made a good faith effort to restore production and had ceased operations longer than a reasonable amount of time as called for in the lease.

Whether its because of a casing leak or low oil prices, which forced operators to shut in wells last year amid the oil price collapse related to the pandemic, more disputes over producing in paying quantities are sure to head to the courthouse, said Chris Hogan.

Speaking with the Reporter-Telegram by telephone, the Houston-based oil and gas attorney said the issue is very much about development in the oil and gas space, and especially based on oil price declines.

Judges and juries must ponder the question of how a reasonable, prudent operator would act, he said.

When it comes to that, numbers can be tricky, he said. Cases come down to the question of the cost the operator internally allocates to each well. If I have a pumper overseeing 10 wells, do I attribute one-tenth of that pumper to each well as a fair statement of cost? Ive seen cases turn on the question of internal allocations.

William Keffer, a professor of energy law at the Texas Tech University School of Law, told the Reporter-Telegram the courts have a two-part test for such cases.

One is objective  is the operator operating in the black or in the red, he said. If a lessor wants out of a lease, they may offer production data covering a shorter period of time. The law does not set a specific timeframe, he said, but the informal rule of thumb is no less than a year.

The tendency in the court is to say Dont come to me with a complaint unless the lease has been in the red at least a year. If you have 18 months of data, the court may say you cherry-picked the months to put yourself in the post position. The court my look at a longer period and see the lease has done well overall other than that 18 months, Keffer said.

If the answer to that first test is yes, the lease is in the red, then the second test is more subjective, he continued. Courts may ask if a reasonable, prudent operator would believe the lease is worthy of continuous operation and not just maintain the lease for speculative purposes, he said.

Lessees like Pioneer would have what Keffer called defense provisions in their leases that could include a grace period for a well to be offline.

It boils down to the actual language in the lease, he said. The language and interpretation vary lease-to-lease.

A lessor may have a valid argument that the lease is not producing in paying quantities, he said, but whats the alternative? Do they have another lessee ready? That may be the incentive for the lawsuit. If they dont, it may be a disincentive. They may be happier having someone leasing the land even if activity is dormant. Whats going on behind the scenes can tell the story.

Sometimes you need to pull the curtain back, Keffer said.
ROME (AP)  Police in riot gear on Saturday blocked streets to try to thwart gay Pride marchers in Istanbul, while thousands turned out joyfully in Paris and elsewhere in Europe after pandemic privations  although setbacks against LGBT rights tempered some of the celebratory air.

Authorities have banned Istanbul Pride events since 2015, citing public security, and more recently, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The Cumhuriyet newspaper said at least 25 people were detained.

Pandemic concerns forced cancellations of Pride events in Lisbon and postponement of London's usually heavily attended event.

In Berlin, demonstrators set off on three routes toward the central Alexanderplatz in a format meant both to avoid bigger gatherings during the pandemic and to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community.

In Italy, thousands of Pride celebrants rallied in Rome and in some smaller cities.

With a proposed law to combat hate crimes against LGBTQ people stalled in the Italian Senate for months, the Vatican and right-wing political leaders have been lobbying to eliminate some of the provisions, citing fears the legislation will crimp freedom of expression.

After it became public that the Vatican earlier this month had raised objections to Italy's embassy to the Holy See over some of the bill's aspects, the Holy See tried to defuse anger by insisting it doesn't want to block passage. But its No. 2 official, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, expressed concern that the legislation could leave open to prosecution those expressing opinions about any possible distinction between man and woman.

Proponents of the law retort that the threshold for prosecution is inciting hatred or violence against the protected classes. If approved, the Italian law would also combat discrimination and hate crimes against women and persons with disabilities.

A new Hungarian law prohibits sharing content on homosexuality or sex reassignment to people under 18 in school sex education programs, films or advertisements. The European Union nation's government says the law aims to protect children and insists it doesn't target gays. Critic says the law links homosexuality with pedophilia.

Camille Fois, 25, traveled to Paris from the Alpine city of Annency to take part in her first Pride march. Speaking about the Hungarian law, she expressed concerns shared by many rights advocates in the European Union.

It can happen to us very quickly. Its not as far away as that, she ventured.

The overarching mood among tens of thousands of participants at the Paris event was of celebration after nearly a year-and-a half of pandemic-triggered restrictions on gatherings and socializing.

Singing along to I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry, people danced in one of the Metro trains that carried them to the rallying point. With half of French adults now having had at least one vaccine jab, many no longer felt the need for face masks and partied with abandon.

Being locked away was hard, said Georges Gregoire, 33, who came with his partner from Lille. I wanted to have fun. Gregoire, a nursing student, moved to France from Haiti, where, he said, he was so miserable and ostracized as a gay man that he contemplated suicide.

Salv, who didnt want to give his full name because he doesnt want it widely known that he is HIV-positive, marched with a placard that read: 40 years of waiting for a vaccine. He said he is optimistic that research poured into coronavirus vaccines will boost prospects for a vaccine against HIV.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, at that city's march, said he was concerned that those raising objections to the bill to combat homophobia are seeking to discuss it only to stall and ultimately kill it.

Sala said he was championing a push for passage of the law and the just rights for all this marvelous community.

Many participants in Paris expressed alarm about rollback of rights in Hungary and Poland, two EU nations led by right-wing governments.

"If European leaders tolerate this, whats to stop them from tolerating that at home? said Mornia PaumellePichon, a 26-yearold illustrator.

Last year, Poland's president declared that the term LGBT didn't mean people but an ideology more dangerous than communism, a reference to that nation's several decades in the Soviet bloc.

In North Macedonia, hundreds of people marched through the capital, Skopje, as the Balkan country hosted its second-ever Pride parade. The crowd carried a large rainbow banner, blew whistles and cheered and danced to music playing from a vehicle with loudspeakers.

The parade was held under the motto Out of the walls! No violence or similar incidents were reported.

Last year, North Macedonia's parliament adopted an anti-discrimination law, seen as the cornerstone of a decade-long struggle by civil society to ensure the protection of the countrys most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

___

John Leicester reported from Paris. AP reporters Andrew Wilk in Istanbul, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvins knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

The punishment  which came after Chauvin broke his yearlong silence to offer condolences to the Floyd family and express hope that they eventually have some peace of mind  is one of the longest prison terms ever imposed on a U.S. police officer in the killing of a Black person.

Still, Floyd family members and others were disappointed. The sentence fell short of the 30 years prosecutors had requested. And with good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could get out on parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

Just because its the most time doesnt mean its enough time," said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis protest leader.

Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing Chauvin's abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said the family had gotten some measure of accountability but is hoping Chauvin gets the maximum at his upcoming federal civil rights trial. Crump said this was the longest sentence a police officer has ever received in Minnesota.

But he added: "Real justice in America will be Black men and Black women and people of color who will not have to fear being killed by the police just because the color of their skin. That would be real justice.

Outside the courthouse, a crowd of about 50 people clasped hands or placed them on each others shoulders. The reaction was subdued as people debated whether the sentence was long enough. Some cursed in disgust.

At George Floyd Square, as the intersection where Floyd was pinned to the pavement is now known, members of the crowd broke into applause, and several said, Well take it.

Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. He showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.

The fired white officer was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Bystander video of Floyds arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond, as well as demands for overhauling police departments.

On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand  an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial, where his words could be used against him.

I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind, he said without further explanation.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson had asked that Chauvin be let off on probation, saying the former officer's brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if? What if? What if?

Chauvins mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, pleaded for mercy for her son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man, she told the judge, adding: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.

I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank, in asking the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines, said tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life," Frank said.

Floyd family members had tearfully asked the judge to impose the maximum, which was 40 years. Several spoke before the sentence, and his 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, was seen in a recorded video.

I miss you and I love you, Gianna Floyd said in the video when asked what she would say to her daddy. She had a list of things she would have liked to do with him: I want to play with him, have fun, go on a plane ride.

Afterward, Floyds nephew Brandon Williams said the sentence was insufficient, when you think about George being murdered, in cold blood with a knee on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds execution-style in broad daylight. LaTonya Floyd, George Floyds sister, said of the punishment: Thats nothing. Thats nothing. He should have got the max, period.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvin's three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvins request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved out of Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didnt mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.

With Chauvins sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America witnessed something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.

In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Thats why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor.

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the state's maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.

The three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. They will also stand trial with Chauvin on the federal charges. No date has been set for that trial.

__

Associated Press writers Aaron Morrison, Stephen Groves, Tammy Webber, and Angie Wang and Associated Press/Report for America reporter Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this report.

__

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III was buried Saturday with thousands lining the streets of Manila to remember him for standing up to China in bitter territorial disputes, striking a peace deal with Muslim guerrillas and defending democracy in the Southeast Asian nation where his parents helped topple a dictator.

Aquino died Thursday at age 61 of kidney disease arising from diabetes following a long public absence, after his single, six-year term ended in 2016. Family and friends sang a patriotic song after a silver urn with Aquino's remains was placed beside the tomb of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino. Military honors included a 21-gun salute at the private cemetery.

Aquinos family did not want him or his parents buried at the national Heroes Cemetery, where past presidents and top officials had been laid to rest, including dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Aquinos mother and his assassinated father, an anti-Marcos opposition senator, helped lead a resistance that sparked a 1986 army-backed people power revolt, which ousted Marcos.

In his journey beyond, his two heroic parents will be there to embrace him, Archbishop Socrates Villegas said during Mass.

Villegas praised Aquino for living up to an image of a humble and incorruptible politician who detested the trappings of power. Fighting back tears, Villegas said he envied Aquino because he was now in a place where Gods commandments are no longer transgressed and Gods name is no longer blasphemed, where vulgarity and brutality and terror are vanquished by compassion.

The remarks, broadcast live by TV networks, were an oblique criticism of the current populist president, Rodrigo Duterte, whose brash style, expletive-laced rhetoric and tirades against the country's dominant church stood in sharp contrast to Aquino. Church leaders have criticized Aquino's successor for a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has killed thousands of petty suspects and alarmed Western governments and human rights watchdogs.

Although Duterte has publicly ridiculed the opposition Aquino was associated with, he called for the outpouring of sympathy for Aquino to be turned into an opportunity to unite in prayer and set aside our differences.

His memory and his familys legacy of offering their lives for the cause of democracy will forever remain etched in our hearts, Duterte said.

After Mass, Aquinos urn was carried in a convoy to the cemetery with thousands of people lining roadsides and taking pictures. Some wore yellow clothing or ribbons, the color associated with the Aquino-led political opposition.

We're bidding goodbye, and want to say thank you to a decent man who became president," said one supporter, Teddy Lopez, who waited for the convoy outside the cemetery. We were respected by the whole world during his time."

President Joe Biden called Aquino a valued friend and partner to the United States who served his country with integrity and selfless dedication.

Aquino, whose family spent years in U.S. exile during Marcos rule, had turbulent ties with China as president.

After Beijing sent ships to occupy a shoal off the Philippine coast, Aquino authorized the filing in 2013 of a complaint that questioned the validity of Chinas sweeping claims in the South China Sea before an international arbitration tribunal. The Philippines largely won. But China refused to join in the arbitration and dismissed the tribunals 2016 ruling.

There are those who thought the rule of law did not apply to great powers. He rejected that view and proved them wrong," said former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who served under Aquino.

Del Rosario, with Aquino's approval, led efforts to bring the country's disputes with China to international arbitration. Aquinos challenge to the rising superpower was praised by Western and Asian governments but plunged relations with Beijing to an all-time low.

At home, one of Aquinos major successes was the signing of a 2014 peace deal with the largest Muslim separatist rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, that eased decades of fighting in the countrys south.

Teresita Deles, who served as Aquinos peace adviser, said the pact prevented the rebels, who are now helping administer a Muslim autonomous region, from pressing on with an insurgency at a time when the Islamic State group was trying to gain a foothold in Southeast Asia.

It changed the whole landscape of their lives. The childrens schooling has not been interrupted for seven years and the fields are planted again, Deles told The Associated Press.

But while Aquino moved against corruption  detaining his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and three powerful senators  and initiated anti-poverty programs, the deep-seated inequalities and weak institutions in the Philippines remained too daunting. Arroyo was eventually cleared of corruption charges because of insufficient evidence.

Opponents pounded on missteps, although Aquino left office with high approval ratings. Philippine presidents are limited to a single term.

Aquino campaigned against Duterte in 2016, warning that a looming dictator would set back the democratic and economic momentum achieved in his own term. He also warned of potential dangers if Marcos namesake and son, who was then separately running for the vice presidency, would triumph. He criticized Marcos son for refusing to acknowledge that his dictator-father did the country wrong.

Aquino then warned that backers of the late dictator were trying to rewrite the horrors of the martial law era under Marcos.

Let me also remind you that the dictatorship has many faces, Aquino said in February 2016. There are other personalities who want to reinstate all these to deprive the people of the right processes and put in the hands of one man the power to determine what is right and what is wrong, and who is innocent and who is guilty.

Duterte won with a large margin, and later allowed Marcos to be buried with military honors at the the Heroes Cemetery. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch called Dutertes first year in office, when he launched his bloody anti-drug crackdown, a human rights calamity.

Marcos son lost the vice presidential race by a slim margin, and is reportedly considering a run for the same office, or even the top post, when Dutertes term ends next year.

___

Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Vicente Gonzales contributed to this report.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)  A judge on Friday excoriated federal prison officials for refusing to admit an inmate needing mental health care who later killed himself in a local jail cell.

Christopher Lapp, 62, of Great Falls, Virginia, died by suicide at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center last month while he awaited sentencing on carjacking and armed bank robbery charges.

Lapp was bipolar and had a history of mental health problems. When he pleaded guilty in April, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III ordered him sent to the federal prison hospital in Butner, North Carolina, where Lapp had been previously treated and restored to competency with the help of medication.

But Butner officials refused to accept Lapp, saying that they don't accept inmates who are awaiting sentencing unless they need a court-ordered evaluation.

So Lapp instead remained at the Alexandria jail, where a psychiatrist with the city's Community Services Board opted not to medicate him. Lapp died in his cell a few weeks later.

At a court hearing called Friday by Ellis to look into the the death, Ellis was particularly angered that Butner didn't follow his order to admit Lapp.

I wasn't asking. It was an order, Ellis said. I don't care what your lawyers tell you about what's allowed.

Butner officials reached out to prosecutors and Lapp's attorney to tell them why they weren't accepting Lapp, but never notified the judge directly.

Ellis accepted a measure of responsibility himself; Lapp's attorney, Joseph Flood, filed a motion with the court informing the judge that Butner was refusing to accept Lapp. But Ellis said Friday he wasn't aware that Butner had declined him until Lapp had died.

Ellis also questioned why the jail discontinued medication for Lapp when he had a long record of mental health issues. A psychiatrist with the Community Services Board who evaluated Lapp gave an explanation, but most of it occurred when the courtroom was closed to the public. It was clear, though, that Lapp was not cooperating with the psychiatrist, and that the psychiatrist was not given Lapp's medical records from Butner to review.

Ellis said he told lawyers representing Butner at the hearing that he expects the prison to send at least a summary discharge report going forward for local officials to review.

Dr. Lapp's suicide is a tragedy we ought not to repeat, Ellis said.

Lapp lived in a wealthy neighborhood outside the nation's capital and owned a $1.3 million home there at the time of his arrest.

He was highly educated, and had multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His father, Ralph Lapp, was a scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project.

Ellis said he committed the crime during a manic episode of his illness in which he robbed a bank and carjacked a woman at gunpoint in November 2018.

Prosecutors said in court papers that Lapps cellphone records showed he had multiple romantic interests, including a Playboy model, and that he was working to keep his romantic love interests happy with additional money.

Lapp was initially found incompetent to stand trial and initially refused medication, but eventually agreed to be medicated and was restored to competency. He opted to plead guilty, but at the time of his guilty plea, Flood noted he was starting to see a slippage in Lapp's mental health, prompting Ellis to order Lapp's return to Butner while he awaited sentencing,
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP)  Lithuania will set up a border tent village to shelter increasing numbers of asylum-seekers from third countries who are entering through neighboring Belarus, officials said Thursday.

Authorities in the small Baltic country have suggested that the Belarusian government  with which relations are tense following a crackdown on opposition supporters in Belarus  could be involved in the increase seen in recent days.
A Jacksonville natives passion for hiking and exploring nature recently landed her on national television.

Alissa Hembrough Nickerson was featured on the Today show in a segment on how busy national parks have been since pandemic restrictions were lifted across the United States.

It was a random experience, Nickerson said.

Nickerson attended Routt Catholic High School for the first three years of her high school experience and then went to Jacksonville High School for her senior year, graduating in 2009.

An outdoor enthusiast, Nickerson created an Instagram account  @nationalparkbff  that grabbed the attention of Today producers.

The Today people saw it and called, Nickerson said. Its all the topic right now.

The segment shows national parks from Tennessee to Nevada with long lines of visitors. During the show, park rangers said January through May set record attendance numbers at national parks and that the year ahead is likely to be challenging because of staffing issues. They asked visitors to the parks to help by picking up their own trash.

Knowing how crowded national parks are these days, Nickerson plans on arriving at parks she visits super early and possibly visiting less-popular parks.

So many people are getting out and enjoying the parks, Nickerson said. The goal is not to be in a long line.

Nickerson still intends to visit national parks, she said during the show.

It might change how we go about our hikes, she said. I dont think itll change the fact that I want to go to all of the national parks, but it does requires more planning.

A doctor of audiology who now lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, Brandon Nickerson, Alissa Nickerson said that visiting the parks and taking in the beauty of what the country has to offer is one of their favorite hobbies.

I enjoy seeing all the diverse geography, she said. Driving one hour can make such a difference.

Being interviewed remotely from her kitchen table for the Today appearance, Nickerson wasnt nervous, she said. At least, she doesnt think she was.

It was a great experience, she said.
Hundreds protest against Czech police over Roma mans death View Photo

PRAGUE (AP)  Hundreds of people gathered in a northern Czech town on Saturday to honor a Roma man who died after a police officer responding to a call about an altercation knelt on his neck.

Police said the preliminary investigation showed no link between the police intervention and the mans death. But the angry participants, displaying banners that read Roma Lives Matter, condemned the police.

Video footage shows one police officer kneeling on the mans neck for several minutes in the northern city of Teplice on June 19. The man, who hasnt been officially named, later died in an ambulance.

Roma activists and participants of Saturdays gathering rejected the police explanation. The protesters later marched to a local police station.

Roma have long suffered racism and discrimination in eastern Europe and continue to face huge hurdles in employment and education.

Some compare the Roma mans death to the killing of George Floyd, a Black American man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

Europes main human rights body, the Council of Europe, Amnesty International and the governments envoy for human rights all called for a thorough and independent investigation while the countrys deputy ombudsman said she will launch a separate probe into it.
Palestinian forces disperse protest over activists death View Photo

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Angry demonstrators clashed with Palestinian security forces for a third day Saturday during a protest in the West Bank over the death of an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority who died while in custody.

Hundreds gathered in the city of Ramallah  the headquarters of the PA  to chant slogans against President Mahmoud Abbas, two days after Abbas forces beat activist Nizar Banat shortly after his arrest.

The protesters held Palestinian flags and posters of Banat, and called on Abbas to quit. The people want to overthrow the regime, they chanted along with, step down, Abbas!

As the protesters began to march to Abbas office compound, a group of the presidents supporters blocked the rally, prompting an exchange of stone-throwing between the two sides. Palestinian security forces in riot gear fired tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters, sending many running away for cover.

Later, Abbas supporters gathered in a counter rally, with many chanting: People want Abbas as president.

On Thursday, demonstrators had set fires, blocked the streets of the city center and clashed with riot police in Ramallah. Palestinians also chanted against the PA at Banats funeral in Hebron and masked gunmen fired shots into the air. Hundreds also rallied against Abbas after Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

The crackdown comes as the internationally-backed PA faces a growing backlash from Palestinians who view it as corrupt and increasingly autocratic, a manifestation of a three-decade peace process that is nowhere close to delivering Palestinian independence.

The PA controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while its rival, the militant Hamas group, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Abbas, who was elected to a four-year term in 2005, has little to show after more than a decade of close security coordination with Israel.

The EU has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority over the years, and the U.S. and other nations have trained and equipped its security forces. The PA is seen internationally as a key partner in efforts to revive the Middle East peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

In a series of posts and live videos on his Facebook, Banat had talked about the PAs close security coordination with Israel, seen by many Palestinians as betrayal, and its corruption. He severely slammed Abbas in April for calling off what would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years. Banat was a candidate on a slate formed of academics and PA opponents.

The PA said it formed a high-level committee to investigate Banats death. His family said he was beaten in custody. An initial forensic examination concluded the cause of the death was unnatural.

___

Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Cairo contributed to this report.

By IMAD ISSEID

Associated Press
Covenant Health Plainview will host a fundraiser on Saturday for nurse Colter Teel.

Teel, a nurse in the intensive care unit at the hospital, was diagnosed again with Hodgkins lymphoma in May. Now his fellow coworkers want to help the new father cover at least some of his expenses.

There will be a fish fry fundraiser at the Elks Lodge (908 N. I-27) on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A limited number of tickets are available for $15 each.

The plates include fried fish, pinto beans, coleslaw and fries. Delivery options are available within city limits.

Those interested can call (806)291-3317 or (806)291-3329 to inquire about tickets.
Michael McGuffey, a former Brownwood, Texas, resident captured in Mexico last fall after eight years on the run following his ex-wife's shooting death, has been sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison.

The 26-year, eight-month sentence from Skagit County Superior Court Judge Susan Cook was the maximum allowed under state sentencing rules. It followed a suggestion by McGuffey that his wife may have provoked her own death.

"I'm not too sure if she wasn't pushing me to do this," McGuffey told a state prison official during a mandatory evaluation before his Wednesday sentencing.

The statement demonstrated that McGuffey lacked remorse, the judge said.

"I am flabbergasted by Mr. McGuffey's statement," she said. "That statement, in and by itself, demonstrates without a doubt that you haven't even come close to grips with what you've done."

McGuffey's words in the presentence hearing contrasted with apologies he gave in the courtroom Wednesday, and with a remorseful guilty plea he signed last month. There, he said he snapped during an argument with his ex-wife, Michele Torres.

Torres, 25, was shot several times in the head, neck and chest as she sat in her car outside the Mount Vernon restaurant where she worked.

Friends and relatives of the victim, Michele Torres, asked the judge for an exceptional sentence. But Cook said that because allegations of spousal abuse were not proven in court and McGuffey had no other criminal history, a sentence outside standard guidelines could not be justified.

McGuffey, 37, was captured in Guadalajara, Mexico in November. He had remarried and was raising an infant son.

Torres had obtained a restraining order against McGuffey weeks before her death. The couple had just divorced after a turbulent seven-year marriage. They had a daughter, Alysha, now 13.

A federal investigation is under way into whether McGuffey's mother aided him while he was a fugitive.
The city of Plainviews comprehensive plan created in 2013 yielded countless ideas for improvements and several area starting to come to fruition. The multi-million dollar bond projects were among those.

On Tuesday, the Council approved a grant application that, if received, would fund another project that originated from that plan.

City Manager Jeffrey Snyder proposed to the Council that the city submit an application for a Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) discretionary grant to fund the extension of Mesa Drive from 16th to 24th Street. The focus for this project is to improve traffic circulation and safety and to encourage new development.

This area was identified in our comprehensive planning process as an area most likely to grow, Snyder explained.

The scope of the project includes flex pavement, a curb and gutter, a sidewalk, ADA ramps and five-foot sidewalks. The estimated cost is $2,965,301.

The grant program is highly competitive, Snyder said.

Asked how much the city would be required to match should the grant be awarded, he said none but added that the city would try to match 10 to 20 percent anyway to make its application more competitive.

The Council voted 6-0 to move forward with the grant application for the process. Council members Nelda VanHoose and Patra Moreno were absent.

Prior to that discussion, the Council also voted unanimously to hire a different auditing firm for the city.

Every five years, the city is required to seek applications for qualified auditing firms. Its difficult to find governmental auditors, noted Director of Finance Sarianne Beversdorf. The city had used Eide Bailly as its financial auditor for a few years.

This time, seven firms submitted applications so Beversdorfs team came up with a grading scale narrowing the competition down to just two  Eide Bailly and Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, LLP out of Lubbock. The team chose the latter.

A representative from Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, LLP who was present on Tuesday, said the firm is trying to grow its local government sector.

The firm is committed to serving the city for five years before the city is once again required to seek bids. Council unanimously approved it.

Beversdorf also recommended awarding Happy State Bank a depository services contract set to begin October 1 and end on the last day of September in 2024.

Similar to the selection of a financial auditor, the city is required to review applications for a bank depository once every five years. Two banks submitted applications this time, including Happy State Bank and Vista Bank.

Both banking locations were strong choices, Beversdorf said. The decision came down to Happy State Bank just offering interest.

The Council also voted unanimously to authorize the refunding of revenue bonds the city holds with the Canadian Municipal Water Authority and an amendment to the Meredith Supply Agreement.
Thursday, June 17

A theft was reported at the 2400 block of N. Columbia St. on June 17. A suspect stole a pack of beer form a business.

A theft was reported at the 1600 block of W. 16th St. on June 17. The victim reported an electronic scam that resulted in loss of money.

A burglary was reported at the 2300 block of Quincy St. on June 17. An individual took a set of tires and wheels from a trailer at the Xcel facility.

A crash was reported at E. 6th and Ash Streets on June 17. Vehicle damage was reported.

Police were called to the 4100 block of Villa Drive on June 17 in reference to a domestic problem. The victim reported a man making contact via phone and violating a protective order.

A family disturbance was reported at the 800 block of Milwaukee on June 17. A verbal argument was noted.

Criminal trespassing was reported at the 100 block of SW 9th Street on June 17. A victim reported a man tried to get into a home after being told entry was forbidden.

Police arrested 23-year-old Delon Mollette on June 17 during a traffic stop at the 2600 block of Olton Road. Officers conducted a search of the vehicle during the stop and found narcotics. Mollette, the passenger, was also found to have an active warrant and he was found to be in possession of amphetamine. It was later found that Mollette had provided false identifying information. Mollette was charged with an active warrant, with failure to identify a fugitive with intent to give false information, and with possession of a controlled substance, which is a felony. The driver of the vehicle was released on a verbal warning.

Friday, June 18

An assault was reported at the 2800 block of W. 24th Street on June 17. Julio Cesar Hernandez Sanchez, 21, was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend. He was charged with assault of a family/house member impeding breathing/circulation, which is a felony.

Criminal mischief was reported on June 18 at the 500 block of W. 5th Street. Damage to a vehicle was reported.

A 19-year-old woman was arrested June 18 at the 400 block of W. 5th Street during a traffic stop. The driver was discovered to have a confirmed outstanding warrant and was arrested. Officers confiscated alcohol from the passenger side of the vehicle. The owner was a minor. The driver was issued a citation for possession of alcohol. Police released the vehicle to the passenger upon the drivers request. The driver was transported to the Hale County Jail.

An assault was reported at the 2400 block of N. Columbia on June 18. According to a police report, a man assaulted another at Amigos and caused bodily injury.

Officers responded to the 600 block of Houston Street on June 18 in reference to an assault. According to the police report, a man was struck by a car at the 600 block of Houston. Witnesses believe the victim was struck intentionally. The individual, who was riding a motorcycle, was taken by EMS to the airport and flown to UMC in Lubbock. The suspect who allegedly struck the victim fled prior to police arrival. Both vehicles involved are on hold for investigation.

Saturday, June 19

A fatal crash was reported at the 2800 block of Dimmitt Road on June 19.

An assault was reported at the 900 block of Joliet Street on June 19. A person caused bodily injury to another.

Sunday, June 20

An assault was reported at the 900 block of W. 28th Street on June 20. A 1-year-old was hit in the chest with a door at an apartment complex.

Damaged property was reported at the 1000 block of Raleigh Street on June 20. Damage to a vehicle was reported.

Police responded to the 300 block of W. 5th Street on June 20 and arrested a 49-year-old woman for an outstanding municipal warrant for driving without a license.

Monday, June 21

Police arrested 29-year-old Brent Browning on June 21 at the 1000 block of N. I-27. Browning was charged with an outstanding out-of-county felony warrant.

Theft was reported at the 1600 block of N. Date Street on June 21.

Damaged property was reported at the 1400 block of W. 15th Street on June 21. A juvenile caused damage to a vehicle at the location.

Trespassing was reported at the 1300 block of W. 15th Street on June 21. A victim reported that someone entered a residence without the owners consent between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m.

An assault was reported at the 900 block of W. 28th Street on June 21. A man assaulted a family member, according to a police report.

An assault was reported at the 100 block of W. 9th Street on June 21.
Students at a North East Side Independent School District elementary school are going home for the summer with a keepsake they can treasure forever.

Special Education Assistant Brian Rich has a career of professional drawing. He's worked for LucasArts, the video game company owned by "Star Wars" creator, George Lucas, as well as Nickelodeon productions, like the "Rugrats" movies, the district says.

Mr. Rich started the five-month project to draw nearly 60 Woodstone Elementary School kids and teachers to dust off his skills and challenge himself while creating a gift for the campus community, according to the district's post.

RELATED: Free Luminaria arts festival ready to 'reignite' downtown San Antonio streets this fall

Usually, when I sit down and draw something, its to see if I can do it, Rich's comment for the post reads. Just working with the kids, I noticed how they all had their little quirks. Theyre little characters.

The elementary-aged kids weren't born when the Rugrats were at their peak in the 1990s, but that's OK because the San Antonio sketches didn't play off the Nickelodeon cartoon's aesthetic. Rich honed in on their individual personalities and styles.

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: San Antonio Zoo adds a nearly 50-foot tall giraffe off U.S. Highway 281

A student named Katrina proudly shows off her unicorn T-shirt along with a big smile that proves that the tooth fairy owes her some money. Another kid, named Steven, lounges in his chair with his iPad.

Courtesy, NEISD

Parents responding to the post say their kids were thrilled to bring home the cartoonized versions of themselves.

"What?! This is my new favorite guy," Facebook user Garrett Brown's reply says.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Justice Department is suing Georgia over the state's new election law, alleging Republican state lawmakers rushed through a sweeping overhaul with an intent to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot.

Where we believe the civil rights of Americans have been violated, we will not hesitate to act, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday in announcing the lawsuit.

Republican lawmakers in the state pushed back immediately, pledging a forceful defense of Georgia's law.

The Biden administration's move comes two weeks after Garland said his department would scrutinize new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules. He said the federal government would take action if prosecutors found unlawful activity.

The suit also comes as pressure grows on the Biden administration to respond to GOP-backed laws being pushed in the states this year. A Democratic effort to overhaul election laws was blocked this week by Republican senators.

As of mid-May, 22 restrictive laws had passed in at least 14 states, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which researches voting and supports expanded access. Justice Department officials hinted that prosecutors were looking at other voting laws across the United States and warned that the government would not stand by if there were illegal attempts to restrict voter access.

The increased enforcement of voting rights laws also signals that President Joe Biden and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke are making good on a promise to refocus the department around civil rights after a tumultuous four years during the Trump administration. Clarke was one of the nations leading civil rights attorneys before her nomination to lead the department's civil rights division.

Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said he would contest the suit. The Republican official was harshly criticized by then-President Donald Trump and his allies for rebuffing efforts to challenge the outcome of the state's vote in the 2020 election. Raffensperger largely supported the new law and faces a primary challenge from a congressman backed by Trump.

The Biden Administration has been spreading lies about Georgias election law for months," Raffensperger said in a statement. "It is no surprise that they would operationalize their lies with the full force of the federal government. I look forward to meeting them, and beating them, in court.

Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., called the Justice Department's lawsuit legally and constitutionally dead wrong and said the accusations made by prosecutors were baseless and quite honestly, disgusting.

Today, the Biden Justice Department launched a politically motivated assault on the rule of law and our democracy, he said at a news conference.

While much of the more controversial aspects of Georgia's new voting law were dropped before it was passed, it is notable in its scope and for newly expansive powers granted to the state over local election offices.

The bill, known as SB 202, also adds a voter ID requirement for mail ballots, shortens the time period for requesting a mailed ballot and results in fewer ballot drop boxes available in metro Atlanta  provisions that drew the challenge from the federal government.

The changes to absentee voting were not made in a vacuum," Clarke said. "These changes come immediately after successful absentee voting in the 2020 election cycle, especially among Black voters. SB 202 seeks to halt and reverse this progress.

The lawsuit also takes aim at another controversial measure  a ban on the distribution of food and water by various groups and organizations to voters standing in line to cast a ballot. Democrats say the support is needed to encourage voters who find themselves in long lines. Republicans argue the measure is needed to prevent unlawful electioneering from happening at polling places.

In 2020, just two states had ID requirements for voters requesting a mailed ballot. Along with Georgia, lawmakers in Florida have also passed a law requiring additional identification for mail voting. Clarke described the Georgia law as adding new and unnecessarily stringent identification requirements to mail voting.

In Georgia, drop boxes were permitted last year under an emergency rule prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. State Republicans have defended the new law as making drop boxes a permanent option for voters and requiring all counties to have at least one. But critics say the new limits mean there will be fewer drop boxes available in the states most populous communities.

For the entire metro Atlanta area, Democrats estimate the number of drop boxes will fall from 94 last year to no more than 23 for future elections based on the new formula of one drop box per 100,000 registered voters.

Clarke noted that metro Atlanta is home to the largest Black voting-age population in the state.

The NAACP and civil rights leaders such as Stacey Abrams applauded the administration's step. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said Georgias law was a blatant assault on the American peoples most fundamental and sacred right, the right to vote.

The law already is the subject of seven other federal suits filed by civil rights and election integrity groups that raise a number of claims under the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in voting.

The Supreme Court also is weighing a voting rights dispute from Arizona that predates last years election in which the court could again significantly cut back on the use of the voting rights law.

Eight years ago Friday, the high court removed the Justice Departments most effective tool in combating discriminatory voting laws: the requirement that states with a history of racial discrimination, mostly in the South, obtain advance approval of any voting changes from the government or a court.

The department also announced Friday that it was creating a task force and advising FBI and U.S. attorneys to prioritize investigations of threats against election officials.

___

Cassidy reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Mark Sherman in Washington and Kate Brumback and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden celebrated Pride Month at the White House on Friday, a reflection of the growing stature of the LGBTQ community at the highest level of government.

Pride Month represents so much, Biden said. It stands for courage. The courage of all those in previous generations and today who proudly live their truth. Stands for justice. Both the steps weve taken and the steps we need to take. And above all, Pride Month stands for love.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay person confirmed to a Cabinet post, joined the president and first lady in the White House's East Room and also gave remarks.

Us even being here proves how much change is possible in America," Buttigieg said. So many lives have been changed, saved by the sustained advocacy, the moral resolve, the political courage of countless LGBTQ-plus leaders and allies, some elected, some invisible, some long gone, some in this room right now.

A White House hallway was lit in the colors of the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ movement, and Biden said he takes the hallway each day as he goes between the residence and the Oval Office. Also on display was a candle carried during the AIDS vigil and a pair of sandals owned by Matthew Shepard, a gay college student who was fatally beaten in 1998 and whose death inspired new hate crime laws.

Also on Friday, Biden named Jessica Stern as a special diplomatic envoy at the State Department for LGBTQ rights. Her responsibilities will involve ensuring that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect LGBTQ rights around the world. Stern is currently executive director of OutRight Action International, which defends human rights and works to prevent abuses of LGBTQ people.

In her new role, Stern will help put in place a presidential memorandum to advance the rights of LGBTQ people as well as bring together like-minded governments, nonprofits and corporations to uphold equality and dignity, according to the White House.

The focus also carries personal resonance for many in the Biden administration. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House's principal deputy press secretary, tweeted out her own story Friday about coming out to her mother at the age of 16 and the revolted look in response that left her sexuality a family secret for many years.

Im proud to be an out Black Queer woman and I have been for quite some time, she wrote. Im happy to say, my Mother is now proud of ALL of who I am; she loves my partner and she loves being a doting grandmother to the daughter we are raising.

Jean-Pierre added that her journey toward acceptance was not easy, but it was worthwhile.

Biden also signed into law Friday a measure that designates the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, as a national memorial. A mass shooting at the gay nightclub in June 2016 left 49 people dead and 53 wounded in what was the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ community in U.S. history.
Damian Dovarganes)/AP

LOS ANGELES (AP)  A passenger was taken to the hospital Friday night after jumping out of a moving plane at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

United Express flight 5365, operated by SkyWest, was pulling away from a gate shortly after 7 p.m. when the man unsuccessfully tried to breach the cockpit, then managed to open the service door and jumped down the emergency slide onto the tarmac, according to the airport and SkyWest.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas Democratic lawmakers who blocked one of America's most restrictive voting measures with a dramatic walkout sued Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, after he vetoed funds that cover thousands of Capitol paychecks that he said shouldn't be given to those who quit their job early."

The lawsuit reflects the tensions that remain in Texas more than a month after Democrats' last-ditch revolt over the Memorial Day weekend, and more battles are ahead. Abbott has ordered lawmakers back on the job for a special session starting July 8, when Republicans are expected to embark on a second try at passing new voting laws.

Going straight to the Texas Supreme Court, Democrats called the veto an unconstitutional power grab. Abbott has indicated he will give lawmakers the chance to reinstate the money once they return for the special session.

The veto of more than $400 million in funds didn't just punish Democrats: paychecks for the offices of Republican legislators are also impacted, as well as nonpartisan support staff around the Capitol. Democratic state Rep. Chris Turner put the number of affected jobs in the legislative branch at more than 2,000.

Governor Abbotts position  that he is able to defund a co-equal branch unless or until it bends to his will  contains no limiting principle," the lawsuit reads.

Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze responded to the lawsuit with a statement defending the governor's veto power and called Democrats' claims misleading. This is not the first time, and undoubtedly will not be the last time, that a governor vetoes funding for government positions and salaries," she said.

In his veto proclamation, Abbott wrote: Funding should not be provided for those who quit their job early, leaving the state with unfinished business and exposing taxpayers to higher costs for an additional legislative session."

The vetoed funding only applies to the next budget cycle that begins in September, meaning paychecks for Capitol staffers will continue at least until then. Lawmakers make just $600 a month in Texas  where the Legislature only meets for five months every other year  and many have well-paying careers back home. But Democrats say the veto puts at risk legislative staff whose jobs are their main source of income.

It was unclear when the court might take up the lawsuit.

Democrats are girding for another fight over voting this summer. Abbott and Republican leaders have promised to deliver new election laws in Texas, which already has some of the nation's toughest voting restrictions, but have given little indication of what the next proposals might include.

The walkout by Democrats in May unfolded after nightfall as Republicans raced to pass a sweeping voting measure, known as Senate Bill 7, before a midnight deadline. Democrats say they were especially galled at last-minute changes to the bill that included a prohibition on Sunday morning voting  a time widely used by Black churchgoers  and provisions that could make it easier for a judge to overturn an election.

Republicans commanding majority in the Texas Capitol means an elections bill will probably eventually pass, but Democrats have vowed to continue fighting GOP efforts to reduce polling hours and ballot access. Nationwide this year, Republicans have rushed to enact a wave of strict voting laws in response to former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

In Washington, D.C., a sweeping attempt by Democrats to rewrite U.S. election and voting laws was blocked this week by Senate Republicans, leaving Democrats with no clear path forward.
Yves here. This post may seem almost mundane, unless you live in California. Yup, PG&E is a mess and the state has been unwilling to take measures up to the scale of the problem, no doubt because the cost would have to be built into the rate base and the price hikes would be so massive as to choke household and business budgets. But even without a full bore cleanup, costs are still spiking. Yup, drought and high temps mean blackouts, both rolling blackouts due to air-conditioning induced demand and fires sometimes taking power lines down. And these conditions are taking a toll. In 2020, California suffered its first population decline since 1850.

The more relevant issue is that California is giving a preview of what much of the US can expect in the not-too-distant future. As William Gibson said, the future is already here, its just not evenly distributed.

By Charles Kennedy, a writer for OilPrice. Originally published at OilPrice

Electricity prices for Californians are spiking, but so is the danger of blackoutsboth planned and unplanned.

Exceptional drought forecasts for this summer prompted PG&E to warnearlier this month that it might need to implement more rolling blackouts. The utility added, however, that they would likely last less than last years.

Then, last week, the California Independent System Operator issued a so-called flex alert, which effectively means it asked people to use less electricity between 5 pm and 10 pm because of heightened energy consumption during that time of day.

Last year, RealClear Energys Robert Bryce wrote this week, electricity prices in California jumped by 7.5 percent. This was the highest price hike for electricity across the States and seven times the average for the country. This means that as of end-2020, Californians were paying 70 percent more for electricity than people living in other states. At the same time, the security of their energy supply is increasingly questionable.

A more severe than usual drought in the state this year has depleted reservoirs and lakes, including the ones feeding some of the largest hydropower facilities. This means lower output from hydropower stations. This may well force the state with ambitious emission-reduction targets to rely more on its remaining natural gas-powered plants for baseload electricity supply.

These problems, which are set to deepen with time, have their roots far in the past, according to a recent New York Times interview with Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston.

According to Hirs, decades ago, California swam in excess generation capacity that sat idle for most of the year because of the mild climate. To reduce this capacity overhang, the state began closing these power plants and replacing them with wind and solar farmsand with imports.

To date, the expert noted, California imports some 35 percent of its electricity.

Thats a big problem, because now its not just Californias grid reliability you have to worry about, its your neighbors, Hirs said. Thats what happened last August: The heat wave got everybody.
Yves here. As readers know, the US is mighty fond of economic sanctions as a way of punishing perceived enemies at low cost. However, what our officialdom misses is that bit of wisdom from

Friedrich Nietzsche, That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Proud countries with long histories, including periods of adversity, arent as easily broken as the US would like to believe. And as we see in Iran, sanctions can lead citizens to rally around hardliners, making it harder to negotiate.

By Paul Jay. Originally published at theAnalysis.news

Paul Jay

Hi, Im Paul Jay. Welcome to theAnalysis.news. Please dont forget the donate button and the subscribe and share buttons and all the buttons. Well be back in a moment with Hamid Dabashi and were going to discuss the Iranian elections.

Ebrahim Raisi is the president elect of Iran, the result of a controversial election process where less than 50 percent of the voters participated in an election that has been denounced by at least two former presidents and many people actually boycotted.

As always, when analyzing the internal politics of Iran, I think its important to state that whatever the character of the Iranian government and ruling circles are and what damage they may have done outside their borders, its nothing compared to the war crimes of the United States and its allies. The hypocrisy of the American government towards Iran, complaining about human rights violations when they arm the Saudi and Israeli governments, is obvious. That said, we shouldnt hesitate to discuss the brutal and repressive nature of the Iranian theocracy. Its been reported that the Biden administration is trying to reopen the JCPOA nuclear agreement to include a restriction on Irans use of ballistic missiles, something that was explicitly not included in the original agreement. Raisi has made it clear that Irans non-nuclear weapons are non-negotiable. When Raisi was asked if he would meet with Biden, his answer was no. These are very dangerous moments and we start our analysis from whats good for the Iranian people, the people of the region, the American people, and other peoples. And to help us understand the current moment, were joined by Hamid Dabashi. He is an Iranian professor of Iranian studies and comparative literature at Columbia University in New York City. Hes the author of over 20 books. Among them are his Theology of Discontent, Staging a Revolution, a one volume analysis of Iranian history, Iran: A People Interrupted, Iran Without Borders: Towards a Critique of the Postcolonial Nation, Iran: The Rebirth of a Nation, and The Shahnameh: The Persian Epic as World Literature. Hamid, how should I pronounce that?

Hamid Dabashi

Shah means king. Nameh means book. Shahnameh, the Book of Kings.

Paul Jay

Ok, thats pretty straightforward. Thanks very much for joining us, Hamid.

Hamid Dabashi

My pleasure. Good to see you, Paul. We miss you here back in the states.

Paul Jay

Yeah, someday, hopefully sooner than later, maybe well come back. So anyway, lets start with the election. Who is Raisi? What does his election represent for the Iranian people? And then well get into the nuclear agreement and the regional geopolitics of the issue.

Hamid Dabashi

He is currently the head of the judiciary and, if you can believe, he is kind of a revolutionary functionary. He doesnt have really a vision, a character, any drive. He has been a yes-man all his life. He is in his 60s, I believe, and he ran for president last time four years ago when Rouhani became president. But he didnt make it because there was still some enthusiasm eight years ago and four years ago when Rouhani ran again about the possibility of some democratic indications in the process. And when he lost that campaign, Khamenei, the supreme leader, appointed him to a very lucrative and powerful position, which is the head of a major endowment in the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran as the head of the Astan Quds Foundation, which is very opulent and very powerful. And he used this very effectively this time to promote himself as somebody who cares for people and such. So he comes to the office of presidency with a very long history in the judiciary system and with a very long history of serving the Islamic Republic in a variety of capacities. And now he has become the head of the state.

Dont expect anything visionary, dont expect anything radical. And in fact, it is important to remember that the office of presidency in the apparatus of power in the Islamic Republic is not really that powerful. Its just a position among other positions. And what you also hear in the European and American press that the supreme leader calls the shots is not entirely correct either. The single most important body of decision making is the Supreme National Security Council that has 23 members and has the interest of the state in mind. It has nothing to do with the nation and the will of the people and so forth. Yes, the president is the chairman of this Supreme National Security Council. But far more important is the secretary of that National Security Council, who currently is Ali Shamkhani. And they bring all the various forces, the intelligence, the security, the military apparatus of the Islamic Republic, as it has a 23 member committee. They decide. And what they decide is really the interest of the state, how to sustain the state. And they are always reactive. They are not proactive. They wait, for example, for the former Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Then they react to that. They wait for the Reagan administration to create the Taliban and then they react to that. Keep in mind that in 1980, the United States was behind the Iraqi invasion of Iran for eight years, the Iran-Iraq war, to which they reacted. They wait for the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon. Then they react by creation of Hezbollah. So if you hear criticism, legitimate criticism of Iran being too much in the region, but dont hear that Iran is like a part of a jigsaw puzzle, that the Americans are there, the Saudis are there, the Turkish government is there, the Russians are there, even the Chinese are there. Everybody is involved in Syria. So is Iran. Iran does not have a constructive role to play, but nobody has a constructive role to play. Everybodys hand is in somebody elses pocket.

In that context, the election of a new president, Ebrahim Raisi, is not really going to have much effect. What are the paramount issues, Paul, that Irans 85 million people face right now? The single most important factor is climate change. The Persian Gulf area is not going to be habitable with the way that things are going within about twenty to twenty five years. Right now its like hell. Environmental catastrophe is the most important issue.

Paul Jay

Just before you move on to that, is the Iranian government, the theocracy, the council, are they cognizant of the climate challenge? Is it something they get? Because its obvious that not only is the climate a great threat, but also having fossil fuel as their main source of revenue is going to be a problem.

Hamid Dabashi

Remember, this National Security Council has a university. So they study things. They know what is happening. And they are trying to diversify the sources of their energy away from fossil fuel, but they dont have any alternative. Thats what they have. Its a rentier state. Its a state that runs by the price of oil. Any time the price of oil goes down, the cry of death to America goes down. Every time the price of oil goes up, the cry goes up. Its not a system that is sustainable. But again, nobody cares in the region. Its not that just Iran doesnt care. The entire region doesnt care. And the single most important item of vulnerability is people, people who have no power. And there was a semblance of democracy in the last, lets say, 20 years or so when people poured into the streets and chose between the worst and the bad. And they chose the bad. But now that choice is no longer valid and maybe about 30 percent, 35 percent of the eligible voters actually voted. There are sixty million eligible voters. And usually Iranians are very high in voting when they think they have something to say. But this time, the state uses the excuses of corona and the social distancing and the summer heat. This is all gibberish. The fact is that people have lost any trust. There is a severe bifurcation between a state and a nation. The state does its own thing and the nation is left to its own devices. Now, paradoxically, of course, with these sanctions, these ungodly, backbreaking, crippling sanctions that the United States, Europe, and the U.N. have been imposing, the direct victims are the people who dont have any say in whether or not Iran should go nuclear or not go nuclear. So one has to place Iran within the context of geopolitics of the region, its relationships with its immediate Arab neighbors, its relationship with Europe, its relationship with the United States, and as a best indication, they have the best interest of the state in mind. When Obama was negotiating for a nuclear deal, they went for the nuclear deal. And they perfectly accepted all the limitations. But as soon as Trump destroyed it, of course, they go back into strengthening their negotiating position by starting to enrich higher volumes of uranium. It is important for your audience to recognize that the Iranian foreign policy is very reactive, not proactive. They wait for a crisis to happen and then they react to it to defend themselves.

Paul Jay

You were listing the challenges facing the Iranian people. So you have the issue of climate, but then you went to covid. How has the government been doing with covid and how much does that have to do with people tuning out of the elections?

Hamid Dabashi

Number one, we dont have the accurate statistics in Iran. We dont have accurate statistics anywhere. In the U.S. we hit 600,000 victims of covid. Compared to the United States, Brazil, and India, Iran has not been doing that bad. But nevertheless, the situation is not good. So what are the issues that the Iranian people face? Number one is the environment. Number two are pandemics. Number three are crippling economic sanctions that are not affecting the state. The state has been selling its oil on the black market and other ways. It has sustained its power both within Iran and in the region. Thats what the issue is. So if there is a nuclear agreement (right now, there are negotiations in Vienna) the Iranian interest is to go back to the Obama agreements. Disregard the issue of long range missiles because they will not be negotiating long range missiles. Remember, Iran is a country that fought with Iraq for eight years. It has been constantly under threat from Israel. And as a result Iran is not going to compromise on the fact that during the Iran-Iraq war they went around the world begging for missiles and that nobody would sell them missiles. So they will not compromise on those factors, especially since constantly Israel is on the pose of attacking them. The assassination of the nuclear scientists, all sorts of troubles that they make for them.

Paul Jay

Can I just make a point here? I think its important just to emphasize that the ballistic missiles are not nuclear. They never have been a part of any negotiation as part of this nuclear agreement. And Iran has as much right to ballistic missiles as any other country does. Its kind of a ridiculous demand on the face of it.

Hamid Dabashi

I dont believe in ballistic missiles. I dont believe in nuclear weapons. We dont believe in any of it. We are against war. But you cannot isolate Iran. The Israeli military is the sixth most powerful military on planet Earth. Whatever Iran is doing, Israel is not in a position to point a finger at. And they are sitting on a massive stockpile of nuclear weapons and they are not part of the NPT. Iran is a signatory. Again, one should not pick on Israel or any particular country. Pakistan has nuclear capacity. Turkey is part of NATO. Russia to the north has nuclear capacity. Iran is surrounded by four nuclear powers. The U.S. in the Persian Gulf, Russia to its north, Turkey which is part of NATO, and Pakistan. So none of these states can point a finger at Iran. Oh, you cannot have nuclear, even energy, let alone nuclear weapons. So from the standpoint of the Iranian people or any people around the globe from Canada and the U.S., no country should have nuclear capacity. Of course not. Given what happened in Japan, even nuclear energy is a dangerous proposition to begin with. But the negotiation now has come to no, you cant even have ballistic missiles. And the range should be this much. Especially coming from the United States. Are you kidding me? Who are you? Under Trump, you began a revamping of the more sophisticated nuclear capacities of the United States.

So one has to have a more comparative assessment of the region. But it doesnt mean that the Islamic Republic of Iran is Gods gift to humanity. Its a horrid theocratic state apparatus. And every election has become worse. If you go back 40 years when the Islamic Republic was violently imposed on a multidimensional and pluralistic revolutionary uprising, it was still in negotiation with its ideological rivals. But after 40 years, it has become a flat, tyrannical state. And in this last presidential election, it just dropped away any pretense of democracy. It prevented anybody with even the slightest reformist views from having a chance. They did this because they are prepping this man, Raisi, to succeed Khamenei. Khamenei, the supreme leader, is in his 80s. Everybody guesses that Raisi will succeed him as supreme leader and then somebody else will become the president. There are about two dozen people at the head of the state apparatus and they keep changing from one position to another position.

Paul Jay

Why do they engineer the election? Because thats apparently what happened. It was engineered that he would win. But why do they have the public face facing the West, someone who has been accused of massacring thousands of people after the Islamic revolution, leftists, communists, and all kinds of people they didnt like. They got a guy who is the face of being hardline when its in their interest, especially their economic interest in terms of this alienation of the people from the state, to try to make a deal and get these sanctions lifted. This guy, if you read the Western press, is giving an excuse for Biden not to go back to the nuclear agreement.

Hamid Dabashi

There are two points to your question, Paul. First of all, why bother with this shenanigan of democracy? Well, why does the United States bother with the shenanigan of democracy. Do we really have a democracy? Right now, as you know, the Republican Party is going through every possible measure to make sure that African-Americans, Latino Americans, wont vote. What happened on January sixth was a full recognition that this is a democracy only for white people, not for any other people. And if other people are going to join the Democratic Party, again, not that the Democratic Party is Gods gift to humanity, they are going to dismantle democracy. Right now in Texas they are systematically dismantling the democratic apparatus of this country. Now, with the United States no longer a model of potential republican democracy, where else do we have? Do we have a democracy in India where you have a horrid Hindu fundamentalist government just slaughtering Muslims? Is it in Brazil? Is it in China? Is it in Russia? Europe is always on the verge of the rise of fascism. There is no model of democracy. But still there is this pretense. You have even Bashar al-Assad having an election in Syria. Al-Sisi in Egypt. Yeah, lets have an election. They do this because engineering is fun and they can claim the legitimacy that they like. They did the same thing in Iran, but what I like about this election is that they have all the pretenses dropped. They chose him. They put him in there. They did not allow anybody to run against him. There were two who were running against him. They just conceded before the election even had started.

Paul Jay

OK, I get that. But what Im asking is why not have some kind of reformer, who really, as you say, is part of the state, present this kind of reformist face, get the nuclear deal back, get the sanctions lifted? Instead, they took a path which may very well scuttle the deal because theres a lot of force in Washington against this deal, including from inside the Democratic Party.

Hamid Dabashi

They are just one phase behind. They are reacting to Trump. When there was Obama, you had Rouhani coming and Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, speaking lovely Midwestern English in his conferences and accommodating the nuclear deal. And then Trump comes. When Trump comes, you have to understand the catalytic effect of four years of Trump chicanery on Iranian politics. The hand of the right wing, these neanderthals that are really identical with Republicans in their politics. And also remember, Raisi is the Naftali Bennett of Iran. If you read the pages of the New York Times Oh Naftali Bennett is being reconstructive. This is the guy who said, Ive killed many Arabs and Im very proud of it.

Paul Jay

This is the new PM of Israel.

Hamid Dabashi

Its the same thing that Rasi said. He said, Yes, Ive killed prisoners and Im very proud of it. Theyre identical characters, but not in The New York Times. They demonize Raisi and they glorify Naftali Bennett because he has gotten rid of Netanyahu. But going back to your question, why are they reacting to Trump? Now you have a different guy in Washington. You have Biden. And Biden wants to restore. But, of course, as you said, there are many forces that were opposed to restoration of the nuclear deal and Iran cannot trust that they can actually engage because they did engage. They did have a deal, but Trump tore it to pieces. So what trust can they have?

Paul Jay

And the other thing, too, is that Biden is succumbing to his own pressure to create ballistic missiles as an issue because clearly it wasnt. In fact Blinken and Sullivan were both on camera after being appointed saying they werent going to make ballistic missiles part of the deal and now it seems like they are. That almost seems like an attempt to scuttle the deal because Biden has to know Iran will never agree to this.

Hamid Dabashi

No, they do. But there is also the other part of it in which including ballistic missiles could be sort of a next phase. That now they are going to have the sort of Obama era nuclear deal that they used to have, but they continue in Vienna and so forth to engage because paradoxically, Iranian regional interests and American regional interests coincide. They have coincided in Syria. They have coincided in Afghanistan. They have coincided in Iraq. And the United States needs Iran in the region in order to withstand Russia. Whereas Russia has had a consistent foreign policy and been very friendly with Iran and has used Iranian bases when it was engaging in Syria. So it is possible in the Biden administration that you have a way of thinking of continuing this negotiation with Iran. Thus the question of will Raisi meet with Biden? Of course he will meet with Biden. They will meet with the devil if they have to in order to sustain their state apparatus. It makes no difference to them. It is not in their interests yet to meet with Biden. Rouhani was on the verge of meeting. He had a phone call with Obama during the Obama administration. They dont have any qualms with meeting with anybody. Right now the relationship with Saudi Arabia is going back to normal because they were actively involved in Yemen to the degree that the Saudis and the Emirates were active in Yemen. When they are pulling back, Iran will pull back. They will allocate resources somewhere else in Afghanistan or in Syria or in Lebanon. One thing that is very crucial after 40 years of the Islamic republic: they are not ideologically married to anything other than sustaining the interest of the Islamic Republic. The interest of the state is paramount. Everything else is negotiable.

Paul Jay

What do you see in the relatively short term future, five, ten years? You were saying this economic model, even political model, isnt really sustainable. What does that mean? How does this unravel?

Hamid Dabashi

Right now, we are in a stage where if the epidemic is under control, if the Saudis and the Emirates are out of Yemen, and if Afghanistan, with the pulling of the Americans, and Iraq are stabilized, that will amount to reducing the presence of Iran in all of these regions. If tomorrow you have another bombing of Gaza by the Israelis, you have another invasion of Lebanon, or if you have another occupation further into Golan Heights in Syria, any of these things happening, Iran will be more aggressively involved. The more stabilized the region is, the less conditions and causes and crises there are for Iran to get involved in the region. Fortunately and paradoxically, the silver lining of the covid pandemic has been that people are pulling back because they have to allocate the resources to controlling this pandemic. After the pandemic is over, my fear is that, again, somebody is going to invade something or another. Theres always a trigger. And now with the sustained bombing of Gaza by Israel over the last two weeks, the position of Hamas has strengthened and the further occupation of East Jerusalem of Israel is adding momentum to the Islamic sort of component of Palestinian national liberation. Happily and fortunately, Palestinian national liberation is not entirely Islamic. Hamas is only one factor that is being drummed up in European and North American press as the Palestinian resistance. It is not the only Palestinian resistance, and fortunately so. So if things begin to subside and if we have less tension in the United States and in the region, if the Saudis and Emirates begin to start behaving, if Turkey begins to play a more stabilizing role, Iran will go back into its internal affairs. The more agitations around Iran, the more repression inside Iran, the more allocation of resources, instead of to addressing issues domestic to Iran, to other regions. Iran is not a very wealthy country. Iran is entirely contingent on oil revenues and if they are not allocated to domestic issues, the level of poverty, the level of unemployment, the national health issue, the incapability of addressing a pandemic, these are all factors that need resources for the state to address. The state does not address them because it is allocating all these resources in Iraq, in Yemen, in Afghanistan, in Lebanon, in Palestine. That is the prospect.

Paul Jay

And what is the prospect for another rise of a democratic movement in the streets or electorally? Is there any space for that?

Hamid Dabashi

There are two issues. In a book I recently wrote, The Inevitable Demise of the Nation-State, the bifurcation between the nation and the state is forever. There is this whole idea of a nation-state where you had a nation and had a representative state which was a European colonial concoction. It never had any relevance in the context of countries like Iran. And they gave it a try, especially after the revolution, through repeated elections, parliamentary elections, presidential elections, city council elections to see if there is any effect. But there has not been any effect. There is no democratic representation. And the idea of yet another revolution, I think, is implausible. The idea even of a democratic uprising is not plausible. But the fate of the nation has been forever severed. They no longer look to the state for their wellbeing. A state is, in reality, entirely unto itself. The United Nations has to be renamed the United States. The United Nations has nothing to do with nations. When they say Iran did that or Syria did that, its just a misnomer. The name Iran belongs to the people, not to the state. The state interests itself. Of course, it has a massive basis in terms of its military, in terms of its security apparatus, in terms of its intelligence apparatus. So, if you put all of those together they come to 10 million people. Iran has a large population and they can sustain themselves in power by force, by intimidation, by destruction of any democratic uprising that has happened almost every four to five years. Over the last forty years, you have had many forms of democratic uprisings, the student uprisings, labor uprisings, middle class uprisings, womens rights uprisings. Iran is a richly diversified country in terms of its population, in terms of its youth. So, you have all sorts of uprisings, but they never amount to any rattling of the state in any democratic way.

Paul Jay

And the more aggressive the US is towards the Iranian state, I assume, the stronger it gets.

Absolutely. The more aggressive the United States, the more aggressive Israel, the more aggressive Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the more the state becomes like a porcupine. All its spikes come out. And, as you remember during the green movement, the slightest suggestion of demanding democratic representation they all label them as agents of the United States or agents of Israel, etc. So they become more belligerent. And lo and behold, the United States is trying to intervene in the internal affairs of all of these countries, as it did in Syria, as it did in Lebanon. And if there is democratic representation, as in the election of Hamas in Palestine, the United States doesnt recognize it because its not in its interest. So we dont have a model. Including Canada, by the way. The horrors of these so-called residential schools that came out and the successive governments of Canada and the Catholic Church, what they have done to Native Americans and First Nations, has robbed them of any moral authority, of any political wherewithal. Who are these people? We grew up thinking, OK, United States, Canada, Western Europe, they have troubles, but they are the models of democracy. But there is no model. People are on their own. And as a result, you have to look at movements such as Black Lives Matter, locations such as Palestinian national liberation movements, demands of the Native Americans and native nations in Canada for representation. These nuclei of resistance to these states is where the hope and the aspiration is.

Paul Jay

Alright Hamid, lets continue this conversation in another segment soon, both about Iran and also about democracy. Thanks for joining us.

Hamid Dabashi

My pleasure. Anytime.

Paul Jay

And thank you for joining us on theAnalysis.news. Please dont forget the donate button and share and subscribe and all the buttons.
(Natural News) A number of businesses badly affected by the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are asking the federal government for additional aid to stay afloat. These businesses, which include restaurants, gyms and hotels, claimed coronavirus restrictions caused them to suffer financial losses. Prior to this new tranche of stimulus money, the Biden administration implemented the American Rescue Plan worth $1.9 trillion to assist businesses hard hit by the pandemic.

Aside from the American Rescue Plan, the Small Business Administrations (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program delivered almost $800 billion in short-term grants to almost 12 million businesses. However, some business owners have claimed current federal aid is not enough to tide them over.

According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), the restaurant industry lost $290 billion in revenue during the pandemic. While more restaurants have increased hiring, capacity limits in some areas still hindered efforts to bounce back. Furthermore, advocates for the industry said many restaurant owners are in debt and will soon owe back rent. NRA Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Sean Kennedy said: Were still incredibly vulnerable.

Restaurant owner Amy Long is another entrepreneur who bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry. Her catering business in Texas has incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt just to stay afloat. Long has also struggled to rehire workers as she is unable to offer full-time hours  something she was able to do before the pandemic. We cannot continue to operate at our current level of sales without additional help. We wont make it to September, she lamented.

Lawmakers from both parties have expressed their support to a new tranche of federal aid  which is good news for Long and other business owners. Legislators argued that many businesses  especially restaurants  did not get enough assistance from earlier aid programs. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), House Small Business Committee ranking member, said the restaurant industry had been hit pretty hard and had been among one of the last groups to get relief funds.

Most of the folks on my side of the aisle are not opposed to some additional funding, Luetkemeyer added. However, he believed that other unused federal funds could be redirected for this purpose.

Its not just restaurants: Hotels and gyms are also lobbying for federal aid

Back in March of this year, Congress first approved the SBAs Restaurant Revitalization Program with $28.6 billion in funding. It has since received applications amounting to $75 billion in applications, leaving many businesses on the sidelines.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the upper and lower houses of Congress introduced a bill seeking a new round of assistance for restaurants. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), together with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) sponsored the bill allocating $60 billion to keep restaurants afloat. If people pay attention to whats going on in their community, I think theyll find theres broad support for this, Blumenauer said.

Concurrently, gym owners and hotel operators are lobbying for grants. But it is unclear if they will get the same response as that of restaurants. A bipartisan effort has kicked things off for fitness centers, with Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) proposing $30 billion of federal aid. Gyms benefiting from this program could receive up to $25 million.

Meanwhile, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced a bill allocating $20 billion in grants to support hotel worker payroll and benefits expenses. But the bill would require recipients to give laid-off employees recall rights to enable their return to work. Hotel operators who do not comply with the bills guidelines would see their grant funding taken away.

Schatzs bill gained the support of hotel worker union UNITE HERE and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA). According to AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers, earlier versions of the bill leaned more toward hotel operators and were not 100 percent for employees. However, the hotel trade group decided that joining the union and focusing on workers ensured a greater chance of success.

Part of our job is to remind people that this industry could never survive on leisure travel alone, even under the best-case scenario. While you see people taking vacations, we recognize that until large meetings and conventions  [and] traditional business travel come back, were not going to be able to fully recover. Thats why the help is needed, Rogers said.

Industry lobbyists have nevertheless admitted that convincing legislators to allow new tranches of federal grants on businesses that have survived the pandemic will be a challenge. Economic Innovation Group President and CEO John Lettieri meanwhile expressed skepticism over the need for new relief programs at the current stage of pandemic recovery.

But the head of the American think tank continued that there was a solid case for restaurants to seek additional stimulus money. This is because the existing program has been widely viewed as underfunded and unable to accommodate demand.

Pandemic.news has more stories about federal assistance for businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Sources include:

POLITICO.com

SBA.gov
(Natural News) A critical care doctor said the U.S. is wasting taxpayers money on its purchase of drug manufacturer Mercks Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) antiviral treatment. Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) President Dr. Pierre Kory warned that the Biden administration should not pay Merck for a COVID-19 drug which has already failed in hospitalized patients. He instead called for the low-cost, safe [and] widely available ivermectin to be used with its track record of effectiveness against the disease.

Korys remarks came as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on June 9 that the federal government and Merck sealed a $1.2 billion deal. Under the agreement, the drug firm will supply 1.7 million course of its molnupiravir COVID-19 antiviral drug  pending the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Also called MK-4482, molnupiravir is an oral medication developed in partnership with Miami-based Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. According to a statement by Merck, MK-4482 can inhibit the replication of multiple RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. It added that the drug has shown to be active in several models of SARS-CoV-2, including for prophylaxis, treatment and prevention of transmission.

Currently, the drugs efficacy is being examined in an ongoing phase three trial  with 1,850 non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 on board. A previous phase three trial for hospitalized patients was aborted after phase two trial findings showed molnupiravir failing to show any clinical benefit.

Kory said in a June 14 video that the federal government should not enrich Merck for a drug  which has already failed in hospitalized patients, referencing MK-4482s phase two trial. [Yet] we plan on giving money to a drug company for [something] that is in no way going to surpass what we already have available right now. That money should instead be given to supply ivermectin to the country, he added.

Interestingly, Merck developed ivermectin back in the 1980s with a patent that lasted until 1996. In February 2021, the drug company released a statement warning against the use of ivermectin against COVID-19. According to Merck, available data did not support the efficacy and safety of ivermectin beyond the FDAs original purpose of approving the drug.

But Kory denounced the untrue statement on ivermectin, saying that it hurts patients. He continued: [Merck] even called into question the safety of one of the safest drugs known in history. The statement was a lie  and its hurting patients and its caused an incalculable loss of life. Meanwhile, Merck and the HHS did not respond to requests for comment.

The positive effects of ivermectin against COVID-19 threaten Big Pharma

If molnuvirapir gets the green light from the FDA, it will be second approved antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Back in October 2020, the U.S. regulator approved Gilead Sciencess remdesivir for hospitalized patients.

However, the FDA recorded twice the amount of adverse events and more than four times the amount of fatalities stemming from remdesivir vis-a-vis ivermectin.

The FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) noted that more than 4,000 reports of serious adverse events and 1,390 deaths from remdesivir were reported as of March 31, 2021. Meanwhile, about 2,311 serious adverse reactions and 373 deaths from ivermectin were recorded in FAERS for a 25-year period between 1996 and March of this year.

First approved as an anti-parasitic drug for animals in 1981, ivermectin saw widespread use in humans six years later. It was used to treat river blindness, scabies and head lice  which gained it a position on the World Health Organizations (WHO) list of essential medicines. The FDA has not approved ivermectin for use against COVID-19 because it is not an antiviral drug, a sentiment shared by the WHO.

But recent evidence showing the effectiveness of ivermectin against the Wuhan coronavirus has surfaced. Data from more than 30 randomized controlled trials showed an overall 64 percent improvement in prophylaxis and in all stages of COVID-19 in patients given the medication. Further studies explained that ivermectin stops the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and suppresses inflammation through its antiviral and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

This positive result prompted FLCCC members to incorporate ivermectin in October 2020 as a core medication in their protocols for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. According to Kory, areas that have adopted ivermectin into their COVID-19 treatment programs saw their case numbers and hospitalizations drop.

Mexico City is one such area that incorporated ivermectin in its COVID-19 response. A report by Trial Site News said the capital of Mexico distributed almost 80,000 ivermectin kits to people who tested positive for COVID-19 between November 2020 and January 2021. The kits were part of a home care program for Mexicans who wanted to take the medication.

The news outlets said that hospitalization rates dropped up to 76 percent in those who took ivermectin. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum lauded the positive results of the ivermectin home care program at a Jan. 22 live press conference. Following the promising outcomes at the capital, Mexico began distributing ivermectin kits nationwide despite the WHO advising against it.

Visit BigPharmaNews.com to read more articles about Big Pharma suppressing ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

HHS.gov

TrialSiteNews.com
(Natural News) It is being reported that Tony Fauci, Joe Bidens chief medical officer, lied about the nature of his incriminating emails.

After claiming that their redaction and release was completely out of his control, Fauci was outed by the revelation that governmental rules require him to personally review each one.

As we reported, Fauci tried to play dumb during a recent episode of The New York Times podcast Sway, claiming that he had no involvement in how his emails were released under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

No, no. Well, I dont know who redacted that, Fauci claimed, pretending as though he had no idea why certain potentially incriminating information was blacked out in his released emails.

When people ask for my emails, I dont look through my emails and say, Okay, Ill give you this one and redact this. Its completely out of my control.

It turns out that the exact opposite is true, which we have come to expect from anything that Fauci says at any given time. Fauci would have had to personally review each and every email, which means that he or someone he knows redacted many of them.

The rules outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provisions that Fauci must personally review each one of his emails before they are released, says Judicial Watch.

HHS tried to stonewall FOIA request forcing Fauci to release emails

We also now know that HHS tried to pull a fast one on Faucis behalf by delaying the fulfillment of the FOIA request, that is until a federal judge ordered the corrupt federal agency to procure the emails in accordance with the law.

In a September 21 court filing, HHS said the agency could begin producing 300 pages of responsive records to the Daily Caller News Foundation beginning on November 30, eight months after receiving the Daily Callers request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), reported Judicial Watch.

The total number of responsive records is approximately 4,200, which would push off the full release of the records until at least 2022. HHS also alleged that Fauci must personally review each one of his emails before they are released.

A separate FOIA request found that Fauci was discrediting the validity of masks a long time ago, despite the fact that he continued to push them all throughout 2020 and into 2021.

The White Coat Waste Project is also suing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for refusing to share documents relevant to the agencys involvement with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Having just filed a lawsuit against NIH for refusing to release Faucis damning emails and other documents related to its years-long funding of dangerous coronavirus experiments on animals by EcoHealth and the Wuhan Institute of Virology, its alarming that the NIH and Fauci are apparently contradicting each other on the process for reviewing materials for release to the taxpaying public, White Coat Waste Project Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy Justin Goodman told The National Pulse.

Does he or doesnt he review and approve emails before theyre released?

According to Rutgers University professor of chemical biology Richard H. Ebright, Fauci systematically thwarted proper government oversight concerning the illegal gain of function research that he was funding at the WIV. This alone implicates him in a criminal conspiracy that ultimately cost millions of lives.

So not only is Fauci a traitorous leprechaun and court jester, he is also the pathetic little wizard behind the curtain, wrote one of our own commenters about the weasel.

More related news can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The Well of Barhout, also known as the Well of Hell in eastern Yemen, is a natural wonder surrounded by mystery and tales of demons.

Located in the desert of Al-Mahra province, the giant hole is 30 meters (100 feet) wide and thought to be anywhere between 100 and 200 meters (328 feet and 820 feet) deep. Local folklore says it was created as a prison for the demons, a reputation bolstered by the foul and toxic odors rising from its depths. Some have called it the mouth of hell.

It wasnt actually burning like hell or like the Darvaza Crater, nicknamed Door to Hell, in the desert of north Turkmenistan.

The crater, which is 69 meters (226 feet) wide and 30 meters (100 feet) deep, is located in a natural gas field in Ahal Province in Turkmenistan, which has the sixth-largest reserves in the world. The craters origin is disputed, but the theory most widely accepted involves a Soviet expedition to explore for gas.

A local geologist claims the borehole was set alight in 1971 over fears that it was emitting poisonous gases. It has now been burning for half a century.

Well of Hell is likely a sinkhole

Chris Fogwill, a professor of glaciology and paleoclimatology at Keele University, told the DailyMail that it is most likely a sinkhole caused by the erosion of limestone or moving geological salts or brines. Sinkholes can be caused by any number of activities, including drilling, mining or construction. (Related: Enormous, possibly radioactive sinkhole swallows an acre of Louisiana, causes forced evacuations.)

The erosion around the edge suggests it is not new, Fogwill noted.

Local authorities say they dont know what lies below. The well is said to be one of the most, if not the most, hated spot in the country and contains the worst water on the planet.

Its very deep  weve never reached the bottom of this well, as theres little oxygen and no ventilation, said Salah Babhair, director-general of Mahras geological survey and mineral resources authority. We have gone to visit the area and entered the well, reaching more than 50-60 meters down into it. We noticed strange things inside. We also smelled something strange. Its a mysterious situation.

Little can be seen from the edge of the hole, except the birds that fly in and out of its depth. Videographers seeking close-ups of the inside of the well cant capture anything relevant or interesting. Sunlight doesnt extend far into its depth and local superstition has it that objects near the hole can be sucked towards it.

Portal, volcano, home to genies

Some say it is a portal, an extraordinary opening that connects travelers to distant realms. A good portal is a shortcut, a door into the unknown. But experts say that portals open and close dozens of times each day and typically located thousands of miles from Earth.

Some suggest the well is a supervolcano that will eventually erupt but cant back up the theory with scientific evidence. (Related: Volcanoes beneath ice in Antarctica could erupt and leave the planet uninhabitable, warn researchers.)

Babhair said that the well was millions and millions of years old. These places require more study, research and investigation, he said.

Over the centuries, stories have circulated of malign, supernatural figures known as jinns or genies living in the well. Many local residents remain uneasy about visiting the vast hole, or even talking about it, for fear of ill-fortune.

Yemenis have had enough bad luck as it is. The country has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014 between the government and the Huthi rebels. According to the United Nations, Yemen is suffering the worlds worst humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands killed, millions displaced and two-thirds of its nearly 30 million people dependent on some form of aid.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TheGuardian.com

NASA.gov
(Natural News) San Francisco is telling its 35,000 city employees that they must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or they will lose their jobs. Not surprisingly, many workers and unions are speaking out against this unconscionable infringement on health freedom.

Officials announced earlier this week that municipal workers will be required to get the vaccine within 10 weeks after it is fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although exceptions will reportedly be granted for religious or medical reasons, it is not yet clear what the procedure for such exemptions will be or how they will be approved. However, we do know that the medical exemptions will only apply to employees who have medical conditions affecting their vaccine eligibility and must be verified by a medical provider. Those with a sincerely held religious belief that stops them from getting a vaccine would have their requests reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, the citys human resources policy chief, Mawuli Tugbenyoh, said that employees who dont get the jab face repercussions [that] go all the way up to termination. He added that they are currently focusing on education and outreach  which presumably involves falsely painting the vaccines in a positive light and shaming people into thinking they will hurt society by not complying  although its likely that those employees who dont want the vaccine have already done their own unbiased research on the matter and understand the true risks quite well.

Starting June 28, city employees will be given 30 days to inform the city of their vaccination status. When the vaccines are granted FDA approval, they will be required to submit their status through the citys payroll system with evidence such as photos of vaccination cards. None of the vaccines being used in the U.S. for COVID-19 right now have gained full FDA approval yet; all are being administered under emergency authorization, which makes requiring them questionable from a legal standpoint.

So far, roughly 81 percent of people in San Francisco over age 12 have been given at least one dose of the vaccine. The city estimates that 50 to 60 percent of its workforce has already been vaccinated.

City workers express concerns about mandate

The move makes San Francisco the first major American city to require all its employees to be vaccinated. Of course, many people who work for the city are outraged by the mandate. Even those who are willing to get the vaccine themselves take issue with the ethics of such a mandate and worry about where it could lead.

Roger Marenco, the president of Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, who represents Muni workers, told local CBS affiliate KPIX 5: So we are in favor of anybody and everybody being vaccinated. However, we are not in favor of forced, mandatory vaccines, whether that be due to personal beliefs, religious beliefs, political beliefs, health issues, safety issues, whatever the case may be.

He added that they had not received any guidelines from the city.

The Vice President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, San Francisco Police Sgt. Tracy McCray, said that terminating someone over this was extreme. Meanwhile, the union representing city firefighters is consulting with employment lawyers to learn more about their options.

Although the city claims it wants to protect people from the risks of COVID-19, what about the risks of the COVID-19 vaccines? Deadly blood clots, heart problems and antibody-dependent enhancement are just a few of the problems they could be subjecting their employees to, and the idea that an employer can take away peoples right to make choices about their own health in America is unconscionable.

Sources for this article include:

SanFrancisco.CBSLocal.com

TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) Fox News host Tucker Carlson is telling critical race theory critics to find their spines and admit that the agenda behind this dogma is explicitly and heinously anti-white.

(Article republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Carlson made the comments in response to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milleys defense of the Marxist doctrine and admonishment of white rage in a bizarre rant that might as well have been prepared by communist China commissars.

Critical race theory is an inaccurate way to describe what is happening. Like so much academic jargon, the phrase critical race theory doesnt mean anything. It obscures rather than illuminates. It is designed that way. It is designed to confuse you, Carlson said.

Whats happening in our schools and our military and our government is both simpler and easier to recognize than that. Its not critical race theory. Its racism, not neo-racism or reverse racism. Those are meaningless terms. It is race hate. It is peddled by the people in charge in the hope that it will make them more powerful. Thats all that it is, Carlson added.

Carlson said that the cowardice at the hands of Republicans to expose anti-white racism has caused this poison to infect the entire country. He called out Milley as being a particularly disgraceful coward for his recent comments before Congress.

Milley got the job because he is obsequious. He knows who to suck up to, and hes more than happy to do it. Feed him a script, and he will read it, he said.

So Mark Milley reads Mao to understand Maoism, he reads communists to understand communism, but its interesting that he doesnt read white supremacists to understand white supremacy. Why not go to the source? Well, because Mark Milley would be fired instantly if he read those books and getting fired is the one thing that he doesnt want, Carlson added.

By the way, have you read anything recently about winning wars? Apparently not, he added sardonically about the militarys abject failure in fighting the war on terror.

Carlsons entire segment can be seen here:

Tucker Carlson is right, calling what the Left is pushing on your children and in our military Critical Race Theory is inaccurate. Its Anti-White Racism that is being pushed by the Left. pic.twitter.com/PkqSpXUUY6  The Columbia Bugle  (@ColumbiaBugle) June 25, 2021

Big League Politics has reported on opponents of critical race theory espousing liberal dogma as they attempt to control the movement and make it harmless to the conservative establishment:

Conservative Inc. operative Christopher Rufo appeared on a podcast where he endorsed the demographic collapse of America.

The operative, who has risen to prominence for exposing critical race theory, made comments that do not serve to differentiate him much from an average liberal.

I think that theres two things that for critical race theorists drives them crazy, one is interracial marriage. I think that interracial marriage is a sign of progress, said Rufo, himself a part of an interracial marriage.

I think also America is going to look very different in 100 years. Youre not going to be able to tell, youre black, youre white, youre Hispanic, youre Puerto Rican, whatever. Its going to be very complex, and ultimately thats going to be good, he added.

Rufos position of support on the collapsing demographics of America is no different than that of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), whose operatives diligently track the declining number of white people in America from their offices. He also acts as if the demographic collapse of America is some organic process and not the results of generations of social engineering by globalists.

There will be a process of evolution as people kind of adapt, accommodate and intermarry, he said

Although Rufo did some great initial reporting to expose critical race theory, he is now holding back the movement as it takes off. This is what happens inevitably to all Conservative Inc. operatives who rely on big donors, and not the grassroots, to make ends meet.

Carlson is yet again leading the conservative movement when so many would rather capitulate to a blatantly anti-white agenda due to cowardice or convenience.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com and AntiWhite.news.
(Natural News) For women, a change in their period isnt listed as a side effect of vaccinations. But recent figures from the U.K.s drug regulator reveal that nearly 4,000 women have reported having problems with their period after being vaccinated.

The report, obtained by The Sunday Times, showed the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) received 2,734 reports of menstrual cycle changes after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. In addition, the agency received 1,158 reports related to the Pfizer vaccine and 66 reports related to the Moderna vaccine. Most reports were from women aged 30 to 49 and were compiled up to May 17.

According to the agency, actual figures may potentially be higher. Given the condition isnt included as a potential side effect, many women may have period problems  including cycle changes and heavier-than-usual bleeding  that are unreported.

This side effect wasnt detected during clinical trials for the vaccines, as the sample size only included thousands of people. As the vaccine was rolled out to millions of people, this side effect  and potentially many others  became apparent.

UK regulator dismisses findings, says reports arent enough

The MHRA dismissed the reports of increased period problems, saying that women are at no increased risk of these after vaccination. The U.K. regulator also stated that there is no need to add period problems as a possible side effect of vaccination.

Sarah Branch, the agencys director of vigilance and risk management, said the reported cases arent enough to include period problems as a potential post-vaccination risk.

The number of reports is low in relation to the number of women who have had the vaccine to date and the background rate of menstrual disorders generally, said Branch, adding that the agency will monitor additional reports for potential signals.

Its worth noting that menstrual problems were included in the agencys weekly report of side effects of the vaccine. But for Victoria Male, an immune expert at Imperial College London, this report may not reflect the actual figure of women suffering from period problems as a vaccination side effect.

Its definitely true that not everyone will be reporting any menstrual changes they have noticed to Yellow Card [the MHRAs scheme for people to report suspected side effects] simply because not everyone knows that it exists and that they can file a report, she added.

Male said that women have contacted her to report about period changes after vaccination, but she added that no definitive link has been established. (Related: CDC data show kids most likely have herd immunity from coronavirus, but vaccine trials still ongoing anyway.)

The kinds of things they are telling me about, mostly periods that are heavier or later than usual, are very similar to the reports we are seeing in Yellow Card.

Katie Khan, a 39-year-old resident of London, said that her menstrual cycle became erratic after being injected with her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. She told the U.S. Sun that her period became much heavier and much more painful after getting her first shot.

[Its] not the cycle Im used to, she explained.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, a U.K.-based medical association, issued a warning on the matter, saying that women who experience unusual bleeding should contact their health care provider.

In the U.S., women have also reported period changes after vaccinations. These were similar to those in the U.K., from periods coming in earlier or later than usual to heavy or unusual bleeding.

Pandemic.news has more stories on vaccine side effects.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

DailyMail.co.uk
(Natural News) Ahmed is a Pakistani immigrant, a faithful Muslim, and until recently, a financial consultant to Seattles high-tech sector. But when he reached me by phone in October 2020, he was just one more frightened father. Days earlier, he and his wife had checked their 16-year-old son into Seattle Childrens Hospital for credible threats of suicide. Now, Ahmed was worried that the white coats who had gently admitted his son to their care would refuse to return him.

(Article by Abigail Shrier republished from City-Journal.org)

They sent an email to us, you know, you should take your daughter to the gender clinic,' he told me.

At first, Ahmed (I have changed names in this essay to protect the identities of minor children) assumed there had been a mistake. He had dropped off a son, Syed, to the hospital, in a terrible state of distress. Now, the email he received from the mental health experts used a new name for that son and claimed he was Ahmeds daughter. They were trying to create a customer for their gender clinic . . . and they seemed to absolutely want to push us in that direction, he said when I spoke to him again this May, recalling the horror of last October. We had calls with counselors and therapists in the establishment, telling us how important it is for him to change his gender, because thats the only way hes going to be better out of this suicidal depressive state.

Syed had been a straight-A student andaccording to his parents and the familys therapistquite brilliant. He is also on the autism spectrum, a young man who neglects to make eye contact and must be given rules for how long to shake hands, shower, or brush his teeth. High school was a slog for him, as it often is for kids on the spectrum who find that the social demands of adolescence have risen beyond their capacity to meet them. He tried to ask a few girls out. It didnt work out and he got frustrated and angry, and that kind of thing. And so, those girl-boy things get kind of tough for autistic kids, those developmental issues. And thats where puberty can be very, very hard with the hormones rushing and all this stuff.

When lockdowns hit, the boy who was already struggling socially and befuddled by questions neurotypical teens take for granted (How do I show a girl I like her? How do I make the other kids include me?) began to spend all day and night on the Internet. Hes an autistic kid, and so he kind of lost track of time. And he was staying up a lot. So he was staying up, just being on the Internet, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever. . . . And he was in his room, just, you know, sleeping one or two hours a day. And that can really be devastating. He was very confused. He was seeing things, visual hallucinations. And we didnt know why.

It is not definitively known why many neurodiverse adolescents identify as transgender, but more than one scientist has pointed out the high rates of coincidence. As several autism experts have explained to me, those on the spectrum tend to fixate, and when a contagious idea is introduced to themsuch as the notion that they might be a girl in a boys bodythey are particularly susceptible to it.

As child psychiatrist and expert in gender dysphoria Susan Bradley said to me: The messages these kids pick up [from trans influencers] when theyre online is, Were the only people who understand you. Your people, your parents, dont really understand you. And it may be the first time in their lives that anybody has said to them, We understand you. We know you. Youre okay. Youre just like us. And its powerful.

I asked Bradley if introducing gender ideology to kids who tend to fixate is like introducing cocaine to those susceptible to addiction. She agreed: It has the same power to assuage all the alienation and grief and distress that these kids have been struggling with.

Because of a Covid-19 policy, Ahmed could not stay at the hospital with his son back in October. Syed, in a sleep-deprived and confused state, furious at the parents who had admitted him, and in consultation with hospital staff and a social worker, decided that his problem was gender.

The age at which minors in the State of Washington can receive mental health and gender-affirming care without parental permission is 13. In other words, the emails Ahmed received from the hospital were effectively a courtesy; the hospital did not require Ahmeds permission to begin his son on a path to medical transition.

But unlike some other parents I would later speak with, Ahmeds cool head prevailed. Believing he might be walking into a trap, Ahmed reached out to both a lawyer and a psychiatrist friend he trusted. The psychiatrist gave him advice that he believes saved his son, saying, in Ahmeds words: You have to be very, very careful, because if you come across as just even a little bit anti-trans or anything, theyre going to call the Child Protective Services on you and take custody of your kid. The lawyer told Ahmed the same: What you want to do is agree with them and take your kid home. When the gender counselors advise you to affirm, go along with it. Just say Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay, lets take him home, and well go to the gender clinic.'

Ahmed assured Seattle Childrens Hospital that he would take his son to a gender clinic and commence his sons transition. Instead, he collected his son, quit his job, and moved his family of four out of Washington.

Was Ahmeds reaction extreme? When I first heard it, back in October 2020, I wondered whether he hadnt overreacted. But as a growing number of parents began contacting me with similar stories, and I delved into the state laws of Washington, Oregon, and California, I came to a different conclusion. Taken individually, no single law in any state completely strips parents rights over the care and mental health treatment of their troubled minor teens. But pieced together, laws in California, Oregon, and Washington place troubled minor teens as young as 13 in the drivers seat when it comes to their own mental health careincluding gender affirming careand renders parents powerless to stop them.

Here, for instance, are the powers granted to a 13-year-old child by the state of Washington. Minors age 13 and up are entitled to admit themselves for inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment without parental consent. Health insurers are forbidden from disclosing to the insured parents sensitive medical information of minor childrensuch as that regarding gender dysphoria [and] gender affirming care. Minors aged 13 to 18 can withhold mental health records from parents for sensitive conditions, which include both gender dysphoria and gender-affirming care. Insurers in Washington must cover a wide array of gender-affirming treatments from tracheal shaves to double mastectomies.

Put these together, and a seventh grader could be entitled to embark on gender affirming carewhich may include anything from a provider using the childs name and pronouns to the kid preparing to receive a course of hormoneswithout her parents permission, against her parents wishes, covered by her parents insurance, and with the parents kept in the dark by insurance companies and medical providers.

Lest you wonder whether there is some madcap elixir polluting the groundwater of Washington State alone, in 2015, Oregon passed a law permitting minors 15 and older to obtain puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries at taxpayers expenseall without parental consent. In 2018, California passed a similar bill for all children in foster care, age 12 and up. The California state senate is now considering an amendment to the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act that would bar health insurers from disclosing medical information to parents about their dependents, on pain of criminal liability.

One Washington mother I spoke with, Nicole, has a 16-year-old daughter who struggled with an eating disorder and other mental health problems after being molested by a peer in elementary school. Just before her 13th birthday, the daughter decided she was transgender. She hated her body, that was truly a real thing, Nicole told me. So we wanted to find her help. But Nicole wasnt convinced that her daughter had gender dysphoria, since shed never before shown any signs of discomfort with her biological sex. She had already been through a whole counseling program with the eating disorder and none of this came up.

Over the next few years, Nicoles daughters mental health worsened, and she began self-harming. After her daughter attempted suicide in 2019, Nicole took her to the emergency room at Highline Hospital (now St. Anne Hospital) in Burien, Washington. Nicole explained to the social worker at the hospital that, though the daughter was insisting her problem was gender, shed been beset by a variety of mental health struggles for many years. Nicole said that she and her husband were not convinced by the gender dysphoria self-diagnosis and did not affirm their daughters trans identity. The social worker was very nice to us, Nicole told me. She didnt show any indication that she was not believing what we were saying or anything like that.

But a nurse attending Nicoles daughter who had been through the same thing with his own daughter took pity on Nicole and her husband. When the social worker left the room, Nicole says, he warned them that she was on the way to emancipate their child. Washington law does not allow a minor to petition for emancipation until age 16. But according to several parents I spoke with, under the guise of advising transgender youth of their rights, social workers will sometimes sprinkle that tidbit onto a 14-year-old, so she knows liberation is only two years away.

Nicole and her husband didnt wait. They immediately took her home. That was probably a good thing. Her daughter had full rights to go to a shelter where, had she elected to, she could be affirmed and started on a path toward medical transition. And, as it turns out, once a troubled teen over the age of 13 elects to stay in a shelter in Washington, it can be fiendishly difficult to extract them. Instead, more than a year later, Nicole reports that her daughter is much better, as is their relationship. The daughter has dropped the idea that she is transgender and is tapering off of anti-depressants.

Read more at: City-Journal.org and GenderConfused.com.
(Natural News) Since the mid-1980s, the number of childhood shots on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine schedule has more than quadrupled. When parents express reluctance about turning their little ones into perpetual pin cushions, drug makers and doctors have a ready answer  combination vaccines that simplify the schedule by decreasing the number of injections administered.

(Article republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

This month marks the U.S. launch of the Merck/Sanofi joint-venture vaccine, Vaxelis, a six-in-one (hexavalent) combination vaccine that contains diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) components as well as components said to protect against polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B.

Public health officials optimistically believe that bundling all of these components into one shot will help close noncompliance loopholes and increase the likelihood that children will complete all recommended vaccinations.

Though Vaxelis is the nations first hexavalent injection, it joins other four- or five-in-one vaccines already on the CDC schedule. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vaxelis in late 2018  as a three-dose series for 2-, 4- and 6-month-old infants  but it is only now, two-and-a-half years later, that the shot is being readied for widespread distribution.

There are numerous warning signs that potent all-in-one vaccines are too much for immature immune systems to handle. Concerning safety signals have emerged not just for hexavalent but also pentavalent (five-in-one) vaccines.

In Europe, where infants have been given hexavalent vaccines for some years (including Vaxelis since 2016), the formulations have produced many troubling reports of sudden infant death.

Absurdly, none of the clinical studies assessing Vaxelis safety and efficacy conducted fair comparisons against an inert placebo. Instead, in the two U.S. clinical trials for Vaxelis, not only did investigators compare infants receiving Vaxelis to babies who received Sanofis five-in-one Pentacel  but babies in both groups also received rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines at the same time!

In this context, the CDCs sales pitch to the public  and its claims that side effects are usually mild  cannot be considered credible.

Here are some of the other facts missing from the CDCs communications:

In the two U.S. trials six infants died (slide #27) in the Vaxelis group (some after receiving just one dose); one infant also died in the control group that received five-in-one vaccines.

All six Vaxelis recipients died within six weeks of vaccination. This timing matches other published accounts of infant deaths clustering following hexavalent vaccination.

The reported causes of death for the infants who received Vaxelis included asphyxia, sepsis, fluid in the brain and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). These outcomes correspond to the types of adverse events reported following hexavalent vaccination in Europe.

Package inserts for other vaccines on the CDC schedule list similar causes of death, suggesting these fatal Vaxelis outcomes are plausibly associated with vaccination.

In the clinical trials, the rate of fever was notably higher in Vaxelis recipients even when compared to children receiving five-in-one vaccines (47% vs. 34%).

Juicing vaccine sales

In the no-liability context enjoyed by vaccine makers in the U.S., combination vaccines are already quite popular. In fact, market watchers and health economists praise the jumbo shots as being a catalyst for positive industry trends and a key to commercial success.

Thus, financial analysts expect Vaxelis to garner significant patient share following its [U.S.] launch  predicting that it will account for almost a third of U.S. DTaP vaccinations by 2028  or $841 million in annual sales.

These predictions represent good news for Merck and Sanofi, two of the big four pharma giants that dominate the childhood vaccine market in the United States. Merck is already doing a booming vaccine business, recently reporting annual sales growth of 14.8% for its pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax 23) and 5.4% for its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil-9.

However, Merck also faces proliferating Gardasil-related lawsuits  including legal actions alleging that the company knew about and ignored life-changing adverse events from the get-go, many of which (when not fatal) have involved autoimmunity and chronic pain. In fact, before the advent of emergency use COVID vaccines (responsible for an alarming escalation of vaccine-related adverse events), Gardasil had had more side effects reported than all other vaccines combined.

Sanofi, too, is embroiled in thousands of lawsuits worldwide  notably for its disastrous and sometimes fatal dengue vaccine. As with Merck, this has not dampened overall vaccine sales growth, which continues its strong upward trajectory, likely to be further strengthened by the U.S. Vaxelis rollout.

Although Sanofi has not been a front-runner in the COVID vaccine race, the company is currently running clinical trials for messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for both COVID and seasonal influenza.

Aluminum secrecy and grandfathered ingredients

Mercks proprietary, super-powered aluminum adjuvant  amorphous aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate (AAHS)  which is believed to play a significant role in Gardasils risk profile, is also present in Vaxelis.

After Merck developed AAHS, it began to preferentially feature AAHS in its vaccines even though, as Danish scientists outlined last year, the company appears to have disregarded procedures ordinarily required for approval of new adjuvants.

According to the Danes, at the time AAHS appeared, it represented a new type of aluminium adjuvant with excipients that [had] not been used earlier in [European Medicines Agency] authorised vaccines. It should have been  but apparently was not  tested against an inert placebo. For this and other reasons, the Danish scientists question the ethical underpinnings of the Gardasil clinical trials.

In noting that Merck also seems to have prevented independent studies of AAHS, the Danes repeated a critique aired by world-famous aluminum expert Christopher Exley in 2018. In an extensive discussion of different aluminum-based adjuvants and their immunological mechanisms of action, Exley and co-authors emphasized the importance of studying aluminum adjuvants one by one, as each is chemically and biologically dissimilar with concomitantly potentially distinct roles in vaccine-related adverse events.

Concerningly, the Vaxelis liquid suspension is adjuvanted onto not just AAHS, but also another aluminum adjuvant  aluminum phosphate). The package insert disingenuously shorthands the combination of adjuvants as aluminum salts.

How this double whammy of aluminum (319 micrograms per vaccine dose) interacts with the vaccines six antigens, or Vaxeliss numerous other ingredients, or the heavy aluminum load in other childhood vaccines is largely unknown.

According to the Vaxelis package insert, the vaccine also includes: polysorbate 80 (an ingredient flagged for its propensity to induce hypersensitivity reactions); glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde (problematic chemicals deemed necessary to inactivate pertussis toxin); bovine serum albumin (often harvested from bovine fetuses when female cows are found to be pregnant at slaughter); three different antibiotics (neomycin, streptomycin and polymyxin B); ammonium thiocyanate (also a rust inhibitor, weedkiller and defoliant); and yeast protein (associated, notably in hepatitis B vaccines, with autoimmune reactions).

Regulatory loopholes allow manufacturers to grandfather ingredients into new vaccines if the components are already present in other licensed vaccines  regardless of how inadequate the original safety testing may have been.

Thus, Merck and Sanofi perceived no need to test Vaxelis for DNA-damaging or cancer-causing effects, and conducted no studies of the ingredients pharmokinetics (i.e., how the substances move into, through, and out of the body).

The main cautionary note sounded in the meager Vaxelis patient information sheet is to not give Vaxelis to children if they are allergic to any of the ingredients.

For thee and thee  but not for me?

The CDC seems to be particularly interested in ensuring that poor and non-white children get Vaxelis. The agency began laying the groundwork to offer Vaxelis through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program  the agencys vaccine program for the poor  over two years ago, in March 2019.

In September of that year, the CDC followed up with an affirmative vote. Public health departments have been promoting Vaxelis to participating VFC providers since early June 2021.

At its September 2019 meeting, CDC outlined another topic deemed important for discussion in the near future  raising the issue of whether Vaxelis should be preferentially recommended for the American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) pediatric population.

The tenuous rationale, according to the meeting notes, was because, in the pre-vaccine era (more than 35 years ago), Hib disease occurred at a younger age among the AI/AN population compared to the general population.

Wave of the future?

Judging from its website, the CDC perceives combination vaccines to be the wave of the future, and has signaled its strong endorsement of Vaxelis by incorporating the new vaccine into its 2021 vaccine schedule.

As if exposure to six antigens were not enough, FDA and CDC also say it is okay for healthcare providers to administer the six-in-one shot at the same time as other vaccines.

These agencies characterization of the Vaxelis safety profile as acceptable indicates they have either not done their due diligence, or are willing to accept a high level of collateral damage in exchange for the convenience of six-in-one shots.

However, as the overwhelmed by guilt parents of COVID-vaccine-injured teens are increasingly finding out, convenience is poor consolation for life-changing or life-threatening adverse outcomes.

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
(Natural News) Jews in Germany before WWII did not think that when their guns were first required to be registered that soon those guns would be taken from them. Those same innocent Jewish people, who were German citizens, had no idea that after their guns were confiscated, they would be ordered to move to Ghettos reserved for them, and with other people like them. It was official Nazi policy to hate the Jews. They had been ostracized in the medias propaganda (think leaflets, posters and films) as a burden on society in so many ways.

The German people were hand fed a specific people to hate (think White Americans and non-vaxxers today). Hitler gave them a scapegoat. The dirty rat Jews. The populace took the bait.

Next, those millions of Jews were shipped by train from the Ghettos to the Concentration camps. This would be their final resting place. Hitlers pharmaceutical right arm created toxic vaccines made of chemical concoctions, and they injected those chemicals into Jewish childrens arms, just to see what would happen. Of course they died, after being tortured and abused.

The Jewish people werent dumb, they just didnt realize what registering guns first meant, and eventually they all got slow-walked into the gas chambers, that were filled with insecticide poisons, some of which are still used in chemotherapy today. The Jews were told it was a big group shower, and they walked into these warehouses where the Nazis pumped in gas instead of hot water, and thats where about 1/6th of the 6 million Jews died.

When other Jews got off the trains, they were shot in the head twice, or if they had some skills that could help Hitlers military forces, they were then given jobs. Then, they were all starved, slowly, to death. Hitler had fluoride put in the water to keep the Jews weak, so they couldnt rebel or escape.

When ammonia is mixed with bleach, it becomes toxic like mustard gas. You can find ammonia mixed with bleach in commercial cigarettes. Most white foods today are bleached. Most red meat is treated with ammonia to kill the E. coli. The pesticides sprayed on nearly all conventional crops and produce is manufactured by Bayer (Monsanto), the SAME evil Bayer that headed up part of the pharma conglomerate known as I.G. Farben in Nazi Germany.

Vaccines contain horrible contaminants from around the planet that should NEVER be injected into human bodies. There is no safe amount of mercury that can be injected, whether ethyl or methyl. No human, especially Jews after what happened in Germany, should be slow-walked into getting vaccines that alter your genes to produce proteins and prions that mimic deadly viruses. Think about it for a minute. Let it sink in. Pharma. Nazi. Chemo. Hitler. Chemical Pesticides. Bayer. Gas Chambers. GMO. Covid-19. Protein payload and mRNA Vaccines.

Preventing panic and killing the impaired first

Notice that Covid-19 mainly attacks the impaired Americans, whos immune systems are dysfunctional and weak from prescription medications, fluoridated water, mercury in flu shots and genetically modified, pesticide-laden, highly processed and nutrient-dead food (mainly all conventional food thats not organic). These same peoples bodys are compromised while fighting off cancer, diabetes, heart disease and dementia.

This is how the Nazis and Communists (Bidens CCP Regime) attack and kill the weak and poor and disabled off first (remember the nursing home Covid killings in New York also here), with vaccines. This is Covid-19, the virus engineered in a lab to take out the weak, the useless. Both the virus and the vaccines are engineered to take out the weak, over time, but only a few years, not decades.

This is another careful slow-walk of the prisoners to the gas chambers, but now its to the vaccine centers for re-education of your cells, so they will now make your body cancerous while slowly clogging your blood. Eventually, you either go mad or die from a heart attack or stroke, and its always blamed on the scapegoat, which is now Covid-any-number-variant-year.

Thats right, after the Jews of the Holocaust arrived at the kill centers, all babies, kids, handicapped people, the elderly and pregnant women were selected for execution, because they couldnt help Hitlers military get stronger.

If you dont want history to repeat itself, like another Holocaust, then dont give up your guns, dont eat pesticide-laden food, dont drink tap water, and please, do not get repeatedly vaccinated as part of an extremely dangerous medical experiment big pharma is heading up.

Rat poison, which contains some of the same ingredients as blood thinner medications today, was used in the gas chambers of the Holocaust

Zyklon B was the name for the chemical-based insecticide pellets that the Nazi guards dropped into the air shafts of the gas chambers. It was also used to kill insects and rats, coincidentally, the latter being the nickname for all Jews, demeaning them to make them believe they have no value whatsoever, like the vaccinated are influenced to do to the unvaccinated today in America. You can find the same rat poison ingredients in several prescription blood thinner medications today. Coincidence?

We are the new burden on society, even though we are pro-science. We are the new lepers  the non-vaxxers who know what these vaccines really mean. Seize them! In German its Ergreife sie! Send them off to the FEMA camps to be  wait for it force vaccinated for the greater good.

The Covid vaccines are causing blood clots and inflamed hearts all around the world. The mass media, like Hitlers propaganda, are covering it all up. Meanwhile, people who dont vaccinate are the new scapegoats, who are unworthy of life and are to blame for any spreading of the deadly disease, that one they made in a lab and that kills off the weak. See the pattern yet?

Are you unworthy of life? The vaccine industry believes so, and thats why you cant sue them for malpractice, injury or death from the Covid-19 toxic jabs

Less than a century ago, in October of 1939, Hitler began executing everyone who was impaired as he considered them unworthy of life. Hitler had consultants who decided who was to be executed, after visiting hospitals and retirement homes. Kids with autism, even slightly, were marked for death. Someone missing a finger, hand or foot, selected for death. It was a euthanasia program sponsored by carbon monoxide gas and Zyklon Bthe cyanide-based pesticide.

If Hitler could choose his weapons of mass destruction today, they would be bio-weapons disguised as inoculations. Are you marked for death? Do you have mad cow disease from the Nazi vaccines?

Visit CovidVaccineReactions.com if you already got a toxic Covid jab or two and you are experiencing side effects, blood clots or other adverse events. Then tune your internet frequency to Pandemic.news for updates on these crimes against humanity being delivered under the guise of inoculation. Also visit Visit PharmaDeathClock for more information and validated statistics about the tragedies along the Allopathic train on which 200 million Americans ride.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

NaturalNews.com

TruthWiki.org

GlobalJustice.org

NOQReport.com

encyclopedia.ushmm.org


Festival Pastors ask for Latitude prayer support Festival Pastors ask for Latitude prayer support

As the Latitude Festival confirmed it will go ahead in late July at full capacity as part of the governments Covid Event Research Programme, the team behind the Christian Festival Pastors have appealed for prayer support for their work.

Liz Livey, Prayer Encourager for Latitude, said: Once again Festival Pastors have the great privilege of being invited to serve at the Latitude Festival taking place during the weekend July 22-25. This major all-age festival of art, music, creativity, fun and relaxation is based at Henham Park, Suffolk, with an expected attendance of 40,000 people.



We know that nothing works without prayer and would love to know that our Christian family are supporting Love Latitude in prayer once again, said Liz.



The Town Pastors family gathers at Latitude, represented by volunteers from all Town Pastor schemes in Norfolk and Suffolk, working under the banner of Festival Pastors.



We are there to serve, pray and care for those attending, said Liz. Due to Covid last year, as with many other festivals, Latitude was cancelled, greatly impacting those whose livelihoods depend on such events.



We have recently been invited to return to serve at Latitude. This year we will not be providing a cafe, but pastors and base team will cover the daylight hours. Prayer continues to be at the very heart of Town Pastors and in previous years intercessions have made a huge difference and brought immense encouragement to the team. Once again, we would like to invite you to stand with us in prayer.



If you would like some more information or would like to be added to the list of people praying for the ministry of the Festival Pastor team, please contact Liz at: eliz.livey@ntlworld.com



Pictured above are Festival Pastors in action at a previous Latitude Festival.



Article extracts from Network Suffolk



Keith Morris, 26/06/2021
By PTI

MUMBAI: A seven-member monitoring committee, including members appointed by the winning bidder Jalan Kalrock Consortium and the lenders, will soon start managing the day-to-day affairs of Jet Airways till the resolution process is complete.

Further, Ashish Chhawchharia has ceased to be the resolution professional of the airline, according to a regulatory filing.

On June 22, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the consortium's resolution plan for grounded Jet Airways, subject to certain conditions.

The full-service carrier, which suspended operations in April 2019, was undergoing Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP).

"The CIRP of the company has therefore concluded and Mr Ashish Chhawchharia has ceased to be the resolution professional of the company, effective on and from June 25, 2021," the filing to the stock exchanges said on Saturday.

As per the terms of the approved resolution plan, a seven-member monitoring committee is required to be constituted.

Three members each would be appointed by the consortium and the financial creditors, respectively.

Also, there would be an "independent insolvency professional appointed by the financial creditors (preferably the existing resolution professional)," in the panel, as per the filing.

The committee would supervise the implementation of the resolution plan.

"Terms of appointment and duties of the monitoring committee will be as set out in the resolution plan and the day-to-day operations and the management of the company shall be carried out by the monitoring committee until the closing date as defined in the resolution plan," the filing said.

As per the filing, the actions in respect of the appointment as well as duties and functions of the committee, and implementation of the resolution plan will be taken in accordance with the resolution plan.

The same would be subject to any directions that may be issued by NCLT in this regard.

On June 25, NCLT published the written order approving Jalan Kalrock Consortium's resolution plan and the approval is subject to certain directions.

A separate order regarding the directions would be issued later by the tribunal.

While clearing the resolution plan, NCLT also made it clear that it will not give any direction on the issue of airport slots for the airline, citing that the matter will be handled by the government or the appropriate authority concerned.

On June 22, Jalan Kalrock Consortium said it will decide on the next steps after receiving NCLT's written order and emphasised that it will work with the aviation authorities to see the airline taking wings again.
Bismah Malik By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Jio-Google budget phone, touted as the worlds cheapest smartphone, will likely capture one-sixth of Indias 300 million feature phone user base, top sector analysts told this publication. However, Mukesh Ambanis ambition to attract the next 100 million users in India through the budget smartphone will have to pass value-proposition test, especially if it is priced at Rs 4,000 ($50 above).

Faisal Kawoosa, Chief Tech analyst and founder at TechArc, said that according to their estimates, the Jio-Google phone may capture a 50 million-strong user base in India, pushing smartphone shipments to 200 million per annum from next year onwards.

Sales of smartphones priced below Rs 6,000 have shrunk over the past few years, constituting just 5 per cent of the total sales volume across the country. This is partly due to sub-optimal user experience that these phones were able to provide. Hence, for the much touted worlds cheapest Jio-Google phone to help an average feature phone user upgrade to a smartphone for at least Rs 3,000 or more... it will have to meet the quality expectations, he added.

Reliances earlier attempts to integrate some smartphone features into a 2G phone failed to capture much of the feature phone market due to sub-par user experience, analysts note, although affordability was the focus even then. However, Ambani and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have stated that the new budget phones Android operating system has been optimized for Indian markets and will have language translation as a key feature.

Last week, Googles India head and Managing Director, Sanjay Gupta had told this publication that language enablement will be the focus for a growing base of internet users in India through the affordable smartphone. The model will be unveiled on September 10, Ganesh Chaturthi.

Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, Indian Cellular and Electronics Association said that the smartphone industry continues to face a supply crunch amidst rising demand. He noted that the huge price gap between a feature phone (Rs 1000) and entry level smartphone (Rs 5,000) will be a key challenge to overcome for Reliance-Google.

The industry has consolidated and there are major global players who are producing some good quality entry-level phones at a production capacity of 15-20 million per month with very low-margins. To be able to secure supply in this environment to produce smartphones more efficiently without any manufacturing experience and surpass the quality level at this price will be a feat, Mohindroo noted.

Performance a key factor

Earlier attempts to integrate some smartphone features into a 2G phone failed to capture much of the feature phone market due to sub-par user experience. However, Ambani and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have stated that the new phones Android operating system has been optimized for Indian markets
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Cottonpet police on Saturday arrested three more assailants in connection with the murder of BJP ex-corporator Rekha Kadiresh.

A senior police officer said that based on a tip-off, a special team nabbed Purushottam, Ajay and Stephen in the outskirts of the city. Five accused including two prime accused have been arrested so far.

The investigation officer said that Purushotham damaged a CCTV camera during the murder while Stephen and Ajay tried to attack passersby who came to rescue Rekha when she was hacked to death.

On Friday, cops had opened fire at two assailants involved in the murder of the former corporator of Chalavadipalya BBMP ward. Two police personnel were injured as the men allegedly attacked them with a dagger in a bid to escape.

Police sources said that teams headed by eight police inspectors were formed to nab the assailants, soon after the murder on Thursday. The teams started gathering information about the assailants both through ground intelligence and technical assistance.

Around 50 people were questioned as part of the probe and four persons, who happened to be relatives of the deceased, were detained for questioning.
S Lalitha By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Work from home is turning out to be a daily nightmare for IT professionals residing along the stretch of Balagere Road, Panathur Dinne and Gunjur Road, all within 4 km of the Outer Ring Road.

For, the local cable operator has established a monopoly over distribution of internet connectivity and allegedly refuses to allow any of the major players enter the area.Video calls dropping, client calls abruptly cut off, or calls dying during trouble shooting, many of them involving international customers, are common occurrences in the lives of over 5,000 residents here.

Repeated pleas to their internet provider and open or covert attempts to bring in other providers have failed due to the clout wielded by Praveen B L of Zednet, who is the undisputed leader here.

IT professionals spoke to The New Indian Express from various apartments, but insisted that their names be changed. The affected individuals have just launched a petition on change.org. The petition, addressed to the Chief Minister and Police Commissioner among others, stated that they were at the mercy of a local cable operator.

He has tie-up with only Metronet/Railwire and does not allow any stable service provider like Airtel, Tata, Act, JioFiber, etc. to come to these areas, threatening to cut the installation wires or even beat up the people of the other Internet Service Providers who come to do installation, it said. The petition said that their jobs were at stake during the pandemic due to this poor connectivity issue.

Praveen Gowda (name changed), a software professional, said that it is tough to even reach Zednet to sort out the internet issues. Somehow, we are trying to manage by using mobile hotspots or gadgets like dongles. But we need high speed, unlimited connection to do our jobs smoothly, he said. Another resident said that nearly 85 per cent of the IT professional here are not locals.

We are mostly from North and the Eastern parts of the country and also Andhra Pradesh. The fact that we do not know local politics and have no influence in the area gives the concern an edge over us.

S Karthik, a resident, said, Our apartment issued NoCs to Airtel, Jio and Tata to give us the connection. We came to know through employees there that they were worried due to threats from Zednet staff.Praveen denied all the charges against him and his company. I am only one of the partners at Zednet. All charges are cent per cent false. I am not some goonda. I have a background in the telecom industry for 20 years and am running this business for 11 years here, he claimed.

ALSO WATCH | Demons and Genies: Yemen's mysterious 'Well of Hell'
C Shivakumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Special Task force constituted to crackdown on illegal or unauthorised buildings across the city nearly three years ago, is yet to take off despite completing several rounds of meetings.

The State government had constituted two special task forces to address issues pertaining to encroachments, unauthorized construction and enforcement of provisions under the Second Master Plan in Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) and areas that come under the jurisdiction of Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and Composite Local Planning Authority. A G.O. to this effect was passed on December 17, 2018.

The Special Task Force was formed after the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs asked the State government in 2018 to take necessary steps after Supreme Court suggested the Union government to issue an advisory to all States to constitute such a force so that civic facilities are improved and inconvenience cost to resident of cities and other metropolitan cities is reduced.

It is learnt that a total of 2,068 multi-storey buildings have been identified where planning permission was issued after 2007 wherein the Completion Certificate was not applied. Sources said that notices were issued by the Greater Chennai Corporation to 1,454 multi-storey buildings while Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority issued notices to 614 multi-storey buildings last year. But, no action has been taken yet. The issue being lack of coordination among departments.

It is learnt that the first four meetings with key departments were held which lacked participation from representatives like the Public Works Department and Fire Service department. Interestingly, the issue has been highlighted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India which tabled its report in State Assembly, highlighting the lack of coordination between departments, resulting in unauthorised developments and causing threat to public safety in the event of emergencies, such as fire and stampede.

The report also hit out at the State government over the 20-month delay in forming the task force when the seven-storey Chennai Silks building on Usman Road in T Nagar crumbled during the early hours of June 1, 2017, after a major fire engulfed the building the previous day. Similarly, the enforcement cell of CMDA, which initiates action against unauthorised buildings, is functioning without adequate strength.The CAG report stated that after the State government sought a required staff proposal, CMDA put forth the need of 37 additional officers or staff and 45 outsourced persons.

When, however, the State urged CMDA to furnish financial implications towards the revised requirement, CMDA did not furnish it. The delay in submission of financial implication for more than two days resulted in non strengthening of the Enforcement Cells function as there was vacancy of 32 staff against the sanctioned strength of 66, as of November 2018, the report stated.

Association of Professional Town Planners (APTP) president KM Sadanand said that there is a need to evaluate the necessity of the special task force and its function. We wake up when there is a disaster and become lax after a few days without looking at remedial measures to solve the problem, he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A day after the Delhi government came under fire for purportedly inflating the city's need for oxygen, families of people who lost their lives due to shortage of the life-saving gas in the national capital during the second Covid wave have demanded a fair probe into it.

A report of five-member sub-group constituted by the Supreme Court to audit oxygen use in hospitals in the national capital during the second wave in April-May said the Delhi government "exaggerated" consumption of oxygen and made a claim of 1,140 MT, four times higher than the formula for bed capacity requirement of 289 MT.

The panel said the Delhi government had made the claims for allocation of 700 MT oxygen on April 30 of medical grade oxygen using a "wrong formula".

Erick Massey, whose mother Delphin Massey died at the Jaipur Golden Hospital allegedly due to oxygen shortage, said he doesn't feel there was an exaggeration in requirement.

"It was not just us who were victims of the oxygen shortage. All over, there were friends and relatives who were struggling to get oxygen cylinders. Some people even bought them for Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 lakh.

"We don't think there was an exaggeration. There were entire families affected by the virus and there were so many hospitals who raised SOS," he said.

Gaurav Gera lost both his parents within an hour gasping for oxygen.

His father, Charanjit Gera, was admitted to Jaipur Golden Hospital while his mother, Sonu Rani, was at Ambedkar Hospital.

"There are so many people who have lost their family members due to lack of oxygen. At Jaipur Golden Hospital, we were told the patients could have been saved had there been an adequate supply of oxygen. In fact, I feel that many more people died due to oxygen shortage than the numbers which were reported," he said.

Jagjyot Singh's mother Sarabjeet Kaur was one of the 20 casualties on the fateful night of April 24 when the Jaipur Golden Hospital in the city waited for its oxygen stock to be replenished.

He the Delhi government accountable for failing to read the situation properly.

"The Delhi government did not have a vision and did not know how much oxygen was required to be supplied to hospitals. This meant that there was not a proper supply. There needs to be a proper investigation into the matter."

"My mother was on the path of recovery. We arranged medicines and everything that the hospital asked us for. Their job was only to give her medicines and oxygen and they could not do that," Singh said.

Demanding an investigation on the loopholes which might have led to the crisis, he said they have also approached the Delhi High Court demanding a court-monitored probe.

At Batra Hospital, 12 patients, including a senior doctor of the facility, had died due to a dip in oxygen supply.

Dr Sudhanshu Bankta, executive director of the hospital, said there was a huge oxygen crisis at that time, but refused to comment on the report, which has put the Delhi government on the dock, contending that he is not privy to the entire data of oxygen supply and demand.

"From our own experience, we can say there wasn't an adequate amount of oxygen. It seems to be a political fight rather than something which is driven by facts."

"There was a huge oxygen crisis. There was a problem everywhere. If you go through the WhatsApp records of all hospitals which are in official Delhi government groups, everyone was crying for oxygen. I cannot comment on the motive of the report but the situation at that time was really scary," he said.

Delhi was hit severely by a brutal second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in April and May, claiming a massive number of lives daily, with a shortage in oxygen supply at various city hospitals adding to the woes.

The panel in its report pointed out that four model hospitals in Delhi -- Singhal Hospital, Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, ESIC Model Hospital and Liferay Hospital -- have claimed extremely high Oxygen consumption with very few beds and the claims appeared to be clearly "erroneous, leading to extremely skewed information and significantly higher Oxygen requirement for the entire state of Delhi".

However, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said on Saturday the report, submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by him, is an interim one and not the final word.

Two members, B S Bhalla, the Delhi government's principal home secretary, home, and Max Healthcare's Clinical Director Sandeep Budhiraja, questioned the conclusions.

ALSO WATCH | 'Inflated' oxygen requirement: BJP, Congress demand Kejriwal's resignation

Bhalla gave his objections and comments on the 23-page interim report shared with him on May 30.

The report has an annexure of communication sent by Bhalla on May 31 in which he said a reading of the draft interim report makes it "painfully apparent" that the sub-group, instead of focussing on the task, delineated from the terms of order of the Supreme Court dated May 6.

The BJP has charged the Delhi government with "criminal negligence" after the report came into the public domain on Friday, while AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the "bogus" report was "cooked up" at BJP's office.

Seeking to move on from the controversy, Chief Minister Kejriwal has called for everyone to work together to ensure there is no shortage of oxygen in the next Covid wave.

The virus will win if there is a fight among stakeholders, Kejriwal tweeted.
Anuja Susan Varghese By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Feelings of guilt and anxiety, for having unknowingly transmitted the Covid virus to a lot of people, including kith and kin, can weigh heavily on ones conscience. Elsa Joseph, a 23-year-old final-year degree student at Kalady in Kochi, went through such an ordeal during the pandemic.

In the initial days of Covid, when the world at large was at a loss as to how to handle the emerging situation, Elsa tested positive for Covid, the first case in her ward in Kanjoor panchayat. Elsas journey through the pandemic has been a story of woes from being shifted to a First-Line Treatment Centre (FLTC) and her father getting infected with the virus in the second wave to having to put aside her wedding that was fixed for last month.

Elsas parents own a restaurant at Angamaly, from where she believes that she may have contracted the infection. Initially, she did have a few Covid symptoms of sore throat and fever, but did not get proper guidance from the nearby government hospital, as no one was clear about how to handle the situation. It was on August 22 last year that Elsa tested positive for the virus. From then, her life has been a saga of anxiety, worry and hope.

There were 25 people in Elsas primary contact list. Being the first to test positive in your locality, that too for a hitherto unknown disease, fills you with fear and anxiety. The only way ahead for me was to keep my confidence up and deal with the situation. When I developed the symptoms, I had apprehensions that I had been infected. However, when I approached the healthcare facility, they prescribed me medicines and asked me to wait for a few days. Even at home, I used to wear masks, and I believe that this helped to an extent. At that time, none of my family members contracted the virus from me. That was a huge relief, said Elsa.

Days spent in isolation at the FLTC at Keezhmad were filled with fear and apprehension. Since my case was the among the first in the district, my phone used to ring incessantly  officials from health, district administration, police or local self-government bodies would call up to check on me. They needed details to track the primary contacts and wanted to check on my symptoms. It was difficult initially, said Elsa.

As far as the symptoms were concerned, she had fever, tiredness and breathing issues, but later, as her health improved, getting discharged was just a matter of testing negative. Everybody in Elsas family, except her brother and grandmother, contracted the infection later. The latest to be infected was her 55-year-old father, Joseph P A, who tested positive on April 7 this year. My father had breathing difficulties and he had comorbidities too. For 13 days, he had undergone treatment at a private hospital, said Elsa.

This proved to be another dampener in her life, as her wedding had to be postponed. Her engagement was scheduled on April 11, but since her father was Covid positive and restrictions were in place, it was put off. It was the right thing to do in that situation. We could not take any more risks. The pandemic has seared through our lives for a year, said Elsa.
By PTI

BHOPAL: TV actor Aniruddh Dave of "Patiala Babes" fame on Friday said he is returning to Mumbai after battling coronavirus for close to two months at a hospital here.

The 34-year-old actor had shared his coronavirus diagnosis on April 23, revealing that he contracted the virus while shooting for a web series in Bhopal.

He was later admitted to Chirayu Medical College & Hospital in the city.

After a while, Dave was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as he had 85 per cent lung infection and was kept on oxygen support.

He was shifted out of ICU after two weeks as his health improved but the actor continued to remain in the hospital.

Taking to Twitter, Dave said it was an emotional moment for him as he got discharged from the medical facility.

The actor also thanked his well-wishers for their love and prayers.

"Such emotional moment after 55 days I'm discharged from Chirayu hospital. Feeling loved. Thankful to everyone. No oxygen for now. I am breathing on my own #gratitude," he wrote, alongside a group photo with the hospital staff.

Dave is best known for featuring in shows such as "Patiala Babes", "Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki" and "Phulwa".

The actor will next be seen in Akshay Kumar-starrer "Bell Bottom", scheduled to arrive in theatres on July 27.
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: A job in the police department eluded Borsing Bey for a long time until his integrity helped fulfill his dream.

This Assam Home Guard jawan was on Saturday appointed as a constable in the police department. The appointment letter was handed over to him by none other than Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the presence of a host of ministers, senior police officials, and other dignitaries.

Bey had spurned a huge bribe amount from drug dealers and helped seize drugs valued at Rs 12 crore in the international black market from a Guwahati-bound bus in Karbi Anglong recently. Three peddlers, including two women from Tamil Nadu, were arrested.

Home Guards are meagerly paid and Sarma said Bey could have easily fallen for the temptation.

He said during every drive against banned items, the biggest challenge is temptation. He said there have been several cases where even high-ranking officials became victims of temptation. He said if the jawans had negotiated, they could have easily made Rs 1-2 crore.

ALSO READ | COVID-positive prisoner escapes from hospital in Assam's Karbi Anglong district

We know how much the Home Guard jawans earn and the kind of life they lead. Its a big thing for a Home Guard jawan to stay away from temptation. Borsing Bey was already going through frustration as he failed to clear interviews for a job in the police department. I congratulate him on his integrity and courage, Sarma said.

Bey said he had a dream that Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta helped fulfill. I will keep working the way I did in the past, he said.

Sarma said the state government would consider formulating a policy to give out-of-turn promotions to lower-ranked cops for an exemplary act on duty.

The Assam Police seized drugs worth Rs 135 crore over the past 40-45 days since Sarma had donned the CMs mantle.

Unfortunately, many groups, which assert themselves as armed revolutionaries, are involved in drug smuggling. Taking advantage of our various weaknesses, some people have built an empire of drugs in the state, Sarma said.

Congratulating the police force on the recent successes against drug-smuggling, he said, We want that a time comes when the youth of the state do not get drugs despite searches and the police also fail to make any seizure of the contraband.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Even if Sputnik V and Covovax vaccines have comparatively higher efficacy than Covishield and Covaxin, healthcare experts advise against the attitude of waiting for the good vaccines to arrive.

Instead, they say the latter two vaccines are equally effective, and urge you to take either one that is readily available to you Read on:

Dr Navneet Kaur

General Physician, Apollo Spectra Nehru Enclave, New Delhi

The top priority should be getting vaccinated, instead of the choice of vaccine. Both the vaccines cut down the severity and mortality risk associated with the infections. One cannot compare two vaccines in the current scenario because the trials for each vaccine were done differently, yielding different efficacy numbers. No one knows which one is better unless the trials are performed under the same conditions. So, a 60 per cent efficacy vaccine right now is neither better nor worse than a 95 per cent efficacy vaccine. About the available vaccines, mRNA/ viral vector vaccine (Covishield) are new generation vaccines, and cheaper than inactivated viral vaccines (Covaxin). Although the vaccine types are different, both ultimately protect us from serious hospitalisation when infected with Covid-19.Trust scientific data rather than what an ignorant human speaks.

Dr AK Gadpayle

Professor and Senior Consultant-Internal Medicine, Sharda Hospital, Greater Noida

Take whichever is available right now because it will help protect you from catching Covid-19, reduce transmission to vulnerable members of your community, and substantially reduce your risk of severe disease. All the available vaccines do this job well. No comparative trials have been done so far anywhere in the world, so one cannot compare. Phase III trials that have been the basis of approval by regulatory authorities show that those taking the jab are better placed than those not. For instance, Pfizer vaccine reported efficacy of 95 percent in preventing symptoms and Astrazeneca having efficacy of 62 -90 per cent depending upon dose regime, but factors such as location, age, body conditions make a difference. A head-to-head trial is underway in the UK to compare the AstraZeneca and Valneva vaccines. The existing data from the UK shows that Pfizer and Astra- Zeneca have similar efficacy. Considering the developing variants like Delta, Delta Plus, etc., companies have to change the configuration of vaccines. Likewise, Moderna updated its vaccine version. In India, Phase III trials of Covaxin have an edge over Covishield, but these are yet to get WHO approval. The only thing I can say is that the best vaccine is the one that is easily available easily to you at this moment.

Dr Umar Zahoor Shah

Head, Emergency Department, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Delhi

Considering the current scenario, where the population is experiencing supply shortages and slot unavailability of the Covid vaccine, one should not be sceptical of getting a vaccine. Prioritise getting vaccinated. Both the Indian vaccines are clinically approved, and have shown more than satisfactory results ever since the inoculation started in India. Post-vaccination, some might experience pain at the site of injection, headache, joint pain, and fever, but these side effects do not persist for long and generally go within a day or two. However, someone whose immunity can be challenged easily or is more sensitive to pain should opt for Covaxin as the after-effects are way milder, and make your vaccination experience safer.

Dr Manoj Goel

Director, Pulmonology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram

One must go for a vaccine, whichever is available. Now is not the time to wait for new more good ones to come. It is not a question of choice, it is necessary and one must go for an available vaccine as early as possible. People must understand that each vaccine has been extensively investigated into, and found to be quite effective. The clinical trials and data from the field shows that the efficiency of each of these vaccines is between 70 and 90 per cent, which is good enough. And since no head to head trail between different vaccines has been conducted so far, one cannot say A is better than B.

Dr Gyan Bharti

Pulmonologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad

For those who need to travel abroad, Covishield is a better option as the other two are waiting for their entry into the emergency use listing (EUL) of the WHO. One should not be worrying about the side effects as all vaccines can have varying levels of side effects depending on individual threshold of pain and immunogenic responses. Therefore, it will be faulty to deem a vaccine having less side effects as two people receiving the same vaccine may develop no, little, or severe side effects depending on their individual traits. One should not delay getting vaccinated waiting for vaccine of choice as having some protection against Covid-19 is better than no protection at all.

The updated data of Oxford-AstraZanacas Phase 3 trials in March showed the vaccine to be 76 per cent effective at reducing the risk of symptomatic disease 15 days or more after receiving the two doses. It showed to be 100 per cent effective against severe disease and 85 per cent effective in preventing Covid19 in people over 65. It is said to work better against Alpha variants while in case of the Delta variant, two recent non-peer-reviewed studies showed that full vaccination after two doses is 60 per cent effective against symptomatic disease and 93 per cent effective against hospitalisation. Covaxin is deemed safe and has shown 77.8 per cent efficacy in Phase III trials. As published in The Lancet, Sputnik data indicates 91.6 per cent efficacy and as claimed by the Head of Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, is deemed effective against all variants.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday appeared before a special investigation team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident. Badal reached the Punjab Police Officers Institute at Sector 32 here at around 11 am following a summons by the SIT.

Badal was the deputy chief minister and holding the home portfolio when incidents of desecration of religious texts and the subsequent police firing at people protesting against it had taken place in Faridkot in 2015.

Several senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, including Bikram Singh Majithia, Balwinder Singh Bhundar, NK Sharma and Daljit Singh Cheema, reached the Punjab Police Officers Institute in a show of support to Badal.

On Tuesday, the SIT led by Additional Director General of Police (Vigilance Bureau) L K Yadav had questioned Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for two-and-a-half hours.

The Punjab government had formed the new SIT to probe the Kotkapura police firing incident following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The new SIT is investigating the two FIRs registered on October 14, 2015 and August 7, 2018 in connection with the Kotkapura incident.

The high court had on April 9 this year quashed a report by an earlier Punjab Police SIT into the firing at people protesting in Kotkapura in 2015 over the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot district.

Police had also opened fire at a similar demonstration in Behbal Kalan, also in Faridkot, where two people were killed. A separate probe is underway in that case.

6 Yrs since sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.. No Justice in 2 yrs of your rule.. No Justice in the following 4.5 yrs.. Today, New SIT inches closer to Justice for Punjabs Soul & you cry of political interferance.. Political interference was that which delayed Justice by 6 yrs https://t.co/6SltTwK75M  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) June 26, 2021

Meanwhile, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu hit out at Sukhbir and said that "today new SIT inches closer to justice for Punjab's soul and you are crying of political interference". "6 Yrs since sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.. No Justice in 2 yrs of your rule. No Justice in the following 4.5 yrs.. Today, New SIT inches closer to Justice for Punjab's Soul & you cry of political interference.. Political interference was that which delayed Justice by 6 yrs," Sidhu said in a tweet.

The SAD president on Friday alleged that a new SIT formed after the old one was indicted over political interference and it is being run by the state vigilance department, so nothing has changed. "While farmers suffer, CM is busy keeping Gandhi family happy & has accepted @RahulGandhi's directive to implicate SAD leadership in false cases. New SIT formed after old one was indicted over political interference, is being run by state vigilance dept, so nothing has changed," he tweeted.

(With inputs from ANI)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Centre Saturday told the Supreme Court that a total of 51.6 crore Covid vaccine doses would be made available by July 31 of which 35.6 crore have already been provided.

Giving the status of vaccine availability for children, the Centre said in an affidavit that the Drugs Controller General of India on May 12 permitted Bharat Biotech to conduct clinical trials of its vaccine Covaxin on volunteers between 2 to 18 years of age, and the enrolment process for this trial has also begun.

It informed the court that Zydus Cadila which is developing DNA vaccines has concluded its clinical trial for between the age group of 12 to 18 years of age and, subject to the statutory permissions, it may be available in near future for children of the age group of 12 to 18 years of age.

"It is humbly submitted that as of now, the companies' manufacturing COVID-19 vaccination in India have only been given 'Emergency Use Authorization' for vaccinating people of 18 years age and above.

Therefore, COVID-19 vaccines are not recommended for persons/children less than 18 years of age and is due to the fact that the clinical trial cohort during Phase 1, 2 and 3 did not cover the children below 18 years of age," it said.

ALSO READ | Near home vaccination centres for elderly, differently abled set up: Centre tells SC

The government said that there would be availability of vaccine to vaccinate the entire eligible population.

It said the "biggest vaccination drive in the history" is going on with full swing, reaching even remotest areas of the country by constructive and cooperative collaboration of the Central government, State/UT governments, local authorities, human resources in medical sectors and the citizens of the country.

Giving the break-up of vaccines till the date of filing of the affidavit i.e.June 26, the Centre said a total of 35.6 crore doses were made available -- 26.6 crore Covishield, 8 crore Covaxin, and additional 1 crore doses as commodity assistance under COVAX facility.

It also said that apart from these supplies, it is expected that around 16 crore doses will also be available during the period of May and July across the country.

The Centre further said that 31.5 lakh doses of first component and 60,000 doses of second component of Sputnik V has been received.

It said that two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) have been a part of the vaccination program since January 2021 and Sputnik V has received Emergency Use Authoridation by the DCGI in April 2021 and is now being administered in the country.

ALSO READ | 'Near home' COVID vaccination centres will benefit 14 crore senior citizens: Centre

The government said, "In addition, some other domestic vaccines such as those from Biological E and Zydus Cadila are in the late stages of clinical trials and subject to the regulatory approvals, will further increase the availability of vaccines."

The government in its 380-page affidavit filed in the suo motu matter on COVID-19 management said that in order to further increase vaccine availability and incentivising foreign manufacturers, the regulatory process for the use of foreign vaccines within India has been accelerated and simplified.

It clarified that due to the initial assistance provided for developing Covaxin, it has ensured a price of Rs.150 per dose of Covaxin and it is not possible to reduce it any further.

"This price is the lowest procurement price in the world."

The government said that as per the projected mid-year population for 2020, the total population of the country aged 18 years and above is approximately 93-94 crore and as such, administering two doses to these beneficiaries would require an estimated 186 to 188 crore vaccine doses.

"Out of this requirement, 51.6 crore doses will be made available for administration by July 31, 2021, leaving a requirement of approximately 135 crore vaccine doses for complete vaccination to the eligible population," it said.

Giving the breakup for vaccines quantity that may be receivable from all sources the Centre said that a total of 135 crore doses will be procured: Covishield (50 crore), Covaxin (40 crore), Bio E Subunit vaccine (30 crore), Zydus Cadila DNA vaccine (5 crore) and Sputnik V (10 crore).

It said that the procurement of Bio E Subunit vaccine and Zydus Cadila DNA vaccine will be subject to approval which will come in the near future.

ALSO READ | Till June 25, more than 31 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses administered: Centre to SC

"It is submitted that the vaccination drive would obviously get a boost if the Government of India succeeds in its attempts to procure vaccines available outside India such as vaccines of Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna etc," the affidavit said.

The Centre said that for the purpose of procurement of these vaccines from abroad, efforts are ongoing at the level of the highest political executive in the country and also at the highest diplomatic level.

"It is submitted that since these efforts are at a very advanced stage, it is neither desirable nor possible to give comprehensive details of these facts. As and when these efforts materialise, the speed of vaccination will be further augmented and enhanced," it said.
Fayaz Wani By

SRI NAGAR: On their return to Srinagar after attending the All Party Meeting (APM) convened by PM Narendra Modi in Delhi, National Conference president, and three-time former CM Farooq Abdullah said there was a level of mistrust on J&K and that the onus lies on New Delhi to remove it. His son and former CM Omar Abdullah demanded that after completion of the delimitation exercise, statehood to J&K should be restored and elections held later. The first PM promised us a plebiscite but went back on it. Narasimha Rao promised us autonomy  in fact sky is the limit  but not independence.

We had told him we never asked for independence and that we wanted autonomy. He promised us autonomy on the floor of the House. Where is that? It was never given, Abdullah told reporters at his Gupkar residence. In response to a question, the NC president said all leaders put forth their views before the PM. It (APM) was the first step from the Centre to start the political process in J&K. Asked whether June 24 APM signaled an end to Gupkar Alliance, he asked: Why should it be the end of the alliance?

Omar intervened, saying, We did not talk about anything, which is outside Gupkar Alliances agenda. None of us said we accept August 5, 2019 decisions and let us move ahead. On Home Minister Amit Shahs roadmap on J&K  delimitation, elections and restorations of statehood, Omar said, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad speaking before PMs speech at APM clearly told him that we dont accept this timeline.

Not delimitation, election & statehood.., it should be delimitation, statehood and election, he said adding, If the election has to be conducted, then statehood should be returned and then we can talk about elections. Whenever we get a chance, we will keep stressing that.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government issued fresh guidelines on Friday, warning local authorities not to ease restrictions immediately, following fears of a possible third wave and the spread of the Delta Plus variant.

State chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, while issuing new guidelines, said the threat of the pandemic persists as deadlier variants are being reported. The state has so far reported 21 Delta Plus cases - nine in Ratnagiri and the rest from Jalgaon, Palghar and other districts.

"We need to impose stringent restrictions to curb the spread," he said, adding that given the mutations in the virus and its ongoing evolution, it is likely that more serious situations will arise in the near future.

The order said that while easing restrictions, weekly positivity index and percentage of oxygen-powered beds should be considered. "Weekly positivity rate should be determined on the basis of RT-PCR tests only," read the order.

Local administrations have been told to accelerate vaccination through public awareness activities. "Every effort should be made to complete the vaccination of at least 70 per cent of the eligible people as soon as possible. Besides, test-track-treat method should be adopted as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID," he added.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI: A day after the Centre unveiled its roadmap for the resumption of the democratic process in J&K, leaders of several parties said restoration of statehood must precede Assembly elections, while PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti claimed she would not enter the fray till special status under Article 370 is restored, though her party would.

Explaining her rationale, Mehbooba said, "Otherwise they will say I am doing it for political gains. If PDP wins the polls, I will not be chief minister." However, she said that her party would contest the polls as it cannot leave any democratic space otherwise it will be taken away by other forces.

Mehbooba is the third J&K leader to decide not to contest polls. NC vice-president Omar Abdullah and another party leader Aga Ruhullah have already made their entering the fray conditional to the restoration of full statehood.

ALSO READ| PM's meeting with J-K leaders 'positive' step; Centre must restore statehood before assembly polls: Karan Singh

Senior National Conference leader and Gupkar Alliance coordinator Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi said holding of polls while J&K remains a Union Territory is not acceptable. "In Assam, they kept on hold the delimitation process and held Assembly elections while here they say delimitation will precede elections (while it remains a UT)," he pointed out.

Another NC leader Imran Nabi Dar said the party's position is clear: grant of statehood should be the first confidence building measure of the Centre.

Articulating the stand of the Congress, senior party leader P Chidambaram said: "Congress and other J&K parties and leaders want statehood first and elections afterwards. Governments response is elections first and statehood later. The horse pulls the cart. A state must conduct elections. Only such elections will be free and fair. Why does the government want the cart in front and the horse behind? It is bizarre."

ALSO READ| Delimitation, holding of polls in J-K important milestones in restoring statehood: Amit Shah

Senior CPM leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, who is also spokesperson of the Gupkar Alliance, told this newspaper that they had not attended the all-party meet in Delhi for holding elections. "None of us had gone there to demand elections,Tarigami said.

Union home minister Amit Shah had on Thursday told the all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that while the Centre is committed to restoring statehood, it will happen after the delimitation process and the Assembly elections are over. "We did not get answers to our concerns. The PM did not offer anything concrete in terms of assurances," Tarigami said.

Different strokes

Centre

Statehood to J&K to follow delimitation exercise and Assembly elections

National Conference

Wants restoration of statehood before J&K goes to polls

PDP

State polls after restoration of special status under Article 370
By PTI

MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has sought a fresh date for appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which had summoned him for questioning on Saturday in a money laundering case related to an alleged multi-crore bribery-cum-extortion racket that led to his resignation in April, officials said.

The 71-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was asked to depose before the investigating officer at the agency office in Ballard Estate here by 11 am, they said. A team of Deshmukh's lawyers visited the ED office and sought a fresh date for appearance, officials said, adding that the agency is expected to accept his request.

The central agency had arrested his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde late last night after it carried out raids against them and Deshmukh in Mumbai and Nagpur. The aides were brought to the ED office for questioning following the searches and arrested subsequently.

They will be produced before a special court for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Mumbai on Saturday where the ED will seek their remand for custodial interrogation, officials said.

The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI first carried out a preliminary inquiry followed by a regular case being filed on the orders of the Bombay High Court. The court had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into the allegations of bribery made against Deshmukh by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Deshmukh, who had resigned from his post in April following the allegations, has denied any wrongdoing.

The senior IPS officer was shunted out from his post after investigators revealed the role of assistant police inspector Sachin Waze in the stationing of an explosive-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's Mumbai residence that triggered a terror scare. Waze has since been dismissed from service.

In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray after he was removed from the police commissioner's post, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

According to the ED, about 10 bar owners in Mumbai recorded statements before it alleging that they had paid about Rs 4 crore "bribe" in cash in a three-month period to be handed over to Deshmukh through police officials.

Deshmukh was the home minister in the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra headed by Thackeray. In his letter, Singh also alleged that Palande was present when Deshmukh had asked Waze to extort money.

Palande and Shinde had been questioned by the CBI in the past. The role of the two in the operation of certain shell firms is being looked into by the ED.

The CBI booked Deshmukh and others under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy and the section of the Prevention of Corruption Act for "attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty".
By PTI

BHOPAL: Several activists planning to mark the completion of seven months of farm protests against the Centre's three new laws on Saturday claimed they were held under house arrest in Madhya Pradesh, an allegation refuted by police authorities.

Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh national convener Shiv Kumar Sharma 'Kakkaji' told PTI that police was deployed outside his house at around 8:30am with the intention of keeping him inside.

"They did not tell me about house arrest but I gauged that their intention was to keep me inside the house. Several colleagues told me the situation was similar at their homes with police remaining present outside. At 12:30pm, a delegation was allowed to submit a memorandum at a government office," Sharma said.

In a statement, Badal Saroj of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha said over 100 activists and farmers, including Medha Patkar and Dr Sunilam of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, were held under house arrest till 4pm at Gandhi Bhawan.

The statement claimed police allowed just five people to submit a memorandum of their demands after much insistence from activists and farmers present.

"But the delegation was not allowed to enter Raj Bhawan by the police and had to return from the gate," Saroj said.

Refuting the allegations, Bhopal Range Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) A Sai Manohar told PTI that none of the activists were kept under house arrest.

"There was no agitation possible in the pandemic due to protocol. If they were arrested, how could the activists reach the gate of Raj Bhawan? Nobody was placed under house arrest," he said.

Meanwhile, Sharma said, after Mission Bengal, protesting farmers will also take part in the Uttar Pradesh polls scheduled to be held next year.

Adding that they will not campaign for any party but will make people aware of the anti-people nature of the three agri marketing laws passed by the Centre.

He claimed mustard oil prices have gone up from Rs 70 per litre to Rs 200 per litre due to these new laws that allow traders and corporates to hoard limitless quantities.

Meanwhile, the Modi government has been harassing farmers not just for the last seven months of their protest against the three farm laws, but since it came to power seven years ago, the Congress alleged on Saturday.

Party chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also posed a set of seven questions to the central government, asking whether it was working on a policy to "tire and drive away, harass and defeat, defame and divide" the protesting farmers by conspiring against them.

The protest against the laws by farmers camping at various Delhi border points began in November last year and they are demanding that the legislations be withdrawn.

"Even though farmers are sitting on an agitation since November last year, the Modi government has been conspiring to harass them for the last seven years ever since it came to power in 2014 by bringing the Land Acquisition Act to take away their land," Surjewala said.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has appealed to protesting farmers to end their agitation, saying the government is ready to resume talks on the provisions of three legislations, which were enacted in September last year.

The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the protest.

Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

The Supreme Court has put on hold the implementation of the laws till further orders and has set up a committee to find solutions, and it has already submitted its report.

The Congress spokesperson alleged that the increase in prices of farm inputs and rise in diesel price are aimed at making farming unremunerative so that farmers sell their land.

He claimed that the government has taken a number of steps against farmers and these include reducing minimum support price (MSP) of crops, brouging farm insurance to benefit insurance firms, imposing Goods and Services Tax on farm inputs like fertilisers, pesticides, tractors, drips and sprinklers, and then bringing the three "black" farm laws, which are all aimed at breaking the market to benefit capitalists.

"On one hand (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji pretends to give Rs 6,000 annually and on the other hand, takes out Rs 20,000 per hectare from the pockets of farmers by increasing the cost of farming," he said.

Posing the seven questions to the government, Surjewala asked whether the Cost and Price Commission in its Kharif Report for 2021-22 has said the government keeps the sample size too small to calculate cost and this leads to incorrect cost price.

"Has the government not shut down grain markets continuously ever since the three black laws were implemented," he asked.

Is not the farmer free to sell his crop anywhere in the country outside 'mandis' and if this is true, then what is the need of the three laws, Surjewala asked.

"Hasn't hoarding stopped ever since the three agri laws have been suspended for implementation ? Then why does the Modi government want to give exemption to hoarders by implementing the three black laws that promote hoarding," the Congress leader asked.

Is the government not working on a policy to "tire and drive away, harass and defeat, defame and divide farmers by conspiring against them", the Congress leader asked.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Fifteen retired IPS officers Saturday wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauding him for his government's "courageous and decisive" efforts to resolve the complex Kashmir issue, and termed "exemplary" the recent initiative by the Centre to reach out to political stakeholders there.

The signatories, 10 of whom have served as state DGPs, said the complete integration of Kashmir with the Union of India was an unfinished task since the Constitution was adopted in 1950.

The Modi government's "painstaking, courageous and decisive efforts" at attempting to resolve the complex Kashmir issue have been noticed ever since the Modi dispensation came to power seven years ago, they added.

"It is a matter of national pride that over these years, the central government tried all means possible to achieve this goal.

"The momentous decision to annul Article 35A and read-down Article 370, was efficiently implemented, with all necessary precautions to prevent the loss of life and property," the letter said.

Now, a citizen of Kashmir can proudly call himself or herself Indian and receive all benefits that the Indian State bestows on its citizens, it said.

The retired police officers also said it is a matter of great satisfaction that the government's ability to foresee future events and to plan for all kinds of possibilities led to tight control over crime, terrorism and public order since August 5, 2019, when the Article 370, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated and the erstwhile state was divided into two Union Territories.

They said the implementation of the plan was impeccable, given that Pakistan, the "permanent interloper" in matters regarding Kashmir, was boxed into a difficult position, given its earlier stand of non-recognition of Article 370.

ALSO READ | Centre must follow-up on outcome of all-party meet to restore democracy in J&K: Congress

"Of more interest is the fact that Pakistan is now calling for the reinstatement of Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, which amounts to accepting Jammu and Kashmir as part of the Union of India," they said.

The retired police officers also appreciated the manner in which the government organised an impeccable system of managing external pressures such as those from western nations and multilateral bodies like the United Nation, which, they said, had been interfering in India's internal affairs regarding Kashmir for several decades.

"None of these external elements were able to create any significant impact, except the appearance of articles in media of choice. Almost two years have elapsed and the seal of integration with the Union is absolute," they said.

The Central government's most recent initiative at reaching out to political stakeholders and countering the twin elements of "Dil ki doori" and "Dilli ki doori", in order to enhance trust, is exemplary, reflecting a dynamic approach to policy-making, the letter said.

"We are hopeful that you will fulfil your promise of bringing economic development to Jammu and Kashmir, with all the robust investment plans that have been finalised," they said.

The signatories include AK Singh (IPS, Gujarat, 1985), Badri Prasad Singh (IPS, Uttar Pradesh, 1990), Geeta Johri (IPS, Gjaurat, 1982), K Aravinda Rao (IPS, AP, 1977), K Rajendra Kumar (IPS, JK, 1984), KB Singh (IPS, Odisha, 1985),M Nageswara Rao (IPS, Odisha, 1986), PP Pandey (IPS, Gujarat, 1982), Prakash Mishra (IPS, Odisha, 1977).

ALSO READ | Some leaders still dreaming about restoration of Article 370, it's next to impossible: J&K BJP head

Prime Minister Modi Thursday held an all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir where he said the ongoing delimitation exercise there has to happen quickly so that polls can be held to form an elected government that gives strength to its development trajectory.

The prime minister had also said he wanted to remove ''Dilli ki Duri as well as ''Dil Ki Duri'' (distance from Delhi as well as distance of hearts), according to the sources.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said that work is on to bring all opposition parties together at the national level, and this alliance will be incomplete without the Congress. He said that the Congress will play an important role in the alliance that aims to provide a strong alternative to the present dispensation.

Raut's statements come four days after leaders of eight opposition parties, including Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, AAP, RLD and the Left, assembled at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's residence in New Delhi and discussed various issues facing the country.

Speculation has been rife that the agenda of the meeting, for which no Congress leader was present, was to discuss a possible alliance which could be an alternative to the BJP.

Talking to reporters here, Raut said, "There is no need of the third front or any other front. Sharad Pawar has already made it clear. Similarly, Shiv Sena through (party mouthpiece) 'Saamana' has voiced similar sentiments. And I have also read that the Congress has endorsed this view."

"The Congress will play an important role in the alliance. It will be a strong alternative to the present dispensation...Work is in progress to bring all the opposition parties together, which will not be complete till the Congress is roped in," he said.

Sharad Pawar on Friday claimed that formation of any national alliance was not the topic of discussion at the meeting of eight opposition parties hosted by him, but also said that if any such coalition emerges, its leadership will have to be "collective".

A day after that meeting, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole had said that any attempt to form an 'anti-BJP front' without his party will indirectly help the BJP. On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh's premises in Mumbai and Nagpur as part of a money-laundering probe against him.

It also arrested Deshmukh's two aides in this connection. Without naming the BJP, Raut said, "The ED action against Anil Deshmukh amounts to targeting political rivals out of frustration since they were unable to form the government in the state. Sharad Pawar has also said the same thing."

"The state investigation agencies can also probe important cases, but attempts are on to target NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress. We will also see," Sena's Rajya Sabha member said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Over 870 new mobile phones worth Rs 86 lakh were seized from a gang of Fraud-To-Phone (F2P) involved in cybercrimes in joint efforts by police forces of four states.

The action against the cyber crime network has been initiated by the Union Home Ministry's cyber safety wing FCORD.

"Continued efforts lead to the neutralisation of another significant subsidiary node of the F2P network," an official said.

In a follow-up of leads generated by CyberSafe, an app created by FCORD, and investigations by Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Police, 872 new mobile phones of different companies worth Rs 86 lakh were seized and Rs 15.15 lakh cash recovered from three arrested accused, the official said.

Till date, more than 1,100 cell phones worth Rs 1.5 crore and nearly Rs 25 lakh cash have been seized from the F2P Network and at least 25 accused arrested.

The key nodes in the Haryana network were active members of the Balaghat WhatsApp groups run by the prime accused of the F2P network, Hukum Singh Bisen.

Another accused, Rajat Madan of Kaithal, was found in possession of the 872 mobile phones and he was subsequently arrested along with his associate, Sudhir Narang, also an accused.

This sub-network had a much more varied mix of mobile phones in stock, displaying no particular preference for specific Chinese brands, another official said.

The transaction trail for the purchase of almost all of the 872 mobile phones was through UPI, implying the rising importance of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in assisting Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in preventing cyber-frauds, the official said.

With more enforcement agencies using CyberSafe, the gap between LEAs and fintech entities is being bridged for all-round benefit of the unsuspecting victim of cyber-fraud, the official said.

CyberSafe is an app created by FCORD, operative from August 2019.

It links more than 3,000 LEAs, including police stations, in 19 States and UTs with 18 fintech entities online and in real-time.

Fraudster's mobile numbers are the key to CyberSafe.

As soon as a victim informs the police, the information is entered on CyberSafe and in realtime, fund flows are identified and communicated.

Till now 65,000 phone frauds were reported on this app and 55,000 phone numbers and several thousand bank accounts of fraudsters identified.

Soon, the NPCI will be integrating with CyberSafe, expanding the ambit of realtime prevention of cyber crime to the UPI domain, thereby amplifying its success in crime prevention, manifold.

CyberSafe runs a website https://cybersafe.gov.in, which provides access only to law enforcement authorities and fintech entities.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: As their agitation completed seven months, farmer leaders on Saturday stuck to their demands, saying they will call off their protest if the government repeals the three farm laws even as Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar appealed to them to end their stir and offered to resume talks.

Yudhvir Singh, general secretary of Bhartiya Kisan Union, an umbrella body of farm unions that is spearheading the agitation, said farmers will end the protest once the agri laws are repealed.

"The government does talk about minimum support price. The government always talk about the amendment in the laws. However, we want them to repeal the laws. We also want them to introduce a law on MSP," Singh said.

Shiv Kumar Kakka, national president of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, said they will not hold talks under any precondition.

"We have lost over 600 farmers in last seven months and they (government) are telling us to end this agitation. There will be no dialogue under any preconditions."

"If the government repeals the three farm laws and makes a new one with the guarantee of minimum support price (MSP), we will thank them and head back to our respective places," Kakka said.

The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers' protest.

Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

Jamhuri Kisan Sabha general secretary Kulwant Singh said they also want to go back home as soon as possible.

"The government is asking us to end the protest as they are ready for talks. We have already asked the government several times to repeal the three laws. If they do so, we will head back home as soon as possible from the borders. We do not like doing this and staying out of home for months," Singh said.

The Supreme Court had put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and has set up a committee to find solutions.

The committee has submitted its report.

"I want to convey through your (media) that farmers should end their agitation. Many are in favour of these new laws across the country. Still, some farmers have any issue with provisions of the laws, Government of India is ready to listen and discuss with them," Tomar tweeted on Saturday.

He said the government held 11 rounds of consultations with protesting farmer unions.

The government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) and is procuring more quantity at MSP.

On Saturday, hundreds of farmers from interiors of Uttar Pradesh, many of them on tractors, reached Ghazipur on Delhi's borders to mark the completion of seven months of the protest.

Led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, a group of protesters submitted a memorandum of their demands at the office of DCP Northeast Delhi after a virtual meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

The farmers had given a call for a protest march from Civil Lines metro station to the Raj Bhawan, a senior police officer said, adding that the Delhi Police tightened security across borders of the national capital in view of the anticipated march.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders for seven months now in protest the three laws that they say will end state procurement of crops at MSP.

Farmers' protest had started on November 26 last year and has now completed seven months notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic.
Sumi Sukanya Dutta By

NEW DELHI: The Centre is planning to allow single doctor clinics across India to offer Covid vaccines in yet another tweak in its vaccination policy for coronavirus, The New Indian Express has learnt.

As per the Centres existing Covid vaccination strategy, 25% of the total vaccines available in the country are to be procured by private hospitals and offered to recipients at a price -- Rs 150 administrative cost plus the actual price of the vaccine per dose -- while in government hospitals, jabs are to be administered free of cost.

However, in terms of actual vaccinations carried out so far, the role of private hospitals has remained quite limited and only private hospitals in some cities have been able to participate in a big way.

In the most populous states such as UP and Bihar, where there are a few corporate hospitals, inoculations have largely been conducted in government facilities, data by the Centre show.

As of Saturday, there were only 2,417 private hospitals carrying out Covid vaccinations accounting for less than 5% of 54,977 vaccination centres across India.

The proposal of permitting single doctor clinics to carry out Covid vaccinations has been given in-principal approval after many states suggested this and bodies of private hospitals also recommended that this move will raise their participation, said a senior official in the Union Health Ministry.

ALSO READ | Over 1.45 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses available with states: Centre

This will allow people to access vaccines at their trusted doctors next door and help remove the vaccine hesitancy which is emerging as an issue in many towns, the official added. "However, there is a concern related to the monitoring of adverse events following immunisation and detailed guidelines for it are being worked out."

Another source in the ministry said that in some states, state aggregators have already started asking doctors practising independently to raise the demands which will then be conveyed to vaccine makers via the Centre.

Representatives of private hospitals, meanwhile, welcomed the proposal. It is a much-needed step as vaccination has now reached almost a saturation level in big cities while a large population in smaller towns are yet to get the shots, said Girdhar J Gyani, director general of the Association of Healthcare Providers of India, a body of private hospitals.

Gyani added that if the vaccination service is offered by the regular doctors people see in their neighbourhood, it will help overcome the vaccine hesitancy to a great extent.

The government has been emphasising that it wants more private hospitals, especially those in far-flung and remote areas and smaller ones, to come forward to take part in the vaccination drive.

It has said that this scale-up is required to remove the regional inequity in access to vaccination.
Anuraag Singh By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Stuck in traffic following diversions to facilitate the ongoing visit of President Ram Nath Kovind, the 50-year-old local chairperson of the women wing of the Indian Industries Association (IIA) died due to post-Covid complications in UP's Kanpur on Friday.

While apologizing over Twitter for the tragic incident, the Kanpur Police Commissioner has ordered an investigation into the incident and four cops, including a sub-inspector and three constables, have been suspended. The probe ordered by the Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun will be done by ADCP (Kanpur South).

According to sources, Vandana Mishra, a resident of Kidwai Nagar, was infected with Covid in April, but nearly two months after testing negative for the viral infection, she was still experiencing post-Covid complications, owing to which she had to be taken to hospital on multiple occasions since then.

On Friday afternoon she went for some clinical examinations and tests at the hospital and returned at around 4.30 pm. But a couple of hours after returning home, she started complaining of nausea and other health problems, after which her kin took her in their car to a premier hospital. On the way to the hospital, the vehicle got stuck in traffic near the GovindPuri flyover. With her condition becoming critical, her kin, who included a doctor, tried to revive her. On reaching the hospital, the doctors declared her dead and added that had she been brought in time to the hospital, she could well have been saved, an IIA-Kanpur office-bearer said.

A senior Kanpur Police Commissionerate officer said the traffic was diverted or stopped at various places as the Special Presidential Train was to pass through the concerned area of Kanpur City.

The President is on a three-day visit to Kanpur since Friday.

Meanwhile, the Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun in a tweet apologised for the incident, Personally as well as on behalf of the Kanpur City Police, I apologize for the tragic incident. It has been a major lesson for the future, we take a vow that the route arrangements in future in such situations will be such that commoners are stopped for a minimum possible time to prevent reoccurrence of such tragic incidents.

In another tweet, Arun wrote: The Honourable President has expressed his condolences on the untimely death of sister Vandana Mishra. The Kanpur Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate were called by him (the President), where he inquired from them about the incident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family. Both the senior officers attended the funeral and conveyed the Presidents message to the bereaved family.

The mortal remains of Vandana Mishra were consigned to flames at the electric crematorium in Kanpur on Saturday. Her kin didnt speak to the media about the incident.


By PTI

BHOPAL: With Madhya Pradesh recording a steady decline in COVID-19 cases, the state government has decided to lift the "corona curfew" on Sundays, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday.

However, the night curfew will remain in force in the state.

Chouhan also said Madhya Pradesh has set a record for one more time with 9,64,756 doses of vaccines being administered till 7.30 pm since Saturday morning.

"We are lifting Sunday's corona curfew with immediate effect. Those who want to open their shops, continue their economic activities, can do so in accordance with COVID-19 protocol," Chouhan tweeted.

The pandemic has come under control in Madhya Pradesh as not a single COVID-19 positive case was registered in 35 districts in the state, he said.

"For the first time, the number of active cases has fallen below 1,000. The case positivity rate has come down to 0.06%. In such a situation, it seems unreasonable to impose #coronacurfew on Sunday as well," he said.

Chouhan also said vaccination will continue at a fast pace.

"Till 7.30 pm on Saturday, 9,64,756 doses have been administered since morning. Madhya Pradesh has again set a record," he said.

Madhya Pradesh on Saturday recorded 46 new cases of COVID-19 and 25 casualties that pushed the tally of infections to 7,89,657 and took the toll to 8,896, as per the state health department.

At least 35 out the 52 districts in the central state did not record a single new case in the last 24 hours, the official said.

As many as 204 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the count of recoveries to 7,79,834, he said.

With nine new cases, Indore's caseload went up to 1,52,814, while Bhopal's tally rose to 1,23,095 after 11 persons tested positive for the infection.

Indore reported five casualties, taking its toll to 1,390, Bhopal's toll stands at 972 with no new fatalities, it was stated.

With this, Indore is now left with 160 active cases, while Bhopal has 227 patients undergoing treatment, the official said, adding that the state is now left with 927 active cases.

As many as 68,915 swab samples were tested during the day, taking the total number of tests conducted in the state to over 1.18 crore.

Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,89,657, new cases 46, death toll 8,896, recovered 7,79,834, active cases 927, number of tests so far 1,18,04,713.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: As farmers' protest against the new farm laws entered eighth month, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday appealed to protesting farmers to end their agitation while saying that the government is ready to resume talks on the provisions of three legislations.

The government and farmer unions have held 11 rounds of talks so far, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers' protest.

Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders for seven months now in protest against the three laws that they say will end state procurement of crops at MSP.

The Supreme Court has put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and has set up a committee to find solutions.

ALSO READ | News of BKU leader Rakesh Tikait's arrest fake, says Delhi Police

The committee has submitted its report.

"I want to convey through your (media) that farmers should end their agitation....Many are in favour of these new laws across the country. Still, some farmers have any issue with provisions of the laws, Government of India is ready to listen and discuss with them," Tomar tweeted.

He said the government held 11 rounds of consultations with protesting farmer unions.

The government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) and is procuring more quantity at MSP.

Farmers' protest had started on November 26 last year and has now completed seven months notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic.

Three union ministers, including Tomar and Food Minister Piyush Goyal, have held 11 rounds of talks with the protesting farmer unions.

In the last meeting on January 22, the government's negotiations with 41 farmer groups hit a roadblock as the unions squarely rejected the Centre's proposal of putting the laws on suspension.

During the 10th round of talks held on January 20, the Centre had offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi's borders.

ALSO READ | Farmers to submit memorandums against agri laws on Saturday; security increased in Delhi

The three laws -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 -- were passed by the Parliament in September last year.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.

On January 11, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse.

Bhartiya Kisan Union President Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee.

Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) President Anil Ghanwat and agriculture economists Pramod Kumar Joshi and Ashok Gulati are the other members on the panel.

They have completed the consultation process with stakeholders and submitted the report.
By PTI

KOLKATA: Kolkata Police on Saturday included the charge of attempt to murder along with other sections of the IPC against a man who allegedly impersonated as an IAS officer and organised COVID-19 vaccination camps together with three of his associates, officials said.

Debanjan Deb, 28, and his accomplices have also been charged with criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating.

He was arrested on Wednesday for masquerading as a joint commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and operating a immunisation camp in Kasba area, where actor and Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty had also got her jab.

According to a top source in the state government, the decision to include the attempt to murder charge against all the four was taken at the "direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee".

The West Bengal government has also set up an expert committee to examine the effect of fake vaccination administered to people at the camp and take corrective action, a senior police officer said.

ALSO READ | Fake vaccination camps: Suvendu Adhikari writes to Harsh Vardhan for CBI probe

The four-member panel will be submitting a detailed report very soon, a health department official said.

Health camps were also organised by the government for those who had been given the shots at the camps run by Deb.

"Initial findings suggest that people were administered antibiotic Amikacin instead of Covid vaccines, and it had no major impact on their health," a health department source said.

The department also released a set of SOPs for operating Covid vaccination centres or camps under non- government initiative.

Earlier in the day, Kolkata Police arrested the three associates of Deb.

Two of them were found to be signatories to a fake bank account that was registered against the name of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, officials said.

The third was on the payroll of Deb and had actively taken part in the vaccination camps, they said.

ALSO READ | Days after taking fake Covid vaccine, TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty falls ill

"One is a resident of Salt Lake while another is from Barasat. Both were called for questioning before they were arrested," a senior police officer said.

The "employee" of Deb hails from Taltala.

All four of them were produced in a local court on Saturday.

Three more cases have been registered against Deb at Kasba Police Station, he said.

The TMC MP, who was invited to attend the camp, was the first to raise alarm after she did not receive the customary message sent to those who are inoculated.
By PTI

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday sacked the presidents of its 11 district units with immediate effect.

Uttar Pradesh SP chief Naresh Uttam issued a statement here, saying the presidents of the party's Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Jhansi, Agra, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Mau, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bhadohi, Gonda and Lalitpur district units have been removed on the direction of party president Akhilesh Yadav.

Though the statement cited no reason for the move, reports reaching here from some districts said the party's nominees in many places did not turn up for filing their nomination papers for the post of zila panchayat chairman.

Yadav, however, alleged that many SP nominees were "prevented" from filing nomination papers.

"The way in which the BJP government has prevented the Samajwadi Party candidates from filing nominations for the election of panchayat chairperson in Gorakhpur and elsewhere, it is a new administrative tactic of the defeated BJP to win the election. The people will not even give as many seats in the Assembly to the BJP as they will make panchayat chiefs," he said in a tweet.

In Bhadohi, the party's nominee, Shyam Kumari Maurya, whose candidature was announced about a month ago, did not turn up for filing her nomination.

In Gorakhpur, SP candidate Jitendra Yadav was also not able to file his papers.

On Saturday, nominations were filed in all districts of the state for the post of zila panchayat chairman, and the polling will take place on July 3.
At the outset, the Union government and all the Jammu & Kashmir political parties need to be commended for a successful meeting that was free of any animosity and rancour. Neither the government nor the J&K political leaders put forth any condition for participation in Thursdays meeting and the talks were free of blame games or name-calling for what happened on 5 August 2019. Although there was no concrete decision or announcement at the end of the meeting, there was unanimity on the need for holding of elections in the Union territory, or in the words of the government, the revival of the democratic process that has been stalled for the past three years. The Centre has realised that any election process will not enjoy legitimacy without the involvement of mainstream political parties such as the PDP and NC. The District Development Council elections held last year underlined the failure of the Centres attempt to delegitimise these parties in order to create a political ecosystem bereft of the PDP and the NC. The two parties raised the issue of the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, but they will only fall on deaf ears unless the Supreme Court overturns the decision that enjoys Parliamentary approval. The special status the erstwhile state enjoyed is a dead horse and its restoration will only be a mere slogan for political parties, nothing more.

But an election must not be an end in itself, it should be the start of a sustained effort to address the core issue, which is what Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as an attempt to remove dil ki doori. The sense of alienation is deep and pervasive. So far the government has focused mainly on providing jobs, a corruption-free administration and economic development. But they are not enough. While unemployment and poverty provide a breeding ground for militancy, what feeds the urge to wield the gun is alienation, suspicion and distrust. Attempts or perceived moves to change the demographic character of J&K through a change in domicile laws only add to the sense of alienation. This has to stop or else the good start Thursdays meeting has yielded will come to naught.
By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: Are the top Maoist leaders, including Uday, Aruna, RK, Arun and Jagan, suffering from Covid-19? The district police said they have reports that the several Maoists of Galikond, Korukonda, Pedabayalu and AOB (Andhra-Odisha Border) cutoff area dalams have symptoms of Covid-19. Several ultras have died from the virus due to lack of proper treatment, which even the Maoists have admitted, the police said.

SP B Srinivasa Rao said here on Friday even top Maoist leaders and some dalam members are reportedly suffering from Covid. He appealed to people in the Agency villages in the AOB area to take precautions as the virus might infect them due to the movement of Maoists between Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.He said the Maoists and their family members with Covid symptoms should approach their nearest police station without any inhibition and fear so that the police can ensure good treatment to them.

After recovering, they can go back and the police will support them and their family members, the SP said.

He said the extremists should realise the fact that life is more precious than anything else. At least now they should let their dalam members and leaders undergo treatment for the virus. They should also think about the safety of people in the Agency villages.
By Express News Service

GUNTUR: Every woman and girl in the State should utilise the services of the Disha App, through which they can get the necessary help during time of need, Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita said. A special awareness drive to educate the people about Disha App was held at Nallapadu High School here on Friday. The minister said to provide better security to the women, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had launched the Disha App.

Till now, as many as 15 lakh women and girls are using the App and after the Sitanagar incident a week ago, everyone should have knowledge on how to use the Disha App, she emphasised.

She said an alert will be sent to the Disha control room when a woman or girl in emergency just shakes the mobile phone which contains the Disha App.

There is also another way of calling for helpwomen and girls can press a button on the phone and if that is not possible, they can send an alert to the police by shaking the phone five times. The Disha control room will alert the police and they will rush to the spot using GPS-equipped vehicles and assist the person/s in trouble, the home minister added.

How to use Disha App: HM

Women and girls can press a button on the phone, and if that is not possible, they can send an alert to the police by shaking the phone, which contains the Disha mobile App
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday said that there was no need to panic about the Delta-plus variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There are two cases of the new variant  one in Bengaluru and the other in Mysuru, both with mild symptoms. The Mysuru patient has completely recovered, he told reporters.

The primary contacts of both the patients have tested negative for Covid-19. Therefore, there is no need to panic. Genome sequencing is being done each day to detect new strains, Dr Sudhakar said. Six genome sequencing labs will be set up in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Hubballi, Mangaluru and Vijayapura, he added. He also disclosed that there will be a difference in the treatment protocol of the Delta and Delta-plus variants and it will be discussed with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.

Further, with a surge in cases in Kerala (where the positivity rate is more than 10 per cent), more tests will be conducted in the border areas. We have instructed the district administrations to conduct more tests on the border... it is not appropriate to seal the border. We need to be cautious at bus stands and railway stations, the minister said.

Meanwhile, regarding the treatment protocol, Dr Ravindra Mehta, senior consultant and HoD, Pulmonology and Interventional Pulmonology, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, said, So far, there is no change in the treatment protocol. It is known that for the Delta variants, monoclonal antibody cocktail works. However, this was known only during the end of the second wave and not tried on many. Going by this, it can be used to tackle the Delta-plus variant also.
By Express News Service

BELAGAVI: While the BJP high command is not so keen to make way for the re-induction of former Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi into the state cabinet, the latter continued meeting leaders and seers in a last-ditch attempt to return to the cabinet.

On Saturday, Jarkiholi met senior RSS leader Aravind Deshpande, chief of the north zone of the organisation, at Athani. He had a 30-minute meeting with him. According to sources, Jarkiholi briefed the leader about the turn of events that unfolded after his exit from the state cabinet, while seeking his support to wriggle out of the crisis.

Several BJP leaders, including DCM Laxman Savadi, meet Aravind Deshpande at Athani at regular intervals to get his guidance and support. Before his upcoming meeting with Maharashtra former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Jarkiholi is expected to meet more influential people in the next few days, sources added.

ALSO READ | Ramesh Jarkiholi uses pressure to get back berth in Karnataka Cabinet

Sources close to him said, he was already in touch with many top party leaders before putting in his papers.

Jarkiholi on Friday said he will resign as an MLA but would continue to remain in the BJP and teach lessons to a section of party leaders who conspired against him. He is expected to exert pressure on party leaders for another one to two weeks before finally taking a call to quit, sources added.

Commenting about Jarkiholi's meeting with Aravind Deshpande, DCM Savadi called it a routine visit of a leader to seek Deshpande's guidance. "Many leaders meet Deshpande at regular intervals to take his guidance and there is nothing political about it," he added.

Congress senior leader Amaregouda Bayyapur said there was a possibility of Jarkiholi switching to another political party given the way he was finding it difficult to adjust himself to the BJP culture. He could either switch to Congress or JDS in the coming days, he added.

"Jarkiholi had been with the Congress for a long period and obviously he may not be able to adjust in the BJP set up. And that was why he has been in trouble," he said.
Divya Cutinho By

Express News Service

MANGALURU: Many Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who have reached Dakshina Kannada from the Gulf countries after receiving their first dose of vaccine, mostly the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm, Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna, are caught in a Catch-22 situation, as the vaccines are not available here for their second dose.

A pending decision on including Covishield in the vaccination certificates of NRIs has now become a headache. But there is no proper forum to resolve all these issues. NRIs say they are helpless as the government has not nominated a deputy chairman for the NRI Forum of Karnataka, to tackle these difficulties.

Mohandas Kamath, an NRI from Kuwait, said many people returned to India after taking the first dose.

Approximately 2,000 NRIs are stuck here. The flight ban is expected to be lifted in August, and the vaccine issue should be resolved in advance so there is no further delay to fly out. Since visas of many NRIs are expected to expire, the government should intervene. The only forum for NRIs is headless.

NRI association members have informed the embassy in Kuwait, and are hopeful that the issue will be resolved. There is no issue in Qatar, as Covishield is included in government records, and most of the NRIs there have taken both doses before travelling to India.

Meanwhile, for NRIs from UAE, the issue is different. An NRI working in Dubai said that since UAE has approved Covishield, those having certificates of both doses will not face any issue.

But there is no clarity on those who have taken the first dose of Covishield in UAE -- whether they should take the second dose in the UAE or here. If second dose is taken here, we are not sure if the Indian certificate for the second dose will be accepted in UAE or not.

Sarvotham Shetty, president, UAE Kannadigas, said non-approval of Covaxin has become a worry for NRIs waiting to travel to UAE. However, the authorities are negotiating and trying to resolve the issue, he said.

CHINESE PRODUCT

Countries which relied on Chinese vaccines -- Chile, Bahrain, and the Seychelles -- are seeing a sudden spike in cases, raising doubts on efficacy

The two frontline Chinese vaccines are BBIP-CorV, developed by Sinopharm, and CoronaVac by SinoVac. Both vaccines are inactivated whole virus vaccines -- they use the actual virus but with its genetic material destroyed

The Sinopharm vaccine was trialled in the UAE, Egypt, and Morocco, and the 3 countries bought millions of doses

The SinoVac shot has a reported efficacy of 51% -- just meeting the WHO threshold of 50%. It was trialled in Indonesia, Brazil, and Chile, and has approval from more than 30 countries

Experts say inactivated vaccines have issues of low durability -- the length of time for which a shot is found to be effective -- and may require up to five doses for optimal protection.
Shainu Mohan By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The detection of the Covid Delta Plus variant infection in the state indicates the approaching third wave which, according to experts, would hit the country in the next six to eight weeks. With the vaccination drive yet to pick up pace, around 72% of the population in Kerala still remain susceptible to the virus.

According to health experts, the state has to ramp up more critical care infrastructure to manage the cases, which are expected to double when the third wave hits the peak. In Kerala, around 4.5 lakh active cases were reported during the peak of the second wave. The Delta Plus variant is more aggressive and highly infectious than the Delta variant which caused the second wave in Kerala and India, they said.

It is learnt that the gap between the waves depends on vaccine coverage, Covid-appropriate behaviour and the virus variant. Unfortunately, vaccination is yet to pick up pace. The third wave has started in the UK and many other countries. According to experts, Kerala should anticipate nine to 10 lakh active cases and should ramp up infrastructure on a war footing to manage the surge.

Santhosh Kumar S S, deputy superintendent (emergency medicine), Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, said the state may face the third wave during September-October. Its already under way in the UK and from the reports we are getting, its a more fast-spreading variant compared to the second wave. They are able to manage it because vaccination has been completed and the ventilator requirement is very low, said Santhosh Kumar.

Compared to the second wave, the patients requiring ICU beds and ventilators would double during the third wave in the state. A minimum of 3% patients might require critical care. During the second wave, we had around 4.5 lakh active cases and needed around 15,000 ICU beds. During the third wave, the requirement might double, he added.

A senior official of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) said the reporting of Delta Plus variant doesnt indicate the third wave.

Another wave will strike us when we become more careless. People should strictly adopt Covid-appropriate behaviour even when restrictions are not there. We are ramping up paediatric infrastructure and strengthening the vaccination drive as part of the preparations. We have directed the private healthcare institutions to earmark 50 per cent of their beds for Covid. Depending on the demand, we will set aside more beds, said the official. The state still faces a vaccine shortage. Its not possible to prioritise the beneficiaries based on comorbidities among the 18-44 age group as such data is not available, the official added.

State secretary of IMA (Indian Medical Association) Dr P Gopikumar said the government should give more priority for vaccination right now. The state should make use of the time we might get ahead of the third wave and vaccinate the entire population. Even a single dose of vaccine could help us stave off the third wave. The IMA has urged the government on this multiple times. The supply and distribution of vaccines are slow and there are technical glitches too, he said.

The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has demanded the state government to address the existing shortage of manpower at healthcare institutions immediately.

Secretary of KGMOA T N Suresh said, Efforts are in full swing to ramp up infrastructure at public sector healthcare institutions. The government is anticipating increased oxygen requirements and installation of more oxygen plants are under way. However, manpower shortage is a real crisis. The government should offer attractive packages and hire more doctors, paramedical and other supporting staff on a contractual basis, he said.

ALSO WATCH | Kerala's Covid-19 fight: A tale of two waves | TNIE Documentary
B SREEJAN By

Express News Service

Two years after sanctioning assistance of USD 250 mn dollar for the first phase of Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI), the World Bank approved USD 125 mn dollar assistance for the second phase of RKI. A meeting of executive of directors of the Bank held in Washington on Thursday approved the project proposal from the state government and sanctioned USD 125 mn (approximately Rs. 925 Cr). The loan will be under Programme-for-Results financing scheme, which means the amount will be sanctioned for specific development projects approved by independent evaluators.

With the WB clearance for the project, route is also clear for USD 125 mn loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The second phase of the project conceived after the devastating floods that hit Kerala in 2018 will get a major push with the financial assistance of Rs. 1850 Cr reaching here from the two banks. Discussions with AFD, the French Development Agency, for a loan of 100 mn Euros (approximately Rs. 880 Cr) are also going on. The WB loan has a repayment period of 14 years with a grace period of six years.

The aim of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative is to incorporate disaster risk planning in the master plans of urban and local self-governments and to help make the health, water resources management, agriculture, and Works departments more resilient to calamities.

In todays context of increased economic, climatic, and health shocks, building resilience of economies is a policy imperative, said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director. The Bank is therefore investing in Keralas capabilities to respond to shocks to the state economy and, importantly, prevent as much as possible the loss of lives, assets, and livelihoods. The objective is not to finance schemes but partner with the Government of Kerala to improve the states financial health; invest in sectors like health, water resources, social protection and agriculture; and address the drivers of natural disasters,

climate change, and pandemic risks, he said.

Rebuild Kerala Initiative CEO and finance additional chief secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said the approval from AIIB for USD 125 mn is expected soon. We have already issued administrative sanction for projects over Rs. 7000 Cr and awarded works over Rs. 4700 Cr, Singh told TNIE.

In the first phase, the World Bank had given USD 250 million dollar while the German bank granted 170 million euros (Approximately Rs. 2,215 Cr). The loan agreement for the first phase was signed with WB in June, 2019. The first phase of RKI helped the state draft a River Basin Conservation and Management Act, which will conserve and regulate water resources and ensure their sustainable management, allocation, and utilization. It also introduced climate-resilient agriculture, risk-informed land use, and disaster management planning.

The gravity of the 2018 flood - that affected 54 lakh people and displaced 14 lakh people  was assessed independently by the World Bank before arriving at the decision to support Rebuild Kerala Initiative.

The groundwork laid during the first programme improved the governments capacity to assess and respond to disasters. The new programme aims to enhance the states capacity to deal with potential shocks by mainstreaming climate and disaster risks into planning and investment processes, said Elif Ayhan, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and one of World Banks Task Team Leaders for

the programme.

KEY PROJECTS UNDER RKI  PHASE 2

One Health Platform: Establishing an IT-enabled One Health platform that will strengthen coordination, joint surveillance, and preparedness to counter future disease outbreaks.

Sustainable fiscal management: Establishing a debt management unit in the Department of Finance to support the states efforts to scale down its debt-to-GSDP ratio to a sustainable trajectory.

Disaster risk finance: Developing a comprehensive disaster risk financing framework; creating a unified database of vulnerable households for post-disaster safety net payments; piloting a modified crop risk insurance payment system, and mobilising market-based resources to complement public financing of disaster risks.

Climate-resilient urban development: To support risk-informed urban master planning, multi-year investment budgeting, and emergency management for increasing the states climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

Resilient food systems: Along with supporting agro-ecological zoning (AEZ) methods to promote farming systems that are resilient to climate shocks, the programme will set up an Integrated Agricultural Management Information System for precision farming.

Climate-resilient road infrastructure: To upgrade 400 km of the core road network through output- and performance-based road maintenance contracts and to establish a Road Maintenance Management System for rolling out climate-proof designs and ensuring adequate budget.

ALSO WATCH | Kerala's Covid-19 fight: A tale of two waves | TNIE Documentary
By PTI

BHUBANESWAR: A day after detection of a Delta Plus variant case coming to the fore in the state, the Odisha government Saturday rushed an epidemiology team to Deogarh district which reported the first such case, official sources said.

The patient who has been found carrying the Delta Plus variant of the SARS-CoV-2, was stable and has no such health complaints.

The epidemiology team will further examine his health condition after six weeks of his illness, said Director of Health Service (DHS) Dr Bijay Mohapatra.

He said the state government had undertaken contact tracing of the infected person and the health condition of all of them will now be examined again.

The team will also verify the vaccination status of the people who have come in contact with the patient.

The DHS said that the Delta Plus variant infected person from Deogarh had taken the first dose of the jab on March 30.

He was infected in April, maybe after coming in contact with another Covid patient.

He was asymptomatic due to the effect of vaccination.

His entire genome has been sequenced and he has fully recovered, he said.

"The case of Deogarh proves that vaccines are effective against the Delta Plus variant, which is also called as a variant of concern," Dr Mohapatra said, adding the epidemiology team will ascertain the impact of the new variant on the patient and his contact persons.

Meanwhile, the Director of Institute of Life Science, Bhubaneswar, Dr Ajay Parida said there is no point in panicking over detection of the Delta Plus variant in Deogarh district in Odisha.

"We have found only one Delta Plus variant case in Odisha so far. The concerned person of Deogarh district was infected in April. It has been found during genome sequencing conducted on over 3,000 samples collected from four states like Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. However, we have not found any other case of this variant, so far," Dr Parida said.

Dispelling the fear of the Delta Plus variant among the people, Dr Parida said: "Had it (delta plus) been so dangerous, we could have found more such cases. But since April, no other sample has tested positive for the new variant."

As not a single case has been detected in the last two months, it indicates that the new strain has not spread fast as predicted, Dr Parida said.

"If it was highly contagious, then we must have found a number of variants of the same strain from April to till date. So, we should not unnecessarily panic about the new strain," he said.

The ILS director said the Delta variant was found in plenty during the second wave of the pandemic.

But, now it has been muted and named as Delta Plus.

The Delta Plus variant is as dangerous as the Delta variant, he opined.

Meanwhile, what has come as a matter of concern for the health experts in the state is that the test positivity rate (TPR) in some districts remained around 10 per cent.

The state government had earlier relaxed lockdown norms keeping in view the TPR rate, said Dr Mohapatra.

The state government will further review lockdown restrictions at a high-level meeting on June 30.

Seeking modification of the vaccination policy, the Odisha government has urged the Centre to allocate the COVID-19 vaccines in 95:5 proportion between the state government and private hospitals instead of 75:25 ratio.

Odisha's Heath and Family Welfare Minister N K Das in a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said that the vaccination activities will be "severely affected" if the Centre does not change its guidelines.

Earlier on June 14, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, P K Mohapatra had written a letter to Union Health secretary making a similar demand.

Das in the letter mentioned that the procurement by private hospitals in Odisha is very negligible.

As per the revised Central guidelines that came into effect from June 21 across the country, 25 per cent of monthly production of vaccines by domestic manufacturers, will be procured by private hospitals.

However, till date, only seven private hospitals in Odisha have been able to procure vaccines from the manufacturers, Das said in his letter.

Noting that the presence of private hospitals is very low and limited to only about 5 per cent of the total healthcare sector in Odisha, Das said the state government apprehends that, as per the existing guideline, the state will lose out its proportionate share of 25 per cent allocation of vaccines to the private sectors.

Das urged Vardhan to revise the allocation of vaccines to Odisha at a ratio from 75:25 to 95:5 keeping in mind the ground reality.

And, the share of the private sector may be handed over to the state government, he demanded.

"Since June 21, 2021, we are able to vaccinate more than 3 lakhs beneficiaries per day and will continue our endeavour to achieve 100 per cent vaccination in the state," Das mentioned in the letter.

The state's COVID-19 tally rose to 8,97,062 on Saturday as 3,554 more people tested positive for the infection, while 47 fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 3,848, a health official said.

As many as 3,644 more people have been cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,60,142, he said, adding the state now has 33,019 active cases.

A total of 2,028 new cases were registered in quarantine centres, while 1,526 fresh infections were detected during contact tracing.

Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part, reported the highest number of new cases at 651, followed by Cuttack (501) and Balasore (271).

Khurda also recorded the highest number of fresh fatalities at nine, followed by five each in Bargarh, Cuttack and Nayagarh, and three each in Sundargarh, Puri and Ganjam.

Fifty-three coronavirus patients have died due to comorbidities to date.

The state has thus far tested over 1.34 crore samples for COVID-19, including 68,695 on Friday.

Odisha's positivity rate stands at 5.17 per cent.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Union Health Secretary Dr Rajesh Bhushan wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary on Friday, stating that the public health response to Delta Plus Variant of Covid has to become more stringent and focused.

It is intimated that this variant has been found in Madurai, Kancheepuram and Chennai districts of Tamil Nadu, he wrote, and requested the Chief Secretary to take up immediate containment measures in these districts, prevent crowds, conduct widespread testing, prompt tracing as well as enhance vaccine coverage.

You are also requested to ensure that adequate number of positive case samples are sent to designated labs of INSACOG promptly, so that the clinical epidemiological correlations can be established, he added.

Monitoring all contacts: Min

Contacts of all the nine persons, who were infected by the Delta plus variant of Coronavirus, are being monitored, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian. Addressing reporters in Chennai on Saturday, the Minister said that all the delta plus patients got infected during the second waves peak period in May, and all patients are faring well now.

One person who was infected by this variant even went ahead with his marriage. However, we are continuing to monitor their contacts. Experts have indicated a possibility of the delta plus variant causing the third wave, and Tamil Nadu would be prepared to face it. A post-recovery treatment clinic for Covid patients is being set up at the Kings institute in Guindy, he added.

The State now has close to 1.8 lakh beds for Covid treatment and the infrastructure would not be dismantled anytime soon. A Health Department official told Express that they are contacting the nine patients over phone, and enquiring about their contacts over the last month.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Telangana Ministers lambasted the Andhra Pradesh government on Friday for illegally diverting Krishna river waters for its own use. While Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud termed late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy as nara roopa raakshasudu (humanoid monster), Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy said that YS Sharmilas Rajanna Rajyam meant a prolonged illegal diversion of Krishna water to AP. Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy said that the people of Telangana would not tolerate APs goonda giri.

Speaking to the media in Delhi, Srinivas Goud alleged that AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was no different from his father YSR. He recalled that YSR had filed cases against several separate Statehood activists. The YSR government branded activists as Naxalites and killed them in encounters, he alleged. Srinivas Goud went on to claim that YSR was responsible for the death of former Congress leader P Janardhan Reddy.

Jagadish Reddy, while speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, alleged that the Opposition parties in the State were supporting the AP government in their illegal water-diversion endeavours. Why are Telangana Congress leaders not speaking up against YSR even after his death? Do they still want to be slaves to AP leaders, the Energy Minister asked.

He said that Jagan Mohan Reddy had no intention of supporting AP farmers. If Jagan Mohan Reddy heeded the advice of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, both the Telugu states could have shared the Krishna waters amicably, he said. Speaking at Mahbubnagar, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy warned AP leaders that they would be buried if they proceeded with the illegal construction of irrigation projects.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top anti-coronavirus official warned on Friday that a fourth wave of the COVID-19 cases could hit the country in July in the absence of strong adherence to precautionary measures.

Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who is also the chief of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the top body to combat the pandemic, said the NCOC has reviewed the "artificial intelligence based disease modeling analysis."

"In the absence of strong SoP enforcement and continued strong vaccination program, the 4th wave could emerge in Pakistan in July," he tweeted, urging the people to "adhere to SoP's and get vaccinated as soon as possible."

The warning came as Pakistan contained the third wave of the pandemic that hit the country early March and peaked after mid-April.

The country recorded 1,052 new cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the number of confirmed cases to 952,907, while 44 patients died in the same period, pushing the COVID-19 toll to 22,152, the Ministry of National Health Services reported.

So far, more than 14.32 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the country, as the country has planned to inoculate around 70 million people by the end of the year.
By PTI

LONDON: Embattled UK Cabinet minister Matt Hancock on Saturday resigned as Health Secretary, amid mounting calls for him to step down over his admitted breach of COVID-19 lockdown rules with a kiss involving a close female aide.

In a letter to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Hancock said the government "owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down" and reiterated his previous apology for breaking the government guidance on social distancing from people outside a close household bubble.

In a video posted on Twitter, Hancock said: "I have been to see the Prime Minister to resign as secretary of state for health and social care.

"I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made, that you have made, and those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and that's why I have got to resign."

It comes after leaked CCTV images showed the 42-year-old married Conservative Party MP kissing Gina Coladangelo, 43, in his Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) office.

Coladangelo is an old friend and colleague of Hancock.

The images, published by The Sun' newspaper on Friday, dated from May 6  before the social distancing rules were eased around close contact indoors for people from separate households on May 17.

In his letter of resignation, Hancock said: "The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

"I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need (to) be with my children at this time."

It follows mounting pressure on him from the Opposition as well as within his own Tory party to resign for undermining public trust in the COVID lockdown guidance.

The minister, so far in charge of the country's health response to the pandemic, praised the National Health Service (NHS) for the ceaseless work in fighting the deadly virus.

"We didn't get every decision right but I know people understand how hard it is to deal with the unknown, making the difficult trade-offs between freedom, prosperity and health that we have faced, he said.

"I am so proud that Britain avoided the catastrophe of an overwhelmed NHS and that through foresight and brilliant science we have led the world in the vaccination effort, so we stand on the brink of a return to normality," he added.

It came as campaign group "COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice" described Boris Johnson's backing of Hancock by accepting his apology and declaring the "matter closed" on Friday as a "slap in the face" for families who had lost loved ones to the virus.

Hancock is married to osteopath wife Martha for 15 years and they have three children together.

The pictures in The Sun' appeared to show evidence of an extra-marital affair with married Gina Coladangelo, who is listed on the DHSC website as a non-executive director.

The pair are said to have been close since their student days at Oxford University.

Hancock was appointed health secretary by former British Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 and has held the post for nearly three years.

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By PTI

LAHORE: Pakistani security agencies have identified the key person behind the car bomb blast outside the house of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of the banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed here and arrested three more persons in connection with the case, officials said on Saturday.

Three teams of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) have been sent to Karachi, Peshawar and Sheikhupura for gleaning more information about those involved in the blast, an official said.

According to Punjab Law Minister Basharat Raja, so far eight suspects have been taken into custody in connection with Wednesday's blast that left three people dead and 21 others injured.

"Three more suspects have been arrested from Lahore, Sheikhupura and Peshawar in connection with the Lahore blast on the information of the main suspect -- Peter Paul David," an official of the CTD told PTI.

He said the three suspects had remained in contact with David whose car was used in the blast.

The investigators are trying to reach the 'mastermind' of the blast, he said.

Another official said the mastermind of the blast has been identified and his name is Samiullah of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

"Currently Samiullah is living in Dubai and his brother had planted the explosives in the car," he said, adding that police are conducting raids to arrest Samiullah's brother.

David was arrested on Thursday at the Lahore airport, a day after the blast.

"Yesterday our team raided David's residence in Mahmoodabad (Karachi south) and seized his travel and other important documents," he said.

David's link with MQM-London is also being probed, he said. Muhajir Qaumi Movement is a political party in Pakistan that was founded by Altaf Hussain in 1984.

Currently, the party is split between 2 main factions.

The MQM-London faction is controlled by Hussain, who has been living in self-exile in the UK.

David is said to be a dual national. The authorities have not yet confirmed whether his other nationality is that of Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates.

According to the official, David's wife and a son had left their Karachi residence before the police raid.

"David has two sons -- Denzel and Cummings. Denzel had been arrested in the past for allegedly supplying drugs in dance parties. He is currently living in Dubai. Cummings is living with his mother in Karachi," the official, adding that David has a scrap and hotel business in Bahrain.

He was a frequent traveller between Pakistan and Gulf countries, he said.

Another official in the Punjab police told PTI that David had provided his car to the suspect who parked at a police picket outside Saeed's house at the Board of Revenue Society Johar Town and left 15 minutes before it exploded through a remote control device.

Some 15kg of explosives were reportedly installed in the car.

An FIR has been registered under sections against unknown terrorists.

The 71-year-old Saeed has been serving a jail sentence at the high-security Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore for his conviction in terror financing cases.

The blast sparked rumours that Saeed was present in the house.

Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, has been convicted for 36 years imprisonment in five terror financing cases. His punishment is running concurrently.

Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. He was listed under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.

ALSO WATCH | Demons and Genies: Yemen's mysterious 'Well of Hell'
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is seeking a "civilised" and "even-handed" relationship with Washington like the one that existed between the US and the UK or with India "right now", Prime Minister Imran Khan has said, underlining the role Islamabad could play in the region, including in Afghanistan after America leaves the war-torn country.

Khan made the comments during an interview with The New York Times in which he also expressed his disappointment that his bid to normalise ties with India did not make any progress though he approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after assuming office in August 2018.

In the interview that comes as US President Joe Biden had his first face-to-face meeting with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghan at the White House on Friday, Khan recalled that Pakistan has had a closer relationship with the US than other nations in the region, such as India, and was a US partner in the war against terrorism, Dawn newspaper reported.

"Now, after the US leaves Afghanistan, basically Pakistan would want a civilised relationship, which you have between nations, and we would like to improve our trading relationship with the US," he said.

Asked to elaborate his concept of a civilised relationship, Khan said he was seeking relations like the one that existed "between the US and Britain, or between US and India right now. So, a relationship which is even-handed".

"Unfortunately, the relationship during the war on terror was a bit lopsided," he said.

"It was a lopsided relationship because the US felt that they were giving aid to Pakistan, they felt that Pakistan then had to do US' bidding."

"And what Pakistan did in terms of trying to do the US bidding cost Pakistan a lot - 70,000 Pakistanis died, and over $150 billion were lost to the economy because there were suicide bombings and bombs going on all over the country," he said.

The main problem with this lopsided relationship was that "Pakistani governments tried to deliver what they were not capable of," and it led to a "mistrust between the two countries," Khan said.

"And people in Pakistan felt they paid a heavy, heavy price for this relationship. And the US thought Pakistan had not done enough."

The prime minister said that his government wanted the future relationship to be based on trust and common objectives, including a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

The US and the Taliban have signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020 following multiple rounds of negotiations to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home, effectively drawing curtains on America's longest war.

Asked if Pakistan will continue to have any strategic relevance to the US after the pullout, Khan said: "I don't know, really. I haven't thought about it in that way, that Pakistan should have some strategic relevance to the US."

Khan said he could not predict the future of the military and security relationship between Pakistan and the US.

"Post the US withdrawal, I don't know what sort of military relationship it will be. But right now, the relationship should be based on this common objective that there is a political solution in Afghanistan before the United States leaves," he stressed.

Asked if Pakistan was still using its leverage with the Taliban to move the peace talks towards a deal, Khan said, "Pakistan has used the maximum leverage it could on the Taliban."

He said the US decision to fix a date for withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan also diminished Pakistan's leverage on the Taliban.

"Given that the US gave a date of withdrawal, from then onward, our leverage diminished on the Taliban. And the reason is that the moment the United States gave a date of exit, the Taliban basically claimed victory," Khan said.

"They're thinking that they won the war. And so, therefore, our ability to influence them diminishes the stronger they feel."

Khan said Pakistan has been emphasising to the Taliban that they should not go for a military victory because it would only lead to a protracted civil war.

In the interview, Khan also claimed that Pakistan would have had a better relationship with India if it had a different government and they would have resolved all their differences through dialogue.

"When I assumed office, the first thing I did was I made this approach to Prime Minister Modi (to seek) a normal, civilised trading relationship. We tried but didn't get anywhere," he said.

"Had there been another Indian leadership, I think we would have had a good relationship with them. And yes, we would have resolved all our differences through dialogue," Khan claimed.

The strained ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated further after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

On the Status quo in Kashmir, Khan said, "I think it's a disaster for India because it will just mean that this conflict festers on and on -and (prevents) any relationship, normal relationship- between Pakistan and India." India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with it in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

Khan said the US assumption that India would be the bulwark against China was wrong.

"I think it would be detrimental for India because India's trade with China is going to be beneficial for both India and China."

Pakistan, he said, was "watching the scenario unfold and with a bit of anxiety".

ALSO WATCH | Demons and Genies: Yemen's mysterious 'Well of Hell'
By ANI

NEW DELHI: India on Friday expressed concern over the involvement of external actors in Syria, which has led to an increase in terrorism there, adding that long-term security and stability of the region can only be achieved by preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

In a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing, Prakash Gupta, Joint Secretary (UNP), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), called upon all sides to remain engaged in discussions on the 'bridging proposal' put forth by the Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen in April.

He also said that there has been no progress since the implementation of the UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee process for preparing and drafting for popular approval, a constitution, which will contribute to the political settlement in Syria.

ALSO READ | Russia in showdown with UN and West over aid to Syria

"Let me reiterate once again that for the UN-led political track to move forward, we need cooperation from all major stakeholders in the conflict. The political transition in Syria facilitated by the UN is not an exclusive process. The stakeholders need to bridge existing divides by focusing on measured incremental positive steps," he said.

India also condemned a recent attack on a hospital in Afrin city in northern Syria, which killed innocent civilians, saying that it underscores the need for a nationwide comprehensive ceasefire.

"Across the country, including in northwestern Syria, fighting along the frontlines has continued in one form or the other, putting the lives of innocent civilians in jeopardy. It is also a matter of concern that the fundamental principles of international law, such as non-interference in the internal affairs of States, respect for territorial integrity and independence have been repeatedly violated in Syria," said Gupta.

The MEA Joint Secretary called on the international community to reflect on the involvement of foreign actors regarding the Syrian conflict with all earnestness and stressed the need for consistency in strongly condemning terrorism.

"The reports of the presence of mercenaries from Syria in Africa is equally worrying. It is imperative that all parties adhere to their international obligations to fight terrorism and terrorist organizations in Syria, as designated by the Security Council," he said.

"India firmly believes that long-term security and stability of this region can only be achieved by preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We also remain convinced that there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict and reaffirm our commitment to advancing a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned UN-facilitated political process in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254," Gupta concluded.

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By PTI

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans should work hard to change attitudes of race bias in their choice for a prime minister, according to a senior leader here who said he would look forward to the day when Singapore has a premier from the minority community/race.

Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said a Singaporean of a minority race who wants to be prime minister should be aware of the attitudes and realities on the ground.

"The IPS (Institute of Policy Studies) surveys do show that a significant proportion of Singaporeans are more comfortable with a prime minister of their own race. This cuts across Singaporeans across different ethnic groups," Wong said.

"This is what the survey indicates; I wish it were not so, but the survey results are as they are," he said.

He added that such attitudes should not be accepted.

"We should instead work very hard to change them," The Straits Times quoted Wong as saying at a forum organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

Wong's remarks come on the heels of a spate of racial and religious incidents in recent weeks, which have sparked a debate on Singapore's multicultural identity.

During Friday's dialogue, moderator Shashi Jayakumar of RSIS asked the minister, "Why can't an individual from a minority race be the PM? Doesn't this run against the grain of meritocracy, as we understand it?" Wong replied, "Anyone in Singapore who wants to be prime minister will have to connect with voters and mobilise Singaporeans and lead the party to win elections. This applies to anyone regardless of race."

In the 2016 study, 98 per cent of Chinese respondents said they preferred a Chinese prime minister.

Just over half would accept a Malay prime minister, while six in 10 would be fine with an Indian one.

Malay and Indian respondents were also less accepting of a prime minister of another race than of one from their own.

"A minority who wants to be prime minister should be aware of these attitudes," said Wong.

"It doesn't mean that he, or for that matter she, can't be a prime minister. But these are the realities on the ground."

He added: "I certainly would look forward to the day when Singapore has a minority prime minister. I would welcome that."

Wong also said the value of race-based policies such as the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Other (CMIO) classification model, as well as the Housing Board's Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP), should be recognised.

But he noted these were not set in stone, and that the government would continue to review them.

Singaporeans have been debating about the top executive power position going to a non-Chinese though the city-state has had Malay, Eurasian and Indian-origin presidents.

As of June 2020, Singapore's population was 5.7 million.

The Chinese community accounts for 76.2 per cent of the population followed by Malays (15 per cent), Indians (7.4 per cent) and others.
Multimedia Specialist

Anthony Zilis is a multimedia specialist at The News-Gazette. His email is azilis@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@adzilis).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
People with dementia receiving home health care visits are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital when there is consistency in nursing staff, according to a new study by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. The findings are published in the journal Medical Care, a journal of the American Public Health Association.

Home health care--in which health providers, primarily nurses, visit patients' homes to deliver care--has become a leading source of home- and community-based services caring for people living with dementia. These individuals often have multiple chronic conditions, take several medications, and need assistance with activities of daily living. In 2018, more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries received home health care, including 1.2 million with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Nurses play a pivotal role in providing home health care. As the population ages and older adults choose to 'age in place' as long as possible, the demand for home health care for people with dementia is expected to grow rapidly." Chenjuan Ma, PhD, MSN, assistant professor at NYU Meyers and study's lead author

For most patients, their home health care often begins after being discharged from the hospital. Given that hospital readmissions are a significant quality, safety, and financial issue in healthcare, Ma and her colleagues wanted to understand if having continuity of care, or the same nurse coming to each home visit, could help prevent patients from being readmitted.

Using multiple years of data from a large, not-for-profit home health agency, the researchers studied 23,886 older adults with dementia who received home health care following a hospitalization. They measured continuity of care based on the number of nurses and visits during home health care, with a higher score indicating better continuity of care.

Approximately one in four (24 percent) of the older adults with dementia in the study were rehospitalized from home health care. Infections, respiratory problems, and heart disease were the three most common reasons for being readmitted to the hospital.

The researchers found wide variations in continuity of nursing care in home health visits for people with dementia. Eight percent had no continuity of care, with a different nurse visiting each time, while 26 percent received all visits from one nurse. They also found that the higher the visit intensity, or more hours of care provided each week, the lower the continuity of care.

"This may suggest that it is hard to achieve continuity of care when a patient requires more care, though we cannot exclude the possibility that high continuity of care results in more efficient care delivery and thus fewer hours of care," explained Ma.

Notably, increased continuity of home health care led to a lower risk for rehospitalization, even after the researchers controlled for other clinical risk factors and the intensity of home health care (the average hours of care per week). Compared to those with a high continuity of nursing care, people with dementia receiving low or moderate continuity of nursing care were 30 to 33 percent more likely to be rehospitalized.

"Continuity of nursing care is valuable for home health care because of its decentralized and intermittent care model," said Ma. "While continuity of nursing care may benefit every home health care patient, it may be particularly critical for people with dementia. Having the same person delivering care can increase familiarity, instill trust, and reduce confusion for patients and their families."

To improve continuity of nursing care, the researchers recommend addressing the shortage of home health care nurses, improving care coordination, and embracing telehealth in home health care.

"Multiple structural factors present challenges for continuity of care for home health nurses and other staff. These can include long commute times, few full- or part-time staff, agencies relying mostly on per diem staff, and organizational cultures that do not foster retention of home health care staff," said Allison Squires, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor at NYU Meyers and the study's senior author. "Proposed legislation in Congress that seeks to increase nursing and home health care frontline staff salaries will pay for itself because agencies can improve continuity of care, and therefore reduce penalties associated with hospital readmissions."

A hybrid care model of in-person visits and telehealth visits could also help achieve more continuity of care, the researchers note. They encourage policymakers to consider expanding coverage for telehealth visits in home health care.
In 2018, Dr. Claudia Gonzaga-Jauregui, who years before had completed her doctorate studies in Dr. James R. Lupski's lab at Baylor College of Medicine, received an email from an editor at Elsevier's Academic Press with a proposal that immediately caught her attention.

The editor was considering adding a title on genomics of rare diseases to the Translational and Applied Genomics Series. Would such a title fill a current need in the field and with the general public?" Dr. Claudia Gonzaga-Jauregui

Gonzaga-Jauregui, who is now an assistant professor in the International Laboratory for Human Genome Research at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, thought it was a great idea.

It is estimated that at least 350 million people worldwide are affected by a rare disorder, making these conditions a substantial healthcare challenge. Many patients can go undiagnosed for decades while receiving potentially misguided and often costly treatments for their condition, uninformed about the actual molecular defect and the underlying biology of the disease. In addition, counseling regarding recurrence risk, disease prognosis and clinical management are suboptimal due to the rarity of patients.

"At the time, there was no book that would present the lay of the land including information about genomics and its application to the study of rare diseases, from basic concepts to practical examples," Gonzaga-Jauregui said. "There was no such a book that would appeal not only to students and professionals in the field of genomics but also would be accessible and useful to a broader public including patients and families with rare diseases to empower them in understanding current scientific approaches in genetics and genomics."

Long story short, the editor proposed that Gonzaga-Jauregui developed this book project and she was delighted to accept. "But I did not realize in the beginning the tremendous amount of work that would be involved in this project. At the time, I also was starting a family and moving to a new academic position in Mexico, all in the middle of the COVID pandemic," Gonzaga-Jauregui said.

It's no surprise that Gonzaga-Jauregui took on the book project despite the personal and professional challenges. She is a dedicated genomics scientist who has led large-scale projects for genomic analyses of patients and families with rare and undiagnosed genetic disorders in academia and industry. Importantly, this book project fits perfectly with her interests in teaching both in a formal academic setting and through public science outreach where she talks about science, genetics and her career to middle and high school students.

"It was exciting putting together a proposal for a book that would be accessible to many people interested in the topic," she said. "Once the publisher gave a thumbs up to the project, I approached Jim [Lupski]. I said I was very excited about the book and that I would like him to be involved as co-editor. He accepted and we worked on this together."

"I have to admit that it was not so easy to convince me to work on this project. I have worked on three previous books and knew that there would be a lot of work involved. I finally gave in; it was about time to have a book like this," said Lupski, Cullen Professor of Genetics and Genomics and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital.

In addition to co-editing the book, Gonzaga-Jauregui also co-authored some of the chapters. "Teaching while writing helped me see what concepts are hard for students to grasp and guided the writing to make those concepts clearer, presenting them in ways that are easy to understand," she said.

"As co-editor, I tried to keep the big picture and the writing consistent throughout the book, rather than putting my own perspective on specific chapters," Lupski said.

"Having Jim onboard definitely enhanced the book by offering a complete landscape of the field," Gonzaga-Jauregui said. "It is easy for the younger generations of scientists to talk about the novel technological processes and advancements and their applications in the field, but it was important to put the current state of human genetics and genomics in perspective. Jim brings a historical view on how the field has moved forward through the years, weaving emerging new technologies and evolving knowledge."

"Genomics of Rare Diseases" offers readers a broad understanding of current knowledge on rare diseases from a genomics perspective. It clearly presents basic concepts and the latest molecular and genomic technologies used to elucidate the molecular causes of more than 5,000 genetic disorders, raising the possibility of uncovering many more that remain undefined and undiscovered. The challenges and opportunities associated with performing rare disease research are also discussed, and how the lessons learned from studying rare diseases also apply to other human diseases in general.

In addition, "Genomics of Rare Diseases" addresses the current need of the general public to better understand genetics and genomics.

"Genetics has become more mainstream in the last years through direct-to-consumer DNA testing. Genomic technologies are providing information to the general public about their genetic background and variation," Gonzaga-Jauregui said. "But we feel that the public needs to have a better grasp of fundamental concepts in human genetics to appreciate the genetic and genomic information they are receiving and also to take it with a grain of salt when talking about risk and common diseases. "Genomics of Rare Diseases" helps readers understand what genetics and genomics findings mean, what to expect and how to use the information provided by genetic testing."
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people eat, work, shop and go to school. Now, researchers from Japan have found surprising differences in the way people use healthcare servicesincluding house calls from doctors.

In a study published this month in BMC Emergency Medicine, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed that patterns in illness type and severity did change during the pandemicwith unexpected trends that may tell us about how people use health care services when personal contact carries inherent risk.

In Tokyo, private after-hours house call services (AHHC) provide in-home medical service outside of regular hospital hours. But as the COVID-19 pandemic developed in Japan, filling hospital rooms and straining healthcare services, this service began to take on a new dimension. Would people with cold and flu-like symptoms use AHHC services more than before?

The largest AHHC service in Japan (Fast Doctor Ltd.) had large amounts of anonymized scientific data available to compare in a retrospective cohort study. By comparing data from before the pandemic (December 2018 through April 2019) against that from the pandemic exposure period (December 2019 through April 2020), the University of Tsukuba researchers were able to draw statistically significant conclusions about the changes in numbers and types of cases and calls. While the proportion of patients with moderate or severe illness increased during the pandemic, the proportion of calls owing to cold and fever symptoms went down.

We initially thought that people with cold and fever symptoms might be hesitant to visit hospitals during the pandemic, driving up the number of calls to house call services. This would also serve to alleviate some of the burden on emergency departments." Ryota Inokuchi, Study Lead Author, University of Tsukuba

Of the more than 16,000 patients who contacted the AHHC service in the two study periods, 82.6% in the pre-pandemic control group had fever or cold symptoms, versus 74.2% in the pandemic period. However, the proportion of patients with symptoms categorized as "severe" increased from 0.2% to 0.9% in the pandemic, while the proportion of patients with "moderate" symptoms nearly doubled in the pandemic, from 28.7% to 56.7%.

"The decrease in calls owing to fever and colds was clear and significant, possibly because of lower seasonal flu activity due to school closings and lockdowns," explains Professor Nanako Tamiya, senior author. "But an important question is to what degree reluctancy to use medical services during the pandemic played a part, and whether this contributed to the observed increase in case severity."

Early detection is critical for treating COVID-19, and many other diseases as well. When this study was conducted, however, Tokyo's hospitals were dangerously strained, operating at 80% capacity. Given the risk of delays in seeking medical care, AHHC services may play a critical role in helping national healthcare systems handle these emergencies if health authorities and governments can develop policies and encourage social behaviors promoting their use.
E-cigarettes spark many concerns, especially when it comes to youth vaping. However, emerging evidence suggests that e-cigarettes can be a helpful tool in smoking cessation. Researchers in Moffitt Cancer Center's Tobacco Research and Intervention Program wanted to build upon this evidence by testing whether they could help dual users, people who use both combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes, quit smoking.

In a new article published in The Lancet Public Health, they report results from a first-of-its kind nationwide study evaluating a targeted intervention aimed at transforming dual users' e-cigarettes from a product that might maintain smoking into a tool that can be used to aid smoking cessation.

An estimated 8 million adults in the U.S. use e-cigarettes, often with the goal of quitting or reducing cigarette smoking. Nearly 41% are dual users, a practice that maintains, and in some cases might increase, both nicotine dependence and exposure to toxins.

We were concerned that smokers who started vaping in order to quit smoking often ended up instead using both products. This prompted our team to develop an easy-to-distribute intervention that could enhance dual users' smoking cessation efforts and maintain smoking abstinence." Thomas Brandon, Ph.D., Chair of the Health Outcomes & Behavior Department and Director of the Tobacco Research and Intervention Program, Moffitt cancer Center

The research team, which included collaborators from Virginia Commonwealth University; Eastern Virginia Medical School; and the University of Auckland, New Zealand, interviewed vapers who were and were not able to quit smoking. Based on what they learned, they developed a series of "If You Vape" booklets that includes smoking cessation advice geared specifically for dual users.

To test their intervention, the Moffitt team launched a national trial with nearly 2,900 dual users. Participants were randomized into three groups: an assessment group receiving no intervention, a generic self-help group receiving standard smoking cessation materials, and the targeted intervention group receiving the new "If You Vape" booklets. Participants completed surveys every three months for two years to report their current smoking and vaping.

The results showed that the targeted intervention produced smoking abstinence rates about 5 to 10 percentage points higher than the assessment group over the 18 months of treatment. The generic intervention produced abstinence rates in between the two other arms. The researchers noted that while those who reported little to no dependence on combustible cigarettes had greater overall success in quitting, more dependent smokers benefited the most from the new intervention. For example, among dependent smokers who received the booklets, about 20% had quit smoking by six months, compared to 13% of those in the assessment arm.

"Our study indicates that dual users could benefit from specific interventions that leverage their ongoing e-cigarette use, which in turn could expand the public health potential of e-cigarettes," said Brandon. "I think it is important to note that while our materials did not endorse the initiation of vaping, it also didn't demonize use. We treated vapers with respect and passed along information to help them achieve their goal of quitting smoking."

Although the booklets suggest that participants might eventually consider giving up all nicotine, the researchers found no differences in vaping across groups.

The research team would like to expand their efforts to include testing alternative intervention modalities such as a mobile app, improving long-term smoking cessation, and testing the intervention in clinical settings.
A study from UCLA neurologists challenges the idea that the brain recruits existing neurons to take over for those that are lost from stroke. It shows that in mice, undamaged neurons do not change their function after a stroke to compensate for damaged ones.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to a certain part of the brain is interrupted, such as by a blood clot. Brain cells in that area become damaged and can no longer function.

A person who is having a stroke may temporarily lose the ability to speak, walk, or move their arms. Few patients recover fully and most are left with some disability, but the majority exhibit some degree of spontaneous recovery during the first few weeks after the stroke.

Doctors and scientists don't fully understand how this happens, because the brain does not grow new cells to replace the ones damaged by the stroke. Neurologists have generally assumed that the brain instead recruits existing neurons to take over for those that are lost.

Now, new results from neurologists William Zeiger and Carlos Portera-Cailliau from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA challenge that idea. In their paper, published June 25 in the journal Nature Communications, they show that in mice, undamaged neurons do not change their function after a stroke to compensate for damaged ones.

Neurologists have been "mapping" the brain since the mid-1800s, when the French physician Paul Broca realized that patients who sustained damage to a certain part of the frontal lobe lost the ability to speak. Over the years, scientists have created increasingly detailed maps of which brain regions control various functions. Still, the resolution of the map has been limited by the precision of the tools available to study the living brain.

Studies in animals and humans that recorded activity across different brain regions have found that activity patterns change after a stroke, suggesting that the damaged brain can "re-map" functions from one area to another. In the last few years, innovative new tools have enabled researchers to start looking at individual neuron activation in real-time. By using a technique called two-photon fluorescence microscopy that causes neurons to light up when they are activated, researchers can observe which neurons in the animal brain are called upon during certain activities and determine if neurons that survived a stroke can assume the function of those that were lost.

"We thought, now that we have this tool where we can record the activity of neurons in the brain, we could directly test this question," says Zeiger. By learning the functions of individual neurons, then causing a targeted stroke, the researchers could use the new technique to observe how the neighboring neurons responded.

Mice gather information about their environment primarily through their whiskers, and each whisker transmits sensory signals to a specific group of neurons. By destroying the neurons coded to a specific whisker, the researchers could look at whether neurons for a different whisker took over for their lost neighbors.

Think of a departmental office, says Portera-Cailliau. "Imagine that several admin staff in human resources for the Department of Neurology suddenly quit their jobs one day. Instantly, the department would suffer their absence, but would try to make up for it." The department might do this by asking HR employees from other departments to do some of the missing employees' work on top of their own.

That's what the re-mapping hypothesis predicts would happen in the brain. "If the hypothesis were true, we would see cells that survived the stroke start to respond to that whisker that had the stroke," Zeiger says. "What we found was that that didn't happen."

Adjacent to the main column of neurons that respond to a given whisker are neurons called "surround-responsive" cells. These are located in the column for one whisker, but they react to the stimulation of a neighboring whisker. Using the office analogy, these neurons would be like employees that work on HR but happen to have their desks in a different physical office.

Logically, then, the team thought that the surround-responsive neurons would be good candidates to take over when the primary responding neurons were destroyed by the stroke. "If the HR office suddenly shut down, you might think more people in these other offices would start doing human resource jobs," Portera-Cailliau says. Yet not only did these other neurons fail to step up, the activity of the surround-responsive neurons themselves decreased after the stroke.

"That was pretty strong evidence against this remapping hypothesis," Zeiger says. "It did not seem like there was bulk recruitment to take over the function which had been lost to stroke."

More studies will be needed to gain a full understanding of what happens in the human brain after a stroke, including why spontaneous recovery happens. Zeiger says that future studies could also explore various ways to induce the surviving cells to compensate for the lost neurons.

"I think it gives the field more of a direction," Zeiger says. "Rather than assuming the brain can remap on its own, now we know that to achieve full recovery, we're going to need a way to get cells to do things they are not already doing."
(Newser)  Shortly after setting sail on a cargo ship, a 61-year-old Italian sea captain came down with symptoms consistent with COVID. That was April 2, 2021. On April 8, MV Ital Libera captain Angelo Capurro was dead and his crew stranded in Indonesian waters. In a piece for CNN, Teele Rebane and Livia Borghese report the case shines a light "on the conditions of seafarers" even late in the pandemic. They detail the pleas of Capurro's wife to ship owner Italia Marittima that her sick husband be permitted to disembark from the ship to seek medical attention (the designated medical officer on his ship was ... Capurro); it wasn't granted. She called Italia Marittima again after his death requesting that his body be removed from the ship. "That's the beginning of a grotesque and inhuman odyssey," says a lawyer for the family.

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In a statement, Italia Marittima says it was joined by a number of Italian embassies in trying to get the OK from a country to disembark the body so the remains could be repatriated. It says Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines and South Africa said no due to local COVID restrictions. Ship and crew spent six long weeks off Jakarta looking for a place to take Capurros body ashore. On June 7, a force majeure was declared and the ship began sailing for Italy, where it arrived June 14. "Recovering his body, however, may not provide the answers the family is hoping for," such as whether he did indeed die of COVID. Write Rebane and Borghese, "There was no suitable place to keep a corpse on the Ital Libera, meaning Capurro's body remained in a storage room for six weeks." (Read more container ship stories.)
(Newser)  As the search for survivors continues after a deadly condo collapse near Miami that has left at least four dead and more than 150 missing, one story in particular is standing out for a resident's "remarkable strength and determination," per CBS Miami. That resident is Angela Gonzalez, a psychologist who works with traumatized children and who ended up shattering her pelvis, among other injuries, when she and her 16-year-old daughter, Deven, were caught in the Thursday collapse at the Champlain Towers South condo complex in Surfside, plummeting from the ninth floor to the fifth floor. Despite her broken pelvis, Gonzalez was able to get herself out of the rubble, as well as yank Deven out.

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Gonzalez's husband and Deven's dad, Edgar Gonzalez, is still among the missing. Adriana Gonzalez Chi, Edgar Gonzalez's sister, tells the New York Times she'd warned her brother multiple times that the building didn't feel safe, with leaks and mold among the complaints. "About a month ago I was standing on the balcony and saying, 'This is not safe,'" she says. "I looked at my niece and said, 'If you feel the building tremble, run.'" Her sister-in-law is now in a medically induced coma at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital with the broken pelvis, a lacerated liver, and injuries to her knees and hip. Deven, a volleyball player at Miami Senior High School, has had surgery for her broken left leg. A GoFundMe for the family notes that Deven has an older sister who wasn't in the condo when it collapsed. (Read more building collapse stories.)
(Newser)  The federal government released its anticipated report on UFOs on Friday, confirming that more than 100 of them remain unidentified. After reviewing reports of sightings since 2004, the government can't say whether they can be explained by atmospheric visual tricks or extraterrestrial life, or neither, the Washington Post reports. There's no evidence that aliens are behind the flights, but there's no evidence that they're not. There's also no data to attribute the sightings to secret US weapons programs or unknown technology belonging to China or Russia, per the New York Times, but the report said those remain possibilities. It said an American company could be behind the technology, but officials dismissed that. The full report, about what the government now calls unidentified aerial phenomena, can be read here.

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The UAPs don't all move the same way, the report says, so they might have varied origins. "Some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion," the report says. One official said, "There is no one answer about what these UAP are." The lack of answers could well increase speculation about the possibilities. The report broke down five categories of potential explanations, including human-made floating junk such as balloons and plastic bags, as well as weather activity that fooled cameras or sensors. In the end, only one of the 144 sightings was explained by airborne junk. The most intriguing category, the last, where the government put sightings it was unable to generate a theory about, was "other." The Pentagon plans to improve its data collection on the sightings, using artificial intelligence and machine learning. (Read more UFOs stories.)
(Newser)  As protesters near the White House demonstrated against the killing of George Floyd last summer, aides were preparing a proclamation allowing President Trump to put active-duty US troops on the streets of the capital. The document was drafted after an angry Trump told the attorney general and military leaders he wanted to deploy troops in the city on June 1, the New York Times reports. They dissuaded the president, but aides decided to have the proclamation at hand, should Trump change his mind. The Insurrection Act of 1807 gives the president the power to dispatch military and National Guard troops anywhere in the country, per the Hill, in the event of insurrection or civil unrest. That was the day that protesters were forcibly removed from Lafayette Park, across from the White House, and Trump held up a Bible outside St. John's Church, per CNN.

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The former president told the Times he did not want to send in active-duty troops. "It's absolutely not true, and if it was true, I would have done it," Trump said. But officials said the president brought the notion up again over the next few weeks during demonstrations in other cities. Trump was especially irate at being embarrassed in the eyes of other nations. "We look weak," he told Attorney General William Barr, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Nonetheless, all three resisted using the Insurrection Act, officials said. White House aides also brought up the possibility of a federal takeover of the District of Columbia's police force. (A judge threw out most claims of rights violations against the Trump administration concerning the June 1 clashes.)
(Newser)  DC Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone has been asking for weeks to meet with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy about the Capitol riot, and on Friday he finally got his wish. Fanone's first reaction to their conversation: "I need a drink," he told reporters, expressing continued frustration at what he says is a GOP whitewashing of the events that took place on Jan. 6, reports Newsweek. Fanonewho, per the New York Times, met with McCarthy alongside Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Gladys Sicknick, mother of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died of a stroke the day after the riotsays he had a few key requests of McCarthy going into the meeting, including for the Republican leader to denounce the 21 GOP congressional members who voted against giving the Congressional Gold Medal to officers who battled the rioters, as well as for McCarthy to push back on GOP conspiracy theories that the FBI was somehow behind the attack.

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Fanonewho was stun-gunned and beaten unconscious during the riot, suffering a heart attack and concussionalso wanted McCarthy to censure Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde for his "disgusting" remarks on what transpired on Jan. 6, comparing the attack to a "normal tourist visit." The officer, who was left with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD as a result of the riot, says that while McCarthy vowed to address these issues "at a personal level with some of those members," he gave no sign he would go beyond that. "I think that as the leader of the House Republican Party, it's important to hear those denouncements publicly," Fanone said. Before their sit-down, McCarthy told reporters, "What I talk to my members is what I talk to my members personally about. But if you want to talk to somebody about how they vote, talk to them." As for why he made the drink comment, Fanone elaborated, per Newsweek: "I don't want to be up here on Capitol Hill. I want to be with my daughters." (Read more Michael Fanone stories.)
(Newser)  As many as 50 people are missing after setting out on three-hour car trips this year between Mexico's industrial hub of Monterrey and the border city of Nuevo Laredo, on a well-traveled stretch of road the local media have dubbed "the highway of death." Relatives say family members simply vanished. The disappearances, and last week's shooting of 15 apparently innocent bystanders in Reynosa, suggest Mexico is returning to the dark days of the 2006-12 drug war when cartel gunmen often targeted the general public as well as one another. "It's no longer between the cartels; they are attacking the public," said activist Angelica Orozco. As many as a half-dozen of those who disappeared on the highway are believed to be US citizens or residents, the AP reports, though the US Embassy could not confirm their status. One, Jose de Jesus Gomez from Irving, Texas, reportedly disappeared on the highway on June 3.

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Most of the victims are believed to have disappeared approaching or leaving the cartel-dominated city of Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas. About a half-dozen men have reappeared alive, badly beaten; all they will say is that armed men forced them to stop on the highway and took their vehicles. What happened to the rest, including a woman and her two young children, remains a mystery. Most were residents of Nuevo Leon state, where Monterrey is located. Relatives took to the streets in Monterrey on Thursday to protest, demanding answers from politicians and prosecutors. Javier Toto Cagal, a 36-year-old truck driver and father of five, disappeared along with three employees of the same trucking company on the 135-mile stretch of highway on June 3. They were driving to Nuevo Laredo in a car. Two days later, the company told Erma Fiscal Jara, Toto Cagal's wife, that he had disappeared. "As far as the authorities," she said, "I ask and they say 'we don't know anything.'" A woman whose husband disappeared April 13 complained that "only now is the National Guard going out to patrol the highway. Why did they wait so long?"

(Read more Mexico stories.)
(Newser)  A fire smoldering deep in the wreckage of the collapsed condo building in Florida is creating air-quality issues for rescue crews. Smoke has become the biggest hinderance in finding the source of the fire, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Saturday, adding that the crews working in the rubble of Champlain Towers South in Surfside were at "extreme risk." The air-quality threat to crews could be lasting, a University of Miami expert said. "There is no doubt that they are being exposed to pollutants and particulate matter that can lead to burns, short-term, and long-term lung injury," she said. Infrared technology is being used by crews, WTVJ reports. "We are facing incredible difficulties with this fire," Levine Cava said. Rescuers have made a trench to isolate the blaze while they look for victims, she said, per CNN. Another factor is a smell much like sulfur, per the AP. "The stench is very thick, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

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Surfside's mayor said he's recommending residents of the north tower nearby evacuate until its structural integrity can be assessed. "It was built at the same time with the same designer," DeSantis said, per the Miami Herald. FEMA has agreed to pay for temporary housing for those residents, Mayor Charles Burkett said. Evacuation won't be ordered, Burkett said, but he added that if he lived there, "I'd be gone." The city also is looking into the situation with Champlain Towers East, though that building appears to have been built at a different time and isn't in the same style. About 20 of the people missing since the collapse Thursday are Israelis, and Israel said Saturday it's sending engineering and rescue specialists to Surfside to help. No more victims had been found so far Saturday, Levine Cava said. (Read more building collapse stories.)
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, yesterday met outstanding students from government and private schools via video conference.

HH Shaikh Nasser conveyed congratulations from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to the top-achieving students.

We rely on you to enhance the kingdoms development process across various fields, Shaikh Nasser told the students. We assure you that the future of Bahrain rests on you, and you will be responsible for enhancing its progress.

The kingdom needs your potentials and ideas, and you have to acquire knowledge and academic achievements to take part in building modern Bahrain, he added.

The students thanked HH Shaikh Nasser for meeting them, noting that his encouraging words will be a catalyst for them to continue pursuing their education.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) announced today the launch of tijara a new efficient digital banking platform for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that enables businesses to apply for loans online for the first time in the kingdom.

The launch coincides with the UNs Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSMEs) and is a key milestone in Bahrain Development Banks strategy to drive digital transformation and support the growth of small businesses and startups in Bahrain by providing efficient and simplified banking solutions.

The platform will be available to selected BDB customers at this initial phase and will be made available for all customers in the next phase which will be announced later this year and will include additional BDB products and services.

Customers using the new platform will be able to register and undergo biometric verification digitally on the website www.tijara.bh.

Additionally, the platform allows customers to apply for BDBs newly launched Express loan, which is short-term financing of up to BHD 15,000 and track the progress of their application online.

Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism H.E. Mr Zayed R. Alzayani said: The launch of BDBs new platform tijara is in line with the ministrys commitment to cut red tape, empower the SME sector and further improve Bahrains business environment. The added flexibility of this service will enhance competitiveness by creating an innovative and simple process for SMEs and startups to gain access to financial services and financing.

Bahrain Development Bank Chairman, H.E. Mr Khalid Al Rumaihi said: Over the years BDB has greatly contributed to fostering an environment that empowers businesses of all sizes, and as disruptive technology continues to transform industries, this platform is another step forward in Bahrains digital transformation journey and will continue to support economic growth in the SME sector.

BDB focuses on financing and development of SMEs in the Kingdom and this service comes against the backdrop of last years SME boom where Bahrains commercial registration numbers soared, and a new wave of regional entrepreneurs emerged out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RIDGEFIELD  First Selectman Rudy Marconi is disappointed in the states plan to repave a 1.87-mile-long stretch of Route 102, instead of the whole road.

The project, spearheaded by the state Department of Transportation, is targeting the portion of Branchville Road between Route 35 on Main Street and Bloomer Road. The milling will take place on July 1 and the resurfacing is scheduled to start July 9 and end on July 14.

Marconi raised concern about the project and believes residents will also be very upset.

Out of the gate, Im disappointed, very disappointed that the state of Connecticut would mill and pave half the road, Marconi said, emphasizing that the worst section of the road is downhill from where the repaving is set to end.

Below Bloomer Road, its like a washboard, he added. It is in horrendous condition. The entire road needs to be fixed and I dont know why anyone would do half a road. We wouldnt, especially a road in that condition.

All of the construction will occur during a 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. window on weekdays, according to State Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport. Traffic control personnel will be at the work zone helping guide cars through the area, but drivers are urged to remain alert and proceed cautiously.

Residents should expect some delays as the road will be alternating traffic from both ways along one lane and should plan accordingly.

After hearing the plans, Marconi said he reached out to State Rep. Aimee Berger-Girvalo, D-Ridgefield, in hopes she would investigate.

Girvalo has contacted the state requesting it pave the full length of the road.

The state needs to extend the 102 paving project below Bloomer Road as the road is in terrible shape from that point to Route 7, she said, deeming it a serious safety concern for the community.

A DOT spokesperson confirmed receiving Girvalos request to modify where the paving activity starts and ends and said the department is currently reviewing it.

Haskell said that although the project is a modest fix to make the ride smoother for Ridgefielders, it does speak to the larger need in Connecticut of bringing our roads into the 21st century and making them a whole lot safer.

People are frustrated with the amount of potholes they encounter on state roads, with the crumbling nature of too many of our roads, rails, highways and our bridges, he said.

We recognize that its not enough to call for infrastructure improvements, he added. We actually have to put in the hard work for making them happen. And sometimes that means a very temporary inconvenience in exchange for a much better outcome in the long-term.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A federal freeze on most evictions that was enacted last year is scheduled to expire July 31, after the Biden administration extended the date by a month. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, has been the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. Many of them lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and have fallen months behind on their rent.

Landlords successfully challenged the order in court, arguing that they also had bills to pay. They pointed out that tenants could access more than $45 billion in federal money set aside to help pay rents and related expenses.

Advocates for tenants say the distribution of the money has been slow and that more time is needed to distribute it and repay landlords. Without an extension, they feared a spike in evictions and lawsuits seeking to boot out tenants who are behind on their rent.

As of June 7, roughly 3.2 million people in the U.S. said they would face eviction within the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. The survey measures the social and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic every two weeks through online responses from a representative sample of U.S. households.

Heres the situation in North Dakota:

WHATS THE STATUS OF EVICTION MORATORIUMS IN THE STATE?

Gov. Doug Burgum did not enact a moratorium halting evictions, but the state Supreme Court issued an administrative order suspending eviction hearings effective April 1, 2020. It was lifted a few weeks later. According to state Supreme Court data, the number of eviction judgments statewide have increased by 15% every year from 2016 through 2019. But last year, the number of eviction lawsuits dropped by about 15%, to just over 2,500, due in part to the federal moratorium and rent assistance, housing officials say.

WHATS BEING DONE TO HELP PEOPLE FACING EVICTION?

North Dakota received $352 million this year to help tenants with outstanding rent, utility payments and other expenses. In 2020, the state dedicated $2.9 million from the federal CARES Act to Emergency Rental Assistance through the Emergency Rent Bridge program. The state ended up providing $2.9 million in rent assistance to more than 1,360 tenants and almost 500 landlords. The $352 million in federal emergency rental assistance the state got this year can go toward up to 15 months of rent and other related expenses, including utilities. To qualify, applicants must have a household income of no more than 85% of their area's median income. So far in 2021, the state estimates it has distributed about $2.5 million to more than 1,800 tenants.

HOW ARE THE COURTS HANDLING EVICTION HEARINGS?

Not that well, according to Richard LeMay, executive director for Legal Services of North Dakota, which provides assistance to low-income residents.

Courts do not spend a lot of time on eviction hearings, Lemay said. The larger counties usually proceed by cattle call and if the defendant/tenant doesnt show up the complaint is granted without questioning the plaintiff.

I would have to estimate that at least 90% of all filings (in the past year) resulted in eviction and also a money judgment, Lemay said. Some judges are taking it upon themselves to say no to evictions, but they are the minority.

Lemay said the low-income clients his organization serves typically dont know how to navigate the court system or understand that there is help available to do so.

If they come to us, we can look at it and do a motion to reopen, if the eviction warrants it, or vacate the judgment, he said.

HOW AFFORDABLE IS HOUSING IN THE STATES MAJOR RENTAL MARKETS?

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in North Dakota is $841. According to state data, renters occupy 30% of the state's housing units. A household would have to earn more than $33,000 per year to afford the average rent and utilities for a two-bedroom without paying more than 30% of its income on housing.

ARE EVICTIONS EXPECTED TO CREATE A SURGE IN HOMELESSNESS?

Its hard to say how much homelessness will increase in North Dakota once the CDC moratorium ends. Lemay said there are too little resources being put into a much bigger problem and already evictions and eviction lawsuits are tracking at least as high this year as last year. One indication of the scope of the problem is recent census data showing that about 8,000 state residents were concerned they could be evicted within two months.
After the Big Brood buzz bites the dust, and newspapers stop carrying cicada recipes  grilled, stir-fried and chocolate-covered  their high whining trill will still sound over the landscape.

Billions of periodic cicadas  Brood X  have hatched as far south as Georgia and as far west as Michigan this year after living underground for 17 years. Its a natural phenomenon deserving of national press.

But every year, other cicadas hatch out, in cycles unstudied. We dont see them  they fly from their ground nests to the full-foliage heights of trees before we get a glimpse.

But we hear them once the hot weather sets in in July and August. They sing  if singing be the word  during the day emitting a sound thats been described as akin to a chainsaw or a dentists drill.

Theyll be starting in about two weeks, said John Cooley, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut at Storrs and a cicada tracker.

I hear them in my yard and at the nature center, said Frank Dye, professor emeritus of biology at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury and the driving force behind the universitys 33-acre Nature Preserve at its Westside campus. Its pretty distinctive.

Hatching at the same time is the cicadas great nemesis  the cicada-killing wasp. While cicadas sing, female wasps go on the hunt. Its a brutal struggle and a gruesome death for the cicadas.

A hornets sting paralyzes the cicada victim. Then, the mother wasp drags the paralyzed cicada to her underground lair. Stashed there, still alive, its food for newly-hatched baby wasps who devour it over time.

Its awesome, said Laura Saucier, a wildlife biologist at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Its like science fiction. I love it.

Ken Elkins, community conservation manager for Audubon Connecticut once saw this cicada-wasp death struggle up close when hunter and prey fell near his feet at Milford Point.

The wasp must have stung the cicada at least six times in the head. Elkins said. It was one of the most intense natural interactions Ive ever seen and Ive seen rattlesnakes hunting rabbits.

Cicada-killing wasps are also big enough that people confused them with Asian Giant hornet  the so-called murder hornet  that showed up on the West Coast in 2020.

Gail Ridge, an entomologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, said several people called the station to report them, only to learn what theyd seen murders only bugs.

I would say their reaction was a mix of disappointment and relief, Ridge said.

Cicadas of all species follow the same pattern. They mature underground then emerge to mate.

The males are the noise-makers. They have a structure under their bodies unique to cicadas called a tymbal  two hardened membranes. They flex the tymbal with specialized muscles to create a clicking sound. When flexed very rapidly, clicks become trills. Because much of the rest of the cicadas bodies are largely hollow  think mandolin  the sound resonates and gets loud.

The males perch on tree limbs and sing. The females listen silently, evaluate and choose a mate. Once they do the deed, the females lay their eggs in trees. When they mature enough, the cicada nymphs fall to the ground, burrow underground and live there, feeding off roots until their time in the summer sun occurs.

There are several cicada species living in the state including a 17-year periodic cicada that hatched in 2013 and is due to reappear in 2030.

There are also dog-day cicadas  Neotibicen canicularis  so called because they show up in the dog days of summer.

Ridge, of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said dog-day cicadas hatch on a three-year cycle. But because there are three broods, theres always one that emerges and sings.

Its leap-frogging, she said.

But there are other species  some that sing at dawn, others at midday, and others at dusk. One, the one  Megatibicen auletes, the northern dusk-singing cicada  is the largest cicada in North America.

UConns Cooley said no one is sure of how long each species lives underground before emerging. Some might have a three-year cycle, some only one.

Nor do we pay a lot of attention to them until a 17-year periodic cicada tidal wave materializes.

Most cicadas go up tall trees and we never see them, Cooley said. Thats opposed to the 17-year cicadas. Then, theyre everywhere.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
India on Saturday reported 51 new cases of Delta Plus variant across 12 states, including Maharashra (22), Tamil Nadu (9), Madhya Pradesh (7), Kerala (3), Punjab (2), Gujarat (2), Andhra Pradesh (1), Odisha (1), Rajasthan (1), J&K (1), Haryana (1) and Karnataka (1). Maharashtra is one of the worst affected states with the highest case tally at 22, including 1 death.

Looking at the scare of Delta Plus variant, the state has implemented its five-level unlock plan and imposed Level 3 restrictions in all districts, irrespective of citys positivity rate and oxygen bed occupancy level. Under Level 3 restrictions, all essential shops and establishments will open on all days but only until 4 pm. The opening of non essential shops and establishments has been restricted to only weekdays until 4 pm. Restaurants, gyms, beauty centres, spas, wellness centres are allowed to open with 50% capacity till 4 pm. Film and television shoots, gatherings such as funerals and weddings are allowed till 4 pm on weekdays with 50% capacity. Meanwhile, malls, theatres and multiplexes will remain closed.

Speaking about the science behind the Delta Plus variant, it has been identified as Virulent type and is formed due to mutation in the Delta variant. Delta Plus variant is resistant to monoclonal antibodies cocktail and mutation is in the spike protein of SARS-COV-2.

Delta Plus Variant is present in 6 genomes from India as of June 7th. With its stronger binding to receptors of lung cells and potential reduction in monoclonal antibodies, the Delta plus variant has put all states on high alert, especially amid warnings of a third wave.
Semiconductor manufactures around the world will begin construction on 19 new high volume fibs by the end of this year and break ground for another 10 in 2022.

Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide will begin construction on 19 new high volume fab by the end of December 2021 and break ground for another 10 in 2022. This is being done to meet the unprecedented demand of chips across various industries like healthcare, communications, online services and automotive, electronic, computing, informed SEMI, an industry association representing 2,400 members in the semiconductor industry.

China and Taiwan will lead the way in the new foundry construction with eight each, followed by the Americans with six, Europe/ Mideast with three and Japan and Korean with two each. Taiwan accounts for 63 per cent of global chip making, with South Korea maintaining 18 per cent and China accounting for 5 per cent global share in chip manufacturing.

The massive investment in the chip manufacturing in Asia comes amid worldwide supply shortage due to the increasing demands for chips to power 5G devices and smart vehicles. The fab capacity expansion in the longer run will meet the strong demand for semiconductors stemming from emerging applications such as artificial intelligence, high- performing computing and 5G to 6G communications.

Recently, Global foundries broke ground for its new fabrication ground in Singapore investing over 4 billion dollars to meet the accelerating demands for chips. The new facility will be developed in partnership with Singapore Economic Development Board.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the worlds biggest chip manufacturer commenced its first fabrication in Japan after the government put domestic supply chain for semiconductors high in its agenda.

Twenty nine fabs are likely to be established over the next few years to address the growing demands for chips. The market for semiconductors is expected to grow 5% over the next decade.
DENVER (AP)  Thousands of immigrant farmworkers in Colorado will soon have state minimum wage, overtime and labor organizing rights under a bill signed into law Friday by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

Polis also signed into law a measure to create a state fund to help indigent immigrants get legal representation in deportation proceedings. The twin measures are part of a raft of bills passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature to boost immigrant rights.

Other measures becoming law Friday will make it easier for immigrants to obtain state and local benefits; obtain licenses to work as child care providers and other professions as well as business licenses; and prevent state agencies from sharing personal information with federal immigration enforcement authorities, with certain exceptions such as criminal investigations or under court order.

Under the farmworkers law, agricultural business owners must provide employee housing that conforms to pandemic guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They must provide meal and rest breaks and limit the maximum number of hours worked by their employees.

Farmworkers in several U.S. states have collective bargaining rights to some extent -- rights originally denied them on the basis of skin color under U.S. labor laws first adopted in the 1930s. Colorado now joins that group. The law also offers whistleblower protections for workers reporting unduly harsh or unsafe conditions.

Colorados agricultural workers have been exploited for far too long in this state, and its well beyond time for us to provide them with the dignity and respect they deserve," said Democratic Sen. Jessie Danielson, a driving force behind the new law who was raised on a family farm in northern Colorado.

Under pressure from agricultural interests, sponsors of the legislation dropped language mandating that farmworkers immediately get the state minimum wage, currently $12.32 an hour, and overtime for those working more than 40 hours a week. But the law removes longstanding regulations exempting farm labor from minimum wage laws and directs the state labor department to devise pay, overtime and maximum working hour rules. Range workers will get a minimum of $1,500 a week.

It also bans the use of a short-handled hoe known in Spanish as el brazo del diablo, or the devils arm. The hoe has long been the bane of sugar beet, lettuce and other crop workers. It forces backbreaking work by laborers who must stoop day after day, often resulting in permanent injury. California banned its use in the 1970s, and Arizona, New Mexico and Texas have followed suit.

Last year, Washington became the first state to grant farmworkers overtime protections through the courts. California is phasing in some overtime protections, while New York last year began requiring overtime pay when farmworkers work more than 60 hours in a week. Maryland and Minnesota also offer overtime protections to farmworkers.

Dozens of supporters such as the Colorado Farmworkers Rights Coalition and Latino advocacy groups hailed the law as a continuation of the United Farm Workers movement led decades ago by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta during Californias famed farmworker labor struggles. Huerta lobbied for the Colorado bill.

Many groups representing Colorados $47 billion agriculture industry argued the law would punish farmers who operate on thin margins and confront volatile market prices and weather that can threaten crops and livestock. They argued  and bill sponsors agreed  that a vast majority of farmers and ranchers treat their workers appropriately. The industry employs an estimated 50,000 people.

Polis also signed into law a bill creating a state fund  initially $100,000  to provide legal counsel to indigent immigrants, including seekers of refugee and asylum status, in deportation proceedings that often can last months or years. The state would issue grants to non-profit organizations that provide legal advice to immigrants who would otherwise have no legal counsel. Many of the immigrants have lived in the U.S. for years.

Under federal law, people in immigration proceedings have no right to legal counsel. At least seven states -- California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington -- have similar funds, and an estimated 35 jurisdictions in 18 states as well, including Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York City, according to the Vera Institute of Justice.

Advocates say having legal counsel speeds up the resolution of asylum, refugee and other immigration cases in a backlogged court system, including the cases of those who should face deportation.

Polis also signed a bill creating an Office of New Americans to oversee the states refugee resettlement program and to coordinate with private sector agencies on immigration issues.
NEW HAVEN  Come July 1, possession of marijuana for recreational adult use will be legal in Connecticut  and in the living rooms of New Haven  but dont expect to see big changes immediately, according to some of the key people guiding the citys response.

A lot of those changes occurred when pot was decriminalized a few years back and possession of marijuana went from being a misdemeanor to an infraction, said acting Chief of Police Renee Dominguez and Mayor Justin Elicker. But there will be additional training and

It wont significantly change New Havens policing practices as far as marijuana enforcement, said Elicker. In New Haven, because its been decriminalized, we dont give out a lot of infractions or make a lot of arrests, already.

Training

The Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council, or POST, is in the process of reviewing the legislation that Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law Tuesday and breaking it down into a teachable document that will be distributed to police around the state, said Elicker.

We will be training our officers on the changes in the law ... and the officer may receive that training either in lineup or in special session, he said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Connecticut is the 19th state in which recreational marijuana use has been legalized. Use of marijuana will continue to be illegal in a motor vehicle and anywhere smoking in general is not allowed, including in public buildings.

The new things are, obviously, its no longer a crime to possess cannabis, effective July 1, so POST, which is oversees training for police departments across the state, is providing every municipality a shorter, more concise version of the bill, said Dominguez.

Then our training academy will be doing some sort of training once we have the document, Dominguez said.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media file

In general, because ... the legalization is taking place quite quickly after the statute was passed, were working to respond quickly, although there may be changes in the law down the line, she said.

While additional training is likely to take place with regard to procedures to determine when people are driving under the influence  which will remain illegal  weve already had that ability, Dominguez said.

So if an officer stops somebody due to the way theyre driving ... and do the field sobriety tests, those tests are the same, Dominguez said.

Currently, when someone who appears to be intoxicated is given a Breathalyzer test and it comes back negative, there are additional field sobriety tests they are given to determine whether they may be under the influence of something else, she said.

Julia Bergman /Hearst Connecticut Media /

What I am concerned about is, are we going to see an increase in motor vehicle accidents, Dominguez said. Are people going to be less likely to smoke and drive because its legal?

She pointed out that in Colorado, where cannabis was legalized in 2013, the state saw an increase in traffic deaths in which drivers tested positive for marijuana.

So I just think more education is important, Dominguez said.

The report by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Training and Information Center found that since recreational marijuana was legalized in 2013, traffic deaths in which drivers tested positive for marijuana increased 135 percent while all Colorado traffic deaths increased 24 percent.

It also found that since recreational marijuana was legalized, traffic deaths involving drivers who tested positive for marijuana more than doubled from 55 people in 2013 to 129 people killed in 2019, and that the percentage of all Colorado traffic deaths that were marijuana related increased from 15 percent in 2013 to 25 percent in 2019.

According to Connecticuts new cannabis law, people of legal age (21 and older) can legally possess 1.5 ounces of cannabis plant material, or flower, on their person, plus an additional five ounces of such material in a locked container in the persons residence or locked glove box or trunk in the persons motor vehicle.

The New Haven Health Department, meanwhile, is developing an informational pamphlet just to let people know what their rights are ... and to let people know what the resources are, said Elicker.

Theyre going to let people about the safe consumption of cannabis, pregnancy and other key issues, he said.

The Health Department is working (on) a few messaging campaigns for residents on the new legislation, said acting Health Director Brooke Logan in an email. These should be finalized in the coming weeks.

Officials at Yale University didnt immediately return requests for comment on how legalized pot will be handled among students living both on campus and off.

Southern Connecticut State University spokesman Patrick Dilger said the university is awaiting guidance from the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System office.

One issue with allowing marijuana on public campuses would be how it would potentially jeopardize federal funding, Dilger said.

For example, even though medical marijuana is approved for use in Connecticut it cannot be used in residence halls on public campuses, he said.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
BURLINGTON  State police have arrested for the second time a local woman accused of bludgeoning her husband, a University of Connecticut doctor, to death, alleging she collected his paychecks from the university after hiding his body in their home for months.

Linda Kosuda-Bigazzi, 73, was arrested by the Central District Major Crimes Squad on a single count of first-degree larceny, state police said Friday.

It was not immediately clear when and where she was arrested.

State police claim Kosuda-Bigazzi killed her husband in 2017, according to court records. She was arrested on charges of murder and tampering with evidence in February 2018. The case is ongoing, and Kosuda-Bigazzi has not entered a plea in the case, according to the states judicial website.

It is alleged that after murdering her husband, Kosuda-Bigazzi hid the body in the home for several months and continued to receive his salary from UConn Health in Farmington where he was employed as a professor in the School of Medicine since 1975, state police said Friday.

Detectives from the state police major crimes squad met with the Hartford states attorneys office in March regarding a larceny complaint stemming from the homicide investigation, according to the arrest warrant. State police published the charging document online Friday along with a press release on Kosuda-Bigazzis arrest.

According to the warrant, investigators believe Kosuda-Bigazzi killed her 84-year-old husband Pierluigi Bigazzi months before his body was found on Feb. 5, 2018.

In the husbands autopsy report, a doctor with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Bigazzis death a homicide, with the cause of Blunt Injuries of the Head, according to the warrant, but also noted the body was in a state of Advanced Decomposition.

A second autopsy report was written at the request of Kosuda-Bigazzis attorney. During an interview with the doctor who wrote the second report, Kosuda-Bigazzi refers to a physical altercation in August involving a hammer, the warrant states, in which she ultimately realized that Pierluigi Bigazzi was dead.

Bigazzi continued to receive his bi-weekly paychecks from UConn Health up until the discovery of his death, the warrant states.

A UConn official provided a statement to state police saying Kosuda-Bigazzi wrongfully received monies into the account she held jointly with Dr. Bigazzi.

State police said Kosuda-Bigazzi was released after posting $125,000 bond. She is due to appear in Hartford Superior Court on July 20 for her arraignment.

The amount deposited in the joint account during the time frame police believe Bigazzi was dead was a little more than $46,000, according to the warrant.

Through negotiations between her attorney and UConn Health, Kosuda-Bigazzi later paid back more than $50,000, according to the warrant.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd last year, has offered his condolences to the decease...





Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd last year, has offered his condolences to the deceaseds family.

Chauvin offered his condolences minutes before Hennepin County District Judge, Peter Cahill, sentenced him to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of Mr Floyd.

He also said he would reveal information later that would give peace of mind to the family.

Due to some additional legal matters at hand, Im not able to give a full formal statement at this time.

Very briefly, though, I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family.

I hope this things give yall finally some peace of mind, he said.

However, it was not immediately clear what information he was referring to in the brief statement.

Meanwhile, his mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, told the Judge that the image been painted of her son is not the image she has of the child that she raised.

She said Chauvin is not a coldblooded killer and racist police officer while describing her son as a quiet, selfless man with a big heart who always put others first.

The public will never know the loving and caring man that he is, she said.

Recall that Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old man, died on May 25, 2020, in the hands of the White police officer in Minneapolis, Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin who was seen in the viral video with his knee on Floyds neck, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum has suspended ACTED, a French non-governmental organization in the state. The directive followed Saturdays d...





Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum has suspended ACTED, a French non-governmental organization in the state.

The directive followed Saturdays discovery that the humanitarian body was using a hotel in the state capital for shooting training.

Zulums spokesman, Isa Gusau announced the order in a statement.

He said ACTED used toy guns and simulators in the exercises conducted at the location off Circular Road in Maiduguri.

Residents had complained to the authorities that they were hearing gunshots.

The matter was reported at the GRA Divisional Police headquarters and operatives found three toy pistols in the hotel during a search.

Two trainers, both Nigerians are being detained and an investigation ongoing.

Gusau noted that pending the outcome, the hotel will remain sealed.

Additionally, ACTED has been barred from charitable activities in Borno.

Governor Zulum acknowledges and deeply appreciates the roles credible NGOs have been playing in different parts, he added.
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the current sufferings visited on Nigerians will make them to chase the All...

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the current sufferings visited on Nigerians will make them to chase the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government out of power in 2023.

The governor made the assertion during the inauguration of Pabod Breweries By-Pass Road and Oginigba  Ordinance link road at Trans Amadi Industrial Layout, Port Harcourt on Friday, which was performed by the former Nigerias Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Wike noted that APC rode on social media propaganda that sounded so convincing at the time, but had since demonstrated how clueless they are in matters of governance.

According to Wike, there is no amount of intimidation and threat that will make Nigerians to be deceived again, because they cannot afford to allow the sufferings to continue.

He said Nigeria needs prayers to come out from this situation we find ourselves. Not that we wanted it so, but we gave a government, a party, that was not prepared to govern a chance. A party that came through propaganda, social media, lies; now we have seen what we have caused ourselves.

That was why you voted for them in 2015. Now look at the level of suffering, Look at how all of us are feeling today. Will you allow them use the social media to deceive us? The same people who used the social media are no longer happy with the social media.

Wike restated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains the only hope of Nigeria to lead it out of the current woes.

He stated that Nigerians cannot afford to allow the mistakes of 2015 to repeat itself. According to him, another erroneous attempt to entrust APC with the responsibility of governance, will be disastrous for Nigerians.

The only hope Nigerians have is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). If Nigerians make the mistake again and allow these (APC) people in 2023, then you have dug your graves.

I will not be a party to it. If you dont want to dig your grave, then make sure that by 2023 you chase them out.

Wike warned trailer trucks drivers against converting the just reconstructed road to a park as the State government will not hesitate to impound their trailers.

Speaking further, Wike said the Oginigba-Slaughter market located at the Trans-Amadi industrial layout cannot be allowed to operate without proper adherence to established rules.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A few showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High around 70F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable.
It doesnt take long to wonder if the bite can live up to the bark in director Josh Rubens Werewolves Within. Forest ranger Finn arrives at his new post at a remote Vermont town and quickly meets Cecily, who delivers the mail for the Post Office. She invites him to tag along on some package deliveries and introduces him to the people of Beavertown  and shares racy gossip about them. Then she takes him to a tavern where theres ax-throwing instead of a dart board, and shes deadly accurate with a hatchet.

Beavertown is not much more than a quirky handful of misfit neighbors who find themselves trapped when a winter storm blocks the road with heavy snow. Charlotte dreams of opening a craft store for tourists. The gruff Sam Parker is staying at the inn while trying to buy townspeoples support to run a gas pipeline through the area. Hes being thwarted by Dr. Ellis, a scientist out to protect the environment. Devon is a tech mogul who lives with his Argentinian husband. Emerson Flint threatens anyone who comes near his property. Jeanine runs the local inn, and her husband dies in the opening minutes. Finn is drawn into that and other mysterious phenomena.

Rubens horror comedy is a follow-up to his 2020 debut Scare Me, which also flirted with werewolves and gruesome tales. This film is a hybrid whodunit mystery and monster horror film, and its based on the video game of the same name. Ruben gently parodies those and other film genres with stock premises and schemes. Its full of eccentric characters, all with motives to kill and most with something to hide. The story tracks like countless mystery films in which a group of strangers who are trapped together decide the menace is among them.

Sam Richardson, who stars in Veep, plays Finn, the mild-mannered federal forest ranger. He arrives like a new sheriff in an old Western town with a mission to calm unrest. He takes everything in stride as they try to figure out whos the murderer and if its connected to some human flaw  like greed or vengeance  or inhuman menace  like a bloodthirsty beast. He attracts the sidekick Cecily, played by Milana Vayntrub, familiar from a string of AT&T ads as the showroom salesperson Lily. Here, shes more direct in her come-on to Finn, and shes entertaining in her deadpan humor, but their flirtation needs to burn brighter.

The method to Rubens madness is overkill. Rather than drop clever clues for shrewd viewers, he bombards the screen with conspicuous teasers, including an abundance of guns and blades, rivalries and threats, poorly kept secrets and sudden violence.

NOLA Zydeco Fest debuts at Jazz Museum on Saturday For Gabrielle Deculus and her cousin, Courtney Smith, the NOLA Zydeco Fest is as much a tribute to their family as it is to the music itself. 

Ruben also preserves his mystery with distractions of all sorts. No tangent is ignored, as Ruben slips in snark about hits from the 90s and drags in new trends like the ax-throwing bars. He works in a host of headline-grabbing issues, including battles over fracking, gun ownership, get off my land property rights, animal cruelty and pet obsessions, the arrogance of tech millionaires, gay marriage and more. The horror scheme could use more compelling pathos, and the comedy is buoyed by the films breakneck pace and stream of plot twists and reversals.

Its not easy to make some of the bits work simultaneously as parody and compelling drama. Ruben wants to have it all ways, and rather than dwell on any point, he whiplashes his cameras to new revelations. He manages to tie it all together, and its a boisterous addition to the growing niche of horror comedy.

Werewolves Within runs at Prytania Theatres at Canal Place, Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge and The Broad Theater.
SURFSIDE, Fla.  The oceanfront condominium building that collapsed near Miami had major structural damage to a concrete structural slab below its pool deck that needed to be extensively repaired, according to a 2018 engineering report on the building.

The report was among a series of documents released by the city of Surfside as rescuers continued to dig Saturday through the rubble of the building in an effort to find any of the 159 people who remain unaccounted for after its collapse. At least four people were killed.

While the engineering report from the firm of Morabito Consultants did not warn of imminent danger from the damage  and it is unclear if any of the damage observed was responsible for the collapse  it did note the need for extensive and costly repairs to fix the systemic issues with the building.

+4 After Miami condo collapse, 'full of life' Kenner native missing; family holds out hope A Kenner native was in the Miami-area beachfront condominium building that collapsed Thursday, and her family was holding out hope that she wo

It said the waterproofing under the pool deck had failed and had been improperly laid flat instead of sloped, preventing water from draining off.

The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replaced the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially, the report said.

The firm recommended that the damaged slabs be replaced in what would be a major repair.

The report also uncovered abundant cracking and spalling of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage. Some of the damage was minor, while other columns had exposed and deteriorating rebar. It also noted that many of the building's previous attempts to fix the columns and other damage with epoxy were marred by poor workmanship and were failing.

Beneath the pool deck where the slab had been epoxy-injected, new cracks were radiating from the originally repaired cracks, the report said.

At the site where the building once stood, scores of rescuers used big machines, small buckets, drones, microphones and their own hands to pick through the mountain of debris that had been the 12-story Champlain Towers South.

On Saturday, a crane could be seen removing pieces of rubble from a more than 30-foot pile at the site. Meanwhile, firefighters were still dealing with smoke that continued smoldering underneath the rubble.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told WPLG early Saturday that there was no change in the number of people still unaccounted for. We are at status quo, she said. Im hopeful this will be a day that we have will have a breakthrough.

Rachel Spiegel was anxious for any update on her missing mother, 66-year-old Judy Spiegel, who lived on the sixth floor.

Im just praying for a miracle, Spiegel said. Were heartbroken that she was even in the building.

Jeanne Ugarte was coming to grips with what she feared was a tragic end for longtime friends Juan and Ana Mora and their son Juan Jr., who was visiting his parents in their condo at the tower.

I know theyre not going to find them (alive), Ugarte said. Its been too long.

Hopes rested on how quickly crews could complete their grim, yet delicate task in Surfside, just a few miles north of Miami Beach's South Beach.

Any time that we hear a sound, we concentrate in that area, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said. It could be just steel twisting, it could be debris raining down, but not specifically sounds of tapping or sounds of a human voice.

Buffeted by gusty winds and pelted by intermittent rain, two heavy cranes removed debris from the pile using large claws Friday, creating a din of crashing glass and metal as they picked up material and dumped it to the side. A smoky haze rose from the site.

Once the machines paused, firefighters wearing protective masks and carrying red buckets climbed atop the pile to remove smaller pieces by hand in hope of finding spots where people might be trapped. In a parking garage, rescuers in knee-deep water used power tools to cut into the building from below.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews were doing everything possible to save as many people as they could.

Many feared dead after Florida beachfront condo collapses; nearly 100 unaccounted for SURFSIDE, Fla.  A wing of a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed with a roar in a town outside Miami early Thursday, killing at least

We do not have a resource problem, we have a luck problem, he said.

Flowers left in tribute decorated a fence near the tower, and people awaiting news about the search watched from a distance, hands clasped and hugging. Congregants prayed at a nearby synagogue where some members were among the missing.

Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said authorities were working with the medical examiners office to identify the bodies that have been found. Eleven injuries were reported, with four people treated at hospitals.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said rescuers were at extreme risk going through the rubble.

Debris is falling on them as they do their work, she said. We have structural engineers on-site to ensure that they will not be injured, but they are proceeding because they are so motivated.

Teenager Jonah Handler was rescued from the rubble hours after the collapse, but his mother, Stacie Fang, died. Relatives issued a statement expressing thanks for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received.

There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie, it said.

While officials said no cause for the collapse early Thursday has been determined, Gov. Ron DeSantis said a definitive answer was needed in a timely manner. Video showed the center of the building appearing to tumble down first, followed by a section nearer to the beach.

___

Nessman reported from Atlanta and Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale. Associated Press writers Terry Spencer in Surfside, Tim Reynolds and Ian Mader in Miami; Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale; Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee; Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama; R.J. Rico in Atlanta; and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
Blessed Trinity Parish and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans announced plans this week to redevelop the former Our Lady of Lourdes School in Uptown New Orleans into 62 one-bedroom and studio rental apartments for low-income senior citizens.

The new senior residences, to be named the Our Lady of Lourdes Apartments, will be developed by Providence Community Housing and operated by Christopher Homes, the affordable-housing arm of the archdiocese. The residences, located at Napoleon Avenue and Freret Street, are expected to open by early 2023.

At the invitation of the parishioners of Blessed Trinity and the community, Providence will help fill the critical need for affordable housing in this vibrant neighborhood, said Terri North, president and CEO of Providence, a non-profit real estate developer that has created more than 1,600 units of affordable rental housing since Hurricane Katrina and sold 100 homes to low- to moderate-income families throughout the New Orleans metro area.

Providence is proud to transform this viable property that has sat dormant for far too long, North said.

The property is being leased to Providence by its owner, Blessed Trinity Parish, the Roman Catholic parish formed through the post-Katrina merger of Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Matthias and St. Monica parishes and based at the former St. Matthias Church on South Broad Street.

$11 million Hollygrove affordable housing project gains approval; here are the details The New Orleans City Council unanimously approved an affordable housing development in the Hollygrove-Dixon neighborhood that will provide hom

Providence, in conjunction with Trapolin-Peer Architects of New Orleans, will undertake a renovation of Our Lady of Lourdes 1957-built school building.

The redevelopment aims to respect the architectural integrity of the mid-century modern structure and school feel of the building while reconfiguring its 22 classrooms, cafeteria, convent and combination auditorium-gymnasium into apartments. They plan to retain original features such as terrazzo marble floors, chalk boards, aluminum staircase railings and glazed, brick-tile walls in hues of pink, beige, seafoam green and aqua.

Studio apartments at the residence will range from 450 to 500 square feet, while one-bedroom units will offer 630 to 700 square feet of interior space.

In addition to carving 44 residential units out of the existing school building, a three-story addition attached to the Jena Street facade will provide 18 new apartments. The addition will also feature a third-floor terrace.

The sites largest interior space  the auditorium-gym  will be used as a meeting space. Energy-saving features will include ceiling fans, blinds, high-efficiency water heaters and appliances, as well as individually controlled thermostats in each apartment. Other features are a stormwater management system, a business center and indoor and outdoor gathering areas.

Ahead of Juneteenth, Louisiana experts talk housing inequities, discrimination, evictions: Submit your questions Though the worst of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be behind Louisiana, housing instability, evictions and inequities are still a reality

All 62 of the residential units will be set aside for people age 62 and older who earn at or below 50% of the the area's median income, which means less than $25,000. Residents rent will be based on a sliding scale equal to 30% of their income, said Deacon Dennis Adams, executive director of Christopher Homes, the archdiocesan agency that manages more than 2,500 affordable apartments for elderly and disabled residents at 22 properties across the metro area.

This project (at the former Our Lady of Lourdes School) is bringing Christopher Homes into an area of the city we havent been in before, Adams said. Its not just affordable housing that Christopher Homes provides, but deeply affordable housing.

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The $28 million project will use both federal and state historic tax credits and a federal housing loan, in addition to funding from area philanthropists. Providence is also working with the Finance Authority of New Orleans to secure low-income housing tax credits, tax exempt bonds and a payment in lieu of taxes.

The redevelopment project will not include restoration of the 96-year-old former Our Lady of Lourdes Church and rectory, which are located just steps away but are owned by a separate entity.

The school building is several decades younger than the church and operated as Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School until its closure in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

+2 Constitutional amendment capping property value increases for homes in New Orleans to go to voters Voters will decide whether to put a cap on the speed at which some property tax assessments can rise in New Orleans after both chambers of the

After the storm, the building became the site of a Recovery School District charter school. In the fall of 2012, Holy Rosary Academy and High School relocated to the campus, remaining there until its closure in 2019.

Once the project is completed, Christopher Homes will manage day-to-day operations at Our Lady of Lourdes Apartments and coordinate resident services.

The apartment complex marks the seventh collaboration between Christopher Homes and Providence; the others are St. Ann Square in Treme; St. John Berchmans Manor in Gentilly; Deille Inn, Nazareth Inn and Nazareth Inn II in New Orleans East; and Annunciation Inn in Faubourg Marigny.

Construction is expected to begin early next year and last about 13 months.

Adams said that many Blessed Trinity parishioners were pleased to learn last month of the restoration of the school many had attended as children.

When they looked at the plans, they were excited to see that they could still recognize their school, Adams said.

Approaching a crisis: After storm damage, Lake Charles area faces affordable housing crunch LAKE CHARLES  By the time Clara Gaines made it back home, the nearly waist-high water outside was already flooding her house. Shoes and toys 

During a June 22 meeting in the school's gym to provide neighbors information about the project, Stan Norwood, a lifelong resident and businessman from the neighborhood, and president of the Neighbors United residential group, said he was deeply moved that seniors who might otherwise be forced to leave the neighborhood due to high rents or an inability to maintain their homes now have another option to remain.

Its one thing to move because you want to, but its another thing to move because you have to, Norwood said. When you can walk around and people say, Hi. How are you doing?  These things are very important to people who have lived here for a very long time.

Joanne Alexander, who began attending Our Lady of Lourdes as a second grader, said she felt a rush of emotions while seated in her old gym bleachers. She showed off her eighth-grade graduation certificate from 1979 and said she keeps in touch with her fellow Our Lady of Lourdes Eagles through social media.

If nothing was done here (at the shuttered campus), it would be a huge waste of real estate, Alexander said. Im glad this project is going to help the citizens in this community, because this school is a treasure."
Health officials have confirmed a Delta variant coronavirus case in the New Orleans area, adding to about a dozen cases in Louisiana.

LSU Health's School of Medicine in New Orleans said Friday the diagnosis was the first Delta variant confirmed in Louisiana's Region 1, which includes Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes. The school didn't elaborate on the individual who tested positive for the Delta variant.

About a dozen Delta variant cases have been confirmed statewide, LSU Health said.

The exact number isn't clear because Louisiana doesn't have the capacity to test its positive samples for signs of the strain. National data show the Delta variant makes up 25% of cases in a multi-state region that includes Louisiana.

The strain was first confirmed in India and has since made up at least 20% of U.S. coronavirus cases. LSU Health officials said in mid-June there were 28 COVID-19 variants in Louisiana, the most prevalent being one known as the United Kingdom variant.

More than 160,000 signed up for Louisiana vaccine lottery so far; here's the drawing schedule A total 160,376 signed up to participate Monday to win prizes up $1 million as part of the Shot At A Million campaign that the state launched 

Officials have said for months they expect variant cases to increase in states such Louisiana, where vaccine rates are lagging.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said Friday that his officers had confiscated about a thousand weapons so far this year as violent crime rises citywide.

Six homicides, 14 carjackings and 19 non-fatal shootings struck New Orleans during the last two weeks, Ferguson said during a news conference to update residents on major crimes and the efforts police are making in response.

Ferguson said police had also taken 69 weapons off the streets during that time. He said he suspects many of the weapons confiscated were used in a number of violent crimes across the city, adding that police would do their due diligence in following up in case any of the weapons could be linked to open cases.

Carjackings have risen to the highest levels in over a decade in the city, and killings and shootings continue to track higher than recent years when the city's murder rate fell to multi-decade lows. But in trying to stem the climbing rate of violent crimes, Ferguson said the police need the communitys support.

+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

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We want our residents to look at us as a team player, Ferguson said.

Ferguson said he and other police leaders could scratch (their) heads all day to figure out what has caused the city's surge in violent crime, though he again speculated that financial troubles and stress brought on by the coronavirus pandemic may be contributing.

Ferguson also urged the community to allow the NOPD to do its job in fighting crime to avoid citizens from putting themselves in harms way. He also told people in the community to park in well-lit locations, lock their cars and make sure they arent leaving their vehicles running or unattended.

We know youre frustrated, Ferguson said, adding (But) your life is not worth it.
Two LSU medical students saved the day when they examined and treated a fellow passenger who fell ill on an airline flight to Greece.

A call on the plane for medical professionals went unanswered before Heather Duplessis and Lauren Bagneris identified themselves as medical students, LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans said in a Facebook post. A woman onboard the flight had grown lightheaded and fallen due to low blood sugar and heat exhaustion.

The pair calmed the patient, cooled her and provided her with juice and food. Duplessis and Bagneris communicated with a doctor on the ground and took the passenger's blood pressure, pulse and blood sugar, according to the post.

"The patient ended up feeling much better thanks to these two talented doctors in the making and their LSU medical education," the school said.
WAVELAND, Miss - Courtney Johnson, the Madisonville, Louisiana, woman missing for four days, was identified Saturday as having been found dead in a car off Interstate 10 in Hancock County. Coroner Derek Turnage said an autopsy will be performed to confirm her cause of death.

It appears that she lost control of her vehicle and went off the interstate into the waterway there, Turnage said. So were just making sure that all the evidence with her body is consistent with that story.

Search for missing St. Tammany woman focuses on stretch of I-10 in Mississippi St. Tammany Parish sheriff's detectives investigating the disappearance of a Madisonville area woman are helping search the water at "an area 

On Friday, authorities found a vehicle that matched the description of Johnsons car, a 2016 Mazda 6, submerged in water about 8 miles east of the Louisiana state line. A body was found inside the car, but authorities did not immediately identify the victim. Investigators said they did not suspect foul play.

Johnson, 34, was driving from her job in Baton Rouge to Biloxi to meet friends at the Golden Nugget Casino. But she never checked in Tuesday evening. She was reported missing on Wednesday to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office.

Turnage is the Pearl River County coroner but is also serving as the coroner for Hancock County because Hancock Coroner Jim Faulks certification was suspended in March for potential failure to comply with mandatory reporting requirements to the Department of Child Protection Services regarding child deaths.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 92F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 57F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
John Sacret Young, a writer and producer who was behind the acclaimed television series China Beach, set at a Vietnam War military hospital, and whose work often explored the psychological wounds of war, died on June 3 at his home in Brentwood, Calif. He was 75.

The cause was brain cancer, his wife, Claudia Sloan, said.

Mr. Young was the executive producer of China Beach, seen on ABC from 1988 to 1991, which recounted the experiences of several women at an evacuation hospital. He created the show with William Broyles Jr., a former editor at Newsweek who had served in Vietnam and went on to write the screenplay for Ron Howards Apollo 13 (1995).

Mr. Young was later a writer and producer of the Aaron Sorkin series The West Wing (1999-2006) and co-executive producer and writer of the series Firefly Lane, which made its debut on Netflix in February.

China Beach drew comparisons to M*A*S*H, particularly when it came to their settings: one in a military hospital in Korea, the other in Vietnam. But where M*A*S*H was part comedy, part drama and shown mostly in half-hour installments, China Beach took a fully dramatic approach in hourlong episodes. It drew praise for its well-drawn characters, particularly Colleen McMurphy, an Army nurse played by Dana Delany.
WASHINGTON  There is enough money in the bipartisan infrastructure deal to replace all the lead pipes in America, White House officials say, but not nearly enough to repair every road and bridge that the nations civil engineers argue needs fixing.

Administration officials say there is enough money to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country, but they concede there is not enough to fully power a national transition from fossil fuels toward a lower-pollution transportation sector.

The agreement that President Biden struck this week with a bipartisan group of senators would be the largest investment of new federal infrastructure funds since 2009, offering huge potential but also limitations given its scope.

Americas road, bridges and sewers have long been in need of repair, with engineers, economists and business and local leaders pleading for the federal government to prioritize such projects to ensure the nation can thrive in the global competition of the 21st-century economy. The bipartisan deal could be the largest step in decades toward meeting those needs, and it was quickly celebrated by many champions of infrastructure investment.
Just over a century ago, after accepting its defeat in World War I through an armistice, the German government signed the Treaty of Versailles, in which the victorious Allies set the terms and price of peace.

The treaty declared Germany to blame for the war and ordered it to pay vast reparations, limit its armed forces and surrender territory. These bitter concessions became emblems of a powerful myth, particularly widespread among veterans: that Germanys military could have won the war, but instead had been betrayed and humiliated by the civilian leadership.

This toxic conspiracy theory, known as the stab-in-the-back legend, became a keystone of Nazi propaganda  in which the civilian leaders were portrayed as the puppets of leftists and Jews. After the war, many newly unemployed soldiers in Germany joined paramilitary groups that eventually supported the rise of Nazism. The groups, which were animated by a sense of grievance, plotted coups and assassinated politicians in the Weimar Republic in the decade before Hitler came to power. In Day X, Katrin Bennhold, The Timess Berlin bureau chief, interviews Franco A., a military officer on trial on charges of plotting terrorism. Like the members of the paramilitary groups in the 1920s, Franco A. believes in a Jewish conspiracy to destroy the German nation and is accused of plotting one or several assassinations meant to bring down the democratic government.

In conversation with Amanda Taub, one of our Interpreter columnists, Cynthia Miller-Idriss, the director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, explained how this alleged plot has parallels with what we have witnessed unfolding in the rise of the American far right, specifically the events on Jan. 6.
A bystander who intervened in the shooting of a police officer in Colorado on Monday by shooting the gunman was himself fatally shot by a responding police officer, the authorities said on Friday.

The police department in Arvada, Colo., just outside Denver, shared a timeline on Friday that outlined what the police chief, Link Strate, described as a tragic sequence of events that resulted in the deaths of a good Samaritan and a police officer.

The police said they responded to a call of a suspicious person at Arvadas Olde Town, a downtown district with shops, restaurants and bars, at 1:31 p.m. local time on Monday.

A teenager had reported that an older man had walked up to him, made a weird noise, and showed them a condom, Chief Strate said in a video.
Asked for his reaction to Derek Chauvin being sentenced Friday to 22 and a half years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, President Biden described it as appropriate.

Speaking to reporters after meeting at the White House with Ashraf Ghani, the president of Afghanistan, Mr. Biden said, I dont know all the circumstances that were considered but it seems to me, under the guidelines, that seems to be appropriate.

Mr. Biden has pushed for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban the polices use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing.

But the bill is stalled while Democrats and Republicans spar over a series of issues, including a measure that would alter a legal shield known as qualified immunity that protects police officers in brutality cases.
After an extraordinary sequence of emotional testimony in a Minneapolis courtroom on Friday, a judge sentenced Derek Chauvin, a former police officer, to 22 and a half years in prison for murdering George Floyd while on duty by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes as he pleaded for air.

The sentence came more than two months after Mr. Chauvins trial concluded with a guilty verdict on all three counts, which included the most serious charge of second-degree murder, as well as third-degree murder and manslaughter. But the courtroom drama continued on Friday with powerful testimony from both sides.

Heres what happened:

Prosecutors played a video of Gianna Floyd, the 7-year-old daughter of Mr. Floyd, in which she said she missed her father and wanted to play with him. We used to have dinner every single night before we went to bed, Gianna said in the video. My daddy always used to help me brush my teeth. She said she knew that while her father was gone, his spirit was still with her.

Mr. Chauvins mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, spoke publicly for the first time, urging the judge to be lenient. She said her son was a good man who had been falsely portrayed as racist, and that his family knew him to be loving and caring. At one point, Ms. Pawlenty turned to speak directly to her son, saying her happiest moment was when she gave birth to him, and that her second was when she pinned his police badge on his uniform.

Turning to face Mr. Floyds relatives in the courtroom, Mr. Chauvin said, I want to give my condolences to the Floyd family, but said he could not say more because he was still facing federal charges in Mr. Floyds death. Mr. Chauvin also added, somewhat cryptically: Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind. As brief as his comments were, they were his most extensive since Mr. Floyds death in May 2020; he had chosen not to testify at his trial.

After the sentence, Mr. Floyds relatives, who had earlier urged for the maximum sentence of 40 years, said it should have been longer, but that they were grateful Mr. Chauvin was facing a measure of accountability. Truth be told, I dont think any sentence would be enough, said Shareeduh Tate, a cousin of Mr. Floyds who had attended the trial in April. She and other family members, as well as a family lawyer, Ben Crump, said they hoped the federal charges would lengthen Mr. Chauvins time in prison.
WASHINGTON  For weeks, Michael Fanone, a Washington police officer who was seriously injured during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, had asked to meet privately with Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the top House Republican, to discuss the assault, to no avail.

So on Friday, when Officer Fanone finally got his session with Mr. McCarthy at the Capitol, he had a clear request at the ready: for the minority leader to publicly denounce the lies Republican lawmakers have been telling about the deadly attack. He wanted Mr. McCarthy to push them to stop downplaying the storming of the building, blaming left-wing extremists for an assault carried out by former President Donald J. Trumps right-wing supporters and spreading the baseless conspiracy theory that the F.B.I. secretly planned it.

He came away disappointed.

He said he would address it at a personal level, with some of those members, Officer Fanone told reporters after the roughly hourlong meeting. I think that as the leader of the House Republican Party, its important to hear those denouncements publicly.

Mr. McCarthy, who phoned Mr. Trump during the riot to plead with him to call off the mob and days later said the president bore responsibility for the rampage, has since swung wildly in the other direction. He later said Mr. Trump was not to blame, led the charge to purge Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming from the party leadership for speaking out against the former president and rallied his party to oppose the formation of an independent commission to investigate the assault.
WASHINGTON  President Biden said Friday that the future of Afghanistan was in its own hands, but he promised its president, Ashraf Ghani, that the United States would support the country even after American forces withdraw following nearly 20 years of war.

During a visit to Washington by Mr. Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistans chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Mr. Biden said the United States would continue to offer security assistance, as well as diplomatic and humanitarian aid.

But his message was clear: The U.S. military is leaving.

Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want, Mr. Biden said at the White House. The senseless violence has to stop.

His decision to pull out American troops by Sept. 11 is one of the most consequential of his presidency so far, a deeply personal calculation that comes from the gut, as one official put it. And despite the worsening security situation, gloomy intelligence reports and the likelihood the White House will face terrible images of human suffering and loss in the coming weeks and months, Mr. Biden has vowed to withdraw regardless of the conditions on the ground.
Top intelligence officials are expected to release a much-anticipated report Friday on aerial phenomena witnessed by Navy pilots in recent years  a document that is likely to do little to settle a growing debate over whether it is possible that alien spacecraft have visited earth.

The report will make clear there is no affirmative evidence that the unexplained phenomenon are space aliens. But for some of the reported sightings examined over the past two decades, the military and intelligence community have no explanation.

As long as the government cannot offer a strong public explanation, alternate theories of what the pilots saw and what video recordings of their flights show are likely to persist.

The report will rule out that the Navy pilots sightings were not a glimpse of a classified U.S. program. While not everyone is likely to believe the assertions, secrecy experts say the more categorical the report is, the more believable it will be.
WASHINGTON  Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday made her first visit to the southern border since she took office, hitting back at Republican criticism and meeting with advocates who pushed her on why the Biden administration had not yet ended restrictive Trump-era policies on migration.

We can take all of these perspectives into account and have meaningful good public policy if we just stop the rhetoric, Ms. Harris told reporters after a four-hour visit to El Paso. You cant just react to a problem without solving it at its roots. Lets just agree to that.

During her trip, she confronted an issue that has bedeviled the administration for months and is now tied to her own political future after President Biden put her in charge of addressing the root causes of migration. But for all of the questions she took from reporters, immigration advocates and even a group of detained migrant children  whom she met behind closed doors  the vice president had few answers.

In one private meeting, she heard from immigration advocates who said they did not understand why the Biden administration had yet to deliver on promises to roll back Trump-era policies like Title 42. Several pressed Ms. Harris to end that rule, which allows the government to expel migrants, including asylum seekers, for public health reasons.
The helicopter attack took place as Mr. Duque faces what several analysts have called the most difficult moment of his presidency.

One recent poll, conducted by the firm Datexco, put his favorability rating at 16 percent, the lowest since he took office in 2018.

Despite the peace deal, violence has risen in parts of the countryside during Mr. Duques tenure, and mass killings and assassinations of social leaders continue to be common.

Mr. Duques critics have said that he has not done enough to carry out the peace accord, in which the government promised to enact economic aid programs that would foster peace in rural areas hit hard by decades of conflict.

His government has said it is working to implement those programs. It has pointed out that the peace deal was an accord with just one group  the FARC  and that it had inherited conflicts with a complex mix of other violent actors.

The pandemic has presented Mr. Duque with additional challenges. In the last week, Colombia experienced the globes third-highest average number of daily Covid-19 deaths, behind only Brazil and India, according to a New York Times analysis, and protesters recently spent weeks in the streets expressing anger over growing poverty and inequality.

Dozens of people died in those protests, many at the hands of the national police.

It is not clear if the perpetrators of the helicopter attack knew that Mr. Duque was aboard the aircraft.
Jeanne Lamon, an accomplished violinist who was music director of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir for 33 years, helping to build it into one of the worlds most acclaimed baroque ensembles, died on June 20 in Victoria, British Columbia. She was 71.

A spokeswoman for the ensemble said the cause was cancer.

Ms. Lamon, who lived in Victoria, took the helm of Tafelmusik in 1981, just two years after the group, based in Toronto, was founded by Kenneth Solway and Susan Graves. Under her guidance  and with her often leading from the first-violin chair  the group developed an international reputation, performing all over the world in major concert halls, at universities, in churches, even in pubs.

Tafelmusik also became known for its recordings, releasing dozens of albums on Sony Classical and other labels during her tenure.

Ms. Lamon and the ensemble pursued a goal of rendering the works they played as their composers would have envisioned them, employing period instruments in the process. One of Tafelmusiks earliest New York appearances was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Ms. Lamon played the museums 17th-century Stradivarius.
Segregation  has one aspect sometimes neglected, that thousands upon thousands of good white citizens never have any contact with Negroes except with servants and employees in the service trades;  whites and Blacks of similar professional interests almost never meet. There are 55,000 Negro college graduates in the United States. Most Southern whites have never seen one.

Roughly one million Negroes entered the armed services [during the war]. Many were treated decently and democratically by whites for the first time in their lives; the consequent fermentations have been explosive.  One famous remark is that of the Negro soldier returning across the Pacific from Okinawa. Our fight for freedom, he said, begins when we get to San Francisco.

Knoxville is an extremely puritanical town, serves no liquor stronger than 3.6 percent beer, and its more dignified taprooms close at 9:30 p.m.; Sunday movies are forbidden, and there is no Sunday baseball. Perhaps as a result, it is one of the least orderly cities in the South  Knoxville leads every other town in Tennessee in homicides, automobile thefts and larceny.

Governor Arnall of Georgia told Gunther that while talking to Mr. Roosevelt one day, he remarked, We dont really have any Negro issue in the South; its white agitators from the Nawth that make the trouble. Mr. Roosevelt (who liked him), turned to him with that well-known twinkle: You mean, Eleanor?

A Navajo chief Gunther encounters is now 85 and has held the post for 61 uninterrupted years, though he was not a Navajo by birth. His father was killed by raiders as far back as 1862, and he does not know who his mother was. But his own son went to Harvard, married a white girl and is now an Indian Bureau official. I know no more stimulating example in America of the variety of experience possible to a man in a lifetime.

No other country, Gunther says, could have headlines like WAR WITH JAPAN PERILS WORLD SERIES  or the sign on the Success Cafe in Butte in 1932, EAT HERE OR ILL VOTE FOR HOOVER, or another headline, one from a New York tabloid about a woman soon to be electrocuted, SHELL BURN, SIZZLE, FRY!

What motors Gunthers astounding energy, focus and recall is his almost demented curiosity. Inside U.S.A. is a voyage of discovery for him as much as for us, and after 900-plus pages his curiosity is unsated, as he regrets all the things he didnt get to explore and reveal. There is nothing in this book, and now its too late to put it in, about how airplanes spray trees with DDT in Oregon or why Pullman washbowls have the water tap set in so close.  I havent even mentioned that there were 72,000 G.I.s named Smith  or children in scarlet mufflers patting their scarlet mittens together and listening to Santa Claus out in the snow in a Vermont public square; or college fraternities and sororities and their adolescent hocus-pocus; or the lonely red railway stations and their water towers and greased switches in northern Minnesota; or people as authentically part of the American scene as Little Orphan Annie, Terry and the Pirates, Blondie and Superman. And on and on and on. You can sense him mourning the fact that he doesnt have another 900 pages to fill.

And then there is Americas future to ponder. There is no valid reason why the American people cannot work out an evolution in which freedom and security are combined, Gunther concludes. In a curious way it is earlier, not later, than we think. The fact that a third of the nation is ill-housed and ill-fed is, in simple fact, not so much a dishonor as a challenge. What Americans have to do is enlarge the dimensions of the democratic process. This country is, I once heard it put, absolutely lousy with greatness  with not only the greatest responsibilities but with the greatest opportunities ever known to man. Finally, Inside U.S.A. is an unintentional account of a man falling in love with his crazy and wonderful country.
The Transportation Security Administration will once again offer self-defense classes to flight attendants and pilots as the airline industry deals with a surge in cases of unruly passengers and sometimes violent behavior on flights.

The return of the classes comes after the coronavirus pandemic prevented crew members from receiving the training for more than a year.

The Federal Aviation Administration has documented more than 3,000 reports of unruly passengers on flights so far this year, and 2,350 of those cases have been tied to mask-wearing disputes. It has initiated investigations into 487 of those cases, more than triple the 146 cases that were investigated in all of 2019.

With unruly passenger incidents on the rise, T.S.A. remains committed to equip flight crews with another tool to keep our skies safe, the agency said in a statement.
He bluntly challenged left-wing leaders in his party over matters of policing and public safety. He campaigned heavily in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, often ignoring Manhattan neighborhoods besides Harlem and Washington Heights. And he branded himself a blue-collar candidate with a keen personal understanding of the challenges and concerns facing working-class New Yorkers of color.

With his substantial early lead in the Democratic mayoral primary when votes were counted Tuesday night, Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, demonstrated the enduring power of a candidate who can connect to working- and middle-class Black and Latino voters, while also appealing to some white voters with moderate views.

Mr. Adams is not yet assured of victory. But if he prevails, it would be a triumph for a campaign that focused more heavily on those constituencies than any other winning New York City mayoral candidate in recent history.

As the national Democratic Party navigates debates over identity and ideology, the mayoral primary in the largest city in the United States is highlighting critical questions about which voters make up the partys base in the Biden era, and who best speaks for them.
When the K.K.K. leader sputtered that this was ridiculous, Davis agreed: Its silly to say that white people are predisposed to be serial killers, just as its ridiculous to say that Black people have crime genes.

The man went silent, Davis said, and about five months later quit the K.K.K.

Davis claims to have persuaded some 200 white supremacists to leave the Klan and other extremist groups. Its impossible to confirm that number, but his work has been well documented for decades in articles, videos, books and a TED Talk. He also has a podcast called Changing Minds With Daryl Davis.

Daryl saved my life, said Scott Shepherd, a former grand dragon of the K.K.K. Daryl extended his hand and actually just extended his heart, too, and we became brothers. Shepherd ended up leaving the Klan and gave his robes to Davis.

Daviss approach seems out of step with modern sensibilities. Today the more common impulse is to decry from a distance.

The preference for safe spaces over dialogue arises in part from a reasonable concern that engaging extremists legitimizes them. In any case, society can hardly ask Black people to reach out to racists, gay people to sit down with homophobes, immigrants to win over xenophobes, women to try to reform misogynists, and so on. Victims of discrimination have endured enough without being called upon to redeem their tormentors.

Yet I do think that we Americans dont engage enough with people we fundamentally disagree with. Theres something to be said for the basic Davis inclination toward dialogue even with unreasonable antagonists. If were all stuck in the same boat, we should talk to each other.

Daryl Davis demonstrates that talking face-to-face with your ideological opponents can motivate them to rethink their views, said Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Hes an extraordinary example of what psychologists have repeatedly shown with evidence: In over 500 studies, interacting face-to-face with an out-group reduced prejudice 94 percent of the time.
The Radical Republicans believed the ballot would be the ultimate defense against white supremacy. The reverse was also true: Severed from that defense, Black voters were disarmed. Without Black votes at stake, the party of Lincoln was no longer motivated to defend Black rights.

*

Contemporary Republicans are far less violent and racist than the Democrats of the Reconstruction era and the Gilded Age. But they have nevertheless adopted the same political logic, that the victories of the rival party are illegitimate, wrought by fraud, coercion or the support of ignorant voters who are not truly American. It is no coincidence that Mr. Obamas rise to power began with a lyrical tribute to all that red and blue states had in common and that Mr. Trumps began with him saying Mr. Obama was born in Kenya.

In this environment, cruelty  in the form of demonizing religious and ethnic minorities as terrorists, criminals and invaders  is an effective political tool for crushing ones enemies as well as for cultivating a community that conceives of fellow citizens as a threat, resident foreigners attempting to supplant real Americans. For those who believe this, it is no violation of American or democratic principles to disenfranchise, marginalize and dispossess those who never should have had such rights to begin with, people you are convinced want to destroy you.

Their conviction in this illegitimacy is intimately tied to the Democratic Partys reliance on Black votes. As Mr. Trump announced in November, Detroit and Philadelphia  known as two of the most corrupt political places anywhere in our country, easily  cannot be responsible for engineering the outcome of a presidential race. The Republican Party maintains this conviction despite Mr. Trumps meaningful gains among voters of color in 2020.

Even as Republicans seek to engineer state and local election rules in their favor, they accuse the Democrats of attempting to rig elections by ensuring the ballot is protected. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who encouraged the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 with his claims that the 2020 election had been stolen, tells brazen falsehoods proclaiming that voting rights measures will register millions of illegal aliens to vote and describes them as Jim Crow 2.0.

But there are no Democratic proposals to disenfranchise Republicans. There are no plans to deny gun owners the ballot, to disenfranchise white men without a college education, to consolidate rural precincts to make them unreachable. This is not because Democrats or liberals are inherently less cruel. It is because parties reliant on diverse coalitions to wield power will seek to win votes rather than suppress them.

These kinds of falsehoods cannot be contested on factual grounds because they represent ideological beliefs about who is American and who is not and therefore who can legitimately wield power. The current Democratic administration is as illegitimate to much of the Republican base as the Reconstruction governments were to Morgan.
Life After the Deep Freeze

To smooth the jolt of trying to resume life in the future, most cryonics firms offer to store keepsakes, memory books and digital discs to help a revived patient rebuild memories or simply cope with nostalgia. Alcor uses a salt mine in Kansas for storage and is also working on options for putting money into a personal trust to finance a future life.

A final edge the Chinese cryonicists enjoy is a more accommodating cultural environment, as Western religions tend to be more focused on the concepts of heaven and hell, and the body and brains being merely the repositories of an eternal soul rather than machines that can be switched off and on.

Mr. More, for one, has little patience with religious critics of cryonics. Where in the Bible or the Quran, or the Bhagavad Gita does it say, Thou shalt not do cryonics? It doesnt. In fact in the Bible there are some people living for centuries.

Remember, he added, we are not talking about letting people live forever, just maybe a few hundred years more, and thats nothing compared to eternity.

When Christians complain that they would not like to be dragged back from heaven by having their body revived, Mr. More reminds them that they may be traveling from the other direction.

Are you sure youre not going downstairs? he asks. And if so, dont you want an escape clause? Cryonics might give you a chance to come back and do some good works so you will have a better chance of getting to heaven.
Ultimately, the eucharist is considered the path to salvation: Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever, Jesus told his disciples in the Gospel of John.

Looming behind the U.S. bishops plans to issue new guidance on the sacrament is declining Mass attendance and the sense that many Catholics have lost a spiritual connection with the ritual and may not even understand the churchs teachings about it. Only about 30 percent of U.S. Catholics believe the core church teaching that the bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Christ; about 70 percent believe they are mere symbols, according to a Pew poll from 2019.

The sacrament is more than a set of theological beliefs. It wraps the divine and the human all into one, connecting the church and God across time and space.

Jennifer C. Reid, 50, recently rediscovered the altar candles from the day she received her first communion at St. Columbanus, one of the oldest Black parishes in Chicago, which she still attends. More than four decades later, the faded white taper candles, with wicks slightly burned, were still carefully stored in a long rectangular box with her initials on the bottom.

I was sitting there holding them, flooded with those memories, she said, remembering receiving the sacrament for the first time with her two sisters, in their little white veils, white dresses and white patent leather shoes.

Now Ms. Reid works at the church as a pastoral associate and distributes the bread to others at Mass after the priest has consecrated it. I always look people in the eye before they receive communion because it means that much to me, she said.

The Rev. Tulio Ramirez, a missionary priest from Colombia with the Yarumal Mission Society who works with Latin American immigrants in the Bronx, remembered celebrating Mass under a tree in Kenya. As the sun moved across the sky, people rose to carefully move the altar table, holding the bread and wine, to keep the eucharist in the shade.
Smoke from a fire deep within the debris of the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Fla., has created severe difficulties for search and rescue workers, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County said Saturday morning.

As you heard, were facing incredible difficulties with this fire. The fire has been going on for a while. Its a very deep fire, she said. Workers have not yet been able to isolate the fires source, and the growing smoke from below the rubble has made it difficult for searchers to locate people presumed trapped.

Erika Benitez, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Fire Department, said Saturday morning that it had been a while since rescue workers had heard sounds of people from beneath the rubble. But she said officials are still holding out hope. The search and rescue is an operational assessment. If were continuing to do so, its because we feel its possible people are alive.

Search and rescue workers are using infrared technology, foam and water, the mayor said. Teams also created a trench to try to isolate the fire and continue to search for victims in the part of the rubble rescue teams have access to.
Three years before the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium complex near Miami, a consultant found alarming evidence of major structural damage to the concrete slab below the pool deck and abundant cracking and crumbling of the columns, beams and walls of the parking garage under the 13-story building.

The engineers report helped shape plans for a multimillion-dollar repair project that was set to get underway soon  more than two and a half years after the building managers were warned  but the building suffered a catastrophic collapse in the middle of the night on Thursday, crushing sleeping residents in a massive heap of debris.

The complexs management association had disclosed some of the problems in the wake of the collapse, but it was not until city officials released the 2018 report late Friday that the full nature of the concrete and rebar damage  most of it probably caused by persistent water leaks and years of exposure to the corrosive salt air along the South Florida coast  became chillingly apparent.

Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion, the consultant, Frank Morabito, wrote about damage near the base of the structure as part of his October 2018 report on the 40-year-old building in Surfside, Fla. He gave no indication that the structure was at risk of collapse, though he noted that the needed repairs would be aimed at maintaining the structural integrity of the building and its 136 units.
El Palo Altos very existence there has been a fluke. Redwoods are insatiable rain and fog drinkers, thriving in places where the annual rainfall is five to 10 feet. In Palo Alto, less than two feet of precipitation is common. The tree is shorter than it used to be  it was about 162 feet tall in the 19th century but parts of the top died, likely from coal and diesel smoke  and as a result it is a pipsqueak compared with other, taller redwoods that approach 400 feet. And it is still only middle-aged  the oldest redwood in the country is estimated to be some 2,500 years old.

Mr. Passmore believes that a coast redwood seed may have been swept down from the mountains by San Francisquito Creek, took purchase and was nourished over the centuries by the creek waters.

Population growth and a flurry of wells drew down the creeks water table in past decades, depriving the trees roots of water. Termites and compacted soil added to the decline. In the 1950s, the tree appeared gaunt and sickly. George Hood, a city arborist at the time, concocted a plumbing system that sent water up the trunk that bathed El Palo Alto in fog-like mist.

He called it a Fool the Redwood plan, said David Dockter, a retired city arborist who helped care for the tree for more than two decades and still monitors its health. Redwoods drink from their crown as well as their roots, and he wanted to fool the redwood into thinking it was on the coast, getting a drink of water every day when the fog came in.

Wells were capped to bring the water table back up. Ground-penetrating radar was brought in to check the health of the trees interior. A camera-mounted drone was flown to the crown for an inspection. And a prism was placed at the top of the tree so surveyors can monitor its stability.

So far it hasnt moved, Mr. Dockter said. That would be the first sign theres ground movement.

Nevertheless, an emergency backup plan was set in motion: El Palo Altos seeds were collected and planted in 2004 in a historic tree nursery run by the nonprofit group American Forests, in case the tree keeled over and died.
WASHINGTON  Since taking office 157 days ago, President Biden has promised to put racial equity at the center of everything he does, pledging in an executive order on Day 1 to take a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making as he drafts legislation, hires staff, proposes spending and develops regulations.

But his efforts  which could radically realign the distribution of federal money and benefits in favor of people of color and other underserved communities  are running into legal and political obstacles.

In late May, Syovata Edari, the owner of CocoVaa Chocolatier in Madison, Wis., was told she would receive $50,000 from Mr. Bidens government, courtesy of the presidents efforts to ensure that pandemic relief aid for struggling restaurants and food businesses would be distributed equitably.

But three weeks later, she instead received an email that broke the bad news: The award had been rescinded thanks to a lawsuit filed on behalf of white restaurant owners that successfully challenged the programs policy of prioritizing applications from women and people of color. The check she was counting on would not arrive.
William W. Vaughan Jr. was a senior atmospheric scientist at NASA during the space race and later an accomplished academic, but as with so many aging Americans, time and technology had sapped him of some of his savvy, especially online.

Computers made him feel like a duck out of water, his son Steve Vaughan said. So when Steve was sorting through the elder Mr. Vaughans papers after his death at 90 in December, he was unsettled by what he found on his fathers final credit card bill.

The first item was familiar: $11.82 at the local Chick-fil-A in Huntsville, Ala. But every other charge on the first page, and there were dozens of them, was to the firm that processes online Republican campaign contributions, WinRed. Over four months last year, Mr. Vaughan had made 400 donations totaling nearly $11,500  to Donald J. Trump, Mitch McConnell, Tim Scott, Steve Scalise and many others.

The sum was far beyond the realm of his financial ability, his son said, and sure enough, he soon discovered handwritten notes outlining what appeared to be his fathers call disputing the charges with his credit card company. He is still seething at the avalanche of charges and what they did to a 90-year-old just before his death.
LONDON  Britains embattled health minister, Matt Hancock, resigned on Saturday, a day after a tabloid newspaper published photos of him in a steamy embrace with one of his senior aides  an apparent violation of Britains social-distancing guidelines.

Mr. Hancock, who spearheaded Britains response to the coronavirus pandemic, was the latest member of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government to be accused of violating the strict rules imposed on the rest of the country.

I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made  that you have made, a chastened-looking Mr. Hancock said in a video statement released on Saturday evening. Those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them, and thats why Ive got to resign.

Initially, Mr. Hancock refused to step down and had the backing of Mr. Johnson. But with at least one Conservative member of Parliament demanding his resignation, and newspapers full of stories about double standards for the political elite, Mr. Hancock concluded his position had become untenable.
AMMAN, Jordan  In a shabby state security court on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital, a highly unusual trial is unfolding that provides a rare glimpse into the kingdoms fractured royal family, its tensions with more powerful neighbors in the region and its alliance with the United States.

It centers on a political intrigue, still somewhat shrouded in mystery, that came to light in April when Jordanian authorities made a sweep of arrests targeting powerful figures including a onetime heir to the throne and a confidant of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who is that countrys de facto ruler.

The confidant, Bassem Awadallah, is on trial along with a second defendant, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a businessman and distant cousin of Jordans King Abdullah II. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges of sedition and plotting to destabilize the monarchy and they face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. But the person at the center of the drama is missing from the courtroom: Prince Hamzah, the younger brother of the Jordanian king, has not been charged.

The trial has become a showcase of regional rivalries and is testing U.S. alliances with two important allies in the Middle East, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Tensions between the neighboring Arab countries have arisen in part over the normalization deals between Israel and Gulf Arab countries reached last year.
General Motors has axed Teneo as its PR counselor following news that CEO Declan Kelly was inebriated at a Global Citizen event in May and engaged in inappropriate behavior.

A spokesperson for the automaker said June 25 that following a series of discussions it decided not to continue working with Teneo.

GM is the first major client to cut Teneo since the Financial Times broke news of Kellys misbehavior on June 24. Kelly had been advising GM CEO Mary Barra.

Global Citizen, which booted Kelly from its board following the May 2 charity event, also severed ties with the PR firm that serves blue-chip companies such as Dow Chemical, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and General Electric, as well as Saudi Arabia.

Kelly, who is undergoing counseling, has relinquished some of his managerial duties at Teneo.
The social doldrums caused by the pandemic were the ideal catalyst for a pair of Midland neighbors to band together and begin their own adventure.

Within the span of a year, Hailey Swingle, 10, and Lulu Church, 11, became friends, established a firm friendship and helped build a new community playground with the profits of their dog-walking business.

The Swingles and Churches have lived in the same neighborhood for about four years, but rarely had a chance to meet, as their kids attended different schools and were busy with separate activities.

As chance would have it, Hailey met Lulu when Lulu and her dad, William, went bike riding in March 2020. While their friendship will change when the Swingles move to Texas this summer, the girls wont soon forget the fun times they had biking, rollerblading, hosting sleepovers and visiting the playset at the Midland Eagles.

I would say their friendship is the very best thing that has come out of COVID for us, said Penny Church, Lulus mom. We met Hailey because of COVID and theyve been inseparable since.

The two friends eventually expressed a desire to make a little money while meeting their neighbors in a safe way. With a little guidance from their parents, they settled on offering to walk the neighborhoods dogs.

As both families have dogs of their own  the Churches have a yellow Labrador and a golden retriever, while the Swingles have a bull mastiff and a Shih Tzu  the venture was a good fit.

Lulu and Hailey got to work, creating pamphlets and perfecting their sales pitch before going around the neighborhood to solicit their services.

We were together while walking, but we split up the money, Hailey said.

The business ended up saving one of the Churches dogs when it got out. One of the neighbors recognized which house the dog had come from and called Penny using the number on the pamphlet.

Lots of good stuff came from the dog walking, Penny said.

Lulu and Hailey exercised about six of the neighbors canines, one at a time, for just $2 to $4 a walk around the street. By the end of a couple months, each girl had about $20 to $30 from the business.

Instead of saving their respective cuts in a bank account or using them for fun money, Lulu and Hailey decided to invest their profits into something they and countless other children would enjoy. They resolved to sponsor a new playground at the Midland Eagles Aerie 2110 at 2934 East Monroe Road, about a mile away from their homes.

The playground there was so old and rusty. We wanted to get a new playground, Lulu said. Plus, the old playground only had four things on it. The new one has a bunch of other items.

It would be more fun for other kids and parents to take their kids to the Eagles so they dont always have to watch them, Hailey said.

I was amazed that these young ladies thought enough of those around them to offer something they wouldnt personally enjoy together for very long, said Midland Eagles President-elect Clinton McLain. Not only did Lulu Church and Hailey Swingle make a very mature decision to use their time constructively during the pandemic, but they ended up helping people they didnt even know.

The playset was erected this past May, with Lulu and Hailey helping alongside McLain and Midland Eagles trustees Tony Orange, Shianne Bowers, William Church, Steve Pnacek and their families. The new playset, which includes swings, a slide, climbing wall and picnic table, took the better part of two days to assemble and construct.

In the month since, many kids, including Hailey and Lulu, have visited the playground. Eagles members at one point observed 10 children playing on the equipment.

This was truly an excellent example of families encouraging their children to develop a servants heart. The Midland Eagles is happy to be investing in future leaders and supporting the next generation to become people helping people, McLain said.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)  Two South Bend brothers face charges in connection with a shooting that injured a man last month at a northern Indiana shopping mall, prosecutors said Friday.

Luke Murphy, 24, was charged with attempted murder and battery for allegedly firing more than a dozen shots at Shaqkil Cotton, 27, outside the University Park Mall in Mishawaka after the two men had argued.
WUERZBURG, Germany (AP)  The suspect in a knife attack in southern Germany that left three women dead was ordered kept in custody Saturday on suspicion of murder, while authorities puzzled over a possible motive, examining his mental health and seeking to determine whether he was radicalized.

The attack started late Friday afternoon when the suspect walked into a store in Wuerzburg, went to the household goods department and asked a saleswoman where the knives were, regional police chief Gerhard Kallert said. He then grabbed a knife and fatally stabbed three women in the store, before continuing to attack people outside. Six people, most of them women, were seriously injured, and one of them remained in a life-threatening condition on Saturday.

Videos posted on social media showed people surrounding the attacker and trying to hold him at bay with chairs and sticks. The 24-year-old Somali was then stopped with a shot to the leg by police and arrested.

On Saturday, he was brought before a judge, who ordered him held in jail pending a possible indictment on suspicion of three counts of murder, six of attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm; and another of bodily harm.

The man arrived in Germany in May 2015 and was granted subsidiary protection, a status that falls short of full asylum. He had been in Wuerzburg since 2019, and was living in a homeless shelter.

Officials said he didn't have a criminal record, but there were two incidents earlier this year that resulted in him being sent briefly to a psychiatric hospital. In January, he got into an argument with residents and staff at the shelter and brandished a kitchen knife, prosecutor Wolfgang Gruendler said.

He didn't attack or hurt anyone, but an investigation was opened and he was temporarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital. That investigation is still ongoing and a psychiatric evaluation is still outstanding.

Earlier this month, there was an incident in which someone gave him a lift and he didn't get out of the car. That again resulted in his admission to a psychiatric unit, but he was released after a day, prosecutors said. They said there had been no pattern of increasing problems.

Authorities also were looking at the possibility of the man having been radicalized as an Islamic extremist. Kallert said a store detective and police officers reported hearing the suspect say Allahu akbar, Arabic for God is great." Bavaria's top security official, Joachim Herrmann, said that further cautious indications in that direction emerged from his questioning, without elaborating. Material with hate messages also was found but has yet to be evaluated, police said.

As to whether the man was mentally ill or radicalized, we don't know either one thing or the other for sure at the moment, but I just want to note that they don't rule each other out, Herrmann said. Authorities were examining a mobile phone and other evidence.

The case was handed over to prosecutors in Munich, the state capital, but not to federal prosecutors, who in Germany deal with terror cases.

A fellow resident of the shelter who said he was among 10-12 people who tried to stop the suspect stabbing anyone else until police arrived on Friday described the man as being always alone, not talking to the other people. He added that "he was strange all the time.

Thank God we people managed to scare him a little bit, distract him, he got tired, and thank God it didnt turn out even worse, the man, whose name was given only as Kadir A., told RTL television.

Herrmann described using a shot to the leg to stop an assailant as a textbook" move. Bavarias rules on use of police weapons state that firearms should only be used to make perpetrators unable to attack or flee, and that a shot which is near-certain to kill is only permitted if it's the only way to prevent danger to the life of others.

The rules call for officers to aim at the legs where possible.



Geir Moulson reported from Berlin.
Sanford native Chris Krause's goal to co-produce a horror movie called "Followers" in his hometown is gaining momentum with $3,755 raised on a Gofundme page that opened on June 17.

The Gofundme page is here and is open until the middle of July. Krause aims to raise $30,000 through the page to help with the production costs of the zombie film, for he which he also wrote the script and is one of the actors.

"Any amount can be donated," Krause noted. "Even if it's one dollar, that helps us a lot. We'll also be offering perks, such as if you donate this much, your name will appear in the film."

Those who donate larger amounts, which are still to be determined, Krause said, may have the opportunity to appear in the film as an extra.

Krause said momentum for the film has also been building through several spooky TikTok videos that he and fellow cast member Megan Meyer have posted as a prequel to the film, which is scheduled to begin production on Aug. 15.

Krause and Meyer play two of the central roles in the movie, Pete and Ash, respectively, and their TikTok account is fittingly called followpeteandash. One video has more than 18.5 million views and followpeteandash has 236,000 followers on TikTok.

Krause explained that for the first two weeks after they started posting the videos, he and Meyer didn't reveal that the videos were connected to the film "Followers." Thus, many people who followed them thought the videos might be real. He said that was the idea behind them -- to promote the movie similarly to how "The Blair Witch Project" was marketed back in 1999.

"For about two weeks, we had people going," Krause said. "We eventually revealed that it was a movie. We wanted to do kind of a 20th-century version of Blair Witch, where we could convince people we were just a social media account for a couple weeks and we were hearing weird noises in the woods.

"It's been a fun way to grow a (fan) base," he said of the TikTok videos, noting that they have also generated about $1,000, which will go toward the production of the movie.

The movie's website is followersfilm.com, which also has a link to the TikTok and Gofundme accounts.

Krause, a professional actor, lived in New York City for six years before moving back to Sanford last year due to the financial blow that the pandemic had dealt to theaters.

He eventually joined forces with Jerry Aquino, who will direct "Followers." Krause and Aquino are each investing $5,000 of their own funds into the production and hoping to raise an additional $30,000 to amount to what Krause says will still be a small budget for a film.

He has drawn some interest from investors as well as some possible interest from local businesses in sponsoring the film.

The movie is set in the near future, "five years into an outbreak that has led to the crumbling of society," Krause explained.

The setting will be revealed to be somewhere in Michigan, although Krause doesn't yet know whether Sanford specifically will be referred to in the film.

"I'd have to ask the Village of Sanford for permission if I wanted to actually say it was in Sanford. But I'm open to that idea," he said.

For her part, Meyer, who is from St. Charles, said she is a voice actress and stage performer and has a recording studio at her home, where she has created a lot of the sounds in the TikTok videos.

She is excited to be a part of "Followers."

"It touches on a lot of deep subjects but does so subtly," Meyer said. "I hope it makes people think about their everyday lives. There are social and political issues in this movie.

"We're definitely hoping the Gofundme reaches a lot of people because this move needs to be made and we're excited to make it," she added. "The more people can give to Gofundme, the more we can put into this product."
Grace Middleton, of Midland, has been named to the dean's list at the University of New Hampshire for earning high honors for the spring 2021 semester. Middleton is majoring in exercise science.

Students named to the dean's list at the University of New Hampshire are students who have earned recognition through their superior scholastic performance during a semester enrolled in a full-time course load (12 or more graded credits). Highest honors are awarded to students who earn a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better out of a possible 4.0. Students with a 3.65 to 3.84 average are awarded high honors and students whose grade point average is 3.5 through 3.64 are awarded honors.
MSU Extension of Midland County and cooperating parent educators sponsor the Parents Corner. Send submissions to Midland County MSU Extension Educator, Lisa Treiber, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland, MI, 48640

Homestead Sunday. Step back in time at Chippewa Nature Centers log cabin, timber frame barn and one-room school for a family-friendly afternoon, 1 to 5 p.m. June 27 at the Homestead Farm and Log Schoolhouse. Try your hand at grinding corn, pumping water, writing on a slate board, working in the garden, tilling the field or watering the animals. The Homestead and Schoolhouse will be open Sundays, offering weekly activities, in June, July and August. All ages are invited (under 18 with an adult). Pre-registration is required, visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org. Please bring a mask.

Food Safety Q & A. MSU Extension offers a week 30-minute informational program about food preservation. A short presentation will be shared focusing on a timely topic, leaving plenty of time for Q & A. The next session title is: Safe Methods for Using Your Pressure Canner. Join in on this quick free presentation at 1 p.m. Monday, June 28. To register, visit https://events.anr.msu.edu/SpringFoodSafetyQA/

Investigating Food with Science. Michigan State University Extension offers an after-school online program, exploring how cooking is an experiment and baking is a science. Each week MSU Extension educators will explore the science behind food-related topics and food safety along with a fun, kid-friendly recipe, or experiment demonstration. The demonstrations will be designed for youth to experiment at home if they desire and provide youth a chance to share their experience the following week. On June 30, the topic: Molecules vs. Temperature. The session runs from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Visit https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/investigating-food-with-science-spring2021 to register for this free session.

Bat Hike. Join Interpretive Naturalist Michelle Fournier, 9 to 10 p.m. on June 29 at Chippewa Nature Center to look for and learn about these unique flying mammals. With the help of a bat detector, visitors will be able to listen to the sounds of their echolocation. Please bring a flashlight. This session is designed for ages 9+ (under 18 with an adult). Pre-registration is required visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org. Pease bring a mask.

Story Hour. Come spend an hour learning about nature at Chippewa Nature Center, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. to noon on July 1. The hour will include a story, crafts, and other age-appropriate activities. The entire program will be held outdoors so dress for the weather. Pre-registration is required, visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org. Please bring a mask.

Sleep Education for Everyone. MSU Extension is offering a workshop July 1 to Aug. 5. Meet each week from noon to 12:30 p.m. for this virtual program. Each module includes a short two- to three-minute educational video designed to deliver key concepts, the rest of the time is spent discussing the topics, brainstorming solutions to possible obstacles to improving sleep, and goal setting. There is no cost to attend. Registration closes July 1, visit https://events.anr.msu.edu/sleep3/ to reserve spot.

Summer Wildflower Walk. Blooming summer wildflowers put on a show with a variety of colors, flower structures, heights and patterns. Join a Chippewa Nature Center naturalist 10 to 11:30 a.m. on July 6 to learn how to identify commonly found species and discuss their ecosystem roles. This walk is designed for ages 18+. Pre-registration is required, visit www.chippewanaturecenter.org. Please bring a mask.

Michigan 4-H Sights and Sounds of Nature. Michigan youth and families are invited to become mindful and engaged in nature during July and August 2021 by completing nature journaling prompts each week using the app GooseChase. Each week new prompts will be released on the app that will encourage youth and families to discover the natural world around them while learning some mindfulness techniques to help with stress and anxiety. Individuals are encouraged to purchase, create or find a journal to use for this club. Teams will be able to share images or videos of their journal entries using GooseChase with other participants from around the state. Any youth 13-19 can download the GooseChase app to their phone or tablet; younger youth or youth without a phone or tablet can partner with an older sibling or parent/guardian to play as a Team. Family teams are welcome and encouraged! For more information, and to register: https://events.anr.msu.edu/sightsandsounds/ please contact Katelyn Golembiewski burnska9@msu.edu or Tonya Pell pelltony@msu.edu with any questions.

Virtual 4-H Spartan Coding Camp. Explore the exciting field of computer coding at MSU Extensions newest premiere pre-college program. Whether you have prior computer coding knowledge, or have never even thought about it, you will gain valuable coding skills at this fun STEM summer camp. Open to all youth entering grades 9-12 in the fall of 2021. By the end of the camp, students will learn to develop their own tech ideas, plus design and code a personal website from scratch. Specific coding languages taught during the program include HTML, CSS, JS, Ruby, Rails, and Github. The camp takes place 9 am. to 3 p.m. July 17-18 and Aug. 14-15. Cost is $300 per participant and can be made in two payments. For more information and to register, visit https://events.anr.msu.edu/4HSpartanCodingCamp2021/. Questions? Contact Christine Miller at MSU Extension at 517-552-6905 or email johns832@msu.edu.

Adult Sibling Relationships & Your Caregiving Journey. Sibling relationships change as the years go by, usually very close in early years, less so in teens/early adult years, then growing closer as the years go by. One of the things that tends to bring siblings back together in later life is the need to care for aging parents. The objectives of this workshop are to: Explore different types of sibling relationships, discuss how research describes birth order related to personality, discuss myths and facts of only children, talk about relationship changes as siblings grow up together, discuss adult siblings and how it relates to your caregiving journey and find resources within and beyond the family to support caregiving. Join MSU Extension online for this free webinar. Use this link to register for the session at 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 20: https://bit.ly/3znEvzh. There will be other times and dates available during the upcoming months. For more information, contact Holly Tiret, senior educator, at tiret@msu.edu.

MI Parenting Resource. MI Parenting Resource is a free, online parenting program offering research-based parenting strategies to caregivers across the state of Michigan. The goal is to strengthen parent-child relationships and gain new tools for enhancing positive child behaviors. Participants will have access to a collection of brief parenting videos introducing evidence-based strategies from common caregiving concerns, such as how to increase child cooperation, teach children new behaviors, and manage emotions. You will hear about these strategies from real-life caregivers  people who have used these skills in their own families and want others to experience the same positive outcomes they have seen with their children. To learn more, visit www.miparentingresource.org.
NEW YORK (AP)  During the pandemic, Steven Soderbergh has shot two feature films, released a pair of movies, written a sequel to his first film (1989's Sex, Lies and Videotape), re-edited some of his older movies (mostly for fun) and co-produced the Academy Awards.

It's an amount of accomplishment that really puts to shame the 1,000-piece puzzle some of us are still proud of assembling last May.

Yet at a time when much of Hollywood is going through profound change, Soderbergh has, like few others, seized an uncertain moment.

I think its fair to say that Im the cockroach of this industry, he said smiling on a recent interview by Zoom. "I can find a way to survive in any version that Im confronted with."

Soderbergh has averaged a film every one of his 35 years in movies, amassing a nimble, frenetic body of work spanning experimental iPhone indies ("High Flying Bird," Unsane) to commercial crowd-pleasers ("Ocean's Eleven," Erin Brockovich," Magic Mike). His latest, "No Sudden Move," nearly didn't happen. It was initially scheduled to begin shooting in April 2020. The pandemic scuttled those plans but by early fall, after he helped create return-to-set safety protocols, Soderbergh remounted it  albeit without one star, George Clooney, who withdrew out of health concerns for his asthmatic son.

Still, No Sudden Move, which debuts July 1 on HBO Max, doesn't lack for stars. And while Clooney's presence would have reinforced a spirit of get-the-band-back-together, No Sudden Move remains a cousin to one of Soderbergh's most celebrated movies: 1998's Out of Sight, the slinky, sublime caper adapted from Elmore Leonard.

That film opened in Miami sunshine but descended into wintery Detroit. Twenty-three years later, No Sudden Move returns Soderbergh to the Motor City with Don Cheadle, who memorably played Maurice Snoop Miller in Out of Sight." Since then, Cheadle has co-starred in four more films with Soderbergh ("Traffic," the Ocean's movies). But he's front-and-center this time.

This was designed as vehicle for Don, whether he wanted it or not, Soderbergh says. Literally: I wanted to see this guy walking, walking, walking  and we parachute into this story.

No Sudden Move opens with Cheadle, as Curt Goynes, strolling through 1950s Detroit. Soderbergh and screenwriter Ed Solomon conceived of the film from the start as a heist movie with a trio of thieves brought together not unlike those in Robert Wise's electric 1959 noir Odds Against Tomorrow. (That was one inspiration. The classic 70s crime film The Friends of Eddie Coyle was another.)

But while working on the script, Solomon came upon the history of the automotive industrys efforts to avoid emissions controls. No Sudden Move" begins with three hired guns (Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Kieran Culkin), but in a multiplying series of double-crosses, expands in scope to encapsulate some of Detroit's original sins, a little like how Chinatown does for Los Angeles. The rest of the cast includes Bill Duke, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Julia Fox, Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon and Ray Liotta.

We were able to talk about redlining and community and the devastation of Detroit and the greed of the car manufacturers without proselytizing or hitting it on the head, says Cheadle. It was all part of the narrative intrigue. It felt in a lot of ways like Out of Sight 2.0 or 1.0, 30 years beforehand  revisiting that kind of energy.

Cheadle wasn't necessarily eager to return to a film set at the time. But he also realized that if he didn't, a-stuck-at-home Soderbergh would probably keep writing and sending him scripts. The director managed the shoot without incident by frequent testing in two mobile COVID-19 testing units that were personally paid for. The central cast and crew members were kept in a quarantine bubble.

I know that I put Steven through some version of hell in my uncertainty about coming back, Cheadle says. I lost family members to COVID. I was really gun shy about even leaving my house."

Cheadle smiles. I also blame him for Contagion,'" referring to Soderbergh's prophetic pandemic drama from 2011. I think hes Patient Zero.

In April, Soderbergh led an effort to mount an in-person Oscars despite COVID-19 protocols. The telecast was handsomely shot, opening with a fluid tracking shot of Regina King, and it made an often impersonal ceremony warmly intimate. But it was also talky, with lengthy introductions and speeches, and one gambit to rearrange the final awards ended awkwardly.

Overall, Soderbergh is pleased with the show. The broadcast did what it set out to do: pull off an in-person Oscars safely while experimenting with an often inflexible format.

As far as I know, were the first show in a long time where nobody ever got played off, and Im proud of that. This is what happens when you hire the director of a movie called Let Them All Talk," he jokes, referring to his 2020 film for HBO Max, with Meryl Streep, shot largely on an ocean liner crossing.

But Soderbergh did walk away from the experience  a satisfying and unique one, he says  with a gnawing sense of a larger existential crisis for movies. Ratings, like they have for most pandemic award shows, plummeted.

I just look at it as a larger issue than the specifics of what our show looked like, and that is: How do we make people care about the movies the way they used to?" Soderbergh says. To me, this is the real question that needs to be confronted.

But the conditions, and the opportunities of streaming, are also ripe for a protean, fast-working filmmaker like Soderbergh. He recently shot his third film for HBO Max, KIMI," a pandemic-set thriller with Zoe Kravitz. No Sudden Move, a period crime film for adults, is very much the kind of movie that before the streaming flood gates opened would have been unlikely to get made.

Its a really good time for somebody who makes things. I honestly would not like to be running these companies. Nobody knows whats coming. Nobody knows whats a cyclical thing as opposed to a real secular change, says Soderbergh. I have a long history with Warner. We both seem to be in sync with the purpose of my deal which is for me to be really busy."

Other things never change. No Sudden Move is Soderbergh's sixth heist film, a cycle begun with Out of Sight" that includes the three Ocean's films and Logan Lucky, a self-financed meta-heist movie in that it sought to pull one over on Hollywood, too. The genre, the director says, encourages a filmmaker to bring something to the table  to style it up. It's just made for the movies, he says.

As time wound down before Soderbergh and Cheadle had to leave for the Tribeca Festival premiere of No Sudden Move," he wondered if returning to the scene of his first crime movie was pushing his luck.

Ive had two really good experiences in Detroit and gotten out of there with two movies Im really happy with, said Soderbergh. The question is: Should I just let that go?

Cheadle didn't hesitate. Tee it up! Go to the well! he encouraged. Spin the wheel!

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

___

This story has been updated to correct spelling of Brendan Frasers last name.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed two bills Friday that would let businesses seek refunds for taxes paid on personal protective equipment, disinfectants and plexiglass barriers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Whitmer said she instead favors creating a direct grant program with federal money. She said tax credits would be ineligible for reimbursement from Washington, a blow to the state budget.
The Zonta Club of Midland offers annual scholarships to women of all ages pursuing career goals that will positively impact the status of women.

Funds to support the scholarships are raised through the Annual Zonta Homewalk held in December. Zonta is pleased to announce this years scholarship recipients, recognized at Zontas May meeting: Alisha Arnold (Davenport University  nursing), Alison Sanford (Delta College  dental hygiene), Emily Montgomery (Central Michigan University  graduate student in education counseling) and Alicia Wietfeldt (Davenport University  nursing).
In this Thursday, April 29, 2021, photo is the waterfall of Spotting Rock at Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon, Colo. For the high country mayors, commissioners and county managers who have felt required to spend their constituents tax dollars maintaining federal forests, the SHRED Act is a welcome alternative to the strange arrangement theyve put up with for several years. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via AP)
Washington, US (PANA) - The US says it is "appalled and deeply saddened" about the horrific killings of three staff members of medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), in Ethiopias Tigray region on Friday and called for an independent investigation and for the perpetrators to be held accountable
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Fifteen peacekeepers of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were wounded on Friday in a car bomb attack in the commune of Tarkint, in the Gao region of northern Mali, the UN mission announced on its Twitter account
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA)  The fierce Nigerian militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), on Saturday announced its return from a long silence, threatening to cripple the Nigerian economy by its planned renewed attack on critical oil and gas installations across the oil-rich Niger Delta region
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Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye has called on Ghanaians who have been vaccinated not to be afraid of any of the Coronavirus variants.



Coronavirus has posed a major challenge to the scientific world as the virus keeps mutating.



Recently, the most contagious and deadly Coronavirus variant known as Delta variant which originates from India and is a major cause of deaths in the country.



The Delta variant is said to have also affected the United Kingdom, causing the country's Coronavirus cases to hike up rapidly.



Ghana recently recorded the variant at the Kotoka International Airport and there are speculations that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not effective against the Delta variant.



Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Okoe Boye has debunked the speculations.



According to him, those who have received the AstraZeneca vaccines or any other approved vaccines have maximum protection against the Delta variant.



"If you have been vaccinated, you have protection against all variants that are currently in the world including Delta variant...The good news is that AstraZeneca and Sputnik-V that we have provided in Ghana, they all provide more than 90% protection for severe illness," he emphasized.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Tanzanias President Samia Suluhu Hassan has said the East African nation is being hit by a third wave of coronavirus.



Prevention is better than cure; lets not stop using anything that may protect us from the pandemic to avoid mass death, she said after a meeting with Catholic bishops in the main city of Dar es Salaam.



Since taking office in March this year, following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli  one of Africa's most prominent coronavirus sceptics  President Samia has been at the forefront of addressing the pandemic.



In April she formed a committee of experts to advise her government on the measures they needed to take deal with coronavirus.



Early this month, she also allowed the importation of vaccines for international organisations and embassies in the country.

Source: BBC









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A private secondary school in the northern Nigeria city of Kano has adopted cryptocurrency as a means of payment for school fees.



There has been controversy over the use of cryptocurrencies in the West African nation, as in February the countrys banks were banned from dealing in them.



But the head of the Oxford Science Academy, Sabiu Musa Haruna, told the BBC that the school had decided to collect school fees using cryptocurrencies because of their growing acceptance around the world.



He said the parents of students had been consulted and many had welcomed the decision.



However, he said paying school fees with digital money was not compulsory.

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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A total of 58 students from 17 schools have so far been infected with COVID-19 in the Upper West Region since the outbreak of the virus in Ghana on March 12, 2020, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).



Dr Richard Wodah-Seme, the Acting Upper West Regional Director of Public Health who disclosed this during a stakeholder engagement on school-aged nutrition in Wa lauded the massive collaboration from the Ghana Education Service (GES), which enabled them to control the outbreak of the disease in all the 17 schools.



The GHS and GES initiated the Nutrition Friendly School Initiative (NFSI) and the SMART School Initiative in seeking to improve the school nutrition environment and provide nutrition education for the overall health and wellbeing of students.



This intervention preceded the Girls Iron and Folate Tablets Supplementation (GIFTS) programme in the region introduced in November 2019 by the GHS, GES and UNICEF in response to the high anaemia prevalence (48%) in Ghana among adolescent girls.



Dr Wodah-Seme expressed the hope that NFSI and the SMART School Initiative would receive the same collaboration they enjoyed from the GES in the past, adding that, it was essential for stakeholders to come together to highlight the importance of nutrition among children in their formative stages.



He noted that the Service would soon establish the prevalence of obesity among school children in the region.



This is a study that will soon be commissioned by the GHS so that they will be able to establish the true extent of the problem and to come up with innovative ways of killing it before it goes out of control, he said.



Mr Razak Abdul-Koray, the Upper West Regional Director of Education, noted that GES was hosting about 90 percent of the target population and that they had been battling with attendance and performances, some of which they traced to poor nutrition.



A healthy child certainly will be in school, but if they continue to fall sick they will not come to school and that has a likelihood effect on the childs performance, the GES Regional Director said.

Source: GNA









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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will this year hold a special national delegates congress to deliberate on policy issues and make constitutional amendments.



The novel congress is a requirement of the partys constitution and will make room for members to discuss issues in an atmosphere devoid of the election tension as no internal contests will be held at the event.



Interview



The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC incharge of Operations, Mr Peter Boamah Otokunor, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the partys constitution was amended in 2018 to make room for that special national congress.



"This will be the first time such an event will be held because in the past, what we did was to organise a national congress for both elections and constitutional amendments, but we are decoupling the two so that the congress will be mainly for the election of the national executive of the party," he said.



Mr Otokunor, however, said the planning of the conference was still ongoing among the leaders of the party and an appropriate date, which would be towards the third quarter of the year, would be announced.



"We are planning to do it this year and plans are underway to put that programme together, so when we are set with the details, we will make them known," he said.



National chairman



Throwing more light on it, the National Chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said the special national delegates congress of the party would look at the structure of the party, constitutional review and how to reposition the party to take the commanding heights of democracy in the country.





We will make it an all-inclusive activity and bring all stakeholders on board, so that everybody will be found to be part of it. Together, we build this party and no one will be left behind, he said.



He assured Ghanaians that the NDC would return to power to manage the nations economy better.



Mr Ampofo stated that it was only when the NDC was in power that the nation witnessed astronomical

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Chairman of the Health Committee of Parliament, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, has admonished the NDC Minority in Parliament, to proffer solutions to securing COVID-19 Vaccines for Ghana rather than engaging in unnecessary debates in the media over the procurement of vaccines.



According to Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, the call for an urgent bi-partisan parliamentary probe into Ghanas procurement of Sputnik-V vaccines by the minority is completely out of place.



He was reacting to the Minoritys press conference on Thursday in an exclusive interview.



The minority is demanding a third party probe into the propriety of the agreement between Ghana and Frontiers Healthcare for COVID-19 testing at the Kotoko Airport International Airport.



The minority alleged that people are getting vaccines for as low as $10 (Ten Dollars), and then the Presidential Advisor advised them that if they have anybody who can supply vaccines for $10 they can even propose the person to be the transaction advisor or even to supply, and they are ever ready. As I speak to you today, the minority has not done it, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie explained.



He continued, they have raised issues like the African Union made a deal with the Sputnik people but up till date, the African Union has not taken any delivery of vaccines or supplied to any country, and interestingly countries are left on their own to seek their own salvation."



Touching on the issues of the middlemen in the supply of the Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccines, he explained that middlemen are allowed in Russia.



Unlike the COVAX facility which allows for government to government, the Russians, they allow for middlemen because they do take and pay, and that means if you have your cash there and governments are unable to get it done.



" . . My search across means that the RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund), allow for middlemen to acquire and then governments are ready with middlemen to repay over a period based upon their schedules. So, for the minority, this issue is more about throwing dust in the public eye since they have not come to the House for us to interrogate it, Dr Ayew posited.



Touching on international transactions, he explained how the Supreme Court ruled in the Bakan-Energy issue and referred to Article 181 (5) where it has to do with giving the onus to the Attorney-General to determine if a transaction is major or minor.



So for instance, the Ministry of Health every year acquires vaccines; they get it from abroad, they dont come to Parliament. Once we approve the budget in Parliament and we give appropriation act."



" . . We have given the authority to them so it is inherent in the budget, and the budget they brought this year, they said they were going to acquire vaccines and we gave them the approval . . .  Dr Nana Ayew further explained.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is to support the creative arts industry with five million Ghana cedis as seed money to help it to grow.



Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, the sector Minister, said the money was to support the practitioners to propel the industry to the desired level.



He said this during an interaction with industry players, including actors/actresses and musicians, on ways to improve the sector and make it attractive to investors.



He said the meeting was to familiarize with the stakeholders, know their concerns and find ways of addressing them.



"As seed money we are going to start with GHC5 million. For me, it is all about making money so that we can move the industry to the next level. I want to help you make that money, grow your business and pay your taxes, he said.



Dr Awal appealed to the stakeholders to identify and furnish the Ministry with two key projects that could be achieved within two years.



Let us start with two projects, put that together and let me have it. What I can say is that the President is ready to make things happen, he has given me two years to change the industry and that is what I will do," he said.



Dr Awal assured the stakeholders of the Ministrys continued support to ensure the industry thrived.



"I will not say, I have answers to all your challenges, but I am prepared to learn and learn very fast so that we can move the industry forward and I will need your support to do that."



The practitioners mentioned challenges including the lack of funds, lack of government support and proper regulation, and influx of foreign content.

Source: GNA









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The last thing you expect to see while spending a quiet day fishing is a Bigfoot moving about on the shoreline and throwing rocks. A Kentuc...
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One of the firms behind the planned redevelopment of a peninsular Charleston church site for a multistory apartment building is working on another project nearby.

JJR Development, which recently announced a proposed $40 million, 5-story multifamily project at the site of Eastside Missionary Baptist Church on Meeting Street, is developing a 3-story office building at 4 Maple St. next to Interstate 26.

Named after the street address, the structure will include three floors of 1,920 square feet each with another 1,283 square feet on the penthouse level that will include a roof deck.

The building is situated on three parcels from Cypress to Maple streets, just off Meeting, and is next to the planned Lowcountry Lowline linear park. It's also across the street from the Half-Mile development of restaurants and technology firms. An onsite lot and a parcel on the south side of Maple Street will be used for parking.

The office building can house a single business or be separated for different users on each floor, according to Jeffrey Roberts of JJR Development. The design allows an owner occupant to rent space for additional income or grow into additional space over time.

"We are not doing this building as a rental product," Roberts said. "We are doing it as an owner-occupied product."

He sees it as suitable for professional service firms such as architects, accountants or lawyers.

"Why rent when you can own your own building and control your own environment," Roberts said.

Charleston currently has a glut of office space because of the pandemic. People are working remotely and several large office projects have either been recently completed or under construction.

Still, Roberts is bullish on the small office market on the upper peninsula.

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He believes the structure's smaller size and parking availability offer a "stand-alone" option away from more high-traffic areas.

Construction is expected to wrap up by late summer or early fall.

Woodlock Capital will serve as the marketing agency.

JJR plans to build the 250-unit Boulevard Apartments at 584 Meeting St. in a partnership with MCZ Development, which is relocating to Charleston from Chicago.

That project is now winding its way through the city approval process.

New homes

More housing is on the way to West Ashley.

An affiliate of Georgia-based homebuilder Ashton Woods recently bought 42 undeveloped acres along Sanders Road for $3.6 million. The land sits off of Bees Ferry Road about a mile south of West Ashley Circle.

A representative of Ashton Woods did not immediately respond to a request for the proposed number of homes on the site.

The previous owner was an affiliate of Tempe, Ariz.-based Coronado West, which provides land bank financing services to residential home builders.
COLUMBIA  John Sims, a Black artist known for provocative work involving the Confederate flag who was detained by Columbia police in his apartment in May, received an apology from the city's mayor.

"I would like to apologize to you for your harrowing experience with Columbia Police Department officers on May 17, 2021," Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin wrote Sims.

"Columbia prides itself on being a city of inclusion that is a safe and welcoming place for all people, both our citizens and our guests," he continued. "We expect that when guests are visiting our city, they are made welcome, their safety and wellbeing are ensured, and all aspects of their visit make them wish to return. Equally, we work to foster a civic space where all of our citizens and residents are regarded with respect, consideration and mutual well-being."

Benjamin did not address any questions about the police officers' conduct or decisions when Sims was detained. Columbia Chief Skip Holbrook concluded that officers conducted themselves "professionally and within policy," including having their guns drawn when they confronted the artist.

Benjamin said in his letter that he visited Sims and toured his exhibition at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art, "AfroDixia: A Righteous Confiscation," which capped the Florida artist's 20 years spent fighting the symbolism of Confederate flags by recoloring and recontextualizing them. One display has Confederate flags hanging from nooses on a wooden gallows.

"Now more than ever, the work you are doing is necessary and important," the mayor wrote. "A robust and frank dialogue around the history of race, racism and oppression is more important now than ever. The dedication and passion that you exhibit, despite all of the obstacles you have faced, is inspiring. You, your exhibit, and your voice are welcome in our city. Equally the City of Columbia has been made better as a result of your residence, artistic presence and perspective."

Sims was in Columbia for a month-long residency when he was awoken around 2 a.m. May 17 when four police officers burst inside his provided apartment at the 701 Center. Officers had their guns drawn and offered no explanation before handcuffing him.

He was handcuffed for approximately six minutes inside his apartment, according to a review of police body cam footage. Officers attempted to confirm he was the resident in the apartment, but ultimately let him go before those calls were returned.

Columbia police said officers entered the building near the Olympia Mills student apartment complex after seeing a door open.

Officers did not know anyone was living in the building and heard footsteps on the second floor and came to the apartment door. Officers entered and yelled for anyone inside to come out with their hands up. Sims, who heard the footsteps below and feared potential attackers over his art, shouted back "What's up?"

Sims asked for officers for identification, a request that went unanswered. Officers ordered Sims to face the wall and told him to stop resisting as they handcuffed him.

Columbia police said they placed Sims under "investigative detention" while confirming he belonged in the apartment. Sims told them he was the artist in residence, but the officers say they dont know him.

After his release, Sims asked to take a picture and an officer in glasses told him, Not if youre going to post it somewhere.

Sims asked again, and the same officer said, No because youll probably post it somewhere.

Holbrook noted after the incident that the on-scene supervisor should have allowed Sims to take pictures of officers.

Michaela Pilar Brown, executive director of the 701 center and a prominent Black artist, said police have entered residences at the center previously searching for possible intruders, but none ended with a "hostile confrontation, detention, cuffing, and a records check."

"Such previous encounters have resulted in courteous apologies from officers," Brown said. "The difference? Race. Mr. Sims is a Black man; the other incidents involved a White man.

Sims spoke to Columbia City Council two weeks after the incident and took issue with Holbook's assessment about the officer's conduct.

"I could have easily been shot and killed that night," he said. Now what if I was armed legally and fired on the intruders not knowing if they were police? Would this 'stand-your-ground' law apply to me? ... And more importantly, why are Black people consistently profiled to be a suspect, an intruder, a thief, in the wrong place, assumed to be guilty first?"

Sims' residency at 701 ended as planned this month, though the center said he was unable to finish the play he was slated to complete during his stay due to the distraction of the police incident, shifting a scheduled table read to a discussion of the altercation and its impact on his art.
Sunday services weren't the only in-person church activities suspended during the pandemic.

The coronavirus disrupted a number of faith-based efforts, including an educational summer program that blends arts and crafts with Christian teachings and has withstood the test of time: Vacation Bible School.

Last year's disruption stalled many congregations' strides in attracting youths and families to church. VBS is particularly important at a time when many mainline denominations are struggling to bring in young families.

As physical gatherings continue to resume, some churches are looking forward to welcoming children back to religious campuses with a wide range of creative activities. Some are still wary of the pandemic, opting instead for other initiatives that allow for better social distancing.

We need to reconnect to people," said the Rev. Charles Taylor, lead pastor of Charleston First Assembly in West Ashley. "(COVID-19) separated us."

First Assembly's VBS, which took place June 21-25, welcomed children ages 5-11 after calling off last year's session of VBS. This year's Bible school theme focused on being treasured by God.

But the main takeaway won't necessarily be the lessons. Rather, the ministry will help the church to return to some sense of normalcy while also reminding the congregation of God's presence throughout the pandemic, Taylor said.

"God has never left us," he said.

VBS also presents an opportunity for houses of worship to merge exercise with education.

At St. Luke's Lutheran in Summerville, young participants will divide into competing Olympic teams and participate in a variety of sporting events, including races with hobby horses and hurdle jumping competitions.

The July VBS will include in-person craft making as opposed to last year's hybrid model when children took home arts kits.

The goal is to mix fun while also fulfilling one's Christian commitment, said Dani Vogel, director of faith formation at St. Luke's.

That commitment is made during children's baptisms, when congregants promise to help raise youths in a faith-filled community by teaching them about the Bible, she said.

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The church will work toward fulfilling that mission under this summer's VBS theme, "All on God's team."

Churches often look to ready-made kits that come equipped with readings, music, crafts and other essentials. But Vogel outlined St. Luke's curriculum. She looks forward to the summer program bringing church members back to campus.

"We've spent the last 18 months apart  now were getting a chance to be together in one community again," Vogal said.

First Assembly, St. Luke's and many other churches have already restarted in-person services.

At First Assembly, 45 percent to 50 percent of the congregation has returned to church, Taylor said.

Still, a number of congregations remain wary.

Second Presbyterian Church said it isn't quite ready to bring crowds of children back into the building. It'll be the second consecutive summer at the church without a traditional VBS.

Instead, the congregation will host "beach mornings" and picnics that bring together young families for conversation.

Being in community with other believers outside of the sanctuary plays a fundamental role in faith formation, said Jordan Pritchard, director of communications and community at Second Presbyterian.

It's important to hear the Scriptures on Sundays and also enjoy time outdoors throughout the week, she said.

That's what we missed this past year," she said, "the fun and relational part."
Health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acknowledged this week reports of rare cases of mild inflammation of the heart muscle and surrounding tissue among young people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

In a joint news release on June 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and 11 other health organizations said only a small number of people will experience the condition after vaccination, and individuals often recover on their own with minimal treatment.

The inflammation is much more common for people who get COVID-19, and the risks to the heart from the virus can be more severe, the release said.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control continues to encourage people 12 and older to get vaccinated.

"Make no mistake: COVID-19 continues to spread in our communities, and those who remain unvaccinated face far greater risk from the disease than rare side effects from the vaccines," DHEC said in a release.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 88 confirmed, 70 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 492,836 confirmed, 103,308 probable.

Percent positive: 2.6 percent.

New deaths reported: 13 confirmed, 2 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,640 confirmed, 1,179 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled: 68.7 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

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DHEC's vaccine dashboard shows that 47.9 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, Berkeley County (seven), Charleston County (14), Greenville County (eight) and York County (eight) saw the highest totals.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had eight new cases on June 25, while Berkeley County had seven and Dorchester County had five.

Deaths

Four of the deaths from COVID-19 confirmed June 25 were people 35 to 64. Nine were patients age 65 or older.

Hospitalizations

Of the 130 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of June 25, 33 were in the ICU and 16 were using ventilators.

What do experts say?

Because of the continued rise in the spread of the Delta variant, DHEC said it is more important than ever for people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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.
Former Florence County Sheriffs deputy sentenced to prison for role in illegal gambling ring stretching across Florence and Williamsburg counties
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
The Army Corps of Engineers and the city are working on a plan to protect Charleston's peninsula from future storm surges, and we hope the project can be broadened to take a more expansive view of the possibilities. Above, waves breaking over the Low Battery wall during a 2017 tropical storm. File/Matthew Fortner/Staff
I dont believe anyone objects to citizens spending their own money any way they choose, but too much of our current political energy and tax money seems to be spent on celebrating and memorializing past victims or vilifying past leaders by tearing down their statues.

Until South Carolina gets beyond the past and starts to focus on what needs fixing today, we will continue to be another state where lawmakers will spend tax revenue on almost anything that might get them another vote.

How many projects, such as street improvements, flooding issues or the burying of utility lines, could be accomplished with the millions of tax dollars we spend on museums, memorials and now even a new holiday?

Has a memorial or new holiday ever really changed anyones life?

Do museum and memorial visits actually motivate someone to get an education, get a job, enhance their quality of life or create family values?

Learning from the past misfortunes of others may be worthwhile, but its hard to march forward when you have your head stuck in the past.

A.D. HEATHCOCK

Palisades Drive

Mount Pleasant

Catholic debate

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops would do better to clean up its own house before trying to punish politicians who believe it is a womans right to decide what is best for her body.

For years, a womans choice has been ruled by men, and it needs to stop.

For many years, some priests and other clergy have abused young boys and girls.

A majority of American Catholic women use or have used birth control, and some have had abortions, and they still take communion.

MARYANN CARRUTHERS

Old Castle Loop

Myrtle Beach

Beware Chinas legacy

On July 1, Chinas Communist Party will celebrates its centennial anniversary.

Although only 6.6% of the population are members, the party controls every aspect of life in China.

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As part of the celebration, Xi Jinping, Chinas leader who has already established his position, is in the process of revising history.

This appears to be an attempt to justify his suppression of dissent, which includes the near genocide of the Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims, the crackdown on Hong Kong independence and total censorship. This has even intimidated Americans sympathetic to Taiwan.

This attempt to rewrite the brutal history of Mao may be ambitious even for a despot like Xi.

From 1947 to 1951, the party committed classicide, eliminating 30 million landowners.

From 1958 to 1962, Maos Great Leap Forward to industrialize and collectivize the populace ended up starving or killing an estimated 40 million Chinese.

Between 1966 and 1976, the partys Cultural Revolution cost 10 million lives through torture, murder and starvation.

Tiananmen Square is not to be overlooked in considering the extent of the Communist Partys totalitarian control of all aspects of life in China.

Xi may rewrite as he will, but the truth will out.

All the pomp and circumstance of the anniversary will be countered by the silent screams and shouts of the lost souls of tragic repression.

Make no mistake, this is one anniversary that truly deserves attention, concern and a realistic understanding of unrevised history.

JAMIE GOUGH

Camp Road

Charleston

Research facts

When a news source publishes an article exposing a law or action that hurts not just the countrys economy but goes against constitutional rights, the people you think would be the most disturbed are instead the ones rejecting the source.

They immediately attack it as left-wing propaganda, progressive and unpatriotic.

Instead, why dont they check the facts before reacting so harshly against their own best interests and others?

Are not the most treacherous of anti-patriotic people the ones who support laws that allow corporations to pay zero federal income tax while spending millions of dollars in lobbying and hiding profits offshore?

Instead of shooting the messenger, why not look into the facts from reliable, independent sources.

BEVERLY WATROUS

Cornerstone Lane

Myrtle Beach
A couple of years ago I saw a middle-aged Caucasian couple and their three young children walk past the mayors office in Dededo. When I asked Read more
She's been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for several weeks, but Darlene Apis, 49, said she's not ready to abandon the face mask even if Guam reaches its 80% herd immunity goal by Liberation Day.

"I will still keep my mask on after July 21 when I'm in public until I am fully confident we're really safe," the Dededo resident said Friday, after bringing her 15-year-old daughter Atika to get her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

It could be six months or another year of mask-wearing, she said, but she's at peace knowing that her whole family is now fully vaccinated.

"We took the vaccine because we're thinking not only of ourselves but for other people too. We want Guam to be safe," the mother said.

Her daughter, an incoming junior at Guahan Academy Charter School, said she mustered the courage to face the needle one more time so she could be fully vaccinated just like her parents and older brother.

"I'm scared of needles, but I have to do it, so I'm here," Atika Apis said at the University of Guam Calvo Field House vaccination clinic operated by the Guam National Guard.

Among her closest friends, she said she's the last to get her two doses because most of her friends are at least 16 years old. Minors ages 12 to 15, like Atika Apis, weren't allowed to get vaccinated on Guam until May 13.

Paulen Gentural, 44, said she will use a face mask when she's in public, even after July 21.

"I'm not confident yet about not wearing a mask in public," the Agat resident said. "I will keep it on because I know that there would still be a lot of people not vaccinated and even if it's regular flu, you don't want to catch it from other people not wearing a mask."

It's been more than two months since she got her second dose of the Moderna vaccine. On Friday, she brought her son Adrian, 15, to get his first dose.

"He's the one who asked me to bring him here to get vaccinated. It's also my day off, so we're here. We came here as walk-ins," the mother said. "Next school year, it's going to be face-to-face classes and he said he's already bored with online classes so getting vaccinated now would be good for him. He's going to be in 10th grade at Southern High School."

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero on Thursday announced her plans for lifting the mask mandate, allowing businesses to return to 100% capacity and lifting the cap on social gatherings after July 21, if Guam reaches 80% herd immunity by Liberation Day.

But while wearing face masks will no longer be mandated, the governor said she still encourages residents to wear masks in public as a precaution, especially in crowded areas.

At least 73.7% or 88,490, of Guam's estimated 120,039 adult population has so far been fully vaccinated, according to the governor's director of communications, Krystal Paco-San Agustin.

This means about 7,500 adults, 18 years old and older, still need to be fully inoculated in less than a month, to reach the target number of 96,031. Only fully vaccinated adults are counted toward herd immunity.

But overall, as of Thursday, at least 93,528 individuals have been fully vaccinated on Guam, including minors 12 to 17 years old.

'Excited to be back to normal'

Roman Lairopi Sr., 45, said he's "so excited to go back to normal," or close to it, when herd immunity is reached.

Lairopi and his wife Sumittra, and their 12-year-old daughter Laviana got their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine together on Friday. They brought 8-year-old son, Roman Jr., with them.

The father of two decided to get the vaccine before it becomes mandatory at his job site, he said. He works in the sanitation industry.

"It also helps protect the whole family," he said, adding that getting fully vaccinated could ease family travel should they finally visit Saipan after several years.

Nene Tenorio, 12, said her aunt had been encouraging her to get vaccinated. With her older sister accompanying her, she got her second dose.

"I feel good," she said. "It's better to get it now than later."

First dose

Safely Orichiro, 32, said it took her a while to get vaccinated because of concerns that it could negatively affect her pregnancy.

"I was scared so I had to ask my doctor first if it's OK, and she said it's OK," she said. "I was pregnant when COVID started. I gave birth in October and another one is on the way."

She and her husband Kachit Nakamura, 34, were at UOG to get their first Pfizer dose Friday.

The couple also said their church has been closed since March 2020 and would only reopen if everyone has been vaccinated.

"I think we're the last ones to get vaccinated," Orichiro said with a smile. "I think our church wants to reopen around July 10."

Thankful for the vaccine

Arlon Segovia, 31, said he's thankful that getting COVID-19 vaccine on Guam is so much easier than in the Philippines, where most people have yet to receive the vaccine, or to even get an appointment.

He arrived on Guam in May as a foreign worker under the federal H-2B visa program. He got his first dose after going through mandatory quarantine, and he was among those who got their second dose Friday.

"Thankful I got my second dose today," the excavator operator said. "In the Philippines, it's not easy."

Vax N' Win

All the families interviewed said either they already entered their name or will soon be registering for the Vax N' Win vaccine incentive program that will give them a chance to win $10,000 cash or a new car.

"I registered as soon as I learned about the first winners last week," Paulen Gentural said. "Who knows? Maybe we get lucky."
I was rummaging around again in my archive of old columns from the mid-1990s that never appeared online anywhere, and I found one, from December 1996, that shows the current CRT/anti-racism claptrap was rapidly gaining ground way back then:

Still Trendier Than Thou: The Joy of Guilt-Mongering

Nearly 20 years ago the late Paul Seabury of U.C. Berkeley wrote a sprightly feature article in Harpers magazine about the Episcopal Church entitled Trendier Than Thou. Seabury was a decendant of Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal Bishop in the United States in the 1770s. So he was well-placed to comment on the secular leftward drift of the Episcopal Church that included the Bishop of San Franciscos Grace Cathedral admonishing his worshippers for being on the side of the greater evils of racism, militarism, and imperialism.

Fast forward to 1996, and it appears that little has changed. The mail brings a copy of the Episcopal Churchs 137-page Resource For a National Dialogue on Anti-Racism, which it is encouraging parishes to use to observe Martin Luther King Day on January 20. Racial division is of course a serious subject, and religious denominations, more than government, are suited to take a pre-eminent role in alleviating such divisions. Which makes all the more disappointing the relentless political correctness of the Episcopalian document.

For example, the report offers as an example of sexist bigotry the belief that women should be barred from locker rooms at mens sporting events. (What about men being barred from womens locker rooms at womens sporting events, or better yet, fashion shows? The report is silent.) But most of the report is less amusing. It equates racism with social power. In other words, it is a problem caused by whites.

The report beats its breast about environmental racism and church burnings, and suggests that a law be passed requiring that one hospital be built for every prison that is built. The report goes to great lengths to defend Louis Farrakhan, and fails even to acknowledge his anti-Semitic rants. The most serious offense of the report is that it trivializes genuine racism by lumping it together with ageism, ableism, classism, and even militarism, just to prove the 60s arent dead yet.

At this point one begins to suspect that schadenfreude is at work. The authors of this report are clearly giddy about church burnings and episodes of bigotry. Like the anti-war movement after Vietnam, their life would be devoid of meaning if racial tension actually subsided. There is no greater joy than guilt-mongering.

Paul Seabury warned in his 1978 Harpers article that the world of the spirit, like that of nature, abhors a vacuum. . . Once a spiritual order becomes the auxiliary of a secular Zeitgeist, it loses even the utility it professes as its justification. . .
Kto szuka: Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Stanowisko: IT Service Desk Specialist Lokalizacja: Warszawa mazowieckie

Wymagania stawiane pracownikowi:

IT Service Desk Poland team acts with cross border incident management and request fulfilment, takes active part in IT communities and takes responsibility at global level for successful deliveries.

In Nordea, were harnessing the power of technology to reinvent the future of banking. A tech revolution is underway  and you can make an impact. Though were a Nordic bank, were also one of the largest IT employers in Tricity and Warsaw. Working with international teams in an inspiring working environment, youll have lots of opportunities to expand your skills and advance your career.

About this opportunity

As an IT Service Desk Specialist you will work together with Nordic Units in order to align local procedures to the Nordic standards and solve tasks that require independent judgment and own decisions on how they should be solved. You will be responsible for supporting end users in case of IT failures or standard requests according to defined processes. You will act as first level support to all end users (single point of contact).

What youll be doing:

Provide support to end users through all appropriate channels, such as phone or ITSM tools regarding any kind of IT-related problems to ensure high availability for customers

Align IT activity to business, prioritize and assign necessary resources to swiftly close end users problems

Interact with second line support or external vendors in all tasks related to IT infrastructure and application problems or requests in order to avoid or solve problems and incidents

Track, prioritize and document all incidents reported to the service desk using the relevant tools following the incident management procedure to avoid future incidents

Diagnose software and hardware problems in order to find the right solution and thereby help the end user

Actively participate in knowledge sharing among colleagues in order to create and implement best practice

Take responsibility for own learning and keep updated within own area of responsibility to secure continuous competence building and personal growth

You will be working with a lot of great colleagues in our new office in Warsaw. Please note we work from Monday till Sunday, covering shifts between 6:00 and 22:00.

Who you are

Collaboration. Ownership. Passion. Courage. These are the values that guide us in being at our best  and that we imagine you share with us.

Your experience and background:

You have at least 1 years of experience from a similar position and maybe you have a bachelors degree (computer science or likely)

You have knowledge of ITIL methodology  knowledge of incident, change and problem management will be considered an advantage

You are open-minded as a person and like to work in a role with high customer-focus. Furthermore, you have very good communication skills and are solution oriented with a ca-do approach when dealing with challenges

We expect that you speak and write English fluently.

If this sounds like you, get in touch!

Firma oferuje:

Next steps



Submit your application no later than 26/07/2021.

At Nordea, we know that an inclusive workplace is a sustainable workplace. We deeply believe that our diverse backgrounds, experiences, characteristics and traits make us better at serving customers and communities. So please come as you are.

Please include permit for processing personal data in CV as following:

In accordance with art. 6 (1) a and b. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) hereinafter GDPR. I agree to have: my personal data, education and employment history proceeded for the purposes of current and future recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp.

The administrator of your personal data is: Nordea Bank Abp operating in Poland through its Branch, address: Aleja Edwarda Rydza Smiglego 20, 93-281 odz. Your personal data will be processed for the recruitment processes in Nordea Bank Abp. You have a right to access your personal data, right to rectify and right to delete. Disclosing the personal data in the scope specified by the provisions of Polish Labour Code from 26 June 1974 and executive acts are mandatory. Providing personal data is necessary to conduct the recruitment processes. The request for the deletion of your personal data means resignation from further participation in recruitment processes and causes the immediate removal of your application. Detailed information concerning processing of your personal data can be found at:





We reserve the right to reply only to selected applications.

Kontakt do pracodawcy:
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday struck out a suit demanding three slots for the South-east region in the process of appointing 18 judges for the Court of Appeal.

A group, Alaigbo Development Foundation, had filed the suit on March 16, 2021, asking the court to stop the appointment exercise unless the Igbo-dominated South-east geopolitical zone was given three slots in the appointment process.

President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the appointment of the 18 Justices in April, about a month after the list of the nominees was recommended to him by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Of the 18 new appointees, one is from the South-east (Imo State). Two are from the North-central, four from the North-east, five from the North-west, four from the South-west and two from the South-south.

Alaigbo had argued in its suit that the South-east was marginalised in the appointment process. It therefore urged the court to order that the South-east be given three slots as the regions fair share.

Delivering judgement in the suit, however, Inyang Ekwo ruled that the group lacked the locus standi (the legal right) to institute such suit.

Mr Ekwo noted that Alaigbo, in filing the suit, acted in breach of the provisions of the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.

He explained that instituting such a suit is outside the scope of the groups registration under CAMA.

If the plaintiff is now telling this court that it is by virtue of its registration under section 833 (1) of CAMA that it is engaging in this suit, then its registration was a camouflage, and ought to be revoked, the judge said.

Striking out the suit, Mr Ekwo said, The plaintiff lacks the requisite locus standi (legal right) to institute this suit against the defendants.

Judge gives advice

Mr Ekwo advised the organisation to desist from parading itself as a socio-cultural organisation. He said Alaigbo cannot obtain its registration as a foundation and turnaround to call itself a socio-cultural organisation.

Go and face the business of setting up a fund for the objective of a foundation. Stop parading yourself as a socio-cultural organisation, Mr Ekwo said this in his judgment on Friday.

I therefore make an order striking out this action for lack of locus standi of this plaintiff (Alaigbo). This is the order of this court, Mr Ekwo said.

Background

The incorporated trustees of Alaigbo Development Foundation had, through their lawyer, Max Ozoka, filed their originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/347/21 on March 16.

The group sought a court order to compel the defendants to replace the three vacancies in the South-east slots by three new justices from the zone.

The plaintiff urged the court to, among others, declare the action of the defendants, particularly the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, in allocating one slot only to the South-east zone in the ongoing exercise as unjustifiable, unfair, inequitable and contrary to the true intendment of the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Other prayers sought by the plaintiff included, A declaration that the South East Zone is entitled to three new slots in the ongoing exercise of appointment of the justices of the Court of Appeal in direct replacement or filling of the vacancies in the bench of the Court of Appeal currently existing in the South East Zone which arose from the elevation, retirement and death of three justices of the Court from the Zone.

READ ALSO: Buhari approves appointment of 18 Appeal Court judges

An order of the Honourable Court restraining the defendants, especially the 1st 2nd and 3rd defendants from continuing the ongoing exercise of appointment of justices of the Court of Appeal unless and until the South-east Zone is accorded its rightful entitlement in the exercise.

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Objection to suit

Earlier, arguing its preliminary objection during the hearing of the suit, the NJC (1st respondent), represented by Paul Usoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, asked the court to decline jurisdiction in the matter on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to institute the case.

Mr Usoro told the court that the plaintiff was an Igbo socio-cultural organisation and that its aims and objectives did not include instituting cases of public interest.

On their part, counsel to the 2nd and 3rd respondents (Federal Judicial Service Commission and President, Court of Appeal) Yakubu Maikyau, also urged the court to refuse to entertain the matter on the grounds that Section 20 of the CAMA did not permit the group to embark on instituting such an action.
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A security team led by police officers engaged Boko Haram gunmen in a shootout and rescued many people earlier kidnapped by the terrorists.

The incident happened on Friday and involved the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Borno State Government.

The operation was confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES by some of the victims and an official of the RRS.

The incident occurred at about 4.30 p.m. along the Maiduguri-Kano highway.

The attack on travellers on the route was the first since February when gunmen attacked a bridal train and abducted many of them.

It is also believed to be the first by Boko Haram since the death of the leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, who reportedly committed suicide during a fight with a splinter group, ISWAP.

The Rescue

The RRS, led by their commander, Abioye Babalola, responded to a distress call by some of the travellers who had managed to escape.

Sources familiar with the incident said the gunmen who rode in five gun trucks stormed the highway after engaging some personnel of the counterterrorism unit of the police.

Many vehicles stopped while travellers jumped out of and fled into the bush.

While they were rounding up some of us, the travellers who could not escape, the RRS squad suddenly arrived and engaged them in fierce shooting, which forced them to abandon the passengers, said Bashir Musa, a traveller who survived the attack.

It was a fierce fight and the RRS policemen did well because they arrived on time and kept on fighting and advancing while shooting teargas that forced the gunmen to flee and left us lying face down.

Ismaila Jajere, a driver, also confirmed the incident.

I was coming in from Damaturu with my Maiduguri-bound passengers when suddenly I saw a military vehicle trailing. I tried to give them a way to pass but when they were overtaking me, I noticed that it was not a military truck but Boko Haram.

I was scared, so I decided to make a u-turn. When they moved ahead and then suddenly turned and started following us, so I had to stop the vehicle and told my passengers that we were under attack by Boko Haram.

We ran into the bush, as we noticed three more trucks of Boko Haram coming. It was scary. They did not fire at us, but we had to keep running. We later returned to the highway and a payloader gave us a lift to Auno where we informed the police RRS who moved in toward their direction.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on phone, the RRS Commander, Mr Babalola, said, we only did what we are mandated to do which is protecting commuters along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

It happened at Garin Kuturu, some few kilometres before Auno, and when we responded to the quick intel shared with us by the locals. But before we reached the spot we noticed that they had fired  and they hit a patrol vehicle of the counter-terrorist squad. So we moved in and we saw that they were rounding up passengers.

We engaged them while releasing tear-gas that blinded them. They eventually fled and abandoned the passengers who we assisted to safety. We have also helped a driver rescue his abandoned vehicle, a Sharon minibus, Mr Babalola said.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), has disclosed that it had so far shortlisted 11 companies to benefit from the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF).

Bashir Jamoh, Director- General, NIMASA, made this known in a statement made available to reporters on Saturday, in Lagos.

He noted that following the agencys advertisement for banks to express interest in the disbursement of the CVFF fund, four primary lending banks had also been shortlisted.

According to him, NIMASA had made presentations to the Ministry of Transportation asking to oversee the four primary lending institutions, as required by law, to come up with guidelines on the disbursement.

Mr Jamoh said that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy had affected the timely disbursement of the fund.

He explained that the proceeds of the fund was owned by the federal government, contrary to speculations that the money belonged to the shipowners.

The CVFF account is not under NIMASAs control, in the sense that it cannot use the money. It must go through a process and that is why we have not been able to disburse the fund.

With the way the Cabotage Act of 2003 is designed, disbursement from primary lending institutions as stated in the act, cannot happen now, because the operations of TSA in all government agencies accounts now comes from TSA.

We now must adapt to a system where we can operate from the TSA and that is the process we are going through now.

The CVFF account has two components. There is a dollar and naira component. As of the time we came into office, over a year ago and now, we have over N32 billion in naira and $209 million in dollars.

As it is, even if we want to do anything with or through the CVFF, we will have to apply for and get approval before doing anything, he said.

The NIMASA DG noted that the country was also projecting to achieve a zero-duty rate on importation of new Nigerian flagged vessels, as part of incentives for indigenous shipowners and targeted at discouraging importation of rickety ships into the country.

Mr Jamoh said NIMASA was engaging the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to develop the incentives for shipowners, to enhance their competitiveness, and hoped to get the Presidents approval in no distant time.

We have made two submissions. The first one has to do with fiscal incentive for stakeholders and this is a relief package for them if they import a vessel.

We encourage government to give us approval so that anybody that brings in brand new ships would attract zero duty.

The second part has to do with monetary incentives, and we have made our presentation to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and they have responded that we should sit down with stakeholders.

We will now also graduate and produce the type of monetary incentives we want, he said.

He added that after the process, stakeholders would be asked to come up with the specifications of vessels they want to procure. (NAN)

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As of Friday, various worrisome images and video clips suspected to be those of Chidinma Ojukwu, an undergraduate of Mass Communication Department at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, who is alleged to have murdered the chief executive officer of Super TV, Michael Ataga, surfaced on the social media.

One of such clips shows the 21-year-old smoking what looks like cannabis, and puffing intermittently.

Though PREMIUM TIMES could not independently confirm the identity of the smoker, but the suspect confessed on camera that, alongside the late sugar daddy, she had taken some intoxicants before struggles over sex led her to stabbing Mr Ataga to death.

That this matter takes the centrestage of public discourse in Nigeria few hours to the 2021 edition of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, is a confirmation of the experts view that the country, and Africa by extension, sits dangerously on a keg of gunpowder over rising cases of drug use and drug abuse.

Various research outputs by experts and relevant national and international organisations have consistently revealed the dangerous rising cases of drug use in the country and the damaging consequences of violent crimes, abuses and health complications.

Today, like all over the world, the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) says many Nigerian adolescents no longer see the harmful effects of cannabis despite its biting consequences.

Global statistics

On June 24, ahead of todays celebration, UNODC launched its 2021 World Drug Report, noting that around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders.

According to a consultant psychiatrist at 68, Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Akin Oguntuase, some of these substance-induced disorders include; delirium, dementia, amnestic disorder, psychotic disorder, anxiety disorder, sexual dysfunction, among others.

The report added that within the last 24 years, cannabis potency had increased by as much as four times in parts of the world, even as the percentage of adolescents who perceived the drug as harmful fell by as much as 40 per cent, despite evidence that cannabis use is associated with a variety of health and other harms, especially among regular long-term users.

Highlighting the implications of the dangerous trend, the UNODC executive director, Ghada Waly, said; Lower perception of drug use risks has been linked to higher rates of drug use, and the findings of UNODCs 2021 World Drug Report highlight the need to close the gap between perception and reality to educate young people and safeguard public health.

The report observed that between 2010 and 2019, the number of people using drugs increased by 22 per cent. It linked the increase to the growing global population, and that following the demographic changes, it is projected that by 2030, the number of people using drugs would have further increased by 11 per cent.

Nigerias worse situation

In 2019, the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, a joint research by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) with technical support from the UNODC, was launched.

The document gives a damning account of rising drug use in Nigeria, noting that as of the time of the research, 14.3 million Nigerians aged between 15 and 64 years engaged in drug use.

Of this figure, the survey added that about three million were drug dependent and suffering from substance-induced disorders.

But the latest report by the UNODC hints of a sharp degeneration above the global average in the near future.

According to the report, instead of the expected 11 per cent increase in the global number of drug users by 2030, the projection is 40 per cent in Nigeria, and the whole of Africa.

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In Nigeria, this would signify that the country will have to grapple with approximately 20 million drug users by 2030, further deepening the public health and public security challenge, the report stated.

The statistics also says 11 million Nigerians took to cannabis as of 2018 while 4.6 million and 2.4 million others were said to have used opioids and cough syrups, respectively.

Other substances said to have been commonly taken in Nigeria include tranquilisers and sedatives, solvents and inhalers, among others.

According to the data, the prevalence of drug use in Nigeria on a geopolitical zonal basis reveals that the South-west tops the chart with about 4.382 million users amounting to 22.4 per cent of Nigerias total figure of 14.3 million users. The South-west comprises Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.

The North-west zone, comprising Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina and Kebbi States closely follows the South West with 3 million drug users as of 2018, while the South-south region of Edo, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States ranks third with 2.124 million users.

The countrys region that is already ravaged by long years of conflict, that is, the North-east, comprising Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa and Gombe States, recorded 2.09 million users to rank 4th on the log.

The South East zone of Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi States recorded about 1.55 million drug users while the North Central zone of Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and the federal capital territory recorded 1.5 million users to take 5th and 6th positions respectively.

Expert presents worse reality

Mr Oguntuase, who is the head of the psychiatric department at the military hospital, explained that the statistics may have recorded less than what seems obtainable in the country, especially in recent time.

According to the psychiatrist, about 90 per cent of the patients on the beds in his hospital have their cases linked to drug use one way or the other.

The reality today, unlike in the past, is that we now experience more dual diagnosis for our patients because in one way or the other, they have something to do with drugs, he said.

Mr Oguntuase said apart from conventional drugs taken by many Nigerians, those who are illiterates and poor now take to other substances including sniffing petroleum, septic tank, drainages, latrine or burning rubber materials.

When you notice that your children or house helps are in the unusual habit of taking the keys frequently to wash your cars they may be sniffing fuel, Mr Oguntuase cautioned.

Reasons for rising statistics

The expert listed many reasons for the rise in the cases of drug use and abuse in Nigeria to include poor economic condition, rising cases of illiteracy, marriage crisis, polygamy and large family, among others.

He said findings through the patients have shown that anywhere the male parent is absent or has less economic power, which he described as super-ego, the children tend to take substances.

The immediate past registrar of the University of Lagos, Taiwo Ipaye, linked the crisis to the breakdown in the countrys socio-cultural values. She said the family value is no longer entrenched as was the practice in the past.

The father is headed this way; the mother is headed that way. The grandparents are also too busy, and so we no longer have time to look over our children. This is dangerous and the consequences are here with us, she said.

To Mrs Ipayes colleague at the university and the acting director of international relations and partnerships on the campus, Ismail Ibraheem, the unguided use of technologies by young ones has also contributed to the significant rise in the challenge.

Damning consequences

Mr Oguntuase said the consequences are already here with us in Nigeria, adding that since drugs breed crimes, the surge in criminality across the nooks and crannies of the country cannot be dissociated with the increasing drug use among Nigerians.

He said the multifarious violent conflicts rocking the country are also part of the byproducts of the abuse of substances by individuals.

He said; Even the craze for wealth among the politicians and civil servants might not be unconnected with drug use. This is because once you are on drugs, you have an exaggerated view of yourself and you lose your feelings with a tendency to hurt without remorse.

When you loot public wealth blindly, it shows you no longer have a feeling that you are hurting others because the wealth you are accumulating illegally should be for the good of others.

Mr Oguntuase, therefore, said he agrees with the call for the medical examination of Nigerian politicians and those he described as kleptomaniac civil servants, to check whether they are drug users.

Coronavirus worsens situation

Meanwhile, the global drug report by UNODC has said the coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to the ugly future outlook, noting that the economic crisis that accompanied the series of lockdowns imposed on countries is a contributory factor for more demands for drugs globally.

While the impact of COVID-19 on drug challenges is not yet fully known, the analysis suggests that the pandemic has brought increasing economic hardship that is likely to make illicit drug cultivation more appealing to fragile rural communities.

The social impact of the pandemic driving a rise in inequality, poverty, and mental health conditions particularly among already vulnerable populations represent factors that could push more people into drug use, the report noted.

Cannabis legalisation

Mr Oguntuase also kicked against those clamouring for the legalisation of the cultivation of cannabis by the Nigerian government, saying the possible implications on the peoples health far outweighs the financial gains.

Some Nigerians including the governor of Ondo State, South-west Nigeria, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has consistently advocated the legalisation, saying the medical and economic merits of the use of cannabis outweigh its demerits.

Speaking recently at a stakeholders roundtable on the benefits and opportunities of cannabis plant Nigeria, Mr Akeredolu said cannabis is a multi-billion-naira industry that can help diversify the Nigerian Economy if judiciously utilised.

He reportedly said; The planet earth has a constant period of darkness and light every 24 hours which we call night and day, in like manner, just like every other crop or plant, Cannabis Sativa has both CBD and THC content which we can put it to good and bad use, Mr Akeredolu said.

Products with extract of Cannabis Sativa are already in our pharmaceutical sales outlets across the country. They are being imported with foreign exchange, and sold at exorbitant prices with additional, but avoidable stress on our Naira.

He said he witnessed the transformation to the business of cannabis in Thailand, and urged the nations legislature to review the law and legalise the plants cultivation in Nigeria.

But Mr Oguntuase said Nigeria cannot afford to legalise cannabis, insisting that even drugs that are sold over the counter are abused in Nigeria.

He said; Whether we like it or not, cannabis increases mental health problems. People who claim other countries are legalising it dont even know that there is nowhere they give blanket approval to cannabis cultivation.

Those with TAC and those with CBD look alike but they are different and mean different things to those who cultivate them. But Nigerians dont have the knowledge to differentiate the two. Even the over-the-counter drugs that are legalised are seriously abused by Nigerians. I dont think we need to complicate our problems.

Mr Ibraheem also shares Mr Oguntuases views, saying the social and moral side of the matter should be considered.

The negative effects of cannabis are very glaring for us to see. So I will not support its legalisation, he said.

Way forward

As part of its recommendations towards averting the projected glooming future, UNODC recommended increased awareness campaigns.

This years annual awareness campaign is themed: Share facts on drugs, save lives- end drug abuse.

The global body said; COVID-19 has triggered innovation and adaptation in drug prevention and treatment services through more flexible models of service delivery. Many countries have introduced or expanded telemedicine services due to the pandemic, which for drug users means that healthcare workers can now offer counselling or initial assessments over the telephone and use electronic systems to prescribe controlled substances.

In Nigeria, 130 healthcare professionals trained by UNODC under the EU-Nigeria Partnership Project Response to Drugs and Related Organized Crime formed DrugHelpNet providing over-the-phone counselling and assistance to more than 1800 drug users during the height of the COVID-19 related lockdown. This innovative approach to providing much needed help to drug users often in desperate situations also constituted an important step toward reducing the stigma associated with accessing drug counselling and treatment services, in particular for women and girls.

While a senior assistant registrar at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, Saheed Saliman, enjoins religious institutions to preach to their disciples the dangers inherent in consuming intoxicants, Mrs Ipaye wants schools curriculum to accommodate issues of attitudinal change.

Mr Saliman, who is one of the deputy imams at the YABATECH mosque, said Islam forbids the use of intoxicants and that any substance that intoxicates must be avoided by Muslims, as a matter of faith.
About 1.1 million lives could be lost by 2030, if the insurgency ravaging Nigerias North-east region continues, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said in a new report.

The report also said the over a decade conflict in the war-torn states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe had increased by 10 times killing nearly 350,000 people as of the end of 2020.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported in August 2019, that the insurgency led by extremist Islamic groups had killed an estimated 35,000 in the North-east parts of Nigeria since the beginning of the conflict in 2009.

The UNDP Resident Representative, Mohamed Yahya, said this in a statement Thursday at the virtual launching of the UN report titled, Assessing the Impact of Conflict on Development in North-east Nigeria.

Citing the report, Mr Yahaya said that critical aspect of progress and development, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP), poverty, malnutrition, infant mortality, education, water availability and sanitation, may not return to pre-conflict levels in the region even by 2030.

He said findings from the report show that for each casualty caused directly by insurgency, an additional nine people, primarily children, have lost their lives due to a lack of food and resources  and more than 90 per cent of conflict-attributable deaths are of children under the age of five.

The report further notes that the economic destruction brought by the insurgency has dismantled already fragile health and food systems with less than 60 per cent of health facilities in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states are fully functional, while a quarter is either destroyed or non-functional.

Without continued investment in development as a long-term solution, the protracted conflict in North-east Nigeria will continue to impact other parts of the country and the entire Sahel region, Mr Yahya said.

He added that There is a need for international partners and national stakeholders to ensure that funds are invested not only on life-saving and humanitarian needs but also mid-and long-term development priorities in order to enable Nigeria to achieve the SDGs and attain the AU 2063.

Breakdown

According to the report, the conflicts in the three states of Borno Adamawa and Yobe that recorded deaths of 35,000 at the end of 2019, increased by 10 times at nearly 350,000 deaths through the end of 2020, with 314,000 of those from indirect causes.

The index added that for every year that conflict continues; infants and children are the most impacted  with about 170 children under five years die daily  and by 2030, it is estimated to grow by 240.

It said women and children make up 80 per cent of the displaced population in the North-east and have limited options for work and survival, including difficulties accessing resources.

In 2020, findings from the report estimates that 1.8 million students are out of school who would have been enrolled if not for conflict.

By 2030, in the conflict scenario, the average Nigerian in the BAY states will have had a full year (20 per cent) of education less than expected in the No Conflict scenario

As of 2019, 81 per cent of people living in Yobe, 64 per cent in Borno, and 60 per cent in Adamawa suffer from multidimensional poverty, a measure that accounts for deprivation with respect to standards of living, health, and education.

Recommendations

The report sas to overcome the conflict, development efforts need to be focused on the stabilisation of affected areas through a community-level approach that enhances physical security and access to justice, rehabilitation of essential infrastructure and basic service delivery as well as the revitalisation of the local economy such as market stalls, schools and police stations.

Nigeria has continued to battle attacks from groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP). Both have terrorised Nigerias North-east geopolitical zone for more than a decade.

This has led to massive internal displacement with more than 1.8 million Nigerians displaced in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, with the vast majority (nearly 1.5 million) located in Borno.

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In addition, 1.8 million students were out of school in 2020, according to data from the UN.

Despite the repeated bloody attacks the Nigerian government, also burdened by insecurity in virtually all parts of the country, has continued to claim that the terrorists have been defeated.=
The governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State began on a shaky note on Saturday, with one of the aspirants, Tony Nwoye, pulling out from the exercise in protest.

The Anambra State chapter of the PDP has two factions.

Mr Nwoye, a former member of the House of Representatives, protested against the new list of delegates released on Friday, a few hours to the primary, by the National Working Committee of the party, according to a report by Vanguard newspaper.

The PDP state executive, ward executives, and ad-hoc delegates in Anambra have been excluded from voting in the primary, going by the new list of delegates, an action the party national leadership said was necessary because of the dissolution of the state and ward executives of the party in the state.

The spokesperson of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said on Friday, that the dissolution was in obedience to two court judgements.

The latest list, signed off by the National Organising Secretary of PDP, Austin Akobundu, consists of 229 automatic delegates picked from different parts of the state,

It includes notable names like Peter Obi, a former governor of the state; Chris Uba, a former BOT member of PDP, and Ben Obi, a member of the party BOT.

The list is populated with former and serving legislators, and former Anambra State officials who are members of the PDP.

Awka South Local Government Area has 23 delegates, the highest on the list, followed by Idemili North which has 18 delegates.

Dunukofia Local Government Area has the least number of delegates  three.

This is against democracy

It is not clear how the new list of delegates would affect the outcome of the PDP governorship primary in the state, but Mr Nwoye said allowing automatic/super delegates to choose a candidate for the PDP was a violation of the party constitution.

These excluded statutory and duly elected ad hoc delegates constitute over 94 per cent of the total number of expected Delegates to vote at the primary election!

The import is that the primary election as is being purported will only be by a paltry 5  6 per cent of eligible voters. There can be no doubt that this runs against the grain of the basic tenets of participatory democracy of which I am an uncompromising proponent of, Mr Nwoye said.

ALSO READ: PDP dissolves Anambra exco hours to primary election

Aborting the rights of the people who represent the kindle to our possible success at the election, cannot have my participation at the Primary election, he added.

Mr Nwoye, while announcing his withdrawal from the exercise, said his supporters were free to vote for any other aspirant of their choice in the primary.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately get the PDPs reaction, as the party spokesperson, Mr Ologbondiyan did not respond to calls from our reporter.

There are now 15 aspirants contesting in the primary.

They include a two-term former House of Representative member, Chuma Nzeribe; the partys 2017 deputy governorship candidate, Chidi Onyemelukwe; a serving senator, Uche Ekwunife; a former senator, Ugochukwu Uba; and a member of House of Representatives, Chris Azubogu.

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Others are a former members of the House of Representatives, Val Ozigbo, Obiora Okonkwo, Genevieve Ekwochi, Godwin Maduka, Godwin Ezeemo, Winston Udeh, Johnny Maduafokwa, Emeka Etiaba, Walter Okeke and Ifedi Okwenna.
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About one month after the governing council of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, was dissolved over controversies surrounding the appointment of the institutions 9th substantive vice-chancellor, the Lagos State Government is set to announce a new one.

Barring any last-minute change, a former accountant general of the state, Davies Sunmoni, will replace the chairman of the dissolved council, Adebayo Ninalowo, while the remaining 13 members of the former council will be returned.

A highly-placed source, who is privy to the new development but does not want to be quoted for obvious reasons, confirmed the development to our reporter on the phone.

The source added that all other members agreed to be returned as the universitys governing council members after they were abruptly relieved of their appointment in May, just nine months after they resumed office.

The source said: All of them agreed with the governor that the former chairman did not conduct himself well while the matter of the appointment of a new vice-chancellor lasted. They even said they warned him against using the situation to settle personal scores but that he didnt listen.

So, the truth is that all of them said they would be glad to work with another chairman.

Background

After two unsuccessful attempts to select a substantive vice-chancellor for the university following series of petitions against the governing council and other concerned parties, the governor had set up a visitation panel led by the former vice-chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Bamitale Omole.

The panel, which submitted its report on May 10, said the selection process was far from being fair and recommended the councils dissolution.

It also recommended that the registrar of the university, Olayinka Aminu, should be released to embark on leave pending the appointment of a new vice-chancellor.

Mr Amuni was accused of not properly guiding the the council on the procedures for the selection of a new VC.

Mr Ninalowo, a professor at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), who was reappointed in 2020 for another four-year-term, was accused of bending the rules to accommodate personal interests.

New council members

The new council members, which will be announced this weekend according to sources will have Mr Sunmoni as the chairman, with all the 13 other members of the dissolved council including the chief executive officer of the mobile telecommunication giant, MTN, Karl Toriola, as members.

The other members are Shafiudeen Amuwo, Adenike Yomi-Faseun, Adetugbobo Hakeem, Sule Tolani, Folasade Adesoye, Kunle Soname, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, and Adebayo Akinsanya.

Others are Mojisola Tolagbe Taiwo, Morenike Williams, Anuoluwapo Esho and Foluke Abdul-Razaq.

New directive

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt that the new governing council members who were part on the joint council and Senate selection committee for the substantive vice-chancellor in the aborted process would be asked to recuse themselves from taking part in the new process.

Yes, that is the deal. They would not take part in the new selection process as new members would be appointed or elected as the case may be. It is to ensure fairness and openness, the source added.
The United States Department of Justice has accused the suspended aide of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Abidemi Rufai, of a fraudulent surety scheme.

The Acting U.S. Attorney, Tessa Gorma, in documents filed at a United States Courthouse, in Tacoma, Washington, on June 23, said Mr Rufai knowingly participated in a fraudulent surety scheme to mislead the court.

The U.S. government said it received a transcript of a recorded call between Mr Rufai and his brother on May 25, four days after a hearing on his detention.

Mr Rufai was desperately looking for a person to stand surety for a $300,000 bail bond earlier granted him by a magistrates court.

He could not find a suitable surety before the U.S. government was able to obtain another court order suspending the magistrates release order.

It is evident from the recording that the defences presentation of the surety as a friend of Rufai was false, and that, in fact, Rufai does not even know the surety. In the call, Rufais brother states that they found a lady to set up the bail.

According to the call record, Mr Rufai reportedly asked if the suretys husband is in New York or Nigeria. The brother responded that her husband is here in New York. Rufai and his brother then discussed the fact that the surety might withdraw because of pressure on her family in Nigeria resulting from publicity about the case.

They discussed the possibility of obtaining another surety. Rufai stated: Whoever you can get, I dont know, do you understand? No matter how it is, I will pay the money. Do you understand? Just leave that alone. I will pay the money The money is available. You dont have to be afraid of that, part of the new accusation against Mr Rufai read.

The U.S. government said that it is evident from the call that Mr Rufai knowingly participated in the alleged scheme to mislead the court.

Rufai was present when the surety gave testimony that led the magistrate judge to believe she and Rufai knew one another well enough for her to be a suitable surety and third-party custodian.

In fact, Rufai did not even know the lady and did not know basic biographical information about her. The recording also makes clear that Rufai has significant assets (at least enough to cover a $300,000 bond), which he is willing to use, however, he can to secure his own release.

This is contrary to his statement to Pretrial Services in New York that his only asset is $6,000 in the United States and $10,000 in Nigerian checking and savings account. And, the recording shows that Rufai and his brother conspired to set up a replacement sham surety to buy Rufais release.

The provision of false information to the court and Pretrial Services indicates a willingness by the defendant to obstruct the criminal justice process, and should be considered in evaluating detention because it bears on the defendants character.

This new information, together with that previously provided, makes clear that defendant presents an extreme flight risk who cannot be expected to observe conditions of release or appear for court. The court should revoke the release order.

Backstory

Mr Rufai was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while heading to Nigeria on May 14.

He was said to have used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

At the end of a detention hearing held on May 19, 2021, the Magistrate of the District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Ramon Reyes, agreed with the government that Mr Rufai posed a serious flight risk, but found that the risk could be addressed by conditions of release, including a $300,000 bond.

The magistrate went on to issue an order releasing Mr Rufai based on the bond in which Mr Rufais brother, who is licensed as an attorney in New York, was proposed as surety.

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Complications

Mr Rufai was not released because his brother did not sign the bail bond. The suspect was then remanded pending when he would provide an alternate surety.

Following the refusal of Mr Rufais brother to stand as a surety, the defendants lawyer, Michael Barrows, on May 21, presented Nekpen Soyemi, a registered nurse, whose family comes from Nigeria.

The U.S. later exposed her as a suspect in an investigation into an email impersonation scheme. Her husband, Idris Soyemi, is also said to have been convicted for wire fraud in 2014.

Now, U.S. findings have further shown that Mr Rufai planted the surety and they never knew each other before now.

The U.S. government on May 24 filed an emergency motion of stay release order before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma. The court granted the governments motion as the U.S. uncovered more criminal activities involving the suspect.

A federal grand jury in late May ratified the charges involving conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft against Mr Rufai.

He was subsequently arraigned on fraud charges before a United States Courthouse, in Tacoma, Washington.
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The Federal Capital Develoment Authority (FCDA) says a proposed contract for the rehabilitation of National Assembly Complex is currently undergoing procurement process in line with the Procurement Act of 2007.

The Head, Public Relations and Information, FCDA, Richard Nduul, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Nduul explained that the management of the NASS approached the FCDA in 2019 for a total rehabilitation and upgrading of the complex to bring it in tune with parliamentary buildings around the world.

He said that the contract would be awarded as soon as it was concluded in conformity with requirements of the Act and also considering all other relevant parameters.

He gave assurance that the rehabilitation of the complex would be executed meticulously to ensure the nations got value for the funds that would be expended.

According to him, this has been the tradition with every other assignment which the FCDA has undertaken.

The attention of the FCDA has been drawn to recent flooding of the lobby of the national assembly complex, Abuja resulting from leakages from the roof.

Our findings indicate that the leakages are traceable to blockages of drainages leading to seepage of water through expansion joints in the roof slab.

Full waterproofing of the roof of the White House building is a major aspect of the proposed renovation of the complex, he said.

(NAN)
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) trained and empowered 210 survivours of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in Borno in the past two years, the funds Head of Humanitarian Programme in the state, Midala Balami, said.

He made this known on Friday in Maiduguri at the graduation and hand over of start-up kits to 30 VVF survivors at the UNFPA Women and Girls Empowerment Centre.

VVF is an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that results in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence. The entity is one among the most distressing complications of gynecologic and obstetric procedures.

The most common causes of VVF are obstructed labour, early marriage, poverty, and womens limited control over the use of family resources.

Women and girls with this disability are often abandoned by their husbands and isolated from the community due to the smell and associated shame of urine leakage.

However, the condition can be corrected through surgery to repair the anomaly.

The UNFPA humanitarian programme head, therefore lauded the Royal Heritage Health Foundation (RHHF) for effective handling of the training on behalf of the fund.

He said the measure was part of what the UN body had been doing to protect vulnerable people in the society.

Mr Balami said this is part of the continuous process that UNFPA had been doing for economic empowerment and reintegration of women and girls.

He explained that the survivors were provided training on confectionaries based on their choices.

He thanked medical doctors who participated in the repair surgery to correct the anomaly and assured the Borno Government of UNFPA support toward empowering women and girls, particularly the vulnerable ones.

The UNFPA Coordinator for North East, Macauley Christian, said that as a reproductive health organisation, UNFPA would continue to be on the side of government to ensure that no one was left behind in areas of prevention and response to Gender Based Violence in emergencies and reproductive health needs of women.

He said today, we are graduating a number of women who are very strong, who have gone through all sorts of ordeals.We are graduating them after giving them skills, which is a comprehensive package by the UNFPA to support the state government in ensuring that survivors of fistula get the necessary medical attention as psycho social support, as well as socio-economic support.

Mr Christian, who said that similar programmes were being done in Adamawa and Yobe states, added that there would be follow up of beneficiaries to ensure that they put into use the training and knowledge they acquired into practice to earn some income.

The Permanent Secretary, Borno Ministry of Women Affairs, Mohammed Hamza, who spoke on behalf of the state government, lauded UNFPA for the various interventions it had been offering to people of the state.

He urged beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture by making maximum use of the opportunity to improve their lives.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of Maiduguri Specialists Hospital, Laraba Bello, who said the hospital accorded special attention to fistula patients, lauded UNFPA for improving the fistula ward in the hospital.

She urged the survivors to observe all guidelines given them regarding their operations, and utilise the training and facilities given them for the purpose intended.

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Hauwa Halidu, who spoke on behalf of the survivors, expressed their gratitude to God for providing them the opportunity to link up with UNFPA, which she said had continued to impact positively on their lives.

(NAN)
Saturdays local government elections in Jigawa State recorded low turnout of voters, as only a handful of voters were seen in polling units, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN correspondents who monitored the exercise in some of the council areas reported that there was voter apathy in most of the polling units during the poll.

Some of the areas visited included Kiyawa, Jahun, Dutse, Babura, Suletankarkar and Gumel LGAs.

Accreditation and voting opened for the prospective voters in Babura at about 8 a.m. at polling unit 002, the registration area code of Governor Muhammad Badaru, amid low voter turnout.

NAN reports that as of 11:23 a.m. only 300 out of the 900 registered voters cast their votes and not many voters were seen on the queue for possible accreditation and voting.

The presiding officer, Bashir Musa, said they were expecting the state governor to come and vote before closing by 3 p.m.

In Kiyawa, Jahun, Suletankarkar and Gumel, the election also witnessed low turnout of voters in most polling units visited while children were seen playing around some of the centres.

However, some of the voters expressed delight at participating in the elections.

Muhammad Ibrahim, a voter in Babura, attributed the low voter turnout to the farming season.

Mr Ibrahim said many who voted in the election had rushed to their farms while others had returned home.

Another voter, Garba Adamu, alleged that voters had shown little interest in the election because they were not expecting appreciation from either political parties or candidates for vote buying.

He, however, expressed the hope that the turnout would improve before the close of polls.

Also, some of the voters attributed the voter apathy to low participation of opposition parties in the elections.

Abdullahi Muhammad, a voter, advocated a law to empower INEC to conduct council elections in the country.

Council elections should be organised and conducted by INEC to avoid manipulation by the state governors, he said.

Mr Muhammad said the measure would make council elections credible, transparent and fair.

However, Abdulmutallab Shafiu, who voted at Babura Special Primary School polling unit, said the exercise recorded high turnout of voters.

Mr Shafiu said most people went home or to their businesses after casting their votes.

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NAN reports that the exercise was generally peaceful in all the 27 local government areas of the state.

Eighteen political parties fielded candidates for the 27 chairmanship and 288 councillorship positions in the elections, according to the Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC).

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had deployed over 3,500 personnel to facilitate smooth conduct of the exercise. (NAN)
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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Saturday advised young couples on godly marriage to enjoy its blessings.

The Vice President gave the charge on Saturday at the wedding ceremony of one of his aides, Kolawole Elijah, to Ronke Aro, at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, headquarters Zaria Road, Jos.

While presenting the marriage certificate to the couple, Mr Osinbajo prayed for good health and fruitfulness for them, urging them to respect their vows.

The gates of hell shall not prevail in this marriage, you will have children as many as you wish according to the desires of your heart.

The Lord will cause you to prosper, the Lord will provide for you so that you will provide for your children, he prayed.

Mr Osinbajo also urged them to be steadfast in the word of God to help them to be good partners.

In his message, the governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, urged the couple to be tolerant and make deliberate efforts to make their marriage work, saying God will sustain your marriage.

He said marriage is ordained by God and the couple should ensure they make it successful.

In his sermon, Igado Oko, an assistant pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God headquarters in Jos, said husbands should give their wives the opportunity to be their helpmates as instructed by God.

He explained that the wife has the repository of wisdom, sufficient to guide the husband in his discharge of duties as the head of the family.

He urged the husband to take full responsibility of the physical and spiritual needs of the wife as instructed by God, and for the wives to be submissive to their husbands. (NAN
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Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, was on Friday sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.

The sentencing came more than a year after Mr Chauvin was filmed by a bystander as he pressed his knees on the neck of Mr Floyd to the ground for over nine minutes on the street of Minnesota, an action he apparently took to arrest Mr Floyd over allegations that he paid with a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a nearby mall.

Mr Chauvin did not buckle to the urging of bystanders to back down, and he ignored the cries of Mr Floyd who repeatedly said I cant breathe.

Moments later, Mr Floyd died in custody, sparking a wave of protest across the U.S. over police abuse suffered by black people, especially in the United States.

Convicted for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in April, Mr Chauvins sentencing, seen as a watershed in Americas history, put some level of closure to arguably one of the most anticipated judgment in countrys history.

During the hearing, Mr Chauvins lawyer, Eric Nelson, prayed for leniency, arguing that Mr Chauvin committed the crime without intent and that jailing him could endanger his life among other inmates.

However, the prosecutor sought a 30-year prison sentence for Mr Chauvin, arguing the 45-year-old former officers actions had traumatized Mr Floyds family, the bystanders who watched Mr Floyd die, and the community. And his conduct shocked the nations conscience.

During the hearing, Mr Chauvin spoke briefly, offering condolences to the Floyd family, New York Times reported.

Judge Peter Cahill of Hennepin County District, nonetheless, sentenced Mr Chauvin to 22 years and a half in prison, crediting him with the 199 days he had already served since he was held in custody when the case started.

The sentence was rare in Americas criminal justice system, particularly because it was against a police officer who killed someone in the line of duty, as they get some pass to use force during arrests.

According to a research cited by New York Times and conducted by a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, Philip Stinson, Mr Chauvin is one of 11 police officers who have been convicted of murder for on-duty killings since 2005.

Within this period, the harshest sentence was 40 years, and the lightest sentence being less than seven years. The average sentence has been 21.7 years.

Mr Chauvins legal battle is far from over as he is still poised to face criminal charges in a federal court, where he is accused of violating Mr Floyds constitutional rights.

Three other officers who were present during Mr Chauvins action are also to face state and federal trials on charges of aiding and abetting murder.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Abuja inaugurated the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiated by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), warning that drug war is deadly.

The president buttressed that drug war was dangerous than wars against insurgency and banditry because it targeted three generations for destruction.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inauguration of WADA is in commemoration of the 2021 UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with the theme Share Facts on Drugs. Save Lives.

It is annually marked on June 26 to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving a world free of drug abuse.

According to President Buhari, the war against drug abuse and illicit trafficking is a war that must be fought by well-meaning citizens.

He said it is therefore my pleasure to declare on behalf of the good people of Nigeria, a War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), not just as a slogan, but a call for civil action for all Nigerians to take active part in this war.

Let me say that this war is deadly than the insurgency we have in the Northeastern part of the country or the acts of banditry in the Northwest or acts of kidnapping that transcends all the geopolitical zones of this country because it is a war that is destroying three generations.

Ive seen clips of where grandparents are on drugs, parents are on drugs, and by extension, their wards, their children are on drugs.

So, this is a war that is targeting three generations in a stretch.

I believe strongly that every effort must be put in place to ensure that we deal with the issues of substance abuse and trafficking and manufacture so that we can get to the root cause as ably elucidated by our keynote speaker this afternoon.

I believe strongly, with every bit of conviction, that if we are able to deal with the issue of drug abuse, our security challenges will drastically reduce as we walk toward a drug-free Nigeria.

Mr Buhari, therefore, implored Nigerians from every strata of life, including traditional and religious leaders, local leadership at every level, to be vigilant and support WADA.

Mr Buhari charged the NDLEA to intensify efforts at ridding the country of criminal elements.

He added that criminal elements had made forest areas their hideouts, from where they had been launching criminal onslaughts as well as for farming marijuana.

He said: I am directing the NDLEA to develop a robust risk-communication and community engagement strategy that will not only disseminate the four pillars of the plan to responsible entities, but deal with destroying production sites and laboratories.

NDLEA should also break the supply chain, discourage drug use and prosecute offenders as well as traffickers, rehabilitate addicts and enforce relevant laws.

I want to particularly draw the attention of the agency to the fact that the use of many of our forests as criminal hideouts is because large swathes of cannabis plantations are hidden deep within those forests.

He also urged families, schools, Civil Society Organisations, professional associations, religious organisations, the academia, community leaders and individuals to work for the common good to rid communities of drug use and trafficking.

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The president said his administration would continue to address underlying causes of drug abuse, including poverty reduction, for which my pledge to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years and strengthened by the recently developed National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy signposts my unwavering commitment.

He appreciated international collaborators, especially the European Union and the UN Office for Drugs and Control, for their unwavering support to the nations drug control efforts, including the development of a roadmap.

He also appreciated members of the inter-ministerial committee on drug control for their contributions and efforts to national drug control initiatives.

N90 billion worth of illicit drugs seized

In his remarks, the Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, said N90 billion worth of illicit drugs had so far been seized by the agency in the last five months.

According to him, over 2,180 traffickers have been arrested, including five drug barons controlling different cartels across Nigeria.

He also revealed that a record 2.05 million kilograms of drugs had been intercepted across the country and 2,100 drug offenders prosecuted with 500 sentenced to various jail terms by courts.

He said while the statistics are impressive, we wouldnt deceive ourselves that we have succeeded in cleaning the Augean Stable in five months.

We have only made a head start. We need to sustain the momentum. We need to win the drug war. We cannot afford to be complacent.

In a goodwill message at the event, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged the President to give approval for the recruitment of 10,000 personnel for the NDLEA to address the manpower problem facing the agency.

According to him, the agency is currently understaffed, underfunded and ill-equipped.

Mr Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Francis Agwu, Chairman, House Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, noted with concern that the NDLEA was using weapons used during the civil war.

He stated that the NDLEA must be provided with modern and sophisticated weapons to enable it to effectively address the menace of drug abuse in the country, as crimes were enabled by narcotics and drugs addiction.

He said the National Assembly was working to amend the Police Trust Fund Act to ensure that other policing agencies like NDLEA benefitted from the pool.

The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, who was represented by Ezekiah Dimka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Narcotic Drugs, underscored the need for individual and collective responsibilities to achieve the goal.

In his message, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, represented by Oliver Stolpe, the Country Representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), urged law enforcement agents to go after the criminals at the upper level of the drug trafficking chain. (NAN)
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Barely a month and some weeks after Abubakar Shekau, former leader of the factional Boko Haram sect, killed himself after a violent confrontation with some renegade Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) top commanders, PRNigeria has gathered that both Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters have mended fences.

In a 13-minutes long video obtained by PRNigeria, an army of terrorists belonging to the rival extremist groups reunited themselves, after they individually placed their hands atop one another, while chanting words of solidarity, to demonstrate their reuniting and togetherness.

They, thereafter, pledged their allegiance to one Aba Ibrahim Al-Hashimiyil AlKhuraishi, whom they unanimously ordained as Khalifan Muslimai, translated as The Leader of all Muslims.

Four insurgents, drawn from the defunct Boko Haram and ISWAP sects, in the clip, were seen pledging their loyalty to their new commander while speaking in Arabic, Hausa, English and Fulfulde.

One of the speakers confirmed the report that intelligence services played critical roles in creating divisions in the camps of the terrorists when he claimed that, the enemies succeeded in dividing us, but we are now back.

PRNigeria had reported how the immediate-past Chief of Military Intelligence of the Nigerian Army, Abdulrahman Kuliya, who died with the Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, in an air mishap in the Kaduna, last month, played decisive roles in the infiltration of terrorists factions, leading to violent confrontations among fighters of Boko Haram and ISWAP groups, and the eventual death of Shekau.

A top intelligence officer informed PRNigeria that in one of the joint security operations coordinated over 223 vulnerable persons, including women and children were rescued and undergoing rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, in the latest video released by Boko Haram, the terrorist element who first spoke, extended his greeting to their new Leader, Khuraishi, thanking him for bringing them together, eventually.

Pledging his loyalty, he said every member of Boko Haram and ISWAP should be happy that they are now united.

Another terrorist, while speaking in Hausa, warmly greeted Al-Hashimiyil Khuraishi, assuring that he and his colleague-insurgents will not flout his orders and commandments.

He expressed delight that they are now back as one indivisible entity, after the mutual hatred that hitherto divided them, gave way.

Another ISWAP fighter, who was wielding a sophisticated gun hung on his neck, thundered: What is left now is Jihad. We will not stop fighting the unbelievers. All the disbelievers have entered trouble.

According to the daredevil terrorist, every Boko Haram and ISWAP member must be ready to fight under the directive of their new leader, for them to survive, and succeed.
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Kemisola Ogunniyi, an 18-year-old lady, who recently gave birth in prison while being detained in connection with the October 2020 #EndSARS protest, has been offered a scholarship.

The development comes nine months after she was arrested on October 22, 2020, and subsequently remanded in prison with about two-month-old pregnancy.

She gave birth in prison on June 16, and regained her freedom on July 22, after many Nigerians took to social media platforms to demand her release.

Her lawyer, Tope Temokun, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Ms Oguniyi has been offered a scholarship by a philanthropist, Bamidele Omosehin. Mr Omosehin, who hails from Ondo State, is the founder of Bamidele Omosehin Foundation (BOF).

He offered to place Ms Oguniyi on scholarship for this forthcoming NECO examination, any other examination and her UTME for her to return to school. He also offered to fund her through university education, the lawyer said.

PREMIUM TIMES recalled that Ms Oguniyis newborn earlier got a scholarship on the day of his naming ceremony. A medical doctor in Akure, Wilson Ikubese, offered the baby scholarship from nursery to secondary school levels.

The naming ceremony took place on June 23 at Vera Christian Assembly, Ayedun Quarters, Akure, Ondo State capital.

Background

Ms Ogunniyi was arrested by soldiers after the violence that erupted in the wake of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.

She was randomly picked up on the streets of Akure for allegedly having connections with persons who torched the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat in Akure, Ondo State, during the nationwide #EndSARS anti-police brutality protest last year.

She was about two months pregnant when she was arrested along with three others on October 22, 2020.

Those with whom she was arrested were Ayodele Bukunmi, Ojo Samuel, and Ani Obinna.

They were all charged with conspiracy to commit arson, riotous assembly, stealing and malicious damage, and later remanded in Surulere Prison in Ondo West local government area of the state.

She gave birth in prison on June 16, prompting Nigerians to take to social media platforms, particularly Twitter, to campaign for her release.

Her lawyer, Mr Temokun, on June 17, wrote separate letters to the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Charles Titiloye, and Chief Judge, Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, demanding her release.

She was eventually granted bail by Ondo State High court and released on July 22.
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The Governor of Borno State, Bangana Zulum, has suspended an international non-governmental organisation, ACTED, for conducting shooting training in a hotel.

The French INGOs personnel were caught by the police following a tip-off by concerned residence living around the hotel.

Isa Gusau, a spokesperson to the governor, who revealed this to journalists on Saturday, said the police found toy guns and other related firearm simulators at the training hall.

Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has directed the immediate suspension of ACTED, an international Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) following Saturdays discovery that the humanitarian iNGO was using a hotel in Maiduguri for training some persons on shooting.

The French iNGO was found using toy guns and simulators in training exercises at a hotel located off circular road in Maiduguri, Mr Gusau said.

According to the governors spokesprson, residents near the hotel had reported to officials that they were hearing sounds of gunshots from the hotel, following which government officials reported the matter to GRA Divisional Police Headquarters which oversees the hotels location.

The police found three toy pistols at the hotel while two trainers, both Nigerians, were at the police station with the investigation going on.

The statement said pending the outcome of the police investigation, Governor Zulum has directed sealing of the hotel and suspension of ACTED from any humanitarian activity in Borno State.

Governor Zulum acknowledges and deeply appreciates the roles of credible NGOs which have been providing critical humanitarian interventions in different parts of Borno.

He assured them of governments continued cooperation and support while also upholding obedience to prevailing laws, policies and rules guiding all activities and actions across the state, Mr Gusau said.

ACTED officials were not available for comments as the INGO hardly interfaces with the media.

But a staffer of the organisation who spoke with our reporter confirmed the development even as the personnel explained that it was a security training for some of the security personnel.

The law of armed conflict does not allow personnel of humanitarian organisations to carry arms as doing so may compromise their neutrality.
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Britains Health Minister, Matt Hancock, resigned on Saturday after he breached social distancing guidelines by kissing his senior adviser, Gina Coladangelo.

A Sun newspaper report showed Mr Hancock on camera in a steamy embrace with Ms Coladangelo on Friday.

According to the tabloid paper, the images were recorded on May 6, when the restrictions in England still banned indoor social gatherings of people from different households.

People were urged to stay two meters apart and avoid face-to-face contact. But those restrictions have since been relaxed.

Mr Hancock apologised and said: I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.

I have let people down and am very sorry.

I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this county has made  that you have made, Mr Hancock said in a video statement released on Saturday evening. Those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them, and thats why Ive got to resign.

Newspapers reported Mr Hancocks refusal to step down and said he had the backing of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

At least one Conservative member of Parliament demanded his resignation, and with so much pressure from the public, Mr Hancock concluded his position had become untenable.

In a letter to the prime minister, Mr Hancock wrote, The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

We owe it to the people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance, he said in his resignation letter.

Mr Hancock, who is married, apologised to his family and said he needed to be with his three children at this time.
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Another aspirant has withdrawn from the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.

Emeka Etiaba, just like Tony Nwoye, a former member of the House of Representatives, had announced his withdrawal in protest, before the commencement of the primary in Awka.

Meanwhile, a faction of the PDP was holding a parallel primary elsewhere in the city, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The National Working Committee of the party on Friday released a new list of 229 automatic delegates for the primary after it dissolved the state and ward executives of the party, an action that has angered some of the aspirants.

These excluded statutory and duly elected ad hoc delegates constitute over 94 per cent of the total number of expected Delegates to vote at the primary election!

The import is that the primary election as is being purported will only be by a paltry 5  6 per cent of eligible voters. There can be no doubt that this runs against the grain of the basic tenets of participatory democracy of which I am an uncompromising proponent of, Mr Nwoye said.

Aborting the rights of the people who represent the kindle to our possible success at the election, cannot have my participation at the Primary election, he added.

The PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the dissolution was in obedience to court judgements.

NAN reported that the five-member electoral panel headed by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State is recognised by the national leadership of the PDP.

The primary conducted by Mr Ortom is taking place at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.

According to NAN, the aspirants at the centre include Uche Ukwunife, Val Ozigbo, Godwin Maduka, Chuma Nzeribe and Chidi Onyemelukwe.

Others are Winston Udeh, Jonny Maduaforkwa, Godwin Ezeemo, Obiora Okonkwo and Genevieve Ekwechi.

One of the aspirants, Mr Maduka, said the elimination of some hitherto statutory delegates through court pronouncements was not expected to negatively affect the exercise.

Mr Maduka said any candidate that emerges from the contest would be supported by all the contestants provided that the exercise was transparent.

(NAN)
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The Jigawa State High Court in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area sentenced a 65-year-old man, Sabiu Suleiman, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of sodomy.

The judge, Musa Ubale, on Monday convicted Mr Suleiman of sodomising a 15-year-old boy in Kiyawa town of Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state.

The judge held that the prosecution proved its case against the convict after hearing the evidence of four prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses.

Mr Suleiman was accordingly convicted under Section 284 of the Penal Code (Miscellaneous Amendments) Law No. 9, 2014.

The spokesperson of the state Ministry of Justice, Zainab Baba-Santali, in a statement, said that the punishment would serve as deterrence to other potential offenders.

In a related development, the Court of Appeal confirmed the life sentence passed on a man convicted of armed robbery.

Ms Baba-Santali said the Court of Appeal, Kano Division had on the 18th June, delivered judgment in the case of Samaila Bello vs State Appeal No: CA/K/637/C/18. with Charge No JDU/1c/2010 where the Court affirmed life sentence on one Samaila Bello for the offence of Criminal Conspiracy and armed robbery.

The Court, presided over by Hon. Justice Hussein A. Mukhtar, PJCA, has dismissed the appeal of the appellant and affirm the judgment of the High Court of Jigawa State which convicted and sentenced the appellant to life imprisonment for contravening the provision of section 97 and 298 of the penal code laws of Jigawa State, the spokesperson said.
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Some aggrieved members of the People Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday took to the streets in protest against the alleged manipulation of the Jigawa State local government council elections.

The protest was recorded in Malammadori Local Government Area of the state

The state electoral commission conducted the elections across the the 27 local government areas of the state on Saturday.

PDP presented candidates in only six councils areas, including Malammadori.

The chairman of the party in the state, Ibrahim Babandi, said its candidates in the other councils could not afford the exorbitant fees for the nomination forms set by the states electoral commission.

Violence broke out in Dunari ward in Malammadori town after some aggrieved PDP members alleged that the votes were being manipulated by electoral officials in favour of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

The party members burnt used tyres on the highway as they castigated the electoral officials.

The election in Malammadori council was hotly contested by the candidate of the APC, Bako BK, and that of the PDP, Isyaku Little.

An opposition leader in the state, Umar Danjani, told reporters that the opposition party had taken the lead before the election result was allegedly tempered with, prompting the protest.

Mr Danjani said similar incident of vote manipulation was recorded in Auyo and Hadejia local government areas.

He said PDP members who stood firm to guard their votes were chased out of the voting premises in Hadejia Local Government Area.

PREMIUM TIMES tried to speak with the head of the state electoral commission, Adamu Ibrahim, but he could not be reached through his known phone contact.

The election results were yet to be announced at the time of this report.
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The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Saliu Adetunji, has endorsed the idea of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Bola Tinubu, vying for the Nigerian Presidency in 2023.

Mr Adetunji expressed his support while receiving members of the Tinubu Vanguard, a support group for Mr Tinubus presidency project in Ibadan on Saturday.

A statement by Johnny Benjamin, The Director-General of Tinubu Vanguard, quoted Mr Adetunji to have said this on Saturday.

The statement said the Olubadan described Mr Tinubu as a good man whose stewardship as president would consolidate on the progressive agenda of of the APC and propel Nigeria to the path of economic prosperity and sustainable development.

Tinubu is a good man and I will do everything within my power to support his candidacy for the 2023 presidential poll, he said.

Mr Benjamin said that representatives of Tinubu Vanguard were at the palace to intimate the Ibadan paramount ruler of their intention to deliver a Tinubu presidency in 2023, and to solicit his royal blessings.

Mr Benjamin added that the group was committed to ensuring that the Tinubu presidential mandate was actualised in the interest of national unity and cohesion.

Meanwhile, Tinubu Vanguard has sent congratulatory messages to Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Babjide Sanwo-olu, Governor of Lagos on their birthdays.

Mr Benjamin commended both celebrants for their dedication to delivering democratic dividends to Nigerians in their respective positions

Sanwo-olus programmes and policies are people oriented and we are proud of his achievements as governor in charge of a complex state like Lagos.

As for the Speaker, his commitment to hard work and his pragmatic leadership style have set him apart as a quintessential statesman.

We wish both of them long life and prosperity, as they continue to support the delivery of good governance in their different capacities, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Messrs Sanwo-olu and Gbajabiamila celebrated their birthdays on Friday, June 25. The Speaker turned 59 while Mr Sanwo-olu celebrated his 56th birthday. ( NAN)
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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Osun on Saturday said 11 persons lost their lives in a ghastly accident that occurred on GbonganIbadan Expressway.

The Sector Public Enlightenment Officer, Agnes Ogungbemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Osogbo.

Mrs Ogungbemi noted that the accident occurred at 9:21 p.m. on Friday around Ayedaade Local Government Secretariat, 5km from Sasa Bridge in Osun .

She said, a vehicle with number plate KJA392YA, White Mazda E2000 Bus, collided with another vehicle with number plate GWL427YM, Black Toyota Hiace Bus.

The persons involved in the accident were 30 males, two females, and one female child.

11 males lost their lives on the spot while the other 22 persons had various injuries and were all rushed to the closest hospitals.

According to her, 16 injured victims were taken to Ariremako hospital Gbongan, six injured victims were also taken to some hospitals in Osogbo .

Ife rescue team, which joined us in the rescue operations, after a call was put to them, took six corpses to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH), Ile Ife, morgue.

Four corpses were taken to OAUTH, Ile Ife, morgue by the command night rescue team. The remaining one corpse was taken by the insistent relatives, who are from Hausa community in Lagos.

She added that seven cell phones, luggage and some amount of money were also recovered at the scene of the accident.

Mrs Ogungbemi advised motorists to desist from dangerous driving that could lead to loss of lives and property when making use of the highways. (NAN)
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees should be rewarded for their paid time off (PTO) days when they haven't been able to use them, contends Veetahl Eilat-Raichel, the founder & CEO of Sorbet. That was Eilat-Raichel's incentive for starting Sorbet, a platform that allows employees to convert unused PTO into cash. This corporate objective resonates deeply with investors as well, and Sorbet just announced that it has closed $21M in financing. This development signifies the largest seed round for a Fintech startup in Israel to date. Back in April, the company announced that it had closed a $6M round, which has now been extended by another $15M led by Dovi Frances' Group 11, along with current investors including: Viola Ventures, Meron Capital and Global Founders Capital.

Regarding the Sorbet platform, Eilat-Raichel explains that in the US alone, the value of unused PTO equates to $270B. Oftentimes, employees are unable to cash out their PTO until they resign or are fired from their jobs. From employers' perspectives, the unused PTO value creates a cash flow liability on companies' balance sheets.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 28% of PTO in the US remained unused. This issue only intensified when travel restrictions were imposed, and as working from home became the norm in 2020 and 2021. A large number of employees simply weren't motivated to take time off as they had in pre-pandemic times. As a result, the challenge of managing PTO grew exponentially for employers. This lack of motivation to take time off is expected to persist as many companies have adopted a telecommuting model, pleased with the productivity from work-at-home employees. Even as we now see a light at the end of the tunnel due to vaccinations and a massive decrease in Covid cases, work trends have been impacted and are expected to change from the old norm.

Sorbet integrates into and syncs with existing calendars of employers, as well as HR and payroll systems. Through this method, the platform identifies habits and analyzes time-management patterns. Sorbet then proactively suggests personalized, pre-approved 3-6 hour "Micro Breaks", 1-4 day "Micro Vacations," as well as +1 week vacations fitting employees' personal preferences without disrupting their work.

Through this unique model, Sorbet increases Time Off usage by an average of +15% and can predict the portion of time-off which won't be used by the employee (and will end-up accruing). Once Sorbet offers to buy out the unusable portion of the employee's PTO, it is able to refinance liabilities for employers so they can better manage their cash flows, save on financing costs, and increase tax deductions. This results in a logical and quantifiable win for all. Most importantly, at a time when everyone can benefit from extra cash, employers are able to offer their employees an enticing financial reward, without having to bear the burden of a significant cash expense.

Cashed out days are loaded onto a virtual prepaid card which can be used anywhere, unlocking highly curated experiences and activities through brand partnerships. This also allows employees to do anything from upgrading to business class, booking a spa treatment, or simply taking an online course paid directly out of their unused PTO.

Along with its new finance developments, Sorbet is announcing its expansion of operations from the US to Australia, where labor laws allow employees to accrue PTO indefinitely. That is a major challenge for any Australian employer, but something that Sorbet can assist with and bring immense value to.

"At Group 11, we pride ourselves on our unique ability to uncover the unicorns of tomorrow," said investor Dovi Frances, Founding Partner of Group 11."Veetahl and the Sorbet team identified a massive market inefficiency hiding in plain sight. With a $270B market opportunity, it was crystal clear to me that this was the time to push forward and not look back."

Eilat-Raichel elaborated: "It is apparent that we're in the midst of a tectonic shift in employer-employee dynamics. With inbound global interest exceeding our wildest expectations, I had the incredible privilege of selecting the best investors to help us expand and accelerate. I can think of no better partner than Dovi and the entire Group 11 team to join us, and I'm thrilled and humbled to have them alongside our already stellar group of investors."

About Sorbet

Sorbet was founded in 2019 by Veetahl Eilat-Raichel (CEO), Eliaz Shapira (CPO) and Rami Kasterstein. Eilat-Raichel most recently served as Head of Retail Marketing at Bank Hapoalim and Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Isracard. Shapira was Co-Founder and CEO of Oneder, a leading educational platform focused on Special Education. Kasterstein has been active in the hitech industry for over 30 years as a serial-entrepreneur and investor. Sorbet currently consists of 28 employees, 16 of which are based in Israel. The company will be recruiting dozens of new employees this year, with professionals joining the US and Australian operations.

Contact:

Kevin Blomberg

Fusion Public Relations

[email protected]

(617) 869-1413

Shira Weiss

Fusion Public Relations

[email protected]

(917) 387-7828

SOURCE Sorbet

Related Links

getsorbet.com


SHANGHAI, June 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OneSmart International Education Group Limited (NYSE: ONE) ("OneSmart" or the "Company"), a leading premium K-12 education company in China, today announced that Mr. Honggang (Greg) Zuo, the Company's director, chief financial officer and chief strategic officer, has tendered his resignation from the foregoing positions due to family reasons, effective June 25, 2021.

Concurrently, Mr. Qiang (Eason) Zhou, vice president of finance, will report directly to Mr. Steve Zhang, the Company's chief executive officer. Mr. Zhou joined OneSmart in 2008 and has served successively as financial controller, senior financial controller, assistant vice president and vice president of finance of the Company. Mr. Zhou is currently in charge of corporate finance, tax, financing and internal control matters of the Company. Prior to 2008, Mr. Zhou held a number of financial leadership roles at several media companies. Mr. Zhou has more than 20 years of experience in financial management and is a certified internal auditor.

Mr. Steve Zhang, chairman and chief executive officer of OneSmart, commented, "I would like to thank Greg for his contributions to OneSmart during his tenure on the Board. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors. I am confident that Eason's leadership and extensive financial and investment experience will continue to add significant value as OneSmart moves into its next phase of growth."

The Company intends to appoint a new chief financial officer in due course. After Mr. Zuo steps down from the board of directors, there will be four incumbent directors: Mr. Xi Zhang, Ms. Zhizhi Gong, Mr. Mason Xu and Dr. Yan Gong, of which Mr. Mason Xu and Dr. Yan Gong are independent directors.

About OneSmart

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai, OneSmart International Education Group Limited is a leading premium K-12 after-school education company in China. Our vision is to be the most trusted and heart-warming education company and our mission is POWER LEARNING changes the future with technology advancement. Our company culture is centered on the core values of customer focus, excellence, integrity, and technology and innovation.

The Company has built a comprehensive premium K-12 education platform that encompasses OneSmart VIP business, HappyMath, and FasTrack English, and OneSmart Online. As of February 28, 2021, OneSmart operates a nationwide network of 457 learning centers in China.

For more information on OneSmart, please visit http://ir.onesmart.org.

For more information, please contact:

OneSmart

Ms. Ida Yu

+86-21-2250-5891

E-mail: [email protected]

ICA (Institutional Capital Advisory)

Mr. Kevin Yang

Phone: +86-021-8028-6033

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE OneSmart
IRVINE, Calif., June 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ManifestSeven Holdings Corporation (CSE: MSVN; OTCMKTS: MNFSF) ("M7" or the "Company"), California's first integrated omnichannel platform for legal cannabis, announced that it has initiated a strategic review process to explore, review and evaluate a broad range of potential alternatives for M7 focused on maximizing shareholder value.

"We are undertaking this strategic review to align the operations and strategy of ManifestSeven with the shifting global cannabis market," commented ManifestSeven Chief Executive Officer Sturges Karban. "We operate in a dynamic space. The process we are undertaking is to position M7 at the forefront of the global industry."

The Company is evaluating options around its strategic direction and drivers, operations and operating model, geographic footprint, value-driven elements of the supply chain, and resourcing.

About ManifestSeven Holdings Corporation

ManifestSeven Holdings Corporation (CSE: MSVN; OTCMKTS: MNFSF) ("M7" or the "Company") disrupts the California cannabis landscape by seamlessly integrating proprietary distribution, retail, and delivery operations into a unified statewide platform that supports compliant and efficient commerce, both for cannabis enterprises and consumers. M7 offers local on-demand delivery through a growing portfolio of delivery hubs and storefront dispensaries in the state's major metropolitan markets through its direct-to-consumer division, Weden. Through its business-to-business division, Highlanders Distribution, the Company provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and compliant services to licensed cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers operating throughout California. M7's 1-800-CANNABIS portal ties the Company's integrated operations together with a centralized gateway through which businesses and consumers can access M7's comprehensive suite of products and solutions. M7 is a publicly listed company on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") trading under the ticker symbol "MSVN". Additional information is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

For the latest news, activities, and media coverage, please visit www.manifest7.com . To receive Company updates and be added to the email distribution list, please sign up here , or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, or Telegram.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

###

SOURCE ManifestSeven

Related Links

https://www.manifest7.com/


LIMA, Peru, June 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Orazul Energy Peru S.A. (f/k/a Orazul Energy Egenor S. en C. por A.) ("Orazul") today announced that it has commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") for up to an amount of its outstanding 5.625% Senior Notes due 2027 (the "Notes") that would not result in the Aggregate Purchase Price (as defined below) exceeding $150,400,000 (the "Maximum Tender Amount"). Information related to the Notes and the Tender Offer are listed in the table below.

Notes CUSIP Nos. Outstanding

Principal Amount Early Tender

Payment (1) Total Consideration

(Acceptable Bid

Price Range) (1)(2)









5.625% Senior

Notes due 2027 68559B AA5; P7372B AA1 $550,000,000 $50.00 $1,000.00 - $1,020.00

(1) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes that are accepted for purchase. (2) Includes the Early Tender Payment.

The "Aggregate Purchase Price" is the aggregate amount that all holders are entitled to receive, excluding Accrued Interest (as defined below), for Notes that are validly tendered and accepted for purchase by Orazul. The "Total Consideration" per $1,000 principal amount of Notes payable to holders who validly tender (and not validly withdraw) their Notes on or prior to the Early Tender Date (defined below) will be equal to a "Clearing Price" to be determined on the Expiration Date (as defined below) pursuant to a "Modified Dutch Auction" procedure and as set forth below. Each holder that tenders Notes in the Tender Offer will specify a "Bid Price," within the range specified in the table above under "Acceptable Bid Price Range," which represents the minimum consideration such holder is willing to receive for those Notes. Holders who tender Notes without specifying a Bid Price will be deemed to have specified $1,000.00 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes. The Total Consideration payable under the Tender Offer, and the Bid Price specified by holders of Notes electing to participate, includes an "Early Tender Payment" of $50.00 for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes. Holders will only be eligible to receive the Early Tender Payment for Notes that such holders have validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 9, 2021, unless extended by Orazul (the "Early Tender Date"). Holders who validly tender (and do not validly withdraw) their Notes after the Early Tender Date on or prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below), and whose Notes are accepted for purchase, will be eligible to receive the Tender Offer Consideration, which is equal to the Total Consideration less the Early Tender Payment. The Tender Offer is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on July 26, 2021, unless extended or earlier terminated by Orazul (the "Expiration Date"). Payment for the Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at or prior to the Expiration Date and that are accepted will be made on the Settlement Date, which is expected to happen on July 27, 2021. The Total Consideration and the Tender Offer Consideration will be payable in cash.

The "Clearing Price" will be determined based on the Bid Price of all tendered Notes, in order of lowest to highest Bid Price. The Clearing Price will be the single lowest Bid Price so specified that will result in an Aggregate Purchase Price equal to the Maximum Tender Amount.

If the aggregate amount of Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at a Bid Price equal to or below the Clearing Price would result in an Aggregate Purchase Price that exceeds the Maximum Tender Amount, then, subject to the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer, Orazul will accept for purchase, first, all Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) with a Bid Price less than the Clearing Price, and thereafter, Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) with a Bid Price equal to the Clearing Price on a prorated basis.

In addition, holders will receive accrued and unpaid interest on all Notes tendered and accepted for payment in the Tender Offer from the last interest payment date up to, but not including, the settlement date for the Tender Offer (such unpaid interest, together with additional amounts thereon, the "Accrued Interest").

Notes may be withdrawn any time prior to 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on July 26, 2021, unless extended by Orazul (the "Withdrawal Date").

The Tender Offer is subject to certain customary conditions, but is not contingent upon the tender of any minimum principal amount of Notes. Subject to applicable law, Orazul may amend, modify or terminate the Tender Offer at any time in its sole discretion.

The Tender Offer constitutes an asset sale offer pursuant to the requirements of the indenture governing the Notes, in connection with Orazul's sale in August 2020 of its indirect ownership in the transmission business companies, Etenorte S.R.L. and Eteselva S.R.L.

The terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are described in the offer to purchase, dated June 25, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase"). Holders are encouraged to read the Offer to Purchase carefully when it becomes available.

Orazul has retained Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Santander Investment Securities Inc., to act as Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer. D.F. King & Co., Inc. is the Information Agent and Tender Agent for the Tender Offer. Questions regarding the Tender Offer should be directed to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC at (800) 820-1653 (toll-free) or (212) 538-2147 (collect), or Santander Investment Securities Inc. at (855) 404-3636 (toll-free) or (212) 940-1442 (collect). Requests for documentation should be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. at (800) 370-1749 (toll-free) or (212) 269-5550 (for banks and brokers). This press release is for informational purposes only.

Neither the Offer to Purchase nor any related documents have been filed with or reviewed by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority of any country, and the Offer to Purchase or any related documents have not been reviewed or approved by the Peruvian Superintendency of the Securities Market (Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores) or the Lima Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Lima). No authority has passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the Offer to Purchase or any related documents, and it is unlawful and may be a criminal offense to make any representation to the contrary. The Tender Offer is being made solely on the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

This press release is not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to purchase with respect to any Notes or any other securities. The Tender Offer is being made solely pursuant to the terms of the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offer is not being made to holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. None of Orazul, the Dealer Managers or the Information Agent makes any recommendation as to whether holders should tender or refrain from tendering their Notes. Holders should carefully read the Offer to Purchase and the related materials, because they contain important information, including the various terms and conditions of the Tender Offer. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender Notes and, if so, the principal amount of the Notes to tender.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are not based on historical facts and are not assurances of future results. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and estimates about future events and financial trends, which affect or may affect Orazul's businesses and results of operations. The words "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect" and similar words are intended to identify estimates and forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to forward-looking statements about the planned Tender Offer, including whether the Tender Offer is consummated in whole or in part. Although Orazul believes that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, these statements are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made in light of information currently available to Orazul. Estimates and forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and Orazul's future results may differ materially from those expressed in these estimates and forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and you should not place reliance on any forward-looking statement contained in this document. Orazul undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or future events or for any other reason.

SOURCE Orazul Energy Peru S.A.
NEW YORK, June 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Bank of Commerce Holdings ("BOCH" or the "Company") (BOCH) relating to its proposed acquisition by Columbia Banking System, Inc. (COLB) Under the terms of the agreement, BOCH shareholders will receive 0.40 shares of COLB per share they own.

The investigation focuses on whether Bank of Commerce Holdings and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: http://monteverdelaw.com/case/bank-commerce-holdings. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019, we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you own common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

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NEW YORK, June 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Enveric Biosciences, Inc. ("ENVB" or the "Company") (ENVB) relating to its proposed merger with MagicMed Industries, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, ENVB shareholders will own approximately 63.4% of the combined company.

The investigation focuses on whether Enveric Biosciences, Inc. and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/enveric-biosciences-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you own common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

Related Links

http://www.monteverdelaw.com


(TSXV:ECU) ( ) CEO Brian Booth tells Proactive the Vancouver-based group says its two, very significant and advanced Peru-based copper projects is what sets the group apart from its peers. Booth describes expected drilling to be done at its Elida Copper Project and its Flor de Cobre Copper Project. The group recently received its permit to begin work at Elida, where it will begin drilling up to 4,000 meters in and around the known copper mineralization at Elida target 1.
Udaipur, June 26 : Even as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc in the rural areas of Rajasthan, where the state government has imposed a lockdown since May 24, a gram panchayat is drawing attention for its success in keeping the deadly virus at bay, with only four positive cases having been reported this year.

The credit for this feat in Kaliyawas gram panchayat in the Asind sub-division of Bhilwara district goes to a campaign launched by its sarpanch Shakti Singh (43) and his team of 100 youths. They are difficult to miss, they wear identical white t-shirts with Singh's face splashed large on them. Singh is the district vice president of the BJP and previously an office-holder in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He had unsuccessfully sought a ticket to contest from Asind in the previous assembly elections.

The volunteers are businessmen, farmers, teachers and even some government employees from the gram panchayat. The T-shirts, Singh said, are a kind of 'curfew pass' to differentiate them from others who are out and about. Those wearing the distinctive T-shirt are instantly recognised as people deputed for Covid-19 duty.

Ever since the government imposed weekend curfews (Jan Anushasan Pakwada), the team has been working round the clock to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the gram panchayat which has three villages and 8,000 residents.

Singh and his volunteers, taking precautions such as wearing face masks and using sanitisers, conduct door-to-door surveys in the villages every day, spreading awareness among the residents about the guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19, reporting symptomatic cases to the district administration, maintaining records of the population and providing assistance to those in need.

Singh said: "So far we have been successful in preventing the spread of coronavirus in the gram panchayat. Only four persons have so far been tested positive for coronavirus in the entire area this year. The situation was worse last year with 54 persons contracting the infection." The sarpanch said he and three other members of his family were among those infected last year and had stayed in home isolation for more than 15 days. "We somehow survived and that was when I decided to do whatever I can to protect the people of our villages from contracting the infection," he said.

Anti-corona squad Asked about the campaign to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the villages, Singh said: "We have formed five-member teams of volunteers. Each team is assigned particular tasks such as patrolling the boundaries of the gram panchayat in eight-hour shifts to prevent people from entering the villages without health checkups and ensuring that the villagers strictly follow guidelines issued by the government, including that of wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing." The volunteers also prevent more than three persons from entering the temples at a time and more than four people attending funerals in the event of deaths in the villages. They also ensure that people handling the dead bodies wear PPT kits.

Singh has also converted his car into an ambulance to transport infected persons in case of an emergency and his farmhouse into a quarantine centre for people who have contracted virus but lack enough space for isolation at their homes. He has created a WhatsApp Group comprising the volunteers, gram sevaks, health workers and other important functionaries to ease communication and making decisions.

Besides arranging for medical equipment such as oximeters and thermal scanners, the volunteers distribute face masks and sanitisers free of cost to the residents in all wards of the gram panchayat.

Whether it is arranging food for the needy, coordinating the medical staff, or ensuring that the people practice social distancing, Singh has become the go-to person for everything related to the pandemic crisis management in the gram panchayat.

The volunteers also discourage villagers from venturing out of their houses unnecessarily and gathering in public places. They have smeared benches installed near public places such as Panchayat Bhavan, Tehsil Office and parks with oil and black paint to prevent people from sitting on them for gossip and started imposing Rs 500-fines on people indulging in public smoking.

Singh said the volunteers were also lending their services to villages adjacent to Kailyas gram panchayat. He said that when a Covid-19 patient died recently in Jetpura area of the nearby Paldi gram panchayat, the volunteers helped in cremating the body following pandemic-related protocols, as the relatives of the deceased were living in Bengaluru and could not arrive because of the lockdown.

Fear of vaccination side-effects Singh said the biggest challenge was to convince the people to take vaccines against coronavirus. He said that initially, the people were afraid that the vaccines could cause side-effects and might even lead to death. He said that in order to set an example and mitigate the people's fear, he and his family members took the vaccination shots first and it encouraged many villagers to receive the vaccine.

"We motivate the people by saying that the persons who follow government guidelines will get work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and those who flout them will have to face social boycott in their villages. Our efforts brought results and many people are now enthusiastically coming forward to join our campaign," Singh said.

Hurdle of superstition Singh, who is a graduate, also took steps to stop superstitions coming in the way of preventing the spread of coronavirus infection. He has declared Rs a 5,000-fine on people resorting to superstitious practices such as black magic or approaching quacks for treatment of the Covid-19. His teams of volunteers have also been making daily announcements in every colony of the villages, urging people to desist from superstitious practices and instead, seek medical help in the event of infection.

"A team of doctors is visiting the villages every day. People are urged to consult the medical staff in case of any health issue," said Singh.

Bhilwara District Collector Shiv Prasad M. Nakate has hailed Singh's campaign model against the spread of coronavirus and said: "The state government encourages involvement of public representatives in the fight against coronavirus. Those working at grassroots levels, especially sarpanchs, have helped our gram panchayat-level core committees to ensure compliance with the COVID-19-related guidelines issued by the state government by helping in enforcing containment zones, door-to-door health surveys, medicine kit distribution and vaccination drives. Shakti Singh has contributed significantly in this struggle." (The author is Udaipur-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, June 26 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested two aides of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with an alleged 'hafta' case, officials said here.

They are Kundan Shinde and Sanjeev Palande working as personal staffers with Deshmukh, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party.

The action came a day after the ED carried out raids on the Nagpur and Mumbai residences of Deshmukh besides his aides and associates, sparking protests from a the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Earlier on April 24, the Central Bureau of Investigation had raided around 10 locations of Deshmukh in multiple cities after he was booked.

The 71-year-old leader was detained for several hours at his home during the searches on his premises then.

Following the allegations against him and the Bombay High Court directives, Deshmukh quit as the Home Minister of Maharashtra on April 5.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Jakarta, June 26 : The Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has apprehended a Malaysian-flagged boat in the Malacca Strait and a Philippine-flagged vessel in the country's Economic Exclusive Zone for poaching, an official said.

Indonesia is committed to taking stern measures against illegal fishing perpetrators who poach in the Indonesian waters, the Ministry's Acting Director General of Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision Antam Novambar said in a statement on Friday.

Novambar said that an illegal foreign fishing vessel with the Malaysian flag KM.SLFA 5269 was held in the Indonesian waters continental shelf area in the Malacca Strait on June 22.

The FB.ca YAYA-3 ship with the Philippine flag was seized from the Indonesian Economic Exclusive Zone of the Sulawesi Sea on June 24.

The Ministry's Director of Fleet Monitoring and Operations, Pung Nugroho Saksono said four crew members consisting of two Malaysians and two Indonesians from the KM.SLFA 5269 were detained, and five crew members, all Filipinos, were arrested from the FB.ca YAYA-3.

The perpetrators have been sent to the Ministry's bases in Batam city, Riau Islands province, and Bitung city, North Sulawesi province, for further investigation, Saksono said.

With the arrests of the two illegal foreign boats, the Ministry has seized 119 vessels during 2021.

Of the 119, 78 are from Indonesia, while 41 are foreign fishing vessels, 12 from Malaysia, six from the Philippines and 23 from Vietnam.
Kabul, June 26 : Afghan security forces have recaptured the Khinjan district in Baghlan province from the clutches of the Taliban, an army statement said.

"Following a counter-offensive and cleanup operations, the Khinjan district and the neighbouring Kilagai area were liberated and the Taliban militants after suffering casualties fled," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement issued on Friday as saying.

Taliban militants have captured seven districts in Baghlan over the past couple of weeks.

Heavy clashes have been underway on the outskirts of the the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri city for the last five days, TOLO News reported.

But security forces have managed to prevent the group from entering the city, 160 km north of Kabul.

Fridays devalopment comes as Afghan forces have retaken six districts from the Taliban in three districts in the last 24 hours.

The districts are Andkhoi and Khan Chahar Bagh in Faryab, Khinjan and Doshi in Baghlan, and Ahmad Aba and Sayed Karam in Paktia, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Fierce clashes have continued between the Taliban militants and government forces since the drawdown of US troops on May 1.

The Taliban, according to its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, has captured more than 70 districts over the past month.
June 26 : Yami Gautam and director Aditya Dhar, who tied the knot recently, returned to Mumbai on Friday. The newly wedded couple was spotted at Mumbai airport while they arrived from Himachal Pradesh.

Yami looked pretty in a pink floral suit. She also wore traditional Kashmiri jewellery and the wedding chura. Aditya, on the other hand, kept it casual in a black Adidas jacket and blue jeans. The couple didnt forget to wear their masks and face shields.

Yami and Aditya surprised their fans when they announced their marriage on June 4. The couple got married at Yamis home state Himachal Pradesh in an intimate ceremony. After Yami announced her marriage, she shared several clicks on her Instagram handle from different wedding ceremonies. In a post earlier this week, Yami wrote, Simply happy.

Yami and Aditya had announced their wedding on their respective social media handles and wrote, "In your light, I learn to love - Rumi With the blessings of our family, we have tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony today. Being very private people, we celebrated this joyous occasion with our immediate family. As we embark on the journey of love and friendship, we seek all your blessings and good wishes. Love, Yami and Aditya."

On the work front, Yami Gautam has completed shooting for her forthcoming film Bhoot Police along with Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez. She has also completed shooting for Dasvi along with Abhishek Bachchan. Yami also has A Thursday and a Anirudh Roy Chowdhary film in her kitty. On the other hand, Aditya Dhar of Uri fame, is working on the pre-production work of his next directorial The Immortal Ashwatthama, starring Vicky Kaushal in the lead role.
Jakarta, June 26 : Indonesia is currently examining the use of the Sinovac and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines for people under 18 years of age after detecting many cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus among children and youths.

"We are currently reviewing which vaccines already have an EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) for young people. What we have observed is that there are two on our list; Sinovac for those aged three to 17 years old and Pfizer for those aged 12-17 years old," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said at a virtual press conference on Friday.

China has approved the emergency use of its Sinovac vaccine for children as young as three-year-old, while the US has green-lighted the Pfizer jab for those as young as 12, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sadikin said the Health ministry has been conducting a study on vaccinating children, which will be released soon, and at the same time it has also continued to observe the developments and data related to effectiveness and side effects of vaccines administered to children in a number of countries.

"We can issue a comprehensive decision based on the data we have, policy data in other countries and health scientific data on the EUA that have been given to vaccine companies," said Sadikin.

Under its plan, the Southeast Asian country is currently working to inoculate the targeted 181.5 million people aged over 18, about 70 per cent of its total population, by March 2022.

According to the World Health Organization, Indonesia has so far administered 36,581,555 of the Covid-19 vaccines doses.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Tel Aviv, June 26 : Israeli flag carrier El Al has announced the launch of two direct flight routes to Morocco starting from July 25, the first of its kind between the two countries.

Thus, the airline will conduct flights between Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv and the Moroccan cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh, Xinhua news agency quoted the airline as saying on Friday.

El Al's historic direct routes to Morocco follow the normalisation agreement signed between the two countries in December 2020.

The airline said flights to Morocco would take about five hours on each direction, and ticket prices would start at $499 for a round trip.

"Morocco offers a winning combination of breathtaking desert landscapes, historic cities, impressive architecture, colourful markets, fine food and warm hospitality," El Al stated.

Also on July 25, the second largest airline in Israel Israir will start direct flights between Tel Aviv and Marrakesh.

The third largest airline Arkia will launch the same route on August 3.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Ankara, June 26 : Turkish authorities have urged citizens aged between the ages of 18 and 30 to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

"To enjoy summer vacation and rejoin universities in September, I invite the youth to get their shots done," Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on his Twitter account on Friday.

"We expect a new record from Istanbul" in terms of the number of vaccinations, Yerlikaya added.

According to the Governor, there are more than 3.1 million people who fit the criteria in Istanbul, Turkey's cultural and economic hub that has a total population of 16.5 million.

Turkey has also lowered the vaccination eligibility age to 18.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also called on young people across the country to take their vaccination appointments.

"Let's get vaccinated and get involved in life," Koca tweeted.

Universities and schools in Turkey have conducted online classes since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

Turkey started its mass vaccination drive on January 14 after authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine.

The total number of vaccines administered has reached 46 million across the country, according to the Health Ministry.

So far, more than 31.2 million citizens have received their first doses, while over 14.7 million have received both shots.
Quetta, June 26 : A group of terrorists attacked a patrolling unit of the Pakistan Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force, and killed five soldiers in Balochistan province, a statement from the military said.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said the attack took place on Friday in the Sangan area of Sibi district, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the statement, the attack triggered a heavy exchange which resulted in the loss of five soldiers.

"During the exchange of fire, heavy losses were inflicted on to the terrorists in men and materials," said the ISPR, adding that a search operation was underway to block the escape routes of the terrorists and apprehend the perpetrators.

The statement said such cowardly acts by inimical elements could not sabotage the hard-earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan.

No group has claimed the attack yet.
Thiruvananthapuram, June 26 : The ruling second Pinarayi Vijayan government suffered a rude jolt early this week after a curt remark by M.C. Josephine, the chairperson of the Kerala Women's Commission, led to widespread protests and even her party-CPI-M failed to protect her and she was forced to put in her papers. Soon after, the party top brass met on Friday, but the major point of discussion was the statement of the state president of the youth wing (DYFI) of the CPI-M, A.A. Rahim.

Rahim is a hugely popular face on Malayalam TV channels and is the front line defence of the party whenever it's taken on by the Congress led UDF and the BJP.

When the CPI-M leadership was discussing the flare up over Josephine's remark, Rahim's statement created another jolt for the CPI-M when he said that since Josephine has apologised for her remarks, there was no need for her to resign.

No sooner had Rahim's defence for Josephine made headlines, came the news that Josephine has been asked to put in her papers and this left not just Rahim caught on the wrong foot, but also the CPI-M in bad light.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said this is the double standard of the CPI-M and its feeder organisation.

"Just look at the position taken by the youth wing of the second biggest ally of the ruling Left - the AIYF of the CPI. Right from the start when the issue of Josephine surfaced, they were strongly against her and the way she has been behaving. Take a look at what the DYFI, was doing, had it been a Congress leader or a BJP leader who had made such a remark sitting in a responsible position, the DYFI would have been out on the streets and would have gone to any extent to create ruckus. Rahim probably got it wrong and he thought Josephine would be allowed to continue," said the media critic.

Josephine ran into trouble at a time when the state was witnessing a spate of suicides by young married women in the name of dowry.

In a TV channel organised phone-in programme, Josephine, responding to a woman who had called to complain about the harassment that she has been facing at her husband's home, but added that she had not given a police complaint, said: "If you have not done (that), then you continue to suffer." In the one to one talk between Josephine and the hapless woman, Josephine behaved in a "very rude and curt manner, where she was seen expressing her displeasure all through the talk" and at the end, the caller disconnected.

The entire opposition, both the Congress and the BJP, criticised Josephine and even took to the streets demanding her removal.

With Josephine and Rahim running into trouble, the social media is flooded with trolls and reports that four sitting legislators in the Kerala Assembly had faced cases of domestic violence.

Meanwhile ever since the issue of Josephine surfaced, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not appeared before the media for his customary Covid media briefing.

And now with Josephine gone, all eyes are on Rahim now, as he has become a subject of ridicule.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 26 : I have missed dressing up, just wearing an easy summer dress putting on some mid heels (am not ready for those towering stilettos as yet, and I am not sure if I ever will be again), layering on a few necklaces and pulling out my favourite envelope clutch is such a treat.

Fashion brings joy to many of us, you feel good when you wear something that makes you feel good. As renowned Professor of psychiatry Raphael Bonelli said, "An interest in fashion and personal appearance is a sign of mental health. Psychiatrists are able to infer changes in mood from changes in their patient's clothing." It is a scientific fact-- fashion is therapeutic! It is this very feeling that many fashion brands bank on, and it's the reason ultra-fast fashion has gained such momentum as we come out of lockdowns. Our time at home should have taught us, the never ending trend cycle is putting too much pressure on us and on the earth. It was back in 2015, that Anna Wintour declared that "Trend is an Ugly Word".

There is no denying that the very nature of fashion is cyclical but the whole process had gone on "speed". Fashion is an enemy of the environment. I shall not list the statistics, we should all be aware of them and know by now that fashion is the second most polluting industry.

Hopefully, now we understand the need to be more conscious. The never ending cycle was also hard work, keeping up with trends meant your wardrobe always needed an update. It was an exhausting process. But on the flip side is the joy that dressing up brings. So how does one balance them both? Thirty eight-year-old Delhi based Amrita Thakur is a fashion designer and also fashion influencer says, "I know I will now make smart choices when I shop." She says during this time she has made develop a penchant for jewellery, and currently has her eyes on a dainty emerald necklace she can wear on a daily basis. "It does seem like you can have a longer partnership with jewellery than a dress." As a designer, the lockdown made her realise that she needs to have a "seasonless" approach to fashion. "I have missed dressing up but I know I want beautiful things I can wear every day, that do not date. A client does want to buy something, and then find that just a few months later as things are opening up that piece no longer works." Sanjana Rishi, 30, a lawyer by training and a well-known conscious clothing advocate, is happy to admit that she loves fashion. "This time has made me aware of what I already own, to cherish the things I have bought already that are in my cupboard. I look forward to wearing them again. They could be pieces from H&M or Zara, but they are pieces I bought and I love, so I cannot wait to wear them again." Rewearing and Restyling will be her new mantras and one of her top tips is to take dupattas or scarves and turn them into fun tops for the summer.

A strong 'vocal for local advocate' any future fashion choices will come from homegrown brands that take a conscious and ethical approach to fashion. "It is important to support our local brands now. Be it a Tarun Tahiliani or a Doodlage." And says her next buy will be an investment one. "Something that is hand embroidered may be a chikan lehnga, a piece I can wear again and again and that also speaks of this country's craft heritage. Honestly I cannot wait to dress up again." It's time to ditch the word trend from our fashion vocabulary and perhaps replace it with the word timeless. Not only will this make sure we are more sustainable in our approach to clothing, but it will make our fashion choices more about our personal style than industry diktats.

The writer Sujata Assomull is an IANSlife columnist. Assomull is the author "100 Iconic Bollywood Costumes" and was the Founding Editor In Chief of Harper's Bazaar, India.

(IANSlife Features can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 26 : Heres a groundbreaking book that boldly claims that the key to success in business is not talent but the ability to persuade people to take a bet on potential.

Suneel Gupta, a visiting scholar at Harvard, contends in "Backable" (Hachette) that no one ever makes it alone and asks: What is it about certain people that makes us want to take a bet on them? As it turns out, it's not what you think. Backability is not driven by having the best experience, the finest pedigree or the most innovative ideas. In fact, many highly successful people are backed long before they are qualified. We tend to view these people as lucky. But the decision to back them is neither an accident nor a mistake, and rarely the result of good luck.

Drawing from his own business experience, countless interviews with some of tech's biggest innovators and compelling case studies of classic success stories such as Howard Schultz and Elon Musk, Gupta breaks down the qualities of backable people.

"Backable" pulls back the curtain on the elusive X-factor that some people just seem to have and offers concrete tools like crafting the right pitch and scaling the vision for a project. Anyone from aspiring entrepreneurs to start-up stars can master these skills and jumpstart their next big idea.

Suneel Gupta was the co-founder and CEO of Rise, a mobile health company focused on preventative health, which he sold to One Medical in 2016. Fast Company ranked it the number 1 most innovative company in healthcare and he was named the 'New Face of Innovation' by the New York Stock Exchange. He then served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Silicon Valley's top venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins before moving from San Francisco to his hometown in Michigan to run for US Congress.

His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and Vanity Fair. Website: suneelgupta.com. Twitter: @suneel.

Carlye Adler, who assisted with the book, is an award-winning journalist and four-time New York Times bestselling co-author-collaborator. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tehran, June 26 : Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been vaccinated against Covid-19 using a domestically developed jab.

On Friday, the Supreme Leader received the first dose of the COVIran Barakat vaccine, which was approved for emergency use by the Health Ministry on June 13, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I did not want to use non-Iranian vaccines, so I said I would wait for the Iranian vaccine," Khamenei stated.

He also expressed his gratitude toward the people who have worked to develop the vaccine, which is manufactured by the Barakat Foundation, an affiliate of Iran's Headquarters for the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (HEIKO).

HEIKO is a state-owned enterprise under the direct control of the country's Supreme Leadership Authority.

On Monday, the spokesman for HEIKO Hojjat Niki Maleki said the organisation expected to produce 20 million doses per month of the vaccine by October.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Moscow, June 26 : Russia regrets the European Unions (EU) refusal to hold a summit with Moscow, as well as its decision to develop new sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters here.

"We regret it," TASS News Agency quoted Peskov as saying on Friday when asked to provide a reaction to most of the EU leaders rejecting a proposal by France and Germany to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"As you know, President Putin generally remains interested in establishing working relations between Moscow and Brussels," the spokesman added.

"We hope that those countries that adhere to a more balanced approach will continue to work to promote the idea of establishing dialogue between Brussels and Moscow." Peskov reiterated that "Moscow is still interested in this".

The proposal for meeting was floated following the in-person summit between Putin and US President Joe Biden in Geneva this month.

French President Emmanuel Macron had said that a meeting with the Russian leader would be "a dialogue to defend our interests".

But in a statement issued on Friday after an overnight EU leaders' meeting, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists: "We couldn't agree today that we would meet immediately at management level, that is, at executive level... Personally, I would have liked a more courageous step here." The 27 EU leaders need to unanimously agree on restarting talks with Russia for such a meeting to take place.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told journalists on Friday that the Franco-German proposal "was a good initiative" to have this kind of discussion but "it was not the right time" for it.
Colombo, June 26 : A crew member onboard the MSC MESSINA vessel, has been reported missing after leaving the Colombo Port in Sri Lanka, local media reported.

A fire had erupted on the ship but was contained by Friday evening, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, the Liberian-flagged container ship remained disbanded and adrift in the Indian Ocean halfway between the island nation and the Malacca Strait, the Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said.

Silva told local journalists that the container ship, with 28 crew members onboard, had left Colombo and was en-route to Singapore when it fell into distress.

He added all merchant vessels nearby had been warned of the distressed ship, while instructions had been issued to provide necessary assistance.
New Delhi, June 26 : To discuss several organisational issues, BJP Chief J. P. Nadda is meeting several Union Ministers and senior leaders on Saturday at party headquarters.

Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Smiriti Irani and other union ministers, national general secretaries Bhupendra Yadav, Arun Singh and others reached the party office for a meeting with Nadda.

BJP national vice presidents are also present in the meeting.

It is learnt that agenda of Nadda's meeting with union ministers and national office bearers are next year's assembly polls, vaccination drive and organisational functioning.

"Feedback received about party preparations in poll bound states and world largest free vaccination drive started on June 21 will be discussed along with some other organisational issues. Outcome will be known after the meetings get over," a BJP leader said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, June 26 : Bengaluru police have arrested three more persons who are suspected to be involved in the murder of BJP leader Rekha Kadiresh in Bengaluru, said the police on Saturday.

The police added that so far five persons suspected to have been involved in connection with the killing of Rekha have been arrested. She was hacked to death by an armed gang in broad daylight on Thursday.

According to police, three accused are identified as Stephen (21), Ajay, (21) and Purushottam (22), all residents of Cottonpet, Bengaluru.

The police added that the search team has arrested Peter a.k.a. Lamboo Peter (46) and Surya (19) in the wee hours of Friday after opening fire on them when they resisted the police efforts to nab them.

The police said that of the five at least three are related to Rekha's husband Kadiresh who too was killed in a similar fashion in February 2018. "Arrested accused are part of Kadiresh's criminal gang that operated in the Cottonpet area. These accused have a history of often falling out and joining Kadiresh in the past too," explained the police.

Slain BJP leader, Rekha (45) was second wife to S. Kadiresh, and elected twice to Bengaluru Local Civic Body on the BJP's ticket.

Prior to his death, Kadiresh was facing more than dozen cases of murders, extortion and attempt to murder cases and ran gang in Cottonpet, one of the oldest and thickly populated areas.

The police has registered a case and an investigation is underway.
Kabul, June 26 : An Afghan political analyst described the US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan as "hasty and irresponsible" that has encouraged the Taliban to step up activities in the war-torn country.

"The US forces' hasty pullout is irresponsible. The hasty and irresponsible pullout of troops has encouraged the Taliban group to step up attacks elsewhere in the country and have captured several districts," Hamidullah Arefi, an observer and editor-in-chief of the state-run English newspaper The Kabul Times, told Xinhua news agency on Friday.

On the excuse of fighting terrorism, the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago to smash the Taliban, Al Qaeda and associated groups but failed to achieve the mission, Arefi noted.

Neither the Taliban nor thr Al Qaeda network has been diminished, the analyst said.

A number of radical groups have existed in the presence of the US-led troops in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.

Arefi made the remarks amid the visit of Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to Washington.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, President Ghani met his US counterpart Joe Biden on Friday and discussed matters pertaining mutual interests including Afghanistan's political and military situation after the forces pullout and the intra-Afghan peace process.

Since the start of the U.S.-led forces' pullout from Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban has intensified activities and according to its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid the group has overrun more than 70 districts.
New Delhi, June 26 : Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has demanded an investigation by central agencies into a fake vaccination drive in Kolkata conducted by a man allegedly posing as an IAS officer.

Adhikari has written a letter to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. "Decorated with trademark blue and white balloons characteristic of TMC government events, these camps had already been held in Amherst Street, Sonarpur and hundreds of persons have already been inoculated in these camps.

"While copies of Aadhaar cards were procured from the recipients in Kasba, none of them received any certificate of vaccination. All these happened under the watch of local administration including police and civic authorities," Adhikari wrote.

He wrote that one Debanjan Deb impersonating as an IAS officer working as Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been holding illegal 'vaccination camps' in Ward No 107 of Kasba right in the heart of Kolkata under the banner of KMC.

Adhikari mentioned that several incriminating photos suggest the accused's influence in the ruling party of West Bengal which have come to the fore during Kolkata Police investigation.

"Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, West Bengal Government Minister Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MP Santanu Sen, TMC MLAs Debasish Kumar and Lovely Maitra, KMC councilor Baiswanor Chatterjee and others are seen directly or indirectly endorsing the activities of Debanjan Deb," Adhikari worte.

Adhikari alleged that accused has previously been seen posing with Government of West Bengal files or hosting 'Duare Sarkar' camps of West Bengal government in Ward 66 of KMC.

Raising doubt over Kolkata Police investigation, Adhikari said, "In such a situation with so many influential ruling party leaders and government representatives being seen in close proximity to the accused, we have serious doubts about an impartial investigation from Kolkata Police that follows the instructions of the same government.

"I sincerely urge you to order a thorough investigation by concerned central agencies into this vaccination fraud and punish the guilty. An impartial investigation by central agencies, undaunted by any pressure from the state's ruling party or government, is the need of the hour to restore credibility of the entire Covid vaccination process in West Bengal," Adhikari worte.
Ottawa, June 26 : The Canadian government has added three more groups to its list of terrorist entities threatening national security.

The three groups are the Three Percenters, James Mason and Aryan Strikeforce, reports Xinhua news agency.

With Fridays additions, there are now 77 terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code.

The Three Percenters is an anti-government group linked to a recent bomb plot in the US with a known presence in Canada.

The Three Percenters says its main goals are to protect the right to bear arms, defend against an "overreaching government" and "push back against tyranny".

Earlier this month, US prosecutors obtained a conspiracy indictment against six men associated with the Three Percenters, the latest in a series of such charges arising from the January 6 riot at the Capitol by former President Donald Trump's supporters.

In materials provided to reporters, the government referenced two of the group's leaders' role in a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a plan which allegedly involved detonating explosives and public executions of public officials by hanging them on live television.

James Mason is said to be an American neo-Nazi activist group, accused of providing ideological and tactical instruction on how to operate a terrorist group.

Aryan Strikeforce, an ideologically motivated violent extremist group, is a UK-founded neo-Nazi group, with contacts in Canada, and it aims to carry out violent activities to overthrow governments, start a race war, and eradicate ethnic minorities, according to official information.

The three groups' assets can now be frozen by banks and financial institutions, and it is a crime for Canadians to knowingly deal with assets of a listed entity.

Anyone belonging to such a group can be blocked from entering Canada.

Under Section 83 of the Criminal Code, it is an indictable offense to collect property, "provide or invite a person to provide, or make available property or financial or other related services", to a terrorist entity.
Rome, June 26 : Italy's trade with countries outside the European Union (EU) significantly increased in May year-on-year, the country's National Institute of Statistics (Istat) said.

Istat said on Friday that the 43.9 per cent increase in exports and 55.0 per cent spike in imports were mostly attributable to the dramatic decrease registered in May 2020, during the national and global economic slowdown sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency.

However, the country's non-EU trade figures still showed positive trends independent of the comparison period, Istat said.

During the economic quarter ending in May, exports increased by 6.1 per cent and imports by 13.9 per cent compared to the previous three-month period.

Those gains came despite what Istat called "cyclical declines" of 4.1 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively, in May compared to April.

The most important sectors for both indicators were energy and energy-related products, which saw exports rise by 46.4 percent in the quarter ending in May, while imports of energy and energy-related products grew by 37.6 per cent.

The same sectors saw the biggest year-on-year growth in May, with exports showing what Istat called "exceptional" gains of 229.4 per cent.

Exports of consumer goods, up 113.3 per cent, and capital goods, up 56.5 per cent, also saw dramatic increases compared to a year earlier.

With those increases, Italy's overall trade surplus was 4.77 billion euros ($5.69 billion ) in May, up from 4.11 billion euros a year earlier.

In May, Italy's exports to all its main non-EU trading partners increased significantly year-on-year: to China by 55.2 per cent, the US by 43.0 per cent and the UK by 42.0 per cent.
United Nations, June 26 : UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen has expressed regrests over the lack of progress made in the country's political process even after a decade of war.

"I think we are all disappointed that we are not making real advances on the political track to implement Resolution 2254, including constitutional reform and elections administered under UN supervision, he told a Security Council briefing on Friday.

"Regrettably, the gulf of mistrust between the parties and the complexity of the situation on the ground makes early progress toward a comprehensive settlement unlikely." Trust and confidence will be built through actions, not words, he said, adding that key players need to be ready to come to the table with the necessary good will and something to deliver, reports Xinhua news agency.

There is a need for a new constructive international dialogue on Syria to discuss concrete steps that should be reciprocal and mutual, defined with realism and precision, implemented in parallel, and which are verifiable, said Pedersen.

"My idea is to deepen exploratory substantive consultations that help identify the very first steps that Syrian and international players could deliver -- to explore not only what they ask of others, but what kind of specific steps each can entertain." There are several areas where the initial steps might be found. These are areas of vital concern for average Syrians, where there is potential common ground among key players, and where progress would promote internal and regional stability and build trust and confidence, he said.

Pedersen pointed to areas including the issue of detainees, abductees and missing persons; a nationwide ceasefire; fight against terrorism; economic recovery; the displacement crisis.

"Syrian civil society and the vast majority of Syrians are desperately looking for signals that the international community, despite their differences, can work together.

"Our goal remains a lasting political settlement that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and restores Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, in line with Resolution 2254," the envoy added.
Chandigarh, June 26 : Tens of thousands of farmers were marching towards Chandigarh from Punjab and Haryana to submit memorandums to the respective Governors.

Farmers from Haryana will enter Chandigarh from the Panchkula side, while those from Punjab entered Chandigarh after breaking police barricades and facing water cannons and now marching towards the Raj Bhavan of Punjab.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had announced to observe June 26 as "Kheti bachao, loktantra bachao" (save farming, save democracy) day on the completion of seven months of the farmers' protest and the 47th anniversary of Emergency in India.

Gurnam Charuni, the leader of the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), who is leading the protest, told the media that their protest would be peaceful and would submit a memorandum to the President of India through the Governor.

He said they would sit peacefully at the entry point if police would not allow them to enter Chandigarh.

Fearing disruption of law and order situation, heavy barricading and security have been deployed in and around Chandigarh.

The protesting farmers, raising slogans against the Central government, were carrying farm union flags and riding on tractors and cars and many of them were walking on foot.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kabul, June 26 : At least 24 Taliban militants were killed and 15 others injured in gun battles with Afghan security forces in Kunduz province, an official said on Saturday.

Sixteen militants were killed and 10 others wounded as Afghan Special Operations Forces conducted overnight operations in Seh Darak, Enayat and Zakhil localities in Kunduz city, 250 km north of Kabul, the official told Xinhua news agency.

Kunduz city has been the scene of sporadic clashes in recent days as Taliban militants have tried to take control of city.

Clean-up operations, including night raid operations, will continue before the city is cleared of the militants, the official said.

The operations had slowed down as the Taliban militants were using residential houses as trenches, he said, adding that no casualties were reported on the side of the security forces during the fighting.

In addition, eight Taliban militants were killed and five others wounded when Afghan National Army troops exchanged fire with militants in many locations in Kunduz city late Friday night, an army source said.

Taliban militants fighting the government forces have not made any comments on the incidents so far.
United Nations, June 26 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned an airstrike on a village in Ethiopia's conflict-hit Tigray region, which reportedly killed many civilians.

Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and reiterated the need for all parties to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to ensure the protection of civilians, Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesman, said on Friday.

Guterres called for an independent and swift investigation into this incident, reiterating the need for an immediate end to the fighting in Tigray as well as urgent steps to peacefully resolve the conflict.

Since November 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which ruled the region.

Earlier on Friday, acting UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ramesh Rajasingham expressed outraged over the killing of three staff members of Doctors Without Borders in Tigray.

"Reports that three Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) staff members have been killed in Tigray are outrageous and saddening," he said in a statement.

"I strongly condemn all attacks directed against humanitarian workers. Humanitarian workers, like all civilians, must be respected and protected. Authorities must now promptly investigate these reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law." The trio were traveling on Thursday afternoon when the MSF lost contact with them.

On Friday morning, their vehicle was found empty and their bodies were lying a few meters away, the MSF confirmed.
New Delhi, June 26 : The Delhi Police and Bharatiya Kisan Union Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait have rubbished news spread from the Twitter account of the farmer organisation Kisan Ekta Morcha about the arrest of Tikait. Tikait is reported to be present at the Ghazipur border of the national capital.

With nearly seven months having passed since the farmers' agitation began against the Union farm laws implemented by the Central government, farmers have now handed over memorandums for the repeal of the farm laws to the governors of various states for forwarding to the President.

A large number of farmers are present at the Ghazipur border and are seen driving tractors. Rakesh Tikait has been sitting at the border since Saturday morning interacting with the media and meeting the farmers gathering there.

A team of farmers has already arrived in Delhi to meet the Lieutenant Governor (L-G). Meanwhile, Kisan Ekta Morcha spread alleged rumours about the arrest of Tikait from their Twitter account. As the people present at the border came to know about this news they could not believe how Tikait was then present at the border.

However, this Twitter page of Kisan Ekta Morcha has not been a verified one without blue tick. After this alleged news of his arrest, Tikait tweeted, "The news of my arrest is misleading, I am currently present at the Ghazipur border where everything is normal." The Delhi Police also denied the rumours of Tikait's alleged arrest, saying, "This news is completely false and action will be taken against those spreading such rumours." The farmers have organised a programme to submit a memorandum demanding repeal of Union farm laws to the governors of all states on the completion of seven months of the farmers' agitation along with the 46th anniversary of the Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.
Chennai, June 26 : The Centre has advised the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate measures to contain the spread of Delta plus variant of the Covid-19 virus in Madurai, Chennai and Kanchipuram districts where the variant has been found.

In a letter to Chief Secretary V.Irai Anbu, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said INSACOG -- a Consortium of Laboratories for whole genome sequencing in the context of Covid-19 pandemic, has intimated that the Delta plus variant is a Variant of Concern (VOC) and suggested immediate measures to contain the spread.

According to Bhushan, the variant has the characteristics of increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells and potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response.

Bhushan said the public health response in this case while broadly remaining the same, has to become more focused and stringent.

He asked the Tamil Nadu Government to take up immediate containment measures in these districts and clusters including preventing of crowds and intermingling of people besides widespread testing from tracing as well as vaccination coverage on a priority basis.

The Union Health Secretary has also asked the state government to ensure that adequate samples of positive persons are sent promptly to the designated laboratories of INSACOG so that the clinical epidemiological correlations can be established.

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday while extending the lockdown till July 5, has also relaxed several restrictions effective from June 28.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, June 26 : Actress Richa Rathore has returned to Mumbai after shooting in Goa and Gujarat for her show "Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha". She says shooting away from the city had the crew and cast bonding better.

"I am happy to be back in Mumbai. Shooting out of Mumbai was a good change and we got an opportunity to engage more with each other, and our bonds became stronger, which is an important aspect of working together," she said.

However, there were things that made her miss Mumbai.

"I enjoyed how the physical setting changed and it was sort of a process to fit into a different locality. The only thing I missed was the comfort of home and the auto rides in the city," she says.

Richa says the audience is appreciating her lead role in the show, which makes her happy. "If the audience is enjoying it, how can I not feel happy? I hope we are able to entertain people and help in easing their fear and anxiety in such times," she sums up.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Abu Dhabi, June 26 : Two Ayurveda doctors, who are originally from India's Kerela state and now based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have received the Gulf nation's coveted Golden Visa, according to a media report on Saturday.

A Golden Visa enables foreigners to live, work and study in the country without the need of a national sponsor and with 100 per cent ownership of their business on the UAE mainland.

They are issued for five or 10 years and are renewed automatically.

Both Shyam Vishwanathan Pillai and Jasna Jamal were granted the Golden Visas by the UAE's Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).

Vishwanathan, CEO of Vaidyashala at the Burjeel Day Surgery Centre in Abu Dhabi, received it under the medical professionals and doctors category on June 17, the Khaleej Times report said.

"My sincere gratitude to the rulers and policymakers of UAE for the kind support to Ayurveda and Ayurveda practitioners," Shyam, from Kollam, told the newspaper.

"I truly appreciate their vision in integrating the Ayurveda for the wellbeing of UAE residents and at the same time keeping in place strong measures to ensure the quality delivery of Ayurveda practice," he added.

Shyam came to Dubai in 2002.

A resident of Al Mamzar in Dubai, Jamal, from Thrissur, was given the Golden Visa on June 24.

She moved to the UAE 12 years ago soon after getting married.

With over 16 years of experience in Ayurveda, Jamal established her own Ayurveda clinic in Al Mamzar.
New Delhi, June 26 : The Bharatiya Janata Party top leadership on Saturday discussed party preparations for assembly polls in five states scheduled early next year.

BJP Chief J P Nadda and Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Hardeep Singh Puri and Kiran Rijiju were present in the meeting held at the party national headquarters here.

National General Secretary, Bhupendra Yadav and other national office bearers were also present at the meeting which lasted for over two hours.

Sources said that preparations for the five poll bound states, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur were discussed by the saffron party leaders.

Recently, BJP national general secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh had visited Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to take stock of the ground situation. He also collected feedback from MLAs, Ministers and cadre during his visit.

"With today's meeting of top party leaders, BJP started working on its 'Mission 2022' for these poll bound five states. Plans for these states were discussed and the party will start it's poll activities as per plan in the coming days," a party insider said.

After discussing the poll preparations for the five states with the Union ministers, Nadda will be holding a meeting with the party general secretaries to discuss organisational activities in the evening.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reviewed the development plan for Ayodhya as Uttar Pradesh government officials made a presentation which encompassed various aspects of Ayodhya's development.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityantath was also present in the meeting.

Ayodhya's development is being envisaged as a spiritual centre, global tourism hub and a sustainable smart city. The Prime Minister was informed about various upcoming and proposed infrastructure projects to improve connectivity with Ayodhya. Various infrastructure projects like Airport, expansion of Railway Station, Bus station, roads and highways were discussed.

An upcoming Greenfield township was also discussed which includes lodging facilities for devotees, space for Ashrams, Maths, Hotels, Bhavans of various states. A tourist facilitation centre and a world class museum will also be built.

Special attention is being given to development of infrastructure around the Saryu river and its ghats. Cruise operation on the Saryu river will also be made a regular feature.

The city will be developed to ensure sustainability with adequate spaces for cyclists and people on foot. Traffic management will also be done in a modern manner using Smart City infrastructure.

Prime Minister Modi described Ayodhya as a city that is etched in the cultural consciousness of every Indian. Ayodhya should manifest the finest of our traditions and the best of our developmental transformations.

"Ayodhya is both spiritual and sublime. The human ethos of this city must be matched by futuristic infrastructure, which is beneficial for everyone including tourists and pilgrims,", the Prime Minister said.

He said that the coming generations should feel the desire to visit Ayodhya at least once in their lifetime.

PM pointed out that developmental works in Ayodhya will continue in the foreseeable future. At the same time, the momentum towards heralding Ayodhya to this next leap of progress must begin now. It is our collective endeavour to celebrate the identity of Ayodhya and keep its cultural vibrancy alive through innovative ways.

He said that the way Lord Ram had the ability to bring people together, the development works of Ayodhya should be guided by a spirit of healthy public participation, especially by the youth. He called for the skills of our talented youngsters to be leveraged in this development of the city.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Amalapuram : , June 26 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh police, early on Saturday morning, swooped in on a notorious chain snatching duo at Amalapuram in East Godavari district and arrested them.

The arrested duo -- Ethakota Srinu Babu (39) and Mallavarapu Durga Prasad (36), are responsible for as many as 19 chain snatchings, with the confiscated booty running up to a value of Rs 31.1 lakh.

The police recovered 610 grams of gold and a stolen two wheeler, which they were using for their chain snatching raids.

Babu and Prasad's thefts spanned the entire geography of the East Godavari district, leading up to eight snatchings in Amalapuram sub-division, three in Ramachandrapuram, six in Kakinada and two in Yanam.

Around 3 p.m. on December 7, the duo struck at Gunnepalli Agraharam in Amalapuram rural, snatching three gold chains from a woman's neck which were valued at Rs 80,000.

It took six months for police to crack this case and arrest the snatchers under IPC Section 382.

"On interrogation before the mediators, the accused voluntarily admitted and confessed to a total of 19 snatchings and one motorcycle offence (theft), " said a police official.
Chandigarh, June 26 : Tens of thousands of farmers, mainly comprising women and youngsters, on Saturday, marched towards Chandigarh from Punjab and Haryana to submit memorandums to the respective Governors to mark the completion of seven months of farmers' agitation against the three contentious Central farm legislations.

Farmers from Haryana stopped well ahead of entering Chandigarh from the Panchkula side, while those from Punjab entered Chandigarh after breaking police barricades and facing water cannons and marched close to the Raj Bhavan of Punjab.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had announced to observe June 26 as "Kheti bachao, loktantra bachao" (save farming, save democracy) day on the completion of seven months of the farmers' protest and the 47th anniversary of Emergency in India.

Gurnam Charuni, the leader of the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), who was leading the protest, had appealed that the protest would be peaceful and would submit a memorandum to the President of India through the Governor.

He had also announced that they would sit peacefully at the entry point if police would not allow them to enter Chandigarh.

Accordingly, they stopped ahead of entering Chandigarh and submitted the memorandum for Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya through a government official.

Likewise, the police managed to convince protesting farmers from Punjab, who were marching from Mohali towards the Governor's residence in Chandigarh, to hand over their memorandum to them for further submission to Governor V.P. Singh Badnore.

Fearing disruption of law and order situation, heavy barricading and security have been deployed in and around Chandigarh.

The protesting farmers, raising slogans against the central government, were carrying farm union flags and riding on tractors and cars and many of them were walking on foot.

En route to Chandigarh, both from Punjab and Haryana, special 'langars' or community kitchens were organised for the protesting farmers by locals.

"Our protest will continue till the three black farm laws are not revoked," said Gurjit Kaur, a protester who came from Ludhiana city in Punjab along with her friends to participate in the protest.

She said her parents have been camping at Singhu border of Delhi since November 26 last year.

Another protester Gurjot Kaur said the coronavirus pandemic was not a threat to them, so they don't need masks. "The real threat is from Centre's farm laws as they favour corporate interests and will destroy our livelihoods." As per police estimates, the number of protesters entered Chandigarh from Punjab could be 10,000 with sizeable number of youngsters and women.

Similar protests were held by farm unions in both Punjab and Haryana in all district headquarters.

The farmers are protesting against the farm laws as they feel that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate entities.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, June 26 : Having witnessed lethal Covid-19 pandemic during the second wave, India is on stage of possible third wave, however, the subsequent wave (3rd wave) seems unlikely to be as severe as the previous one, said medical experts.

Senior doctors in government-run hospitals in Delhi were of the view that there is possibility that the next wave is likely to come during September and October but, if Covid appropriate behaviour is not followed properly, it may be possible that the subsequent wave may start from August.

Dr N.K. Arora, a member of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), talking to IANS said, vaccination along with Covid appropriate behaviour will play a crucial role in minimizing the effect of subsequent wave. "The analysis indicates that vaccines almost all Covid vaccines, be it India made or overseas, are highly effective against Covid. Not 100 per cent but, now it has proved that vaccines will minimise the damage. Even if it reduces the number of deaths, it means that we have something to control deadly pandemic. So the vaccination is going to play a very important role in the next wave." Arora, however, added that it will also depend on new variants and their level of transmission and effectiveness, as every new variant, emerging one after another, is different.

The first wave of Covid-19 pandemic in India had begun in late January 2020 with a peak attained in mid-September. The first wave was relatively mild compared to the second wave that followed, from mid-February 2021 onwards, exhibiting a more explosive spread across the country.

Dr Arora further said that a major factor behind the deadly second wave was emergence of more-infectious variants such as B.1.1.7 (Alpha variant) and B.1.617.2 (Delta variant), of which the latter has played a dominant role in recent months.

"We need to understand that new variants will emerge one after another but, we need to have focus on protective solution instead of running behind every new variant," Dr Arora added.

Recently, ICMR along with Imperial College London (UK) has also conducted a study on rapid scale-up of vaccination efforts, which according to Dr Arora, could play an important role in mitigating the present and future waves of the disease.

Medical Director of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH), Dr B.L. Sherwal, talking to IANS said, "It has been learned that the current data does not support the circulating strain is causing more severe disease, especially in terms of more deaths. Secondly, we have a large number of people who already got the infection. So there is huge possibility that the next wave will not be as serious as the last one." Dr Sherwal further advised that people should use digital mode of communication as much as possible, that would reduce physical meetings. "After two consecutive waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, majority of people have become used to digital mode of communication and they must use it for their safety reason," he added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 26 : Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Saturday expressed concern that poor connectivity in rural, tribal, remote and hilly areas is adversely impacting the pace of justice delivery and is also depriving thousands of young lawyers across the country of their livelihood.

The Chief Justice also cited need to declare the legal professionals and associated functionaries as frontline workers.

Justice Ramana said, "A whole generation of lawyers is being pushed out of the system due to digital divide".

The Chief Justice made these remarks during the course of the panel discussion on the launch of a book 'Anomalies in Law and Justice' by former Supreme Court judge, Justice R.V. Raveendran.

Justice Ramana said the matter of connectivity figured prominently in the two-day conference of Chief Justices of High Courts held recently.

The Chief Justice said that he recently wrote to the Minister of Law, Communications, and IT citing the connectivity issues.

He urged the Minister to take measures to bridge the digital divide and also to evolve a mechanism to help the advocates who have lost livelihood due to pandemic and who are in dire need of financial assistance.

"The need to declare the legal professionals and associated functionaries as frontline workers and the need to vaccinate them all on priority was also highlighted in a communication addressed to the minister," said Justice Ramana.

Earlier, while releasing the book, Justice Ramana praised Justice Raveendran, saying he played a significant role through his judicial pronouncements in helping India realise its true potential in the liberalized economic environment.

The Chief Justice emphasised that Justice Raveendran believed in Lord Denning's words "that the best judge is one who is less known and seen in the media".

He said it was Justice Raveendran who, for the first time, in the case of Booz Allen, recognized such excessive intervention as being detrimental to an arbitration friendly image for India.

"It is only after his judgment that the Supreme Court and other High Courts followed the trend to interpret the law in an arbitration-friendly manner.

Ultimately, the noble intentions laid down in Booz Allen were fully realized through the recent amendment to the Arbitration Act and subsequent judicial interpretation", he added.
Srinagar, June 26 : On his return to Srinagar after attending the all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday, former J&K Chief Minister and patron of National Conference (NC), Farooq Abdullah, said on Saturday that he is not sure if the Centre is ready to remove the mistrust existing on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking to the media after his arrival back home, Abdullah said, "Let us not jump and see if the Centre is ready to remove the mistrust existing on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I told them that the first Prime Minister had promised us plebiscite but went back on it. Narasimha Rao had promised autonomy and said sky was the limit. Where is that autonomy? "Let me tell you frankly, there is a level of mistrust which has to be removed. How the Centre removes it, is for them to decide." Asked whether there would be a second meeting with the Central leadership, Farooq Abdullah's son and former J&K CM Omar Abdullah, who was also part of the delegation of Kashmiri leaders that attended the all-party meeting in the national capital, said, "Nothing is fixed as of now." Asked about NC's participation in the delimitation commission, Omar Abdullah said, "There has been no fresh approach from the delimitation commission and as and when the commission makes an approach to Dr Sahib (Farooq Abdullah), he will take a call." Omar Abdullah also said that he did not agree with the contention of former Deputy CM of J&K, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, who said during the all-party meet that since the issue of Articles 370 and 35-A is sub judice with the Supreme Court, it cannot be discussed during the meet.

"I don't agree with the contention that since this matter is under the consideration of the Supreme Court, we should not discuss it," he said.
Beijing, June 26 : China has officially approved the Apple Watch electrocardiogram (ECG) feature that first arrived with the Series 4 wearable.

The regulatory green light means Apple could launch the functionality with a software update for users in the country any time now.

Meanwhile, those running the second watchOS 8 developer beta in China can try it out now, 9To5Google reported.

The company announced its ECG feature along with Apple Watch Series 4 back in the fall of 2018 with the capability rolling out in the US in December 2018.

Apple Watch ECG has slowly continued to roll out to more countries over the last few years with Australia and Vietnam gaining it with watchOS 7.4, the report said.

Apple Watch ECG on Series 4 and later can detect atrial fibrillation (Afib) and has proven to be accurate enough to have been credited with saving lives in many cases over recent years.

Spotted by MacRumors, China's National Medical Products Administration has revealed that Apple Watch ECG has been approved in the country this week.

That gives the green light to Apple to launch the feature any time, according to the report.

Notably, ECGs are working for Apple Watch users in China (via ITHome) who are running the watchOS 8 beta 2.

It's unclear if Apple will wait until this fall to bring the functionality to China or if it will come sooner.

Electrocardiograms work in watchOS through the dedicated ECG app on Apple Watch.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 26 : Protesting farmers on Saturday gheraoed Raj Bhavans in different states on completion of 7 months of their agitation and tried to give memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor. In Delhi, the farmers under the leadership of Yudhveer Singh were not allowed to meet the LG, after which Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said, "Either let the farmers meet the Lieutenant Governor or send us to Tihar Jail." Farmer leader Yudhveer Singh and others who were sitting at Ghazipur border, had come to meet the LG. Singh said that the farmers will submit a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, but the farmers were not given time. However, the Delhi Police kept all the farmers with them.

The farmers have alleged that their leaders have been held by the Delhi police and are being taken from one place to another, and were not allowed to meet the LG. After that Rakesh Tikait held a meeting at Ghazipur border.

Rakesh Tikait, after the meeting, said, "We have made it clear that either the farmers be allowed to meet the Lieutenant Governor or they should be sent to Tihar Jail. There will be no protest to get them released." "We have also decided in the meeting that, we will hold two yatras in the month of July. One will start from Shamli on July 9, and will reach Singhu border on July 10, passing through Baghpat. The other yatra will start on July 24 from Bijnor and will reach Ghazipur border on July 25 through Meerut. I will come to Ghazipur border on July 25." Meanwhile, in view of the sensitive situation in Delhi, the security of the Lieutenant Governor's residence has been beefed up. No one is being allowed to meet him.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chandigarh, June 26 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to immediately approve the memorandum of agreement (MoA) for a Sainik School in Gurdaspur district, and also sanction a third Sainik School in Bathinda.

In a letter to the Defence Minister, Amarinder said the state government would sign the MoA for the third Sainik School as soon as the approval of the ministry is received.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the state government has already allotted 40 acres of land at Dalla Gorian in Gurdaspur district to establish Punjab's second Sainik School and the MoA has also been signed and submitted to the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare in the Ministry of Defence.

However, he said this shall not, in his opinion, suffice to meet the aspirations of the Punjabi youth.

Emphasising on the need for at least one Sainik School each in the Malwa, Doaba and Majha regions, the three natural geographical divisions of the state, he said it was felt that a third Sainik School in Bathinda will suitably cater to this requirement.

The Chief Minister noted that Sainik Schools are prestigious institutions which have consistently maintained the highest standards in imparting education to children across the country.

For many years, he said, these schools have groomed youth into responsible citizens and many key positions in the armed forces are today manned by the alumni of these schools.

The Sainik School in Kapurthala is at present the only Sainik School in Punjab, established way back in 1961.

The youth of Punjab have always displayed an exemplary zeal to join the armed forces and to serve the nation. There is, thus, an urgent need to establish additional Sainik schools in the State, stressed the Chief Minister.
Umbai, June 26 : Malaika Arora wished Arjun Kapoor on his 36th birthday on Saturday with a mushy wish and a cozy picture of the couple.

"Happy birthday my sunshine," posted Malaika on Instagram, along with a picture of the two.

In the picture post, Malaika is seen in Arjun's arms smiling against the backdrop of a picturesque valley. The picture appears to be a throwback from a vacation.

The two stars are seen in activewear. While Malaika wears a blue T-shirt, white sweatshirt and grey track pants, Arjun dons a grey T-shirt, black hoodie, black shorts and a cap.

Celebrations for Arjun's birthday started on Friday night at Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace hotel. The actor had a star-studded birthday bash attended by some of his industry friends and family members.

From Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt to Ranveer Singh and Aditya Roy Kapur, many of Arjun's industry friends attended the bash.

On the work front, Arjun Kapoor has the films "Ek Villain Returns" and "Bhoot Police" in the pipeline while Malaika currently judges the dance reality show "Super Dancer 4".
Thiruvananthapuram, June 26 : A Kerala businesswoman was finally able to heave a sigh of relief after the police gave her a clean chit in a drugs case after she was entrapped by her former friend for refusing to his marriage proposal.

One of the foremost faces of women entrepreneurs in the state was proposed by the CEO of a leading hospital in Kerala. What followed can be stuff of an OTT potboiler.

It was on January 21, when Sobha Viswanath of 'Weavers Village' who deals in handloom materials and works closely with the weavers community, got a shock when a police team arrived at her office and happened to recover about 480 grams of ganja.

She was taken away by the police but secured station bail. Deeply upset by what had happened the leading name in state business ventures, Viswanath, approached Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with a complaint that she was trapped and wanted to find out who was behind it.

The Crime Branch police soon began a probe and found that it was a conspiracy hatched by three people, her family friend Harish Haridas and two of her former employees -- Vivek Raj and a another woman.

Speaking to IANS, Viswanath said it was a huge shock to her and she wanted to clear her name and now the truth has come out and the police have cleared her of all charges.

"Harish was our family friend and I rejected his proposal and that is what would have made him angry. He along with my former two employees made the plan to trap me. Vivek has already been arrested by the police and he is out on bail. Harish has a UK passport and he has now sought anticipatory bail. We want to know the truth on how this happened," said Viswanath.

Educated in the UK, Harish, is also the CEO of a leading hospital here.
New Delhi, June 26 : The Pinarayi Vijayan government has moved the Supreme Court seeking its nod to withdraw cases against CPI(M) leaders, including Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty, for vandalism inside Assembly in 2015, when the current regime was not in power.

The Kerala High Court, in an order passed on March 12, had refused to give its nod to the same saying that the elected representatives were expected to uphold prestige of the House or face consequences.

The MLAs had vandalised the Speaker's dais, uprooted his chair, pulled out mike system, computer etc.

The special leave petition filed by the state government said: "When Article 105(3), 194(3) of the Constitution of India confers certain privileges and immunities to the members of the Parliament and State Legislature, is it proper for the Secretary of Legislative Assembly to file cases against the MLAs with regard to an incident that happened on the floor of the House during the protest made by the opposition members, that too without the consent of the Speaker of the Assembly?" The state government contended that the high court failed to appreciate the fact that the alleged offences under Section 447 and 427 of IPC and Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, happened on the floor of the Legislative Assembly during the Budget Session of the legislature as a part of the protest by opposition members against the budget presentation by the then Finance Minister due to the then prevailing political reason.

"The FIR registered by the Secretary Legislative Assembly without the consent of the Speaker is wrong and therefore the application filed under section 321 Cr.P.C. is liable to be allowed.

"The act of the accused persons being in relation to their function to protest as members of the legislative assembly the MLAs who are accused in this FIR, entitled to get protection under the Constitution," argued the state government.

The Kerala High Court had dismissed the state's petition against an order of rejection by the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Thiruvananthapuram, seeking permission to withdraw prosecution against accused, including sitting ministers.

The government argued that Article 105(3), 194(3) of the Constitution confers certain privileges and immunities to the members of the Parliament and state Legislature.

"Therefore, it is not proper for the Secretary of Legislative Assembly to file cases against the MLAs with regard to an incident happened on the floor of the House during the protest made by the opposition members, that too without the consent of the Speaker of the Assembly," added the plea, seeking stay on the high court order.
Jaipur, June 26 : It's official. The flight of fancy of former CM Vasundhara Raje and her followers seems to be making a sudden landing as the central leadership of the saffron brigade is busy clipping the wings of her camp in the desert state.

The story started with the removal of her posters during by-poll campaigning in three states; then her posters were removed from the state party headquarters. Recently, a former minister from her camp, Rohitashv Sharma, was issued a show-cause notice for speaking against the party's working. He has been warned to reply within 15 days or else disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against him.

Raje, for months, has been maintaining a distance from the party headquarters after the elevation of Satish Poonia, a RSS man, as the BJP state president.

Since then, the party workers from her camp were speaking against the party and were running a parallel unit to the state BJP organisation.

Recently, this camp claimed that "Raje is BJP and BJP is Raje" in Rajasthan.

The statement did not go down well with the party leaders of the state and then started a two-way war.

Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria hit back saying no leader is higher than the party and party discipline comes first.' However, Raje's followers did not stop and continued firing fresh salvos due to which central leaders had to rush to Jaipur to intervene.

State party in-charge Arun Singh came to Jaipur and openly warned the rebel leaders to follow party discipline or be prepared to face the music.

"The party leaders should stay in discipline and should think twice before issuing a statement whether it will help the party to rise or dent its prospects," he said adding, "All party workers should follow constitutional norms of the party and stay in discipline or else disciplinary proceedings will be taken against them." Soon after this warning, the state party leadership issued a show-cause notice to senior BJP leader Rohitashv Sharma from the Raje camp.

Sharma, in a meeting held in Alwar, had told the media that the BJP workers are not working on the ground but are limited to their offices due to which it lost two by-polls.

However, Poonia countered his claim and said, "600 workers of BJP lost their lives working on ground during Covid pandemic. Such statements show disrespect to those workers who sacrificed their lives on the ground." Meanwhile Sharma did not seem to be following the party discipline and claimed that Raje remains his leader and the party is his mother and no one can separate a son from his mother.

I will fight my battle in Delhi and shall stage a hunger strike, he added.

So, there seems to be no let-up in the war but the party has warned again that more action will be taken against those violating the party line.

Lord Krishna pardoned 99 mistakes of Shishupal but his 100th mistake was not forgiven, so the 100th mistake will not be forgiven here too, he added, with reference to the Mahabharata in the ongoing war of the saffron party in the desert state.

Meanwhile, what has raised eyebrows in the state is Arun Singh's statement that the parliamentary board will take a decision on the CM face.

Raje's followers, since months, have been demanding and in fact declaring her as the CM face for the 2023 elections on social media.

However, party workers told IANS, "Raje and her followers are more like white elephants who are not contributing anything but are denting party prospects so disciplinary proceedings are a must against them." What is Raje contributing to the party as national BJP vice-president, they asked adding, "It's a surprise that the party has left her free from rendering her duties. In such cases, senior leaders like her should introspect and start taking initiatives to ensure they continue marking their presence. Those who don't do it, go into oblivion, that's the the rule of politics," they said.

So is there more action coming against the rebel leaders and will their wings be clipped further? Wait and watch, Poonia told IANS.
Chandigarh, June 26 : After interrogating Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case in Punjab, on Saturday questioned his son and party SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal for four hours here.

Sukhbir was the Deputy Chief Minister and also the Home Minister when the incidents of the desecration of a religious text and the subsequent police firing took place in Faridkot in 2015.

The SIT team, led by ADGP L.K. Yadav, quizzed the former Deputy Chief Minister.

Earlier this week, the SIT questioned former five-time Chief Minister Badal at his residence here for three hours.

Badal was the Chief Minister of Punjab when the police had opened fire on protesters on October 14, 2015, killing two and injuring others after alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village in Faridkot district took place.

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.

After the High Court order on April 9, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has constituted a new SIT.

Responding to the questioning of the Sukhbir, Harcharan Bains, Principal Advisor to party president, said the Kotkapura firing "must be the only incident in the world where the SIT wants to know who ordered firing after the relevant competent authority, the SDM, has already declared that he ordered it".

"It's like SIT telling the SDM please don't say you ordered it. We want to blame it on someone else," he added.

In an interesting development in the case, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap, who was handling the probe into police firing after the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, this week joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after opting voluntary retirement from his service.

After joining the politics, Vijay Pratap blamed the accused of the sacrilege case for dictating the state government.
San Francisco, June 26 : A Tesla Supercharger station is now getting direct service from a nearby McDonald's that offers direct delivery to Tesla owners charging their electric vehicles in the US.

When charging station operators open new stations, they try to build them near amenities for drivers to use when their vehicles are charging.

The report is mainly talking about restrooms, coffee shops and restaurants, Electrek reported.

On some popular routes with several charging stations, some EV owners have their preferred stations based on the amenities around them.

For example, Tesla has about 6 Supercharger stations within a one charge distance on highway 5 between Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

If they have enough charge, Tesla drivers have some options on where to stop.

One of those stations is a relatively new Supercharger in Firebaugh and one of the biggest in the world with 56 stalls.

There are a few options to eat around the charging station, including a Little Caesars, a Subway, and McDonald's: Some shop and restaurant operators near new Supercharger stations have been smartly taking advantage of the captive audience that they have for a short period.

Some Tesla owners are reporting that McDonald's is offering Tesla drivers to get orders delivered directly to their vehicle while they are charging.

According to the report, the fast-food restaurant put a sign up that reads: "Recharge with McDonald's while you recharge your Tesla. Food delivered directly to your charge bay."

-- Syndicated from IANS
Hyderabad, June 26 : Bounteous food crops growth and production in Telangana has made the state a granary, requiring more number of rice mills, said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday.

"Abundant food crops growth and production in Telangana has made the state a granary for the country. The state needs additional rice mills. We have to increase the number of rice mills," said Rao at a meeting organised in the run up to the launch of village and city progress programme on July 1.

As part of the programme, KCR said no work should be pending.

He admonished Panchayat Raj department officials to introspect as to why so many works are pending even after the state government extending so much support.

The Chief Minister directed officials to act sternly in dealing with fake seeds sale.

He also instructed the officials to use their wide powers in cracking down on fake seeds, coordinating with the police department.

Rao also asked his officials to provide door delivery of six saplings to every household in the villages as well ensuring they are planted.

Likewise, the CM said electric power issues in the villages should be resolved by observing power day.
New Delhi, June 26 : In a crackdown on political interference, the Reserve Bank of India has barred MPs, MLAs and members of municipal corporations or other local bodies from holding the office of managing director (MD) or whole-time director (WTD) in urban cooperative banks.

These directions are applicable to all Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs). The RBI had exempted UCBs with a deposit size of less than Rs 100 crore from the requirement of seeking prior approval of the Reserve Bank for appointment / re-appointment / termination of appointment of MDs or WTDs.

Under the propriety criteria, the person to be nominated as MD or WTD shall not be engaged in any other business or vocation; shall not hold the position of a Member of Parliament or state legislature or municipal corporation or municipality or other local bodies; and shall not be a director of any company other than a company registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013.

In addition, he shall not be a partner of any firm which carries on any trade, business or industry; should not have substantial interest in any company or firm as defined in Section 5 (ne) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulations Act, 1949; and shall not be a director, manager, managing agent, partner or proprietor of any trading, commercial or industrial concern.

In addition, the person should not be of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court; should not be an undischarged insolvent; should not be convicted by a criminal court of an offence involving moral turpitude; and should not be a director of any other co-operative bank or a co-operative credit society.

The person shall submit a self-declaration form on personal integrity.

While the exempted UCBs are not required to obtain prior approval, they are required to formulate a board approved policy based on all the other provisions of these directions for appointment / re-appointment / termination of appointment of MD or WTD.

These banks shall immediately report the appointment / re-appointment / termination of appointment of MD or WTD to the respective regional offices (Department of Supervision, Central Office, in case of UCBs under jurisdiction of Mumbai office) of the Reserve Bank.

The UCBs shall review the 'Fit and Proper' status of the existing MDs in terms of these directions and confirm the same, with the approval of board of directors to the concerned regional office within a period of two months from the date of issuance of the circular.

In case the present MD does not satisfy the prescribed 'Fit and Proper' criteria, the UCB shall initiate the process for appointment of a new MD immediately. If a UCB had appointed a WTD, the bank shall follow the same procedure to comply with these directions.
New Delhi, June 26: Thirty-four years after their exemplary valour created history on the highest battleground in the world, the heroics of Captain Bana Singh, Param Vir Chakra, Major Varinder Singh, Vir Chakra, Sena Medal and his team from the 8th Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry (Siachen) are being recalled with a huge sense of pride by many Indians today.

It was on June 26, 1987 that the 8 JAK LI captured the Quaid Post (named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah) in Siachen at an altitude of 21,153 feet, a virtually impregnable glacier fortress with ice walls as high as 1500 feet on both sides which was occupied by Pakistani forces to dominate the entire region.

Naib Subedar Bana Singh, who volunteered to be a member of the team tasked to capture the Quaid Post, displayed conspicuous gallantry and leadership under severe adverse conditions and was awarded India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra and the post was renamed as 'Bana Top' in his honour.

Along with Subedar Sanjay Kumar and Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, Captain Bana Singh is the only living recipient of the award.

Temperatures in the upper reaches of the 76 km glacier with mountain ranges on either side ranges between minus 30 degrees to minus 80 degrees centigrade and the average winter snowfall is 35 feet.

Bane Singh It was in these extremely difficult and hazardous conditions that Singh, with a thin razor sharp ridge line on the flank, led his men through the dangerous route and inspired them by his indomitable courage and leadership.

Using ropes to climb the ice walls in numbing chillness, the heroic JCO and his men crawled and closed in on the enemy. In an unparalleled feat of raw courage and valour he moved from trench to trench, lobbing hand grenades and charging with his bayonet killing all the remaining enemy soldiers to capture the strategic post.

JAK LI - a battle-hardened and decorated Regiment The JAK LI Infantry Regiment with 17 battalions, is one of the most battle hardened and decorated Regiments of the Indian Army.

The battalion was raised as the First Battalion Border Scouts by volunteers who took up arms in the aftermath of communal passion and the smouldering embers of Partition to check the multitude of Kabailies intruding into Poonch on 18 December 1947.

'Born in Battle and Purified in Blood', the battalion was re-designated as 8th Jammu & Kashmir Militia on April 15, 1948. The Regiment, raised on December 2, 1972 from J&K Militia - and rechristened Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry on April 27, 1976 - has fought gallantly in the 1947-48, 1965 & 1971 Indo-Pak wars.

Siachen In the 1971 War, the battalion was outnumbered but never outclassed in valour and fought the defensive battle successfully despite the enemy's passion for Chhamb. For this the battalion was awarded the Battle Honour - Laleali and Picquet 707.

The battalion yet again proved its mettle during its 2008 tenure at Kupwara in Jammu & Kashmir when Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, Vir Chakra, Sena Medal, who laid down his life following the highest traditions of the Indian Army while fighting terrorists, was bestowed with the highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra (Posthumous).

With this, the battalion joined the elite group of 'Bravest of the Brave' battalions.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
Kolkata, June 26 : Four days after Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty took a jab at a fake Covid vaccination camp, the actor-turned-politician on Saturday complained of dehydration and stomach cramps.

Mimi felt dizzy following a round of profuse sweating and was later attended by doctors who diagnosed her with low blood pressure.

However, the doctors are not yet sure if it is an effect of the fake vaccine that was administered to her. She has been kept under strict medical supervision.

According to reports, she first felt discomfort on Saturday morning, four days after she received her jab at the supposed vaccination site.

The actor-turned-politician's house physician was summoned to the residence early on Saturday morning. Her medical complications included acute stomach ache and profuse sweating.

Although she was advised to get herself admitted to a hospital, Mimi reportedly refused and opted for home treatment instead.

It has also been reported that the Trinamool MP had some previous medical conditions -- gallbladder sludge and a sluggish liver.

However, it is not yet known if the 'vaccine' dose she received -- probably antibacterial injections -- triggered any adverse side-effects.

"The vials (from the fake vaccination camp) have been collected and sent for forensic tests. It will take another four-five days to get the report. Presently it is impossible to say whether Chakraborty's health condition was the result of the vaccine shot," said an official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

However, KMC officials said that some people who had taken vaccine shots from the fake camp in Kasba reported rashes and some other physical complications.

"We have made a door-to-door survey and have taken note of all the people who have developed any kind of problem. Some are having rashes on the injection site and for some, the eyes have turned red. We are waiting for the report and at the same time keeping a watch on the people," the official added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the police to look into the options so that they can introduce 'culpable homicide' charge against Debanjan Deb, the man who conducted the dubious vaccine camps in Kolkata impersonating as a Joint Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Banerjee has spoken to Kolkata police commissioner Soumen Mitra and asked him to take exemplary action against the culprit.

The Kolkata police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Deputy Commissioner of Detective Department, Saikat Ghosh, to investigate the fake vaccine racket.

The racket came to light after Mimi lodged a complaint suspecting that the camp in Kasba where she took the vaccine was fake.

She found the camp suspicious when she received no official confirmation after taking the vaccine on Wednesday.

Mimi Chakraborty falls ill after taking jab at fake vax camp Mimi felt dizzy following a round of profuse sweating and was later attended by doctors who diagnosed her with low blood pressure.

However, the doctors are not yet sure if it is an effect of the fake vaccine that was administered to her. She has been kept under strict medical supervision.

According to reports, she first felt discomfort on Saturday morning, four days after she received her jab at the supposed vaccination site.

The actor-turned-politician's house physician was summoned to the residence early on Saturday morning. Her medical complications included acute stomach ache and profuse sweating.

Although she was advised to get herself admitted to a hospital, Mimi reportedly refused and opted for home treatment instead.

It has also been reported that the Trinamool MP had some previous medical conditions -- gallbladder sludge and a sluggish liver.

However, it is not yet known if the 'vaccine' dose she received -- probably antibacterial injections -- triggered any adverse side-effects.

"The vials (from the fake vaccination camp) have been collected and sent for forensic tests. It will take another four-five days to get the report. Presently it is impossible to say whether Chakraborty's health condition was the result of the vaccine shot," said an official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

However, KMC officials said that some people who had taken vaccine shots from the fake camp in Kasba reported rashes and some other physical complications.

"We have made a door-to-door survey and have taken note of all the people who have developed any kind of problem. Some are having rashes on the injection site and for some, the eyes have turned red. We are waiting for the report and at the same time keeping a watch on the people," the official added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the police to look into the options so that they can introduce 'culpable homicide' charge against Debanjan Deb, the man who conducted the dubious vaccine camps in Kolkata impersonating as a Joint Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Banerjee has spoken to Kolkata police commissioner Soumen Mitra and asked him to take exemplary action against the culprit.

The Kolkata police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Deputy Commissioner of Detective Department, Saikat Ghosh, to investigate the fake vaccine racket.

The racket came to light after Mimi lodged a complaint suspecting that the camp in Kasba where she took the vaccine was fake.

She found the camp suspicious when she received no official confirmation after taking the vaccine on Wednesday.
Doctor's at the BMC's LTMG Hospital, Sion performed an emergency surgery on a 29-year old woman to remove an 18-inch long iron rod which pierced through her chest and jutted out of the back, on June 19. Image Source: IANS News

Doctor's at the BMC's LTMG Hospital, Sion performed an emergency surgery on a 29-year old woman to remove an 18-inch long iron rod which pierced through her chest and jutted out of the back, on June 19. Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, June 26 : In a major life-saving operation, doctors of a Mumbai civic hospital saved the life of a woman labourer who fell at a construction site and an 18-inch-long iron rod pierced through her chest, officials said here on Saturday.

The incident took place on June 19, when the 29-year-old victim was working along with her husband on an upper floor of an under-construction building in Vikhroli suburb of north-eastern Mumbai.

She suddenly fell down to the ground floor straight onto an iron rod which pierced right through her chest and jutted out of the back, as she screamed for help in a pool of blood.

The workers at the site immediately rushed her to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s Rajawadi Hospital, where she was administered first-aid and transferred to the LTMG Hospital, Sion, for further treatment.

A full-fledged medical team comprising Vineet Kumar, Ranjit Kamble, Parth Patel, Cardiologist Kuntal Surana, Anaesthetist Tejaswini Jambotkar, paramedics and others, was formed to handle the delicate case.

Given the life-threatening situation, they decided to immediately perform an emergency surgery to remove the rod and save the woman.

"The big challenge was, owing to the penetrating rod, it was not possible to make her lie on the operating table. After a lot of efforts, she was placed on a cushion and the complicated, three-hour long surgery was performed," said the LTMG Dean Mohan Joshi.

After the successful procedure, the woman was wheeled out to a ward, kept under observation for a week and finally declared out of danger today (June 26), Joshi added.

Top civic officers like Additional Municipal Commissioners Suresh Kakani and Deputy Municipal Commissioner D. Kshirsagar, have lauded the efforts of the LTMG team including the medical and para-medical staff for carrying out a life-saver procedure during the pandemic times.
Srinagar, June 26 : Three civilians were injured in a grenade explosion in Srinagar on Saturday.

The police said the militants hurled a grenade at a CRPF party in the Barbarshah area of Srinagar on Saturday afternoon.

"The grenade missed the target and exploded on the ground. Three civilians were injured in this attack. The injured have been shifted to the hospital for treatment. The area has been surrounded for searches," the police said.
Kolkata, June 26 : Days after a fake vaccination racket was busted in Kolkata, the West Bengal health department on Saturday issued a detailed guideline to control and monitor Covid vaccination camps (CVCs) organised by private entities across the state.

The fake vaccination racket came to light after actor-turned-Trinamool Congress MP Chakraborty lodged a complaint suspecting that a camp in Kasba where she took the vaccine shot was fake. She found the camp suspicious when she received no official confirmation after taking the vaccine on Wednesday.

Debanjan Deb, the man who conducted the dubious vaccine camps impersonating as a Joint Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, has been arrested.

The seven-page guidelines issued by the health department specifically mentioned that all camps other than the ones directly organised by the state government will need to take prior permission of the state health department and fix a nodal officer so that the health department can directly communicate with him/her regarding the vaccination camp.

The guidelines also asked all private CVCs to maintain a dynamic inventory of vaccines, disclosing the source of their supplies, cold chain mechanisms, day-to-day consumption of vaccine doses etc., besides submitting end of the day reports to the health department.

The nodal officer must submit a weekly report on safety and tolerability of the vaccine doses.

The private vaccination camps must extend support and cooperation to the health department with respect to facilitating a prescheduled monitoring visit of the CVC by the representatives of the health department.

In case of poor compliance or gross departure from the prescribed norms, the health department shall revoke the permission to run the CVC, the guidelines said.

A private CVC must submit a list of all the people who completed vaccination, i.e., received both the doses, every Sunday.

In case of non-compliance by the beneficiaries, the same must be clearly mentioned in the weekly report, the guidelines said.

The organisers will not only have to obtain clearance from the local police, but they will also have to display the approval letter from the competent authority at the session site so that people can have a look at it.

The private CVCs will also have to display the charges taken for Covid vaccination. They will state how the vaccines will be transported from their cold chain point to the vaccination site maintaining the cold chain.

All vaccination shall be done through the CoWIN portal only. For ensuring better management at the vaccination sites, Covid vaccine related app should be used, the guidelines specified.

The private camps will display a board at the vaccination site clearly mentioning the CoWIN authenticated code number. At the end of the vaccination session, the organisation will submit a performance report to the local health authority.

On receiving the application for a vaccination camp, a responsible official will be assigned to visit the site and submit a report on the preparedness for the camp.

The authorised officer will then issue a certificate to the concerned organisation to conduct the camp subject to the satisfactory report of site preparedness by the inspecting official, the guidelines said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, June 26 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Saturday that it has attached property worth Rs 6 crore jointly owned by West End Pigments & Chemicals Pvt Ltd and M/s Deshpran Properties Ltd in connection with an illegal coal mining case involving Trinamool Congress youth wing leader Vinay Mishra.

An ED official said that it has attached a land parcel worth Rs 6 crore jointly owned by the two companies in Kolkata under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The official said that during the probe, it was revealed that an advance of Rs 6 crore for the purchase of this property was transferred from the account of LTB Infraconsultants Pvt Ltd.

"Further, during the investigation, it was found that the source of the said fund was from the proceeds of crime, which was deposited in cash into the bank accounts of LTB Infraconsultants Pvt Ltd, which is owned by Vinay Mishra and Vikas Mishra," the official said.

Earlier, the financial probe agency had carried out searches at 46 different locations in Delhi-NCR and Kolkata in connection with the case.

The official said that based on the outcome of the investigation conducted by the ED so far, total proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 1,352 crore has been unearthed, out of which the agency had earlier attached immovable properties to the tune of Rs 165.86 crore.

"With this attachment, the total attachment in this case reached Rs 171.86 crore," he added.

The ED has arrested Vikas Mishra and Ashok Mishra in connection with the case and a charge sheet has also been filed in a special court.
New Delhi, June 26 : The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday said that it has busted a drug trafficking syndicate operating over darknet and arrested eight persons who were involved in the trade.

NCB Deputy Director K.P.S. Malhotra said that the drug law enforcement agency launched a special drive against psychotropic drugs trafficking especially those using the darknet and internet pharmacy route.

He said that the agency seized 22 lakhs of psychotropic drugs, 70,000 Codeine Based Cough Syrups (CBCS) and 245 kg of psychotropic drugs and arrest of eight persons.

The official said that the agency carried out searches in various parts of Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Explaining the modus operandi of the syndicate, Malhotra said, "This module has a modus operandi of getting the orders through darknet market host, websites created, internet pharmacy and and the same are delivered through the dedicated shippers to create anonymity between the receiver of the order and logistic persons." The NCB official said that the investigation so far was based on the specific input that a trafficking network is involved in exportation of psychotropic drugs from India to various parts of world, few consignments were seized and the same were backtracked.

"During investigation, it was found that the shippers are primarily in Delhi NCR and are using fake identities. Based on the backtrack investigation, one of the shipper K. Aggarwal a resident of Agra was was arrested," he said.

Malhotra said that during his questioning Aggarwal disclosed that he gets his drugs supply from one of the suppliers in Agra.

Following the disclosure, the NCB arrested A. Goyal from Agra, he said that the arrest of A. Goyal led to a startling fact that they are getting the psychotropic drugs from a Haridwar based pharmaceutical company, which is involved in legal production and in that garb, is diverting these psychotropic drugs to these traffickers.

"Raid was conducted at Haridwar at the premises of the pharmaceutical company and their distribution centre based in Agra. The total 37 seizures were affected from this syndicate leading to a cumulative figure of 22 lakhs of psychotropic drugs, 70,000 Codeine Based Cough Syrups (CBCS) and 245 Kg psychotropic drugs," Malhotra said.

The NCB official further said that following more disclosures by the arrested accused, the agency identified A. Sharma and P.Sharma both masterminds of the syndicate.

They were arrested and their associates -- J. Prasad and G. Kumar, who were providing them logistic support in maintaining their websites, darknet sites, order list maintenance and managing the delivering of the parcels or couriers have also been arrested.

He said that they have their counterparts or associates in USA and Canada, which are under probe. The official said that the accused were using various website to attract clients or drug abusers in USA and other countries.

"They had listed these websites out of India and all the footprints of these websites were cleverly camouflaged by using outside India IP addresses. And for the financial transactions they had maintained international accounts based outside of India," the official said.

He said that during investigation it was revealed that to gain the confidence of the clients, who were primarily based in North America, they had opened these accounts in those territories.

The official added that there accounts were listed as vendors on darknet and they accepted payment in the form of multiple cryptocurrencies like bitcoins.

Malhotra pointed out that investigation has revealed that they had shipped multiple orders or parcels to various countries including US, UK, Canada and Philippines.

"The digital forensics is reflecting figures around a lakh of such orders, which are being backtracked and the detailed network investigation is underway," he said, adding that the syndicate members are very tech-savvy.

Malhotra said that the members of the syndicate used VOIP methods to communicate with each other and that is using VPN, to avoid the surveillance of drug law enforcement agencies.
New Delhi, June 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a meeting with the top officials to review the Covid situation and the progress of the vaccination drive in the country.

The Prime Minister directed the officials to work with the states to ensure that the pace of testing does not go down, as testing remains a very important weapon to track and contain the spread of the virus in any region.

The officials submitted a detailed presentation to the Prime Minister on the progress of the vaccination drive in the country.

Modi was briefed about the age-wise vaccination coverage, as well as coverage of the healthcare workers, frontline workers and the general population in various states.

The officials also apprised the Prime Minister about vaccine supply in the upcoming months and the efforts being made to ramp up production.

Modi was informed that 3.77 crore doses have been administered in the last six days, which is more than the entire population of countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Canada.

It was also discussed that 128 districts in the country have vaccinated more than 50 per cent of the 45+ population, while 16 districts have vaccinated more than 90 per cent of the 45+ population.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction at the rising speed of vaccination this week and stressed that it is important to carry forward this momentum.

The officials briefed the Prime Minister that they are in touch with the state governments to explore and implement innovative methods to reach out to the people for vaccination.

Modi also spoke about the need to involve NGOs and other organisations in such efforts.
New Delhi, June 26 : The Delhi government on Saturday said that it has decided to take over the management of Swami Shivanand Memorial School in Punjabi Bagh.

The AAP government said the decision has been taken after receiving several complaints of violation of rules against the private school.

In an official statement, the government said several parents have complaints that the school authorities are arbitrarily charging extra fees from students.

In addition, the school has been failing its students and asking them to retake the same grade intentionally.

Following the complaints of parents, the Delhi government had constituted an inquiry committee to examine the matter which later found inadequacies in the functioning of the school.

Upon presenting the report, the school management was given a chance to defend itself but they were unable to give any reasonable answers about the anomalies in its functioning.

"Considering the inadequacies and complaints which were found to be correct, the Delhi government has decided to initiate the process of taking over the school management as per the provisions of Delhi School Education Act of 1973," the CMO said.
New Delhi, June 26 : To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Indian armed forces victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, the year 2021 is being celebrated as 'Swarnim Vijay Varsh.

As part of the year-long Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations, four victory flames were lit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National War Memorial on December 16, 2020, which were sent to four cardinal directions.

One of the victory flames traveling north was brought to the 15 Rashtriya Rifles in Vilgam, J&K, from the Headquarter 8 Sector in Charkoot as part of its last lap.

The victory flame was received with tremendous fervour by the civilians at the Champora Bridge and a bike rally by the local youth ushered it throughout the route towards Vilgam via Dhama.

The victory flame was brought to the main gate of 15 Rashtriya Rifles at Vilgam where it was handed over for a mile-long victory run by national level sportspersons towards the celebration area.

At the last stretch of the run, the victory flame was handed over to the war veterans and was received by the Commander, Headquarter 8 Sector. A wreath laying ceremony with full honours and great ardour by war veterans and the Commander of Headquarter 8 Sector was performed.

The ceremony was witnessed by a large number of ex-servicemen, children and various civil dignitaries of the area. The celebration consisted of cultural programmes including performance of Kashmiri dance by a local dance group, patriotic songs by school children and a battle depiction of 'Op Gazab', which was fought at the Tangdhar Sector by the Indian troops.

Last but not the least was 'khukri dance' performed by the Gorkha soldiers which took the audience by awe.

The war veterans were felicitated by the Commander 8 Sector in recognition of their valuable sacrifices and in achieving the glorious victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

The emotions of patriotism were running high and the chantings of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' filled the entire place.

The victory flame was later escorted for night halt at the 15 Rashtriya Rifles Quarter Guard. On Sunday, will be bid adieu for the 59 Medium Regiment Aegis, 19 Artillery Brigade, for further celebrations.
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Osbert Fernandez, MD, FACOG, FAAFP of CarePoint Health Medical Group has been reviewed and approved by NJ Top Docs for 2021. Dr. Fernandez is board certified in both Family Practice and Obstetrics & Gynecology. He is also certified by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) for his commitment to menopausal health.

Dr. Fernandez has special interest in treating high risk obstetric cases and minimally invasive gynecological surgery.

Currently, he is an Attending Physician with CarePoint Medical Group and is the Associate Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hoboken University Medical Center.

Dr. Fernandez is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at New York Medical College in the Department of Family Medicine.

Being a doctor allows me to contribute to my community and to society in a meaningful way. It is an honor to be trusted with helping a patient to manage their health and well-being, says Dr. Fernandez.

To learn more about this NJ Top Doc, please visit: https://njtopdocs.com/nj-doctors/drosbertfernandez/

---

About Us

NJ Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New Jersey online in an easy to use format. NJ Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted.

NJ Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment.

For more information, please click here to contact us or visit http://www.NJTopDocs.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
Interested in angel investing and deal syndication? Get a glimpse behind the curtain of the secretive investment world by attending virtually one or all of the following MED Angels Investors Events:

The first Investors Pitch will be held on June 27th from 4pm-6pm EET, during Techne Summit Dubrovnik in Carlos North Coast - Alexandria, Egypt.

The Investors Roundtables will take place on June 29th, from 11:30am - 4pm EET during the 4YFN conference, in Barcelona, Spain.

The second Investors Pitch will be held on June 30th, from 9am -10.30am EET, also during the 4YFN Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Listen to prominent angel investors from across the region as they openly discuss the role of deal syndication in strengthening the startup ecosystem, and debate the future of cross-border investment across the Mediterranean in a post-Covid world.

For the first time ever, watch how angel investors from AlexAngels, AUC Angels, HIM Angel, Core Angels and their syndicated angel groups, exchange real-life investments that they have closed and organise deal syndication transparently in front of a live audience.

This series of unique events will be hosted by ITIDA during the 4YFN conference and supported by Hivos and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Get ahead in the investment game by joining the MED Angels Investors Pitches from anywhere in the world. Join virtually with your free Techne Summit Dubrovnik pass, available from: https://dbv.technesummit.com/
Cambridge Forensics (dba) recently relocated to Punta Gorda, Florida from Cambridge, Maryland -- Punta Gorda is a beautiful small town located on the West coast of Florida. CF is partnering with local Florida Universities to identify and hire high potential interns with the goal of creating economic development and growth in our surrounding communities. CF recently hired two uniquely qualified college interns; Mia Dieringer who is attending the University of South Florida with the expectations to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Chinese in 2025. Sean Cusick is attending Florida Gulf Coast University and is majoring in Computer Information Systems with a minor in Political Science and is expected to graduate in 2022. Our interns are currently working on a 5-year contract completing External Quality of Care Reviews (EQR) for a state Department of Health agency, establishing and developing an innovative virtual reality lab, and providing quality assurance services on an Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

About Cambridge Federal, LLC / Cambridge Forensics (dba)

CF is a certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), and a DoT Small Business Enterprise (SBE) located in Punta Gorda, Florida. CF provides LiveScan Fingerprinting/Biometrics services with offices in Maryland, is a DeLL and Microsoft Office Reseller, operates a multi-tenant IT Call Center and Help Desk, and provides virtual hosting platforms for various training programs. CF is creating a Research and Development lab; investigating unique forensic solutions that will secure and validate the supply chain, provide medical professionals with contagious disease training, and support law enforcement.

CF is committed to fostering economic development, investment, and career opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information on Cambridge Federal, please visit https://c-fed.com/. For more information on Cambridge Forensics, please visit https://www.c-forensics.com/.
Scranton-area first responders can receive $500 to be used toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle at Dickson City Hyundai.

Across the country, many companies like to show their appreciation for first responders. This appreciation is shown through special discounts, free meals and designated days of celebration. Dickson City Hyundai joins the many companies in showing its appreciation for first responders by offering a special bonus program. This program provides a $500 bonus to be used toward the purchase or lease of a new Hyundai vehicle.

There are a few requirements that an interested customer must meet to receive this bonus. The first responder must be active at the time of application for the program. Eligible first responders include police officers, sheriffs, sheriff deputies, correctional officers, state troopers, federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMT and Paramedics, 911 dispatchers and the spouses of first responders.

In addition to being active, the customer must provide proof of active service, receive a salary that can cover living expenses and payments for the new vehicle, receive credit approval and sign up for a finance or leasing contract through a Hyundai dealer. If the offer is used for a lease contract, the rebate will be applied toward the amount due at signing or to the Capitalized Cost Reduction. If the bonus is being used on a finance contract, it will be applied toward the down payment. This offer cannot be used for fleet vehicles and cant be combined with Hyundai Circle plan sales.

If any Scranton-area first responders would like to learn more about this program, they can find more information at dicksoncityhyundai.com. They can also direct their question to a sales team member by calling 570-487-5000. However, they can also talk to a sales representative in person by visiting the Dickson City Hyundai salesroom at 1519 Scranton Carbondale Highway.
On Monday, June 28, Wickmans Fine Wine Auctions will take to market what may be the only surviving bottle of 1944 Woodleys St. Adele Claret.

The 1944 St. Adele Claret is a product of famed South Australian winemaker Bill Redman, and a successor to the familys earlier award-winning vintage of the same name.

Auctioneer, Mark Wickman, said the bottle was in great condition considering its age and would be an extraordinary addition to any private wine collection.

The St. Adele Claret has an incredible story with its humble Coonawarra roots, its 1936 Brewers Exhibition Best Claret win in London for its 1933 vintage, and surviving much of the regions vineyard repurposing during wartime, Mr. Wickman said.

There is so much history in this one bottle that its hard to determine a value, but I am very pleased to be involved in the sale of a rare wine such as this."

The current colour of the wine would suggest it is unlikely to deliver on taste, however very few 1944 vintages ever make it to auction so the bottles antiquity is where its value lies.

This World War II era vintage is seventy-six years of Australian wine history, full of Coonawarra character and matured in the old Glen Osmond Silver Mine in South Australia.

The Silver Mine cellar played host to only the best of Woodleys wines including its St. Adele Claret, the famed Treasure Chest Series, and later its Queen Adelaide range.

For more information or to register as a bidder in upcoming auctions, visit the Wickmans Fine Wine Auction website at http://www.wickman.net.au.
Hyundai owners looking to modify their vehicles should check out the Mobility Program at Stockton Hyundai.

When going home in a new Hyundai vehicle, a customer will want to make it fit their personal needs and wants as much as possible. While many shoppers choose a model with the features that they desire, some choose to take it a step further by adding on adaptive equipment. However, adaptive equipment can be expensive. As a way to help drivers modify their Hyundai vehicle, Stockton Hyundai encourages local Hyundai owners to check out its Mobility Program. This program provides $1,000 for a customer to use toward the overall cost of purchasing and installing adaptive equipment.

There are three steps that any interested client must follow to receive the $1,000. The first step is determining which vehicles and equipment are eligible. Select new and unused Hyundai vehicles sold by an authorized Hyundai dealership are eligible to receive reimbursement for mobility equipment. There are several requirements that the equipment must meet, but one of the main requirements is that the equipment must be related to a medical need.

The second step involves downloading and completing all proper forms to send to Hyundai Motor America within 60 days of installation. The forms that are required include the Purchase Agreement or Sales Contract, an itemized and paid invoice from the equipment company, the customers vehicle registration and documentation from a medical professional stating the purpose of the equipment. The invoice must include the customers full name, the vehicle and the Vehicle Identification Number. The third and final step involves downloading, completing and sending the Claim Form to Hyundai Motor America.

If any prospective Hyundai owners would like to learn more about this program, they can find more information at - stocktonhyundai.com. Customers can also ask the sales team any questions they may have by calling 209-227-1081. However, if a more personal experience is preferred, customers can find Stockton Hyundai at 2079 Auto Center Circle.
As a major 5G-stakeholder in the USA, T-Mobile for Business Partner Program delivers exciting options to USAT clients, says Andy James, Director of Sales at USAT

USAT LLC, a top provider of critical communications technology and services, announced today that their company has joined T-Mobiles Business Partner Program. Moving forward, USAT will work with T-Mobile sellers nationwide to provide USATs clients with solutions utilizing T-Mobile LTE and 5G networks for wireless connectivity.

T-Mobiles Extended Range 5G  their 600 MHz  covers 280 million people across 1.6 million square miles, thats up to 4X more than their competition. T-Mobile is also lighting up mid-band Ultra Capacity 5G at an unmatched rate. Ultra Capacity 5G  their 2.5 GHz  covers 106M people and they expect to be nationwide by the end of this year.

USAT specializes in high-end router solutions and IoT gateways, and currently offers devices optimized for using T-Mobile band 71including Cat 18 equipped endpoints from Cradlepoint.

As a major 5G-stakeholder in the USA, T-Mobile for Business Partner Program delivers exciting options to USAT clients, says Andy James, Director of Sales at USAT. Whether it is connecting a remote lighthouse, a quick serve restaurant, or an EMS vehicle, T-Mobile is a network option that people are actively using to re-invent the way they communicate.

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"I came out of the womb afraid, Louise Penny says with a laugh. Its a weekday afternoon in the Victorian village of Knowlton, in Quebec, and the likeable Canadian crime writer is at home on the couch, in front of a picture window that looks out onto a tree-filled backyard, reflecting over Zoom on her childhood in Toronto.

I was afraid of other children, of heights, of the night, of breaking my nose, Penny says. Name something and I was afraid of it. Whenever I was badwhich was fairly rareas punishment my mother would send me outside to play.

Her favorite activity was reading in her room, and when she discovered Agatha Christie, a love of crime fiction was born. That love led Penny, wholl turn 63 in July, to create the wildly popular Three Pines series, which stars esteemed Chief Insp. Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec (the police department for the province) and is set in the fictional village of Three Pines, which is partly modeled on Knowlton.

Its a charming placeif you dont mind stepping over the occasional corpse on your way to the quaint French bistro or bookstore. The series has sold more than 10 million copies in North America, according to publisher Minotaur, and has been translated into 29 languages.

The 17th installment, The Madness of Crowds (Minotaur), lands in August and earned a starred review from PW. It concerns a controversial academic with disturbing views and a large following, who has come to Three Pines to give a lecture. Theres a murder, of course, but this book, like all of Pennys works, is more concerned with why it was committed rather than how.

Writing about murder doesnt interest me, Penny says. Murder is a terrible act, but thats all it is. What it allows me to do is explore emotions and themes, ideas and philosophies. Im interested in what characters do and how they struggle.

Penny shares her own ups and downs in monthly dispatches on her website. Shes open about everything, including her past issues with alcohol. In her 20s and 30s, she was a successful radio host and journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but she struggled with loneliness and anxiety and drank to cope. I was afraid I was going to kill myself, she says. When I eventually got sober, that terror blew away, and I could see that the world isnt a scary place, that its not out to get me.

Pennys life took a big turn when, a year into sobriety, she met her future husband, Michael Whitehead, head of hematology at Montreal Childrens Hospital. Whiteheadwho died in 2016 after struggling with dementiaoffered to support Penny financially so she could pursue writing. She quit the CBC, powered through five years of writers block, then began Still Life, the first book in the Three Pines series, which was published in 2005, when she was in her mid-40s.

Whitehead was the inspiration for Gamachethough Penny didnt realize that when she began writing. Initially, I thought Gamache would have an addiction and be in a bad marriage, she explains. Then I thought, why? I want to be around someone whos company I enjoy. So I gave him qualities I admire. Hes self-deprecating, warm, open to love. I was feeling proud of myself and went downstairs one day, and there was Michael, talking about world peace or something, and I realized I didnt make Gamache up, I transcribed him. He was Michael. He and Gamache both had struggles but chose to be happy. They saw death and understood what a gift life is.

After Whitehead got sick, Penny considered ending her series. It was just too painful, she says. But writing became a safe haven. When someone around you has dementia, youre always on the verge of chaos, she notes. I think writing saved my sanity. And then, after Michael died, because of that, I was able to carry on. And Michaels now immortal. I get to visit him all the time.

Penny and her husband didnt have kids (Michael loved me enough to try, and I loved him enough to stop trying, she says), but she sees her books as her unique little progeny. I dont know that theyll survive me, but I hope they do. I put everything I have into them. Theyre all my beliefs. My DNA. All my time, my efforts. I put my love and focus into them as one would a child.

Pennys agent, David Gernert, says, People make the grave mistake of calling Louises books mysteries, which isnt accurate. The mystery is embedded in a bigger story about the characters. Theres morality and spirituality in these books. Theyre beautifully complex, as people are.

Cultivating human connections is important to Penny, as Andrew Martin, publisher of Minotaur, has seen firsthand. Louise makes every fan feel like theyre at the center of the universe, he says. He recalls a conference they attended together: We got out of the elevator and Louise spotted a lonely-looking woman sitting by herself. Louise sat down next to her and leaned in to chat. Later, I asked who that was, and Louise said, I dont know. Just a fan, but she looked like she wanted to talk. There are plenty of authors who dont do that. My God, theyd avoid it. Louise has a unique ability to connect with others, and she means it.

Martin adds that Pennys book sales are stronger than ever: Shes growing so much. I still cant see the top of the summit.

Up next in the world of Three Pines: a television series currently in development at Amazon Studios, with the producers of Netflixs The Crown at the helm. And this fall, St. Martin's Press and Simon & Schuster will release a political thriller that Penny cowrote with her friend Hillary Clinton.

Penny says shes excited to get the book into readers hands. Gernert adds, Its a really good novel. Its going to blow people away.

Pennys phone starts ringing as our conversation winds down. Time to get on with the dayperhaps connect with a friend. She takes a moment to reflect on the magic of Three Pines. No matter where you are, what your culture is, whether man or woman, young or old, we all want the same thing: company, she says. Thats what these books give me, and I think thats what they give people around the world.

She marvels that shes written 17 of them: You should see my stretch marks! Actually, that may be all the eclairs I eat while Im writing.

Elaine Szewczyks writing has appeared in McSweeneys and other publications. Shes the author of the novel 'Im with Stupid.'

Correction: This piece has been updated to reflect the fact that the forthcoming thriller by Penny and Hillary Clinton will be published by St. Martin's Press and Simon & Schuster.
Click Here to go to PublishersWeekly.com
DEAL OF THE WEEK

Georges Debut Goes to St. Martins In a seven-figure, two-book preempt, Sarah Cantin at St. Martins Press bought Bloomsbury UK assistant editor Jessica Georges debut novel, Maame. George was represented by Michelle Brower at Aevitas Creative Management, working on behalf of Jemima Forrester at U.K.-based David Higham Associates. The book, St. Martins said, follows a 20-something British Ghanaian woman in London who is navigating family conflict, dating, unfulfilling work, roommates who arent quite friends, grief, and cultural differences in the wake of a personal tragedy. The novel was compared, in pitches, to The Other Black Girl and Queenie. In the U.K., Hodder & Stoughton won Maame in an eight-house auction.

FROM THE U.S.

Podcasters Talk Race at Park Row

Yseult Polfliet Mukantabana and Hannah Summerhill, who cohost the Kinswomen podcast, sold Real Friends Talk About Race: Bridging the Gaps Through Uncomfortable Conversations to Park Row Books. Laura Brown preempted world rights from Tess Callero at Europa Content. The publisher said the book, like the podcast, will examine a range of race-related topics, offering two perspectives on the covert and overt ways racism shows up in our daily lives and interactions, and what the responsibilities of both white people and people of color are to bridge the gaps. Real Friends Talk About Race is set for fall 2022.

Tordotcom Gets Desperate with Tesh

For six figures, Ruoxi Chen at Tordotcom bought North American rights to two novels by Emily Tesh. The publisher said the first, Some Desperate Glory, set for 2022, follows a young soldier who trains to avenge the murder of Earth at the hands of an all-powerful, reality-shaping alien weapon before discovering she might have to take everything into her own hands. The second book in the deal is a currently untitled fantasy standalone. Tesh (the Greenhollow Duology) was represented by Kurestin Armada at Root Literary.

Monaes Librarian Checks Out Voyager

Multihyphenate Janelle Monae sold a cyberpunk story collection, The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories from Dirty Computer, to Harper Voyager. David Pomerico took North American rights from William Morris Endeavors Eve Atterman and Suzanne Gluck. Voyager said the book, which Monae collaborated on with other writers, expands on the Afrofuturistic world she created in her 2018 album Dirty Computer. (The album follows a character named Jane 57821, who breaks free of a worldwide system of thought control ruled by a nebulous group that believes it has the power to decide all creatures fates.) The publisher added that the collection, set for April 2022, explores how different threads of liberationqueerness, race, gender plurality, and lovebecome tangled with future possibilities of memory and time in such a totalitarian landscape... and what the costs might be when trying to unravel and weave them into freedoms.

Jenners Girls Join St. Martins

Natalie Jenner, author of the 2020 international bestseller The Jane Austen Society, has re-upped with St. Martins Press. She sold Bloomsbury Girls to Keith Kahla at the Macmillan imprint. The novel, set in 1950 London, is planned for spring 2022. St. Martins said it relates the struggles and triumphs of three female employees of a century-old tradition-bound London bookshop, each of whom is striving to establish independent creative, professional, and personal lives. Mitchell Waters at Brandt and Hochman handled the North American rights agreement for Jenner.
Maidens Voyage

Alex Michaelides has the #3 book in the country with The Maidens, a stunning psychological thriller, our starred review said, propelled by the murder of a female student at Cambridge University. The intelligent, cerebral plot finds contemporary parallels in Euripidess tragedies, Jacobean dramas such as The Duchess of Malfi, and Tennysons poetry. First-week print unit sales are more than double those of the authors blockbuster debut, The Silent Patient. That book has sold 777K print copies since its 2019 publication; the May paperback reprint is #3 on our trade paper list.

In Clubland

On June 15, Oprah announced her latest book club pick, Nathan Harriss The Sweetness of Water, which lands at #19 in hardcover fiction. Harriss ambitious debut explores the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation in rural Georgia, our starred review said. The author writes in intelligent, down-to-earth prose and shows a keen understanding of his characters, the review continued, and while the plot leads to several tragic events, theres a tinge of hope at the end. In a prepub interview with PW, Harris discussed the novels roots. I was influenced by classic sweeping epic books, he said. These were the books that moved me, that feeling when youre a kid and you turn that last page. So one morning I sat down and gave it a try.

The Way We Live Now

Two new books present different perspectives on the Covid-19 pandemic, one personal and one policy-focused. In Live Your Life, the #10 book in the country, celebrity fitness trainer Amanda Kloots pays tribute to her husband, Broadway actor Nick Cordero, who died in July 2020 after contracting the coronavirus. She documented his three months in the ICU on Instagram, and the outpouring of support they received suffuses her narrative.

Debuting at #20 in hardcover nonfiction, Preventable by Andy Slavitt is an informative and often enraging account of the government response to the pandemic, our review said. The authors frequent attacks on Trump give the book a partisan flavor, but he offers critical insights for mitigating the next public health crisis. In June, Slavitt stepped down from his temporary position as senior adviser to President Bidens Covid-19 pandemic response team.

NEW & NOTABLE

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner, illus. by Ying Hui Tan

#1 Picture Books, #9 overall Turner, whose previous books for children include When God Made You, completed this new title based on a manuscript by fellow progressive Christian author Evans (A Year of Biblical Womanhood and others), who died in 2019 at age 37.

HOW TO COOK THAT: CRAZY SWEET CREATIONS

Ann Reardon

#7 Hardcover Nonfiction

Edible engineering meets wow-factor whimsy in this debut dessert guide, our review said, by an Aussie YouTube baker with a food science background. The lessons and engaging spirit of this work are as much a treat as their results.

THE BOX IN THE WOODS

Maureen Johnson

#9 Childrens Fiction

Sardonic sleuth Stevie Bell returns in this engaging stand-alone sleepaway camp thriller, a follow-up to Johnsons Truly Devious trilogy, our review said, praising the winning crew of returning characters.
People of Color in Publishing and Latinx in Publishing collaborated on an online survey in summer and fall 2018, reaching out to current and former BIPOC industry members about the extent to which theyve experienced racism on the job. The results of the survey are now being released in a report, Workplace Racism Survey, that documents the ways racism manifests itself at publishing houses. (Organizers delayed the release of the findings because of the pandemic and the uncertainty it created about the future of the industry.)

Of those who responded, 72.9% reported experiencing microaggressionsbrief, commonplace encounters that communicate racial prejudice or cultural diminishment. And the survey chronicles numerous instances in which junior and midlevel BIPOC professionals encountered half-hearted or poorly managed efforts at diversity where they work. Of the people of color who responded, 86% cited unfair or extra workloads placed on them in order to educate their colleagues about racism, while 47.4% said they had been asked to act as ad hoc sensitivity readers without compensation.

The burden on BIPOC to educate white colleagues is an onerous task that contributes to burnout, according to the report. Not only does this unpaid labor take time away from BIPOC employees own pursuits and career advancement, but it sometimes results in repercussions.

The report also offers specific guidelines to white colleagues, encouraging them to support their BIPOC colleagues and avoid bystander racismwitnessing and recognizing a microaggression but not challenging it or providing support to the BIPOC staff forced to deal with it.

The Workplace Racism Survey is the latest in a series of strategic efforts by People of Color in Publishing and Latinx in Publishingalong with similar efforts aimed at childrens publishing organized by We Need Diverse Booksto expose and decry racism and microaggressions in publishing and offer pathways to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Survey participants responded anonymously and work at Big Five houses as well as small independent publishers, though no publishers are cited by name. There were 211 submissions (190 current and 21 former book workers), with answers to yes-or-no questions supported by written responses that describe respondents experiences. The report breaks down respondents by race or ethnic background, as well as job type: editorial (103), marketing/publicity (85), production (31), sales (24), and design (21).

Despite actions taken in the past year to bring more diversity into publishing, the surveys findings remain relevant, those associated with the report said. The goal of the survey, according to Kait Feldmann, the director of special projects for People of Color in Publishing and a senior editor at HarperCollins, is to start the conversation again. She added, Things have not improved in the workplace as much as we hoped: the issue of microaggressions goes unresolved, and we need to shake our white colleagues awake. We worried about the survey being three years old, that maybe white colleagues would think things are different nowbut they are not.

Saraciea Fennell, who is a publicist and the founder of the Bronx Is Reading book festival, and also the board chair and communications director of Latinx in Publishing and the director of public relations and an advisory board member for People of Color in Publishing, said, Weve had conversations about how racist the publishing industry is, but the conversation has been about the books and not about the industrys professionals. This takes the conversation to another, deeper level.

Nancy Mercado, the board secretary and special events director at Latinx in Publishing and the associate publisher and editorial director at Dial Books for Young Readers, said, Every institution in the U.S. is built on white supremacy, and book publishing is no different. She added that the industry hasnt changed much since 2018. Liberals and left people in the industry may be congratulating themselves, but if you work at a toxic place, these are the answers you get from the people most affected.

The report also offers specific information and comments on the ways microaggressions function in the workplacefrom showcasing POC staff inappropriately to mistaking individuals of the same race for one another and making blanket statements about a given culture or race. The report also looks at the issues surrounding both staff- and company-led diversity committees, as well as problems with human resources departments (76% of respondents did not report racist behavior to HR, and of the 24% who did, most said it was ineffective).

And though the survey did not ask participants to discuss the content of the books their companies publish or their marketing efforts, most respondents brought the topic up. They offered numerous examples of ill-informed comments from coworkersfrom claims that Black people dont read, to an expressed assumption that every book must appeal to a white readership, or that racist historical figures in works should be tolerated.

Feldmann said the tumultuous nationwide protests in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd were a wake-up call for the book industry. But she also emphasized that the protests may have led to even more microaggressions, as publishers lean on their BIPOC staff to address the reality of racial inequity in the workplace.

The survey organizers interviewed acknowledged the strategic nature of the report and their organizations tactical approach to addressing the issue of racism in the workplace. We wanted data to be accompanied by action points, Feldmann said. When people talk about microaggressions and our white colleagues ask, What can we do? we didnt want BIPOC staff to have to come up with the solutions.

Mercado described the survey as data plus storytelling, words of direct experience that were painful to read through.

The report provides a detailed plan for dismantling racism in publishing that includes actions designed specifically for entry-level employees, management, and leaders. Talking about the issues outlined in the report, Feldmann said, is a start. Amplify the dialogue, share this up the corporate ladder, even though it will make people uncomfortable, she added. If you see a POC addressing an issue around racism and its dismissed, jump in and talk about it. White allies want to help but dont back their POC colleagues up.

This dialogue, survey organizers emphasized, will encompass issues like how to improve retention rates. Among the factors prompting BIPOC employees to leave publishing, respondents said, are a lack of recognition, preferential treatment of white colleagues, and the struggle to live on entry-level salaries in one of the most expensive cities in the country. The report also noted the need for mentoring, especially given the lack of senior BIPOC staff. Thirty-one percent of BIPOC respondents whove been working in the industry for less than five years are already acting as mentors, to support others despite not having that same support themselves, the authors of the report noted.

And as publishing begins to emerge from the pandemic, the survey organizers see an opportunity for the industry to change its practices in a manner that will address racism and a range of issues related to staff equity, job satisfaction, and retention. The pandemic has shown that the business of publishing is more flexible than the industry thought, Feldmann said. There are other ways to do our business. You dont have to be in New York.

She added, The pandemic has also made publishers of every size evaluate where they spend money. How will we reevaluate how things are done, spending on buildings and real estate, the need for salary increases, finding out what employees need and investing in them, and reaching out to find diverse voices to publish?

Mercado said, All of this must come from the top down. Racial justice needs to be emphasized from the top and not be lip service or dumped on POC staff.

The report will be available on the websites of People of Color in Publishing and Latinx in Publishing.
Published on:

25 June 2021



Black Lives Matter Protest in Washington DC in June 2020 (Instagram: @koshuphotography) Black Lives Matter Protest in Washington DC in June 2020 (Instagram: @koshuphotography)

The publication offers a range of interdisciplinary perspectives examining violence as an urban process. Dr Devasundarams chapter considers police-related urban violence in relation to cinematic crosscurrents from the Global South.

Shining a light on police violence

The murder of George Floyd in the United States in May 2020 shone a spotlight on police brutality yet the issue is a global problem. According to Dr Devasundarams chapter, in India, the National Human Rights Commission recorded 1,723 deaths in police custody in 2019 alone. How can the glaring discrepancy between democratic principles and the actions of law enforcers be explained?

In his chapter, Dr Devasundaram argues that film can go some way to explaining this. Film is a medium that can be moulded, to identify inconsistencies between principles relating to rule of law, human rights and civil liberties and the state-sanctioned violence that undermines, violates and reneges on these nation-state responsibilities.

Dr Devasundaram, Senior Lecturer in World Cinema at Queen Marys School of Languages, Linguistics and Film said: Films in various forms can therefore act not only as whistle blowers but also as a litmus test of the implementation or contravention of democratic constitutional principles on the ground. In this sense, a film can bring forgotten discourses from the margins to the centre.

Learning lessons from cinema

According to the chapter, specific types of film constitute an important looking glass as we engage in processes of mapping connections and raising international conversations around racial justice, equality, civil rights and liberties.

Dr Devasundaram draws parallels between several moving image representations of urban violence linking the police force and marginalised, precarious and minority individuals and social groups. Whilst focusing on India, Brazil and South Africa in favour of a Global South perspective, he demonstrates connections with the contexts of western nations including the USA and UK, where introspections on disproportionalities of law enforcement, racial justice and colonial legacies are especially pertinent and sharply in focus.

In particular, the chapter focuses on police brutality across various groups ranging from women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ individuals and slum dwellers to lower-caste Indian Dalit migrant workers. Films can present the possibility of imagining resistance, offering strategies to challenge state-orchestrated violence and demand reform.

International collaborations

Earlier this year Dr Devasundaram led an international edition of the Young Curators Lab. This is an annual workshop initiated as part of the UK Asian Film Festival (UKAFF) to nurture a new generation of film curators and audiences and showcases a diverse spectrum of South Asian cinema.

Rich Mix have just published a blog about Dr Devasundaram's Q&A with the Director of The Great Indian Kitchen. Read more.

More information
Pyongyang is hinting at talks. But only at a price. And history shows it will then ask for more.

North Koreas Kim Jong-un delivered an important speech last week during a meeting of the ruling Workers Party of Korea  the first substantive response from Pyongyang on the prospects for United States-North Korea relations since the Biden administration completed its North Korea policy review in April.

In the speech, Kim urged his country to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation, especially to get fully prepared for confrontation, and to work on controlling the situation of the Korean peninsula in a stable way. The remarks were seen as a sign that North Korea is open to dialogue and will refrain from major provocations. In turn, the U.S. took note of the speech, this week offerring to meet North Korea anywhere, anytime without preconditions. There is hope that both sides can resume working level talks, which have been idle since 2019.

But the question is not whether North Korea will return to the negotiating table, but at what price? North Korea has so far been reluctant to go beyond vague hints of being willing to enter into dialogue, even though the U.S. and South Korea have offered incentives such as a promise to supply the North with Covid-19 vaccines and contemplating cancelling the U.S.-South Korean joint military drill scheduled in August. Pyongyangs reluctance is attributed to a dissatisfaction with the rewards for a potential restart of the talks.

It seems that Kims three summits with former U.S. president Donald Trump have set a bar too high for the new administration to jump over, convincing Kim that his mere restraint should be rewarded with a summit with a sitting U.S. leader, no less.

A handshake across the DMZ, 2019 (Trump White House Archived/Flickr)

North Korea often sees diplomacy from a strictly transactional viewpoint, which prioritises short-term and unambiguous rewards over long-term but uncertain gains. The cyclical nature of inter-Korean diplomacy has reinforced this view over the years, with liberal presidents in South Korea more likely than conservative ones to reward the North in negotiations. A change in the South Korean presidency might result in a major policy reversal, so rather than putting itself at the the mercy of the Souths electoral cycle, Pyongyangs goal has been to extract hefty and immediate gains.

North Korea appears to apply the same logic to U.S.-North Korea diplomacy. Different U.S. presidents have adopted contradicting policies  George W. Bush, for example, putting an end to Bill Clintons Agreed Framework brokered with Pyongyang. More recently North Korea has worried that Joe Biden will reverse the diplomatic gains it made during the Trump years.

North Koreas transactional outlook was also evident in the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 with former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung. The Souths Hyundai Group paid the North $450 million for the summit, which unfortunately set a bad precedent. Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak noted that in 2009 the North asked for $10 billion in cash along with massive funding for its infrastructure and agriculture before he could meet the then-leader Kim Jong-il. The summit never happened.

Detente-sceptics often criticise the approach taken by South Korean liberal presidents to the North as naively rewarding it hundreds of millions of dollars via the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the Mount Kumgang Resort without demanding enough in return. Kims summits with Trump have not brought in any significant financial gains directly from Washington, but Kim received international recognition surpassing what his grandfather and father ever achieved. All Kim did to secure the summits was to simply stop carrying out nuclear and missile tests.

By this logic, Kim will expect more or at least equal rewards from Biden for restarting diplomacy. North Korea has been frank. It wants the United States to stop its hostile policies, which includes lifting international sanctions, before talks can begin. Bidens calibrated approach, however, emphasises limited reward at the outset and slowly increases it as the process goes on, to hedge against North Koreas cheating.

Moreover, since the use or threat of sanctions is central to Bidens North Korea policy, dropping all of them before diplomacy begins deprives Washington of its leverage at the table. So while the U.S. seeks talks, the sanctions remain.

It all amounts to a dilemma. Upping the rewards for dialogue might increase chance of diplomatic success. But it also gives North Korea an incentive to drag its feet, then ask for more in future. Cheap rewards are safer, but may not jumpstart talks.

North Korea must now decide its next step. South Korea is willing to offer a big upfront payment to restart the process, but international sanctions have long been an obstacle, and the U.S. looks unlikely to budge. If Trump could offer huge initial concessions to North Korea and the summits still failed, Pyongyang sees no need to quickly agree to Bidens outreach at a much cheaper price with even lower odds of success. North Korea may be exploring ways to nudge Biden towards increasing the rewards by hinting it is not against dialogue altogether. But the latest moves are yet another reminder that when it comes to diplomacy with North Korea, money talks.

Khang X. Vu is a doctoral student in the Political Science Department at Boston College, where he focuses on East Asian politics and nuclear weapons. Khang earned his masters degree from Dartmouth College in 2019.

This article appeared originally at Lowy Institute's the interpreter.
Boiling down a decades-long dispute dividing generations of Americans to a few simple polling questions fails to accurately capture the nuance of Americans attitudes towards abortion. A recent Gallup poll that purports to find most Americans oppose restrictions on abortion after the 18th week of pregnancy and support Roe v. Wade is a case in point.

A more careful analysis of American public opinion shows that while a majority of the public identifies as pro-choice,  a supermajority also supports limiting abortion after the first three months of pregnancy. Reliance on the latest Gallup polling ends up distorting and politicizing public opinion.

Accurately portraying public opinion on abortion is especially critical because the Supreme Court is slated to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization during its 2021-22 term. The case concerns whether states can limit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Over the coming months, abortion activists are likely to cite the Gallup survey as evidence that this sort of limit is deeply unpopular, even though more reliable polling shows a majority of Americans support it.

Many Americans don't fully understand that the nearly 50-year-old decision in Roe v. Wade allowed abortion during all nine months of pregnancy. That makes the United State one of just seven countries in the world allowing elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and puts us in the company of North Korea and China.

Given the complexity and importance of abortion attitudes, it is critical that polling on the subject delves into the specific policies concerning the practice. Superficial up/down questions are likely to lead to superficial answers that don't fully or accurately capture public opinion.

For 12 years, Marist has been conducting annual polling on abortion with a high level of precision and detail. Marist asks a range of questions about abortion that go beyond simple yes or no questions about Roe. A major finding of Marist's 2021 poll was that 76% of Americans would limit abortion to  at most  the first three months of pregnancy. This has consistently been the case for each of the 12 years Marist has been asking. The Associated Press has just released a poll with findings similar to Marist.

While the Gallup poll results report Americans support Roe v. Wade, a deeper dive with Marist demonstrates Americans back many restrictions that the ruling permitted. For instance, Marist found that 70% of Americans believe in limiting abortions performed because a child will be born with Down syndrome.

This level of detail, along with the longevity of the poll, makes Marist a superior source of data compared to the Gallups latest poll. Results from Marist prove that the American people aren't robotically supportive unlimited abortion. The public understands the tragedy of abortion, particularly late-term abortion, and their views reflect the issue's complexity.

How the questions are phrased is vital for getting at what Americans believe. Consider, for example, that the 2021 Gallup poll found that 56% of Americans oppose an abortion ban after 18 weeks, but a 2018 poll also conducted by Gallup showed that 60% of respondents thought abortion should be legal only during the first trimester of pregnancy (through week 12).

News outlets have acknowledged that public opinion about abortion is very difficult to parse. A recent analysis by the New York Times found that most Americans say they support Roe, and yet a majority support limits on abortion banned by it. This split reflects the complexity of abortion and the importance of clearly defining what it means.

When pollsters successfully tap into the nuances of Americans attitudes towards abortion, we find that limiting abortion after 15 weeks  when children in the womb have fully formed noses and lips, eyelids and eyebrows and can suck their thumb  isnt very controversial at all. It would simply bring the United States in line with the laws of most European countries as opposed to keeping company with human rights offenders like China and North Korea.

We look forward to the day that no woman feels she must resort to abortion. But in the meantime, upholding the modest law at issue in the Dobbs late-term abortion case would not only align with American public opinion, it could also allow our outdated laws to finally catch up with the indisputable science that confirms the unborn child is every bit as human and deserving of protection as you and me.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/25/2021



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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.

bachelor Michael Allio has opened up about how he ended up on Katie Thurston 's season as a single dad and how it was important for him to receive the approval of his late wife's parents.Michael received a one-on-one date with Katie on Monday night's episode of , and he tugged at viewers' heartstrings by sharing the story of how his late wife, Laura Ritter-Allio, died from breast cancer in January 2019 when their son James, now four, was very young.During Tuesday's episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast hosted by Season 14 star Becca Kufrin -- who said "the world needs more men like Michael" -- Michael opened up about his decision to compete for Katie's heart on Season 17."I never applied for this. It was never something I had in my plan whatsoever, and producers reached out to me," Michael explained to Becca and her guest co-host, The Bachelor alum Catherine Giudici "At first, all I really saw was downside risk, that's kind of how I think. But it was one of those things where 2019 was really difficult and 2020 was really difficult and it felt like the perfect time to bet on myself, take a risk, get outside of my box, and try to find some ways to grow and find love and that missing piece in my life that is really so vital."Producers apparently reached out to Michael via Instagram in attempt to cast him on ."Crazy enough, I actually said 'no' to [the show] twice, not because I didn't believe in it. It was just, 'Is this how I want to go about finding that missing piece?' It's such an absurd idea, but it's sort of a really beautiful thing too," Michael said.Michael recalled his journey to getting on the show being a bit "unorthodox" because he wanted a blessing from both his own parents as well as his in-laws.After all, Laura -- whom Michael met in college and married in 2012 -- was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and died only two years later after a fierce battle in which the couple had traveled the country in search of a cure."We all really leaned on each other and have kind of grown over the past three years. When producers reached out to me to be on this show with Katie and everything, I wanted to ask [my in-laws] first about their opinion. And so after going back and forth and trying to figure out the pros and cons and all of that, I went to my parents [for advice]," Michael recalled."I asked, 'Is this something I should do?' And we went back and forth a bunch. My parents have always been so incredibly supportive, they're really good people, and my mom and sister, I believe, they said, 'I hear everything you're saying, but every time you're talking about this, you're smiling.'"Michael said he realized the idea of appearing on gave him a little "pep in [his] step" because he had been "in a rut" before the show.But he acknowledged his decision to go on was not just his own."There's a lot of people who are affected with it in my world -- people that I really love and cherish, and so I did say that before I decided to go on the show, I wouldn't go on unless my in-laws have given me full approval," Michael shared."Basically, like, this is my out to do something that may make me feel uncomfortable but they were supportive, too. They understand that we've all been through some very crazy moments together."Michael said his in-laws know how much he supported them and loved their daughter, Laura."They're amazing because they wanted to see me, you know, find happiness again and I think everybody needs somebody to help them navigate life," Michael added.Michael went on to reveal how he knew he was ready to open his heart again and give love another shot after his wife's tragic death."For anybody that's ever lost somebody, their process is all very, very different. For me, I am very proactive in trying to, you know, get better. A lot of that has to do with putting yourself in awkward situations and kind of forcing you to grow," Michael told Becca and Catherine."Maybe, you know, five months after Laura passed, I actually went on my first date -- not because I wanted to find somebody but because I wanted to feel that experience," Michael continued."When you've been with the same person for 16 years, you know, everything's different. You don't have the same inside jokes when someone touches you on the shoulder, they smell different."Michael admitted going through these different experiences and sensations for the first time is "really shocking" and "scary."Michael therefore said he spent a lot of 2019 putting himself in similar situations and they turned out to be not as bad as he had thought.Michael pointed out it's "totally valid" for people to question whether he's had enough time to heal from his wife's passing, but he believes, "Time itself doesn't heal.""I mean, sometimes you just have to acknowledge the fact that you're not whole but it doesn't mean you can't be happy or you can't grow. And I would really say that I'm thankful that I spent that time to find a way to progress," Michael shared."I put that kind of work in when it was most uncomfortable and most awkward... early on so that it would make me ready to go through this journey. And once I got there, I felt like I was ready and I was prepared, and I wasn't wasting anybody's time."Katie gave a rose to the 36-year-old business owner from Akron, OH, towards the end of their one-on-one date, and Michael told Katie that their love story could be totally "unique" and "special."Michael expressed how it would be a gift to be able to love twice, and Katie was absolutely taken with Michael's words and outlook on life.Michael called star "extraordinary" and pictured himself being able to love her, and Katie in turn gushed in a confessional, "I think this could be the start of me falling in love with Michael, and it's so unexpected!" Click here to learn more about Michael, and also click here to read spoilers on Katie's season and find out who finished as her winner and whether the pair got engaged.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
During a meeting on Thursday, June 24, Clarke County School District Superintendent Xernona Thomas announced the district is pursuing a new course of action for the historic West Broad School  to create a path toward preserving the schools historic campus and buildings, which once served as an all-Black school before integration.

Originally, CCSD planned to destroy the two of the schools three buildings and build a new facility for an early childhood education program aimed at low-income families. The effort wouldve been funded by a grant from the Office of Early Head Start, which gave CCSD $15 million over a five year period.

However, community members, activists and organizers were critical of the plan, and argued that demolishing portions of the West Broad School would erase important parts of Black history in Athens.

+4 West Broad Street School: The fight for the preservation of Athens history Various Athens community leaders came together to speak out against the potential demolition of part of the historic West Broad Street School campus.

After much turmoil, the State of Georgias Department of Community Affairs released a letter stating that the West Broad School was historically significant and eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under the criteria of Education, Architecture and Black Ethnic Heritage.

The announcement means the West Broad School is subject to a federally overseen mitigation process that protects sites from adverse effects by federally funded projects. Because the proposed early education center utilizes federal funds, it cannot go off as originally planned.

CCSD hopes its new course of action will accommodate the new early childhood education program as well as preserve the West Broad School. Due to the grant from the Office of Early Head Start requiring the early childhood education program to begin by March 2022, Thomas requested and was given a small extension on the project  although she did not specify exactly how long.

Thomas also said she met with Director of Facility Planning and Construction John Gilbreath, one of the individuals leading the construction project. While the district was originally planning on preserving the building known as the Minor Street Building, Thomas said that following the extension they looked into what it would take to also preserve what is known as the Campbell Lane Building. A decision was not reached, but Thomas explained that the Campbell Lane Building would not house classrooms if kept.

In order to accommodate the building, Thomas said the Minor Street Building would house more classrooms than originally planned and the parking lot would be reduced.

While the property is also home to a third building, it is set to be torn down due to it being in too poor of a condition to preserve. Thomas said it will be replaced by a small new building containing an additional nine classrooms.

We are eager to see the final plans for the site and still urge the public to hold back from celebrating until final details are released, said Historic Athens, a local nonprofit group that led the push to preserve the site in a statement. With that said, it is clear that Dr. Thomas and members of the [Board of Education] are working hard to get this right. While there are still some very real causes for concern, the last 24 hours suggest that there is still reason to hope.
Now is time to go back to the in-person visits to get yourself checked for your own health and growth, even if you did not go before the pandemic.
Nolan Harold Kidd, of Crawford, and Savannah Daniel McDonald, of Elberton, were arrested after the FBI received multiple tips that Kidd and McDonald had been inside the Capitol, according to an FBI affidavit.
NEW HAVEN  A group of local Italian-Americans remain determined to bring back the Columbus statue that stood in Wooster Square Park until last year.

But when the group hung a banner bearing the inscription all lives matter at the former site of the statue in Wooster Square Park, it sparked debate over the phrase and the role of politicians in the issue of the statue itself.

The banner and a small gathering at the park took place exactly a year after the Columbus statue was taken down June 24, 2020 amid heated disagreements between groups that wanted the statue to remain and those insistent that it be removed.

Peter Criscuolo, a Wooster Square native and former fire commissioner in North Haven, said he paid for the sign that was displayed Thursday and chose the words on it, in an effort to get Americans to rally together and add to its representation of history.

We are not here to divide. We are here to include, said Criscuolo, who wants the statue returned to the park. Everybody matters. ... No one is better and no one is less.

But city resident Sam Plattus, who was in the park when the banner was posted and briefly moved to take it down, said he believes the phrase all lives matter is hate speech.

The event at the park also prompted reactions from mayoral candidate Karen Dubois-Walton and her opponent, Mayor Justin Elicker.

Dubois-Walton was at the park while the banner was there, and Steve Jensen, a representative of her campaign, said she was there to listen and engage in conversation about the issue, not to support return of the statue.

I certainly was interested in how we are going to be together as a community in ways that arent fighting in Wooster Square Park and that involved us being in difficult conversations and being able to disagree about things and to hear each other, she said later.

Last year when a crowd was protesting the removal of the statue, this mayor (Justin Elicker) stayed in his office and refused to engage with the crowd, refused to help keep the peace, she said.

But Elicker criticized Dubois-Walton for standing in front of the banner at the park, saying It is one thing to show up and listen. It is another thing to pose for a picture in front of an all lives matter banner ...

Anyone who has followed the course of the last year and a half would acknowledge that I have been present in almost every protest when protesters have come to my house, when thousands of people marched in many different protests for Black Lives Matter, Elicker said about Dubois-Waltons claim.

Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti also attended the gathering. He later said he was there because of his displeasure with discussions playing out across the country.

Lauretti said he had offered to take the statue of Columbus from New Haven if the city determined it no longer had a use for it, noting the mans importance to Italian-Americans.

You cant change history, said Lauretti. The way this is being done is so out of character for this country.

Criscuolo said said the city should consider adding more statues to the park, representing experiences of other groups as they came to this country, rather than removing the one of Columbus. He said Italian-Americans in New Haven commonly view Columbus with pride, as a representation of heritage and efforts to join and become accepted in American society.

The Wooster Square Monument Committee, formed by Elicker after the statute was removed, has been working on plans share for an interpretive art project to take the place of the statue.

The Italian-American Heritage Group of New Haven also has sued the city over the future of the statue.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com; reporting from Mary OLeary is included in this story
BRIDGEPORT  State elections watchdogs are interviewing witnesses in an investigation of alleged absentee ballot abuses during 2019s mayoral primary between incumbent Joe Ganim and state Sen. Marilyn Moore.

The State Elections Enforcement Commission confirmed Thursday that, following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, the probe is active again, with some area politicians and Democratic Party operatives recently notified by mail they are respondents in the investigation and will be contacted to answer questions.

One of those people  City Councilman Jorge Cruz  said this week he and others in late May received letters from the SEEC because they were either running at the time on Ganims slate of candidates or assisting the mayors re-election bid.

Brian Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

I (subsequently) spoke with a gentlemen and basically the questions ... focused on absentee ballots, Cruz said of the SEECs inquiries. More specifically, he said, whether he circulated absentee  also known as mail-in ballot  applications and if he ever handled completed ballots.

Cruz said he obtained applications but did not pick-up filled ballots. Cruz said he has not heard further from SEEC.

The states investigation stems from the bitter September 2019 primary battle between Ganim and Moore. The latter received more in-person votes at polling places  4,721 to 4,337  but Ganim won the mail-in ballots 967 to 313 and, subsequently, the primary.

Moore and her allies accused Ganim and his supporters of winning through absentee ballot irregularities and potential fraud. The SEEC  based in part on an investigation published at the time by Hearst Connecticut Media  decided to open its pending case following a referral from the Secretary of the State.

The Hearst Connecticut investigation found alleged issues with the absentee voting process, including absentee voters who were pressured into voting for the incumbent or who received absentee ballots they did not request, and residents saying strangers swarmed elderly housing complexes seeking  and sometimes allegedly helping cast  votes.

5 1 of 5 Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Brian Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Brian Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 5 of 5









The SEEC immediately following the 2019 primary subpoenaed election documents from Bridgeport Town Clerk Charles Clemons as well as surveillance video and visitor logs of two apartment complexes run by Bridgeports public housing authority, Park City Communities  the P.T. Barnum Apartments in Black Rock and Harborview Towers on the East Side.

Some Moore supporters also filed a lawsuit attempting to have a Superior Court judge order a 2019 primary do-over, but lost. Ganim subsequently easily won that Novembers general election in which Moore participated as a write-in candidate.

Councilwoman M. Evette Brantley was also contacted recently by state investigators.

I forgot all about it, she said of the 2019 SEEC case. I thought that was investigated  that they went to court. ... I dont know what theyre looking for.

Brantley said she is still waiting to be asked questions by the SEEC but has nothing to hide.

Ive been doing absentee balloting ever since Ive been involved politically. Since I was a kid helping (local campaigns), Brantley said. An AB vote is the most legitimate vote you can find. ... That vote is just as legitimate as going out to the polls. I dont know what these people are fishing for.

Brantley recalled how she was one of only two candidates in 2019s general election who showed up for a voluntary mail-in ballot class hosted in City Hall by the Secretary of the States office in light of the controversy surrounding the mayoral primary results.

In fact absentee voting became even more widely understood and popular nationwide during the COVID-19 crisis when Connecticut and other states loosened their traditional restrictions so residents who wished to participate in the hotly contested U.S. presidential election could vote from home without having to potentially expose themselves to the virus.

But Bridgeport has over the years experienced several absentee ballot and elections-related controversies, to the point where the just-passed state budget includes $150,000 to hire an elections monitor for this and next years races.

Ganim declined comment for this story and Moore did not return a request for comment.

While the probe into the 2019 primary had, at least publicly, appeared dormant, the SEEC earlier this year wrapped up two other cases related to that election.

Moore and her 2019 primary campaign were the targets of a pair of complaints to the SEEC that were concluded earlier this year. Both were filed by Ganim supporter Joel Gonzalez.

In January the SEEC dismissed Gonzalez allegations accusing Moore of improperly gathering petition signatures to force a primary against Ganim.

Gonzalezs second allegation focused on Moores campaigns effort to also gather signatures to ensure her a spot on the November 2019 general election ballot. She was seeking a spot as the Working Families third partys mayoral contender  an effort that ultimately failed, resulting in her write-in candidacy.

In late January Moore agreed to pay the state a $300 fine as part of a consent agreement with the SEEC after its investigators concluded Moore falsely signed a campaign petition that she did not personally circulate.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  Flooding caused by heavy thunderstorms stranded drivers and led to road closures across Missouri Friday and Saturday, and more could be coming.

The Department of Transportation on Saturday reported road closures stretching across mid-Missouri from Kansas City to St. Louis.
MAHANOY CITY  A new T-shirt that celebrates Brandi Levy's win in the U.S. Supreme Court case protecting her free speech rights when not on school time and property is becoming a best-seller.

The shirt began with a pre-order run of 500 and in only a few days, the sales volume has required a second production run of 500. The shirt has a four-letter expletive that Brandi used on a Snapchat post that led to the First Amendment case getting to the highest court in the land.

In 2017, 14-year-old Brandi was suspended for one year from the Mahanoy Area School District junior varsity cheerleading squad after comments she made during non-school time and not on district property venting her frustrations in a photo with four-letter expletives: F___ school f___ softball f___ cheer f___ everything in a photo that included a classmate, each with raised middle fingers.

Her parents, Larry and Betty Lou Levy, of Mahanoy City, took the school district to court, which sided with the Levys. The school district appealed the decision, and after similar losses in appeals to higher courts, the final step was the Supreme Court, which heard arguments on May 28 and announced its decision on June 23 supporting the First Amendment right of free speech of students.

Over time, Brandi graduated from Mahanoy Area and now attends college.

The American Civil Liberties Union-Pennsylvania is producing and selling the short sleeve shirt on its website. The F*** Everything Tee is being sold as a preorder and will be shipped beginning July 12. The F-word is spelled out. The shirt cost is $40, plus standard shipping of $6.95.

What I would recommend is that they don't wear them to school, Larry Levy said after seeing the shirts on the ACLU website.

The description of the 100% organic cotton shirt states:

In America, students do not lose their constitutional rights 'at the schoolhouse gate.' Unfortunately, schools continue to demonstrate a disturbing willingness to abridge students rights."

The description also included, While you probably shouldn't wear this to school, thanks to our victory, the government definitely can't punish you for posting it to your Snapchat.

Larry Levy said that other than giving permission to use Brandi's words, the Levys had no other input into the project.

We talked about this (with the ACLU) about a month ago and we were asked if we had any objections to it, and we didn't, he said. They actually spearheaded the design.

The head of the ACLU's store, Kia Hampson, spoke about the process in getting the shirt from idea to production.

The shirt came to be because we wanted to celebrate the moment, Hampson said. The shirts went on sale the day of the decision.

Hampson said the ACLU was in contact with Brandi and parents about the idea and received her permission to produce the shirt. Proceeds go to funding the organization for its legal defense work.

The first run of 500 shirts were almost gone by Friday, which led to a second production of 500 shirts.

It's one of our top sellers this year so far, Hampson said.
POTTSVILLE  A Frackville man faces prison time after a Schuylkill County jury on Wednesday found him guilty of driving under the influence of drugs in October 2019 in Frackville.

Jonathan L. Emerich, 29, did not react as the jury pronounced him guilty of DUI. Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin, who presided over the one-day trial, also found him guilty of driving under a DUI-related suspension and stop sign violation.

State police at Frackville charged Emerich with DUI on Oct. 25, 2019. Assistant District Attorney Thomas P. Pellish said Emerich was under the influence of methamphetamine and amphetamines while driving.

Dolbin ordered preparation of a presentence investigation and scheduled Emerichs sentencing for 2 p.m. Aug. 9. He allowed the defendant to remain free on his own recognizance pending further court action.

Also on Wednesday, Jason Brown, 46, of Barnesville, pleaded guilty to indirect criminal contempt, which is contempt committed outside the courtroom.

Senior Judge D. Michael Stine sentenced Brown to time served in prison and directed that he be released as soon as possible. He also sentenced Brown to pay costs and a $300 fine.

Rush Township police alleged Brown violated a protection from abuse order by sending a text message to his daughter on May 26 in the township.

No contact is no contact, Stine told Brown in explaining the violation.

In another recent county court case, Keith A. Reber, 35, of Schuylkill Haven, pleaded guilty to two counts each of deceptive business practices and theft by deception.

Judge Christina E. Hale accepted the plea and sentenced Reber to serve one to two years in a state correctional institution, pay costs, $100 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account and $7,723 restitution, and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities.

State police at Schuylkill Haven filed both cases against Reber, alleging he sold less than the purported quantity of a product on June 21, 2019, and again on July 2, 2019.
POTTSVILLE  Taking the first step in what could end in removing one of Schuylkill Countys commissioners from office, the House Judiciary Committee adopted a resolution Friday authorizing the start of an investigation into whether George F. Halcovage Jr. should be impeached and removed from office for his alleged sexual harassment against female county employees.

State Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-124, a Rush Township Republican and member of the committee, sponsored the resolution, which the 26-member panel unanimously approved.

Knowles and the other two members of the countys House delegation, state Reps. Tim Twardzik, R-123, and Joe Kerwin, R-125, announced passage of the resolution, saying it is regrettable but necessary.

While this is very rare for legislators to ask for an investigation of a public official, unfortunately, under the circumstances, we believe it to be necessary, they announced.

The resolution empowers the committee, which is chaired by state Rep. Rob W. Kauffman, R-Franklin, and its Subcommittee on Courts, which is chaired by state Rep. Paul Schemel, R-Franklin, to conduct the investigation, subpoena witnesses and other materials, and take testimony. The committee has 16 Republicans and 10 Democrats.

The House would have to vote to impeach Halcovage. A majority of the representatives (102 of 203) would have to vote for the impeachment to pass.

If it passes, the Senate would conduct the trial and vote on whether Halcovage should be convicted and removed from office. A two-thirds vote, or 34 of 50 senators, is needed for that to occur.

Several female county employees have alleged that Halcovage sexually harassed and/or assaulted them in the courthouse since he took office at the beginning of 2012. A county human resources investigation found the allegations credible and concluded Halcovage would have been fired if he were not an elected official.

However, as an elected official, Halcovage can be removed only by impeachment and conviction by the state Legislature. While he has stepped down from his chairmanship of the board of commissioners, he is still a member and has declined to resign.

Halcovage has denied all allegations against him. He and one of his lawyers, Gerard J. Geiger, Stroudsburg, along with fellow Commissioner Gary J. Hess, could not be reached Friday.

Commissioners Chairman Barron L. Hetherington did not want to forecast how the investigation might end.

Well see what the process might bring us, he said.

Four of the women also have filed a federal lawsuit against Halcovage and other county officials in connection with his alleged actions. That lawsuit is pending before Scranton-based U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro declined to file criminal charges against Halcovage.

Effective May 17, Halcovages access to the courthouse was restricted in the wake of the accusations and the commissioners parking space was moved to a spot directly outside the buildings public entrance.

Halcovages county identification card also has been terminated.

The restrictions, however, do not ban Halcovage from the courthouse, as several county officials requested, although such a ban has not been ruled out.

Knowles, Kerwin and Twardzik believe the committee investigation provides a chance for a proper resolution of the issues in a way that will help the county and all its citizens.

We have an obligation to our constituents and all of Schuylkill County to determine the facts in this case and proceed accordingly, they said in their announcement.
The Constitution assigns war-making power to Congress because the Founding Fathers had abundant experience dealing with excessive executive authority in the person of King George III.

But modern Congresses slowly have ceded that prerogative to the executive branch, not only leaving presidents with excessive power to wage war with the planets most powerful military, but sparing the lawmakers themselves the difficult decisions and political consequences of using military force.

Due to the speed of modern warfare, commanders in chief must have the flexibility to deploy the military in response to attacks and threats.

But the period since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 demonstrates why Congress is correct in finally trying to reclaim its war-making power.

On Sept. 14, 2001, Congress authorized President George W. Bush to take military action against al Qaeda and the Taliban. It followed that in 2002 with an Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which Bush promptly misused for the disastrous invasion of Iraq  which had no role in the 2011 attacks on the United States.

Since then, that authorization has been used  by Bush and Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump  dozens of times to justify military actions that are loosely tied, if at all, to the 2011 attacks. Obama used it to justify support for military intervention in Libya, for example, and Trump used it to assassinate Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani.

The House has repealed the 2002 authorization and the Senate is expected to conduct a vote soon. Unlike his predecessors, President Joe Biden supports the repeal.

The Senate should complete the repeal, restoring Congress authority and accountability for the use of military force.
To the Editor:

Ilhan Omar recently said that the United States and Israel have both acted in a way that was terroristic. She obviously hates this country, the country that saved her from the refugee camp she lived in, in a truly terror-promoting country. She was elected to Congress and all she does is put down our great country. Simply, if she doesnt like it here, I will pay for the ticket for her to leave.

Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution states that treason is  adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. When she speaks this way, as a congressperson of the United States, this is comfort to the enemy. Then you get the other squad member, Rashida Tlaib, chiming in. Both of them should be put in jail for treason.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection, the left screamed about trigger words that President Donald Trump used to incite a riot, claiming that he caused the riot by his hidden messages in his words. So that must mean that President Joe Biden and his party have their own trigger words for their agenda. For example, are they pushing gun control to get people upset, so that they go along with the anti-gun program? Emotions will get used to push the agenda, as it has in England and Australia.

As I have stated many times, if you are going to bash letter writers to this paper, write your own letter, tell us where we are wrong and why, and then own it by signing your name. If you wont do this, you have no credibility in the argument. Are you too afraid to identify yourself? We arent. So basically, own it or be quiet!

Rich Magnani

Brockton
After PM Modi's meeting with Kashmir leaders, a meeting of leaders from Ladakh is expected to be called by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), report sources on Saturday. In preparation, the Kargil Democratic Alliance has called a meeting of its members at 3:30 PM. The alliance is set to float a joint platform along with Apex Body Leh. Already, the People's alliance of the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has met with the Kargil Alliance to unite in fighting to restore the pre-August 5 status quo in the Valley.

Ladakh leaders to be invited by MHA

Prior to the meeting, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal warned the Kashmiri politicians that they no longer represented the people of Ladakh and should not speak n their behalf. Meanwhile. after the meeting, sources reported that PDP is unhappy with NC for not backing Mehbooba Mufti on restoring Article 370 during the meet. PDP allegedly expected NC patron Farooq Abdullah to bring up restoration of Article 370 at the meeting as it's a common agenda of all Kashmiri parties.

PM Modi chairs all-party meet

14 politicians namely - NC president Farooq Abdullah, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Tara Chand, J&K Apni party supremo Syed Altaf Bukhari, JKPC leaders Sajad Lone and Muzaffar Baig, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh, BJP leaders Ravinder Raina, Kavinder Gupta, and Nirmal Singh attended PM Modi's Kashmir meeting along with MoS Jitendra Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and L-G Manoj Sinha.

Congress, NC, and JKPC did not raise the matter of restoration of Article 370 in the meeting as the matter was sub-judice. In the meeting, Azad presented Congress' 5 demands to the Centre - the restoration of statehood, elections, restore domicile laws, return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley and release of all political prisoners. Mufti had urged Centre to resume talks with Pakistan by restarting train services between the two countries and raised the matter of Article 370 in the meeting, stating that the people of Jammu & Kashmir are angry and upset after its abrogation in an 'unconstitutional, illegal and immoral' manner.

PM appreciated the cordial atmosphere of talks and talked about strengthening democracy at the grassroots. Promising that the Union Territory will get an elected government after the delimitation process is over, PM Modi expressed satisfaction at the progress of development projects in J&K. Shah stressed that the delimitation and peaceful Assembly polls will be "important milestones" in restoring statehood as promised in the Parliament. Currently, the EC is in talks with district authorities to resume the delimitation process post-bifurcation.
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Greek independence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is on an official visit to Greece on 25-27 June 2021 at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. On Saturday, India and Greece recognized the threat posed by radicalization, violent extremism, as well as terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and emphasized that there can be no justification for these in any form or manifestation. India and Greece enjoy close and friendly relations which have been strengthened by the shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech, and respect for human rights.

S.Jaishankar meets Greek PM

During the visit, Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He also unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens on 26 June 2021 as the statue will act as a strong symbol of friendship between the two countries.

Thank PM @kmitsotakis for receiving me this morning. Conveyed the good wishes from PM @narendramodi on the 200th anniversary of Greek independence. pic.twitter.com/0zVj6lZ0NY  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 26, 2021

External Minster Jaishankar also held bilateral and insightful talks on many regional & global issues with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. Both the leaders agreed to step up the pace of engagement and work towards a strategic partnership.

Just concluded official talks with FM @NikosDendias. Was productive bilaterally and insightful on many regional & global issues.



Agreed to step up the pace of engagement and work towards a strategic partnership.



Joint Press Release: https://t.co/aVwBcumURP pic.twitter.com/8aaBNc29OL  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 26, 2021

India & Greece bilateral talks on regional & global issues

Both sides had a comprehensive exchange of views on further consolidating the bilateral relations, which continue to deepen and expand rapidly. Noted with satisfaction the ongoing cooperation in several areas, such as trade and investment, science and technology, culture, academics, and people-to-people contact, and agreed to work together to further enhance collaboration in these areas.

It was also agreed that the next round of Foreign Office Consultations and Joint Trade Committee would be held soon. Both sides also agreed to work towards the establishment of a Strategic Partnership.

An agreement on the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to the Indian side was signed and handed over by the Greek Foreign Minister. The External Affairs Minister of India welcomed Greece to the family of the ISA. Both sides agreed that this will assist the two countries in realization of the energy goals set by the respective governments to make renewable energy a significant part of the energy supply.

importance of the movement of people in an orderly and legal way and agreed to work towards and signing an agreement on migration and mobility.

Both countries recognized the threat posed by radicalization, violent extremism, as well as terrorism, including cross-border terrorism. They emphasized that there can be no justification for these in any form or manifestation.

Deep commitment to multilateralism, and a rules-based international order. They reaffirmed the importance of the urgent reform of the UN, including UNSC expansion, and other multilateral institutions so as to make them more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and better reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities. Greek side reiterated its support for permanent membership of India in a reformed UNSC.

Discussed the Covid-19 situation globally and the process of economic recovery. They agreed on the need for joint efforts to combat the disease and to work together for consolidating economic and commercial activities during and immediately after the pandemic.

(Image Credits: @DrSJaishankar-Twitter)
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has held extensive talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias during which both sides recognised the threat posed by radicalisation, violent extremism as well as terrorism, including cross-border terrorism.

Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Greece that began on Friday.

"Both sides had a comprehensive exchange of views on further consolidating the bilateral relations, which continue to deepen and expand rapidly," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in Delhi.

It said the two sides noted with satisfaction the ongoing cooperation in several areas, such as, trade and investment, science and technology, culture, academics and people-to-people contact and agreed to work together to further enhance collaboration in these areas.

The MEA said India and Greece agreed that the rule of law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are fundamental principles of international relations that must be observed by all.

"Both countries recognised the threat posed by radicalization, violent extremism, as well as terrorism, including cross border terrorism. They emphasized that there can be no justification for these in any form or manifestation," it said.

Following the talks, the Greek foreign minister signed and handed over an agreement on the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to the Indian side.

"The External Affairs Minister of India welcomed Greece to the family of the ISA. Both sides agreed that this will assist the two countries in realisation of the energy goals set by the respective governments to make renewable energy a significant part of the energy supply," the MEA said.

"In the globalized world, both sides noted the importance of movement of people in an orderly and legal way and agreed to work towards and signing an agreement on migration and mobility," it said.

The MEA said both sides also shared views on regional and global issues of mutual interest in the context of new geopolitical and geo-economic realities, including the Indo-Pacific.

"Both sides noted with satisfaction the convergence of each-others' vision for a free, open, inclusive and cooperative Indo-Pacific ensuring connectivity and growth for all in the region," it said. PTI MPB ZMN

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a charge sheet against the 7 arrested Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) terrorists in the Mendhar arms smuggling case. In the exclusive details accessed by Republic TV, Pakistan's plot to disrupt the peace in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as well as its conspiracy to attack religious sites in the country has been unearthed.

In the charge sheet, the NIA has attached images of Army installations that were sent to Pakistan handlers. The Pakistan handlers were constantly asked to share photos and videos of the Army installations. A larger international conspiracy is also seen at play with the terrorists constantly in touch with a Kuwait-based operative to execute terrorist activities on Indian soil. To escape monitoring or apprehension by security forces, VPNs and proxy networks were put into use. Social media was also used to push weapons and drugs in Jammu and Kashmir, as per the NIA chargesheet.

NIA files chargesheet against 7 TuM terrorists

The Mendhar smuggling case came to the fore with the arrest of Mohammed Mustafa Khan and the seizure of six hand grenades from his residence. Following this, the NIA took over the case in March 2021. As per the investigation so far, 7 persons said to be handlers of TuM are suspected of being a part of a deep-rooted plan hatched by Pakistan to wage terror in India via Jammu and Kashmir through "smuggling" arms and explosives into India.

The Pakistani terrorists have been accused of operating in India via an international handler identified as Sher Ali from Kuwait who was heading the operation of nefarious activities in Mendhar area of Poonch district. Large cache of arms, ammunition, narcotics, flags, posters, and other incriminating evidence has been recovered from several hideouts in Pooch which have exposed the Pakistani conspiracy.

The chargesheet filed before a special NIA court names Mohd Mustafa Khan, Mohd Yaseen, Mohd Farooq, Mohd Ibrar, Mohd Javid Khan, Sher Ali (based in Kuwait), and Mohd Rafiq Nai alias Sultan (based in PoK). They have been charged under various sections of the Arms Act, Explosives Act, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or UAPA.

(With Agency Inputs)
Mumbai: BJP Workers Stage Protest Seeking Restoration Of OBC Quota, Detained

The BJP launched an agitation in support of the OBC reservation in Mumbai's Mulund area. The BJP's Maharashtra unit on Thursday had announced that it will hold 'chakka jam' protest at 1,000 places across the state over the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's alleged failure in protecting the political reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBC). The police have detained many BJP workers across Maharashtra.

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Ex-Maha Home Minister Anil Deshmukh Summoned By ED After Arrest Of Two Aides In PMLA Case

Lawyers of ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh reach Enforcement Directorate office with an application, seeking some other date for his appearance before the agency. "We've given the letter to ED&asked them to furnish documents based on which we're to be questioned as we don't have any knowledge about the line of investigation. So we're unable to appear for questioning. Now ED has to take a call on it," said Deshmukh's lawyer Jaywant Patil.

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Dissenting Punjab MLAs Meet Rahul Gandhi; Claim Congress Govt In 'lockdown' For Last 4 Yrs

Amid the infighting in the Punjab Congress, dissenting MLAs met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Friday. According to sources, the detractors said that the Congress-led Punjab government had been under 'lockdown' for the last 4 years, raising questions over Captain Amarinder Singh's governance. The MLAs also demanded that Punjab CM fulfill the promises made in 2017 so that they can face the people of their respective constituencies.

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Haryana's Anil Vij Says Farmer Unions Gherao Call Aims At 'keeping Their Agitation Alive'

As farmer unions set out to march to the Raj Bhawans' to submit memorandum against the three farm laws, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Saturday said that they (farmers) are 'disappointed' as they have been sitting at the borders of the national capital for eight months now. He added that in order to maintain their agitation, their leaders create a new agenda everyday.

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PM Modi Reviews Ayodhya Vision Document, Affirms 'human Ethos Must Match Futuristic Infra'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a key meeting and discussed the Ayodhya development project. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with two deputy Chief Ministers the state and other top officials was also present to review a development vision document.

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Omar Abdullah Says 'Statehood First, Then Polls'; Adds 'will Fight For Art 370 For 70 Yrs'

Amid alleged cracks in the Gupkar alliance, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday, said that the meeting with PM Modi in Delhi was a good first step and parties put up their state of affairs. Clarifying NC's stance on restoring Article 370, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar that their fight for restoration will continue whether it takes 70 weeks or 70 years. Abdullah also stated that they differed from Centre's timeline, demanding delimitation, statehood and then polls.

Read more here

NIA Files Chargesheet Against 7 TuM Terrorists; Plot To Attack Religious Sites Exposed

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a charge sheet against the 7 arrested Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) terrorists in the Mendhar arms smuggling case. In the exclusive details accessed by Republic TV, Pakistan's plot to disrupt the peace in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as well as its conspiracy to attack religious sites in the country has been unearthed.

Read more here

Farmer Unions Issue Nationwide Gherao Call; Head To Raj Bhavans' To Submit Memorandum

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions has decided to stage demonstrations across Raj Bhawans across the country on Saturday. The protest call by the farmer unions has been given to mark seven months since they started their agitation against the Centre's three farm laws on Delhi's borders. Earlier on Friday, the farmers from Western Uttar Pradesh conducted a tractor rally.

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Assam Exempts Fully Vaccinated Travellers From COVID Testing At Airports, Rail Stations

Easing travelling to Assam, the state government on Saturday, announced that those who have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are exempted from mandatory testing on arrival at airports or railway stations in the state. The travellers from outside Assam must only produce a valid certificate depicting the fully vaccinated status to enter the status. Assam has 29,804 active COVID cases, 4,62,307 recovered cases and 4370 deaths.

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'Drugs Bring Darkness & Destruction': PM Modi On International Day Against Drug Abuse

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday commemorated the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, calling for the realization of the objective of a drug-free India, adding that narcotics bring "darkness, damage, and devastation." PM Modi reminded the youth that "addiction is neither cool nor a style statement." He also lauded people who are working at the "grassroots" to eliminate the menace of drugs from society.

Read more here
Chennai, June 25 (PTI) A city court on Friday refused bail to AIADMK former minister M Manikandan, who was arrested following a complaint from a Malaysia-based woman, alleging sexual abuse.

Principal Sessions Judge R Selvakumar, who rejected the plea from Manikandan, pointed out to the observations of the High Court in its earlier order refusing advance bail last week.

It had discussed the case at length and categorically held that the offence under section 376 IPC (rape) is made out with available materials.

"Under the said circumstances, this Court is not in a position to differ from the said findings," the PSJ said.

Apart from that, the case was registered on May 29 and Manikandan was absconding for about 20 days.

Only after the dismissal of anticipatory bail, he was secured from Bengaluru.

He is a powerful person having political and money power.

In case he is released on bail at this earliest point of time, there is every chance to tamper with the investigation.

"Considering the short duration of custody and the nature of offences involved, this court is not inclined to grant bail to him at present," the PSJ added and dismissed his petition.

PTI COR SA APR ADMINISTRATOR APR ADMINISTRATOR

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Nearly three days after the all-party meeting, the Jammu and Kashmir BJP held a press conference on Saturday. The saffron party's J&K unit hailed the all-party meeting and said that it was an initiative to end the political deadlock in the Union Territory. Briefing the media, J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina remarked that all those who were invited took part in the meeting. In addition, he said that the BJP put forth issues of nationalist people of J&K.

J&K BJP on all-party meeting

Ravinder Raina spoke about the projects that took place in Jammu and Kashmir and informed that he thanked Prime Minister Modi and the BJP leadership for the same. In addition, he also highlighted that daughters of Jammu and Kashmir got their rights after the abrogation of Article 370.

"We thanked PM Modi for rights of Gorkhas, Valmikis, Dalits and west Pakistan people. We also thanked him for the new phase of development which began in J&K post abrogation of Article 370," said Raina "The daughters of J&K got rights after the abrogation of Article 370. Apart from them, the Gujjar Bakkarwal and Paharis also got their rights," Raina added

Raina further spoke about the laws that came into effect after the abrogation of Article 370. The Jammu and Kashmir BJP president added that many rights like the Right to Education have been ensured after the decision. Further Raina asserted that no institutions were there in the erstwhile state in order to tackle corruption.

"The laws that are enacted by the Parliament of India including the anti-corruption laws have been enacted in Jammu and Kashmir today. Today, Jammu and Kashmir is within the jurisdiction of NHRC, NCW, NCSC. All of this happened after the abrogation of Article 370," he added

Prime Minister Modi chairs all-party meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a crucial all-party meeting. The meeting came as a first interaction between the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in 2019. The meeting was attended by leaders of NC, PDP, Congress, Apni Party and CPM. The all-party meeting was called by the Prime Minister to discuss about political activities in the Union Territory. However, the BJP has affirmed that the abrogation of Article 370 will not be rolled back. Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh also remarked that the meeting was held in a cordial environment and that all leaders expressed allegiance to the Constitution of India.

The MoS also revealed that PM Modi took suggestions and listened to all stakeholders seriously. Moreover, the Prime Minister also pushed for ensuring that democracy reaches the grassroots in J&K. Apart from this, PM Modi urged all leaders to come together to ensure that development is carried out in the Union Territory and that progress reaches every community and district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Days after PM Modi's all-party meeting with Kashmiri politicians, sources reported on Saturday that PDP is unhappy with NC for not backing Mehbooba Mufti on restoring Article 370 during the meet. Sources report that PDP feels that NC has let down the Gupkar Alliance at the meeting when Mufti brought up Article 370 in the meeting. PDP allegedly expected NC patron Farooq Abdullah to bring up restoration of Article 370 at the meeting as it's a common agenda of all Kashmiri parties.

PDP miffed with NC?

Moreover, PDP spokesperson Firdous Tak also questioned if Congress was representing itself or the Prime Minister and Home Minister at the post-meet presser, taking a dig at Ghulam Nabi Azad. As per sources, Mufti had urged Centre to resume talks with Pakistan and restart train services between the two countries. She had also raised the matter of Article 370 in the meeting, stating that the people of Jammu & Kashmir are angry and upset after its abrogation in an 'unconstitutional, illegal and immoral' manner.

Was Congress representing Congress or PM, HM. The presser speaks beyond words  Firdous Tak (@takfirdous) June 24, 2021

On the other hand, Congress, NC, and JKPC did not raise the matter of restoration of Article 370 in the meeting as the matter was sub-judice. In the meeting, Azad presented Congress' 5 demands to the Centre - the restoration of statehood, elections, restore domicile laws, return of Kashmiri Pandits to the valley and release of all political prisoners. On the issue of Pakistan, Sajad Lone tasked MEA to handle it.

PM Modi chairs all-party meet

14 politicians namely - NC president Farooq Abdullah, NC vice-president Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Tara Chand, J&K Apni party supremo Syed Altaf Bukhari, JKPC leaders Sajad Lone and Muzaffar Baig, Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh, BJP leaders Ravinder Raina, Kavinder Gupta, and Nirmal Singh attended PM Modi's Kashmir meeting. MoS Jitendra Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and L-G Manoj Sinha were also present at the meeting to kickstart political processes in the Valley. The leaders stated that the meeting was a good start while the PM appreciated the cordial atmosphere of talks and talked about strengthening democracy at the grassroots.

Promising that the Union Territory will get an elected government after the delimitation process is over, PM Modi expressed satisfaction at the progress of development projects in J&K. Speaking on this occasion, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that several major road projects, two new AIIMS and 7 new Medical Colleges are being set up in J&K. Moreover, he stressed that the delimitation and peaceful Assembly polls will be "important milestones" in restoring statehood as promised in the Parliament. Currently, the EC is in talks with district authorities to resume the delimitation process post-bifurcation.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASAs) James Webb Space Telescope will be using the brightest supermassive black holes known in the universe in a bid to try and unlock the greater secrets of how galaxies and planets came into existence. In a statement on Wednesday, the United States specs agency said that it is training the satellite on six of most distant and luminous quasars to study the properties of these quasars and their respective host galaxies along with the reason behind their interconnectedness during early stages of evolution of the galaxies.

NASA also explained that its researchers will use the quasars to examine the gas present in between the galaxies particularly during the period of cosmic reionization, which ended when the universe was very young. The task will be completed using Webbs extreme sensitivity to low levels of light and its superb angular resolution. Through the satellite, the scientists will be able to look back in time because the light from the six distant quasars began its journey to Webb when the universe was not fully developed. The NASA researchers wrote, We will see things as they were long ago, not as they are today.

Member of Webbs Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) Instrument Science Team, Santiago Arribas who is also a research professor at the Department of Astrophysics of the Center for Astrobiology in Madrid Spain has explained, All these quasars we are studying existed very early when the universe was less than 800 million years old, or less than 6 per cent of its current age. So these observations give us the opportunity to study galaxy evolution and supermassive black hole formation and evolution at these very early times.

NASA stated, The light from these very distant objects has been stretched by the expansion of space. This is known as cosmological redshift. The farther the light has to travel, the more it is redshifted. In fact, the visible light emitted at the early universe is stretched so dramatically that it is shifted out into the infrared when it arrives to us. With its suite of infrared-tuned instruments, Webb is uniquely suited to studying this kind of light.

Interested in observing the most luminous quasars

Chris Willott, a research scientist at the Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in Victoria, British Columbia also said in a statement, Were interested in observing the most luminous quasars because the very high amount of energy that theyre generating down at their cores should lead to the largest impact on the host galaxy by the mechanisms such as quasar outflow and heating. We want to observe these quasars at the moment when theyre having the largest impact on their host galaxies.

IMAGE: NASA, ESA and J. Olmsted
Scientists have found fossil evidence that species of dinosaurs reproduced and lived the whole year at the Prince Creek Formation in northern Alaska. The discovery of fossils includes tiny teeth and bones of just-hatched baby dinosaurs or about to hatch babies, according to the study. The new study shows that at least seven dinosaur species were capable of nesting at extremely high altitudes.

The findings of the study have been published in the Journal Current Biology. Pat Druckenmiller, the paper's lead author and director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North said that an earlier study had proved that the dinosaurs lived in the Arctic 70 million years ago. He said that the new study revealed that the dinosaurs could also "reproduce at these high altitudes".

We now have unequivocal evidence they were nesting up there as well. This is the first time that anyone has ever demonstrated that dinosaurs could reproduce at these high latitudes," said Druckenmillen in the press release.

The research team discovered a collection of bones and teeth from infant dinosaurs. The fossils are from at least seven types of dinosaurs that are either just hatched or just about to hatch. The findings show that the animals did not migrate to lower latitudes for the winter and laid their eggs in those warmer regions.

One of the biggest mysteries about Arctic dinosaurs was whether they seasonally migrated up to the North or were year-round denizens, said Erickson, a co-author of the paper in the press release.

After finding the fossils, the scientists worked with palaeontologists from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta, Canada, to compare the fossils to those from other sites at lower latitudes. These comparisons concluded that the bones and teeth were from perinatal dinosaurs. The scientists realised that the dinosaurs were nesting in the Arctic and had lived their entire life at high altitudes.

As dark and bleak as the winters would have been, the summers would have had 24-hour sunlight, great conditions for a growing dinosaur if it could grow quickly enough before winter set in, said Caleb Brown, a paleontologist at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in the press release.

IMAGE: Unsplash
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on a two-day visit to Greece held bilateral talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. Following Greece, Jaishankar will head to Italy to attend the G-20 Ministerial meeting, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had informed during a weekly briefing.

Reportedly, EAM Jaishankar and Dendias conducted a productive discussion on regional and global issues.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said that the European country was an important partner in India's broader European Union (EU) engagement and looked forward to formal talks anticipated on June 26.

Thank FM @NikosDendias for a warm welcome to Greece. A productive discussion on regional and global issues. Greece is an important partner in our broader EU engagement. Look forward to our formal talks tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/6sIRH6VFnl  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 25, 2021

'Unofficial' dinner between leaders

In an "unofficial" dinner, Nikos Dendias hosted India's Foreign Affairs Minister. It was the first EAM-level visit to Greece in about 18 years.

Taking to his Twitter handle, he stated, " am hosting an unofficial dinner to welcome #India FM@DrSJaishankar who arrived in #Athens today."

          @DrSJaishankar,       -  am hosting an unofficial dinner to welcome #India FM @DrSJaishankar who arrived in #Athens today. pic.twitter.com/6x3gssAmCQ  Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) June 25, 2021

G20 Ministerial meetings

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed during the briefing that post-Greece, EAM was scheduled to travel to Italy to attend the G20 ministerial meetings. These related to ministerial meetings at foreign ministerial level as well as development ministerial level,

"EAM Jaishankar will be leaving tomorrow for his visit to Greece and Italy. In Greece, he is making a bilateral visit on June 25-26 to hold talks with Greece counterpart along with other engagement," said Bagchi. This will be Jaishankars first visit to Greece in about 18 years, the one being in 2003.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the EU. Italy has been organising the Presidency of G20 since December 2020. The Foreign Affairs Ministers' Meeting is one of the ministerial conclave organized as part of the G20 Leaders Summit 2021. The meet is set to take place after the Group of Seven (G7) nations and guest countries had a "detailed discussion on the need for reforming global health governance".

India has been actively engaged with international communities at the level of G20, G7 and World Health Assembly on various aspects related to dealing with the current pandemic. Now that the G7 leaders summit ended on June 13, the next major event for G20 will take place at June end.
Spain has scrapped its requirement to wear face masks outdoors from Saturday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the lifting of the restrictions one week ago.

It's been positively received by both tourists and locals.

Sergio Moral, a teacher, said that finally "I feel free" after a difficult year.

Some regional authorities had urged the government in recent weeks to drop the requirement to wear face coverings outside.

The COVID-19 restriction has proved increasingly unpopular as temperatures rise with the approach of summer.

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Russia accused the United Kingdom and the United States on June 25 of trying to provocate conflict in the Black Sea. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has reportedly said that Russia would defend its borders using all possible means. Washington and London were trying to incite conflict in the region by failing to accept Crimea as a part of Russia, Russian news agency RIA cited Ryabkov as saying.

Russia warns US and UK

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the Russian borders will be protected "by all means, diplomatic, political and military, if needed." Russia would be ready to fire on targets if warnings dont work, Ryabkov said while commenting on the Black Sea warship incident. The Russian military ministry called on the British side to conduct investigation of the HMS Defender crew for prevention of similar incidents in the future, according to news agency TASS.

The British Navy destroyer HMS Defender entered Russia's "territorial waters" on Wednesday in breach of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, according to Moscows account of the confrontation. Russian military forces accused the British warship of encroaching the Russian maritime border to the northwestern of the Black Sea at 11:52 am Moscow time (0852 GMT). The Russian Embassy in the United States also hit back at the US for its groundless remarks against Moscow. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby had earlier claimed at a press conference that Russias account of "firing warning shots" to deter HMS Defender was "unfounded and "yet another example of disinformation." The Russian Embassy in US in response tweeted, What happened was recorded and published by FSB of Russia. Denying the obvious, Pentagon still lives under illusions on the actual situation in Russian Crimea and around the Peninsula."



1 @PentagonPresSec John Kirby's accusations against #Russia in disinformation on the incident with HMS Defender (a.k.a. Aggressor) are groundless. What happened was recorded and published by FSB RF:

https://t.co/tAqGlgiazL pic.twitter.com/550rJlXxob  Russian Embassy in USA  (@RusEmbUSA) June 25, 2021
Slovenia marked 30 years of independence on Friday with an official state ceremony, attended by the leaders of neighbouring Hungary, Austria, and Croatia.

Thousands of protesters gathered nearby, opposed to Slovenian right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa.

Critics have accused Jansa of assuming increasingly authoritarian ways similar to those of his ally, Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Slovenia is set to assume the European Union presidency in July.

Jansa has come under EU scrutiny over allegations of putting pressure on the country's media, including abolishing state funding for Slovenia's only news agency, the STA.

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The United States and France have warned Iran that the time to rejoin the nuclear deal is running out while flagging concerns of escalation of Tehrans sensitive nuclear program in the meantime. On the first high-level visit to Paris by an official of US President Joe Bidens administration, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as European hosts welcomed the new spirit from the United States after four years of former US President Donald Trump. As per the Guardian report, both US and France had one key pledge which was to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew the US from.

Blinken warned that the United States has serious differences with Iran which has stopped negotiations since last weeks presidential election won by another hardliner Ebrahim Raisi. US Secretary of State told reporters, There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the [deal]...We havent reached that point  I cant put a date on it  but its something that were conscious of.

Blinken also warned that if Iran continues to spin ever more sophisticated centrifuges and ramps up uranium enrichment in the country, it would bring the breakout time nearer and it would enable the Islamic Republic to develop a nuclear bomb. However, Blinken stressed that US President still backs rejoining the accord under which Iran had drastically scaled down its nuclear work until Trump withdrew in 2018 and imposed crippling sanctions.

We have a national interest in trying to put the nuclear problem back in the box that it was in the [deal], Blinken said.

France wants Iran to take final decisions

Like several other nations, France also stayed in the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal despite the pressure by the former US President. French Foreign Minister said at the joint news conference with Blinken, We expect the Iranian authorities to take the final decisions  no doubt difficult ones  which will allow the negotiations to be concluded. However, as per The Guardian report, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in response, The opposing sides are the ones who must take the decisions.

Proud to stand alongside Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian today to affirm the United States and Frances shared principles of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. pic.twitter.com/4cCv1sHKX3  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 25, 2021

IMAGE: AP


Taking leverage of its mango diplomacy expertise, Pakistan has now introduced three varieties of sugar-free mangoes for diabetics who are fond of the summer fruit. According to a report by Pakistan's ARY News, the varieties named- Sonaro, Glenn, and Keitt have been developed with a 4-6% sugar level through scientific modification at M H Panhwar Farms in Sindhs Tando Allahyar.

The Government of Pakistan had conferred Sitara-e-Imtiaz on Mr Panhwar for his research related to fruits including mangoes and banana. After his death, I continued his work and carried out modification after importing different genres of mangoes [from foreign countries] to test its growth in this atmosphere and soil," M H Panhwars nephew Ghulam Sarwar told ARY News.

While regular varieties of Pakistan mangoes like Sindhri and Chaunsa have 12-15% sugar level, Panhwar Farms has cultivated varieties with just 4.7% sugar level through scientific modification. At their 300-acre farm, more than 44 mango varieties are available and novel techniques are being developed to introduce more doctored varieties with low sugar levels and better shelf life.

Keitt variety has the lowest sugar level up to 4.7 percent while Sonaro and Glenn have sugar level up to 5.6 percent and 6 percent respectively," the nephew told ARY News. The sugar-free mangoes for diabetics are available for Rs 150/kg in Pakistan markets.

Pakistan Mango diplomacy rejected

Earlier this month, Pakistan had sent mangoes to the heads of 32 nations in an attempt to solidify ties. Varieties such as the Chaunsa mango, Anwar Rattol, and Sindhari were a part of the consignments that were sent to the US, China, Iran, Turkey, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Russia amongst others on behalf of Pakistan president Arif Alvi. However, several countries rejected the Pakistan Mango diplomacy initiative citing COVID-19 concerns and quarantine regulations. Notably, Pakistan's all-weather friend China had also rejected its fruit souvenirs.
Islamabad, Jun 26 (PTI) Pakistan is seeking a "civilised" and "even-handed" relationship with Washington like the one that existed between the US and the UK or with India "right now", Prime Minister Imran Khan has said, underlining the role Islamabad could play in the region, including in Afghanistan after America leaves the war-torn country.

Khan made the comments during an interview with The New York Times in which he also expressed his disappointment that his bid to normalise ties with India did not make any progress though he approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after assuming office in August 2018.

In the interview that comes as US President Joe Biden had his first face-to-face meeting with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghan at the White House on Friday, Khan recalled that Pakistan has had a closer relationship with the US than other nations in the region, such as India, and was a US partner in the war against terrorism, Dawn newspaper reported.

"Now, after the US leaves Afghanistan, basically Pakistan would want a civilised relationship, which you have between nations, and we would like to improve our trading relationship with the US, he said.

Asked to elaborate his concept of a civilised relationship, Khan said he was seeking relations like the one that existed "between the US and Britain, or between US and India right now. So, a relationship which is even-handed".

"Unfortunately, the relationship during the war on terror was a bit lopsided," he said.

"It was a lopsided relationship because the US felt that they were giving aid to Pakistan, they felt that Pakistan then had to do US' bidding.

"And what Pakistan did in terms of trying to do the US bidding cost Pakistan a lot  70,000 Pakistanis died, and over $150 billion were lost to the economy because there were suicide bombings and bombs going on all over the country," he said.

The main problem with this lopsided relationship was that "Pakistani governments tried to deliver what they were not capable of," and it led to a "mistrust between the two countries," Khan said.

"And people in Pakistan felt they paid a heavy, heavy price for this relationship. And the US thought Pakistan had not done enough." The prime minister said that his government wanted the future relationship to be based on trust and common objectives, including a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

The US and the Taliban have signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020 following multiple rounds of negotiations to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home, effectively drawing curtains on America's longest war.

Asked if Pakistan will continue to have any strategic relevance to the US after the pullout, Khan said: "I dont know, really. I havent thought about it in that way, that Pakistan should have some strategic relevance to the US." Khan said he could not predict the future of the military and security relationship between Pakistan and the US.

"Post the US withdrawal, I dont know what sort of military relationship it will be. But right now, the relationship should be based on this common objective that there is a political solution in Afghanistan before the United States leaves," he stressed.

Asked if Pakistan was still using its leverage with the Taliban to move the peace talks towards a deal, Khan said, "Pakistan has used the maximum leverage it could on the Taliban." He said the US decision to fix a date for withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan also diminished Pakistans leverage on the Taliban.

"Given that the US gave a date of withdrawal, from then onward, our leverage diminished on the Taliban. And the reason is that the moment the United States gave a date of exit, the Taliban basically claimed victory, Khan said.

"Theyre thinking that they won the war. And so, therefore, our ability to influence them diminishes the stronger they feel. Khan said Pakistan has been emphasising to the Taliban that they should not go for a military victory because it would only lead to a protracted civil war.

In the interview, Khan also claimed that Pakistan would have had a better relationship with India if it had a different government and they would have resolved all their differences through dialogue.

"When I assumed office, the first thing I did was I made this approach to Prime Minister Modi (to seek) a normal, civilised trading relationship...We tried but didnt get anywhere," he said.

"Had there been another Indian leadership, I think we would have had a good relationship with them. And yes, we would have resolved all our differences through dialogue," Khan claimed.

The strained ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated further after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

On the Status quo in Kashmir, Khan said, "I think its a disaster for India because it will just mean that this conflict festers on and on  and (prevents) any relationship  normal relationship  between Pakistan and India." India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with it in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

Khan said the US assumption that India would be the bulwark against China was wrong. "I think it would be detrimental for India because Indias trade with China is going to be beneficial for both India and China." Pakistan, he said, was "watching the scenario unfold and with a bit of anxiety.

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President Joe Biden on Friday promised Afghanistan's top leaders a sustained" partnership even as he moves to accelerate winding down the United States' longest war amid escalating Taliban violence.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chair of the High Council for National Reconciliation, met at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before their sit-down with Biden at the White House later in the afternoon.

While Biden vowed that the U.S. was committed to assisting Afghanistan, he also insisted that it was time for the American military to step back.

The leaders' visit to Washington comes as the Biden administration has stepped up plans for withdrawal ahead of the presidents Sept. 11 deadline to end a nearly 20-year-old war that has come with a breathtaking human cost.

More than 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed and 20,000 wounded in the war since 2001, according to the Defense Department. Its estimated that over 3,800 U.S. private security contractors have been killed.

The suffering has been even greater for Afghanistan with estimates showing more than 66,000 Afghan troops killed and more than 2.7 million forced to flee their homes - mostly to Iran.

Roughly 650 U.S. troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main American military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

Several hundred additional American forces will remain at the Kabul airport, potentially until September.

They'll assist Turkish troops providing security, a temporary move until a more formal Turkey-led security operation is in place, the officials said Thursday.

Overall, officials said the U.S. expects to have American and coalition military command, its leadership, and most troops out by July Fourth, or shortly after that, meeting an aspirational deadline that commanders developed months ago.

The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the withdrawal and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The departure of the bulk of the more than 4,000 troops that have been in the country in recent months is unfolding well before Bidens Sept. 11 deadline.

And it comes amid accelerating Taliban battlefield gains, fueling fears that the Afghan government and its military could collapse in a matter of months.

Abdullah, who took part in the meeting with Biden, later emphasized the importance of continued U.S. support.

We tend to forget that that al-Qaida had reached a certain level of capacity in Afghanistan, that was an actual danger, a homeland security threat for the United States. The issue is also today if Afghanistan is abandoned completely, without support, without engagement, that's the danger that Afghanistan can turn once again into a hub for terrorist groups."

IMAGE: AP

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A critically endangered rare barking deer has been spotted in Cambodia for the first time. The giant muntjac was captured on a hidden camera in northeast Cambodia's Virachey National Park in Ratanakiri province, said the Environment ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra. Pheaktra has shared the pictures of endangered species on his Twitter account.

Giant barking deer captured in Cambodia

The giant muntjac, known by its scientific name Muntiacus vuquangensis, was captured by surveillance camera for the first time in Virachey National Park in Ratanakkiri province. The giant muntjac is on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "critically endangered". The pictures shared by Neth Pheaktra on Twitter show the giant muntjac in the Virachey National Park. The picture also show the hidden camera installed by the environment ministry.

New discovery of IUCN critical endangered species in #Cambodias protected area: Large-antlered #muntjac or #Giantmuntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis) in VireakChey National #Park in Rattanakiri province. Good news for #biodiversity pic.twitter.com/XrTMcJkvWc  Neth Pheaktra (@pheaktraneth) June 24, 2021

Pheaktra said that the presence of animal was very valuable for conservation of biodiversity and the environment, reported Khmer Times. He thanked Environment ministry officials and the local community for working together to study wildlife in park. It is due to the better protection and conservation of natural resources that has helped in the presence of rare species being captured in Cambodia, reported Khmer Times.

Meanwhile, Cambodia has deployed its next generation of rat recruits to sniff out landmines and other unexploded ordnance (OXO). Amidst an effort to bolster demining operations, the Cambodian administration imported 25 African giant pouch rats from Tanzania and trained them to sniff out explosives. African or Gambian pouch rats have not only been used to detect land mines before but also for diseases like Tuberculosis. While Gambian rats have poor eyesight but are blessed with an exceptional sense of smell. These rats, which are reportedly easy to handle as they do not bite, could help the militarys demining process and help reduce the number of explosive accidents in the country. According to official records, Cambodia has the highest number of amputees in the world, a number pushed up by landmine explosions.

IMAGE: pheaktraneth/Twitter
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) India and Greece on Saturday called for following fundamental international principles of rule of law and respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, and denounced radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism, in a clear signal of their growing convergence on key geopolitical challenges.

The issues figured prominently during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Athens.

Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to Greece from Friday, the first tour by an Indian foreign minister to Athens in the last 18 years.

The two sides also noted with satisfaction the convergence of each other's vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific ensuring connectivity and growth for all in the region, the Ministry of External Affairs said after the talks that covered key bilateral, regional and global issue.

Jaishankar and Dendias also agreed to work towards the establishment of a strategic partnership while deliberating on boosting cooperation in several areas such as trade and investment, science and technology, culture, academics and people-to-people relations.

In a tweet, Jaishankar described the talks as "productive bilaterally" and insightful on many regional and global issues, adding it was agreed to step up the pace of engagement and work towards a strategic partnership.

The external affairs minister also paid a courtesy call on Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece.

The MEA said the Greek foreign minister signed an agreement making Greece part of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative of India aimed at promoting renewable energy and sustainable development.

It said the two ministers shared views on regional and global issues of mutual interest in the context of new geopolitical and geo-economic realities, including the Indo-Pacific.

"Both sides noted with satisfaction the convergence of each other's vision for a free, open, inclusive and cooperative Indo-Pacific ensuring connectivity and growth for all in the region," the MEA said, adding they also discussed the recent developments pertaining to the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and Libya.

It said India and Greece also agreed that the rule of law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are fundamental principles of international relations that must be observed by all.

The assertion came amid growing global concerns over China's increasing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. "Both countries recognised the threat posed by radicalisation, violent extremism, as well as terrorism, including cross border terrorism. They emphasised that there can be no justification for these in any form or manifestation," the MEA said in a statement.

The reference to cross border terrorism is seen as an oblique reference to Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism against India.

The two countries also conveyed their deep commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based international order.

Reaffirming the importance of the urgent reform of the UN, including expansion of the UN Security Council, and other multilateral institutions, the two sides said such a step was necessary to make these institutions more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and better reflective of contemporary geopolitical realities.

"The Greek side reiterated its support for permanent membership of India in a reformed UNSC," the MEA said.

It said the talks also focused on the coronavirus pandemic globally and the process of economic recovery.

"They agreed on the need for joint efforts to combat the disease and to work together for consolidating economic and commercial activities during and immediately after the pandemic," it said.

Jaishankar also unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens.

"The statue will act as a strong symbol of friendship between the two countries," the MEA said.

"India and Greece enjoy close and friendly relations which have been strengthened by the shared values of democracy, rule of law, pluralism, equality, freedom of speech and respect for human rights," it said. PTI MPB ZMN

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After being administered the Chinese vaccine Sinovac, doctors and health care workers in Indonesia are themselves turning sick, with many of them dead. According to the New York Times, the Indonesian Medical Association attested that at least 20 doctors who have died in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic began were fully vaccinated with Sinovac Biotech, the Chinese-made vaccine. Following the unfortunate turn of events, the Indonesian authorities are now looking into the vaccination status of as many as 31 others who passed away in the last five months.

According to reports, Dr Suhendro Sastrowiwoho, a frontline medical worker at the town of Kudus in Java, was among the public health professionals who died after being vaccinated with Sinovac. He had received a double dose of the Chinese-made vaccine, however, he died just days after testing positive for COVID-19 on June 18. Two nurses, and a nutritionist, all of who had been fully vaccinated, died as well this month in the same town.

Citing the risk mitigation team of the Indonesian Doctors Association, NYT reported that as many as 358 medical workers, who were fully vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine, have tested positive for COVID-19 during a two-week span in the small town of Kudus. It was also reported that less than five per cent of Indonesias total population has currently been vaccinated, although the inoculation campaign started way back in January. Of those who have many inoculated, most received Sinovac jabs, which is now being believed to be less effective against certain COVID-19 variants.

Nations relying of Chinese vaccines see surge in infections

Earlier this week, NYT had also reported that Countries like Mongolia, Seychelles and Bahrain relied on Chinese COVID-19 vaccines to combat the coronavirus pandemic, however, they are now battling a surge in infections. The examples from several countries suggest that the Chinese vaccines may not be very effective at preventing the spread of the virus, particularly the new variants. While citing a data-tacking project report, it said that in Seychelles, Chile, Bahrain and Mongolia, about 50 to 68 per cent of the populations have been fully inoculated with Chinese vaccines, but they are still among the top 10 countries with the worst COVID-19 outbreak.

Chinas foreign ministry, however, has said that it did not see a link between the recent outbreaks and its vaccine. It even cited the WHO as saying that vaccination rates in certain countries had not reached sufficient levels to prevent outbreaks and that countries need to continue to maintain controls. "Relevant reports and data also show that many countries that use Chinese-made vaccines have expressed that they are safe and reliable, and have played a good role in their epidemic prevention efforts," the ministry said.

IMAGE: AP/Pixabay/PTI


Haiti continues waiting for promised COVID-19 vaccines, as the country of more than 11 million people reels from a spike in coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths that have saturated hospitals.

Haiti is the only member of the COVAX program in the Americas that has not yet started vaccination.

The Panamerican Health organization Assistant Director, Jarbas Barbosa, explained on Monday that the country needs "to adopt legal, regulatory and administrative measures" before getting the vaccines delivery.

He said, the deployment of the vaccines could start in July.

However, a U.N. program that delivers coronavirus vaccines to poor countries and has Haiti on its list, has cut its supply forecast this year by more than 100 million doses.

It's not clear how that might affect the delivery of vaccine to Haiti via the COVAX program, but officials are wary of the news.

Haiti was slated to receive some 756,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine last month but government officials were concerned about the vaccine's potential side effects and of possibly being forced to throw away doses given the lack of infrastructure to keep them properly refrigerated.

Officials later announced that some 130,000 doses were supposed to arrive in mid-June, but the shipment was delayed for unknown reasons.

Even if the doses do arrive, officials worry they still have to persuade thousands of Haitians to get inoculated amid widespread mistrust of the vaccines and of health authorities.

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UK destroyer HMS Defender arrived in Georgia Saturday after an incident in Black Sea off Crimea.

Speaking after meeting Georgian navy officers, Captain Vince Owen, commander of HMS Defender, said the deployment was part of efforts to "ensure Black Sea regional security, stability and prosperity and Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty".

It follows an incident on Wednesday, in which Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer HMS Defender to drive it away from the area near Sevastopol.

Britain denied that account and insisted the Defender had been making a routine journey through an internationally recognized travel lane and remained in Ukrainian waters near Crimea.

The U.K., like most of the world, recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the peninsulas annexation by Russia.

Russia denounced Defender's move as a provocationnd and warned that next time it could fire to hit intruding warships if they again try to test the Russian military's resolve.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Friday derided the British denials that the Russian military fired warning shots at the Defender and urged Britain and its allies not to tempt fate again. He added that the Defender is "just a juicy target for the Black Sea Fleet's missile systems.

The incident marked the first time since the Cold War that Moscow acknowledged using live ammunition to deter a NATO warship, underlining the rising threat of military collisions amid Russia-West tensions.

IMAGE: AP

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Minneapolis (US), Jun 26 (AP) Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin's knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the US in generations.

The punishment  which fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested  came after Chauvin broke his more than yearlong silence in court to offer condolences to the Floyd family and say he hopes more information coming out will eventually give them some peace of mind. With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.

Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. As with the verdicts in April, he showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.

The fired white officer was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyd's neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man gasped that he couldn't breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Bystander video of Floyd's arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit USD 20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond.

On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand  an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial he still faces.

But very briefly, though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some some peace of mind, he said, without elaborating.

In asking that Chauvin be left off on probation, defense attorney Eric Nelson called Floyd's death tragic and said that Chauvin's brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if what if what if? Floyd's family members took the stand and expressed sorrow about his death. They asked for the maximum penalty.

We don't want to see no more slaps on the wrist. We've been through that already," said a tearful Terrence Floyd, one of Floyd's brothers.

Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams said: Our family is forever broken. And Floyd's 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a video played in court, said that if she could say something to her father now, it would be: I miss you and and I love you. Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines and give Chauvin 30 years in prison, saying tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life," Frank said.

Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, appeared in court to plead for mercy for son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I can tell you that is far from the truth, she told the judge. I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man." She added: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that. I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvin's three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict in April.

Ahead of the sentencing, the judge agreed with prosecutors that there were aggravating circumstances that could justify a heavier punishment than the recommended 12 1/2 years  among them, that Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty, abused his position of authority as a police officer and did it in front of children.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvin's request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved away from Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didn't mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.

With Chauvin's sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America witnessed something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.

In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two mistrials were declared over the death of Samuel Dubose in Cincinnati.

That's why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor, who has represented victims of police brutality. Everybody knows that this doesn't happen every day. Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the state's maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.

The three other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. They will also stand trial with Floyd on the federal civil rights charges. No date has been set for that trial. (AP) HDA

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US President Joe Biden on June 25 said that Afghans are going to have to decide their future as Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani visited the White House. According to AP, Biden promised Ghani a sustained partnership even though US and NATO troops are set to finish their withdrawal on September 11. Biden vowed that the US was committed to assisting Afghanistan and further insisted that it was time for the American military to step back.

Afghans are going to have to decide their future, the US President said in brief remarks at the start of his meeting with the Afghan leaders.

While speaking in the Oval Office, Biden added, Our troops may be leaving, but support for Afghanistan is not ending. But he stressed that it was up to Afghans to decide "what they want", adding: "The senseless violence, it has to stop. It's going to be very difficult.

3mn vaccine doses to help Afghan

According to a press release, Biden emphasized enduring US support for the Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls, and minorities, through civilian, development, and humanitarian aid, as well as the continued provision of security assistance to support Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. He expressed his concern about the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan, and noted additional emergency US assistance, including three million doses of vaccines, to help the Afghan government respond to the pandemic.

President Biden, President Ghani, and Chairman Abdullah concurred on the need for unity among Afghan leaders in support of peace and stability, and President Biden reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to fully support intra-Afghan negotiations. The U.S. and Afghan leaders firmly agreed that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the strong bilateral partnership will continue, the press note read.

Ghani supports Bidens historic decision

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, on the other hand, said that he supported Bidens historic decision to withdraw US troops. Ghani said that he was there to respect it and support it. Further, he announced that Afghan security forces had recaptured six districts, reversing some recent Taliban gains.

"You will see that with determination, with unity and with the partnership, we will overcome all odds," he said.

Meanwhile, Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chair of the High Council for National Reconciliation, met at the Pentagon with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before their sit-down with Biden at the White House. Ghani also paid a visit on his own to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and with House Republican lawmakers. He met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday.

(With inputs from AP)


Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Jun 25 (AP) The widow of John McAfee, the British-American tycoon who died in a Spanish prison this week while awaiting extradition to the United States, said Friday that her husband was not suicidal when she last spoke to him hours before he was found dead.

Authorities in Spain are conducting an autopsy on McAfee's body but have said that everything at the scene in his cell indicated that the 75-year-old killed himself.

His last words to me were I love you and I will call you in the evening,' Janice McAfee told reporters outside the Brians 2 penitentiary northwest of Barcelona where she recovered her late husband's belongings.

Those words are not words of somebody who is suicidal, she added, demanding a thorough investigation in her first public remarks since the software entrepreneur's death on Wednesday.

John McAfee was arrested at the Barcelona airport in October last year on a warrant issued by prosecutors in Tennessee who were seeking up to three decades of imprisonment for allegedly evading more than $4 million in taxes.

The day before he was found dead, Spain's National Court had announced that it was agreeing to his extradition to the U.S. but the decision was not final.

We had a plan of action already in place to appeal that decision, the 38-year-old Janice McAfee told reporters. I blame the U.S. authorities for this tragedy: Because of these politically motivated charges against him my husband is now dead. Results of McAfee's autopsy could take days or weeks," authorities have said.

The couple reportedly met in 2012 in Miami and married the following year. John McAfee had several children from previous relationships, Janice McAfee said.

The entrepreneur had not been connected with the companies that took over the antivirus software he built after he sold his shares in the 1990s. That early success had made McAfee rich and followed him in his troubled biography.

In 2012, he was sought for questioning in connection with the murder of his neighbor in Belize, but was never charged with a crime. The controversy didn't stop him from making long-shot runs for the U.S. presidency starting in 2016.

But it was his more recent tax problems that kept him away from the U.S., the country where the British-born entrepreneur was raised and had built his early success.

The Tennessee prosecutors' indictments from 2020 showed that the tycoon allegedly failed to declare income made by promoting cryptocurrencies, attending speaking engagements and selling the rights for a documentary on his eventful life.

Even though he was born in England, America was his home," Janice McAfee said. "He came there when he was a child. He had his first girlfriend there, his first case, you know, his first job. He made his first millions there and he wanted to be there. But, you know, politics just wouldn't allow for that to happen. John McAfee's social media postings indicated that he had chosen a northeastern Spanish coastal resort town as his base in Europe at least since late 2019.

All John wanted to do was spend his remaining years fishing and drinking," his widow said on Friday. He had hope that things would work out. We knew that there would be an uphill battle to continue to fight this situation. But he's a fighter ... And anybody that knows John, that knows him even a little bit, knows that about him." He was just so loving. He had a big heart and he just loved people and he just wanted to have peace in his life," Janice McAfee added. My prayers are that his soul has found the peace in death that he could not find in life." (AP) PMS PMS

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Latin American countries have joined Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, often referred to as the BRI, which funds overseas infrastructure projects.

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez (C) stands next to China's ambassador to Venezuela, Li Baorong (3rd L), and other Caracas officials on arrival of a 55-ton shipment of humanitarian aid and medical equipment sent from China for the fight against the COVID-19, at the Simon Bolivar Airport, March 28, 2020.

Chinese state-run companies and banks have been investing in electrical utilities in Latin America, generating income for the firms and creating leverage for Beijing to advance its interests in a region sometimes referred to as Americas backyard.

One of the most comprehensive reports on the subject has been written by R. Evan Ellis, research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute.

COVID-19 caused economic setbacks in a number of these countries, so they may now be more likely to agree to some Chinese projects that they would have rejected in the past, Ellis says.

The Wall Journal has recently analyzed data from a number of Latin American nations that reveal a staggering COVID-19 death toll.

According to The Journal, the country with the worlds highly daily death rate as of June 21, was landlocked Paraguay, with 19 times as many deaths as the United States per capita.

And with 50 million people, Colombia has recorded about 4,200 deaths from COVID-19 over the past weekabout 50 percent more than the whole of Africa.

Fewer than one in 10 people in Latin America have been vaccinated, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Carissa F. Etienne, director of PAHO, has at the same time urged leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations to speed up delivery of a billion vaccines they promised to developing nations by the end of 2023.

China has meanwhile been importing about 75 percent of the worlds traded iron ore and some 60 percent of its copper ore from Latin American countries for years.

Latin American countries have joined Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, often referred to as the BRI, which funds overseas infrastructure projects in nearly 70 countries.

Aerial view of the old salt gate in the southern zone of the Uyuni Salt Flat, where Bolivia plans to produce lithium for China's electromotive industry, July 10, 2019. Credit: AFP BRI enlists 18 of 31 countries

David Dollar, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based-Brookings Institution, says that the BRI is controversial in the West because of a lack of transparency that makes it difficult to get reliable information on the finances of the initiative as well as on specific projects and their terms.

According to the U.S.-based Atlantic Council, Panama in November 2017 became the first Latin American country to officially endorse the BRI, five months after switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China.

In the next two years, 18 of the 33 countries in the region would join the BRI, with some notable exceptions.

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexicothe four largest economies in the region, accounting for nearly 70 percent of its GDPhave closely followed the initiative, but have yet to sign on. They are expected to do so at some point, however.

For many Latin American governments and companies, the BRI offers an opportunity to expand access to China, a growing export destination and source of external financing.

Over the past 20 years, bilateral trade grew twenty-five times, from $12 billion in 1999 to $306 billion in 2018, placing China as Latin Americas second-largest trading partner after the United States.

Since 2005, Chinese banks have provided more than $141 billion in loan commitments to Latin America, exceeding, in several years, the lending of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Development Bank of Latin America combined.

China is also becoming an increasingly important foreign direct investor for the region, especially through mergers and acquisitions.

But the BRI has yet to spur a visible surge of Chinese commercial activities in Latin America.

China has been less active in promoting the BRI in the Western Hemisphere than in other regions. The six BRI economic corridors across Eurasia still take top priority globally.

Handout photo released by the Venezuelan Presidency showing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and Chinese Ambassador in Venezuela Li Baorong (L) during a meeting with Chinese business representatives in Caracas, Nov. 6, 2020. Credit: AFP Low-risk gamble

There are concerns that the BRI may cause confrontations with the United States, Latin Americas long-standing hemispheric ally and most important commercial partner, which has consistently warned about the BRIs debt-trap diplomacy.

Despite the seeming lack of immediate gains associated with BRI, however, most Latin American and Caribbean countries appear to have responded neutrally or favorably to the initiative.

On the risk side, many consider Chinese lending alone to be insufficient to trigger systemic debt issues in most Latin American economies. And as a result, for many in Latin America, the BRI appears a low-risk gamble for greater economic growth and international cooperation.

The high concentration of Chinese activity in Latin Americas agricultural sectors has meanwhile placed a heavy strain on water supplies and increased deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2015 study coordinated by Boston Universitys Global Economic Governance Institute.

Some projects, such as hydroelectric projects, have triggered protests from indigenous groups in several Latin American countries

China appears to have its most positive and constructive relationship in Latin America with Uruguay, one of the smallest nations in the region.

Uruguays day-to-day relationship with the PRC is shaped by two key figures: Chinas ambassador to Uruguay, Wang Gang, and Uruguays ambassador to China, Juan Fernando Lugris Rodriguez.

According to Ellis, observers generally regard Wang as low-key and effective, quietly working with Uruguayan institutions, facilitating significant Chinese support to Uruguay during the COVID-19 pandemic, and showing sensitivity to the distrust that many people in Uruguay have toward China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attend a press statement after their bilateral meeting at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 13, 2019. Credit: AFP Arms for Venezuela

China in recent years has also sold self-propelled artillery, armored vehicles, rocket launchers, helicopters, and fighter planes to a variety of Caribbean and Latin American nations.

As Ellis noted in Latin America and the Asian Giants, a book published in 2016 on Latin Americas evolving ties with China and India, Venezuela provided China with its first opportunity to sell sophisticated military systems in the region in 2005.

Within a few years, China then began selling weapons to Bolivia, which earlier had received Chinese donations of rifles and anti-aircraft weapons, and Ecuador  under a policy that appeared designed to support Venezuela and fellow left-leaning socialist or populist regimes, which had banded together in an eight-nation, anti-U.S. Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas.

But in recent years Chinas arms sales have expanded not only in those three nations but also across the continent.

While in earlier decades the U.S. was a major supplier of weapons to military regimes in Latin America, China now has the advantage by offering low prices for weapons with few strings attached.

The United States is now prohibited by law from selling weapons to a number of Latin American countries, including Venezuela.

Power grid investments

Regarding weapons sales to Venezuela, Ellis told RFA that Chinahas effectively supplanted the Russians in the past two years as the countrys major arms supplier.

And China has often beaten out Russian competitors in Peru and elsewhere, noted Evan Ellis some years ago.

As an article by Allan Nixon published 2016 in The Diplomat made clear, the arms sales have to be seen in the context of Chinas long-term goal of achieving great-power status and influence.

In recent years, China has regularly deployed military forces to the South American region to conduct combat exercises and humanitarian missions.

And while the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has yet to establish alliances or basing agreements in the hemisphere, its 2015 white paper on Chinese defense strategy lists the protection of its global commercial interests as an important mission for the Peoples Liberation Army.

Now China is making a bid to dominate electrical connectivity in Latin America, a subject covered by Evan Ellis and published recently in a China Brief on the website of the U.S.-based Jamestown Foundation.

Elliss article published on May 21 shows how Chinese companies have become involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity across the region, expanding its position in activities key to the "connectivity" underlying Latin American economies.

This approach also extends to the construction and operation of ports, roads, railroads, telecommunications, ecommerce, and other infrastructure.

But not everything has worked out as planned.

A Chinese-backed transcontinental railway meant to link Brazil, on the Atlantic Coast, with Peru on the Pacific Coast triggered criticism because it failed to take environmental concerns into account. It would pass through sensitive ecosystems in the Amazon region.

At the same time, a transcontinental highway through Brazil has been plagued by bad construction work.

According to The World Mind, an American University website focused on relations with Latin America, the highway project, begun in 2006, was never fully completed because parts of it werent structurally sound. Some sections remain damaged or impassable.

Dan Southerland is RFA's founding Executive Editor.
Six other solar power companies are operational in Malaysia, three of which are Chinese.

A man walks between solar panels at a solar power plant under construction in Aksu, in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in a file photo.

A solar power company from China has agreed to invest $10 billion in Malaysia over 15 years, as Chinese firms look to Southeast Asia to expand production and avoid obstacles put in by Western countries, a business leader said Friday.

Chinese firms favor doing business in Southeast Asia over countries in other corners of the globe because of synergy with Beijings One Belt, One Road (OBOR) projects in the region, said Tan Yew Sing, president of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce.

China is keen to work in Malaysia because the United States and Western countries are putting more obstacles for China to invest there. They are looking into ASEAN countries, the Middle East, and Africa, Tan told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Of the three regions, ASEAN is still their favorite, especially because of the One Belt One Road policy, he added.

On Thursday, the Malaysian government announced that solar power giant Risen Energy Co. Ltd, a private Chinese company, would invest 42.2 billion ringgit (U.S. $10.1 billion) from 2021 until 2035 in its first major plant in Southeast Asia. It will be located in northern Kedah state.

The Chinese firms investment was timely for Malaysia, which has been struggling to attract foreign direct investment, said Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, director of the Malaysia office of political consultancy firm Bower Group Asia.

The federal government has been previously criticized for its failure to bring in FDI, Asrul told BenarNews. FDI in Malaysia fell 56 percent in 2020, according to government data.

The Chinese companys solar project investment, coming on top of Beijings donation of 500,000 doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, will further strengthen the Sino-Malaysian relationship, he said.

Also on Thursday, the United States announced that it was halting imports from a major Chinese producer of polysilicon, Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. Ltd, over the alleged use of Uyghurs as forced laborers in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Washington also blacklisted units of three other Chinese companies, some of which are major producers of monocrystalline silicon and polysilicon used in solar-panel production.

More than 90 percent of all solar panels producing electricity need polysilicon  the purified variant of the grey silicon metal made of quartz  and four of the worlds five largest producers of polysilicon are based in China, according to Bernreuter Research, a German research firm.

Statements by Malaysias prime minister and the minister of International Trade and Industry did not say from where Risen Energys Malaysian factory would get polysilicon. But they said the Chinese company would manufacture solar  or photovoltaic  cells and solar panels under its Malaysian subsidiary, Risen Solar Technology Sdn Bhd.

BenarNews contacted the Prime Ministers Office for details but it did not immediately respond, while the Ministry of International Trade referred the news service to a public statement on the investment.

Six other solar power companies are operational in Malaysia, three of which are Chinese.

Malaysia has abundant raw materials

Meanwhile, a trade ministry source, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, told BenarNews that construction on Risen Energys Malaysian facility had begun.

Construction of the new facility is scheduled to be completed by years end and become operational by the first quarter of 2022, said a statement from Mohamed Azmin Ali, the minister of International Trade and Industry.

The facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of three gigawatts (3GW) of high-efficiency photovoltaic (solar) modules for the first five years to meet growing global demand, Azmin said. It is also expected to create 3,000 jobs over 15 years.

Azmins office told BenarNews that technical experts from China would be brought into Malaysia for training purposes, once the facility is ready.

Xie Jian, chairman and president of Risen Energy Co. Ltd., said the firm chose Malaysia because of its strategic location in Southeast Asia.

Further, Malaysia has abundant raw materials, [a] high quality of human resources, and harmonious ethnic relations whereby people get along well, the statement from the trade ministry quoted him as saying.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online system.
The civilian defense forces had been tending to thousands of villagers who earlier fled the conflict zone.

This photo taken and received courtesy of an anonymous source via Facebook shows protesters holding flares as they take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay, June 24, 2021 .

At least 10 people were killed when troops loyal to Myanmars junta attacked a base used to assist refugees in northwestern Sagaing region, but were outmaneuvered by militiamen using guerrilla tactics to overcome a deficit in firepower, sources said Friday.

A member of the Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militia in Sagaings Mingin township, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal, told RFAs Myanmar Service that his group had been evacuating thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from an area east of the Chindwin River Thursday when a group of junta soldiers and regime-aligned paramilitaries known as the Pyu Saw Htee arrived and began to engage them.

We were helping the IDPs with their health and security issues when the military council came into the forest, he said, using regime opponents term for the junta, which calls itself the State Administration Council.

They were posing as civilians. We let them get close to our hideout because we thought they were villagers from elsewhere and were taken by surprise. We saw nine of their bodies left behind [after we repelled the attack].

The PDF fighter said that despite the surprise attack, members of his militia used their knowledge of the jungle to outflank the junta soldiers and only suffered one casualty.

According to the Mingin PDF, around 8,000 civilians from 11 villages have been living in a makeshift camp around 17 miles from where the fighting took place.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun for comment on the clash went unanswered Friday.

A local security analyst, who also declined to be named, told RFA that despite only possessing slingshots and the same crude flintlock Tumee rifles their forefathers used to fight off British colonizers in the 1880s, the local PDF was able to fight off the military about 40 percent because of their knowledge of the terrain and the remainder because of their conviction that they are fighting against injustice.

On Feb. 1, Myanmars military staged a coup, seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD), rejecting its landslide victory in November 2020 general elections as the result of voter fraud. The junta has provided no evidence to back up its claims and citizens from all walks of life have protested the takeover.

Amid nationwide turmoil, the military has stepped up offensives in remote parts of the country of 54 million that have led to fierce battles with a profusion of Peoples Defense Force (PDF) militias formed to protect residents from troops loyal to the junta. Ethnic armies in other parts of the nation have used the instability to encroach on one anothers territory.

According to the Irrawaddy online newspaper, an ethnic Chin teenager was also killed by a junta landmine near Mindats Shat village on Thursday while going to farm with his family.

Mindat has been the site of several clashes between the military and the PDF since an April ceasefire broke down on May 12. A military raid on the township of 25,000 three days later prompted around 90 percent of residents to flee their homes.

While the two sides agreed a 14-day ceasefire on June 19, only around 30 percent of IDPs have returned, saying they continue to fear for their safety.

Mai Nuam Za Tian in an undated photo. RFA

Two youths killed

Thursdays violence came a day after military troops shot and killed two ethnic Chin youths in Sagaings Kalay township, according to residents, who said local authorities wrote off the deaths as COVID-19-related, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The two youthsMai Nuam Za Tian, 19, and Salai Ngun Nei Paing, 24were shot dead by the military at around 9:00 p.m. in Taungphila ward, sources said, while riding a motorbike back to the region from Kalay township, scene of intense fighting since April.

A relative of Mai Nuam Tian said she had traveled around 12 miles from her home in Nyaungdon village to Kalay that evening to fetch medicine for her uncle. The relative said that Salai Ngun Nei Paing had offered her a lift back home on his motorbike and that the two were shot by soldiers when they refused an order to stop.

Mai Nuam Tians body was located at the local hospital on Thursday morning with a death certificate that said she had died of COVID-19, according to the relative, but an examination of her body revealed that she had been shot.

Even then, her body was not allowed to be taken back to the village, the family member said.

It was taken to the cemetery straight from the military hospital for burial. When they arrived at the cemetery, the family did not believe what the military said, so they opened the coffin and checked the body before burying it. They also took pictures. They found a bullet wound below her knee.

The body of Salai Ngun Nei Paing was found along the roadside on Thursday morning.

A resident of Taungphila ward confirmed that the two had been shot there by soldiers hiding by the roadside.

I heard the sound of a motorbike at around 9:00 p.m. and then I heard four or five gunshots, the resident said.

One of them fell and died right in front of my house. The shooters were soldiers, of course. Sometimes they come here in boats. That day, they had been hiding from view since the morning.

The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) Deputy Executive Director Salai Zaouk Ling told RFA that junta troops have routinely attempted to cover up the deaths of people they have killed by labeling them the result of COVID-19.

What the military did here is nothing new, he said. Two people in Haka [township] were recently tortured to death and the army said the same thing.

The military had no excuseshooting people without cause is a war crime.

Calls to junta spokesman General Zaw Min Tun seeking comment on the incident went unanswered Friday.

Village stormed

Also on Wednesday, junta soldiers in Sagaing regions Wetlet township destroyed 16 residences during a raid on the home village of Dr. Tay Za San, one of the first people to organize anti-coup protests in Myanmars second city Mandalay and who is currently in hiding.

The raid was the second in three days on Shwe Ohya village, a resident told RFA, and was carried out after troops said they had obtained information that local youths had been organizing a branch of the PDF.

All the villagers ran as they entered. They opened fire at three boys who ran away from the school, and one got hit in the back, although he did not die, the resident said.

They were looking for the former village ddministrator and youths who were said to be forming a defense group, but they didnt find anyone, he added.

They can arrest whoever they want, as long as they dont harm anyone. People are worried they might set fire to the village.

Efforts by the junta to stamp out local resistance to its rule continued Friday, when troops in Sagaings Yinmabin township arrested a fireman who had joined the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

As usual, they started shooting when they entered the area, said a resident of the firemans home village of Banbway.

Shortly afterwards, they had arrested two peoplea villager and a fireman with the CDM.

The Banbway resident said people are forced to flee whenever soldiers come to the village because they forcibly search homes and beat up those who live there.

Several villages in the area had earlier fought back against the military with Tumee guns, he said, and sources claimed that local PDF forces had recently destroyed a vehicle carrying junta soldiers with an improvised bomb in the vicinity of nearby Pale townships Khin Aye village.

RFA was unable to independently confirm the bombing or whether anyone had been killed in the incident.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the military has killed at least 880 people, while some 5,104 people have been detained, charged, or sentenced in the five months since the coup.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Most were arrested in townships in the former capital Yangon, where martial law was declared following the armys coup against the elected civilian government on Feb. 1, 2021.

Protesters in Yangon flash the three-finger salute in defiance of the ruling junta on the 100th day of the military coup in Myanmar, May 11, 2021.

At least 64 Myanmar citizens detained in protests against the countrys Feb. 1 military coup have been sentenced to death by junta courts, with the condemned list including two boys below the age of 18, according to sources in the country.

Most were arrested in townships in the former capital Yangon, where martial law was declared following the armys takeover on Feb. 1, sources say. None of those sentenced are believed to have been executed, though, with no death sentences known to have been carried out in Myanmar since 1998.

Writing in a letter to his mother sent from prison, one of those condemned17-year-old Nyein Kyaw Thein, formerly a student at the Thanlyin Youth Training Schooldenied his guilt in the case of a coup supporter, Zaw Min, who was murdered and set on fire in Yangons South Dagon township at the end of March.

They have called me a killer, but it isnt true. I didnt kill anyone, Nyein Kyaw Thein said, asking his mother to stay strong and look after herself and his father. Everythings fine with me. Ive made you miserable, Mom, and Id like to make it up to you when I come back, I promise, he added.

Speaking to RFA, Nyein Kyaw Theins mother said she was surprised when soldiers came to arrest her son on April 17, a little more than two weeks after Zaw Min was killed.

I asked him if he had been involved, and he said he didnt know anything about it, she said. There had been a lot of shooting that day, and the boys went into hiding that night, but we were able to keep in touch by telephone.

Arrested that same day, 15-year-old Min Thu, a 7th grade student in the school attended by Nyein Kyaw Thein, turned himself in to authorities after being told that his brother-in-law had been detained to force his surrender, his sister said.

I asked my brother if he had been involved in the killing, and he denied it, the young woman said. But someone told him that the police had arrested my husband because they couldnt find him, and so he gave himself up.

Hes a good boy, not a bad kid at all, she said. He tells us that [the police] have stopped beating him now, but hes still being abused by others, she added.

Four brothers who were working on security duty in their ward of the city on the night of the killing were later taken away from their home at gunpoint after they went to see the murder scene out of curiosity, their mother said, also speaking to RFA.

At the time, I couldnt say anything, but it was heartbreaking to see my boys taken from their home in handcuffs, she said. We heard nothing about them after that, but later learned that they had been sentenced to death.

How am I supposed to take that? she asked.

If they had been given prison terms, I would know at least that I would see them again some day after their release, and I could still have some hope for the future, she said. But now I cant do anything but pray every night for their safety.

Its unbearable that theyre in this situation now without having done anything wrong.

Of the 18 defendants sentenced to death in the Zaw Min case, 11 are now in prison and seven were sentenced in absentia, sources say.

'I suffered in silence'

Bo Bo Thu, sentenced to death in a separate case involving the killing of two soldiers in Yangons North Okkalapa township, has now had his sentence commuted to life, his mother told RFA, saying At least hes lucky not to be on death row.

When her son was first sentenced she couldnt eat or sleep, and would not tell her husband what had happened, she said. I just kept it in my heart and suffered in silence.

I prayed and prayed that my son would not end up on death rowand not only him, but everyone else who had been arrested, she said.

Myanmar defendants sentenced to death can appeal their sentences within 15 days, but only prison officials are allowed to submit their appeals, lawyers say, with one lawyer telling RFA that officials assigned by prison authorities to submit the documents prepare them according to statements made by the prisoners themselves.

And we dont know whether what theyve written is in accord with the law or not, he said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a spokesperson for the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said the death sentences imposed by military courts in Myanmar have been handed down out of resentment.

People dont support their coup and are opposing it in any way they can. And amid all the arbitrary arrests and beatings, the people are fighting back in self-defense. The military then holds a grudge against the people, and they are handing down these death sentences out of resentment, he said.

Nickey Diamond, a human rights specialist with the Southeast Asian rights group Fortify Rights, said that in recent years death sentences formerly imposed in Myanmar were changed under new laws to sentences of life in prison.

But there are fears now that the [ruling] Military Council might ignore this fact.

These [death sentences] are the juntas attempt to intimidate those who are opposing the dictatorship and to make them afraid, he said.

According to data gathered by AAPP and RFA, of the 64 persons sentenced to death in Yangon since the Feb. 1 coup, 20 were sentenced in North Okkalapa, 18 in South Dagon, five in Shwepyithar, seven in Hlaing Thar Yar, and 14 in Shwe Paukkan Myothit.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The comrade-in-arms of a militia leader discusses his arrest and the state of the resistance.

In a photo released by the office of Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief, security forces hold a man during a raid on a residence following a tipoff on the presence of person with weapons and explosives in Mandalay, June 22, 2021.

On June 23, junta security forces arrested Bo Tun Tauk Naing, a leader of the Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) urban guerrilla warfare unit, in Myanmars second city Mandalayhome to more than 1.7 million people. A member of the Mandalay PDF who is a close associate of the detained unit chief recently spoke with RFAs Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity about his arrest and the status of the local resistance, which a day earlier clashed with the junta troops in the city for the first time since the military orchestrated a February coup, prompting widespread protests.

RFA: We learned that Bo Tun Tauk Naing was arrested by the junta forces. How did it happen? Were others arrested along with him?

PDF member: We only knew it took place in Mandalay. We learned that he was arrested at a market, but we still dont know which. We also learned that two others were captured along with him. We are still following up with who they were.

RFA: We heard that some weapons were also seized during the arrest. Is that true?

PDF member: We still dont know how many guns or other weapons were with him. We are trying to find out since everything on the ground is very complicated at the moment.

RFA: He is one of the leaders of the Mandalay PDF. How is the movement in Mandalay faring since he was detained?

PDF member: We have many PDF teams in Mandalay. He is from the MPDF team. We have other units, such as Combat PDF, Guerilla Warfare PDF, and many others. The detention of one groups leader will not weaken our strength, because we have many teams there.

RFA: Are the junta forces pursuing others related to his arrest?

PDF member: It is certain. During [the Jun. 22 raid in Mandalay], some of our members were captured and underwent interrogation. We cant expect that no one talked. They might have leaked some information if they were being tortured. When things like this happen, the team leaders need to be prepared to relocate. Since it was in Mandalay city, we must acknowledge that we have a vulnerability.

Sand bags stacked by the military and used as a checkpoint are seen along a road in Mandalay on June 23, 2021, following fighting in the streets of Myanmar's second-largest city. AFP Urban warfare

RFA: There was a lot of criticism and warnings on social media in Myanmar that people should not post information about or share news of PDF movements. Whats your take on it?

PDF member: We enjoy strength from the support of the peopleincluding through intelligence gathering. Still, we must resort to guerilla warfare, requiring us to move around among the people and rely on their protection. Often, people want to take photos and videos of us, and that can be used as a method to track our movements. We want to ask the people to be careful about such things. It is the only thing we need to be wary of.

RFA: Do you think there will be more urban fighting in the future like what we saw in Mandalay on the 23rd?

PDF member: Yes, we think this kind of urban warfare will be more frequent in the future. Not only in Mandalay, but across the country  We would like to urge the people to exercise caution in their everyday lives.

Reported by Soe San Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun.
A demonstrator wearing a mask painted with the colors of the flag of East Turkestan, the Uyghur name for China's Xinjiang region, takes part in a protest by supporters of the Uyghur minority in Beyazt Square in Instanbul, April 1, 2021.

China's targeting of ethnic Uyghurs beyond its borders to silence dissent has been steadily rising for decades, with at least 28 countries complicit in Chinas persecution of Uyghurs, according to a new report on the transnational repression of the largely Muslim minority group.

The report by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) and Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs documents Chinas transnational repression of Uyghurs with public sources, including government documents, human rights reports, and reports by credible news agencies to establish a detailed analysis of the expanding scale and scope of Chinas global repression.

China uses a variety of techniques to repress Uyghurs who live abroad, including espionage, cyberattacks, threatening phone calls for Chinese government officials, physical attacks, rendition, the report says. Some have reported being threatened after speaking publicly about human rights in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Others have received demands that they spy on their diaspora communities on behalf of the Chinese government.

The report also says that the transnational repression is part of a greater trend of global authoritarianism that threatens to erode democratic norms worldwide, and that stopping Chinas from perpetuating it is not only a moral imperative but also crucial to maintaining state sovereignty and the integrity of international organizations like Interpol and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

The new report comes amid efforts by foreign governments to take measures against China and Chinese entities involved in the suppression of Uyghurs in the XUAR in light of various reports of severe rights abuses against the minority and members of other Turkic groups.

The dataset in the 62-page report titled No Space Left to Run: Chinas Transnational Repression of Uyghurs, included 1,546 cases of detention and deportation of Uyghurs from 28 countries outside China from 1997 until March 2021. It notes 647 such cases in the Middle East and North Africa and 665 cases in South Asia.

Of the total number of cases, there were 1,151 incidents of Uyghurs being detained in their host country and 395 cases of Uyghurs being deported, extradited, or rendered back to China.

The report argues that Chinas transnational repression of Uyghurs consistently increased over time, rising dramatically with the imposition of mass surveillance systems in the XUAR from 2017 onwards, showing a correlation between repression at home and abroad.

Although Chinas terrorizing of the Uyghur diaspora spans decades, it has escalated dramatically since 2017, as policy in the Uyghur region grew increasingly repressive, said Bradley Jardine, research director at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, in a statement.

The data show that far from a territorially bounded campaign of state violence, Xinjiangs technologically advanced surveillance state has become a truly global problem, spilling across international boundaries and undermining human rights wherever it goes, he said.

'The tip of the iceberg'

The report details three stages of transnational repression with the first stage beginning in 1997, when the first cases of rendition of Uyghurs to China were recorded in Pakistan, and lasting a decade during which nearly 90 Uyghurs from nine countries, mostly in South and Central Asia, were detained or sent to China.

During the second phase from 2008 to 2013, roughly 130 Uyghurs from 15 countries were repressed, while during the third phase from 2014 to March 2021, nearly 1,330 individuals were detained or rendered from 20 countries.

Since 2017, 682 Uyghurs have been detained in Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, and Uzbekistan, according to the report.

In July of that year, Egyptian authorities rounding up and detaining more than 200 Uyghurs, including students, in Uyghur restaurants, the report said. In many of the cases the report identified, their relatives in the XUAR had been forced to place calls to the students abroad, demanding their return to China.

Additionally, China puts pressure on countries, such as Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, and Myanmar, to trade human rights for economic opportunities, by taking advantage of their indebtedness under Chinas Belt and Road Initiative  a U.S. $1 trillion lending and infrastructure program  to get them to crack down on Uyghurs living inside their borders, the report said.

These recorded instances are just the tip of the iceberg because unreported cases would increase the figures substantially, it said.

International organizations and host governments, particularly those with close political and economic ties to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], can often be complicit in Chinas use of transnational repression against Uyghurs, many of whom have sought refuge abroad, the report says.

The report recommends that states that host Uyghur diaspora communities take measures to combat Chinas transnational repression and protect Uyghurs and other vulnerable populations by refusing to extradite them, strengthening resettlement programs by increasing refugee and emigration quotas, and restricting networks of enablers such as tech companies and diaspora groups and organizations serving as fronts for the Chinese government.

To rein in Chinas efforts, the report also recommended the restrictions of the export of surveillance technology that can be used to monitor vulnerable communities and an increase in accountability by increasing the costs of undertaking campaigns of transnational repression.

The scale of Chinas transnational repression is no secret to Uyghurs abroad, who have been targeted for decades, said UHRP executive director Omer Kanat in a statement.

Virtually every Uyghur living outside East Turkistan has experienced some form of repression at the hands of the Chinese government, from phone calls from Chinese police and attempts to block international travel, to even more serious dangers such as detention, arrest, or deportation to China, he said, using the name Uyghurs prefer for their homeland.
A car rammed the gate of the Russian Embassy in Minsk on June 26, authorities with the city's traffic police department said.

Belarusian investigators published a surveillance camera video that appears to show a light-colored vehicle driving at high speed before it strikes one of the embassy's two gates, leaving it ajar.



An individual is seen getting out of the car and scaling another fence. Officials with the traffic police said on Telegram they had detained a 35-year-old male suspect. They also claimed the man had been under the influence of drugs.



It was unclear whether the incident was linked to Russia's support of Belarusian authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has few other international allies.

Belarus has been wracked by anti-government protests and a brutal response by Lukashenka's administration since he claimed victory for a sixth presidential term in an election in August.



Nearly 27 years after first taking office in 1994, Lukashenka has sought to extinguish dissent and independent media, making it difficult to confirm or disprove assertions from his administration.



The embattled opposition has demanded Lukashenka's resignation and a new election, and many Western governments have echoed those calls.

The European Union on June 24 imposed sanctions on key sectors of the Belarusian economy and major revenue sources for the regime.

Based on reporting by dpa
Fresh EU sanctions are intended to put Belarus's economic cash cows out to pasture, targeting some of the ostracized country's most important economic sectors and wealthiest and influential backers.



But while the new measures are expected to hit Alyaksandr Lukashenka's government squarely in the pocketbook, in some cases there stands to be an unintended beneficiary -- Russia.



The sanctions are focused on seven economic sectors, including Belarus's lucrative tobacco-processing and smuggling business; petroleum; finance; and the import of arms and surveillance technology that could be used against anti-government protesters.



But none will feel the pinch of Brussels' sanctions -- the fourth round of punitive measures since Lukashenka's disputed reelection in August -- more than Belarus's biggest export, potash fertilizer.



State-owned Belaruskali is the world's largest potash producer, accounting for about one-fifth of global potash supplies, with the EU making up about 8 percent of its sales in 2020. One of its main competitors? The Russian company Uralkali, a major global exporter with ambitions to expand.

Experts suggest that, with the loss of Belarusian potash exports to the European Union, excess supply is likely to be bought up by Uralkali, boosting its own standing on the global market.



"We can expect Belarus to be trapped in an even closer economic and political dependence on Russia," Bota Iliyas, a Moscow-based analyst at the political risk consultancy Control Risks, told RFE/RL on June 24, the same day the new sanctions were approved. "The government cannot function without potash exports, so they will need to go somewhere."



That somewhere, Iliyas said, is "most likely to Russia, which has pledged to prop up the Belarusian economy in case of sectoral sanctions." And Russia's Uralkali, the analyst added, "stands to benefit from these sanctions by increasing production and likely buying Belarusian potash."

And that is not the only avenue for Russia to gain from the strongest effort yet by Brussels to hold Lukashenka accountable for his government's continued crackdown against dissent following his claim of victory in an August 2020 election millions of voters believe he stole, and in direct response to Minsk's forced diversion on May 23 of a commercial airliner flying between two EU capitals.

New Port Of Call?



The new measures will also eventually deny Belarukali access to its main shipping route -- the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda, which handles 97 percent of Belarusian potash exports.



While current contracts will be honored, Russian cities will be in a position to become the Belarusian state company's new port of call for potash shipments to China, India, and elsewhere.



Igor Udovickij, the owner of Biriu kroviniu terminalas (BKT) in Klaipeda, suggested on Facebook on June 22 that Belaruskali and Uralkali could merge to monopolize the global potash market, and that the Russian port cities of St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga could replace BKT.



"In any scenario, the obvious losers are not Belaruskali, Russian ports, or Uralkali." Udovickij wrote. "Only Lithuania loses in all cases. Because if Belarusian potash goes to Russian ports, it will go away forever."



In a follow-up post the next day, Udovickij emphasized: "The main beneficiary of the sanctions is Russia."

Belarus's lucrative tobacco-processing industry -- the source of a flourishing trade in cigarettes smuggled to the European Union -- was also targeted with bans on exporting to Belarus goods used in the manufacture of tobacco products. The goods listed include filters, cigarette papers, tobacco flavorings, and machinery.

Cigarettes are a big moneymaker for Belarus, and for one of the country's richest men, Alyaksey Aleksin, who now finds himself among the 166 individuals blacklisted from traveling or doing business with the European Union.

In adding Aleksin's name to its blacklist, the European Council described him as having business interests in the oil and energy sector, real estate, development, finance, and tobacco, and as "benefitting from the Lukashenka regime."



Aleksin was involved in the construction of a new tobacco factory in Minsk, is a major player in the distribution of cigarettes in Belarus, and in recent years by presidential decree gained the exclusive rights both to import tobacco and to sell products both at home and abroad produced by the Hrodno Tobacco Factory, Belarus's largest cigarette manufacturer.



As laid out in an investigative article published by RFE/RL's Russian Service on June 24, Belarus is a dominant player in the cigarette-smuggling game, which rebounded recently with the increase in EU excise duties on cigarettes and the banning of menthol cigarettes in the bloc.



With the average price of a pack of cigarettes in Belarus running about $0.80, compared to $4.30 in Latvia and much higher in other parts of the European Union, there is plenty of room for profit in smuggling. And much of that profit, the investigation alleges, ultimately goes to Lukashenka.

A 'Powerful' Signal



During a visit to an agricultural facility owned by the Hrodno Tobacco Factory on June 24, Lukashenka took advantage of his time near the Polish and Lithuanian borders to shrug off the new sanctions as an opportunity for Belarus to expose the West's futility in trying to punish it.

Saying there would be no subsidies to prop up affected businesses, Lukashenka asserted that other countries were trying to protect their own tobacco markets and that "we must show these scoundrels on the other side of the border that their sanctions show their impotence."



The idea is to go after individuals in Lukashenka's inner circle and areas of the economy intertwined with his regime, as part of a broad effort to make the strongman and his supporters pay for the brutal way the Belarusian authorities dealt with demonstrators protesting the results of the August 2020 presidential vote, and more recently the Ryanair flight diversion that led to the arrest of Raman Pratasevich, a Belarusian journalist on board, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapaga, a Russian citizen.

Financial sanctions are designed to restrict access to EU capital markets by the Belarusian government, and state-owned financial institutions. And in an effort to protect Belarusian protesters and activists, Europeans will be barred from selling dual-use goods and any communications equipment, technology, or software "intended primarily for use in the monitoring or interception of the Internet and of telephone communications."



Despite Lukashenka's dismissal of the sanctions, and skepticism from some pundits about their potency, many saw the sanctions as a strong message to Minsk.



The analyst Iliyas described the EU's latest move as " a sharp escalation in sanctions on Belarus," while opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who claims she was the rightful winner of the election and has left the country for her own safety, told AFP on June 24 that the sanctions were a "powerful" signal that she hoped would force the state to seek "dialogue with civil society."



The Belarusian Foreign Ministry, for its part, said in a June 25 statement that Minsk "is not going to silently observe" what it called a joint attack by Western countries, and would soon respond.

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Michael Scollon, with additional reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Maria Kugel and RFE/RL Moscow correspondent Matthew Luxmoore.
The speaker of the German parliament, Wolfgang Schaeuble, has expressed concern over the threat of foreign actors trying to influence elections to the Bundestag, scheduled for late September.



"The danger is relatively great," Schaeuble, a former interior minister, told dpa.



"We know what can be done with fake news. And we know from the experience of past elections in other countries that a real propaganda war is being waged here."



Berlin and German intelligence officials have recently accused Moscow of levels of secret interference in German affairs last seen during the Cold War, including at least one assassination, cyberattacks, and disinformation and lobbying.



Schaeuble said it is not always clear where attacks are emanating from but he cited "the usual suspects," who he also said will "always reject the accusations -- even if there are always relatively clear leads."



He said Russia's state-run international TV broadcaster RT, for example, was "quite obviously not a channel that even comes close to the principles of media freedom."



Schaeuble added: "To that extent, the state of press freedom in countries like Russia or Turkey also has an impact on voters in Germany."



Experts cited Russian online meddling ahead of German federal elections in 2017 but many said it never reached the levels they had feared.



Schaeuble said counteracting such digital efforts was "not very easy" but that officials should raise awareness of the dangers of such public manipulation.



He also said "liberal democracy is not defenseless either," adding that "we have to keep communication [our desire for better cooperation with Russia] to those responsible there, including the president."

Based on reporting by dpa
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has granted clemency to more than 5,100 prisoners to mark a Shi'ite religious holiday, his website announced on June 26.



The statement did not identify the prisoners in question or say whether they had been released or had sentences shaved.



The leniencies were handed down in conjunction with the anniversary of the birth of Imam Reza, one of Shi'ite Islam's most sacred figures.



Amnesty International accuses Iran of routinely denying fair and open trials to the accused, carrying out arbitrary detentions, and systematically concealing the whereabouts of thousands of political dissidents "forcibly disappeared" and thought to have been extrajudicially executed decades ago.



Iranian dissidents, foreign governments, and local and international rights activists have frequently called on officials to release political prisoners in the country.



Khamenei, who holds ultimate power on religious and political affairs in Iran, issues mass clemencies on several holidays each year.

Based on reporting by AFP
Aqmaral tries to maintain a positive attitude and not let "problems" hold her back or drive her to despair. But focusing on the positives hasn't always been easy for the 19-year-old student from Southern Kazakhstan Province.



Two years ago, Aqmaral attempted suicide after a bitter fight with her parents, who wouldn't let her date a boy in her class.



Aqmaral felt "humiliated" when her younger sister heard them arguing.



"I believed that nobody wanted to understand me, so I tried to end my life with an overdose of some pills," Aqmaral says. Her parents discovered her in time and rushed her to the hospital.



"I appreciated life when I realized that I was near death," Aqmaral recalls. "I didn't want to die."



Since trying to end it, Aqmaral says that, with her family's support and many months of counseling, she has learned "to be patient" and accept problems as temporary and inevitable elements of life.



Kazakhstan, an oil-rich Central Asian nation of nearly 19 million people, has one of the 20 highest suicide rates in the world at around 17.6 per 100,000 of the population.



A significant portion of those attempts are by adolescents and people in their 20s.



The rates are much lower among its neighbors: Kyrgyzstan (7.4), Tajikistan (4.3), Turkmenistan (5.7), and Uzbekistan (8).



Suicide rates were high in Kazakhstan even before the coronavirus pandemic. But official statistics indicate that cases have increased in recent months, both among adults and the young.



In the first quarter of this year, 1,625 people attempted suicide in Kazakhstan. More than 1,000 of them died.



Police say they've recorded 248 suicide attempts by young people, 84 of them fatal. That far outpaces 2020, when police reported about 300 such attempts all year  144 of them fatal.



Experts says that pandemic-related social isolation and uncertainties about the future have adversely affected people's mental health, potentially contributing to the increase in suicide attempts. But they point out that suicide is a complex issue, with a vast array of underlying factors.



Support, Understanding



Anna Kudiyarova, director of the Psychoanalytical Society of Kazakhstan, says that feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, uselessness, and social exclusion are among the factors that may contribute to suicidal thoughts.



"Such feelings can cause depression," Kudiyarova says. "The person affected by suicidal behavior thinks that it's better to die than be tortured with such thoughts. For them, suicide seems like the only way out of what they think is an unsolvable problem."

They need support from their family or other people close to them, who must approach the situation with understanding and patience, she warns.



"Children affected by suicidal thoughts believe that their problem is unfathomable while they are small and helpless themselves, so adults need to be patient with children," says Kazakh psychologist Svetlana Bogatyreva.



"Under no circumstances should their problem be ignored. Talk to them, help them to lay it all out, and convince them that the problem will be solved," she says.



Aqmaral knows as much from her own experience. When she was in the hospital recovering from her suicide attempt, she felt relieved that her parents didn't criticize her.



Instead, they tried to explain to the teenager that "life is not without problems" and she "needs to be patient."



"Some people think it's easier to die than trying to solve their problem. Now I know, it's wrong," Aqmaral says.



'I Thought It Was My Fault'



Twenty-three-year-old Tolkyn says she tried to end her own life in her late teens because she felt unable to cope with what she now knows was an unfounded sense of guilt.



Tolkyn was 12 when her best friend committed suicide, and no one appeared to know the reason. Tolkyn was the last person to have seen her friend alive.



Tolkyn spent years convinced that if she had stayed longer with her friend, the tragedy would never have happened. She felt guilty.



She turned from an outgoing high achiever at school "into an introvert." Her school performance suffered, too.



Tolkyn says she never spoke to anyone about her anxieties.



She says that "other problems, such as unrequited childhood love" and her unhappiness with her own appearance, added to her anxiety in the following years.



She decided that life "wasn't worth living" and tried to slit her wrist.



But she regretted it the moment she saw the blood.

Tolkyn survived and has since received professional help and mental support from her school and family.



"They explained to me that it wasn't my fault that my friend ended her life," Tolkyn says. She wants adults to be more understanding toward children.



"Adults don't even try to understand what's going on inside a child's head, what problems the child is dealing with in their thoughts," Tolkyn says. "Adults don't even consider it a problem."



Experts warn that parents and teachers should pay attention to any sudden behavioral changes in children.



Sense Of Responsibility



Zhamal, a 30-year-old mother of three from the western city of Aqtobe, says she has thought about ending her life many times over the past five years.



She says marital problems and poverty have driven her to depression. When she was expecting their third child, she learned that her husband had two other wives -- a practice that's outlawed but still surprisingly commonplace in Kazakhstan.



When confronted, her husband told Zhamal to accept the situation or get a divorce. She left him and moved into a rented property, where she gets no child support from her husband.



Now, Zhamal sells homemade cakes, does occasional babysitting, and shovels snow to provide for her children, who are all between 4 and 10. The money is barely enough to pay the bills. Meanwhile, she also helps her disabled mother and her younger sister, who's been diagnosed with cancer.



She says it is a sense of responsibility to her children and elderly mother that is motivating her to try to change things for the better, instead of ending her own life.



Zhamal is trying to learn a new skill in order to get a steady job. She's also planning to apply for social benefits and a place in kindergarten for her youngest child.



She has also turned to religion to help her "get rid of suicidal thoughts for good."



Instead, she says, she focuses on making a fresh start in life.

Written by Farangis Najibullah with interviews conducted by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service correspondents Manshuk Asautai and Zhanagul Zhursin
Hundreds of people including President Stevo Pendarovski marched in the Skopje Pride parade in the capital of North Macedonia on June 26.



It was the second time organizers in the landlocked Balkan nation of around 2 million have staged the event.



In addition to President Pendarovski and his wife, several other cabinet ministers also attended.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev expressed support for the Pride event, which celebrates diversity and equality, via Facebook.



"The LGBT community has the government's and my support in advocating for equality, which has been freely manifested in our equal society in recent years, and in the public space in Skopje by the Pride organization," Zaev said.

The parade was organized by the National Network Against Homophobia and Transphobia.



Participants carried rainbow flags and banners with phrases like "Enough hiding."



There were no major disturbances reported.



The column of several hundred people marched from near parliament to City Park near the Todor Proeski National Stadium for a musical and cultural show.



North Macedonia's first Pride rally was held in 2019 but last year's gathering was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Russia on June 26 reported its deadliest day so far this year from COVID-19, with 619 patients succumbing over the previous 24 hours to top the previous day's high.



The pace of new cases also leapt to twice the rate at the start of this month, with 21,665 freshly confirmed infections in a day.



The June 25 death toll was the most since December 24.

A reluctance among Russians to get vaccinated has compounded fears accompanying the recent surge in the epidemic.

President Vladimir Putin said on June 21 that "in some regions the situation has been aggravated."

Officials in the capital have been clamping down hard as around one-third of the new cases are in Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said last week that vaccinations against COVID-19 will be compulsory for 60 percent of employees in the services sector.



Seventeen other regions are imposing similar requirements.

Also, beginning last week, Muscovites can only get service in restaurants and bars if they present a QR-code showing proof of vaccination, a recent negative test, or certification that they contracted the virus in the previous six months.

But in a surprise announcement, officials said on June 26 that a fan zone in the capital for the Euro 202o soccer championships had reopened despite the rising cases and Russia's national team crashing out of the tournament.



They said vaccinated, negative-tested, or formerly COVID-positive fans were welcome to gather at the fan zone at the Luzhniki Stadium.



In the popular resort area of Krasnodar, vacationers will only be allowed to stay in hotels from July 1 with proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test.



From August 1, only those with vaccination certificates will be allowed accommodation.

Based on reporting by AP
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said he plans to meet soon with U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan, who returned to Moscow this week after two months away from the post.



"Next week, I will hold a meeting with Ambassador Sullivan," Ryabkov told TASS on June 26. "Of course, the main issues include normalizing the work of Russian missions in the United States and U.S. missions in Russia."



Ryabkov also said the two sides were already following up on recent agreements to cooperate on cybersecurity issues, with the aim of beginning "full-fledged and all-embracing dialogue."



U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced after their June 16 summit in Geneva that ambassadors who were part of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions in April would return to their missions in a bid to lower tensions.



Sullivan, who was recalled to Washington for consultations in April amid souring relations with Moscow, returned to his post on June 24 and tweeted his intention to work with Russia "on our goal of a stable and predictable relationship."



Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who was recalled in March, returned to the United States on June 20.

Based on reporting by TASS, AFP, and Reuters
China responded angrily on June 26 to accusations that Beijing pressured Ukraine into withdrawing its support for greater scrutiny of Chinese actions in Xinjiang by threatening to withhold COVID-19 vaccine shipments.



The Associated Press quoted multiple diplomats a day earlier as saying Ukraine took its name off a joint statement with more than 40 countries at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, after the Chinese issued their ultimatum to Kyiv.



The joint statement, presented by Canada on June 22, urged Beijing to give immediate access to independent observers in Xinjiang, in northwestern China, where foreign governments and rights groups say officials have rounded up and interned at least 1 million Uyghurs and other indigenous groups.



Kyiv seemingly withdrew its support on June 24 after Beijing warned the Ukrainians it would block a scheduled shipment of at least 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, AP quoted two unnamed Western diplomats as saying.



The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry was not initially available on June 26 to confirm whether Kyiv had indeed pulled out of the Geneva statement, according to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.



Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament's Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, called the reports "unofficial information" and questioned who the "diplomatic sources" were.



"As for the committee, we have not yet received any information [confirming] that," Merezhko said.



"Chinas provision of vaccines and anti-epidemic materials to other countries is not meant to gain benefits from other countries and there isn't any geopolitical purpose nor any political conditions attached," AP quoted a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry as saying on June 26.



Ukraine had received around 1.2 million doses of Chinese Sinovac Biotech's CoronaVac vaccine by early May, according to then-Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov, well below the 1.9 million it had ordered.



Stepanov was replaced by a deputy health minister, Viktor Lyashko, last month for allegedly having failed to import enough vaccines.

Ukraine is among the countries worst-affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and only around 2.4 million doses of vaccine have been administered among a population of 41 million.



AP quoted one of the Western diplomats calling the ultimatum to Kyiv a sign of "bare-knuckles" diplomacy by China, while the other cited "reports of significant pressure in Kyiv," adding, "last night the delegation told us they needed to pull out."



The agency said the Chinese Foreign Ministry also responded by saying, "we havent heard that Ukraine has encountered any difficulty in importing vaccines from China."



AP reported that the ministry statement "did not directly address the specific charge."



Some governments, including the United States', have accused Beijing of "egregious" rights violations and "genocide" against Uyghurs.

The Chinese government has consistently dismissed the allegations of mistreatment, saying camps that it initially denied but now claims are closed were vocational teaching centers that helped counter extremism.



UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said this week that she hoped she could visit Xinjiang this year and be given "meaningful access," amid what she called continued "reports of serious human rights violations" there.

With reporting by AP
The Northampton County Sheriffs Office is investigating the Wednesday night shooting death of a 34-year-old Woodland woman and the critical injury of another.

Captain Patrick Jacobs said deputies responded to a call that two women had been shot shortly after 11 p.m. at Arrowhead Mobile Home Park, which is located in the Woodland area.

Deputies discovered that Angelec Wiggins sustained gunshot wounds to her body which resulted in her death.

Another woman, who has not yet been named, was injured by gunfire and is in critical condition at an undisclosed medical facility.

Jacobs said the investigation continues and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the sheriffs office at 252-534-2611 or Crime Stoppers at 252-534-1110.
As companies return to the office, they're confronting a slew of challenges. Many workers have grown accustomed to the ease of home offices and are reluctant to come back. Meanwhile, employers are weighing the costs and benefits of requiring vaccinations and debating whether continued remote work will hurt company culture.

Even before they return, workers are resisting some policies. Apple drew pushback from workers, for instance, after requiring three days a week in the office starting this fall.

Many tech companies are taking it slow and asking employees what they want.

San Francisco cloud computing company PagerDuty found that 45% of its almost 800 workers want to stay fully remote, up from 16% before the pandemic. The remainder mostly want to be in the office a few days a week or less. In response, the company will offer a mix of in-office, flexible and fully remote modes. Its reopening its office, starting at 25% capacity, on July 7.

Joe Militello, chief people officer at PagerDuty, said he strongly recommends that other companies conduct surveys to ask what employees want.

The survey informed how we think about where we work, how we work and the way we work, while still keeping employees connected and providing employees the best experiences to be productive, Militello said.

The company plans to cut its workstations in half and build out more collaboration space in its offices. It also wont use the term headquarters as remote work becomes the norm. And PagerDuty is looking to have in-person social events during the year.

Salesforce

While we are offering flexibility, we want to ensure everyone feels connected to each other, Militello said.

Salesforce, San Franciscos biggest private employer, is letting workers stay remote until the end of the year and is embracing remote work.

The company found that 80% of employees want to have the option to come into an office, but almost half want to come in only a few times a month.

The No. 1 thing weve heard from employees is that flexibility is important to them, a Salesforce spokeswoman said.

It now hires employees based on a time zone and region, rather than a specific location. Meeting customers by Zoom rather than traveling has become default. Communicating using the work software Slack  which Salesforce has agreed to purchase  has replaced many meetings.

The company reopened its Salesforce Tower headquarters last month with only vaccinated employees and will strongly encourage employees to get vaccinated without requiring it.

Some major institutions are moving to require vaccinations for workers, adding another layer of complexity.

The city of San Francisco is requiring all 35,000 employees to be vaccinated when the Food and Drug Administration fully approves a vaccine, which drew swift pushback from labor unions.

Major banks like JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are asking for vaccination status from employees, with Morgan Stanley requiring those who arent vaccinated to continue working remotely. The bank wants all employees back in the office in September.

Companies may take on a liability if some of their employees get infected who arent vaccinated, said Robert Siegel, a Stanford professor of microbiology and immunology. We live in a society, and there are certain responsibilities. One responsibility is that you dont endanger others.

Its such an easy thing to do. Its free, Siegel added. If the objection is there are logistic barriers, we should remove those barriers.

There are currently two exemptions for vaccinations: those who have health conditions that prevent them from taking a vaccine, which Siegel said was a vanishingly small number, and those with religious exemptions.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

I think people have the right to not get vaccinated. But employers have the right to decide whether to allow them in the workplace, Siegel said.

Stanford is requiring vaccinations for students, faculty and staff in the fall, with those with exemptions required to continue regular COVID-19 testing.

Siegel said that some common practices during the pandemic should be discarded. So-called deep cleaning isnt necessary, he said, noting that the CDC has concluded the chance of surface transmission of the virus is low.

Deep cleaning doesnt matter. If people come the next day, the probability of infection among people is overwhelmingly higher than surface transmission, Siegel said. Excessive cleaning indoors could also increase the amount of harmful chemicals in the air, he said.

Temperature checks also arent an effective way of detecting the virus, he said.

Siegel recalls teaching a Stanford class remotely this year and asking students, who were vaccinated, if they wanted to return to in-person learning. They werent enthusiastic.

Everyone was really happy because their commute time was four seconds. I found people dont want to get in their car, Siegel said. I find thats going to be the predominant factor, rather than their fear of getting infected. The convenience factor was just too great.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

An unidentified 33-year-old Oakland man was shot and killed Friday night in East Oakland, police said.

Police responding to reports of gunfire in the 5400 block of Bancroft Avenue shortly before 11 p.m. found the man in the rear of the residence with multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
For years, chefs at some of the Bay Areas most lauded three-Michelin-starred restaurants have proudly worked with a celebrated seafood farm just outside Sacramento called Passmore. Theyve plated the ranchs caviar atop delicate egg custard and decorated its smoked sturgeon with wild strawberries for customers who pay more than $300 for the privilege of eating the best  including what they thought was hand-raised, sustainable product from Passmore.

But now, some chefs are severing ties with the farm as its founder, Michael Passmore, tries to explain why much of the fish he sells isnt actually raised on the farm  and that Passmore hasnt produced any caviar in more than two years. Instead, the company has been buying the prized cured sturgeon roe from countries like France and China and repackaging it as its own.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Passmore said that he only buys products that match his standards, though he didnt define specifics. The wholesalers who confirmed sales to Passmore sell a wide range of products, some with sustainable branding similar to Passmores and some without.

While Passmore initially defended his practices of reselling purchased seafood as common in the industry, he told The Chronicle on Tuesday that he understands why some chefs feel deceived. He plans to apologize to all of his customers.

There is no question to me now that I have failed to effectively communicate to my chefs the origins of the fish, roe, and caviar they trust me to provide to them. This is unacceptable and I take full responsibility for it, he said in an emailed statement, which is written in full below.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Allegations about Passmore began spreading in June, beginning on an anonymous Instagram account. These posts inspired some former employees to speak up.

Seven former Passmore employees and consultants told The Chronicle that Passmore rarely sold fish that was raised on the farm  the accounts span five years, from 2014 to 2019. Some of these ex-staffers also said Passmores caviar was mostly purchased from other producers beginning in 2017. Passmore didnt always have sufficient funds to complete those purchases. The company has faced multiple lawsuits for failure to pay and owes approximately $2 million to vendors and lenders, according to a letter from Passmore to these vendors and lenders reviewed by The Chronicle.

The revelations are the latest episode in a series of high-profile incidents in the food and restaurant industry involving businesses sourcing ingredients that dont align with their farm-to-table missions. This year, the New York Times reported that famed Pacific Northwest restaurant Willows Inn routinely bought produce from supermarkets that staff told diners was grown on the restaurants own farm. (The chef denied the allegations.) In May, Bay Area-born sustainable meat company Belcampo admitted to mislabeling some meats as Belcampo-raised products when, in fact, they were purchased elsewhere. Perhaps most explosive was a monthslong investigation by the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times in 2016 that found many popular farm-to-table restaurants werent working with local farms at all.

Seafood sourcing in particular has become an important topic in the food world, with documentaries like Seaspiracy showing how challenging it is to source fish thats both environmentally friendly and worker friendly.

Part of the appeal of farm-to-table restaurants is the stories behind the food being served. Patrons get to know theyre supporting a local farmer and envision the setting where their food was produced. Along with perfectly ripe, locally grown tomatoes, they can enjoy a feeling of moral righteousness.

Patrick Mulvaney, owner of Mulvaneys B&L in Sacramento, has been a well-known champion of local farms like Passmore. He stopped serving Passmores caviar last week.

For 15 years, our staff have been telling customers where things come from. Its the stories that make our restaurant special, he said. To find out one of our main stories hasnt been true for two years is heartbreaking.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

In some cases, Passmore was transparent about how certain fish werent caught on his farm. When Mulvaney asked about Passmores trout, for example, Passmore would talk about an amazing trout farm he had visited that adhered to values like his; after all, there are no trout streams running through Passmores ranch. But former Passmore business manager Shannin Stein, whose job included buying fish from wholesalers, said she didnt consider the values of companies when she bought trout.

She is now speaking out because she feels the companys practices werent ethical.

We were honest about it not coming from the ranch, but we werent honest about where it was actually coming from, she said. The red trout was super popular and beautiful  its amazing how much more beautiful it is when youre told its sustainably raised.

Passmore said he didnt intentionally mislead customers as his business grew  instead, he got lost in his desire to consistently provide for chefs, not fully understanding that the reason why so many chefs wanted to work with him was because of his fish farmer backstory. Moving forward, he said, chefs will know exactly which products were made at the ranch and which ones Passmore sourced from other companies, from the marketing to the labeling.

These are my friends, he said. It sucks to feel like you let them down.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Passmores ranch, a rambling 86-acre property in Sloughhouse, is located about 30 minutes east of Sacramentos quiet suburbs. The road to it rolls past handwritten signs for fresh strawberries, produce stands and several miles of rolling straw-colored grasslands.

As it comes into view, a pillared, three-story white mansion juts out from the flat expanse of star thistle and weeds. This is where Passmore established himself as one of the countrys most popular fish farmers, overseeing 80 million gallons of pristine water across several ponds and tanks, and where hes won over countless chefs with lavish parties and caviar spooned atop potato chips.

A Texas native and former Marine, Passmore moved to Sloughhouse in 2005 planning to pursue a law degree. But when he met his neighbor, longtime aquaculture industry leader Ken Beer, he was inspired to try raising fish, too. It started as a hobby and grew to selling at Asian grocery stores and then at farmers markets.

Within several years, he was raising bass, catfish and sturgeon for chefs nationwide. He started harvesting roe from sturgeon and developing bespoke flavor profiles to fit the tastes of specific chefs. He was invited to the restaurant industrys biggest food festivals, like Pebble Beach Food & Wine, and befriended celebrities like Food Networks Tyler Florence. Some of Californias most important chefs visited his ranch and showered him with praise. Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood, the three-Michelin-starred Napa restaurant that burned down last year, dedicated a coal-roasted sturgeon recipe to Passmore in his cookbook, A New Napa Cuisine, writing that Passmore raises the finest sturgeon I have ever seen.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

The national media came calling, and Passmores caviar scored accolades in Food & Wine and the New York Times. Sunset Magazine named it one of the three best sustainable caviar companies in America in 2019.

Many chefs wanted Passmores products because they commit to sourcing from local artisanal purveyors. San Francisco chef Pim Techamuanvivit remembers feeling impressed by Passmores story. Its why she bought catfish from Passmore for about four years at her groundbreaking Michelin-starred Thai restaurant Kin Khao near Union Square.

I want to know who raised the ingredients I use, she said. He explained to us why his catfish is better and so much more expensive than other catfish because not only was it raised locally, but its also raised differently.

But the high cost of his fish was not always justified, according to ex-staffers. Passmore has marked up the prices of the products he purchases significantly  at least double, they say. Passmore said he stands behind his prices because of his quality of service, superior packaging and business costs.

I feel like I was duped, Techamuanvivit said. Trust is really important. The reason why we support all these local farms is to make sure we have people doing good things locally.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Industry experts such as Beer say Passmores business model is common in the seafood world  its simply distributing and marketing. Mislabeling is also notorious, and chefs like Techamuanvivit say they dont have time to personally visit every farm to verify a purveyors story.

Some of Passmores marketing videos show him knee-deep in a pond and calling himself a fish farmer and caviar producer. There are widespread assumptions that he raised what he sold.

Id wish for clearer communication, better labeling, more transparency and equitable pricing that reflects origin, said Suzette Gresham, chef and owner of two-Michelin-starred Acquerello in San Francisco. I think he could improve, and I think he wants to.

Some chefs declined to comment for this story, saying they still feel loyal to Passmore as a friend. A sturdy guy with a round face, boyish grin and Southern drawl, Passmore can be a charmer, whether hes putting on waders to swim with sturgeon, delivering fish on his motorcycle or encouraging ranch visitors to linger over wine and caviar slurped off bare hands. At least three chefs  including Edward Martinez, fine dining destination Lazy Bears first pastry chef, and Joey Elenterio, who ran the former splashy Mid-Market restaurant Cadence  have Passmore company logos tattooed on their bodies.

His former staffers, many of whom are also speaking up because they felt the business lacked integrity, say his charm is part of what made Passmores stories work so well.

Michael is one of the best salespeople you will ever meet. He can talk a game, said Michelle Prenez, a former business manager at Passmore. He was really good at making it look like something it was not.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

After 10 years working in Sacramentos restaurant industry, Shannin Stein was thrilled to join Passmores team in 2014. She believed in Passmores story and the ranchs potential and wanted to help take the fledgling company to the next level.

But the business model wasnt what she anticipated, she said. She didnt expect to see Passmores delivery driver leave Sloughhouse at 3 a.m. to pick up hundreds of pounds of sturgeon and catfish from wholesalers in the Bay Area. She didnt expect to see Passmores team unload the fish, take it into the garage, unpack it, put it on ice in big blue barrels, repackage it with the Passmore label and load up the truck again to deliver to Bay Area restaurants. All that occurred during her time there, she said.

I dont think Ive ever defrauded people I consider friends more than when I was at the ranch, said Stein, who stopped working for Passmore in 2016.

Others who worked there in subsequent years told similar stories: Seven former employees estimated that upward of 90% of the fish Passmore sold came from other producers when they worked there, between 2014 and 2019. And hardly any caviar came from the farm starting in 2017, they said. Passmore said these estimates arent accurate but, citing business reasons, declined to share what proportion of fish and caviar he sold over the years came from other sources.

Most of the seafood vendors that ex-staffers say Passmore farm bought from declined to comment for this story. But Dan Strazzullo, owner of San Bruno seafood wholesaler All Shores, maintains invoices sent to Passmore dating back to 2016. They include hundreds of pounds of sturgeon, trout, salmon and catfish sold on a weekly basis. While the sturgeon also came from a Sacramento farm, the rest was not local: trout from Idaho, salmon from Canada, catfish from Missouri or Mississippi.

Nguyen Pham, owner of Sacramento seafood wholesaler Sunh Fish, confirmed he occasionally sold fish to Passmore in 2013 and 2014. And Passmores fish-farming neighbor Beer said he routinely sells Passmore sturgeon. The wholesalers stock a mix of fish, some known for sustainability and some not.

Passmore declined to specify the exact companies he buys from but said his caviar sources are based in the U.S., Bulgaria, Canada, China, Israel, Italy, France and Uruguay.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Some workers were bothered by how Passmore didnt operate with all necessary permits. The California Department of Public Health confirmed Passmore has never had a food-processing permit, which is required for wholesalers. Passmore said he failed to keep up with permitting due to financial and administrative issues. Earlier this year, he applied for all his permits, according to receipts reviewed by The Chronicle and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but not all have been processed.

Meanwhile, parts of Passmores white mansion, which lured many chefs to Sloughhouse, need repair, with warped wood greeting visitors at the entrance. He has been battling foreclosure on the home for years, according to public records and Passmore; its one of the reasons his company is in such a financial hole. Utilities alone typically cost thousands of dollars per month, he said. The costs of boxes, insulation, ice, oxygen and everything else needed to maintain a fish farm that ships products nationwide also add up.

Passmore owes about $1.5 million to lenders and $500,000 to vendors, according to an April letter that he wrote to creditors. But he says he couldnt pay them back quickly because then he couldnt save the mansion. If he lost the mansion, he would lose the ponds, the tanks, the business. Without the business, he said, he would never make good on his debts.

Jonathan Simpson, who worked as Passmores bookkeeper in 2016, described the farms operation as a constant financial juggle with very little money  always trying to get new capital, new investors, new loans, getting a loan to pay someone else off. It seemed like it could go under at any moment.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Passmore has been hit with several lawsuits for alleged failure to pay for supplies, including fish feed and seafood. Major caviar player Petrossian sued Passmore last year, claiming Passmore owed $33,910 dating back to 2018. Freshwater Fish Inc. sued Passmore in 2016 for allegedly failing to pay $19,000 for female sturgeon. And Pacific Fresh Seafood, one of the nations largest seafood companies, sued in 2014, alleging Passmore owed $20,711. (These cases have either been settled or resulted in judgment in the plaintiffs favor.)

Michael Passmores statement in full There is no question to me now that I have failed to effectively communicate to my chefs the origins of the fish, roe, and caviar they trust me to provide to them. This is unacceptable and I take full responsibility for it. I got lost in my brand providing our chefs the quality and consistency of product they have come to expect from me, regardless of origin, and did not appropriately value their respect for the origin story of PASSMORE (Passmore Ranch). Again, this is unacceptable and has understandably eroded their trust in me and the PASSMORE brand. I deeply and genuinely apologize for this; it is a lesson that I will only need to learn once. Moving forward, all of my customers can expect a far deeper level of communication at all stages of PASSMORE's interaction with them, from the initial introduction and marketing, to product descriptions and labeling. I will ensure that my chefs know exactly what PASSMORE has produced on site and what we have sourced from other fish farmers, as well as what role PASSMORE has played in the final product. What will not change is the quality of the products that we produce and source for our customers. I have been humbled by the feedback I've received from the chef community and pledge to correct my unintended errors by ensuring that I don't repeat them moving forward. I look forward to these changes and welcome all questions always. See More Collapse

Ex-staffers like Stein said they constantly fielded phone calls from angry vendors demanding money. This dynamic  vendors left waiting for payment while Passmore flew to fancy food festivals and spooned caviar onto the fists of Top Chef contestants  led to many arguments between Stein and Passmore, who told The Chronicle such expenditures were necessary to grow the business and make sales.

He always prioritized flying to Pebble Beach Food & Wine and being the big spender and buying everyone drinks and giving everyone caviar bumps, Stein said. He always prioritized the show.

For some chefs who look at Passmore as a friend and believe in transparent sourcing, the decision to walk away from the Sloughhouse company is difficult but necessary. Deneb Williams, the owner of Sacramento seafood restaurant Allora, was a longtime supporter of Passmore, and after confronting him, Williams didnt feel satisfied with the explanations. Until he sees Passmores entire caviar-making process firsthand, Allora is serving caviar from a different farm.

Right now, I just dont know, Williams said. For a chef, thats an uncomfortable position to be in.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
Contra Costa is the first county in the Bay Area to publicly break out new coronavirus cases among vaccinated and unvaccinated residents, and the numbers show a stark disparity  virtually all those now being infected have not gotten their shots.

As of Friday, the daily average of new cases in Contra Costa County over the previous week among those who have been fully vaccinated was 0.6 per 100,000 residents. But it was 6 per 100,000 among those who are not inoculated  10 times higher.

Its really a tale of two counties, said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costas health officer. The vaccinated population is seeing extremely low rates of COVID infection and almost all the cases are in the unvaccinated population, which is still experiencing a very high rate of infection.

The statistics comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated infection rates were added to Contra Costas COVID-19 dashboard by the county health departments data team. Its designed to give officials a more accurate picture of what is happening, but its also meant to encourage vaccine holdouts to get their shots.

This is real-world experience, Farnitano said.

Like many California counties, Contra Costa has for months sifted COVID-19 infections by age, gender, race, ethnicity and city. Its overall new-case rate was 3.1 per 100,000 as of Friday  slightly higher than the statewide rate of 2 per 100,000.

Contra Costas new infection rate has been largely flat for about a month. But with the more infectious delta variant of the coronavirus spreading in the U.S., public health experts and officials warn that those who have not been vaccinated are putting themselves at risk.

The delta variant is spreading quickly around the world  leaving young, unvaccinated people more vulnerable than ever, President Biden tweeted Thursday. Please, get vaccinated if you havent already. Lets head off this strain before its too late.

By national standards, Contra Costa is doing well in vaccinations  nearly 71% of those eligible are fully vaccinated, compared with 53% in the country as a whole.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

Breaking out new infections by vaccination status seems like an excellent way to present the case data, and the results are not surprising at all, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of the department of epidemiology at UCSF. The vaccines are strikingly effective and will continue to provide benefit as more people resume their normal pre-pandemic activities.

Unfortunately, she added, the big risk now is really for those who are still unvaccinated, and we are particularly worried that reopening plus the rise of the more infectious delta variant will mean cases in those who are unvaccinated will continue to rise.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this week that nearly every death, especially among adults, due to COVID-19, is, at this point, entirely preventable by vaccination.

An Associated Press analysis of government data from May shows that breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. And only about 150 vaccinated people were among the more than than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May  five deaths per day on average among those who had been inoculated.

Daily deaths in the U.S. now under 300, down from a peak of more than 3,400 in mid-January  could be near zero if everyone eligible got the shots, the report indicates.

I think theres an impression out there with the lifting of the (economic restrictions) blueprint and the lifting of capacity and mask restrictions, that the pandemic is over and that everything is safe, Contra Costas Farnitano said. And for people who are vaccinated, that may be close to the truth. But for the folks who are unvaccinated, their risk is still very high.

Contra Costa officials use the data in meetings with community groups and outreach teams in areas with low vaccination rates.

The vaccination rates and the case rates city-by-city are almost a perfect match, Farnitano said. Communities with low vaccination rates are also the communities with high infection rates.

Antioch, Pittsburg and Oakley are among the cities in the county with the slowest vaccine uptake  only about half of residents there have been fully vaccinated, and the new-case rate for them is far higher than elsewhere in Contra Costa. The three cities are the focus of health department initiatives, including at-home shots, incentive programs and one-on-one outreach.

Breaking out new cases by vaccinated and unvaccinated people helps officials identify outbreaks among those who arent inoculated and could also reveal whether variants are causing a significant number of breakthrough infections among the vaccinated, Farnitano said.

Given the countys high vaccination rate in the overall population, it would be hard to detect trends among unvaccinated residents otherwise, he said.

Its great, said Dr. George Rutherford, an infectious disease expert with UCSF. This is the first time Ive seen this (breakdown of data) outside of formal cohort studies.

Experts said they are not aware of any other counties in California that make such numbers available, but Alameda County officials said they are looking into creating a similar data feed.

The California Department of Public Health tracks cases, hospitalizations and deaths for state residents by vaccination status, though it does not make the information available on its public dashboard. In a report this week, however, it indicated the statewide experience matches Contra Costas: Among the 19 million vaccinated Californians, there have been just 6,903 breakthrough infections since Jan. 1.

Presenting the data in a way that helps underscore where the risk actually is should help people better assess the steps they can take to mitigate that risk, Bibbins-Domingo said. In this case, the steps are clear. Get vaccinated.

Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com
Even with powerful vaccines in hand and the coronavirus waning across most of the United States, theres still an urgent need for drugs to treat COVID-19  and that could lay the foundation for the next generation of therapies for pandemics, say Bay Area scientists conducting such research.

Drug therapies were an early focus in the pandemic, when it wasnt clear how long it would take to develop effective vaccines. But while vaccine development has been enormously successful, thanks in large part to the federal governments $18 billion investment, drug treatments have been disappointingly elusive.

The Biden administration announced this month that it would invest $3.2 billion into research on COVID therapies, in particular antivirals that attack the virus and stop it from replicating early in the infection, before people become seriously ill. That was cause for celebration, Bay Area scientists said, though it was unclear how much local research would be funded.

Just one drug therapy  remdesivir  that directly targets the virus has been federally approved in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic almost a year and a half ago, and its only marginally successful. Antibody therapies that help the body fend off the virus are effective but expensive and difficult to administer. A few other treatments have helped prevent deaths among people hospitalized with COVID.

These are all critical components of battling COVID, but they dont fit a particular need that could help crush this pandemic and potentially the next one, too: a drug that comes in a pill, is simply and cheaply distributed, and prevents serious illness or stops people from getting sick at all.

The vaccine is a medical miracle. But the reality is that you need multiple arsenals against a disease like this, said Dr. Upinder Singh, an infectious disease expert at Stanford. What we really need is something you can just get at your pharmacy.

The need for such a treatment is especially critical in parts of the world where almost no one has been vaccinated and the coronavirus is still killing thousands of people a day. But doctors also are desperate for therapies in the U.S., where more than half the population is still not fully vaccinated and the highly infectious delta variant has a foothold.

The Biden administration funding partly is meant to address the immediate crisis: to propel promising drugs toward clinical trials and federal approval, ideally by the end of the year. But its also supposed to go toward research that builds the biological scaffolding for therapies that may take years to develop.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

I was happy to see the administration is not sitting back and saying this is cured now  we have a vaccine and were done, said Dr. Vinit Mahajan, a Stanford ophthalmologist who turned his lab over to COVID research during the pandemic. The vaccines are heroes, but there are still patients who need treatments. Its clear that this is something thats going to be around for a long time, and there will be some other future pandemic.

Scientists from all the Bay Areas major research institutions have been involved in developing therapeutics since the start of the pandemic. Many labs like Mahajans switched overnight to studying the new virus  diverting entire staffs from investigating therapies for other infectious diseases, or for cancer or Parkinsons or diabetes, into full-time COVID research. At UCSF, a collaboration of about 200 scientists from more than 20 labs came together within weeks.

Early in the pandemic many scientists around the globe pored through libraries of known drugs  some still experimental, some federally approved  to see if any could be repurposed for COVID. They hoped to shave billions of dollars and years off otherwise costly development, but those drugs have mostly failed.

Remdesivir, which had been developed as a potential treatment for Ebola, is the only therapy to come out of that process that is now standard COVID care. Early research at UCSF identified more than 50 drugs for possible repurposing. Last week, scientists involved in that work published a paper in Science exploring why many of those drugs didnt work out, though one recently entered clinical trials.

Repurposing is great if you need to be fast. But its like life: If you want something quick and easy, its usually not that great, said Charles Craik, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF who was involved in the early efforts to identify drug candidates. I want the repurposed drugs for the short term, but I want the true antivirals that have been developed against this target for the long run. Then we can repurpose them later for the next pandemic.

Craik named about half a dozen potential COVID drugs that are in advanced stages of development and are either already being studied in human clinical trials or are expected to be soon. They include a drug made by Pfizer that was developed to fight the coronavirus that caused the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, but was shelved when that epidemic ended abruptly.

There arent as many options as he had expected in the early months of the pandemic, Craik said. But in hindsight its not that surprising.

The U.S. placed almost all its early bets on vaccine development ahead of therapeutics  a gamble that has paid off, infectious disease experts say, but at the expense of finding new drugs. Meanwhile, this coronavirus is proving a deceptively tricky target.

Like many other viruses, it lacks the genetic equipment to damage the body all on its own. Instead, the coronavirus infiltrates human cells and hijacks them, using a cells own machinery to replicate more virus. That alone is enough to cause illness, but this coronavirus does even more damage by sometimes triggering the immune system to overreact and attack itself, which is what happens in severe cases.

Doctors would like to stop the virus from taking over the human cells to begin with. Scientists have broadly focused on two ways to do that: by disabling the virus itself or by turning off parts of the human cell that enable the hijacking. Theyre looking for molecules that incapacitate the parts of the virus or cell that are necessary for a viral takeover.

It would be even better to have a whole shelf of molecules we can pick and choose from, targeting many different mechanisms, said James Fraser, a bioengineering professor at UCSFs School of Pharmacy.

Thats how HIV drugs are so effective  theyre delivered as molecular cocktails that attack the virus on several fronts. Not only does that make the drugs more powerful, but it also makes it more difficult for the rapidly mutating virus to develop resistance. If HIV finds a way to evade one molecule, there are several more to get the job done.

That would be ideal if we can get there, said Andreas Puschnik, an infectious disease fellow at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub in San Francisco. But just getting one good compound is already hard enough.

Craiks lab at UCSF was involved in research developing the first drugs to be effective against HIV: protease inhibitors, which block a key enzyme, or protease, that breaks down proteins and allows the virus to infiltrate cells. There are different kinds of proteases, and theyre found in the virus as well as human cells.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Many other viruses, including coronaviruses, similarly rely on proteases. The dream, Craik said, would be a broad spectrum, pan-COVID therapeutic  like the powerful antibiotics that can knock out all kinds of bacteria.

Developing a drug usually takes more than a decade, from finding a molecule to fine-tuning it for humans and testing in clinical trials. Most drugs fail along the way: What looks good in a petri dish or in a mouse does nothing in humans, or comes with unbearable side effects. Sometimes a drug works, a little or in some people, but the results arent considered worth the investment.

Scientists are hopeful the process will be sped up for this coronavirus and future pathogens with pandemic potential. The Biden administration funding will help, along with the global sense of urgency.

Although the main goal of current COVID research is to develop therapies that could be used in this pandemic, what we need to be working on is COVID-24, said Brian Shoichet, a computational chemist at UCSF.

Like others, he noted that the world had multiple warnings that a pandemic of this scale was on the horizon, and opportunities had emerged to start working on drug platforms that could be quickly revised to match new pathogens.

Two earlier coronaviruses had caused concerning but ultimately easily contained global outbreaks: SARS in 2003 and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), which arrived in 2012. The world would have been in a much better place in early 2020 if scientists had started chasing down antivirals and other drugs to battle those viruses years ago.

If $3 billion had been thrown at the problem 20 years ago, we wouldnt be in this situation, Shoichet said. The next one could be worse. Thats what the people at the CDC mumble in their dark dreams. This wasnt the big one, actually.

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday
Editors Note: This story contains references to sexual violence.

Questions about the 1995 murder and sexual assault of Mary Catherine Edwards, a beloved Beaumont teacher and twin sister, had gone unanswered for more than two decades.

Now, thanks to DNA evidence and a genealogy website, an arrest has been made and the details of her demise are coming to light.

It is a sigh of relief to hear they have a suspect, former student LaToyya Twine-Ozane said. She didnt deserve to die.

DNA evidence appears to have tied 61-year-old Clay Foreman, Edwards high school classmate and acquaintance, to the crime scene and led to his arrest Thursday by authorities in Franklin County, Ohio. He is being held on a capital murder charge.

In 1982, Edwards was a bridesmaid at Foremans first wedding, said Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham.

Now, Foreman is awaiting transfer to Beaumont to face a trial for allegedly killing her.

Edwards, 31, was a well-loved teacher who lived alone in a Beaumont townhouse. According to Enterprise archives, she was last seen leaving her classroom around 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, 1995.

She would normally stay late at school preparing her lesson plan for the following class, Price Elementary Principal Floyd Broussard told The Enterprise at the time.

The next day, Edwards didnt respond to phone calls, and her parents went to check on her at her home on Park Meadow Street. They found her drowned in her bathtub upstairs, police said at the time.

An autopsy revealed that she had her hands bound behind her back in handcuffs and was sexually assaulted before she was killed.

Related: Arrest made in connection with 1995 Beaumont slaying

Neighbors, who were gathered around Edwards townhouse after learning the shocking news of her death, told The Enterprise at the time that they remembered her as a quiet woman who took daily walks with her beagle.

She has a routine that she would follow, neighbor John Stegall said of her morning and afternoon walks.

Police continued to search for leads in the case for years after Edwards death.

In 2006, Beaumont Police Department spokesperson and Officer Carman Apple told The Enterprise that detectives continue to work on cases like Edwards long after they drop from the public eye.

At that time, Beaumont Police Chief Lt. Charles Tyler said police had great evidence in Edwards case and at one time police spent $10,000 for DNA testing at a Maryland lab.

We just havent found the right person, Tyler said. As more and more people are put into the (DNA) database, it gives me hope that we will get more of the offenders.

When Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham took office in 2014, he asked police to renew efforts in the case.

The very first day I was sworn in as district attorney, I called (Beaumont Police Chief James) Singletary and asked him to put some people on the Edwards case because it was such a terrible set of facts, Wortham told The Enterprise. I really wanted to find a way to solve that case.

Other than sharing that developments had been made in the investigation, Beaumont police officials declined to comment.

But court documents released Tuesday and filed to support Foremans arrest revealed investigators path.

In early 2020, according to the documents, police entered the crime scene DNA profile into GEDmatch, a web service and public DNA database. The documents did not say what led police last year to input the information into the service.

But what they found allowed investigators to identify second cousins and other distant family members. Detectives used that information and more than 30 corresponding DNA files to build a family tree and find a connection  on both the maternal and paternal side  to the DNA gathered at the crime scene, the probable cause affidavit stated.

That connection left two possibilities  Foreman and his brother.

Police looked into Foremans brother and found he did not have a criminal record.

Foreman, however, had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a fellow Forest Park High School classmate in 1981  a case that officials say bears similarities to Edwards.

In that instance, Foreman happened upon a stranded female and, claiming to be a police officer, offered to take her home, according to the documents. Foreman drove away with the female before tying her up with a belt and sexually assaulting her, the documents said.

There are numerous similarities in the 1981 case and the Edwards murder, the affidavit stated. Foreman claimed to be a police officer in the 1981 case, and in Edwards case the suspect utilized police tools of the trade.

Nearly a year after police began building the family tree, with the help of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office and Reynoldsburg Ohio Police Department, detectives took trash from Foremans residence and sent it to be tested to determine if it would match the material gathered at the crime scene.

These lab results confirmed Foreman is the suspect that entered Edwards residence, bound her hands behind her back, sexually assaulted her and subsequently murdered her, the affidavit stated.

The breakthrough in the case comes after years of dead ends.

According to Enterprise archives, police briefly believed they had a lead in the case in 1996 after two similar murders. The victims, who also were educators, were found bound and killed in bathtubs in Arlington.

But after police visited the area and reviewed evidence, they said the physical evidence in the Arlington cases does not match what Beaumont police have found in investigating Edwards death.

With no suspects and no motive, the Southeast Texas community was shaken to the core by the death.

In the aftermath, counselors from across Beaumont ISD were sent to the school to console students and teachers alike, and officials were pressed for answers.

According to a front page Enterprise story shortly after the death, friends described Edwards, a petite woman who stood less than 5 feet tall, as a little gal with a big heart.

A local pastor told the paper she had been attending a Wednesday night Bible study class and a singles group at First Baptist Church for the last several months of her life.

She was a member of Leadership Beaumont and the Chicken Club.

Edwards was well-liked and well-known in the community along with her twin sister Allison Brocatto, a fellow teacher.

According to an Enterprise profile of the two from 1993, Edwards would tell her students about her twin on the first day of class.

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I say, If you see another one of me walking around somewhere and she doesnt speak to you, dont get your feelings hurt, she said. Its probably my sister.

Students of the two teachers would still approach them in public.

Edwards told The Enterprise in 1993 that she became accustomed to strange small children running up to her at a shopping mall, throwing their arms around her and giving her a hug. She said she quickly learned to simply hug them back.

Her sister said when Edwards fifth-graders did the same thing to her, and she told them she wasnt their teacher, they would become embarrassed, giggle and hurry away.

Brocatto, who still is a teacher in Southeast Texas, could not be reached for comment.

Former students from across the region, reacting to news of the arrest, looked back on fond memories in the classroom. Joe Bowser remembers enjoying her awesome fifth-grade class.

I loved her class, he said.

A nurse who worked at the school at the time said Edwards would always stop by to say hello.

Twine-Ozane, who had Edwards as a teacher in fifth grade, said she was sweet and loving.

She didnt have children. So, she loved us as her own, Twine-Ozane told The Enterprise. I never heard her raise her voice.

Twine-Ozane was a senior when Edwards was killed.

You reflect on every teacher that made an impact on your life, and she was one of those teachers, she said. In school, I was moved to a separate building in fourth and fifth grade, but I always made it to the main building to get a hug and see her smile.

jorge.ramos@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/byjorgeramos

Isaac.Windes@hearstnp.com

twitter.com/isaacdwindes
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott said justice was served Friday when former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for murdering George Floyd in May 2020  but said justice isnt done.

Chauvins sentence comes more than a year after he pressed his knee on the neck of Floyd  who was in the prone position  for more than nine minutes, even as Floyd gasped and repeatedly said he couldnt breathe. Floyds murder, which was videoed, galvanized people across the world to demand an end to police brutality and police killings of Black people, and for comprehensive reforms to law enforcement.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  A longtime leader of the Havasupai Tribe who fought to protect its resources by lobbying against mining around the Grand Canyon and snow making at an Arizona ski resort has died.

Services for Rex Tilousi begin Friday with a traditional wake at the familys home in the village of Supai, followed by public events and burial over the weekend at the Grand Canyon, where Tilousi retired as a cultural interpreter for the national park.

Hes going to be there to protect it for eternity, so that provided some comfort to the family, said his niece, Carletta Tilousi.

Rex Tilousi died last week of natural causes with his family at his side, she said. He was 73.

Tilousi served as a tribal leader for more than 30 years, including multiple stints as chairman and vice chairman of the small tribe whose reservation lies deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon.

He also was a spiritual leader, working to preserve the tribes way of life, its songs and the Grand Canyon that was home to the Havasupai before it became a national park, the tribe said. Friends, family and co-workers remembered him as a peaceful, kindhearted man with a warm and welcoming spirit.

When Tilousi wrapped up interpretive talks at the Grand Canyon, visitors would follow him yearning for more, said Jan Balsom, a senior adviser at the park.

I joked about him being a Buddha, she said. He had this effect on people. As they listened to him, they were brought into his world and his way of understanding the Grand Canyon.

As an advocate, Tilousi sought to keep companies from mining near the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park and joined other tribes in speaking out against snow making at the Arizona Snowbowl outside Flagstaff. In both cases, he feared the tribes water resources could become contaminated and the tribes spiritual practices negatively affected.

The work took him to the Arizona Legislature and across the country and world, raising the profile of the Havasupai Tribe.

He was very committed to voicing concerns on behalf of the animals and the water and the people, Carletta Tilousi said. He committed all his time to public service, and that was very impressive.

The federal government ultimately approved snow making with reclaimed water. Uranium mining has been at a standstill while companies wait for prices to rebound.

Stephen Hirst, the author of a book on the Havasupai called I am the Grand Canyon, had been working with Tilousi to write down stories and remembrances, and record songs so that Havasupai children could have them.

We didnt get that project finished, unfortunately, but there are some amazing stories, Hirst said.

Roger Clark recalled one of the first conversations he had with Tilousi, who asked Clark why he should trust him as a conservationist. Clark acknowledged that Tilousi had no reason to trust him as an outsider but said he cared about the Grand Canyon and could learn a lot from Tilousis connection to the land.

He smiled and said, OK, Roger Ramjet, Clark said, referencing a classic cartoon character who was out to save the world.

That really started our relationship in a humorous, compassionate and respectful way, and it got richer, from my point of view, from then on, Clark said.

On the Havasupai reservation, Tilousi hunted, rode horses and shared Havasupai stories and culture that he had to learn later in life. Hirst said many tribal stories were passed down during the winter when children, including Tilousi, were away at boarding school.

It was hard for him, Hirst said. So he became determined to do that  he learned old songs.

Tilousi graduated from Phoenix Indian School in 1967. He later attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan.

Tilousi and his wife, Rosella Sinyella Tilousi, had two daughters and four grandchildren. Tilousi and his wife, who died last year, will be buried alongside each other and near other Havasupai tribal members at the cemetery within Grand Canyon National Park.
Its the Wednesday before Pride at the White Horse, and a drag queen in a gravity-defying green wig is lip-syncing and shaking her hips to Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. People in the crowd sing along and wave dollar bills at her, which she plucks with a smirk from their outstretched hands.

When the song ends, she pauses to look out on the joyful, maskless audience, friends reuniting with hugs and cheek kisses.

I cant believe theres so many people, she says, shaking her head in disbelief. Its making me emotional.

Following Californias recent reopening, Oaklands White Horse is the sort of place people flock to. Its familiar and unpretentious in the way only old bars can be  in fact, open since 1933, it claims to be the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the country.

The place feels so bubbly and carefree now, its difficult to imagine the secretive, fearful atmosphere of the White Horse in its early days. At the time, same-gender sex was a felony.

Mariah Tiffany/Special to SFGATE

Back then, they would pass you off to jail and your name would be published in the paper and you would be fired [if you were caught in a gay bar], said now-owner Chuck Davis. They could also close the gay bar just for physical touching, and things like that would put you right out of business.

According to the White Horse website, rumor has it that in the 1950s, a bartender would walk around the bar with a ruler to make sure no one was getting too close to each other. If they did, hed hit them with the ruler and say, No touchy.

Many Telegraph Avenue neighbors had no idea the White Horse was even a gay bar. It once connected to a restaurant (in the space that is now the dance floor), which Davis recalls going to as a child.

I knew of the place since I was a young person, because it was a Chinese restaurant, said Davis. My parents took me there and we had dinner one time. ... Nobody knew it was a gay bar. In fact, a lot of the gay clientele would go into the Chinese restaurant late, go through the door between the two and end up in the bar, and they could kind of come and go incognito.

Mariah Tiffany/Special to SFGATE

Police raids of gay and lesbian bars were common in the '50s and '60s, but the White Horse was lucky  it was never raided. Whether it was really just that discreet or the owners paid off police remains a mystery.

But it wasnt until 1970 that the bars no-touching policy came to an end.

I was still a teenager then and too young to go into bars, said Davis. But I understand that everything was pretty complacent until Stonewall happened in 1969  it suddenly got very political to the then-current owners, and their mandates of rulers and staying away did not go over very well.

When Ruth and Joe Johansen, the straight couple that owned the White Horse at the time, refused to distribute Berkeley-based radical newspaper Gay Sunshine at the bar, members of the Gay Liberation Front organized a boycott of the bar. For weeks, they marched outside the bar with Gay Power signs, and even held a sit-in.

Finally, the owners agreed to the protesters demands: People could touch each other in the bar, and they would allow the sale of Gay Sunshine.

Mariah Tiffany/Special to SFGATE

Davis, who used to frequent the White Horse in the late '70s and '80s, bought the bar in 2000.

I hadn't planned on buying it, it just kind of happened, he said, chuckling.

The establishment had never been closed for a single day, he said, until the pandemic. For almost the entirety of the past 15 months, the historic watering hole sat dark. Fortunately, the White Horse made it out OK  thanks to adequate reserves and a patient landlord, said Davis.

The beloved bar finally made its miraculous return in mid-April, now with a parklet built outside and a plastic barrier separating bartenders from bar patrons. They celebrated in style with a RuPaul's Drag Race viewing party. Ever since, the White Horse has been teeming with life.

The whole place has been rejuvenated and reborn since the pandemic, said Davis. A whole different crowd has come in, and they keep telling their friends and we get more and more business.

Mariah Tiffany/Special to SFGATE

While the crowd is a little younger now, and you may not have seen a drag show there back in the '30s, he says that a lot about the White Horse has actually stayed the same over the years.

Well, obviously there's not a no-touching policy, he said. But I think the beautiful thing about it is  very little has changed. Today, it might be a little bit different dress, but the theme is still the same, and the interior is still hardly changed.

People walk in now and they're like, Yes, this is where I was 10 years ago. This is where I met my wife or husband, added manager Mike Helm. ... Though it looks a little different, it's still the same. There's little things that have changed but all in all, the bar makeup has stayed pretty solid to what it was.

Its almost like going home again, said Davis.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden has announced a hard-earned bipartisan agreement on a pared-down infrastructure plan that would make a start on his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle.

But he openly acknowledged Thursday that Democrats will likely have to tackle much of the rest on their own.

The bills price tag at $973 billion over five years, or $1.2 trillion over eight years, is a scaled-back but still significant piece of Bidens broader proposals.

It includes more than a half-trillion dollars in new spending and could open the door to the presidents more sweeping $4 trillion proposals for child care and what the White House calls human infrastructure later on.

When we can find common ground, working across party lines, that is what I will seek to do," said Biden, who deemed the agreement a true bipartisan effort, breaking the ice that too often has kept us frozen in place.

The president stressed that neither side got everything they wanted in this deal; thats what it means to compromise, and said that other White House priorities would be taken on separately in a congressional budget process known as reconciliation, which allows for majority passage without the need for Republican votes.

He insisted that the two items would be done in tandem and that he would not sign the bipartisan deal without the other, bigger piece. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and progressive members of Congress declared they would hold to the same approach.

There aint going to be a bipartisan bill without a reconciliation bill, Pelosi said.

Claiming a major victory five months into his presidency, Biden said, This reminds me of the days when we used to get an awful lot done up in the United States Congress." Biden, a former Delaware senator, said that as he put his hand on the shoulder of a stoic-looking Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio as the president made a surprise appearance with a bipartisan group of senators to announce the deal outside the White House.

But the next steps are not likely to be nearly so smooth.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell complained that Biden was caving to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumers plan to hold the bipartisan agreement hostage for the presidents bigger package of what he called wasteful spending.

Thats not the way to show youre serious about getting a bipartisan outcome, McConnell said.

And there is plenty of skepticism on Biden's own left flank. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the bipartisan agreement is way too small  paltry, pathetic. I need a clear, ironclad assurance that there will be a really adequate robust package that will follow.

Thursday's deal was struck by the bipartisan group led by Portman and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, including some of the more independent lawmakers in the Senate, some known for bucking their parties.

You know there are many who say bipartisanship is dead in Washington, Sinema said. We can use bipartisanship to solve these challenges.

And Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said, It sends an important message to the world as well that America can function, can get things done.

The proposal includes both new and existing spending on long-running programs and highlights the struggle lawmakers faced in coming up with ways to pay for what have typically been popular ideas.

The investments include $109 billion on roads and highways and $15 billion on electric vehicle infrastructure and transit systems as part of $312 billion in transportation spending. There's $65 billion toward broadband and expenditures on drinking water systems and $47 billion in resiliency efforts to tackle climate change.

Rather than Bidens proposed corporate tax hike that Republicans oppose or the gas tax increase that the president rejected, funds will be tapped from a range of sources  without a full tally yet, according to a White House document.

Money will come from $125 billion in COVID-19 relief funds approved in 2020 but not yet spent, as well as untapped unemployment insurance funds that Democrats have been hesitant to poach. Other revenue is expected by going harder after tax cheats by beefing up Internal Revenue Service enforcement that Portman said could yield $100 billion.

The rest is a hodgepodge of asset sales and accounting tools, including funds coming from 5G telecommunication spectrum lease sales, strategic petroleum reserve and an expectation that the sweeping investment will generate economic growth  what the White House calls the macroeconomic impact of infrastructure investment.

The senators from both parties stressed that the deal will create jobs for the economy and rebuild the nation's standing on the global stage, a belief that clearly transcended the partisan interests and created a framework for the deal.

Were going to keep working together  were not finished, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said. But America works, the Senate works.

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said it will show the world "were not just, you know, a hot mess here.

For Biden, the deal was a welcome result. Though for far less than he originally sought, Biden had bet his political capital that he could work with Republicans toward major legislation.

Moreover, Biden and his aides believed that they needed a bipartisan deal on infrastructure to create a permission structure for more moderate Democrats  including Sinema and Joe Manchin of West Virginia  to then be willing to go for a party-line vote for the rest of the president's agenda.

The announcement leaves unclear the fate of Bidens promises of massive investment to slow climate change, which Biden this spring called the existential crisis of our times.

Bidens presidential campaign had helped win progressive backing with pledges of major spending on electric vehicles, charging stations, and research and funding for overhauling the U.S. economy to run on less oil, gas and coal. The administration is expected to push for some of that in future legislation.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La, stressed that there are billions of dollars for resiliency against extreme weather and the impact of climate change and deemed Thursday's deal a beginning investment.

Biden has sought $1.7 trillion in his American Jobs Plan and the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan for child care centers, family tax breaks and other investments that Republicans reject as far outside the scope of infrastructure.

The broad reconciliation bill would likely include tax increases on the wealthy, those earning more than $400,000 a year, and hike the corporate rate from 21% to 28%, so a tension still exists over funding for some Republicans and business groups.

Its still a long haul to a bill signing at the White House. The Senate expects to consider the bipartisan package in July, but Biden's bigger proposal is not expected to see final votes until fall.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Mary Clare Jalonick, Alan Fram, Matthew Daly and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Tesla is recalling about 285,000 electric vehicles in China because the cruise-control function can be activated accidentally and cause cars to accelerate suddenly, creating a safety hazard, Chinese authorities said Saturday.

In a message to customers on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Tesla said there are potential safety hazards in extreme cases.

Chinas market regulator said the recall covers 211,256 Model 3 sedans and 38,599 Model Y compact crossover utility vehicles that were built in China and 35,665 Model 3s that were imported. The cars were produced between December 2019 and this month.

The regulator said Tesla plans to upgrade cruise-control software on the vehicles remotely, which would save owners the chore of taking their car to a company store. It said Tesla will contact owners whose vehicles cant be fixed remotely.

Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation said that under certain conditions drivers could accidentally activate cruise control. If the car is traveling slower than the cruise control setting, the car will accelerate and in extreme cases, could cause a crash.

The regulator said Teslas Chinese subsidiaries contacted it a few days ago to request a recall.

Tesla Inc., based in Palo Alto, California, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The company has faced previous challenges in China, including accusations of poor treatment of customers. In April, a customer protested at a car show that faulty brakes on her familys Tesla caused a crash that sent her parents to the hospital. After initially blaming the driver, Tesla issued a public apology to the unhappy customer and vowed to learn from the incident.
At least one Major League Baseball team in the Bay Area is making amends to a portion of its minor league players.

On Thursday, the Minor League Baseball Advocates Twitter account named off the clubs that pay players for their participation in extended spring training  a list that notably did not include the San Francisco Giants or Oakland A's.

SFGATE reached out to MiLB Advocates Executive Director Harry Marino, who confirmed that, according to multiple sources in the Giants and A's organizations, neither club has been paying players during extended spring training.

But after SFGATE reached out to both teams, the Giants changed their tune.

Our minor league players who participated in extended spring training will be paid for the 2021 season and that will be our policy going forward," wrote a Giants spokesperson. When SFGATE followed up to ask if that specifically meant the Giants would retroactively pay 2021 extended spring training participants and future extended spring training participants, the Giants spokesperson confirmed that yes, that is the case.

SFGATE also reached out to the A's. They declined to comment on the record.

Extended spring training is essentially for minor leaguers who aren't assigned to one of an organization's four affiliate clubs. The minor leaguers are instead contractually obligated to stick around their organization's training facilities, participating in near-daily drills and workouts and simulated games. The Giants and A's have traditionally put their players up in shared hotel rooms and provided them with meals during extended spring training  they just haven't paid the players a salary for months on end.

Normally, the start of the short season, a rookie circuit called the Arizona Complex League, is when Giants and A's players who've been waiting around in extended spring training would actually draw a salary. Now, at least, the Giants prospects will be able to make a little bit of money during the spring and early summer too.
Jeanne Cooper/Special to SFGATE

Clop-clop-clap, clop-clop-clap  clap twice with cupped hands, once with flat hands, and repeat. It seems easy enough, but when its sunrise on Hawaii Islands distractingly gorgeous Hapuna Beach and youre a novice at chanting, it can take a while to get the hang of it.



Healani Kimitete Ah-Mow, an aloha ambassador from Mauna Kea Resort, is patiently leading a small group of guests from the hotel in E Ala E, a short oli, or chant, intended to be chanted from just before dawn until the sun appears on the horizon. The call  which was composed in the modern era by renowned Hawaiian cultural practitioner Pualani Kanakaole Kanahele to awaken (E ala e!) and, like the sun, strive for the highest  has ancient roots in Polynesian protocol.



Hawaiians use chants to seek permission to enter a home, school or region and to signal a welcome in return, among other purposes. Now, with Hawaii tourism fully roused from its pandemic slumber, many with ties to the industry are hoping visitors will open their eyes and ears to the importance of preserving such traditions  and the land that inspires them.

Courtesy of Mauna Kea Resort

Our culture and the land are one and the same. Without the land, there is no culture, explains Kainoa Daines, director of culture and product development at the Hawaii Convention & Visitors Bureau. The first person specifically responsible for Hawaiian culture at the agency, founded in 1903, Danes recently helped develop its Malama Hawaii (Care for Hawaii) program, which encourages visitors to participate in a variety of cultural and environmental activities and, in some cases, receive hotel discounts in return.



Guests at the Sheraton Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay, for example, can receive a fifth night free when booking by volunteering with Uluhao o Hualalai, a nonprofit involved in reforestation of the upper slopes of the active volcano above Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island. But the real incentive, as I discovered, is the chance to go behind the locked gates guarding this wahi pana (sacred area) and plant a koa tree while listening to the song of rare native birds at 7,000 feet of elevation. Another bonus: listening to the legends and history of Hualalai told by a member of the family stewarding the area for generations.



It is pretty amazing, says Uluhao operations manager Kimo Duarte, whose grandfather first put in protective fencing for landowner Kamehameha Schools in the 1950s. As a small kid, I would never have thought it could be like this. Thousands of goats were running here, and eucalyptus was spreading and killing native trees. Its becoming a forest again. Its exciting to come up every day.
NORTHWOOD, N.H. (AP)  One person was killed and a firefighter suffered burn injuries in a fire at a home in Northwood, authorities said Saturday.

Officials say crews that arrived at the building on fire Friday evening tried to rescue a person said to be trapped on the second floor, but they were unable to find the person.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The State Budget Committee has approved spending $12 million for engineering and design work on a planned $400 million rebuild of a deteriorating state prison in northwest Indiana.

The budget committee approved the funding Wednesday for the Indiana Department of Correction to begin architectural and engineering design work at the Westville Correctional Facility, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Authorities raided an illegal marijuana farm in northern San Diego County on Friday, seizing 15,000 plants and 9 1/2 pounds of pot products with an estimated street value of more than $7.5 million, authorities said.

Detectives also detained seven people during the operation in unincorporated Valley Center, a rural and agricultural community northeast of San Diego, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Department.

Photos showed thousands of plants in a greenhouse along with trays of processed marijuana.

San Diego Gas & Electric, the county's code compliance team, the California Water Board and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife helped in the operation and found fire dangers and health and safety risks at the farm, according to the Sheriff's Department.

It is not uncommon for investigators to find dangerous chemicals, illegal pesticides and other hazardous materials used at unlicensed marijuana grow sites," the department's statement said. These dangerous materials may enter the local ground water supply and streams, creating extreme environmental hazards."

The marijuana may have been intended for sale at illegal dispensaries, authorities said.

The grow site is about 18 miles (28 kilometers) from where seven people were shot to death last September at an illegal marijuana growing operation in a rural area of neighboring Riverside County.

Authorities said the marijuana grown there was used for honey oil, a highly potent concentrate made by extracting the high-inducing chemical THC from cannabis.

The state broadly legalized recreational marijuana sales in January 2018. But the illicit market is thriving  in part because hefty legal marijuana taxes send consumers looking for better deals in the illegal economy.

Tons of marijuana have been discovered in law enforcement raids this year in rural Southern California areas.

Two weeks ago, authorities arrested 23 people and seized tens of millions of dollars worth of illegal marijuana grown in the Antelope Valley desert area north of Los Angeles.

At the time, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said operators of illegal marijuana growers were stealing millions of gallons of water with illegal wells or by taking it under cover of night from wells maintained by local alfalfa, potato and carrot farmers.
MACON, Ga. (AP)  Prosecutors say two Georgia men have been demanding cash and sex after providing homeless people with beer, cigarettes or marijuana, leading to a May shooting that slightly grazed a homeless man at an encampment near downtown Macon.

The Telegraph of Macon reports the two men  64-year-old Larry Tarver of Macon and 53-year-old Ricky Bernard Veal of Gordon  are both charged with aggravated assault.
MARIB, Yemen (AP)  Among the growing number of graves of the war dead in the cemetery of the Yemeni city of Marib, one tombstone stands out. It has two martyrs listed  a father and his young daughter.

Taher Farag and his 2-year-old Liyan were inseparable, their family say. So earlier this month, when Farag drove to the market to buy food for his wife to make lunch, he took Liyan with him.

Along the way, he stopped at a gas station in Maribs Rawdah neighborhood to fill his tank. It was then, as they waited in line, that the ballistic missile fired by Yemens Houthi rebels hit the station, followed by the blast of an explosives-laden drone. The gas station went up in a ball of flame, incinerating vehicles in line.

At least 21 people were killed, including Farag and his daughter, in the June 5 attack, according to Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

It was the deadliest single attack in the monthslong grind of an offensive launched by Houthi rebels trying to capture Marib, the last stronghold of the Yemeni government in the country's north. Since February, the rebels have been waging their assault, making only slow progress as Saudi-backed government fighters dig in to defend the city and Saudi airstrikes inflict casualties on the rebels.

The Houthis have fired ballistic missiles and sent drones into Marib as well, often hitting civilian areas and camps for displaced people. More than 120 civilians have been killed, including 15 children, and more than 220 wounded in the past six months, according to the government.

At home, Farags wife Gamila Saleh Ali heard the explosion. She didnt think her husband and daughter were in danger  there are plenty of explosions in Marib. Still, she called his phone to be safe. There was no answer. She called again and again, each time no answer.

Then came the scream of her husbands mother, who lives in the same building. She went out and found her family weeping. I realized that Liyan and her father were martyred, the 27-year-old said. I returned to my room and prayed to God.

She was a fun-loving child, she said of Liyan, while cradling the couples 10-month-old son. Her dad adored her. He used to tell me, Liyan is mine, and the boy is yours. ... He was so attached to her and she was so attached to her father.

The 32-year-old Farag was once a farmer in his hometown of Kharif in northwestern Yemen, before fleeing with his family after the Iran-backed Houthis overran most of the countrys north in 2014, including the capital, Sanaa.

Like many driven from their homes, he settled in Marib, a seemingly safe refuge outside Houthi territory. He was able to find work driving a taxi. The area is now home to some 2.2 million displaced people, many of them crowded into camps on the citys outskirts, according to official statistics.

They find themselves caught in one of the last active fronts in a war that has dragged on for nearly seven years, between the Houthis and the government, which controls much of the south and is backed by a Saudi-led coalition. The war has been largely stalemated for years but continues to wreak destruction, killing more than 130,000 people and spawning the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

The same day as the strike on the gas station, an Omani delegation landed in Sanaa for talks with rebel leaders, including the groups religious and military leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi. Pressure is mounting on the Houthis to stop their Marib offensive and agree on a nationwide cease-fire, paving the way for peace talks.

In the meantime, Maribs residents endure the frequent blasts of missile and drone attacks.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the rebels Supreme Revolutionary Committee, said the missile strike targeted a military position and called for an independent investigation. He did not provide evidence.

The gas station is located several hundred meters (yards) from the perimeter fence of a military camp.

The blast was strong, so strong. It sent me flying far, said one worker at the station being treated at Maribs main hospital. His right leg was broken, and he was burned over much of his body. He spoke on condition he not be named for the safety of family living in Houthi-held territory.

We found shrapnel and remains of burned bodies. There were screams, said Eissa Mohammed, who lives across the street.

Farag and Liyans bodies, charred beyond recognition, were found inside his burned-out taxi, hugging each other, officials and family said.

So we buried them in the same grave, said Farags younger brother, Ayed.
BILOXI, Miss. (AP)  Leo Carney doesnt want Congress to stop with Juneteenth.

The co-founder of the Mississippi chapter of the American Descendants of Slavery wants to see reparations paid to the majority of Black Mississippians who trace their lineage to chattel slavery in the United States, during the nearly 250 years when that institution shaped the countrys economy, culture and even the Constitution.

The national group started as a Twitter hashtag (#ADOS) in 2016 to draw attention to the racial wealth gap. Carney helped found the Mississippi branch in 2019.

He and his fellow ADOS Mississippi members believe the Magnolia State  where in 1850 a majority of the population was enslaved and which today has the countrys largest Black population by percentage  should be a leader in the national conversation around reparations. Or, to use the term he prefers because it is more palatable to politicians, restorative justice.

Their group is not large, with about two dozen members earlier this year and a Facebook group with nearly 400 people. But they have reached out to elected officials around the state and made a presentation to the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus in December 2020.

Last Wednesday, just before the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, Carney called the news a two-edged sword.

On the one hand, he says, recognizing Juneteenth lends credence to the ADOS principle that the descendants of enslaved people have distinct experiences in the American past and present that are not captured by the racial category Black.

But on the other hand, recognizing Juneteenth requires no redistribution of wealth, no restorative justice. Perhaps because of that, it passed the Senate unanimously and in the House with just 14 opposition votes.

We want policy, we dont want pandering to our community, he said.

CONTROVERSY AROUND ADOS

Critics of ADOS call the group xenophobic, because they focus on Black Americans who trace their lineage in the U.S. to American slavery, not on Black people whose families arrived in the country more recently, as immigrants. ADOS advocates argue descendants of enslaved people have a specific legal claim for justice against the U.S. government. And they point to data showing immigrants from Africa have higher educational attainment than Americans overall.

ADOS co-founder Yvette Carnell has argued that both Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, and Kamala Harris, whose father was Jamaican, dont represent or advocate for Black Americans descended from slavery.

ADOS also drew attention and some outrage for its advocacy in the 2020 election, when it urged Black voters to vote down-ballot Democrat and consider withholding support from the Democratic nominee for president if he didnt make a strong commitment to reparations. Some critics have speculated that ADOS Twitter accounts are actually Russian bots, but reporters for the New York Times and ABC News found no evidence of that, or that ADOS was part of a coordinated misinformation campaign.

In January, a paper in a Harvard Kennedy School journal argued that by discouraging Black voters from supporting the Democratic candidate for president, ADOS was engaging in disinformation, even if no Russians were involved.

Carney calls those criticisms smears and says the groups advocacy has shifted the national conversation around reparations paid from the federal government to the descendants of enslaved people.

And, he said, Democrats arent owed anything by Black voters.

Were not going to give away our votes, he said.

LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi, where an overwhelmingly white Republican Party controls the state Legislature and the governors office, may seem an unlikely place to foster a successful movement for reparations. But Carney argues the state ought to be leading the country on the issue.

Mississippi is the Blackest state in the country, at about 38% of the state population. The state has relatively few immigrants, so the vast majority of Black Mississippians trace their roots in this country back to the 19th century or earlier, to chattel slavery.

Mississippi was settled later than the southern states on the Atlantic, but by the 1830s, planters from Virginia and the Carolinas were moving west. Max Grivno, a historian at the University of Southern Mississippi, said some accounts from the 1830s describe roads literally choked with slave traders marching enslaved people into Mississippi.

Grivno said enslaved people constituted the majority of taxable wealth in antebellum Mississippi.

It was utterly indispensable to the states economic development, he said.

AN EXPECTATION OF COMPENSATION

At the end of the war, Grivno said, many formerly enslaved people believed they would receive compensation for their years of unpaid labor.

The most famous example of promised reparations was the 40 acres and a mule pledged to each family in an order by Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. But that order was overturned in 1865, and the land was taken from Black families and returned to white planters.

ADOS activists argue the systematic destruction of Black wealth continued long after emancipation, through Jim Crow laws, exploitative labor practices like sharecropping, mass incarceration and redlining.

The effects of those policies can be seen in wealth inequality along racial lines, they say. In 2016, the net worth of a typical white family was 10 times that of a typical Black family in the U.S.

In Mississippi, Black residents have a poverty rate three times higher than that of white residents.

ADOS ADVOCACY IN MISSISSIPPI

Reparations would have to come from the federal government, since its likely no state could afford the price tag. But at the state level, Mississippi ADOS activists seek the recognition of the descendants of enslaved people as a distinct ethnic group, and an examination of that groups wealth today.

Last year, California became the first U.S. state to pass reparations legislation, with a bill to study and develop proposals. Lakeith Haslam, a principal organizer for ADOS Mississippi who lives in Brandon, said Mississippi should have beaten California to that milestone, since its the state thats the most associated with slavery.

In December, Carney and other ADOS members met with the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus Issues & Policy Committee. They asked the caucus to consider legislation that could recognize descendants of slavery as a distinct ethnic group.

If we had a reparations bill in the state, I know 100% of (Republicans) would stand against it, said Anthony Moore, the chapter president and a Jackson resident. But a policy like recognizing the identity of African Americans who descend from chattel slavery, thats not a huge ask. Theres no monetary value attached to that. ... But its absolutely important for future litigation on the basis of our identity.

Rep. Jeramey Anderson (D-Moss Point) said ADOS Mississippi was helping to start a conversation that is overdue. But action by the Legislature to support restorative justice aimed at Black Mississippians descended from slavery, like the bill in California, still remains a far-fetched idea, he said.

Rep. Zakiya Summers (D-Jackson) said legislation to gather data about the economic status of Black Mississippians descended from slavery would be a good start.

If we are ever to achieve racial justice, it is imperative that we study the impacts of slavery and its legacy and then do right by Black people just as we have done for other communities that experienced grave injustices, she said.

A BIPARTISAN AGENDA?

Haslam emphasized that the organizations agenda is bipartisan.

Were a red, conservative state, so we gotta work with whoever is in office, Haslam said.

He said a reparations program could be modeled after the one for Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II: Starting in 1990, the government paid a total of $1.25 billion to 60,000 survivors of internment camps and their heirs, in checks of $20,000 each.

The most prominent reparations legislation in Washington is H.R. 40, which is similar to the California reparations bill. In April, it advanced out of a House committee and now faces a full House vote, more than 30 years after it was first introduced.

Carney said one problem with H.R. 40 is that it discusses reparation proposals for African Americans, not specifically for descendants of enslaved people. Any race-based reparations policy would likely be found unconstitutional at the Supreme Court.

Last year, though, ADOS Mississippi activists wrote to Republican Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker urging them to support the counterpart to H.R. 40 in the Senate. Both responded, albeit formulaically.

Be assured I will keep your views in mind as Congress considers legislation affecting reparation proposals for African-Americans, Wicker wrote.
PITTSBURGH (AP) 

Dan Leger and Tim Matson started their lives over in a hospital, slowly rebuilding their physical strength and finding the fortitude to learn how to walk again after both were seriously wounded during the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in 2018 that left 11 people dead.

As they healed, they formed a friendship.

Mr. Leger, 73, is a third-generation nurse and hospital chaplain who was at the Squirrel Hill synagogue to worship on that Oct. 27. As he lay in intensive care after being shot in the torso, his wife, Ellen, told him Officer Matson, the Pittsburgh SWAT officer who saved his life, was recuperating on the same floor, just down the hall.

So, Mr. Leger set a physical therapy goal  to walk to the officers room so he could thank him.

He made it there one day, but the officer was out of the room. He told himself, OK, this is a practice run.

Mr. Leger later walked, with the help of his walker, back to the officers room, and, We saw each other as human beings.

Officer Matson had been shot seven times. For 12 weeks, he said during a phone interview, My left arm was in an external fixator, which he described as two rods that they screw into your forearm and upper arm. It keeps your arm bent.

I learned to walk again. My left arm is damaged. They rebuilt my elbow. I had to get some function back in my left elbow, he added.

His hometown of McKees Rocks, where he grew up in the Bottoms neighborhood of Presston, held a fundraiser for him. Letters poured in regularly from people he did not know.

I got a letter from people in Israel. And Ireland. My hospital room was just covered in letters. They were all on my wall in my room, from different states, he said.

The overwhelming support that I got from outside the police community was just very humbling. It also helped motivate me.

As a hospital chaplain, Mr. Leger knew how much grit human beings require to recover, mentally and physically, and how essential it is to receive encouragement from family, friends and colleagues.

He watched as Officer Matson demonstrated that determination and received consistent support. There were always officers around Tim. He was never left alone.

Officer Matson spent four months in the hospital, followed by 22 weeks in a wheelchair because he could not bear his weight. Groundhog weeks, instead of days, repeated themselves  Monday, Wednesday and Friday featured three one-hour sessions of physical therapy. Tuesdays and Thursdays meant occupational therapy.

Mr. Leger and his wife visited Officer Matson a few times while he was in a rehabilitation facility. Then the two men lost touch.

Last summer, while opening his mail, Mr. Leger found, a beautiful letter from Tim Matson and an even bigger surprise: the Medal of Valor the SWAT officer had received from the city in 2019 for his bravery in helping stop the shooting.

The biggest reason he wanted Mr. Leger to have the medal, Officer Matson wrote, is the motivation that you gave me to push to get better. The day you walked into my room with your walker I thought, Man, thats one tough old man, which motivated me to push. And getting to talk to you reminded me that I took this job to be there for people like you. And for the first time in my career people like you (were here) to support me. So please accept this award for the impact the you had on my life.

Mr. Leger said, It floored me. I was in tears. I called him.

During their conversation, Officer Matson, more a man of deeds than words, told Mr. Leger, Its yours now, buddy.

Earlier this spring, in a moving ceremony, Mr. Leger donated the medal and letter to the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District. Eric Lidji, head of the archives, accepted them. Mr. Leger and Mr. Matson hugged.

Mr. Leger spent three months in the hospital before returning to his Squirrel Hill home. He reads newspapers every morning, studies the Jewish scriptures to honor his late friend, Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, who died in the shooting, and does volunteer work.

After his much longer recovery, Officer Matson returned to work in the fall of 2019, but he had some issues. This year, between January and May, he underwent three more operations. He resumed work on the SWAT team on June 7. I dont want to do the same thing every day. Every day is different in police work, he said

The main thing for me as a police officer  we train for the worst situation and hope it doesnt happen. We teach people at the academy about full active shooters. Hostages and victims come before us, Officer Matson said. Dan Leger just wanted to worship that day.

Mr. Legers recovery still inspires him.

He was able to fight through it. He fought hard. I did my job. I did whats expected of me. Dan did that without training, without being prepared.

When he wants to relax, Officer Matson goes fishing.

I keep telling Dan Im going to take him, too.

___

Online:

https://bit.ly/3wJrNJ4
PHOENIX (AP)  Technology consultants hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to probe the 2020 election have finished counting and photographing nearly 2.1 million ballots from Maricopa County.

A final report of the findings is still weeks to months away, said Ken Bennett, a former Republican secretary of state working on the effort. But the milestone marks an end to the most visible portion of the unprecedented partisan election audit, which saw teams of people recruited by supporters of former President Donald Trump working through dozens of pallets of ballots on the floor of a former basketball arena.

The GOP-led Senate ordered the audit after Trump backers claimed without evidence that fraud led to his loss in Arizona and other battleground states. The Republican-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has repeatedly said the election was fair and free of any problems.

The audit can't change the election results. But it's being carefully watched by Trump and some of his most ardent supporters who believe it will finally turn up evidence to support fraud claims. President Joe Biden narrowly won Arizona, a longtime Republican stronghold that has been steadily moving toward the center.

Audit Update: Paper examination and counting are finished today, the audit team wrote in a post on Twitter. Thank you to all the amazing Arizona volunteers who made this audit possible!

Election experts say the auditors are inexperienced, biased and using unreliable procedures, and their findings will be suspect. To lead the audit, GOP Senate President Karen Fann hired Cyber Ninjas, an obscure Florida cybersecurity firm with no election or auditing experience before the 2020 election. The firm's leader, Doug Logan, is a Trump supporter who has aggressively promoted false narratives of election fraud.

Workers sitting at tables in colorful shirts watched ballots swing by on a turntable, marking down results for the presidential and U.S. Senate contests, the two successes for Democrats on an Arizona ballot where Republicans mostly swept other races. They also took high resolution photos of each ballot to evaluate the composition of the paper and pen marks, apparently to test conspiracy theories that fake ballots were inserted.

That effort at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum is what has wrapped up. But Bennett said other audit work is ongoing, including the evaluation of data from election servers and voting machines. He said he expects a final report by Labor Day, but it could come as soon as late July.

I think too much emphasis has been put on the tasks that are happening here at the Coliseum, but these are not the only two tasks of the audit, Bennett said.

Auditors will vacate the Coliseum by the time their lease expires Wednesday evening, Bennett said in a text message. He did not respond to questions about where the ballots will go and whether they will be returned to the county.

Observers working for Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs have documented a variety of security lapses, shifting procedures and other issues, including the sloppy protection of passwords and combinations on locks controlling secured areas.

It's also unclear who is paying for the audit, but several fundraising groups tied to Trump supporters claim to have collected millions of dollars in donations. The Senate signed a $150,000 contract with Cyber Ninjas, which Logan has acknowledged is not enough to cover the costs.

Fann has said the audit is not meant to overturn the 2020 election but rather to see whether laws need improvement and instill confidence in elections. Logan says his personal views are irrelevant.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Amid increases in new COVID-19 cases in Arkansas, the governor says that the overwhelming majority of those hospitalized with the virus have not been vaccinated.

These vaccines are effective, but we need more Arkansans to get the shot, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Friday on Twitter.
ATHENS, W.Va. (AP)  Athens resident Darrell Fawley IV, who is 5-years-old and known by his family as Dary, almost always needs a book read to him by his dad before he can fall asleep at night.

I like when we read a new book and then Dary summarizes the plot, said Darrell Fawley III, Darys father. It is dedicated time together without electronics or anything else that we get, and books tend to lead to other conversations and can be great segues into important discussions and life lessons.

While reading to children is an integral part of many families, theres a twist in the Fawley family: Darrell Fawley III is a commander in the U.S. Army with 21 years of service and four separate deployments under his belt.

Despite his changes in duty stations and deployments, Fawley III has managed to encourage the love of reading that Dary has and foster important emotional connections through United Through Reading, a non-profit organization created to bring military families together through the sharing of stories.

It was founded by a Navy spouse who believed in the power of reading, said Sally Ann Zoll, CEO of United Through Reading that was created in 1989. She saw sailors leaving to deploy for six to eight months, and she worried about what little children would think of those sailors when they came homewould they remember them because they were gone for too long?

What began as sailors recording themselves reading books on VHS tapes for their children to follow, it quickly grew into the organization today, which has more than 2 million military families nationwide participating.

What we have found over the years that there are so many different levels and layers to this, Zoll said. We started hearing from the service members who were away who said, Wow, this was great because I was able to step aside from my mission and go to a quiet place and sit down and select the book to read to my childIt made me feel like I was really doing something to support my family.

Darrell Fawley III discovered the program during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2012 and initially sent videos to his niece. When Fawley and his wife Lindsey had Dary, Fawley was able to bring the impact directly to his own family unit.

Sometimes you cant connect through video or telephone for days, Fawley III said. Having a recorded book allows for a continued connection. I deployed (back to Afghanistan) when Dary was less than 2-years old, so having something to connect him to his father was a great way to ensure he remembered me when I came home.

Fawley III additionally utilized United Through Reading during a deployment to Poland in 2020.

Today, Fawley III is a professor of military science at Ohio University at Athens and Dary is a big brother to 1-year-old LillyAnne Fawley, who also is beginning to enjoy reading.

Darrell and I love to read a variety of different books, so we knew reading would be a big part of our lives as parents, Lindsey Fawley said. It has been wonderful to see the connection that reading together has given them, and when Darrell has to be away, Dary loves being able to hear his dads voice and try to follow along in the books on the recording as dad reads. I think that it will become even more important as Dary becomes more of an independent reader and more times of family separation occur.
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) 

From almost the beginning, searchers knew something was very wrong on Monday, June 22 of last year.

The day before, 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos failed to return to her Upper Leacock Township home after Amish church service.

Stoltzfoos had strong family ties with her parents and eight siblings and faith. She was planning to pick up a dessert to take to a youth group meeting that afternoon: She would not have run off.

About the best that searchers could hope for was that maybe she had gotten injured and was in a field. Perhaps a broken leg?

Instead, authorities say she was kidnapped by a stranger -- a crime so rare that it has happened fewer than 350 times nationwide between 2010-2017, based on FBI data compiled by the news outlet Reuters. Stoltzfoos was subsequently killed, according to Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams - likely within hours of her abduction, which happened four-tenths of a mile up the road from her home.

Susan Stauffer, president of Middle Creek Search and Rescue, recalled the emotions she and other searchers experienced in the first days after Lindas disappearance.

The search was heartbreaking and I honestly think I left each search crying, she said.

The volunteer rescue group was called about 7:30 a.m. that Monday. Stauffer has been involved in a dozen searches in her 10 years with the organization, but never one so close to home: The Stoltzfoos home is about a mile and a half drive from hers, but she did not know the family before.

It grips your heart because its right in my neighborhood. To think an 18-year-old girl was missing from here was very emotional.  This (search) was just different. Because it was so close to home and because of the community it hit. The Amish live a very upright life. I think a lot of them dont know what goes on in the world.

Tim Hoerner, president of the Hand-in-Hand Fire Company in Bird-in-Hand, which was also involved in the early searches, also recalled the impact on the community. He recalled going to the Stoltzfoos home on Beechdale Road that Monday morning. Police were already there.

We were looking at it from, hopefully it was going to be a short-term search, he said.

As Hoerner and others created a command center, he said, tremendous numbers of people came out, wanting to help.

The Amish are very involved in the fire company. Neighbors and friends also turned out.

You almost cant believe it to see when you have 400 to 600 people turn up for a search. You better have a plan in place, he said, explaining the need for volunteer sign-ins, communications, food arrangements, debriefing and such.

All of this was new to us, Hoerner said. Hes taken classes on searches, but you cant begin to be prepared for this.

The fire company had never worked with Middle Creek before, Hoerner said.

We learned their ropes, so to speak. After the first day of working with them, we knew what to do and why, he said

The search that Monday focused on the area immediately near the Stoltzfoos familys home. Its largely farms and farmland, about six mile east of downtown Lancaster.

Middle Creek conducts searches methodically, using grids mapped out with special software to guide searchers.

There were no resources that we couldnt come up with between the fire company and Middle Creek and the (East Lampeter Township) police department, Hoerner said.

Search dogs. Radios. Boats and dive teams to search Mill Creek and farmer ponds. Sonar.

As the search progressed into the next day, we looked for where she could self-hide or be hidden, Hoerner said. Besides fields, houses, barns, sheds were searched and re-searched, as was a millrace on Beechdale.

By the second day of the local search, Hoerner said he accepted that something bad had likely happened.

Still, Hoerner said, You try to look at life from the positive side.

On July 10 -- thanks to the help of a Beechdale Road residents security camera footage that captured a Kia Rio stop and a woman believed to be Stoltzfoos approach the car the day she went missing -- police arrested Justo Smoker and charged him with kidnapping and false imprisonment.

The 35-year-old Paradise Township man had been released from prison about 16 months earlier after serving about half of a 12-1/2- to 30-year prison sentence for a series of armed robberies committed when he was 21.

News of the arrest rocked the searchers.

From the standpoint of the community, no matter what, we wanted to bring closure to the family. It was really an incredible burden for them, Hoerner said. I think the whole community felt, we have to bring closure to them and hopefully, bring her alive but things were looking pretty gloomy.

Based on where Smokers cell phone information placed him and other information, the search moved to the Welsh Mountain area some 13 miles east of where Stoltzfoos went missing.

Middle Creek led four searches there. Depending on the area, the terrain could be heavily wooded, thickets, or farm fields. The Lancaster Conservancy has a 940-acre nature preserve there, or about 1.5 square miles.

At times searchers were just five to 10 feet from each other, according to Middle Creek Chief Wesley Clark.

Being about 20 to 30 feet apart is more common.

By fall, formal searches were off. Search and rescue teams dont just respond on their own, Clark said. Instead, they are called on by law enforcement or another official agency and act on their directives. And law enforcement doesnt share everything it knows with searchers, he said.

The search would also become by far that organizations largest search by far in its 27 years.

The search for Stoltzfoos was the only time Middle Creek did not find who they were looking for, Clark said.

In the end, Stoltzfoos body was found on April 21. She was buried about 42 inches deep on Amtrak property behind Smokers job, Dutchland Inc., located on Rte. 41 south of Gap. The area had previously been targeted, though the location where the remains were found is not easily accessible, District Attorney Adams said at the time of recovery.

In the May issue of The Diary, a monthly newspaper for the Amish across the country, Henry Fisher wrote, So a group of FBI and county agents searched in vain last Wednesday April 21 until they fetched the hand-cuffed prisoner to the property where he showed them where the grave was. True to his work, the body was found wrapped in tarp 42 inches below surface. About two hours later the news appeared on the Lindas hotline and spread around fast bringing a measured relief to anyone, especially to those who still carried a churning weight in their stomach of questioning grief.

Adams has declined to comment on how investigators learned Stoltzfoos location.

Smoker has pleaded not guilty to charges of homicide, kidnapping and false imprisonment. He was charged with her death on Dec. 21 after prosecutors said DNA samples collected by swabbing Smokers cheeks matched DNA samples found on Stoltzfoos stockings. Pennsylvania State Police found the stockings July 10 while searching a wooded area near a Ronks business where Smoker had been seen.

Trial date has not been set.

Adams acknowledged the interest the case has had locally and beyond. Several Facebook groups about Stoltzfoos disappearance formed, with members from all over the world. One woman from Minnesota wrote that she cried so hard the day Stoltzfoos was found that she went into stress-induced labor and had her daughter via emergency cesarean section the day of the funeral.

Our goal in this case has always been to bring Linda home to her family, to secure justice and to protect the community, Adams said. The recovery of Lindas body and allowing the family the ability to give her a proper burial was a significant step toward obtaining justice. Our office will continue to work toward procuring a murder conviction to provide the opportunity for closure and healing for Lindas family and the community.

Stauffer, Middle Creeks president, said she cried when she learned that Stoltzfoos body had been found and hoped it brought her family relief.

You just cant imagine going through this. Just to know that they have that now was just huge for me, she said.

As they have done in the past, the Stoltzfoos family declined LNPs request for comment.

___

Online:

https://bit.ly/3vFsvG1

-

This story has been corrected to correct all references to Tim Hoerner rather than Don Boyer.
WAVELAND, Miss. (AP)  Authorities on Saturday confirmed a body pulled from a Mississippi waterway just off Interstate 10 is that of a Louisiana woman reported missing earlier this week.

Hancock County Coroner Derek Turnage said evidence recovered at the scene points to the body recovered as that of Courtney Johnson, 34, of Madisonville, Louisiana.

Johnson's car, with her body inside, was found Friday submerged in water in Hancock County. Friends and family said she had been headed to Biloxi to meet up with friends. But when she never checked into her hotel, friends knew something was wrong. Their last contact with her was about 6 p.m. on Tuesday, when Johnson told them she was traveling east on Interstate 12.

St. Tammany Parish sheriff's investigators asked for help from the Hancock County Sheriff's Department on Friday. An auto locator on Johnson's car showed her last reported location as being on Interstate 10 near mile marker 2, about eight miles across the state line into Mississippi. Investigator were targeting an area where it appeared a vehicle had left the road. A later search revealed a submerged car, with a body inside, that was subsequently pulled from the water.

I do not wish this upon anybody to go through what we are going through, Johnsons mother, Tracy Johnson, told WWL-TV. This is my one and only child. My one and only child.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol is handling the investigation into the fatal crash, news outlets reported. Foul play is not suspected, authorities said.

Turnage said an autopsy will be conducted Monday to confirm the cause of death.

My thoughts and prayers go out the family and friends of Courtney during this difficult time, St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith said, WLOX-TV reported.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

CHICAGO (AP)  Chicagos City Council voted Friday to change the name of Lake Shore Drive to the name of a Black man recognized as a key settler of the city.

In a compromise, aldermen voted to rename one of the city's iconic roads to Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive. DuSable, a native of Haiti, is considered Chicagos first permanent, non-indigenous settler. He had a successful trading post in the late 1700s. He died in 1818. Chicago was incorporated as a town in 1833 and as a city four years later.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season formed Saturday and forecasters said it might grow a bit stronger while advancing northwestward off the Mexican coast, potentially causing heavy rainfall on shore.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Enrique's maximum sustained winds strengthened in its first hours but were holding near 85 mph (140 kph) Saturday evening. Earlier forecasts said Enrique could reach Category 2 strength by Sunday, but the center said the latest conditions pointed to only some slight further gain in power.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Eliseo De La Guardia was climbing an avocado tree behind a Broward County duplex when the limb he was balancing on got too close to a power line carrying 7,620 volts. The contact sent electricity through his body.

For years, neighbors had complained to the power company that the lines dividing the small blocks backyards were choked by tree limbs. When branches touched the lines, home lights dimmed and electricity visibly jumped from one stretch to another. And when the wind blew, the avocado trees branches would hit the wires and spark.

Florida Power & Light, which provides electricity to about half of the state, knew of at least nine times trees on that block interfered with power lines in the years leading up to the accident, according to court records. But when De La Guardia climbed the avocado tree to pick fruit in January 2013, the company hadnt performed routine trimming there for 15 years.

Two days later, De La Guardia died from his injuries. He was 42.

People are electrocuted at a higher rate in Florida Power & Lights service area than almost any other electricity provider in the state, a Tampa Bay Times analysis found. The only two that outpaced it were small power companies serving areas of north Florida.

Over a 13-year period through 2020, Florida Power & Light reported 118 deaths from people coming into contact with its power lines or other equipment, records show. Thats more than double all the other electric companies in Florida combined. Hundreds more suffered life-altering injuries. The companys service area stretches from South Florida into Manatee County and parts of Central Florida.

Florida Power & Light says in court filings it does not investigate the accidents to discern patterns or identify ways to prevent them in the future. Nor does the state utility regulator tasked with safety.

The Times found that more than half the deaths happened around homes when people touched tree limbs or cleared plants away from power lines. Though Florida Power & Light serves roughly the same number of customers as the states other utilities in total, it has about six times the number of deaths from people touching or trimming vegetation.

Those killed around vegetation were not people paid by the power company to work around electrical wires. They were people like De La Guardia picking fruit, a teenager climbing up stalks of bamboo or lawn maintenance workers hired by homeowners.

Such deaths and injuries spurred at least 42 lawsuits against the Juno Beach-based company, the Times found. In 14 of those cases, the people filing the lawsuit said the power company was aware of problems before the accident.

The safety of our customers and workforce is our top priority, but it is a shared responsibility of everyone, David Reuter, chief communications officer for the company, said in a letter to the Times. We believe that any death is one too many when it concerns members of the public coming into contact with our equipment.

Florida Power & Light is the third-largest power company in the country by customers served  about 5 million.

Despite recurring lawsuits and deaths, Florida Power & Light trims trees around neighborhood power lines less often than the states other investor-owned utilities and has fought proposals and ignored expert recommendations to trim more frequently, records show.

The breakdown is Florida Power & Light, said David Mishael, a lawyer who has handled four lawsuits against the utility. They want to make such a profit for their shareholders and for themselves that they dont want to trim the trees.

***

Floridas power companies have one main goal  to keep the lights on. But the states iconically lush trees and plants are among the biggest factors working against them.

Avocado trees can grow nearly 5 feet in a single year. Bamboo can grow several feet in a week.

Vegetation is consistently one of the top five causes of power outages in reports submitted each year by the states investor-owned power companies, which serve most of the states utility customers. Trees and plants caused 22 percent of the 150,000 outages in 2020 reported by Floridas five investor-owned power companies.

The Times analyzed incidents reported in the years after Florida Power & Light and its investor-owned peers were ordered by the state to begin what would become its current vegetation management program. All the states utilities are required to report deaths, injuries and significant safety incidents involving their equipment to regulators.

More than a third of the injuries Florida Power & Light reported happened around homes when people were picking fruit, trimming trees or otherwise interacting with plants in yards.

Joe Dicicco, 57, had complained to Florida Power & Light for months about a cluster of bamboo on the side of his Venice home. The former junior high teacher said he and his neighbor reported power outages at least six times after the swaying stalks touched nearby overhead lines. Things escalated in the spring of 2015 when the bamboo caught fire after touching the lines and later knocked them down. But after six months, the power company hadnt removed the stalks, and a Category 1 hurricane was expected in a matter of days.

As Dicicco attempted to trim them himself, a stalk hit the power lines and an electric shock threw Dicicco to the ground. His torso was impaled on a previously cut cluster of bamboo. His injuries, which ended his career, make it difficult for him to leave home for extended periods. Florida Power & Light has denied responsibility for Diciccos injuries in its response to a lawsuit Dicicco has filed against the utility.

Im not the same person, Dicicco told the Times.

Dozens of others died while climbing or trying to tame backyard vegetation that the utility company had not.

Daniel Gonzalez, 24, was hired to trim an almond tree that overhung a power line in a Dade County yard. The homeowner sought his services in 2015 after four calls to Florida Power & Light failed to draw a response, according to court documents from a lawsuit that followed.

As Gonzalez was finishing, he realized the tree had become electrified by the power lines. He warned his cousin, but it was too late for Gonzalez.

I hear him tell me just, D, the tree has electricity, David Acuna, his cousin, testified during the lawsuit. And thats the last I heard from him. Florida Power & Light denied the allegations against it and the case was later settled.

Among the youngest electrocuted was Justin Dominguez, 15. Dominguez was playing with his cousins behind his neighbors Fort Myers home in 2011. He was the best tree climber in the family, his cousins said during court hearings afterward. To demonstrate his skills, he shimmied up a long cluster of bamboo.

Florida Power & Light knew the bamboo stalks caused outages and damage to the nearby lines. The companys inspectors had ordered the bamboo to be removed three years earlier after attending to a downed line, court records show.

But it didnt remove this one. The plant was so tall by the time Dominguez climbed it that it touched the power lines, shocking him. He died shortly afterward.

A jury found Florida Power & Light liable for $23.75 million in a lawsuit that followed, including $15 million in punitive damages. An appeals court dismissed the punitive damages.

Most cases dont make it as far as a trial. Twenty-seven of the cases the Times reviewed were closed as of June, 19 of which were settled for undisclosed terms.

Reuter, the Florida Power & Light spokesperson, said the company does not comment on pending or past litigation. But he disputed that Dominguez was playing, saying he was nearly two stories high on the bamboo 10 feet away from the power line when it made contact. His letter noted the utilitys death rate has remained relatively steady despite significant population growth.

***

The Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, ordered investor-owned power companies to establish a consistent trimming schedule following devastating back-to-back hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005. The commission recommended three years for power lines that run along main streets and three years on neighborhood lines, which run adjacent to homes.

Florida Power & Light asked for double the length  six years  on neighborhood lines.

One of the main drivers was cost, Florida Power & Light said at the time. The longer cycle, the company argued, would save $30 million a year.

Regulators approved the companys request, giving it one of the longest neighborhood trimming cycles of any of its peers in the state. Duke Energy trims its neighborhood lines every five years, while Tampa Electric and Gulf Power Co. both trim every four years. Only Florida Public Utilities Co., which has a small fraction of Florida Power & Lights customer base, has a six-year cycle for neighborhood lines in its northern Florida territory.

Years before regulators required a trim cycle, Florida Power & Light hired contractors to examine its vegetation management program. It was told by both that it needed to do more frequent tree trimming, according to reports contained in court filings. Both recommended cycles shorter than six years.

The companys maintenance schedule proved ineffective at keeping many tree limbs away from lines between cycles, records and court filings allege.

A company employee acknowledged the challenges in court testimony following the death of Gonzalez, the man hired to trim an almond tree in Dade County.

You cant trim a tree to keep it clear for six years, Chris Halsey, an employee for Florida Power & Light called on in 2017 to testify in the case. That was not going to happen just due to the way trees grow and their growth rate and a bunch of other factors.

Benjamin Koubek, a worker for one of the power companys vegetation management contractors, said in a 2015 court deposition that the utility told customers that neighborhood lines were trimmed an average of four to six years.

But I know that that was not the case, he said. Instead, some of those lines werent being trimmed at all, he said.

Koubek also said that he knew for a fact that there was no trim history on certain neighborhood lines.

Yet in a report filed in early 2013 with the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida Power & Light said it had trimmed 100.3 percent of its neighborhood lines since its new schedule was put into place in 2007.

The power company said performing routine trimming isnt easy or welcome by many customers. Its workers, the company said, often encounter locked gates and dogs let out to deter them. Or they experience physical assault, including being spat on.

Sometimes, police are called on them and customers file lawsuits over trimming. Thats particularly true, Florida Power & Light said, for fruit and palm trees. The power company said its territory has more fruit trees than any other utility, and more vegetation generally.

***

When Florida Power & Light is sued over deaths and injuries, it often points the finger at customers and contractors.

The companys position is that once its contractors trim the trees around neighborhood lines, customers are supposed to keep those trees in check.

Its customer agreements require that businesses and homeowners ensure any new trees planted are an appropriate species and distance from its lines. Florida Power & Light said it encourages this through its Right Tree, Right Place program to help guide customers and does outreach in multiple languages.

Personal accountability by members of the public is the single most important driver of safe behavior around electrical equipment, the companys spokesperson said.

Underscoring the customers responsibility is one of Florida Power & Lights main legal strategies when lawsuits arise. It blamed the 15-year-old whose death brought a judgment for climbing the bamboo in the first place; the court ruled the utility was 70 percent at fault.

The utility often blames those performing the work for not having proper tools and equipment. And it blames the contractors it has worked with for years.

In many of the vegetation accident cases the Times reviewed, Florida Power & Light argued that if there is an issue with its vegetation management program, the companies it contracts with to perform the work are to blame.

In one instance, Florida Power & Light went after one of its main contractors, Lewis Tree, for settlement costs after someone died. The contractor refused to reimburse the utility in a case where an elderly man was electrocuted trimming a tree for a member of his church. Reached by phone, Lewis Tree declined to comment.

Florida Public Service Commission officials said they only have the authority to ensure the poles and lines themselves are up to code. While they are aware of a general pattern of people dying or being injured while picking fruit, they only look for indications of equipment problems.

The only way to fix that is to require the lines be even higher, but thats going to be very expensive and require other practical considerations, said Tony Velazquez, safety supervisor for the regulator. You just cant raise the lines like that so that people dont do silly things.

***

The accidents that Florida Power & Light reports to regulators likely do not represent everyone who was injured or killed around homes.

The Times found one accident reported to regulators as an injury even though the person later died. Two other court cases describing injuries during tree trimming around power lines were not reported.

Last year, the power company reported 10 deaths, seven of which happened during tree trimming and fruit picking around homes.

Eight years after her husband De La Guardia died, Magaly Terry-Gonzalez now lives in a modest apartment a few minutes drive from the house they shared. Florida Power & Light denied the allegations against it in court, later settling with Terry-Gonzalez. She still misses moments with De La Guardia, like cooking meals for him and his friends as they laughed and played dominoes.

In a photo album with pictures of the couple and her children, De La Guardia has a black cross drawn on his forehead to mark his death.

I never forgot, she said.

___

Former Tampa Bay Times staff writer Ileana Najarro contributed to this report.
HONOLULU (AP)  Hawaii health officials said Friday that the more transmissible and potentially more harmful delta variant of COVID-19 has been detected in all four of the state's major counties.

The state Department of Health has found 13 cases of the delta variant so far, including seven or eight that related to people who have traveled from out of state. There is also evidence of community spread of the variant.
BUCARAMANGA, Colombia (AP)  Colombian President Ivan Duque said Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several senior officials came under fire in the southern Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, in a rare instance of a direct attack on a presidential aircraft.

Duque said everyone on board the helicopter was safe, including himself, Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios and the governor of Norte de Santander state, Silvano Serrano. They had just attended an event titled Peace with Legality, the Sustainable Catatumbo chapter.

I want to inform the country that after fulfilling a commitment in Sardinata, in Catatumbo approaching the city of Cucuta, the presidential helicopter was the victim of an attack, the president said in a statement.

He said the helicopters equipment and capabilities prevented something lethal from happening. A video released by the presidency showed several bullet holes in the Colombian air force helicopter.

Duque did not provide the time of the attack or say who he believed carried it out, but several armed groups are known to operate in the area.

The president said the cowardly attack would not make him stop fighting drug trafficking, terrorism and organized crime. The message is that Colombia is always strong in the face of crime and our institutions are above any threat, he said.

Cucuta, where the flight was headed, was already on a security alert after a June 14 car bomb attack at a military base that caused 36 injuries to both members of the military and civilians. Colombian authorities have not confirmed who was behind that attack, but have said they suspect dissidents from the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas or the rebel National Liberation Army. The latter has denied being behind the attack.

In 2018, when the conservative Duque began his presidency, the government said it was investigating possible attacks being planned against the president at a public event. The attacks never materialized.
INDIANA, Pa. (AP)  When Nellie Bly completed her globe-circling journey in 1890, the New York World hailed the intrepid journalist as the best-known and most widely talked-of young woman on earth today.

But had she not dropped out of Indiana Normal School a decade before, no one would have ever heard of her. Fact is, Nellie Bly wouldnt have existed.

The woman born Elizabeth Cochran in Armstrong County, who pioneered undercover investigative journalism under her nom de plume and was eulogized by the New York Evening Journal upon her 1922 death as the best reporter in America, might well have spent her years toiling in virtual anonymity, perhaps in a rural schoolhouse, had she received her teaching certificate from INS, the forerunner of IUP.

Instead, she became what biographer Brooke Kroeger called one of the most rousing characters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Educations loss was journalisms gain.

Misfortune dogged Bly in her formative years. Her father died when she was 6, without a will, leaving the Cochrans in dire financial straits. Her mother remarried, to an abusive alcoholic who terrorized the family. And her dreams of becoming a teacher were shattered when money in her trust fund mysteriously disappeared.

Setbacks of that nature might have staggered someone else. They didnt deter Bly.

If you have those kinds of bad experiences in your younger life, you can become a pessimist and say, thats it, I give up, whatever happens to me happens to me, life is cruel, that kind of thing, says Pat Heilman, professor emeritus of journalism at IUP who created and taught the class Women and the Press, which celebrated Blys achievements. She took the other attitude, which was, Im gonna overcome all this.

Bly was born in 1864 in Cochrans Mills, a small community inundated in 1940 when a dam was constructed to form Crooked Creek Lake. Her father, associate Armstrong County judge Michael Cochran, operated a prosperous grist mill on the banks of Crooked Creek and owned extensive lands. The family moved to Apollo in 1869 and settled into a sprawling 2-story home on Terrace Avenue, along what was known as Mansion Row. But tragedy struck a year later when the head of the household passed away suddenly. Because Cochran died intestate, the property was sold at public auction, leaving his widow, Mary Jane, and her five children scrambling to make ends meet.

The judges oldest son by his first wife files a petition for the estate, and that meant everything had to be sold off and divided, Heilman says. Now under Pennnsylvania law, because Mary Jane was not mentioned in a will  there was no will  the only thing she was entitled to was called a widows dower, and that was the annual interest off a third of the estate. She never gets the principal, only the interest.

The Cochrans were forced to vacate the mansion. They took up residence in a modest home just around the corner, on North Sixth Street.

They went from a 10,000-square-foot house and being very wealthy and prominent to being maybe not destitute but pretty close, says Linda Champanier, a Bly descendant and authority on the family history who resides in Olive Bridge, N.Y. They moved into a house that was significantly smaller. It was a dramatic change.

More hardship was to follow. Blys mother remarried in 1873, to Civil War veteran John Jackson Ford, who had serious anger issues.

She didnt make a good choice, Heilman says. He had no money. He had debts. And he was a drunk. Other than that it was a perfect match. There were some really wild things that went on. One time she ran out of the house with the kids and went to a neighbors, and he nailed all the doors and windows shut. The man was bizarre.

Kroeger, in Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist, recounted a harrowing incident that occurred in 1878.

The family sat down to dinner and an argument erupted, she wrote. Ford went wild. He swore at Mary Jane and the children, broke furniture, slammed into the plaster walls until they cracked, knocked down and broke the hanging baskets, and kicked a hole in a rocking chair. His rage continued into the next day, when he came home shouting and carrying on.  At the table, Ford flung his coffee to the floor, then carved the meat. He picked up the bone and hurled it at Mary Jane. She threw it back. Ford jumped up, took a loaded pistol out of his pocket and lunged at his wife.

Elizabeth and her brother Albert jumped between them and blocked Ford while Mary Jane fled out the front door. It wasnt the first time he had pulled a gun on her.

Ford eventually left town and Mary Jane was granted a divorce in June of 1879. That September, Elizabeth  by then she was spelling her surname Cochrane  left home for INS and moved into her fourth-floor dormitory room in John Sutton Hall, eager to begin her studies. But her stay on campus was painfully brief, lasting little more than three months.

Colonel Samuel Jackson was her trustee  he was also on the board of trustees at Indiana Normal School  so she goes to see him to ask if there was enough money in her trust to go to the Normal School, Heilman says. The teacher education curriculum was three years, $75 a term, something like that. So he estimated the whole thing, with travel and other expenses, would be well over $400 for the whole program. But he assured her, yes, you have plenty of money. She goes for one term and then he tells her, oh, you dont have any more money.

It had vanished, along with her dreams of becoming a teacher.

If youre looking at what formed Nellie, she might have been influenced by all the things that happened when she was young, Heilman says. You cant depend on men because theyll die and not have made any provisions for you; or theyll be drunk and abusive and youre stuck as a woman; or your trust fund disappears, either by sloppy bookkeeping or possibly embezzlement. I think it made her say to herself, Im gonna make it on my own. I am not going to have to depend on any man for my survival.

Nellie Bly was determined to chart a different path.

A pivotal point in Elizabeths life occurred in 1885.

The Cochrans had moved to a row house in Allegheny City  Pittsburghs North Side today, but then a separate municipality  five years before. Mary Jane took in boarders and Nellie supplemented the family income by working as a tutor, nanny and housekeeper.

In January of 1885, the Pittsburg (then spelled without the h) Dispatch published a letter from Anxious Father, who was puzzled over what he should do with his five unmarried daughters, aged 18 to 26. Columnist Erasmus Wilson, who wrote as The Quiet Observer, responded with a misogynistic screed about working women, calling them a monstrosity and insisting that a womans sphere is defined and located by a single word  home.

An outraged Cochran crafted a passionate rebuttal that grabbed the attention of editor George Madden, who ultimately offered her a job.

Madden then informed Cochran that she would need a pen name, common practice for female reporters of that era. Inspiration struck when a copy boy strolled past whistling Nelly Bly, a popular tune by Pittsburgh-born songwriter Stephen Foster. Madden misspelled the first name, so the fledgling reporter was known forever after as Nellie Bly.

The new hire chafed under the constraints of the day. Writing assignments for women back then generally consisted of reporting on fashion, society functions, flower shows. Bly yearned to tackle weightier issues, to do something no girl has done before, she said. To blaze a trail, in effect.

Bly did just that, often at great personal risk. In the years to come she traveled to Mexico and wrote about government corruption; posed as an indigent mother to expose a black market baby-selling ring; addressed gender inequality embedded in divorce laws; posed as a sweatshop worker to expose abysmal conditions faced by women; and, in a journalistic tour de force, feigned insanity to report on the deplorable conditions at Blackwells Island in New York City, home to the infamous Womens Lunatic Asylum.

She made her own way, really without help from anybody, Champanier says. They were assigning her these little fluff pieces. She came up with things on her own, like being committed to Blackwells Island and her trip to Mexico. I think she was an amazing woman, tremendously strong in a very deep sense.

Bly worked little more than two years at the Dispatch. Before departing, she left a note for Wilson, whose chauvinistic rant had ruffled her feathers and led to a newspaper job: Dear Q.O., I am off for New York. Look out for me. Bly.

Its like she knew, Heilman says. I think what she was saying when she wrote look out for me was, Im going places. Youre gonna hear about me.

Less than two years later she had become a sensation, her daring exploits chronicled in newspapers from coast to coast. Including Wilsons.

Bly had talked her way into an interview with Joseph Pulitzer, editor of the New York World, and proposed a story about the mistreatment of female patients at the Blackwells Island asylum. But rather than go there as a reporter, she suggested a bold approach: Bly would feign mental illness and go undercover as a patient.

The series of stories she wrote about the horrors of asylum life became the basis for her best-selling book Ten Days in a Mad-House.

Bly reported on the appalling conditions, barbaric practices and sadistic nurses. Patients were beaten, starved and forced to sit silently for hours on end, with nothing to distract them or fill up their time. What, excepting torture, would produce insanity quicker than this treatment? Bly wrote.

Some patients were immigrants, locked up simply because they couldnt speak English. Foreigner Louise Schanz, she wrote, was confined most probably for life behind asylum bars, without even being told in her language the why and wherefore.

Bly, who had dropped her insanity act upon arriving at Blackwells Island, was herself a victim of abuse. She described in detail one of the nurses favorite forms of torture: cold-water baths.

Suddenly I got, one after the other, three buckets of water over my head  ice-cold water, too  into my eyes, my ears, my nose and my mouth, Bly wrote. I think I experienced some of the sensations of a drowning person as they dragged me, gasping, shivering and quaking, from the tub. For once I did look insane.

After 10 days, Pulitzer arranged for her release. Bly called her Blackwells experience the ten longest days of my life.

Her eyewitness accounts in the World, which were reprinted in newspapers all over the country, sparked outrage and spurred reforms.

There were significant changes because of that, Champanier says. I think of all the things that she did, that was the most transformative. Its just stunning that she had to courage to do that.

Already a national figure, Bly gained international fame two years later by racing a fictional character. She had proposed to Pulitzer making a circuit of the earth in an attempt to beat the time of Phileas Fogg, the adventurous protagonist of Jules Vernes Around the World in Eighty Days.

Bly boarded the steamship Augusta Victoria in Hoboken, N.J., on Nov. 11, 1889, bound for England, her only baggage a leather satchel not much larger than a typical doctors bag. She captivated readers of the World with her dispatches on the customs, fashions, cuisine, homes and places of worship in the exotic lands she visited. Bly also wrote about the people she met, including Verne himself, whom she visited during a detour to his residence in Amiens, France.

She also made stops in Italy, Egypt, Aden (now Yemen), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Japan before crossing the United States from west to east. Blys railroad car pulled into Jersey City, N.J., on Jan. 25, 1890. She had traveled 24,899 miles in 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes. The World boasted she had girdled the globe in record time.

The station was packed with thousands of people, and the moment I landed on the platform, one yell went up from them, and the cannons at the Battery and Fort Greene boomed out the news of my arrival, Bly wrote. I took off my cap and wanted to yell with the crowd, not because I had gone around the world in seventy-two days, but because I was home again.

The adoring throng acknowledged the truth of the Worlds claim: Their reporter was in fact the best-known and most talked about young woman on the planet. And to think that, had the woman born Elizabeth Cochran not dropped out of Indiana Normal School, no one would ever have heard of Nellie Bly.

___

Online:

https://bit.ly/3qdFeyy
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP)  A special investigator has been appointed to evaluate how several Mississippi counties can better serve people with mental illness who wind up in court.

WLOX-TV reports that attorney Melissa Baria DiFatta will serve as a mental health ombudsman in Jackson, George, and Green counties. DiFatta said the primary focus of her investigation will be on lowering the number of people needing repeated care.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  A judge has sentenced a Waterloo man to life behind bars for first-degree murder in what prosecutors described as the revenge killing of another man.

Judge Linda Fangman ordered Raymond Birden Jr., 22, to life in prison and $150,000 restitution for what prosecutors described as a revenge killing, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  A man was fatally shot during a shootout with police Friday in Kansas City, Kansas after he allegedly tried to break into a home.

Kansas City, Kansas police spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand told The Kansas City Star that the man had been shot by the homeowner when police arrived at the house Friday afternoon.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Federal prosecutors say a Mississippi woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling a total of more than $600,000 from two Louisiana employers.

Christy Bartholomew, 39, of Hattiesburg, pleaded guilty earlier this week to wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a Friday news release.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday ruled that a Guatemalan mother who fled her home country and Nebraska to escape abusive men can keep her children.

The court ruled unanimously for the mother, known as Juana L, the Omaha-Journal World reported.

She became pregnant with her first child in Guatemala when she was 12, according to court testimony. The father abandoned her.

Juana later moved to live with her grandmother, where she was raped and became pregnant again. She then fled to Nebraska, where her parents lived.

But she continued to face abuse in Norfolk. She became pregnant a third time by a sexually and physically abusive boyfriend, who also hurt her children.

She was reported to the Health and Human Services Department for leaving her 4- and 2-year-old sons at her Norfolk home alone while taking her baby to the doctor.

She later fled to Minnesota to escape her abusive boyfriend without notifying the agency. When Juana was arrested for using fake identification to get a job, the Madison County Attorneys Office tried to take away her children.

She was granted asylum and released from custody in 2020.

The court ruled that Juanas criminal offenses don't make her an unfit mother and that she's unlikely to reoffend.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  Minority and women entrepreneurs spent time with the Greenville community and introduced their businesses to potential customers in a new monthly market last Thursday.

The Third Thursday Market was started by Village Launch and will be held at Poe West on the third Thursday of each month this summer. The first market was held last Thursday and included over a dozen vendors, live music and the Project Host food truck.

Charles Davis, Jr. joined Thursdays market to increase brand awareness of his new business, A Polished Man, and to interact with customers.

The Poe West market, today, was a great opportunity for us to get out in the Greenville community and introduce people to the brand, Davis said.

A Polished Man is a mens accessories store. Davis calls it his Covid baby because the idea was born during a birthday trip to Spartanburg this past year.

Davis likes to shop for pocket squares whenever he visits a city and thought of creating a space focused on mens accessories. He hopes to open a physical location in downtown Greenville by the end of this year.

These markets will be fun events, but are also meant to assist minority and women owned entrepreneurs from the area, Rhonda Rawlings, Mill Community Ministries neighborhood engagement director, said.

With so much growth coming to Greenville, Rawlings hopes this market will highlight hometown small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Jessica Rose hopes to be part of that Greenville growth soon. She said joining the market will help her attract Greenville customers to her day spa in Spartanburg, Forever Yung Day Spa, at a time when shes thinking of expanding her business.

Dan Weidenbenner, executive director of Mill Community Ministries, said these markets target businesses with Village Launch  which is a part of Mill Community Ministries and is a business incubator for minority and women entrepreneurs in west Greenville  as well as businesses with START:ME SPARTANBURG  a small business incubator in north Spartanburg.

West Greenville is a historically Black community and local small businesses were a great platform to build wealth and jobs in the area from within the community, he said.

Minority women in particular have been the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in the country in recent years, and Weidenbenner said it was important that these entrepreneurs have access to the necessary opportunities and resources.

Tamika Thompson  owner of Beyond This February, an online bookstore that prioritizes Black authors and Black characters  participated in the market to connect with the community and other entrepreneurs.

Ive been able to not only talk to people but actually learn a little bit about why people are shopping with me, Thompson said.

Thompson  who is looking to open a physical storefront in Spartanburg next year  learned that reading groups and book clubs need orders to get filled for certain titles and that these groups prefer to get input from someone, rather than just picking books online.

Weidenbenner added that interacting with customers and the community is an important aspect of these markets  especially with how difficult it was to do so during the heights of the pandemic.

This is such a great test market  test field for entrepreneurs to get feedback from the community, Weidenbenner said. To see how their product is doing  are people purchasing it? Is it solving a problem in the community?

The markets  a collaboration with Poe West, 98 Ventures and the Truist Culinary and Hospitality Innovation Center  will run through the summer and potentially into the fall.

Each Third Thursday Market could have different venders as business owners will register for each individual market. The market does not charge vendors for space at the market and vendors can register on the Village Launch website.

We just want to be an encouragement to those small businesses and entrepreneurs, Rawlings said. That their services are valued and they can make a difference with their companies.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP)  The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has arrested another child of former leader Violeta Chamorro, the woman who once defeated him for the presidency, in the runup to elections this year.

Former Congressman Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Barrios was arrested late Friday, accused of acts against the sovereignty and independence of Nicaragua, according to authorities.

He is the brother of presidential aspirant Cristiana Chamorro, who has been under house arrest since June 2, and journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro, who recently announced he had left the country to avoid arrest.

The siblings are children of Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Cardenal, whose 1978 assassination made him a martyr of the struggle against dictator Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown by the Sandinista forces led by Ortega in 1979.

Chamorro Cardenal's widow Violeta, who is now 90, went on to defeat Ortega in elections in 1990 and served until 1997.

Ortega, now 75, was elected back into the presidency in 2006 and is seeking his fourth consecutive term.

The arrest of Chamorro Barrios, a former congressman, means at least 21 people linked to the opposition have been arrested in the past four weeks, accused of crimes ranging from terrorism to money laundering to treason.

They include five potential candidates in the Nov. 7 presidential election, two former deputy foreign ministers, two former Sandinista guerrilla chiefs, a banker, a businessman and several leaders of opposition groups.

A police statement said Chamorro Barrios is suspected of proposing and promoting economic, commercial and financial blockades against the country and its institutions.

Carlos Fernando Chamorro said in a message via Twitter that police kidnapped his brother and to fabricate alleged crimes ... against citizens who demand free elections.

Chamorro Barrios is part of the Citizens for Liberty opposition group that has registered to participate in the November elections. Two of the other detainees were officially contending for its presidential nomination.

On Thursday, relatives of 16 Nicaraguan opposition figures held a news conference to demand the government let them see their loved ones, know where they are and how they are doing.

The families said during a virtual news conference that they believe most if not all of the prisoners are in the infamous El Chipote prison in Managua, where many of those detained for participating in street protests against the government in 2018 were taken.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Angry demonstrators clashed with Palestinian security forces for a third day Saturday during a protest in the West Bank over the death of an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority who died while in custody.

Hundreds gathered in the city of Ramallah  the headquarters of the PA  to chant slogans against President Mahmoud Abbas, two days after Abbas forces beat activist Nizar Banat shortly after his arrest.

The protesters held Palestinian flags and posters of Banat, and called on Abbas to quit. The people want to overthrow the regime, they chanted along with, step down, Abbas!

As the protesters began to march to Abbas office compound, a group of the president's supporters blocked the rally, prompting an exchange of stone-throwing between the two sides. Palestinian security forces in riot gear fired tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters, sending many running away for cover.

Later, Abbas supporters gathered in a counter rally, with many chanting: People want Abbas as president.

On Thursday, demonstrators had set fires, blocked the streets of the city center and clashed with riot police in Ramallah. Palestinians also chanted against the PA at Banat's funeral in Hebron and masked gunmen fired shots into the air. Hundreds also rallied against Abbas after Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

The crackdown comes as the internationally-backed PA faces a growing backlash from Palestinians who view it as corrupt and increasingly autocratic, a manifestation of a three-decade peace process that is nowhere close to delivering Palestinian independence.

The PA controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while its rival, the militant Hamas group, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Abbas, who was elected to a four-year term in 2005, has little to show after more than a decade of close security coordination with Israel.

The EU has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority over the years, and the U.S. and other nations have trained and equipped its security forces. The PA is seen internationally as a key partner in efforts to revive the Middle East peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

In a series of posts and live videos on his Facebook, Banat had talked about the PAs close security coordination with Israel, seen by many Palestinians as betrayal, and its corruption. He severely slammed Abbas in April for calling off what would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years. Banat was a candidate on a slate formed of academics and PA opponents.

The PA said it formed a high-level committee to investigate Banats death. His family said he was beaten in custody. An initial forensic examination concluded the cause of the death was unnatural.

___

Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Cairo contributed to this report.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) 

As Megan Garmans due date approached, she began making calls to several child care centers in the Johnstown area to get her daughter enrolled, but found herself signing up for waiting list after waiting list.

Its very, very stressful, she said.

Garman began her search more than one year ago and is still waiting for a slot to open up. Thankfully, she said, a family member was able to fill in, but the working mother knows thats not a permanent solution.

Every few months, she calls the centers again to see if her family has moved up on the waiting lists and hopes for the best.

Its like theres no light at the end of the tunnel, Garman said.

The Johnstown residents story is not uncommon in Pennsylvania, which suffers from a lack of access and affordability for child care and early childhood education facilities.

There are more than 500,000 Pennsylvanian children under the age of 5 and about 300,000 infants and toddlers who need child care, according to advocacy group Start Strong PA. Roughly half in both categories are eligible for Child Care Works  a state subsidized program that provides low-income families with access to reliable, quality programs.

More than 80% of children under 5 are under-served, the group said. Infants and toddlers face a similar situation with about 85% under-served.

Additionally, Pre-K for PA, another advocacy group, reports that 60% of 170,000 eligible Pennsylvanian children dont have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

Theres a waiting list

Garman said the stressful situation has caused her to consider quitting her job at Greater Johnstown Elementary School so she can take care of her daughter, which has left her feeling like shes stuck between a rock and a hard place. The reason for the waiting lists, shes been told by area facilities, is a lack of employees.

Lisa Zayac, another Johnstown mother, is in a similar situation. Her 6-year-old, Jamison Gibson, is enrolled at a Learning Lamp facility downtown, and Zayac is expecting her second child in September.

Already having a child in a program doesnt guarantee a spot for her second child, though.

Zayac works for the kidney center DaVita and aims to keep working after giving birth. She wants her baby nowhere else but The Learning Lamp.

I have a lot of trust in them, she said. They were great with my son.

Zayac spoke fondly about the provider and said the early childhood education agency prepared her son well for kindergarten. She considers the employees there family and still relies on the organization for after-school care. That quality of service is why she wants her newborn in the same facility, she said.

At the moment, Zayac hasnt found another option, but is on three waiting lists, just to be safe.

Everywhere Ive called, theres a waiting list for all of them, she said.

The situation is stressful for Zayac, who added that, if she cant find additional child care, her family will be in trouble.

Know what to do

A possible solution that could benefit some Johnstown parents and others across the state is if more funding were committed to child care and early childhood education programs, such as Pre-K Counts and Head Start.

In 2020, Pennsylvania spent about $334 million on pre-kindergarten, up by more than $30 million from the previous year, according to a recent study by the National Institute for Early Education Research. But additional funding would go a long way toward providing access to high-quality programs, the study shows.

The National Institute for Early Education Research recommends a state and federal initiative to achieve that goal. In Pennsylvania, that would mean spending about $250 million more per year for pre-k and another $57 million for the Head Start program.

Gerald Zahorchak, former state secretary of education and current chairman of the education department at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, is in favor of a funding boost.

The key is like many, many things, he said. We know what to do. We just dont have the will as government to do what we know will work and ultimately will cause much more productivity for our nation, our state, this region, this county, our local areas.

Absolutely essential

The 2015 Early Childhood Education study completed by Sneha Elango, Jorge Luis Garcia and James J. Heckman, all of the University of Chicago, showed that early learning not only provides short-term gains, but also generates success later in life, boosting outcomes such as education, employment, health and reduced criminal activity.

Early childhood education is absolutely essential for our country to do well, Zahorchak said.

According to a fact sheet from Heckmans website, www.heckmanequation.com, children who had access to early childhood education programs have lasting IQ gains and boosts in socio-emotional skills.

We have to do a much better job at developing, supporting, paying for the early childhood care centers and education centers, Zahorchak said.

Quality care has been shown to benefit working mothers who want to build skills and enter the workforce as well.

It gives children from lower-income families the same chance as kids from a more fortunate family, Somerset mother Deana Platt said.

Her three children have been enrolled in the various offerings by Somerset County-based Tableland Services Inc., and her youngest is currently participating in Head Start.

They have been very helpful, she said. Not sure how I would have paid for those out of pocket at those times.

Platts expenses cost her $48 per month because of a state subsidy. She said that, without the assistance, she wouldnt be able to afford care and would be in a bind.

A good foundation

According to the 2018 ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report shared by the United Way of the Laurel Highlands for Somerset County, child care for a family with two children in a program could cost more than $1,100 per month, based on figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

I am truly thankful for Tableland and all of their services, Platt said. Between the housing, work and kid programs they offer, they have made a positive impact in our familys lives.

Anne Garrison, director of early childhood education at Tableland, described such programs as having a benefit that lasts a persons entire life.

It gives the country a good foundation, she said.

Garrison said the programs offered by Tableland Services are free for families that qualify  based on income guidelines and funded by grants  and many are connected to area school districts. However, that doesnt mean that every eligible family is taking advantage of the offerings. Garrison noted that more affluent families tend not to send their children to Head Start and other similar programs.

That doesnt change the fact that those individuals need exposure to other youngsters and how to be part of a group, she added.

They arent alone

For those who chose an alternate route, there are in-home programs, such as nurse-family planning, Tablelands Family Center and Beginnings Inc.s Parents as Teachers initiatives.

Parents, often referred to as a childs first teacher, are provided with skills to support their childrens learning.

It helps them understand they arent alone, Beginnings Executive Director Paula Eppley-Newman said.

Parents as Teachers has been implemented in the area for more than a decade, serves children from birth to age 5 and is completely funded so parents dont have to pay. Eppley-Newman said the program has a curriculum, but is specific for the individuals.

Were just there to support the family, she said.

Eppley-Newman said Beginnings serves about 100 families per month with Parents as Teachers.

Pennsylvania offers a free service to locate quality child care and early learning programs called COMPASS. For more information, visit www.compass.state.pa.us/Compass.web/ProviderSearch, www.education.pa.gov and www.dhs.pa.gov.

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Online:

https://bit.ly/3wKL39p
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP)  A 10-year-old girl and two adults have been killed after the minivan they were in was struck by a train in northwestern Indiana.

The 1 a.m. Saturday crash in East Chicago also sent three boys between the ages of 10 and 7 to hospitals where they were listed in critical condition, police said.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP)  A woman accused of setting a fire that damaged three buildings and displaced a dozen New jersey families earlier this month has been arrested, prosecutors said.

The Hudson County prosecutor's office announced the arrest of the 62-year-old suspect in a brief statement on social media Friday without providing details. The announcement came hours after authorities asked for help from the public in finding the Jersey city suspect.
CAIRO (AP)  An apartment building collapsed in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing at least five women, Egyptian state-run media reported on Saturday.

The report by the daily Al-Ahram said that along with the five deaths, a 70-year-old woman was injured when the five-story building in the citys Attarin neighborhood collapsed on Friday.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP)  Managers of a burning warehouse, which rapidly became so engulfed that flames threatened nearby homes, waited a day before calling the local fire department for help, Georgia state investigators said in a report.

A giant pile of wood pellets awaiting export at the Port of Brunswick caught fire in early May and destroyed the vast warehouse where they were being stored. No one was injured, but firefighters shut off gas lines to nearby homes and remained at the scene for weeks to make sure flames didn't rekindle.

Georgia state investigators sharply criticized the company that operates the warehouse, Logistec, in a report of their preliminary findings. They learned the Montreal-based company utilized a private `fire brigade' for approximately a day before alerting the Brunswick Fire Department.

The fire grew rapidly and dangerous to the surrounding residences and warehouses, the report read. Ultimately the fire grew out of control and caused a violent explosion. Several neighboring fire departments responded to assist.

Brunswick Fire Chief Randy Mobley said the fire would likely have been less severe had his department known to respond earlier.

We should have been called, Mobley told The Brunswick News. If we would have been called sooner, they would probably still have a warehouse.

Logistec did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment. The investigators' report said Logistec managers had downplayed the hazards associated with the storage of these pellets stating that they are generally safe.

The company told Georgia officials it stores and exports about 1 tons (0.9 metric tonnes) of wood pellets each year using warehouses on property leased from the Georgia Ports Authority. The wood pellets are shipped to countries in Europe where they are used to fuel power plants.

The investigators for Georgia's insurance and safety fire commissioner said preliminary findings suggest the wood pellets spontaneously combusted after they began to decompose. Their report said the pellets may have been piled too high inside the warehouse, with their sheer weight causing compression that increased the risk of fire.

At a meeting June 2, Logistec managers told state investigators they follow all industry prescribed standards, the report said.

Yet the fire in May wasn't the company's first in Brunswick. The port warehouse that burned last month was built in 2016 to replace two buildings destroyed by a previous wood-pellet fire in July 2015.

Before the new warehouse was destroyed, firefighters responded to smaller wood-pellet fires there in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The state investigators found no sign that Logistec had ever applied to the insurance commissioner's office for a permit to store materials  such as wood pellets  that pose a risk for fire or explosion from combustible dust. They also reported that the company's storage facilities at the Port of Brunswick failed to meet standards of the International Fire Code or the National Fire Protection Association.

Logistec was required to have (Office of Commissioner of Insurance) permits to store wood pellets, said Weston Burleson, a spokesman for the state insurance commissioner's office. And, while our investigation is still ongoing, it appears they never did secure those permits.

Burleson said the investigation hasn't been completed and it's too early to say whether state officials might take action against Logistec. He said the company's suppliers have suspended shipments of wood pellets until it's determined the company can store them safely.

During a tour of Logistec's storage facilities, investigators reported seeing larges piles of dust around a hopper and conveyor belt system. Brunswick Fire Chief Randy Mobley, who joined the tour, told them a spark from the conveyor could ignite the dust like gunpowder. He also said the warehouses didn't have enough water connections for fire hoses.

When Logistec managers pressed the officials about when they might resume storing and exporting wood pellets, the report said, "Chief Mobley was adamantly opposed to allowing operation under current conditions."

Investigators recommended that Logistec meet several conditions before being allowed to resume operations at the Port of Brunswick. They included calling firefighters immediately if wood pellets catch fire or smolder, using fire-resistant barriers to separate piles of wood pellets in storage and developing in six months a plan to comply with state and national standards on combustible dust.

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This story was first published on June 26, 2021. It was updated on June 27, 2021 to correct the amount of wood pellets stored. The company operating the warehouse said it stores and exports 1 million tons of wood pellets each year.
Authorities at Petroglyph National Monument said Friday that visitors committed extensive vandalism by collecting rocks and stacking them in the form of cairns, sometimes used as a hiking trail marker.

The federally protected park was created to preserve rock designs scratched by Indigenous people starting at least 700 years ago, and Spanish settlers as far back as 400 years ago.

Venturing off trails and rearranging rocks in modern times is a violation of federal regulations.

Moving, stacking, or making shapes out of rocks is a form of vandalism and will impact every visitor who comes after, said Park Superintendent Nancy Hendricks, asking visitors to respect these sacred landscapes.

National Park Service workers are dismantling the stacks of rocks, but cant be sure theyll return the rocks where they came from along the largely preserved desert landscape.

The agency is asking the public to share information about the person or persons who may have moved the rocks. The vandalism was first reported to the agency on June 17, according to a statement.

Last year, a visitor was shocked with a Taser by a park ranger after he left a trail at the park, which lies northwest of Albuquerque.

In March 2021, the National Parks Service said it concluded the officers actions were appropriate. The male visitor was cited by the agency for being in a closed area off the trail, providing false information and failing to comply with a lawful order. A female visitor who was with him was cited for providing false information and being in a closed area off the trail.
Eranga Jayawardena/AP

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  Around 175 death row inmates in Sri Lanka continued their hunger strike for a second day Saturday, demanding their sentences be commuted to life in prison after the country's president pardoned a former lawmaker who had been condemned for an election-related killing.

Prison spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said top officials from the prison ministry had held in-person discussions with the striking inmates at two prisons, one inside the capital Colombo and one outside.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A man accused of shooting a Florida police officer in the head was captured early Saturday on a wooded property just outside of Atlanta that's affiliated with an all-Black, pro-gun organization, police said.

Othal Toreyane Resheen Wallace, 29, was found in a treehouse on the 3-acre property during the execution of a search warrant, Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young told reporters at a news conference.

Wallace was accused of shooting Daytona Beach officer Jason Raynor, 26, after Raynor approached Wallace as he sat in a vehicle Wednesday night. Wallace has been charged with attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer with a firearm.

Young said law enforcement searched for 56 hours with little sleep to track down Wallace.

The property where Wallace was found is affiliated with the pro-gun group known as the NFAC, Young said. The organization is known to demonstrate against white supremacy and police violence. Young said the treehouse was fortified with weapons and ammunition.

There is no place for hate in Florida, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Twitter. Our law enforcement will be protected. Justice will be swift.

Wallace was arrested and placed in Raynor's handcuffs, the chief said.

Wallace was in custody in DeKalb County, Georgia, and was expected to be returned to Daytona Beach.

Raynor remained hospitalized and was showing positive signs of improvement, Young said.

He still has a ways to go, Young said of the officer.

Also on Twitter, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp thanked law enforcement officers for the quick work apprehending the suspect.

Our family and the people of Georgia are praying for Officer Raynors full recovery, Kemp said.

The execution of the search warrant involved U.S. Marshals, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Georgia State Patrol and DeKalb County police, Young said.

Four other people were located on the property, Young said. He did not have information on what charges they might face.
BALTIMORE (AP)  Stepping in to translate between landlords and tenants, Kendra Summers saw that her Latino neighbors needed an advocate.

The teachers aide at Brooklyns Maree Garnett Farring Elementary School created Casa Amable  which translates to Kind Home  a program that teaches residents new to the U.S. about tenant rights and the housing process regardless of their legal status.

In 2019, Summers was awarded an 18-month community fellowship with the Open Society Institute, which provides activists and social entrepreneurs with funding to address problems such as health equity, youth development and criminal justice in underserved Baltimore City communities. Last year, Summers had to switch gears and launch Casa Amable while helping her community cope with the pandemic through vaccine outreach, food drives and ensuring students had internet access for distance learning.

We were going to meet in person, and I had spaces rented, she said of her plans for the organization. Child care was going to be there, but with the pandemic, it was more phone calls and touching base.

Summers has lived in Brooklyn for the past seven years. Last summer, she started a WhatsApp group called Familias de Brooklyn to connect neighbors with resources such as clothing drives and clinics for COVID-19 testing; it now has over 200 members. Summers also became a Latinx ambassador to build trust in the community and clear up misinformation about the vaccination process for the Baltimore City Health Department.

The biggest thing that my fellowship gave me was the ability to be free and just float where I was needed during this pandemic, said Summers, who continued working part-time at Maree Garnett Farring Elementary. Without it, I would (not) have been able to serve the community as much as Ive been able to.

It took the first half of the academic year for Summers and her colleagues to call every family on the schools roster. One mother knocked on Summers front door at 7 p.m., needing help with accessing the internet and her childs assignments.

Many of our Latino residents work jobs where they might leave before the sun comes up and they come home as the sun is going down, Summers said. Its really fulfilling to make the connections with people and just get what needs to get done for them, because unfortunately, a school cant always work around their schedule.

Summers made home visits for families who were struggling with economic insecurity and unreachable by phone.

I really had to put my ear to the ground and talk to residents, Summers said. We had some students who disappeared, for lack of a better term, and we didnt know how to connect with them. We wanted to make sure they were OK.

One of the parents she visited was Elba Yanira Morales Merlos, who has two children, one in second and the other in fifth grade. Summers taught English as a Second Language (ESOL) to Merlos eldest child this school year.

(Kendra) is a great teacher, and shes helped my children a lot, Merlos said. Shes kind and friendly and the perfect person to seek help in. There were things that I didnt understand about enrolling my kids when I moved here, and thank God, we crossed paths.

During the pandemic, Summers organized a food drive over 12 weeks that served more than 6,000 hot meals at a predominantly Latino apartment complex on West Jeffrey Street. Summers collaborated with Mera Kitchen Collective, World Central Kitchen and the Greater Baybrook Alliance. At the food drive, Latino families in Brooklyn and Curtis Bay swapped and donated school supplies, face masks and toiletries.

Kendra is such a natural leader, said Meredith Chaiken, the executive director of Greater Baybrook Alliance, a nonprofit centered on equitable development and reinvestment in neighborhoods like Brooklyn and Curtis Bay. Shes very networked and plugged into the community. Shes volunteered for us in a lot of capacities, but specifically with the immigrant community. She helps with translation so that our meetings are accessible.

Summers is first-generation American. Her mother immigrated from Argentina 39 years ago. Summers understands how access to information and education can elevate a community and hopes to expand Casa Amable.

Currently, Summers has six participants enrolled in the program. And by partnering with Greater Baybrook Alliance, two participants are applying to receive $50,000 for home renovation loans and $20,500 for new home purchases.
BAGHDAD (AP)  Thousands of members of Iraqs umbrella of mostly Shiite militias known as Popular Mobilization Forces marched in a parade Saturday, the largest show of strength since the founding of the controversial paramilitary group.

Russian-made tanks, boats, rocket launchers and ammunition were on display in the parade in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, held to mark the seventh anniversary of the formation of the PMF, established after a 2014 call to arms by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to defeat militants from the Islamic State group.

At the time, IS held a third Iraq's territory and the Iran-backed militias were critical to boosting the Iraqi government forces, which aided by the U.S.-led coalition eventually defeated the Islamic State group.

However, a rift has recently emerged between the paramilitary force and the government, following the arrest of PMF commander Qassim Musleh last month on terrorism charges. Musleh was later released, a move that embarrassed Iraqs leadership and laid bare the limits of the governments ability to bring militia leaders to account.

Also on Saturday, a bomb-laden drone struck a building in an empty village just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the new location of the U.S. Consulate in Irbil, in Kurdish-run northern Iraq. The building was still under construction and there were no casualties, according to a senior Kurdish official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Rockets and drones have continued to target the U.S.-led coalition across Iraq, with Western officials blaming Iran-backed Shiite militias. Iran-backed groups have become the most powerful and influential within the PMF.

The parade, held in Camp Ashraf, saw Russian-made tanks, boats and locally made rocket launchers come down a broad thoroughfare. The event was broadcast on Iraqi state TV.

Also taking part in the parade were PMF units with Yazidi militiamen, who marched wearing their ceremonial white, as well as Christian and Sunni groups.

The marchers also held large posters of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a top militia leader killed in a U.S.-led airstrike last year outside the Baghdad airport. The strike also killed top Iranian commander, Gen. Qassim Soleimani of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, whose slaying came close to pushing Iran and the U.S. into full-blown conflict.

However, though PMF often brandishes Soleimani's image together with that of al-Muhandis at the paramilitary banners that line the streets of Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, images of the Iranian general were absent from the parade  likely an attempt to project cross-sectarian unity of the militias.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, officially the country's commander-in-chief, presided over the parade.

We affirm our work is being done under the flag of Iraq, and the protection of its land and its people is our duty, he tweeted during the parade.

Also conspicuously absent from the parade were militias affiliated with firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and al-Sistani, a sign of deepening divisions within the PMF and dissatisfaction with the growing influence of Iran-backed groups.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  A draft U.N. Security Council resolution circulated Friday would authorize the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria across the borders of Turkey and Iraq, but Syrias close ally Russia holds the key to its adoption.

Russia has come under intense pressure from the U.N., U.S. and others who warn of dire humanitarian consequences for over a million Syrians if all border crossings are closed. Russia says aid should be delivered across conflict lines within Syria to reinforce the countrys sovereignty over the entire country.

The Security Council approved four border crossings when deliveries began in 2014, three years after the start of the Syrian conflict. But in January 2020, Russia used its veto threat in the council to limit aid deliveries to two border crossings, and in July 2020, its veto threat cut another. So today, aid can only be delivered through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey to Syrias rebel-held northwest, and its mandate ends on July 10.

The draft resolution circulated by Norway and Ireland and obtained by The Associated Press would keep the Bab al-Hawa crossing and restore aid deliveries through the Al-Yaroubiya crossing point from Iraq in the mainly Kurdish-controlled northeast that was closed in January 2020. It would also end the six-month mandate Russia insisted on and restore a one-year mandate.

Security Council experts are expected to discuss the proposed resolution early next week.

The one-page draft resolution states that the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria continues to constitute a threat to peace and security in the region.

Former U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, who just stepped down, told the council last month that delivering aid across conflict lines cannot replace cross-border deliveries and called the cross-border operation at Bab al-Hawa a lifeline.

If it isnt reauthorized, he warned, food deliveries for 1.4 million people every month, millions of medical treatments, nutrition for tens of thousands of children and mothers and education supplies for tens of thousands of students will stop.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who recently visited the Bab al-Hawa crossing, expressed disappointment that the resolution falls short of the three crossings the United Stated is seeking to restore. She said a second crossing from Turkey to the northwest at Bab al-Salam that was closed in July 2020 should also be restored.

Since then, she said, not a single cross-line convoy has reached Idlib in the rebel-held northwest. And she said since Al-Yaroubiya was closed, needs have risen 38% in northeast Syria.

Millions of Syrians are struggling, and without urgent action, millions more will be cut off from food, clean water, medicine and COVID-1 vaccines, Thomas-Greenfield said. The situation is devastating and will only get worse if we dont act.

David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, welcomed efforts to continue aid to the northwest and restore deliveries to the northeast but also expressed concern that the resolution didnt also seek to restore deliveries through Bab al-Salam. He called the crossing from Turkey a direct gateway to northern Aleppo, which is home to 800,000 displaced people.

Violence and insecurity have previously forced Bab al-Hawa ... to close, jeopardizing the timely delivery of aid to millions of Syrians, he said, calling on the Security Council to maximize the number of crossing points, and access to aid, as a matter of urgency.

Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the strongest militant group in the northwest, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, of blocking cross-line humanitarian convoys with the connivance of Ankara.

Lavrov accused Western donors, who are the major providers of humanitarian aid to Syria, of blackmailing, by threatening to cut humanitarian financing for Syria if the mandate for Bab al-Hawa is not extended.

We consider it is important to resist such approaches, he said in a recent oral statement conveyed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and obtained Tuesday by AP.

Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia insisted on Wednesday that aid can and should be delivered across conflict lines in Syria and accused the U.N. and the West of doing nothing to promote such deliveries during the past year.

Unless Western nations both in words and deeds prove their commitment to this goal, he warned that there is no point in speaking about renewing the mandate for the one remaining border crossing from Turkey to northwest Idlib at Bab al-Hawa.

We still have some time before the `D-Day. Hopefully it will not be wasted, Nebenzia said.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  The University of Tennessee systems board has voted in favor of buying Martin Methodist College to set up a fifth campus, naming it UT Southern.

According to a university news release, Fridays vote at a meeting in Memphis means UT Southern in Pulaski will be the first new University of Tennessee campus in more than a half-century. The campus is about 75 miles southwest of Nashville, closer to the Alabama border.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Gov. Tim Walz says he will relinquish the special powers that he has used to manage the COVID-19 pandemic by Aug. 1, ending a peacetime state of emergency that has been in effect since last March.

Thats when the toolbox will close, everything will be done, itll be done in an orderly fashion, Walz told reporters Friday. At this point in time, its turning off the lights and sweeping the floor.

About three dozen states still have a state of emergency, Walz said, calling his plan the responsible way to close this up.

But that wasn't assurance enough for Republicans who control the Minnesota Senate and complain that the Democratic governor has repeatedly cut them out of major pandemic decisions. They approved a state government budget bill Friday that would end the state of emergency on July 1. The Democratic majority in the House has repeatedly blocked such moves.

Hes proposing Aug. 1, were saying, look, 15 states have already done it, we dont need to wait any longer. This is time to close the chapter and move towards the future, Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, said.

Walz has already allowed many of his most contentious pandemic executive orders to expire, such as the mask mandate and restrictions on businesses.

But Minnesota's director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Joe Kelly, said the governor needs to hold on to his remaining emergency powers through next month.

Kelly said in a letter to lawmakers that the peacetime emergency allows the state to process unemployment insurance claims more quickly, and maintains Minnesotas ability to tap into $90 million in federal emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits for the needy for August and September. He also said it will take all of July to move 500 state employees back to their traditional roles after they were reassigned to help respond to the pandemic.

We have a handle on this. We have the long-term ability to be able to manage COVID, Walz said.
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP)  A La Center, Washington motorist whom authorities say was likely drunk when he killed three teenage girls was arraigned Friday.

David Zarb entered not-guilty pleas in Clark County Superior Court to three counts of vehicular homicide, The Columbian reported.

Zarbs charges were amended after two 15-year-olds, Emi Yato and Harumi Yato, both of Yacolt, Washington died at Portland, Oregon hospitals in the week following the June 14 crash.

Sixteen-year-old Ivy Hunt of Napavine, Washington died at the scene. Another passenger in the teens car, 66-year-old Danlette Yato of Yacolt, suffered minor injuries.

Zarb is out of custody, after previously posting bond. His bail was set at $500,000.

Zarb confirmed for Judge Gregory Gonzales that he was wearing a bracelet that monitors alcohol consumption. The judge reiterated that Zarb is not to use alcohol or drugs.

Washington State Patrol troopers say Zarb drove his northbound Ford F-150 pickup across the center line of state Highway 503 and struck a southbound Mazda 3 sedan, driven by Harumi Yato, at Gabriel Road on that afternoon.

Zarb allegedly told first responders he had consumed several alcoholic drinks at a friends house and at a Battle Ground, Washington restaurant before driving, according to an updated probable cause affidavit.
WOODBURY, Minn. (AP)  Police have arrested a suspect after a woman was found dead at a home full of children in the St. Paul suburb of Woodbury.

Police say dispatchers received a call Friday afternoon from a woman who said the suspect had just called her and confessed to killing the victim. The caller also told police that children were likely in the home.
GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP)  A woman who suffocated an infant to death at a Delaware day care facility has been sentenced to life in prison.

A Superior Court judge sentenced Dejoynay Ferguson on Friday, according to the Delaware Department of Justice.
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)  A woman who was involved in a multi-car collision earlier this year has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and other charges in connection with the the crash that killed her 10-year-old son.

Megan Beard, 34, pleaded guilty to five felonies in Missoula District Court on Thursday, including vehicular homicide while under the influence and child criminal endangerment, the Missoulian reported.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  By age 14, Katrina Truitt had only ever flown in commercial airplanes, seeing the view from 30,000 feet through a tiny window. Even then, she liked what she saw.

So when she heard about the Young Eagles program, where kids can go up in private planes with professional pilots to learn how to fly, the Cedar Rapids teen and her mom drove up to the Waterloo Regional Airport, eager to try it out.

John Dutcher, a longtime pilot and volunteer with Young Eagles, a program of the Experimental Aircraft Association, was happy to show her the ropes.

I remember it was super fun  especially when he was like, You can fly, Truitt said, remembering when Dutcher let her steer the plane through a couple of turns as they soared a few thousand feet in the air. I kind of fell in love with flying.

That experience led her to EAA Air Academy summer camp in Wisconsin and, recently, to receiving her private pilots license. Now 18, shes interested in making a career out of flying in some way, and credits the Young Eagles experience as formative.

Its a fun experience, and not everybody gets to do that, Truitt told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. You might as well take advantage of it.

Dutcher, of Cedar Falls, has been flying kids through the skies of the Cedar Valley through the Young Eagles program along with about a dozen other members of the local EAA chapter, since the program began in the mid-1990s. In that time, the chapter has logged 5,500 flights with kids.

Dutcher has done more than 320 of them, with over 400 children ages 8 through 17 strapping into Susie 2, his burgundy 1977 Cessna 172 Skyhawk named after his wife, and learning the ins and outs of flying.

Theyre all somewhat apprehensive: Theyre not sure they want to do this. For most of them, its their first time in an airplane, Dutcher said. As soon as the wheels leave the ground, its all smiles.

Dutcher started flying in 1982 at around age 35, looking up at an airplane in the sky and thinking, I want to do that. He got trained and his private pilots license, and learned from his mistakes  his first airplane ended up nose-first in the ground, though he wasnt seriously hurt and the FAA cleared him of wrongdoing, he noted.

Dutcher, his wife and their son were soon flying all over the U.S., for trips as far away as California and as close as Mason City, hopping in the plane like another family might hop in the family sedan.

With his son now living in Florida and his wife unable to fly due to late-stage Alzheimers, Dutcher flies with friends or whoever is looking for a ride  any excuse to get back up in the sky, he says.

Hes never flown commercially or for money at all, preferring instead to fly when he wants to. But hes helped out when needed, like when he flew eight pets from a natural disaster in Oklahoma to a Cedar Rapids shelter.

So logging well over 300 flights with the Young Eagles  a big-enough deal that the EAA sent out a press release about his feat  was easy for him. And Dutcher brings that passion into each flight, letting the kids know not only how fun it is to fly a plane, but that it could be a legitimate career path.

One of the most exciting deals is when youre sitting in an aircraft. Youre not looking out a little tiny window over here  youve got the full panorama of everything in front of you, Dutcher said he tells kids. In a few years, youre earning $120,000. How does that compare with sitting in a cubicle?

A recent study predicted that, although the pandemic seems to have softened it, the pilot shortage around the world is expected to grow again: By 2029, the airline industry is expected to be short 60,000 pilots, due to an aging workforce and barriers to entry, like the money needed to begin flying.

Dutchers EAA chapter is trying to help with that, paying the vast majority of a kids Air Academy summer camp tuition recently, for example.

Those considering a career might get in touch with Dutcher  or simply fly with him at an EAA Young Eagles event this summer. The first is Aug. 7 at the Independence Airport, with others in Oelwein, Waverly and Waterloo through September. Parents can sign up their kids on site or at chapters.eaa.org/eaa227/young-eagles.

Theres a certain amount of satisfaction  when you see the smiles, when you get the emails back, Dutcher said. Theyll let me know, When are we gonna do it again?
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office seized about 15,000 pounds of illegal fireworks and $1 million in cash from various Bay Area locations this week.

The fireworks and cash were connected to illegal fireworks sales that took place in Millbrae by two suspects operating out of residences in San Francisco and San Jose. They also operated a large warehouse in Oakland.

The suspects are Sam San, 61, of San Francisco, and a 54-year-old San Jose woman.

According to the Sheriff's Office, detectives from its Crime Suppression Unit have been investigating the case since May.

Following the investigation, detectives executed several search warrants on Wednesday and Thursday in San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda and Santa Clara counties. They found the bulk of the fireworks at the warehouse in Oakland and some in San Jose. The cash was found at the San Francisco residence.

The San Francisco Police Department, San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force and the San Mateo County Air Squadron also helped the investigation.

One of the suspects, San, was booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of the sale and possession of fireworks, which could result in jail time.

The second suspect has not yet been charged and is not in custody. Detectives are working with the District Attorney's Office to execute additional search warrants.

Illegal fireworks have long been a problem in San Mateo County. Given the increased risk of wildfires this year, the Sheriff's Office along with the county's Board of Supervisors have prioritized cracking down on illegal fireworks.

It is illegal to have or sell all fireworks in unincorporated areas of San Mateo County and in Sheriff's Office contract cities and towns, which include Half Moon Bay, Woodside, Portola Valley, Millbrae and San Carlos.

Individual cities and jurisdictions may have their own fireworks laws.

To report illegal fireworks, people can call the Sheriff's Office's non-emergency line at (650) 363-4911.

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On Wednesday, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department released a general community safety information post on Facebook to alert locals and tourists of the dangers of drugged drinks at local bars. Police are currently investigating a recent incident in which someone was sent to the hospital, possibly because their drinks were drugged.

"The incident is still under investigation and awaiting testing results to see if there were any drugs placed in the drinks," said Lt. Shannon Laney via email.
In the latest developments, AAA is predicting a busy holiday weekend for U.S. travel; JetBlue brings back a San Jose route to New York while United will add flights to the Sierras from SFO this winter; Hawaii will end its COVID testing requirement for vaccinated mainland visitors next month; United eases up some fare and award travel rules; five more European nations start to welcome American tourists again, but travel to the U.K. is still on hold; U.S. airlines urge the Justice Department to bring federal criminal charges against disruptive passengers as the TSA resumes self-defense training for flight crews; Delta adds service on a number of European routes; Hawaiian Airlines will bring back Honolulu-Tahiti fights; and new passenger lounges open at New York LaGuardia and Fort Lauderdale.

The upcoming Fourth of July weekend is on track to be the busiest period for U.S. airline travel since the pandemic began. In its annual Independence Day travel forecast, AAA said last week that it expects 3.5 million Americans to fly between July 1 and 5, an increase of 164% over last year and a volume that will be back to 90% of pre-pandemic levels. While holiday air travel remains down a bit from 2019, trips by car over the Fourth are expected to total 43.6 million, the highest on record and 5% more than the previous peak in 2019, AAA said. According to Transportation Security Administration statistics, the number of daily airport screenings has topped 2 million on seven days so far during June, getting ever closer to the average 2.7 million recorded in June 2019.

Bay Area travelers have another option for getting to New York City now as JetBlue has just resumed service between Mineta San Jose Airport and New York JFK. The route revival comes just two weeks after JetBlue brought back SJC-Boston service, a route that is expected to be seasonal with a hiatus from October through April. JetBlue had pulled out of San Jose altogether in April 2020 due to the pandemic-related falloff in traffic. The new JFK flight will operate four days a week (Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday) as an eastbound redeye with an SJC departure at 10:50 p.m. and arrival in New York at 7:22 a.m. In other local route news, ThePointsGuy.com reports that United Airlines will introduce United Express/SkyWest

winter service Dec. 16 through March 26 from San Francisco International to the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (BIH) near Bishop, California  the first commercial service to that airport in decades. The new route, served with a 70-seat CRJ-700, will reportedly replace Uniteds suspended flights to Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

David Toussaint/Getty Images

Hawaii has finally set July 8 as the date after which fully vaccinated travelers from the mainland will no longer have to get a pre-departure COVID-19 test if they want to avoid the states mandatory quarantine. The testing requirement will remain in place for the unvaccinated. By that date, Gov. David Ige said, 60% of the states residents are expected to be vaccinated  the threshold he had set for an opening up of travel. Visitors will have to upload their vaccination cards to the states Safe Travels website and carry a hard copy with them during their stay.

Courtesy of Delta Airlines

United is making some changes to its fare rules and frequent flier policies. Customers who buy the airlines basic economy fares, which do not allow any changes or cancellations, can now get around that restriction by buying a $45 upgrade to economy class, presented as a switch to economy option in their flight record on Uniteds app or website. Once that is done, the reservation can be changed without any additional fee (except for the fare differential if the new flight costs more). Meanwhile, United has eased some of the rules for claiming award flights in its MileagePlus loyalty program. Blackout dates for award travel that previously applied to all members except elites and Chase MileagePlus cardholders have now been eliminated. And the prices of some reward flights have been reduced to as little as 5,000 miles one-way for domestic flights and 22,500 miles on some routes to reopened European nations like Spain, Portugal and Iceland.

Sylvain Sonnet/Getty Images

The floodgates for U.S. travel to Europe are reopening as several more countries last week started welcoming American visitors, including Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. Those are in addition to earlier reopenings by Greece, Iceland, Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark and Germany.

Switzerland opens June 26 to Americans who can show proof of a completed vaccination, a recovery from COVID-19 or a negative COVID test result. The Dutch government put the U.S. on its list of low-risk safe countries as of June 24, so Americans can now enter the country with no restrictions  no vaccination certificate, negative COVID test result or quarantine. Austrias entry requirements include a vaccination certificate, proof of recovery from COVID in the past six months or a negative result from a test taken no more than 48 hours before arrival. Americans arriving in Poland by air need to show a negative COVID test result. And the Czech Republic now welcomes U.S. visitors without any testing requirement  but thats just to enter the country; once youre in, youll need to show either a negative COVID test result, vaccination certificate or proof of recovery from COVID if you want to stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant or visit a museum. (Reminder: Americans who travel outside the U.S. still need to get a negative result on a COVID test no more than 72 hours before they board their flight home.)

But Americans who want to visit the United Kingdom will have to keep waiting. Amid widespread speculation that Britain was about to reopen to Americans and other foreigners who have been vaccinated, the U.K. government last week issued the latest update to its green list of foreign nations deemed to be safe for travel  and the U.S. wasnt on it. Neither were most of the other nations on the amber list, where travel remains restricted; only Malta and some other Mediterranean and Caribbean islands got the nod. According to British newspaper the Guardian, government officials have hinted that a much broader opening of travel for fully vaccinated individuals is still likely to come in the weeks ahead, but probably not until August.

So far this year, the Federal Aviation Administrations new zero tolerance policy toward in-flight violations of government regulations has led to $563,800 in fines on misbehaving passengers. But now the airlines and their employees are arguing that doesnt go far enough, and they want to see the bad actors face the prospect of time in federal prison.

The U.S. airline industrys major trade group Airlines for America (A4A) last week teamed up with other carrier organizations, pilot unions and flight attendant unions to send a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to take stronger action against the substantial increase in and growing escalation of passengers unruly and disruptive behavior onboard aircraft, particularly toward crewmembers. The organizations said that while they appreciate the FAAs efforts, including its stiff civil penalties against violators, the federal government should send a strong and consistent message through criminal enforcement that compliance with federal law and upholding aviation safety are of paramount importance.

The airline groups noted that federal laws already on the books ban assault or intimidation of a flight crew member, with potential penalties ranging up to 20 years in prison. Instead of leaving potential criminal prosecutions to local law enforcement, the letter said, it is not a local issue subject to jurisdictional variations. Instead, the airline groups said the Justice Department should direct federal prosecutors to dedicate resources for egregious cases. Publicizing those cases and the resulting penalties will act as an effective deterrent against future onboard disruptions, they said.

Hanneke Vollbehr/Getty Images

For its part, the FAA last week announced eight more fines ranging from $9,000 to $22,000 against misbehaving passengers for interfering with flight attendants. The cases announced today include assaulting flight crew, drinking alcohol brought aboard the plane and refusing to wear facemasks, the FAA said. (It noted that of the 3,100 reports of unruly passengers it has received so far this year, 2,350 involved refusing to wear face masks as directed by the flight crew. The federal mask rule remains in effect through the summer.) The agency said that besides face mask violations and drinking, the latest cases also involved a lot of profanities screamed at flight crew, pushing, shoving and hitting.

The Transportation Security Administration is trying to help by reviving special self-defense courses for flight attendants and other crew members. The training had been suspended during the pandemic but now is seen to be needed more than ever due to the rise in in-flight incidents. The training helps flight crew decide which passengers might pose a serious threat, teach them how to defuse the situation if possible  and how to restrain and/or fight them if it comes to that. A TSA video featuring one of the courses includes flight attendants practicing gouges to the eyes and kicks to the groin, the Washington Post noted.

TriggerPhoto/Getty Images

In international route news, Delta plans to revive service between New York JFK and Lisbon on Aug. 1 with weekly flights as part of a big boost in summer flight to Europe. The carrier will also increase frequencies to Amsterdam on July 7 from Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Salt Lake City; boost its New York JFK-Rome schedule to daily flights July 1; kick off Atlanta-Athens, JFK-Venice and JFK-Dubrovnik service July 2; begin JFK-Nice flights July 8; add Boston-Rome, Atlanta-Venice, Atlanta-Madrid and Atlanta-Barcelona service Aug. 5. (And Deltas partner Air France begins new Denver-Paris flights July 2.) Elsewhere, Delta plans to bring back Atlanta-Johannesburg flights Aug. 1 with an A350-900  the longest nonstop route in Deltas system. Delta is also expanding its code-share agreement with Kenya Airways, putting Deltas code onto a number of the latters routes within Africa available via connections at Accra, Ghana, and Nairobi, Kenya.

Hawaiian Airlines said it will resume service between Honolulu and Papeete, Tahiti, on Aug. 7, operating one flight a week with an Airbus A330. The airline said Hawaii and French Polynesia have created a pretravel testing program "that allows for quarantine-free travel within the two archipelagos."

Courtesy of Delta Airlines

Two major U.S. airports in New York and Florida have opened new passenger lounges. At New York LaGuardia, American Express has cut the ribbon on a 10,000-square-foot Centurion Lounge post-security in the airports new Terminal B, twice the size of the companys former lounge in the same terminal. Besides the usual celebrity chef dining (chef Cedric Vongerichten of New York's Wayan restaurant) and fancy bar with views of Manhattan in the distance, the LGS Centurion Lounge also has a unique study space stocked with books from the citys McNally Jackson independent bookstore (which also has a branch outlet in Terminal B). And Delta has opened a new Sky Club in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as one element in a $153 million modernization and expansion of the airports Terminal 2. The mezzanine-level club has expansive runway views and is one of the first in Deltas network to bring back hot food service. With the opening of the Fort Lauderdale Club, all of Deltas Clubs will be reopened by the end of June, the company said.
LATEST June 29, 11 a.m. Once again, delays and cancellations are plaguing Southwest Airlines customers.

As of late Tuesday morning, Flight Aware shows Southwest has canceled 86 flights and delayed 623 more. That means 18% of all Southwest flights today are experiencing a delay.

In an effort to reduce flight problems induced by pandemic layoffs and post-pandemic demand, Southwest announced this week it is hiring workers en masse and increasing its minimum wage to $15.

June 27, 9 a.m. For the second time this month, Southwest Airlines again canceled and delayed thousands of flights this weekend. According to the aviation blog One Mile at a Time, 48% of Southwests schedule was either delayed or canceled on June 25. Flight Aware shows another another 307 flights canceled on Saturday, which amounts to 9% of all Southwest flights.

By Sunday morning, the situation appeared to be improving, with only 38 flights currently canceled (about 1% of the airline's schedule), though that number may rise through the day, as it did yesterday.

The airline, one of the countrys largest domestic carriers, is blaming weather for the widespread service disruption, according to ThePointsGuy.com. But while there are thunderstorms forecast for swaths of the country, including Denver, Orlando, Chicago and St. Louis, some aviation observers are skeptical that Southwests schedule issues are entirely the proactive cancellations the airline claims.

SOPA Images/SOPA Images LightRocket via Getty Images

One Mile at a Times Ben Schlappig notes that, When things go wrong in the airline industry there tends to be a domino effect. But this weekends air travel headaches are specific to Southwest. And (w)hile this is officially being blamed on weather, Schlappig goes on to note, it clearly also reflects the extent to which Southwests operation is being pushed to the limit right now.

Whatever factors are leading to the delays and cancelations, Southwest customers  many of whom are flying for the first time since the start of the pandemic  are angry.

Southwest, however, is not alone in struggling with labor and other challenges facing the airline industry in this late-pandemic era. American Airlines recently announced that they will cancel about 1% of their scheduled flights throughout the month of July.

SFGATE reporters Joshua Bote and Katie Dowd contributed to this report.
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In 2018, the South Korean Labor Standards Act (the LSA) was amended to restrict an employee's maximum work hours from 68 hours to 52 hours per week. The amendment provides different dates on which the rule becomes applicable to businesses, depending on the number of their employees.

As of July 1, the 52-hour workweek rule will apply to all businesses that have five or more employees, and it appears unlikely that the government will defer enforcement of the rule. Failure to comply with the rule may result in the employer being subject to criminal punishment of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million Korean won (approximately $17,635).

For businesses with 50 or more employees, the 52-hour workweek rule became effective starting from January 2020. The government granted one year of deferment for compliance for this group of businesses, so the rule became enforceable for this group from January 2021.

Business Implications

The businesses subject to the 52-hour workweek rule will need to ensure that they comply with the rule and prepare for potential labor audits by the Ministry of Employment and Labor regarding their compliance.

In light of the rule, these businesses, including companies, will need to carefully monitor and record how many hours their employees are working per week. If the employees' work hours exceed 52 hours per week, employers should consider reducing employees' work hours or adopting flexible work arrangements.

Companies should note that a lack of internal systems and controls for monitoring employee work hours is not a valid excuse for violation of the rule. For companies that do not have systems in place to prevent employees' work hours from exceeding 52 hours per week, such systems should be adopted and implemented as a matter of priority. As a part of such an exercise, companies may wish to consider, among others:

Adopting systems designed to track and monitor employees' work hours at workplaces.

A prior approval process for overtime, as well as tracking and monitoring overtime.

Flexible work arrangements, especially for companies with global headquarters in different time zones.

Ways to monitor work hours of employees who work from home.

Although current labor laws allow flexible work arrangements that could work to mitigate the constraints of the 52-hour workweek rule, they come with different requirements that may present procedural and practical challenges for employers who wish to use such arrangements.

Anthony Chang, Young-Seok Ki, Seongki Park, Dong-Wook Kim and Jong Soo Kim are attorneys with Shin & Kim in Seoul, South Korea.  2021 Shin & Kim. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission of Lexology.


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Beginning July 1, under the Nevada Hospitality and Travel Workers Right to Return Act (SB 386), certain employers in the casino, hospitality, stadium and travel industries must offer their former employees laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic the opportunity to return to work.

The act also requires notice to employees who will be laid off that is different from a federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice, if a WARN notice is required. Further, the act imposes certain record-keeping and notice requirements for past and future layoffs.

The act expires on the later of the date the Nevada governor terminates the emergency described in the Declaration of Emergency for COVID-19 issued on March 12, 2020, or Aug. 31, 2022.

Covered Employers

The new law applies to an employer that:

"[E]mploys or exercises control over the wages, hours or working conditions of 30 or more employees" or did so on March 12, 2020.

Owns or operates a "covered enterprise" in Nevada.

A "covered enterprise" is "an airport hospitality operation, an airport service provider, a casino, an event center or a hotel that is located in a county whose population is 100,000 or more." Employers should review carefully the act's extensive list of definitions.



Covered Employees

The act applies to all employees "regardless of whether the employees are represented for purposes of collective bargaining or are covered by a collective bargaining agreement," except for the following:

Managerial and executive employees who are who are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act;

Theatrical or stage performers.

Employees who are party to a valid severance agreement.

To qualify for protection under the Act's layoff provisions, laid-off employees must have been employed for at least six months during the period of March 12, 2019, through March 12, 2020. The duration need not be consecutive. In addition, the employee's separation must have occurred after March 12, 2020, and have been "due to a governmental order, lack of business, reduction in force, or another economic, non-disciplinary reason."

Notice Requirements

The employer must provide the employee a written notice of the layoff in "Spanish, English and any other language that is spoken by not less than 10 percent of the employer's workforce" that includes:

Notice of the layoff and its effective date.

A summary of the right to re-employment provided by the act or clear instructions on how to access such information.

Contact information for the person designated by the employer to receive notice of a violation of the act.



While WARN requires 60 days of advance written notice of a "mass layoff" or a "plant closing," the new Nevada law does not require advance notice. The notice must be provided at the time the layoff occurs. If the layoff took place before July 1, 2021, then the notice must be provided within 20 days after July 1, 2021. The notice must be given "either in person or mailed to the last known address of the employee and, [if known] by telephone, text message or electronic mail."

The contents of the notices to affected employees under the Nevada law differ from the contents of WARN notices. Thus, employers must keep in mind that the new law's notice requirements are in addition to, rather than instead of, WARN notices, if a WARN notice is required.

Record-Keeping Requirements



Employers must retain the following records for at least two years after the date the layoff notice is provided to the employee:

The employee's full legal name, last job classification and date of hire.

The employee's last known address, e-mail address and telephone number.

A copy of the written layoff notice.

Records of each offer of reemployment made to the employee including the date and time of each offer.

Re-Employment Requirements

An employer must offer a laid-off employee each position: (a) which becomes available after July 1, 2021; and (b) for which the employee is "qualified." An employee is "qualified" if they held the same position, or a similar position within the same job classification, at the time of separation from the employer. Each offer must be in writing and sent "by mail to the last known address of the employee and, [if known], by telephone, text message or electronic mail."

Available positions must be offered first to laid-off employees who held the same position when they were separated, and then to laid off employees who held a similar position within the same job classification. If more than one laid-off employee is entitled to preference, the employer must first offer the position to the employee with the greatest length of service. Employers may extend simultaneous employment offers conditioned on applying the order of preference.

The laid-off employee must have at least 24 hours after "the employee's receipt of the offer to accept or decline the offer." Further, if a laid-off employee is offered a job or position and (a) does not accept or decline the offer within 24 hours or (b) is not available to return to work within five calendar days after accepting the offer, "the employer may recall the next available employee with the greatest length of service[.]"

If an employer declines to recall a laid-off employee because the employee lacks qualifications and then hires a different person, the employer must, within 30 days of such decision, notify the laid-off employee in writing and identify "all the reasons for the decision."

Exceptions to Re-Employment

After an employer makes an offer to a laid-off employee, the employer is not required to make additional offers to that employee if:

The employee states in writing that they do not wish to be considered for future open positions, or future open positions with regularly scheduled work hours that are different from those the employee worked immediately before their separation.

The employer extends and the employee declines three "bona fide offers" of employment, with not less than three weeks between each offer.

The employer attempts to make three offers of employment and (1) each offer made by mail is returned as undeliverable; (2) any offer made by electronic mail is returned as undeliverable; and (3) the employee's telephone number is no longer in service.

Enforcement

An employer is prohibited from taking any adverse action against any person for enforcing their rights under the act, participating in any proceedings authorized by the act, or opposing any practice prohibited by the act. The Nevada law provides an administrative remedy, where WARN is enforced only through lawsuits and has no administrative enforcement scheme.

Under the act, an employee may file a complaint with the Nevada Labor Commissioner or a court after:

Providing written notice to the employer of the alleged violation and any supporting facts.

The employer has not cured the alleged violation within 15 days after receiving the notice.

The act also addresses rebuttable presumptions against the employer and the damages a successful employee may recover.

Next Steps

The act also includes provisions dealing with purchasers and successor employers, as well as employers who move operations to a different location within the state.

Covered employers should review their personnel records to determine which employees, if any, qualify for protection under the act and start preparing notices to send to already laid-off employees. Additionally, they should create internal policies and procedures to address the job offer and recordkeeping requirements of the act.

Given the complexities in the new law, employers would be well-served to address specific scenarios with the assistance of counsel.

Joshua A. Sliker and Holly E. Walker are attorneys with Jackson Lewis in Las Vegas. Penny Ann Lieberman is an attorney with Jackson Lewis in White Plains, N.Y.  2021 Jackson Lewis. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
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Both houses of the New York state legislature passed a package of amendments to the New York Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act designed to clarify, modify and delay implementation of certain provisions of the act.

The HERO Act was signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on May 5. The act requires the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) to create industry specific, enforceable workplace health and safety standards, and also imposes new health and safety obligations on employers. When he signed the HERO Act, Cuomo simultaneously announced that he had reached an agreement with the state legislature to amend the act by: (i) clarifying the timeline for both employers and the NYSDOL to develop and implement the required workplace standards; (ii) modifying the role of workplace safety committees; and (iii) limiting the potential for frivolous lawsuits.

A New Timeline

The law initially required the NYSDOL to issue industry-specific model safety standards by June 4, and left employers with little guidance on what time, if any, they had to conform to these new standards.

The amendments delay the deadline for the NYSDOL to publish its standards to July 5. The amendments also provide a clear timeline for employers to adopt or create the safety protocols required by the HERO Act. The amendments set the deadline for employers to adopt a disease prevention plan for 30 days after the NYSDOL's creation of its model standards. Further, employers will have 60 days following the NYSDOL's publication of its standards to provide their safety protocol to employees.

Modifications to Workplace Safety Committees

The amendments also reduce the role of joint labor-management workplace safety committees, which the HERO Act requires employers to permit. For instance, the amendments specify that employers are only required to permit one committee per worksite, while the Act as originally signed imposed no such restriction. In addition, the amendments limit the purview of workplace safety committees to issues of occupational health and safety, where previously workplace safety committees would have been authorized to review employer policies relating to any provision of the New York Workers' Compensation Law. The amendments also reduce the amount of paid time available to workplace safety committee members for meetings and trainings. Specifically, committee meetings during working hours are limited to two hours, and committee trainings are limited to no more than four hours.

New Standards for Civil Litigation

Perhaps most importantly for employers, the amendments modify the standards for a private right of action available to employees. First, the amendments limit the availability of injunctive relief under the HERO Act to address claimed violations "that create [] a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result to the employee." Second, the amendments require employees to provide their employer with 30 days of notice and an opportunity to cure a violation before bringing suit, unless the employee "alleges with particularity that the employer has demonstrated an unwillingness to cure a violation in bad faith."

Third, the amendments preclude an employee from bringing suit if: (i) the employer corrects the alleged violation; or (ii) more than 6 months have passed from the date that the employee had knowledge of the alleged violation. Last, the amendments remove the opportunity for liquidated damages and provide that a court may award costs and attorney's fees to the employer if the court finds that an employee's claim is frivolous.

While these amendments give New York employers some breathing room, employers should still prepare to comply with the HERO Act. Once the NYSDOL publishes model standards, employers still have a relatively short time to ensure compliance. Moreover, employers will need to determine how to incorporate workplace safety committees in their decision-making. We will continue to monitor this legislation and will provide updates regarding the HERO Act's implementation as they become available.

The legal landscape continues to evolve quickly and there is a lack of clear-cut authority or bright line rules on implementation.

This article does not address the potential impact of the numerous other local, state and federal orders that have been issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, without limitation, potential liability should an employee become ill, requirements regarding family leave, sick pay and other issues.

Eric Raphan and Lindsay Colvin Stone are attorneys with Sheppard Mullin in New York City. Myles Moran is a law clerk with Sheppard Mullin in New York City.  2021 Sheppard Mullin. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
New Delhi: As many as 48,698 new COVID-19 cases, 64,818 recoveries, and 1,183 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Saturday.



The total number of positive cases now stands at 3,01,83,143, including 2,91,93,085 recoveries and 3,94,493 deaths.

There are currently 5,95,565 active cases in the country, 1.97 per cent of the total caseload. Yesterday, there were 6,12,868.

The recovery rate stands at 96.72 per cent, while the death rate is 1.31 per cent.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 17,35,781 samples were tested for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours. A total of 40,18,11,892 samples have been tested as of June 25.

As many as 31,50,45,926 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far in what has been billed the 'world's largest vaccination drive', including 61,19,169 in the last 24 hours.
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Intelligence agencies have alerted Delhi police and other agencies that Pakistan-based ISI proxies may sabotage the proposed farmers' protest, according to official sources on late Friday evening.



As per the official sources, intelligence agencies have alerted Delhi police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) that Pakistan-based Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) proxies may wreck the proposed farmers' protest on June 26 (today) by instigating the deployed security forces.

A letter has been sent to Delhi Police and other agencies concerned. After receiving the letter, adequate arrangements have been made by the Delhi Police. "Adequate security arrangements have been made and some metro stations will also remain shut for a few hours on Saturday," sources said.

The letter mentions that dedicated and sufficient manpower will be deployed outside Metro stations.

As a precautionary measure and to avoid any turbulence in law and order situation, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has decided to keep three Metro stations--Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines and Vidhan Sabha shut from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday. The step has been taken on the advice of Delhi police which has also made elaborate security arrangements.

Several farmer groups are also expected to join the protesting farmers at Delhi's border points on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday urged the farmer unions to end their agitation against the Centre's three farm laws. Addressing media persons in Bhopal, Tomar said on Friday, "I urge all farmer unions to conclude their agitation. The government had held 11 rounds of talks with them. Agriculture Reform Bills will bring betterment to the lives of farmers."

On the completion of seven months of the ongoing farmers' agitation, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has sought President Ram Nath Kovind's intervention to 'Save Agriculture and Save Democracy' and for repealing of the three "anti-farm" laws.

The SKM said it will send a memorandum from all over India to the President on June 26, which marks seven months of their agitation, on farmers' "anguish and indignation" and appeal to him regarding getting the farmer laws repealed, and to get a legal guarantee of minimum support price for farmers. (ANI)
New Delhi: On the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government reiterates its commitment towards the zero-tolerance policy against all kind of narcotics.



Shah also applauded the efforts of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) personnel towards eliminating the drug menace in India.

"On International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, PM @narendramodi govt reiterates its commitment towards the zero-tolerance policy against all kind of narcotics. I applaud the efforts of our @narcoticsbureau personnel towards eliminating the drug menace in India," Shah tweeted.

The United Nations decided to observe June 26 as World Drug Day to synergise the global efforts to counter the ill impacts of the drug trade and drug abuse.
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Obviously I would love to have won again, but it did clear the air a bit, because of the weight of expectation. I felt like I could settle, and get on with new projects. Last year she was made a Companion of Literature (the highest award bestowed by the Royal Society of Literature, which is only held by up to 12 writers at any one time). It is the accolade that means most to her; and it also meant a lot that she was given the medal by Prince Charles. In 2006 she was awarded a CBE, and in 2014 she became a Dame. How does that sit with her? Well, Im very amused by it. You know  because of where I come from and the kind of expectations I grew up with. Im amused and amazed as well. She is constantly asked what she thinks about the royal family, especially, she says, by Americans.

But the truth is she doesnt think much about it at all. And as far as the future of the monarchy goes? She pauses. I think its the end game. I dont know how much longer the institution will go on. Im not sure if it will outlast William. So I think it will be their last big era.

Mantel receiving her Companion of Literature medal from Prince Charles last year. Credit:Alamy I wish the Queen had felt able to abdicate, because Charles has had to wait such a long time. I understand that she thinks of this as a sacred task, from which you simply cannot abdicate, whereas the rest of us think of it as a job, from which you should be able to retire. I wonder if shes the only person who really believes in the monarchy now, and Im sure she believes with all her heart. She believes that she cannot cease to be a monarch  she made those promises to God. Its such a cliche to say, but what a lonely position to be in. Its a conflict, because most of the world sees the royal family as a branch of show business. And Im sure that is very far from the Queens own thinking. Hilary Mantel is a woman of quite extraordinary drive. She grew up in Derbyshire, the oldest of three children of an Irish Catholic family. Her father, Henry Thompson, was a clerk; her mother, Margaret, had worked in the local mill. She was, she has said, unsuited to being a child. She had an avid appetite for literature and went to school with a head full of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, which she badgered her family to read to her and then memorised by heart. She was given the Complete Works of Shakespeare, aged 10, to keep her quiet. She has two younger brothers, Brian and Ian. When she was six, her mothers lover, Jack Mantel, moved in and her father shifted to the spare room. Inevitably this engendered malevolent gossip and the disapproval of her maternal grandparents as well as the rest of the community, and her father left when she was 11. She never saw him again.

The family moved to Cheshire, and her mother later married Jack, who Hilary did not get on with. Years later, following her fathers death, she got a letter from a woman who became his stepdaughter. The children of the family into which he married were relatively grown up when he came along. He was their mothers husband, rather than a substitute father. They were able to give me his birth certificate and army papers. They also gave her his precious chess set, which she used to play with him. He had spotted Hilary on television, it turned out, at a Booker Prize dinner (in 1990, the year that A.S. Byatt won with Possession). He had said, I think that is my daughter. At 18, Hilary went to study law, but she had no money and knew she would never be able to afford to train as a barrister, as she had hoped. And she wanted to be near Gerald, who was studying geology at Sheffield University, so she transferred there. They were married in 1972. Hilary had always been sickly  the family doctor used to call her Miss Neverwell. But in her early 20s, the pain started in earnest. It moved about her body in a manner that, combined with nausea and agonising menstrual cramps, should certainly have indicated endometriosis. Instead, a series of doctors diagnosed depression; one even suggested it was stress caused by her being too ambitious, another recommended that she give up writing. She was prescribed antipsychotic drugs, one of which had a side effect of causing psychosis in the form of a disorder called akathisia, which she has described as the worst thing she has ever experienced. When she left university, she came off the drugs and the symptoms they induced dissipated, but the pain and nausea did not. Several years later, by which time Hilary was living in Botswana and had started writing (Gerald was working as a geologist, she was teaching), she went to the university library and diagnosed herself with endometriosis. She returned to the UK on leave at Christmas 1979, where she had surgery to remove her womb, her ovaries and part of her bowel. The result was an early menopause.

But too much active endometriosis had been left behind, and it continued to damage my body, she says. Prescribed drugs had nasty side effects and didnt work very well. I had to find ways of living with the condition, but it meant that my body was unreliable and life was quite narrow and effortful. There would never be any children. In her memoir, Giving Up the Ghost, Hilary writes extremely movingly about this  not so much about not having a child, but not having the choice. Four months later, she returned to Botswana but soon came back again; her illness had contributed to the breakdown of her marriage. She was put on a reckless-sounding trial-and-error hormone treatment. By the end of nine months, the pain was no better, but my body weight had increased by over 50 per cent, she wrote. She went from a size 8 to an 18 in what seemed like no time. She was living in Norfolk, and when Gerald came back from Africa, they remarried. Hilary was put on new drugs. A few weeks on, I had developed a steroid moon face. My hair had come out in handfuls. I was deaf, my eyesight was blurred by constant headaches, and my legs were swollen like bolsters. For once, a doctor helped  he cut the dose of drugs. Bald, odd-shaped, deaf, but not defeated, I sat down and wrote another book.

Hilary has survived and flourished by writing. She writes her way through life. She did not, as some people think, begin her literary career with Wolf Hall (although, she says, as soon as she started it, I felt I had got my seven-league boots on. It was a feeling of great power). She started writing her first book, a novel about the French Revolution, when she was 23 (it came out 17 years later, as A Place of Greater Safety). Since 1985, when her first book was published, she has written 12 novels, two collections of short stories, a memoir and plenty of journalism, some of which is collected in last years Mantel Pieces. She writes a prolific daily journal and her brain is constantly roiling with ideas. She had to come to terms with the effects on her health, and her new shape. When you get fat, you get a new personality. You cant help it, she wrote. One of my favourite grim sports, since I became a published writer and had people to interview me, has been to wait and see how the profiler will turn me out in print. With what adjective will they characterise the startlingly round woman on whose sofa they are lolling. I have often shown up in a very poor state, and realised I shouldnt have made that commitment  but its hard to know in advance, and I am always optimistic. Ten years ago she had further surgery. I had masses of internal scar tissue removed, she says. This in itself was necessary and very helpful, but unfortunately my large wound became infected and took several months to heal, and there were other complications that sent me back to hospital. But I am very grateful to that surgeons heroic efforts, because eventually I got back on the right track.

It took a couple of years for me to feel different, but from then on I had some pain-free days, which hadnt happened for a long time. And a little while after that, I was able to get involved in the theatre adaptations of the books. That is still not an easy thing for me, so I have to live very quietly when Im not involved in public events. I have often shown up in a very poor state, and realised I shouldnt have made that commitment  but its hard to know in advance, and I am always optimistic. How is she now? Well, as far as endometriosis is concerned, Im a burnt-out case. What Im suffering from now is the cures - the knock-on effects. It wasnt as simple as losing my fertility at 27; there is a consequence for the body as a whole, and no one  least of all me  knew what that was going to be. Over the years, things go wrong. And so in some ways I dont even know what age I am. When you have a menopause at 27, you dont have the ordinary markers of a womans life. Im not strong. And I probably am older than I should be. If I compare myself to my mother, who was vigorous into her late 80s, I see that Im not doing terribly well. Id say its a challenge. In some ways I dont even know what age I am. When you have a menopause at 27, you dont have the ordinary markers of a womans life. Her mother died in 2017, aged 91. She was a very talented woman who had absolutely no education and no opportunities in her life. And she definitely wanted me to do better. But I felt I could never please her; I felt that nothing I did would be good enough.
More than a quarter of Australias top 20 listed companies will not fund the superannuation increase for all employees from July 1 but will instead deduct it from take-home pay.

ANZ, Wesfarmers, Macquarie Group, Telstra, Goodman Group and Transurban are among the biggest companies relying on clauses that specify total remuneration package or total package value or remuneration inclusive of superannuation to avoid forking out an extra 0.5 per cent in superannuation to workers on individual agreements.

The Superannuation Guarantee - compulsory superannuation paid on top of ordinary earnings - goes up from 9.5 per cent to 10 per cent on July 1. For most workers, including those on awards and enterprise agreements, this will mean an increase in total remuneration because their base salary will remain the same, while the superannuation component will increase.

Superannuation Minister Jane Hume said the government always knew there was a trade-off between super and wages. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But for the 40 per cent of Australian workers on individual agreements, it will depend on the wording of the contract and the discretion of their employer. Many will see an immediate reduction to take-home pay to fund the super increase without increasing total remuneration, though they may be compensated down the track in the next annual pay review.
The key to the expansion in Commonwealth spending on private schools was Howards addition of low fee-paying schools, especially in the outer suburbs, to the federal budget. The final budget of Paul Keatings government in 1995-96 devoted 41.4 per cent of total education spending to higher education. In turn, non-government schools received 16.5 per cent of the total, public schools 10.9 per cent, while a further 4.3 per cent was distributed jointly between them. Labor provided more money directly to students (17.9 per cent of the education budget) than it did to private schools. Eleven years of Coalition government under Howard reversed those priorities. By 2007-08, non-government schools received 35.2 per cent of the total spending, and public schools another 18.2 per cent. The shift came at the expense of higher education, which had its share reduced by almost 9 percentage points, to 32.7 per cent. The precedent would be impossible for subsequent governments to reverse because no party could afford to alienate lower and middle-income families with children in the private system. The schools, in turn, had an incentive to increase their fees, knowing that government would step in to compensate families. Fee relief for private schools was a perfect wedge issue. Whenever Labor complained about rich schools using taxpayer funds to build new sporting fields, conservative families and swinging voters in outer- metropolitan seats thought they would come after their childrens education next. But once the children went to university and were old enough to vote, the Coalition wanted some of their money back. The parents might still be Coalition supporters, but their kids were more likely to lean Labor or even Green.

Six years of Labor government under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard restored higher education to the top line of the budget, although at a significantly lower share to Keatings  30.3 per cent, compared to 41.1 per cent. Non-government schools had their share reduced from 35.2 per cent to 30 per cent, still almost double where it had been under Keating. The Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments went back to a version of the Howard model, driving the share of spending on higher education down to just 24.2 per cent by 201920. The universities did the most rational thing in the circumstances. They looked overseas for a new revenue stream. Ordinarily, a conservative government would congratulate itself on the market response it had engineered. But if we accept the judgment of my insider source, that success made the Coalition envious. There were 230,719 overseas students enrolled on Australian campuses in 2013. Six years later, that number had almost doubled, with students from China, India and Nepal driving the growth. This made higher education our fourth-largest exporter by 2019, behind gas, coal and iron ore, with earnings almost double those of tourism in sixth place. Left behind The first pandemic budget guaranteed funding for all domestic university students and provided $1 billion in assistance for research. But the May 2021 budget reverted to type, with no new support. Next year, when the budget assumes the international border will finally reopen, the share of funding for higher education will be at a record low of 23.5 per cent. Even government schools in the state system will receive more money  24 per cent  while non-government schools will be at an all-time high of 35.7 per cent of the education budget.

The Australian National Universitys vice-chancellor, Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt, appealed to the Coalitions better angels following the budget. He wrote an opinion piece explaining how the ANU had anticipated the need for restructure: In 2018 ANU made the decision to cap our total student numbers. We sacrificed the revenue growth that would have come through increasing them. In retrospect, this was very unfortunate timing. While we had one of the sectors healthiest balance sheets in 2019, missing a years growth of student revenue meant the pandemic has hit us harder than anyone in the sector  we have racked up a deficit of nearly 15 per cent of our budget in 2020. Sadly, one in 10 of our staff have now departed. ANU is the canary in the coalmine. The cumulative effect of border closures on international student numbers will lead to other universities catching up with my universitys budget woes this year, and worse in the years beyond. This will have a crippling effect on Australias post-pandemic recovery. The very purpose of JobKeeper safety net was to keep workers attached to their employers and industries. Without the universities in that net, the education sector, the nations fifth-largest employer, was almost certain to remain in recession when the others had recovered.

In a perfect world, every worker would have reclaimed their old job. That did happen for the arts, but not for hotels, restaurants and cafes. The accommodation and food services sector could only restore 70 per cent of the jobs it had lost to lockdown. This is not surprising, given the border remained closed to international tourism, and interstate travel carried the risk of a snap lockdown. Elsewhere, the safety net worked as intended. The nations largest employer, health care and social assistance, recovered all the jobs it had lost, while the second-largest employer, retail, enjoyed a stimulus-led jobs boom and had more people employed by February 2021 than before the pandemic. The experience of the education sector should have been closer to that of the arts than hospitality. But the denial of JobKeeper meant that it fared even worse. Only 60 per cent of the jobs have been recovered, leaving the sector with 35,000 fewer workers in total, or 3.2 per cent of their pre-pandemic workforce. The gap is explained almost entirely by the universities, where 30,000 jobs have vanished, representing just under 12 per cent of all academic and staff positions. Law lecturer Dr Thalia Anthony joins UTS students at a protest about funding cuts and staff losses in May. Credit:Janie Barrett Perhaps the better question is not what motivated the rough treatment of higher education in a pandemic, but why the government doesnt fear a community backlash from policy that appears to be based on prejudice, not evidence. The answer can be found in Australias fractured electorate. The Coalitions older, whiter electoral base sees the universities as enemy ground, representing Labors younger, cosmopolitan base. This makes higher education a soft target for a leader such as Morrison, raised in an era of identity politics.

Melbournes undoing The fault lines that inform this brand of governing emerged in the aftermath of the 1990s recession, when the Liberal Party became estranged from its cultural roots in Melbourne, the nominal capital of our universities and research institutions. Behind the tariff wall, Melbournes middle-class suburbs represented the nations political centre. Labor could not form government until it breached the citys mortgage belt in the east and south-east. Bob Hawke, who was born in South Australia and grew up in Western Australia, chose Melbourne as the base from which to build his national profile, first as president of the ACTU in the 1970s and then as the federal member for Wills, in the citys industrial north, from 1980. But it was the Hawke governments pro-market economic reforms which ultimately disenfranchised Melbourne by transferring political power to Sydney and electoral power to Queensland. Melbourne was the reason Menzies survived the credit squeeze of 1961. He had a 16-seat majority in a parliament of 122. There are no circumstances which would suggest even a remote possibility of the Opposition winning 17 seats, he assured his supporters. The Coalition lost 15 seats, including eight in Queensland and five in New South Wales. But no seats changed hands in Menzies home state of Victoria. It was the only time in federal history that the party with a majority of seats in NSW and Queensland did not win the election. The 1990 campaign, held on the eve of the last long recession in Australia, was the mirror image of 1961. Labor had a 12-seat buffer in a parliament of 148, and it almost disappeared in Victoria alone. Labor lost 10 seats there. One more seat was lost in each of South Australia and Western Australia. If no more seats changed hands, the parliament would have been hung. But Labor picked up two seats from the National Party in NSW and another two from them in Queensland.

It was easy to miss the cultural implications at the time because Australia was operating at two distinct speeds, with Victorias manufacturing-dependent economy on the brink of recession, while NSW and Queensland were still growing. I was part of the press gallery consensus that saw the result through the binoculars of politics and economics. Labor had the superior marginal-seat strategy, and the rugby league states were still booming. A status quo election, according to that view. But the bigger story was that Victoria no longer decided who governed Australia. Former Victorian premier Steve Bracks, then opposition leader Bill Shorten and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews drink to the memory of Bob Hawke at Melbournes John Curtin Hotel in 2019. Hawke made Melbourne his political base, but the economic reforms he and Paul Keating enacted meant federal governments could be elected without Melbournes votes. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The federal Labor government was re-elected in 1993 without a majority of seats in Victoria. Although the state realigned with the nation in 1996, as John Howards Coalition stormed to power, Labor happened to restore its majority in Melbourne at that same election. The significance of the citycountry divide was not lost on the new prime minister. The Coalition won more seats in Queensland in 1996 than it did in Victoria. Howard did not need Melbourne to run the country. The cultural differences between states mattered less behind the tariff wall, when the parties identified by class, not place. But in a globalised economy, where you live determines how you vote. Higher education became Victorias largest export-earner, in a decade when coal was number one in Queensland and NSW and iron ore was the cash cow for Western Australia. There need not have been a culture war between the two, between the brain economy of the south and the quarry to the north and west. If Howard had honoured the bipartisanship for a clever nation that ran from Menzies to Keating, he could have found a way, for example, to convert some of the windfall from the mining boom into a greater public commitment to higher education. But when he looked at the electoral map, he saw that Melbourne, was expendable. I imagine that Scott Morrison saw the same thing when he decided to leave the universities out of his safety net.
Spirits were high on the first day of lockdown in Sydneys eastern suburbs, with residents jogging, cycling and flexing their way through the first day of lockdown.

From North Bondis outdoor gym to the cycle paths of Centennial Park, the areas beaches and open spaces were packed with visitors making the most of the winter sun.

Crowds utilise Bondi Beach in Sydneys Eastern Suburbs as the area undergoes a fourteen day lockdown. Credit:James Alcock

The rest of Greater Sydney has now joined the lockdown after the NSW government extended stay-at-home orders across the whole city and surrounds on Saturday as the COVID-19 outbreak grew.

Dave Sharma, the federal Liberal member for Wentworth, said the mood seemed pretty good when he went out riding on Saturday morning with a group of MaMiLs (middle-aged men in lycra).
It is part of a bigger trend. Scare tactics have become so much part of science communication that its getting harder to tell where the scare ends and the science starts. This week the UNESCO World Heritage Centre tabled a draft recommendation to classify Australias Great Barrier Reef as in danger. While agreeing that climate change is the greatest threat facing the Reef, Environment Minister Sussan Ley argued that the draft recommendation was a political manoeuvre, delivered on the basis of a desktop assessment. UNESCO didnt bother to take a look at the reef stewardship measures in place or the current condition of the reef. Clearly there were politics behind it, Ley said, and, Clearly those politics have subverted a proper process.

I worry that, perversely, the steady drumbeat of fear they have kept up may have contributed to pandemic fatigue , also known as  caution fatigue  a lack of motivation for compliance with public health advice brought on by the mental effort required to comply  even in Australian communities hardly touched by the virus.

Sydney is finally back in lockdown . No doubt to the relief of some public health commentators who are spared the humiliation of another community outbreak of COVID-19 managed without the draconian measures they have demanded at every opportunity.

If there is one person I never want to hear from again after this pandemic nightmare is over, its a public health expert. Far from delivering sage counsel on the pros and cons of a given course of action, public experts are increasingly taking up positions that they are then driven to double down on, like gamblers whose chips are public fear.

Clearly there were and clearly they have. UNESCO is a deeply political organisation; it is widely acknowledged that the draft recommendation is at heart a moral decision as former UNESCO regional director and representative Stephen Hill puts it, concerned with stimulating member states into action on climate change. That is, other UNESCO member states dont like Australias approach to emissions reduction and this is a stunt to make that known. Members of the Coalition reportedly also believe that the decision was influenced by China, a current chair of UNESCO, using the international body to escalate its attacks on Australias credibility.

China has good reason to engage in global whataboutery. It faces increased scrutiny from the international community on the believability of its ambitious climate change mitigation commitments, not to mention questions over human rights abuses, espionage, cyber attacks, territorial expansion and the origin of the COVID-19 virus. The UNESCO flex may be more sophisticated than the doctored image of an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of a child, but its intention is almost certainly the same. It doesnt matter much to the Chinese Communist Party if the World Heritage Centre loses scientific standing in the ensuing stoush over the status of the Great Barrier Reef.

But it should matter to us. When scientists start playing politics, the credibility of all science suffers. Which is why it matters that US scientists made a decision to not discuss the COVID-19 laboratory origin theory, a decision some have now admitted was politically motivated. The scientific consensus was designed to distance scientists from then-US President Donald Trump, rather than reflect actual scientific agreement.

As science goes, it was lousy politics. Peter Daszak, a zoologist who was involved with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, showed aggravatingly poor judgment with political consequences in downplaying the theory. Daszaks organisation contributed US funds to the institute, which some claim conducted gain of function research, deliberately altering animal viruses to make them more infectious to humans. Rather than disclose this relevant background, Daszak participated in the World Health Organisation Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2 which concluded that the virus likely had mutated naturally, and co-authored a statement in The Lancet defending the reputation of Chinas researchers and by implication the institute. He has now been recused from further involvement, but the damage has already been done to the reputation of WHO, and scientists more generally. Whether or not the theory, now once again under investigation, is proven true, Trumps contention that scientists are demonstrably untrustworthy will undoubtedly galvanise voters behind him for another presidential tilt.
Well, I nev-ah! This week your humble correspondent received a call from the National Crime Authority advising that it had observed unusual activity on my bank account, but felt sure it could sort it out for me if I would hand over my bank details. This seemed more than passing odd, given it already knew that swarthy thugs from drug cartels in polka dot bikinis had been riding camels through my account, or engaged in some equally unusual activity? I declined. But mentioning it on Twitter brought forth a deluge of similar stories. Right now, it seems, such calls are the equivalent of the old Nigerian email scam. People purporting to be from variously, the ATO, Microsoft, Telstra, Amazon, NBN, Australia Post and myriad others, do cold calls and use any number of ruses to extract bank details. Some people have fun with it with one woman advising: I usually say What a coincidence! My husband works for your organisation. Ill just put him on the phone and you can talk to him. They cant hang up quickly enough. Newsreader Jim Dolan is regularly called by the tax office in Byron Bay. I ask if they will take cash to settle my debt . . . and offer to meet them on the town hall steps at 10am. Wearing a red hat. Yes, yes, yes, a whole lot of fun. Until someone loses an eye! As a public duty, surely we all need to warn some of the older and potentially more vulnerable citizens that these kinds of scams  which they can read about at scamwatch.gov.au  are about?

And we also need to have a gentle word with the bone-stupid and highly gullible, who will believe anything. Just no one tell Craig Kelly or Clive Palmer, ok? They deserve it . . . If not racism, what was it? Our erstwhile prime minister John Howard was on the ABC on Monday evening, being interviewed by Annabel Crabb and Nazeem Hussain when the subject turned to racism. I dont think there is underlying racism in Australia. Hussain: You dont think theres racism in Australia?

Mr Howard: No, I dont. Hussain: On reflection, would you characterise the Cronulla riots as racist? Mr Howard: No, I dont. A point of order, Mr Speaker, if I may? Over here, the Member for Bleeding Bloody Obvious. Mr Howard, if the Cronulla riots were not driven by racism, what, pray tell were they driven by? Its a serious question Mr Speaker, and I think it important that Mr Howard answer it in the public domain. If not racism, what? And if not racism, why did the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal hold that in whipping up the mob at Cronulla, broadcaster Alan Jones had incited hatred, serious contempt and severe ridicule of Lebanese Muslims by his on-air comments, describing them a vermin who rape and pillage a nation thats taken them in.

If that wasnt racism, Mr Howard, what was it? Former Prime Minister John Howard has a rosy view about the Cronulla riot. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Brain Teaser of the Century Friends? This is nothing less than the best brain teaser I have ever seen, and it originally appeared in Marilyn vos Savants column, Ask Marilyn in Parade magazine in 1990: Suppose youre on a game show, and youre given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say No. 1, and the host, who knows whats behind the doors, opens another door, say No. 3, which has a goat. He then says to you, Do you want to pick door No. 2? Is it to your advantage to switch your choice?

Answer next week. (And youre on your honour. Youre allowed to ask smart and mathematical friends  even those with PhDs  because they will probably get it wrong in any case. But NO Googling!) Quotes of the Week I prepared myself for every argument that Barnaby might put against gay marriage and then he said some middle eastern countries would see it as Australian decadence and cancel cattle orders. He stumped me.  Barrie Cassidy, recalling Barnaby Joyce 1.0. Message to the Nats  not even the Americans would vote for Trump twice.  Former Liberal leader John Hewson, after the National Party gave their own answer to a souffle never rises twice, by rewarming a meat pie with tomato sauce, putting Barnaby Joyce back in the role of Leader, replacing the hapless, hopeless, but decent, Michael McCormack. Change the channel! -The federal Member for Bruce, Labors Julian Hill, interjects during PM Morrisons televised answer during question time, from the Lodge, where is serving out his quarantine stint.

Oh my God, whats happened?  Former Parisian fire chief Sgt. Xavier Gourmelon tells the Daily Mail of Princess Dianas last words after her fatal road crash in Paris in 1997. You have to say theres a fair bit of public outrage about it.  A restrained NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller about the idea that the limo driver who caused Sydneys latest COVID outbreak was unvaccinated despite regulations. Maggoted.  A fellow senator describing the, at best, tired and emotional condition of Northern Territory senator Samantha McMahon in the chamber on Tuesday evening. Senator McMahon denies this, and insists her demeanour was caused by receiving some sad personal news. When you leave your home, at any time of the day, you have to assume that you, or somebody in close proximity, has the virus.  Premier Berejiklian, at the beginning of the week, trying to keep everyone focussing on not spreading COVID. I really want the public to be prepared and to know this is an evolving situation and the NSW government will not hesitate to go further and harder.  Premier Gladys Berejiklian as the COVID outbreak got worse and more restrictions came in.

It is very difficult for Australians overseas to get home right now because our government has pushed a politics of paranoia over any sort of policy. The government has shown time and again how little it cares about us.  Anne Walsh of the Aussies Stranded in the UK Facebook group at the news that Scott Morrisons office spent weeks planning a G7 side trip to explore his convict family roots while the Prime Minister publicly argued Britain was too risky for Australian travellers. The Australian press was not told about the St Keverne trip and Morrisons official photographer, Adam Taylor, did not publish any images from the pilgrimage even though he was there. Nothing was mentioned on Morrisons Facebook page or Twitter account. While we see that more capital works will go into our health system, all of that lovely bricks and mortar does nothing to save lives, its actually the people inside and were not seeing that issue addressed at all in this budget.  NSW Nurses and Midwives Association secretary Brett Holmes about the state budget. Morrisons poor judgment, the debacle of the vaccination rollout, the failures on quarantine, the monumental debt created by the monumental spending, his intolerance of criticism will all catch up with him eventually, most likely not until after the election, when he will reap what he has sown.  Nikki Savva, in her last column for The Australian, before resigning over the arrival of Peta Credlin as a fellow columnist. At the time Juanita disappeared it was rumoured she was costing developers millions per day. Her disappearance without trace was devastating for all the family. We were worried that we might be targeted. She couldnt be buried with her family and for many years there was not even any memorial to Juanita in the family burial ground, her father had died of a broken heart. Margaret Foy, speaking on behalf of husband Francis Foy, Juanita Nielsens cousin, as a reward of $1 million was offered by police for new evidence leading to a conviction and discovery of Juanitas remains. I acknowledged my faults, and I resigned, as I should and I did. I spent three years on the backbench. I hope I come back a better person. I dont walk away from the fact that you have to have time to consider not only the effect on yourself but more importantly the effect on others. Ive done that, I dont want to dwell on the personal.  Barnaby Joyce after barging, in a very Barnaby way, back into the leadership of the National Party.
The head of Wests Tigers has warned the club may never return to its Rozelle home as a result of the state governments intention to use the old Balmain Leagues Club site as a dirt dump for the next seven years.

Late last month Transport for NSW formally filed an acquisition notice for the 28,000 square metre site on Victoria Road, Rozelle, which has sat vacant since the leagues club was demolished in 2010.

Not coming soon: the abandoned site of the old Balmain Leagues Club in Rozelle. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Chinese developer Heworth will be forced to lease the site to the government for what is expected to be seven years during construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel. The tunnel will run from Lilyfield underneath Balmain, the harbour and Waverton into North Sydney, where it meets the Warringah Freeway.

The various parties are making submissions to the NSW Valuer-General, who will decide on the payable compensation. Heworth said it was still committed to the project but Wests Tigers chief executive Simon Cook said it was not certain the development would ever materialise.
Today is a very tough day for everyone. Commissioner Carroll said Senior Constable Masters was a highly regarded police officer who had spent 10 years with the service, including working with horses in the mounted police unit. I spoke to his colleagues and spent time with them at Deception Bay and theyve got nothing but kind words to say about Dave  hardworking, capable, a beacon at the station and much loved by everyone, she said. Detective Superintendent Craig Morrow said an investigation centre was set up a the Caboolture police station. He urged anyone who saw the Hyundai Kona or any dashcam footage to contact police.

The car was originally hired from Ipswich I believe about June 22 but since then the car wasnt returned and reported stolen, he said. 53-year-old David Masters was a dedicated police officer based at Deception Bay. That car was identified shortly before that incident in north Brisbane district and was followed up the highway as it went north. Superintendent Morrow said it was unknown who was in the vehicle. When asked about the dangers of using road spikes, Commissioner Carroll said all equipment use on jobs including spikes, tasers or weapons were highly scrutinised and they learnt from past incidents.

The last incident with spikes involved Constable Peter McAulay, who almost died after being run over in Ipswich while placing down spikes in 2018. Queensland Police Union general secretary Mick Barnes, who was on the scene assisting colleagues of Senior Constable Masters, said the officers death left police in shock. Daves tragic, needless and senseless passing has already been felt deeply across Queensland, he said. The events of last night remind us that our job as police is always dangerous. Detective Superintendent Craig Morrow, with Commissioner Katarina Carroll, speaks at a press conference after the death of Senior Constable Masters. Credit:QPS

It never stops, and it comes at a heavy cost to us all. It is also a stark reminder of what we risk every day. We know that when we leave home to go to work each day, there are never any guarantees we will come home at the end of the day. Daves life has been cut tragically short for one reason and one reason alone, for simply doing his job, and we Queensland police remember and honour him. The Queensland Ambulance Service passed on their deepest sympathy. Our thoughts also go out to our officers and all emergency service personnel who attended the scene, a statement read.

Police officers on social media have posted an image in a show of respect and honour for Senior Constable Masters. Queensland police have paid tribute to Senior Constable David Masters and his family on social media by sharing this image. In a joint statement, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Police Minister Mark Ryan expressed condolences. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible tragedy, they said. Police put themselves in the line of danger every day to protect us and keep us safe, and today, tragically, they lost one of their own.

Health Minister Yvette DAth said it was a sad time for Queensland. Its a tragic incident and our thoughts and prayers go to this police officers family, work colleagues and friends during this really difficult time, she said. Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and opposition police spokesman Dale Last also paid respect to Senior Constable Masters. I am shocked and saddened to hear of the events that occurred on the Bruce Highway at Burpengary that led to the death of a Queensland police officer this morning, Mr Crisafulli said. The tragedy is a stark reminder of the critical work our policemen and women do across the state each and every day, Mr Last said.
Families across Sydney and its surrounds have had their school holiday plans gutted as the lockdown announced Saturday afternoon cruelled any hope of a getaway later in the two-week school break.

Sophia Connelly had been planning to leave Sydney with six-year-old son Finn on July 25 to go to Adelaide and Uluru. But Ms Connellys family lives in Rushcutters Bay and was subject to the stay-at-home orders that began in the eastern suburbs on Friday.

Sophia Connelly and son Finn have put their hoilday plans on hold because of the lockdown. Credit:Rhett Wyman

Naturally, we are disappointed, she said. Nothing we can do but stay positive and well make the most of what we have around us.

Lea Chahoud had planned to leave Sydney on Sunday with another family and travel to Jindabyne for three nights, via Canberra to pick up her 19-year-old daughter Mia.
Poor communication with IVF specialists, hefty costs, and errors during treatment were the top three problems cited by patients. They are followed closely by concerns regarding add-on treatments such as such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos, which are offered to patients despite there being little evidence they increase the chance of a live birth. Separate data from the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority, which regulates the industry, shows there were 123 adverse incidents reported in the past two years, ranging from bleeds and tears, to embryos being lost due to equipment being mishandled. The authoritys chief executive Anna MacLeod said these incidents should be viewed within the context of around 13,000 women having more than 25,000 IVF cycles every year. Health Complaints Commissioner Karen Cusack But the concerns of consumers like Jenny have prompted Health Complaints Commissioner Karen Cusack to push for reforms. Among them is better training of staff at IVF clinics, a more consistent approach to advertising and a requirement for providers to get written consent before using add-on treatments. Providers have also been asked to create online consumer reference guides to help patients make more informed decisions, and to overhaul the way they handle complaints.

We found that the commitment to achieving the right outcomes for our patients was very high in services that are provided, but theres still room for improvement, Ms Cusack said. Poor communication is often an underlying issue, so Im working with the sector now on how to have a more patient-centred approach. Caley and Paul Bridgewater with three-year old son Hugo, who was born through IVF. Credit:Chris Hopkins Such an approach was sorely lacking for Paul and Caley Bridgewater, who began IVF treatment about four years ago. In a sense, they were successful, as they were able to retrieve seven eggs  one of which culminated in the birth of their son, Hugo. The remaining six were then frozen, in the hope they would one day be used to expand their family.

Loading However, Caley and Paul were not told from the outset that their eggs were of such poor quality that their chance of falling pregnant was extremely low. They spent thousands of dollars storing them at the clinic for over a year. It was only after several failed cycles that the penny dropped. IVF is very much: if you dont ask, they dont tell, says Caley. The transparency is not there. The couple said there was not enough emotional support throughout the process, counselling felt like a tick box exercise, and not enough information was provided, particularly regarding the costs involved. They estimate they spent about $30,000. Its basically a money pit, says Paul. Its so tough on the woman, who is going through this incredible sense of loss with every failed cycle, but its also brutal on the male or the partner involved because youre just standing back and watching the process unfold with this feeling of helplessness.

One in 20 children in Victoria are born using assisted reproductive treatment, with the industry expected to generate up to $630 million by next year. The rising popularity of fertility treatments has been keeping lawyer Daniel Opare busy. The associate from Shine Lawyers medical team has noticed a recent uptick in inquiries about IVF, with the most common issues related to birth trauma and injuries. These include ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which can be life-threatening and causes a womans ovaries to swell, as well as ectopic pregnancies. With all these cases, the emotional impact is enormous because you invest so much hope into the IVF process, he said. Patients also invest a lot of money, and in a bid to make the system more affordable, the Andrews government committed $70 million in this years budget to establish public IVF services and Victorias first public sperm and egg bank.
As Sydney is moving through a nerve-racking stretch of COVID transmission, I am torn in my reactions.

Good Jon says: I sincerely hope no one gets sick, and no one dies  what a pity they couldnt avoid a major lockdown. I hope that their contact-tracing system is up to the challenges posed by the hyper-infectious Delta strain. May NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her highly credentialed team live up to their reputation of standard-setting. What is good for Sydney in fighting this cluster is good for all of us. Go Team Sydney.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian fronts the media on Saturday, before announcing a two-week lockdown. Credit:Getty Images

Bad Jon says: I sincerely hope no one gets sick and no one dies, but gee their two-week lockdown, as opposed to the stay-at-home rules, will prick their self-righteous balloon and put an end to the partisan, condescending and patronising nonsense that has been raining down on Victorians for months. It proves for once and for all that the virus doesnt care which political party is in power and rams home that COVID transmission is as much about luck as it is about any other single factor. It will do Sydney some good to be knocked off their high perch.

Then I find myself thinking: NSW Health has been showing the nation how to avoid jumping fast into lockdowns and although this will test their systems and protocols, let us all cross our fingers that their processes and personnel are as capable as claimed.
An explosion of COVID-19 has forced Sydney into a two-week lockdown with the rest of the state on high alert for further transmission as health experts warned it could take longer than a fortnight to bring the highly contagious outbreak under control.

As the Delta strain of the virus continues to take hold across the city, residents of greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong have been issued strict stay-at-home orders.

However, leading epidemiologists warned the widespread lockdown would likely extend beyond two weeks, arguing for the NSW government waited days too long to take decisive action.

The CBD was deserted on Saturday on the first day of a lockdown that has now been extended to all of Greater Sydney. Credit:Getty Images

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian convened an urgent meeting of her crisis cabinet on Saturday, where NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant recommended a two-week lockdown in a bid to contain the spread.
The City of Perth is set to make waves after the council was told by staff not to back a key project in the $1.5 billion Perth City Deal.

Local government officers have recommended councillors not back the construction of a $100 million pool at the WACA which would cost the organisation $25 million in capital costs and $126.5 million in operating subsidies during the aqua facilitys life cycle.

City of Perth staff have recommended council not back the business case for a WACA pool run by the local government.

Planning Minister Rita Saffioti says the council needs to have some common sense and get on with having what should be a basic facility for the community.

A business plan prepared for the City by economics firm ACIL Allen suggested the local government would be lumped with $126.5 million in operating subsidies over 40 years.
Nairobi: The medical charity Medicines Sans Frontiers said it was horrified by the brutal murder of three colleagues in Ethiopias Tigray region, the latest attack on humanitarian workers helping civilians in the deadly conflict there.

A statement by the aid group said two Ethiopian colleagues and one from Spain were found dead Friday, a day after colleagues lost contact with them while they were travelling.

Aid workers are reluctant to accepted military escorts as the armed forces have been accused of atrocities. Credit:AP

This morning the vehicle was found empty and a few metres away, their lifeless bodies, the statement said.

We condemn this attack on our colleagues in the strongest possible terms and will be relentless in understanding of what happened, MSF added, calling it unthinkable that the three  emergency coordinator Maria Hernandez, assistant coordinator Yohannes Halefom Reda and driver Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael  paid for their work with their lives.
London: Health officials at the World Health Organisation say there is not yet enough evidence to confirm a growing belief in Australia that the Delta COVID-19 can transmit in just five seconds rather than 15 minutes.

While the Delta variant  which first emerged in India and is currently dominant in Britain and now seeding an outbreak in Sydney  is known to be more transmissible than earlier variants, Australian officials have raised the possibility that the virus can spread in the amount of time it takes to breathe in.

Dr Mike Ryan, director of WHOs Health Emergencies Program, said the concept was scientifically possible as the virus mutated to become fitter as it sought to replace previous versions.

Its not known exactly how long it takes to infect someone with Delta virus by breathing on or near them. Credit:Istock

It can shift the infectious dose, in other words the virus may be more efficient at infecting cells and you need less virus to cause an infection, Dr Ryan told a virtual news conference from the WHOs headquarters in Geneva on Saturday morning.
Los Angeles: One day after pleading for her freedom from the court-mandated guardianship over her personal and professional life, Britney Spears addressed her fans directly in an Instagram post.

I just want to tell you guys a little secret, she wrote. I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way Ive posted  my life seems to look and be pretty amazing  I think thats what we all strive for!!!! That was one of my mothers best traits  no matter how shitty a day was when I was younger  for the sake of me and my siblings she always pretended like everything was ok. Im bringing this to peoples attention because I dont want people to think my life is perfect because ITS DEFINITELY NOT AT ALL  and if you have read anything about me in the news this week ... you obviously really know now its not!!!!

I apologise for pretending like Ive been ok the past two years, she continues. I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me  but honestly who doesnt want to capture there Instagram in a fun light !!!! Believe it or not pretending that Im ok has actually helped  so I decided to post this quote today because by golly if youre going through hell  I feel like Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence  existence  and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through and hey it worked  so Ive decided to start reading more fairy tales!!!!!

The pop star testified via telephone in a hearing in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, during which she asked to be freed from her conservatorship. I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive, Spears told Judge Brenda Penny.
~ there is no strike by KPSM .~

PHILIPSBURG:--- The judge in the Court of First Instance finds the actions of the Minister of Justice Anna Richardson pitiful says Attorney at Law Cor Merx. Merx told reporters that the court finds that the justice workers especially KPSM are hard workers.

The Presidents of NAPB and ABVO and KPSM workers are not on strike, instead, they have been servicing the community in a slower way since they are on go slow.

The Union Presidents said that the police officers have a right to service the community, while they are within their rights to attend to their own concerns.

At the Courthouse, hundreds of justice workers, civil servants, and union representatives, and members of Parliament were all present. The justice workers said that the fight for justice will continue as they leave the scene.

Minister of Justice Anna Richardson and her cabinet staff also addressed the unions after the hearing, which was in favor of the unions and its members.

Justice workers along with teachers have been protesting since it was made known that government will not live up to its agreement to pay the 50% of the vacation allowances that were to be paid on June 15th.

In a press release, the Minister of Justice said on June 25th, 2021, the Court in First Instance prohibited the ABVO and NAPB unions to organize meetings, work interruptions, and public manifestations, as long as this harm the proper functioning of Government, for a period of one week. A full judgment will follow on Friday, July 2nd, 2021.

Prior to granting Country Sint Maartens main claim, the Court expressed its severe displeasure with the situation and stated that parties should sit together and solve the current dispute amicably. The Court reminded the unions about the rules established by the Supreme Court regarding industrial actions by unions. The Court also expressed its confidence in the law enforcement officials not doing anything that tampers with the proper function of Government.

During the hearing, the president of the NAPB expressed that their main issues are firstly to continue the dialogue, secondly the situation surrounding the function books, thirdly updates, and fourthly the vacation allowances.

During the hearing, representatives of Country Sint Maarten expressed that the injunction was an action of last resort, after five days of strikes and threats to the public order and safety and the explicit threats to the tourism industry.

The Ministry of Justice is happy that its main claim was awarded till the final decision, which will come next week Friday. Also that the ABVO and NAPB have to sit with the Ministry to make their demands known and have a dialogue about all issues of concern. The Ministry would like to point out that in the meetings of June 22nd and June 24th the progress of the function books were discussed and explained already to the unions. Tomorrow, Saturday, June 26th, 2021 a pre-arranged working session will take place at Government building with the unions to go over the Function Books. Therefore, the Ministry is looking forward to hearing the other concerns the Unions may have.
The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) invites all residents on Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Maarten, and Sint Eustatius to participate in the first Big Live Nature Quiz on Friday 2nd of July, 6 pm. Its free, online, live, interactive, and includes questions about Dutch Caribbean animals. This fun quiz is in English but questions will also have Dutch and Papiamentu subtitles. You can participate online from home or go to one of the broadcast locations on your island. You can join alone or form a team with max 4 friends/family/colleagues. The winning team will win a sailing/snorkel trip around their island. Make sure to register at biglivenaturequiz.org.

Date and Time

Citizens of the six Dutch Caribbean islands ages 18 and older are invited to participate in the first annual Big Live Nature Quiz for adults. The quiz will take place on Friday, July 2, 2021, from 6 pm- 7 pm AST. There will be a short break in the middle to socialize and grab some food and drinks to prepare for round two.

Teams

Join alone or form a team with max 4 friends/family/colleagues.

Location

You can participate in two ways. Participants can play online from work or home with friends and family or go to a designated bar or restaurant (Bonaire: Hillside, Saba: Long Haul, St. Eustatius: Blue Bead Bar & Restaurant), St. Maarten: Dinghy Dock Sailors Bar) where the quiz will be live broadcasted.

Reserve your spot

Groups consisting of one to four members must pre-register at biglivenaturequiz.org to participate. People wishing to participate at a live broadcast location must also reserve a table at the bar (Bonaire: Hillside, Saba: Long Haul, St. Eustatius: Blue Bead Bar & Restaurant), St. Maarten: Dinghy Dock Sailors Bar).

Requirements

It is not necessary to prepare or study for the quiz in advance. All you need to participate is an online registration (biglivenaturequiz.org), an internet connection, a computer, a phone to answer questions, and a good attitude.

If you form a team and join from home or work, you need to physically get together behind 1 computer and only need 1 cell phone per team to send your team answer.

If you join from one of the designated bars, you only need to register online (biglivenaturequiz.org), reserve a table at the (Bonaire: Hillside, Saba: Long Haul, St. Eustatius: Blue Bead Bar & Restaurant), St. Maarten: Dinghy Dock Sailors Bar) and bring a cell phone.

Theme: Dutch Caribbean animals

The quiz will have a total of 35 multiple-choice trivia questions. The quiz will be in English but questions will also have Dutch and Papiamentu subtitles. There will be five categories: Marine Animals, Terrestrial Animals, Sounds in Nature, Special Species, and People and Nature.

Prices

The winning team will win a sailing/snorkel trip around their island. Second and third-place teams will receive t-shirts and hats.

Yearly Quiz for adults and kids

The DCNA supports STINAPA Bonaire, CARMABI on Curacao, Aruba National Park Foundation, Saba Conservation Foundation, STENAPA on St Eustatius, and Nature Foundation Sint Maarten amongst others with their nature education programs. The online Big Live Nature Quiz was created to educate citizens about nature conservation in a fun interactive way, to instill pride about the islands nature, encourage eco-friendly practices, support the parks conservation projects, and to connect people throughout the Dutch Caribbean. This is a yearly event for adults and kids. The Kids Edition is planned for the beginning of October.

The Big Live Nature Quiz is generously funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV), and DCNAs activities are supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.

Follow the Big Live Nature Quiz

Check out DCNAs Facebook (Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance), Instagram (DCNAnature), or biglivenaturequiz.org. If you have any questions, send an email to //This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. /">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at +599-717-5010.
Every two minutes, a mysterious flash of radio light explodes somewhere in the sky and fades back into darkness within a matter of milliseconds. Astronomers first noticed the bursts in data archived from 2007 and have spent the decade or so since carefully stockpiling examples of the fast radio bursts, or FRBs, looking for patterns that might reveal their origins. Now, they have a whopping 500 new bursts to study.

On June 9, an international research collaboration released the first FRB catalog from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment ( CHIME ) in British Columbia, more than tripling the number of known FRBs in a single day. The new dataset lends strong support to the notion that two distinct types of FRBs dot the radio sky, and it foreshadows a future where astronomers leverage FRBs to illuminate the most distant reaches of the universe.

"This represents a new phase in FRB science," Kiyoshi Masui, an Massachusetts Institute of Technology astrophysicist and representative of the CHIME collaboration, said at a news briefing.

Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe

An FRB-finding machine

CHIME was not initially designed to become the world's leading FRB hunter. Astronomers originally planned the machine to use the jitters of dim hydrogen atoms to chart the cosmos's matter out to unprecedented distances. But after the Canadian government funded the $9 million machine, researchers realized it was perfectly suited to solving the emerging mystery of FRBs.

The sky flashes with FRBs all the time  about 880 times a day, according to the CHIME collaboration's new results . But unless astronomers happen to have a large radio dish trained on exactly the right random point in the sky at exactly the right moment, a burst will go unseen.

CHIME, however, has a cosmic perspective. The telescope's broad receivers (more half-pipes than dishes) pick up radio waves from much of the sky overhead at once, and Earth's rotation points it in different directions. A $4.5 million supercomputing cluster dedicated to FRB hunting, added part-way through the design process, digitally focuses the telescope on thousands of points at once.

Previously, researchers tended to analyze FRBs on a case-by-case basis. The catalog now opens the door to studying bunches of FRBs at once, "transforming this whole field into big data science," Mohit Bhardwaj, a CHIME collaboration member from McGill University in Montreal, said at the news briefing.

Patterns in the randomness

Most astrophysicists think FRBs emanate from magnetars, which are one of the weirdest things a star can become when it dies. Magnetars are highly magnetized versions of the stellar corpses known as neutron stars , making them some of the densest and most magnetic objects in the universe. Only a body packing so much mass and magnetic intensity into such a small package could be powerful and nimble enough to beam out the brief bursts, theorists have reasoned. Then in 2020, CHIME caught a magnetar mid-burst in our own galaxy. Still, exactly how magnetars are churning out radio waves is anyone's guess.

Related: The 15 weirdest galaxies in our universe

"There are a plethora of theories, but nothing that tells us which ones could be right and which could be wrong," Masui said.

The CHIME catalog all but confirms a long-held suspicion: Not all FRBs are alike. Astronomers have identified a small minority of FRBs that occur repeatedly from the same spot in the sky, dubbed "repeaters." Of the 535 newly revealed bursts, 61 flashes came from 18 repeat offenders.

The astronomers also found that repeaters look intrinsically different from one-off bursts. One-time FRBs are brief and tend to shine with a rainbow of radio waves, while repeat bursts linger and tend to show up as a single radio hue. The distinction hints that magnetars could have at least two different ways of spitting out radio waves.

Across the universe

Regardless of what's causing FRBs or how, researchers are already thinking about how to put the flashes in the dark to work. The hundreds of bursts seem to be coming from all directions, as opposed to, say, aligning with the Milky Way, That's a sign that the cosmic lighthouses emitting them are scattered across the cosmos, with many coming from hundreds of millions to billions of light-years away.

CHIME also picks up a quality of FRBs called dispersion, a measure of how the radio frequencies of a burst have spread out as its photons travel between galaxies. This separation grows as FRB photons plow through the thin plasma that fills space (like white light separates into a rainbow as it passes through a prism). In this dispersion, each FRB records how much matter it encountered on its journey, much as a car's tires carry a history of the roads they have traveled.

As CHIME's FRB catalog grows, astronomers hope they will be able to use it to create a map of the cosmos's matter on the largest scales.

"We think that [FRBs] are going to be the ultimate tool for studying the universe," Masui said.

Originally published on Live Science.
Dili (Timor-Leste ), 26 June 2021 (SPS) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, H.E. Dra. Adaljiza Magno received Friday the Saharawi Ambassador in Dili, Mr. Malainin Abba.

The Minister Magno, reaffirmed the strong commitment and support of the Government of Timor-Leste to the just cause of the people of the Saharawi Republic (S.A.D.R) to Self-determination and Independence.

During the meeting, Ambassador Malainin Abba, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the steadfast stand of the Democratic Republic of Timor-leste on various international fora, as well as S.A.D.R determination to continue strengthening the friendship relations between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples.

The Saharawi Diplomat briefed H.E. the Minister about the different aspects of the latest developments in Western Sahara.

It is worth noting that Ambassador Malainin had presented his Letter of Credentials to the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, H.E. Dr. Francisco Guterres Lu Olo, on 11 June 2021. (SPS)

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HONOLULU (AP)  Three Honolulu police officers appeared in court on Friday to face charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old Micronesian boy, the first cases of their kind against law enforcement in the city in more than 40 years.

The officers were not asked to enter pleas during the hearing, when they were officially informed of the charges that they face.

The April 5 shooting killed Iremamber Sykap, who police and prosecutors have said was driving a stolen car linked to an armed robbery, burglary, purse-snatching and car theft. Sykap led officers on a chase immediately before the shooting, authorities have said.

Officer Geoffrey H.L. Thom fired 10 rounds at Sykap through the rear window of the Honda using a 9 mm Glock semi-automatic firearm, prosecutors said. The five-year police department veteran fired the shots without provocation after the car came to a stop at an intersection, according to court documents.

Thom was charged with one count of second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 20 years because of the kind of gun used in the shooting.

Fellow officers Zackary Ah Nee and Christopher Fredeluces, who also opened fire, are charged with second-degree attempted murder.

Prosecutors filed the charges after a grand jury declined to indict the three officers.

Attorneys for the three officers said in a statement that "it is clear that most in our community believe that filing these charges after an independent Grand Jury rejected them is concerning, to say the very least."

The statement added: While we recognize the tragedy of this situation, we as their attorneys will do all that we can to prevent wrongful convictions in this case.

The officers, who each wore blue aloha shirts, didn't speak in court. A judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 20.

Interim Police Chief Rade Vanic said in a statment: We continue to trust the judicial system, and we ask for everyones patience as this case makes its way through the courts.

Hundreds gathered outside the plaza in front of the downtown courthouse to show their support for the officers.

Many wore T-shirts saying Support our Officers and chanted free the three!

Brandon Wolff joined along with about 80 fellow members of the Longshoremen Brotherhood community service group.

Theyre not murderers, and they are heroes because what they did was they stopped these criminals who were on an active crime spree, he said.

Wolff said he was troubled that the officers were being made into the bad guys and rejected the notion that they are racist.

We know, because we live in these communities, how much of an asset they are to us. We know what they do. They protect us. They serve us daily," he said.

Wolff said police won't be able to adequately respond to threats and do their jobs if they are prosecuted like this. The good guys are going to die, he said.

Sykap was born in Guam, a U.S. territory, to a family from Chuuk in the Pacific island nation of Micronesia.

Some in the Micronesian community said the shooting highlighted the racism they face in Hawaii, belying the states reputation as a tolerant and diverse melting pot of ethnicities and cultures. Micronesians comprise a small minority in Hawaii, numbering about 15,000 to 20,000 out of a state of nearly 1.5 million.

Prosecutors say Thom hit Sykap with eight of the 10 shots he fired, striking the teenager in the back of the head, neck, back and left arm. The bullet that hit Sykap in the back of his head fractured his skull and entered his brain.

Court documents say the Honda was apparently in drive mode at the time. It started moving forward and struck an empty patrol car after the shots were fired.

Ah Nee fired four shots as the Honda climbed a sidewalk and went through a fence before landing in a canal, prosecutors said. Two of these rounds hit Sykaps brother, Mark Sykap, in the front passenger seat.

Fredeluces allegedly fired one shot at Iremamber Sykap but didn't hit him.

One passenger ran from the car before the shooting carrying a bag that police later found contained a starter pistol, prosecutors said in court documents. The police departments firearms expert concluded the pistol did not constitute a firearm, the documents said.

Prosecutors said they brought the charges after reviewing 1,300 pages of police reports, 70 body camera videos and more than 40 videos from cameras in the area. They also reviewed the use of force histories of the accused and other evidence.

Sykaps family has sued the city and police, alleging negligence, assault and battery.
While the latest data shows only a marginal increase in Delta variant COVID cases in Connecticut, one researcher cautions that could be attributed to the low number of infections in the state overall.

As of Thursday, 43 cases of the Delta strain have been identified in Connecticut, and the variant comprised just 2.3 percent of samples sequenced by researchers in the previous week, according to the latest report from the Yale School of Public Health and The Jackson Laboratory. The percentage of Delta samples was down more than 4 percent from the previous week.

But Nathan Grubaugh, who heads the Yale School of Public Healths efforts to sequence samples of the virus, suggested the low percentage of cases is likely due to noisy data from the states small number of infections.

Looking at our neighbors in Massachusetts and New York, delta is 10-20 (percent), so we in Connecticut are probably pretty close to that, Grubaugh wrote in a tweet accompanying the latest report Thursday.

The variant is believed to be even more transmissible than the Alpha strain, also known as B.1.1.7, first detected in the U.K., which went into a second lockdown last winter when it quickly became the dominant strain there. Researchers now believe the Delta variant comprises the majority of the cases in the U.K., having supplanted the Alpha variant as a the dominant strain.

Public health officials in the U.S., where Alpha remains dominant, believe the country could follow a similar path as the U.K. Besides being more infectious, researchers believe the Delta strain may also be able to evade antibodies from the vaccines and from monoclonal antibody treatments, potentially rendering both less effective at stopping the disease.

But a study out of the U.K. this week showed the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccine appear to work against the variant  though the effectiveness was reduced.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reclassified the strain as a variant of concern, up from a variant of interest.

On Friday, Connecticuts daily COVID-19 metrics remained low, with 127 new cases found out of 28,755 tests for a positivity rate of 0.44 percent. There were two more hospitalizations, increasing the statewide total to 36. One more death brought the Connecticut total to 8,275.

The weekly variant report showed Alpha comprised 59.1 percent of cases sequenced over the past week. Iota, a variant first detected in New York, made up 18.2 percent of cases, and Gamma, the variant first detected in Brazil, made up 4.5 percent of cases. Just under 16 percent of cases were identified as variants neither of concern nor interest. Out of all the samples sequenced, 26.3 percent were found with the E484K mutation and 8.8 percent were found with the L452R mutation  both mutations found in variants of concern.

With COVID-19 cases low in the state, Grubaugh tweeted that we are not yet seeing any real impacts of Delta locally.

But, if Delta continues to become more prevalent, it has the ability to make outbreaks among unvaccinated populations a lot worse, furthering the health disparities in our communities, he wrote. As a result, we may also see an increase in total cases, as seen in the UK.

He said people who have been vaccinated should encourage others to do the same.

About 66.5 percent of Connecticut residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to CDC data, while 59.5 percent are fully vaccinated.

But data compiled by the state shows that in some communities, less than 40 percent of residents have initiated vaccination, far below the state average. And new vaccinations have dropped off significantly in recent weeks. For the week ending June 19  the most recent data available  61,673 doses were administered statewide, down about 30 percent from the week before and far lower than the peak of almost 315,000 in mid-April.

Hoping to convince more people to get vaccinated, Gov. Ned Lamonts office on Friday announced the state will raffle concert tickets online and offer tickets to people who get a shot at upcoming clinics. Other states have offered lottery drawings for people who get vaccinated, and Connecticut last month offered free drinks with a meal purchase at participating restaurants for those who were vaccinated.
NORWALK  Police have charged a Stamford resident with first-degree assault for the stabbing of a man in the parking lot of Norwalk Hospital earlier this month.

Shamar Grant, 20, was arrested Friday by city police detectives, Norwalk police said through a press release. It was not immediately clear where he was taken into custody.

Police said the lead investigator on the case was able to obtain a warrant for Grants arrest after after exhaustive efforts were made involving every detective on the city police bureau.

In a statement, Police Chief Thomas Kulhawik called the arrest old school detective work.

I am so proud of the hard work they devoted to this case, as they do in every case that they are involved in, the chief said.

Police were called to the hospital around 10:42 a.m. on June 5 after a 911 caller told dispatchers someone had been stabbed in the parking lot.

According to police, the victim had parked his car at a lot on Rhodonolia Drive and was loading items into a back of a vehicle for a person who was being discharged from the hospital.

At that moment a male, unknown to the victim, rushed the victim, stabbing him twice, police said.

The victim walked into the hospital with serious injuries, police said, and was treated and later released.

Police said he was held on $1.25 million bond.
Catherine Avalone / Hearst Connecticut Media

Themis Klarides, the former House minority leader, took another step toward running for governor on Saturday, launching her campaign website a month after filing documents indicating that she may be self-funding her candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in 2022.

The Themis2022.com website will be a place for voters to interact with Klarides, a former longtime representative from Derby who now lives in Madison, according to her campaign staff.
Though marijuana was legalized in Connecticut this week, dont expect to see more students lighting up around college campuses or cultivating cannabis in dorms.

Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill on Wednesday legalizing the use and possession of recreational marijuana for adults ages 21 and older starting July 1. Growing up to six cannabis plants at home will be defelonized on that same date though still grounds for infractions.

The legislation makes Connecticut the 19th state, plus the District of Columbia, to legalize the substance.

But although the bill makes several nods to higher education, college kids are unlikely to see much change in school policy. Federal law, which still classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance, will deter many colleges and universities from total regulation overhaul.

On-campus use and possession will continue to be prohibited, said Leigh Appleby, a spokesperson for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities with 16 public campuses, including the state community colleges, and one online college. Failure to comply with federal drug-free campus policies can jeopardize our ability to receive funding.

The new cannabis law bans smoking in any area of a school building or college dormitory, but it could also put new protections in place for students.

Starting this summer, colleges could be prohibited from refusing to enroll, expelling or otherwise penalizing students for a positive drug test for THC. They could also banned from revoking financial aid, student loans or expelling a student for use or possession of small amounts of cannabis. There are caveats though if compliance violates federal law or jeopardizes federal funding.

Policies scheduled for January 1 of next year would make the law even more protective: No such policies and procedures shall result in a student facing greater discipline, punishment or sanction for use, sale or possession of cannabis than a student would face for the use, sale or possession of alcohol, reads the legislation.

However, just about all institutions of higher education are bound by the federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, which requires campuses curb the possession, use, cultivation or selling of federally classified illicit substances, including marijuana.

Under the legislation, any college or university that receives federal dollars needs to have a drug policy addressing marijuana, or risk losing that funding.

We worked closely with the governors office and legislative leaders to ensure we could remain in compliance with federal drug-free campus regulations, said Appleby of CSCU. We dont intend to regulate off-campus use. However, the bill does provide for some exceptions, such as mandatory drug testing for NCAA student-athletes.

Private schools are subject to federal regulations too if they enroll students receiving Title IV funds  better known as government financial aid.

University policy regarding cannabis remains unchanged as a result of the new state law, Doug Whiting, associate VP for marketing and public relations at the University of New Haven, wrote in an email. The use or possession of narcotics, cannabis or controlled substances, or possession of drug-related paraphernalia, is not permitted on campus or during university-sponsored, off-campus events.

This policy is spelled out in both our Student Handbook and Employee Handbook and therefore applies to all students and all employees. The policy is applicable to student behavior off-campus as well as on campus, said Whiting.

As an institution that receives federal funding, we have to align our policies with those of the federal government regarding marijuana, said Meagan Fazio, director of strategic communication at the University of Hartford. For the past several years, the state of Connecticut has allowed marijuana use under certain conditions, but we have not.

We do anticipate University leadership will engage in further conversations on the topic as updated information is available, she wrote in an email.

Proponents of the new law said its age requirement could curb underage use for children and young adults.

The legislation makes it a lesser Class D misdemeanor for those under 21 to lie about their age or use a fake ID in an attempt to buy cannabis. It will also be a Class A misdemeanor, the most serious in the state, to sell or provide cannabis to a person under 21.

And once retail sales begin, tentatively by the end of 2022, cannabis stores permitting people under 21 to loiter could be slapped with a $1,000 fine on the first offense, with subsequent incidences classified as Class B misdemeanors.

In the meantime, Connecticut schools are already responding to what they say is a growing interest in the cannabis industry.

UConn offers two cannabis horticulture courses and employs faculty with a range of expertise in research, legal and ethical issues, and the business of cannabis.

We do a lot of grant-funded research on hemp and UConn has been extremely supportive of this work, said Gerald Gerry Berkowitz, a professor in UConns Plant Science and Landscape Architecture department. Hemp is cannabis with low levels of THC that differentiate it from marijuana.

UConns student affairs office is in the process of reviewing how the changes could impact aspects of student life, including enforcement of the code of conduct and guidance for Resident Assistants in dormitories.

Those reviews are still underway and groups are actively engaged in the discussions, said Stephanie Reitz, a spokesperson for UConn. She too cited compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, and marijuanas illicit status under federal law.

Reitz specified that off-campus activities would not be under the purview of UConn police.

CSCU institutions have also begun offering cannabis courses, including a certificate program at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson. The 18-credit cannabis studies program is focused on law and policy, horticulture, small businesses and entrepreneurship, and issues related to social and criminal justice.

But as the ink on this law is just beginning to dry, a number of the colleges and universities contacted by Hearst Connecticut Media are currently examining their policies for how they might evolve.

Were still looking into how this new law may impact our college community, said Stacy Sneed, the director of media relations at Trinity College.

Sacred Heart University too is still reviewing the law and its possible effects.

With the legislation so new, we are still determining the impact it will have on our current policies, said Deborah Noack, executive director of communications at Sacred Heart University.
STAMFORD  Teodora De La Rosa Vasquez and her daughter were driving home late on June 6 when they saw a man, battered and swollen, lying in the road surrounded by concerned bystanders.

Those who arrived to the scene first had called for emergency services. The two joined the crowd and watched until an ambulance arrived on scene and the man was taken to the hospital.

It wasnt until De La Rosa Vasquez received a call from police the next morning that she learned the man she had seen rushed to the hospital had been her brother, Yovany De La Rosa Vasquez.

Sgt. Jeffrey Booth, the supervisor of Stamfords Collision Analysis Unit, said police believe Yovany De La Rosa Vasquez, 45, was walking home that night after going to the store when he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene.

Police continue to investigate. Yovany De La Rosa Vasquez remains in intensive care at Stamford Hospital with a broken neck, several other broken bones and possible brain injuries.

Police said they believe the vehicle is a dark-colored, four-door sedan, possibly an Acura TL, with a sunroof and Connecticut plates.

The crash happened on Wilson Street, just south of Grenhart Road, about five minutes away from Yovany De La Rosa Vasquezs home.

Booth said the car is believed to have been traveling around the speed limit of 35 mph at the time of the collision. He said there were no skid or brake marks in the area of the crash.

The car, which police said they believe was operated by a white male and had at least two other people inside, then fled the scene.

De La Rosa Vasquezs family is left wondering who could have done such a thing.

I dont know how they can keep quiet about what they did. How can they live knowing that that happened, and they just left him like that. And its not just the person driving, but the other people that were in the car, said Rosemery Vega De La Rosa, Yovanys niece.

Vega De La Rosa said she hopes that, as her uncles story begins to circulate, any of the people involved, or someone with any information about the crash, will come forward.

Its just the right thing to do, she said.

Vega De La Rosa said her uncle works as a landscaper for the familys Stamford-based business. He is known for his friendly disposition, she said.

Hes the type of guy whos nice to everyone. Hes not one to start problems or get into fights with anyone, she said.

Since the crash, Yovany De La Rosa Vasquez has been recovering slowly, his niece said.

In recent days, family members and doctors have noticed that he is opening his eyes longer and more frequently, which they say is good sign.

But Vega De La Rosa said the true extent of his injuries remain to be seen.

Police are asking anyone with any information about the vehicle to contact Booth or officer Daniel Oliva at 203-977-4712.


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During the recent Hamas/Israel ten-day war there were ample opportunities to test new Israeli AUD (Anti UAV Defense) systems. Israel is a leader in the development of AUD, mainly because it is the one country that faces the widest variety of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) types, and most attacks using UAVs. In preparation for a large-scale use of different type UAVs against Israel from Hamas in the south or Hezbollah (Lebanon) and Iran (Syria), Israel had developed numerous ways to detect and destroy or disable hostile UAVs. In May, during ten-day war May Israel detected and defeated six Hamas UAV attacks. There may have been other Hamas UAVs launched that never got near the border because of UAV malfunctions or operator error. The six UAVs that were a threat were all detected and taken down via missiles (usually from Iron Dome but one was an air-to-air missile) and at least one UAV was disabled using a technology that Israel would not discuss. This was probably one of the electronic AUD systems, which Israeli tech companies have developed over the last few years. One of the new (to large-scale combat) systems Israel would discuss was one that received data from all sensors (radars or electronic detection systems) and, in real time, created a single database/map display of all enemy systems detected. One feature of this new systems software were accurate estimate of where UAVs were launched from. This provides an opportunity to attack the UAV operator or launch site. This system was already causing more losses to Hamas rocket launching teams, who thought the Israelis were just getting lucky. Now Hamas knows that luck had nothing to do with it. Israel has often sought to come up with defenses against new enemy weapons or tactics with a multi-system solution. Nowhere has this been more evident than when it comes to the growing threat from armed UAVs.

For over a decade, many, if not most new AUD systems came from Israel. Many specialize in the use of multiple sensors and systems to detect and disable UAVs. One example of this is Skylock, an AUD system using multiple sensors and EW (Electronic Warfare) equipment, plus a short-range laser, to detect, identify and jam or take over unidentified UAVs trying to enter military bases, airports or industrial facilities. Skylock uses a combination of radar, electro-optical (visual) and electronic signal monitoring sensors to detect the smallest UAVs, especially quad-copters, approaching a restricted area. Another Israeli approach is to use an interceptor UAV that can drop a net on a UAV but the preferred method is to jam the UAV control signals or, if possible, seize control and land it.

The most widely used AUD for dealing with quad-copters is the AeroScope UAV detector. AeroScope is made by DJI, the Chinese firm that builds most of the quadcopters on the market. DJI includes a microchip in its quadcopters that contains information about the quadcopter operator in the control signal. AeroScope is a briefcase-size device that uses two small antennas to monitor for the presence of a DJI control signal within five kilometers. If a control signal is detected, the Aeroscope display shows the AeroScope operator data about the DJI quadcopter including location, altitude, speed, direction, takeoff location, operator location, and an identifier such as a registration or serial number.

There have already been instances where Aeroscope has proved inadequate because the target UAV was either not a DJI model or was one that had been altered. Such alterations are not easy to do but are possible by someone familiar with drone control hardware and software.

A growing number of AUDs are built to deal with any small UAV. One of the more effective, and expensive of these AUDs is the Israeli Drone Dome system. These cost $3.4 million each and consist of a 360-degree radar system, an electro-optical day/night surveillance unit and a wideband (most frequencies drones use) detector. With all this Drone Dome can reliably detect any small quadcopter or fixed-wing UAV within 3,500 meters. Most quadcopters and UAVs encountered are larger and can be detected out to ten kilometers. Once spotted, Drone Dome can use a focused jamming signal that will disrupt any radio control signals and force the drone to crash or operate erratically. Drone Dome has an optional laser gun that can be aimed by Drone Dome to destroy the drone at ranges up to 2,000 meters. In a combat zone, you can also employ machine-guns to bring down the drone. Many buyers do not purchase the laser option and depend on Drone Dome being able to reliably detect all manner of small quadcopters from several manufacturers.

What makes Skylock and Drone Dome different is their heavy use of electronic sensors to detect and jam the control signals used by UAVs, leaving the laser as a last resort. Several such AUD systems are already in service and effective because they are good at detecting UAVs electronically, and either jamming those control signals or taking over the control signals and capturing (by making it land) the UAV. Troops in Iraq and Syria were asking for AUD systems that used lasers and better UAV detection systems as well those with jammers to disable UAVs. There is a need for AUDs that can detect and destroy UAVs that do not use control signals and basically go on pre-programmed missions. This can be to take photos or deliver a small explosive. Usually, it is to take photos and return. Drone Dome is one of several AUD systems equipped to detect and locate UAVs operating in pre-programmed mode and destroy or disable them quietly with a vehicle-mounted laser.

AUDs similar to Drone Dome also use one or more radar systems and one or more sensor systems for detecting UAV control signals or visual images that pattern recognition software can quickly identify. While commercial UAVs are more common, the basic design principles have not changed. AUDs are constantly evolving to better detect and disable or destroy unwanted UAVs. The best ones are recent models that tend to be very expensive and used only for extreme situations, like UAV defense in combat zones. Airports, especially the large ones are going to have to join the military in buying the latest AUDs, which at least lowers the AUD price and inspires even faster innovation and development.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 23, 2021 / Tsodilo Resources Limited ("Tsodilo" or the "Company") (TSX-V:TSD) (OTCQB: TSDRF) (FSE:TZO) is pleased to provide an update on its wholly owned Xaudum Iron Project. The Company has entered into a research collaboration endeavor with the Department of Chemical, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) and Morupule Coal Mine (MCM) to undertake metallurgical studies with respect to the potential of generating a Pellet Feed and Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) product from the Xaudum Iron Formation (XIF) utilizing its magnetite and MCM's coal as a reductant. Commercially, these high-grade pellets and DRI product would be used to produce steel within Botswana, the region and internationally.

There is currently a fundamental shift under way within the steel industry with steel producers under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint and produce steel with lower carbon emissions. Carbon emissions (CO 2 ) account for around 80% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), where the steel making market contributes to roughly 6% of global CO 2 emission. Major corporations including steel producers are focusing on decarbonizing as they target carbon neutrality (Fan and Friedmann, 2021). Climate change issues globally and smog lowering related steel mill curbs on sintering and coal usage in China in particular have focused investors towards projects with higher-grade iron content driving the change that is occurring in the type of iron ore consumed by steel mills from lower-grade energy intensive fines that require sintering towards higher-grade ores and steel making products such as pellet feed and DRI materials.

Blast furnace - basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) dominate production but are particularly stubborn to decarbonization technology. Direct reduced iron to electric arc furnace (DRI-EAF) production is growing and has far better decarbonization potential. Emission controls and demand for less carbon intensive steel production will become the norm and steel producers demands for DR quality pellet feed will continue to increase. This shift represents significant opportunities for high-grade magnetite projects like the XIF project.

The Company's Metallurgical results show that the XIF magnetite product is expected to be a premium high-grade product containing +67% iron magnetite that will be ideal pellet feed material (see, Press Release of 12/17/2013 on the Company's website). This quality grade will place the XIF in the top 4-5% of producers in the world by Fe grade. High-grade magnetite pellet feeds at 67% Fe and above have been shown to lower GHG emissions compared to standard feed of 62% iron hematite fines (Herbertson and Strezov, 2011). The collaboration study with BIUST and MCM will identify if the XIF magnetite can be further beneficiated to a pellet feed and upgraded to a DRI pellet or similar product using Botswana coal as the reductant. MCM coal has proven to be a viable substitute for reductants in metalliferous ores processing, hence the confidence that it can be viable in the DRI process. This DRI product can then be used to produce steel in electric arc furnaces in Botswana, the region and international markets.

High-grade concentrates and pellets of 67% Fe, such as the XIF products, offer a net environmental benefit over its life-cycle compared to classic lower grade, Direct Shipping Ores (DSO) ~62% Fe hematite fines, by saving carbon emissions in steel production. Where this carbon saving is derived from the inherent differences in the chemical make-up of magnetite vs. hematite, where magnetite is exothermic (adds heat to the reaction); has a higher iron content (higher grade); lower impurities; and, reduces fluxing. High-grade ores over 65% Fe currently command larger price premiums over standard ores (62% Fe) resulting in higher margins for suppliers of high-grade products. The current global drive for lower emission steel production results in steel producers dramatically increasing their demand for these high-grade ores. Converting to pellets and DRI only increases the benefits over sinter feed, as pellets are of uniform size melt at a more equal rate which significantly reduce the time, energy and as such the resultant emissions to produce steel. There will likely be a significant under supply of high purity pellet feed as demand for these high-end materials increases dramatically by steel producers looking to reduce emission output. This demand increase for these high-end materials will also include steel mills that use DRI products as contemplated by the Company. This continued shift towards low emission steel globally means that the high- grade XIF magnetite project is uniquely placed to meet these emerging markets.

The business case for generating pellet feed, DRI products, and low emission steel from the XIF magnetite is just one of the scenarios that are to be evaluated in the Company's current Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA).

Tsodilo's Chairman and CEO, James M. Bruchs, commented "We are excited by this research collaboration with BIUST and MCB to evaluate the capabilities of generating pellet feed and DRI products for low emission steel production from the XIF magnetite. This extra level of beneficiation within Botswana will create added value and benefits in the form of increased revenue and employment for Botswana. This is just one scenario option amongst several that our PEA will evaluate. The PEA will be a road map for the development of the Xaudum Iron Formation towards production".

About Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST)

The Botswana International University of Science and Technology is a Government of Botswana supported institution established as a research-intensive University that specializes in Engineering, Science and Technology at both undergraduate and graduate (Master's and Doctoral) levels. It aims to increase competitiveness, economic growth and sustainable development; address the shortage of skilled scientists and technologists; increase movement of skilled people across national and boundaries international boundaries; stimulate research, innovation, and technology transfer; improve society's aspirations to improve health, wealth and well-being; address increased demand for access to tertiary education; and enable a more competitive and innovative tertiary education sector.

The University is a national strategic initiative that is intended to serve as one of the key platforms for transforming Botswana's economy and because of its research emphasis, BIUST works with the private sector to meet emerging skills needs of the industry, as well as identifies challenges that can be solved through applied research. (www.biust.ac.bw).

About Morupule Coal Mine (MCM)

Morupule Coal Mine (initially known as Morupule Colliery) was established in 1973 by Anglo American. MCM is currently 100% owned by the Minerals Development Company Botswana (MDCB), itself 100% owned by the government of the Republic of Botswana.

MCM operates a 3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) mine within a 4 billion tonne classified semi-bituminous thermal coal resource in a fairly favorable geological setting. Current activities exploit reserves of in situ cv of 22-23MJ/kg (adb), supplying mine mouth power plants and other customers. The mine operates its own railway siding that links into the national rail line which transports products to the north and south of the country and into the SADC region. MCM coal has proven to be a viable substitute for reductants in metalliferous ores processing, hence the confidence that it can be viable in the DRI process (www.mcm.co.bw).

Overview

Preliminary work on the Xaudum Iron project has defined a CIM compliant Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 441 million tonnes (Mt) with an average grade of 29.4% Fe, 41.0% SiO2, 6.1% Al2O3 and 0.3% P for the Block 1 magnetite XIF. Block 1 is a fraction of the potential XIF magnetite resource. An extrapolated exploration target has defined the XIF to be in the order of 5 to 7 billion tonnes at 15-40% Fe. This exploration target was generated by inversion modelling of ground magnetic geophysical data which was compared and moderated to volumes from drilling data within Block 1 and its potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature. To date, there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource other than in Block 1 and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.

About the XIF Project

the project is located in the North-West District of Botswana and is proximate to the Namibian boarder and lies thirty (30) miles from the town of Divundu in Namibia. The Trans Caprivi Railway (TCR) line linking Zambia and Namibia is planned to pass through Divundu providing access to Walvis Bay, Namibia's deep-sea port. The project is also located within forty-three (43) miles of the proposed Mucusso line to Angola's Namibe Port;

preliminary work on the Xaudum Iron project has defined a CIM compliant Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 441 million tonnes (Mt) with an average grade of 29.4% Fe, 41.0% SiO2, 6.1% Al2O3 and 0.3% P for the Block 1 magnetite XIF;

Block 1 is a fraction of the potential XIF magnetite resource. An extrapolated exploration target has defined the XIF to be in the order of 5 to 7 billion tonnes at 15- 40% Fe. This exploration target was generated by inversion modelling of ground magnetic geophysical data which was compared and moderated to volumes from drilling data within Block 1 and its potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature. To date, there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource other than in Block 1 and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource. See, Press Release of 9/14/2014 on the Company's website for further details;

on the Company's website for further details; metallurgical magnetic separation results (Davis Tube Recovery) show an average concentrate of 67.2% Fe, 4.2% SiO2, 0.5% Al2O3, 0.07% P is obtained at P80 grind size of 80 microns, although higher grades are possible at finer P80's. See, Press Release of 12/17/2013 on the Company's website ;

on the Company's website further exploration will be focused on Block 2 where the Company expects an increase in the resource;

the XIF Project is a potential large and long-life Tier 1 mining project;

the PEA will evaluate a number of options for development of the project at a variety of scales including: non-traditional but potentially profitable small-scale startup mining production options such as Ferrosilicon (FeSi) production from a magnetite concentrate, mid-size scenarios, whereby magnetite concentrate would be processed through a concentrator and transported to railhead and onto port facilities; large-scale mining options where full-scale mining would produce a magnetite concentrate processed by a concentrator plant with further potential modification to a pellet which would then be transported to port facilities;

Botswana has significant coal reserves which can be a major advantage for the Xaudum Iron project, allowing for coal to be used in the beneficiation process to generate iron products such as iron pellets, sponge iron, pig iron, and also steel; and,

the project would represent the first iron deposit to be considered for development in Botswana. Gcwihaba has identified the project as having the potential to positively impact the future economy of Botswana as the country looks to diversify its economy, and help Botswana to reach its goal of moving away from a dependence on diamond revenues.

For more information, refer to the technical report prepared by SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd. for Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Ltd. titled "Mineral Resource Estimate for the Xaudum Iron Project (Block 1), Republic of Botswana" with an effective date of August 29, 2014 and filed on SEDAR under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com .

An informational presentation of the project can be found on the Company's website at www.tsodiloresources.com/i/pdf/3)-Tsodilo-Iron-Project-Overview_March-2021.pdf.

References

Z. Fan and S. J. Friedmann, 2021. Low-carbon production of iron and steel: Technology options, economic assessment, and policy. Joule, Volume 5, Issue 4. Columbia SPIA, Center on Global Energy Policy article.

J. Herbertson and L. Strezov, 2011. Implications for Australian Magnetite Industry of the Introduction of a Price/Tax on Carbon. The Crucible Group, June 2011. Submitted to the Joint Select Committee on Australia's Clean Energy Future Legislation by the Magnetite Network (MagNet).

About Tsodilo Resources Limited

Tsodilo Resources Limited is an international diamond and metals exploration company engaged in the search for economic diamond, metal deposits and industrial stone at its Bosoto (Pty) Limited ("Bosoto"), Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Limited ("Gcwihaba") and Newdico (Pty) Ltd. ("Newdico) projects in Botswana and its Idada 361 (Pty) Limited ("Idada") project in Barberton, South Africa. The Company has a 100% stake in Bosoto (Pty) Ltd. which holds the BK16 kimberlite project in the Orapa Kimberlite Field (OKF) in Botswana and the PL216/2017 diamond prospection license also in the OKF. The Company has a 100% stake in its Gcwihaba project area consisting of seven metal (base, precious, platinum group, and rare earth) prospecting licenses all located in the North-West district of Botswana. The Company has a 100% interest in its Newdico industrial stone project located in Botswana's Central District. Additionally, Tsodilo has a 70% stake in Idada Trading 361 (Pty) Limited which holds the gold and silver exploration license in the Barberton area of South Africa. Tsodilo manages the exploration of the Newdico, Gcwihaba, Bosoto and Idada projects. Overall supervision of the Company's exploration program is the responsibility of Dr. Alistair Jeffcoate, Project Manager and Chief Geologist of the Company and a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements pertaining to the use of proceeds, the impact of strategic partnerships and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward- looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, changes in equity markets, changes in general economic conditions, market volatility, political developments in Botswana and surrounding countries, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, exploration and development risks, the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made 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. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, uncertainties relating to availability and cost of funds, timing and content of work programs, results of exploration activities, interpretation of drilling results and other geological data, risks relating to variations in the diamond grade and kimberlite lithologies; variations in rates of recovery and breakage; estimates of grade and quality of diamonds, variations in diamond valuations and future diamond prices; the state of world diamond markets, reliability of mineral property titles, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required project approvals, operational and infrastructure risk and other risks involved in the diamond exploration and development business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made 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. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange ("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 news release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

James M. Bruchs Chairman and Chief Executive Officer JBruchs@TsodiloResources.com Dr. Alistair Jeffcoate Project Manager and Chief Geologist Alistair.Jeffcoate@tsodiloresources.com Head Office Telephone +1 416 572 2033 Facsimile + 1 416 987 4369 Website http://www.TsodiloResources.com

SOURCE: Tsodilo Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:
SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Valent U.S.A., a Sumitomo Chemical Company, welcomes Cesar Parada as general director of its subsidiary Valent de Mexico, effective July 12, 2021. Parada will be based at Valent de Mexico (VdM) headquarters in Guadalajara and report directly to Valent U.S.A. Executive Vice President and COO Matt Plitt.

VdM offers a broad portfolio of agricultural products and technologies to help growers protect their crops from weeds, diseases and damaging insects. As general director, Parada will oversee all VdM operations, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations and achievement of financial goals and growth strategies. He also will identify and assess new business opportunities, working closely with Jesus Tapia who was named VdMs Commercial Director in January.

Parada brings a long history in Mexican agriculture with experience in business and financial management. Most recently, he served as general director/CFO at Agristar, where he revitalized employee and company performance and used his M&A expertise to integrate operations and spark collaboration. Before that, Parada spent more than 18 years with Agri-Estrella, formerly Cuproquim de Mexico, a division of Helena Chemical, as executive vice president and CFO.

He holds a bachelors degree in accounting, masters in business management and doctorate in management with a concentration in M&A from the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua (U.A.CH.), Mexico. Parada is a professor of finance in the MBA program at U.A.CH. He will continue to serve U.A.CH. as an adjunct instructor in accounting and management, a role he has held since 1995.

Cesar is a great fit for Valent, said Plitt. His strong financial background and demonstrated leadership will be an asset to the compliance culture weve built throughout the company. And his passion for teaching at his alma mater  nurturing future generations  aligns with our sustainability goals and the U.N. Sustainability Development Goal, Quality Education.

About Valent de Mexico

Valent de Mexico is a subsidiary of Valent U.S.A., a Sumitomo Chemical Company. With more than 20 years in the market, Valent de Mexico was the first company within the Mexican crop protection industry to incorporate conventional and biorational proprietary products into its own portfolio. Valent de Mexico is well recognized for working closely with end users and distribution, offering integrated solutions as specialized products with strong field support for Crop Protection and Crop Production needs by growers in Mexico. VdM is headquartered in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and have Sales and Technical service personnel nationwide. The company website is www.valent.mx.

About Valent U.S.A.

Valent U.S.A., headquartered in San Ramon, California, develops and markets products in the United States, Canada and Mexico that advance sustainable agriculture, protect crops, enhance crop yields, improve food quality, beautify the environment and safeguard public health. Valent products include a well-known line of quality herbicide, insecticide, fungicide and plant growth regulator products for agricultural, seed protection and professional use. Valent is a leader in marketing and sales of both traditional chemical products and biorational products developed by its affiliate, Valent BioSciences LLC.

About Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sumitomo Chemical is one of Japans leading chemical companies. It offers a diverse range of products globally in the fields of petrochemicals, energy and functional materials, IT-related chemicals and materials, health and crop science products, and pharmaceuticals. The companys consolidated sales revenue for fiscal year 2019 was JPY 2.2 trillion and number of employees is about 34,000 as of March 31, 2020. For additional information, visit the companys website at https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210624005018/en/

For more information, contact:

Steve Tatum

(925) 951-3164

steve.tatum@valent.com

Source: Valent U.S.A.
The Eglin Air Force Base Honor Guard presents the colors during the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing activation ceremony, June 25, 2021. The 350th SWW is responsible for delivering electromagnetic spectrum capabilities to 69 United States and Foreign Partner electromagnetic warfare systems. Additionally, the wing is responsible for electromagnetic warfare reprogramming, modeling and simulation and assessments. (Karissa Rodriguez/U.S. Air Force)

EGLIN AFB (Tribune News Service)  Eglin Air Force Base is the home, at least for now, of a first-of-its-kind Air Force wing working in the electromagnetic spectrum, which stretches from radio waves to visible light and affects everything from cell phones to personal computers to advanced military technology.

According to a Friday news release from the Air Forces Air Combat Command, the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing (350th SWW) was stood up Friday in recognition of a need for the U.S. military to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum.

The wing is being temporarily located at Eglin Air Force Base while the Air Force conducts a mandated environmental review for a permanent location. The Air Combat Command news release did not indicate what specific locations are under consideration as a permanent home for the wing, or whether Eglin AFB is on that list of potential locations.

According to the news release, the 350th SWW will enable, equip and optimize fielding capabilities to give the U.S. and its allies a sustainable, competitive advantage over adversaries in the electromagnetic spectrum. The new wing will provide maintenance, operational, and technical expertise for electronic warfare in support of the combat air forces.

Col. William Young, the wing commander, said in the news release that competition in the electromagnetic spectrum is more important than ever before. Americas military forces, Young noted, use the electromagnetic spectrum in both offensive and defensive postures.

If we lose the fight in the EMS (electromagnetic spectrum), we will lose the fights in all other domains, Young asserted. Were here to help make sure that doesnt happen. Modernizing the Air Forces approach to electromagnetic spectrum issues will ensure that warfighters have freedom to attack, maneuver and protect themselves at the time, place and parameters of our choosing.

Advances in technology have created a critical need for airmen to better understand their role within the EMS, according to the Air Combat Command news release.

The activation of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing is the latest step the Air Force has taken to maintain our competitive advantage in electromagnetic warfare, said Maj. Gen. Case Cunningham, United States Air Force Warfare Center commander.

The standing up of the wing also ensures all Air Force electronic warfare and EMS capabilities are consolidated at one location, the news release notes. In a move that will have an effect at Eglin, the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group, now part of the Eglin AFB-headquartered 53rd Wing, which has electronic warfare as part of its mission, will move to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing.

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(c)2021 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) Visit the Northwest Florida Daily News at www.nwfdailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  Honolulu firefighters responded Friday to a call for an injured U.S. Navy sailor who fell while training at Koko Crater Stairs.

HFD received a 911 call at 8:16 a.m., and responded with five units and 16 personnel, arriving on scene in 10 minutes later.

A 19-year-old sailor was exercising with his unit when he lost his footing on the way down the stairs, which are made up of the wooden ties from a former U.S. Army tramway.

The sailors master chief said he fell face first, tumbled down 18 steps and hit his head, causing him to lose consciousness for a few seconds. He also injured his right shin.

Three firefighters who hiked up the trail found the patient at 8 :46 a.m. and placed a cervical collar on him to support his neck.

HFDs Air 1 helicopter then transported the man to the landing zone at Koko Head District Park, where care was transferred to Emergency Medical Services.

For about the first six months of this year, the majority of HFD rescues, 42 %, have involved visitors, while 39 % involved residents, according to statistics released earlier this week. Approximately 5% of rescues involved the military. The remainder was of unknown residency or homeless.

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(c)2021 The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Visit The Honolulu Star-Advertiser at www.staradvertiser.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An illustration depicts coronavirus molecules. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel via TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  The virus that causes COVID-19 did not originate at the Wuhan seafood market, confirms a new study of deleted gene sequences from the virus earliest days.

The sequences had been posted to a website run by the National Institutes of Health, but were removed for unknown reasons.

Finding earlier sequences like these might help reveal new insights into the SARS-CoV-2 virus earliest days, said Jesse Bloom, the articles author, who studies viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

His new report, which has not yet been peer reviewed, does not suggest an answer to the question of whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus jumped directly from animals to people or was accidently leaked from a research lab in Wuhan, China.

I hope scientifically, we can get beyond just arguing about that, said Bloom, who in May joined a global call for more information about the earliest days of the outbreak.

But by studying how the viral genes mutate over time, researchers like Bloom can reconstruct their history, figuring out which cases came first and how the virus changed as it moved through the population.

These sequences are informative for understanding early SARS-CoV-2 spread in Wuhan, Bloom said. Theyre not transformative, but they fill in some really important gaps.

Bloom started out trying to find early genetic sequences of the virus published by other researchers so he could analyze them himself.

In looking at one paper from March 2020, he saw evidence of a group of 45 sequences that he hadnt seen elsewhere. When he looked for those sequences, he realized they had been deleted from a National Institutes of Health repository.

Bloom knows that the deletion will raise suspicions in the public, but he says there are many reasons a researcher might ask for material to be taken offline, including the fact that the week the study was posted, the Chinese government instituted a requirement that it review all scientific information related to SARS-CoV-2 before publication.

Bloom reached out to two Chinese researchers to ask why they wanted the information withdrawn, but has not heard back.

In a statement, the NIH said the agency is aware of the decision and has reviewed the request. The data were submitted in March 2020 and asked to be withdrawn in June of the same year.

The requestor indicated the sequence information had been updated, was being submitted to another database, and wanted the data removed from SRA (the Sequence Read Archive) to avoid version control issues, the NIH said in a statement. Submitting investigators hold the rights to their data and can request withdrawal of the data.

But Bloom also knew that although the sequences might have been deleted from the NIH database, they had likely been uploaded to the cloud, and might still be findable there. And they were.

He was able to analyze 13 of the 45 sequences and noted their differences from those that had already been examined. Looking at the changes, he was able to confirm that sequences taken from people infected at the Wuhan seafood market, where COVID-19 infections were once thought to have begun, could not have been the earliest cases.

The missing sequences also help explain why its been so hard to figure out when and where the virus first began, Bloom said.

This suggests we need to be really critical in going back and analyzing from primary data as much as possible, he said.

Its not clear why early sequences are missing, Bloom said, though its possible that the government simply doesnt like to release information publicly. Hes hopeful other early sequences can be found somewhere, without relying on the Chinese government.

Other researchers agreed that its important to track down other early sequences.

This line of inquiry may help us determine the origin of the virus and reconstruct how it spread in the earliest days of the pandemic, said Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

We also need to know how and why the sequences were removed. Was this a local, regional or national decision? Lipkin added.

Sergei Pond, an expert in analyzing sequences at Temple University in Philadelphia, praised Blooms research, saying it confirmed some of his own work and offered ideas for finding more early sequences.

Genetic sequences taken from people who caught the virus at the Wuhan seafood market likely had three mutations that differed from the original viral sequence, Pond and Bloom both estimate. For SARS-CoV-2, 3 mutations translate to about 4-6 weeks of evolution (roughly). Hence the Wuhan market is not a plausible single origin source, Pond said.

Pond agrees that there was nothing nefarious about the decision to delete data warehoused on a site run by the U.S. government.

They often receive requests to delete records for all kinds of reasons (e.g. wrong data submitted, sample contamination, technical errors, duplicate submissions), and honor them. This is routine, Pond said via email. In fact, they must delete data if requested by the submitter.

But Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, said hes concerned about the way people will react to Blooms findings.

He has no evidence to prove that this was done in a deliberate way, but it raises suspicions in the way its communicated, Topol said.

Hes also dubious that the mystery will be solved. Its unlikely were ever going to get to the bottom of this, Topol said. Finding the true zoonotic source is never easy. It can take a while or we may never get there.

If the virus did transfer directly from bats or another animal to humans, as many virologists believe, it should be a simple matter to prove: the Chinese government could make available genetic sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the people infected earliest in the pandemic.

Those sequences almost certainly exist within China, or could be easily created using stored blood samples from people who fell ill early in the pandemic, experts say.

It would be easy for them to refute this, Topol said, referring to the Chinese. Bloom gave them an opening, but whether theyll ever come forth we cant know.

Until they become transparent, Topol added, this is going to stay unsettled.

Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com and Elizabeth Weise at eweise@usatoday.com.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

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(c)2021 USA Today Visit USA Today at www.usatoday.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Attendees of the Khobar Towers 25th Annual memorial ceremony salute during the playing of the national anthem, June 25, 2021, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Nineteen Airmen were killed and more than 400 other military personnel and civilians were injured in the blast. (Amber Litteral/U.S. Air Force)

EGLIN AFB, Fla. (Tribune News Service)  The 19 U.S. Air Force airmen who died in the 1996 terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers complex in Saudi Arabia  including 12 from the Eglin Air Force Bases 33rd Fighter Wing  were remembered for the 25th year Friday at the Eglin memorial established in their honor.

Today, we embrace the fond memories of our fallen comrades, said retired Air Force Col. Doug Cochran, who was commander of the 58th Fighter Squadron  part of the 33rd Fighter Wing  when a truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers on the night of June 25, 1996.

The bombing marked the start of a continuing war on terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe.

Cochrans squadron had been scheduled to come home from Saudi Arabia just two days after the attack, and many airmen already were packing to leave when the explosion rocked the complex, killing the 19 airmen and injuring hundreds of other military personnel from the United States and partner nations.

Twenty-five years later, Cochran said, the fallen airmen continue to leave a legacy of honor, strength and commitment. We try to emulate the love they had for their families, friends and our country, and we try to live up to their high standards. Gone, but not forgotten, our heroes are forever in our hearts and memories.

As the eternal flame at the monument licked into the Friday morning air at the memorial  emblazoned with the likenesses of the 12 airmen of the 33rd Fighter Wing who died and the names of all 19 airmen who lost their lives  Cochran addressed some of his remarks to survivors of the attack.

You have experienced an unimaginable trauma and endured the loss of friends and comrades, Cochran said. Many of you bear visible scars, (there are) many with invisible scars, and for some, both. This tragedy has taken its toll in sleepless nights, hypervigilance, fatigue and other symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress) over the years.

Worried that some people with connections to the bombing might be experiencing flashbacks after seeing recent news coverage of the condominium tower near Miami that collapsed this week, or otherwise might be dealing with issues associated with the bombing, Cochran said, Please know you are not alone. It is imperative that we talk to trained professionals and others about our painful experience.

And at the same time, Cochran said, We need to press on, live our lives and support each other ... Our fallen comrades would have insisted on this.

Capt. Larry Spencer, the 33rd Fighter Wings chaplain, struck a similar note while offering a prayer at Fridays remembrance.

Lord, Spencer prayed, help us to see that remembering and honoring these heroes is only half of our mission. As I look at this wall, I see the hearts of 12 Nomads (the nickname for 33rd Fighter Wing personnel) who charge us today with ensuring we carry on their love for country, devotion to duty and memory as we take the watch and shoulder the cause of freedom.

Also speaking was retired Air Force Gen. Charles Horner, who commanded U.S. and partner-nation air operations for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia from August 1990 to April 1991.

Providing some historical perspective, Horner noted that the liberation of Kuwait from an Iraqi invasion as a result of Desert Shield and Desert Storm laid the foundation for terrorist retaliatory actions like the Khobar Towers bombing. The bombing, Horner said, now is ranked as the second largest non-nuclear explosion ever recorded, behind only the massive explosion of almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate last year in Beirut, Lebanon.

Acknowledging that military force has a role in combatting terrorism, Horner added, We can only win ... by following the two great commandments  first that we love God, which will force us all to compel the rejection of evil, and that we love our neighbor, which will allow us to understand other people and come to find the good in them as human beings.

We need to reject hate wherever we find it, in ourselves or in others, Horner said.

Col. Jon Wheeler, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, spoke briefly, telling the survivors, victims family members and others in attendance, Id like to thank you for the trust you have bestowed on the 33rd Fighter Wing to pay tribute to our heroes for the past quarter of a century.

The Eglin airmen who died in the attack were Staff Sgt. Daniel B. Cafourek of Watertown, South Dakota; Sgt. Millard D. Campbell of Angelton, Texas; Senior Airman Earl F. Cartrette Jr. of Sellersburg, Indiana; Tech Sgt. Patrick P. Fennig of Greendale, Wisconsin; Master Sgt. Kendall Kitson of Yukon, Oklahoma; Airman 1st Class Brian W. McVeigh of Debary, Florida; Airman 1st Class Brent E. Marthaler of Cambridge, Minnesota; Airman 1st Class Peter J. Morgera of Stratham, New Hampshire; Tech. Sgt. Thanh V. Nguyen of Panama City, Florida; Airman 1st Class Joseph E. Rimkus of Edwardsville, Illinois; Senior Airman Jeremy A. Taylor of Rosehill, Kansas; and Airman 1st Class Joshua E. Woody of Corning, California.

They came from the wings 58th Fighter Squadron, 60th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Logistics Group, 33rd Maintenance Squadron and 33rd Operations Support Squadron.

Members of the Rimkus, Marthaler, Woody, Campbell and Nguyen families were in attendance at Fridays ceremony.

Five of the remaining victims were stationed at Patrick Air Force Base near Cocoa Beach. They were Capt. Christopher J. Adams of Massapequa Park, New York; Capt. Leland T. Haun of Clovis, California; Master Sgt. Michael G. Heiser of Palm Coast; Staff Sgt. Kevin J. Johnson of Shreveport, Louisiana; and Airman 1st Class Justin R. Wood of Modesto, California.

Other airmen killed in the blast were Staff Sgt. Ronald L. King of Battle Creek, Michigan, stationed at Nebraskas Offutt Air Force Base; and Airman 1st Class Christopher Lester of Pineville, West Virginia, stationed at Ohios Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

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(c)2021 the Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) Visit the Northwest Florida Daily News at www.nwfdailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
President Joe Biden speaks from the Treaty Room in the White House on April 14, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

President Joe Biden issued an executive order Friday to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across the Federal Government.

The directive builds on Bidens Inauguration Day promise for an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda, according to a White House fact sheet accompanying the order. The White House statement said the enduring legacies of employment discrimination, systemic racism, and gender inequality are still felt today. Too many underserved communities remain underrepresented in the Federal workforce, especially in positions of leadership. The order, the White House said, is designed to take a systematic approach to embedding diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in federal hiring and employment.

Not limited to diversity based on race and gender, the executive order includes, among others, immigrants, first-generation professionals, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, rural residents, seniors facing age discrimination and religious people who need workplace accommodations at work.

The order outlines various actions designed to enhance equity, including:

- Establishing a government-wide diversity and inclusion initiative in all areas of the governments workforce that will be led by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

- Charging federal agencies with identifying, within 100 days, barriers to employment and developing strategic plans to eliminate them

- Reducing the governments reliance on unpaid internships, which can create barriers for low-income students

- Advancing pay equity to ensure that all employees are fairly compensated.

Other points in the order require a government-wide, comprehensive plan to address workplace harassment, including sexual harassment and seek to advance federal workplace equity for LGBTQ+ employees and people with disabilities, according to the fact sheet. That includes, the order says, equitable access to health care and health insurance coverage for LGBTQ+ employees and their dependents.

Each Federal employee should be able to openly express their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, and have these identities affirmed and respected, without fear of discrimination, retribution, or disadvantage, the order says.

Biden directed OPM to examine any barriers to employment for former prisoners and to consider new ways to expand job opportunities for them.

Individuals with prior convictions experience must be supported in accessing employment as they fully reenter society, according to the White House statement. The Federal government has an important role to play in supporting formerly incarcerated individuals in fully reintegrating into society and making meaningful contributions to our country.

Biden wants agencies to build a more diverse pipeline into public service by developing new recruitment partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and higher educational institutions serving Hispanics, Native Americans and women.

On his first day in office, Biden reversed a Trump administration order that effectively banned diversity training in federal agencies. Fridays order instructs officials to expand diversity, equity and inclusion training to enable Federal employees, managers, and leaders to have knowledge of systemic and institutional racism and bias against underserved communities.

Pointing to a historic number of diverse leaders in the Biden administration, the White House said Fridays Executive Order will help develop a Federal workforce that looks like America, where qualified people from every background and walk of life have an equal opportunity to serve our Nation.

By embedding principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across the federal workforce, todays Executive Order is a tremendous step towards a government that better reflects the nation it serves, Susan Rice, head of the presidents Domestic Policy Council, told the Federal Insider by email. If youre a person with disabilities seeking equal access in the workplace, someone who was formerly incarcerated trying to get back on your feet  or just a young person who cant afford an unpaid internship  these changes will make it easier for you to enter public service. Thats going to allow us to draw more fully on all of our national strength, and thats a huge win for our entire country.
This photo provided by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Fla., section of Miami, Friday, June 25, 2021. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday. (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue)

SURFSIDE, Fla.  The tortuous wait for word of nearly 160 people unaccounted for after an oceanfront condominium building collapsed near Miami, killing at least four, is taking a toll on relatives who can do little but pray and hope their loved ones will somehow be found alive in an increasingly dire hunt for survivors.

As scores of rescuers used big machines, small buckets, drones, microphones and their own hands on Friday to pick through the mountain of debris that had been the 12-story Champlain Towers South, Rachel Spiegel was anxious for any update on her missing mother, 66-year-old Judy Spiegel, who lived on the sixth floor.

Im just praying for a miracle, Spiegel said. Were heartbroken that she was even in the building.

Jeanne Ugarte was coming to grips with what she feared was a tragic end for longtime friends Juan and Ana Mora and their son Juan Jr., who was visiting his parents in their condo at the tower.

I know theyre not going to find them (alive), Ugarte said. Its been too long.

Hopes rested on how quickly crews could complete their grim, yet delicate task in Surfside, just a few miles north of Miamis South Beach.

Any time that we hear a sound, we concentrate in that area, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said. It could be just steel twisting, it could be debris raining down, but not specifically sounds of tapping or sounds of a human voice.

Buffeted by gusty winds and pelted by intermittent rain, two heavy cranes removed debris from the pile using large claws Friday, creating a din of crashing glass and metal as they picked up material and dumped it to the side. A smoky haze rose from the site.

Photos of missing people are posted on a fence near the site of the Champlain Towers South Condo after the building collapsed Friday, June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Fla. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday, June 24. (Pedro Portal, The Miami Herald/AP)

Once the machines paused, firefighters wearing protective masks and carrying red buckets climbed atop the pile to remove smaller pieces by hand in hope of finding spots where people might be trapped. In a parking garage, rescuers in knee-deep water used power tools to cut into the building from below.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews were doing everything possible to save as many people as they could.

We do not have a resource problem, we have a luck problem, he said.

Officials said they still dont know exactly how many residents or visitors were in the building when it fell, but they were trying to locate 159 people who were considered unaccounted for and may or may not have been there.

Flowers left in tribute decorated a fence near the tower, and people awaiting news about the search watched from a distance, hands clasped and hugging. Congregants prayed at a nearby synagogue where some members were among the missing.

On the beach near the collapsed structure, visitor Faydah Bushnaq of Sterling, Virginia, knelt and scratched Pray for their souls in the sand.

We were supposed to be on vacation, but I have no motivation to have fun, Bushnaq said. It is the perfect time to say a prayer for them.

Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said authorities were working with the medical examiners office to identify the bodies that have been found. Eleven injuries were reported, with four people treated at hospitals.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said rescuers were at extreme risk going through the rubble.

Debris is falling on them as they do their work, she said. We have structural engineers on-site to ensure that they will not be injured, but they are proceeding because they are so motivated.

Teenager Jonah Handler was rescued from the rubble hours after the collapse, but his mother, Stacie Fang, died. Relatives issued a statement expressing thanks for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received.

There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie, it said.

While officials said no cause for the collapse early Thursday has been determined, Gov. Ron DeSantis said a definitive answer was needed in a timely manner. Video showed the center of the building appearing to tumble down first, followed by a section nearer to the beach.

The missing included people from around the world.

Israeli media said the countrys consul general in Miami believed that 20 of its citizens were missing. Another 22 people were unaccounted for from Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay, including relatives of Paraguayan first lady Silvana de Abdo Benitez.

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Associated Press writers Tim Reynolds and Ian Mader in Miami; Freida Frisaro and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale; Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee; Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama; R.J. Rico in Atlanta; and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
Daniel Ortega talks during a meeting in Nicaragua in 2007. (Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg)

The stream of high-profile opposition leaders, journalists and members of civil society fleeing Nicaragua has surged, as the regime of Daniel Ortega wages the most alarming political crackdown in the country's recent history ahead of a November election.

In the last week alone, several of the most influential critics of the Ortega regime sneaked out of the country - certain they would be detained if they remained. Journalists for mainstream publications were stripped of their passports, but decided to leave any way. Even some of Ortega's former top Sandanista comrades are seeking refuge abroad. The consequences for remaining in the country have become clear: Over the last several months, at least 16 opposition figures have been jailed.

"They are imposing a state of fear in the country to immobilize the whole country and eliminate political competition for the coming election," said Carlos Chamorro, the publisher of the prominent digital newspaper Confidencial, who fled the country this month.

Chamarro left after police raided his house and after his sister - a presidential candidate - was arrested. Confidencial's offices had previously been raided by police.

Journalists have come under near-constant threat in recent weeks. Veteran journalist Miguel Mendoza was detained on June 21, when police broke into his home. The day before that, police arrested Miguel Mora, the former director of 100% Noticias. Mora had stepped down his role at the outlet to run for president.

Julio Lopez, another prominent journalist, was stripped of his passport last week. He decided at that point to seek refuge in Costa Rica.

"Exile was the last alternative to preserve my life and freedom. That moment has come," he wrote in a blog post after crossing the border. "Making this decision has been distressing; I have done it for the tranquility of my family, although I know that sadness overwhelms them."

Sergio Marin, the host of a Nicaraguan political show called Mesa Redonda, or Roundtable, fled to Costa Rica on Monday, after his sources warned him that the Ortega regime was trying to find him, accusing him of being a member of the opposition.

"Journalists who are not on [Ortega's] side, who are not pro-government members, to [Ortega] we are considered coup plotters, bought by funds from the United States government," Marin said.

Ortega, 75, rose to power as a young revolutionary in the 1970s, a leftist who Ronald Reagan once called a "tin-pot dictator." He ruled the country from 1979 to 1990 and has been in power once again since 2007.

While Ortega has made previous attempts to target his opposition - most notably in 2018 - his current crackdown is widely seen as an escalation. The current wave of persecution has reached even members of Ortega's former fellow Sandanista commanders. This week, former commander Luis Carrion was driven into exile, after he heard that his arrest was imminent.

Carrion had become a critic of Ortega's regime in recent years, but told Nicaragua's La Prensa newspaper that he understood the strategy behind the current crackdown.

"(Ortega) has the expectation that these kidnapped people will serve as political hostages to negotiate the lifting of sanctions with the United States," he said.

The United States has grown more outspoken about Ortega's repression. The Biden administration earlier this month announced new sanctions on close Ortega allies and relatives, including his daughter Camila Antonia Ortega Murillo.

"Nicaragua is becoming an international pariah and moving farther away from democracy," Julie Chung, acting assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere, said in a tweet.

So far, U.S. messaging has appeared to have little impact on Ortega's crackdown. In recent months, the regime has passed a series of bills allowing the regime to intervene in the activities of human rights groups and media outlets.

Between January and May of this year, roughly 4,000 Nicaraguans per month made appointments with the Costa Rican government to formalize their asylum claims, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The sheer number of raids and arrests of opposition leaders and journalists suggests that Ortega has little concern with maintaining even the veneer of democratic elections. Among those driven into exile this month are former education minister Humberto Belli.

In a statement, Belli described two raids on his house earlier this month, one carried out by men carrying rifles, with ski masks covering their faces. His wife heard one of the men say, 'Now kill them, now kill them.'" But the men left, and the family fled the country.

For the relatives of those detained by the regime, the crackdown has been felt even more acutely. The government has provided almost no updates about their health or whereabouts.

The families held a news conference on Thursday. Victoria Cardenas, the wife of presidential candidate Juan Sebastian Chamorro, said has not been able to visit her husband.

"I don't know where my husband is, nor how he is," she said. "We're desperate, helpless."

Families demand information on relatives jailed in Nicaragua

This week, Human Rights Watch released a report on the Ortega regime's crackdown based on dozens of interviews with activists, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders. The authors of the report asked that the United Nations, Latin American democracies and the United States to apply more pressure on the regime to curb Ortega's repression.

"The only language this guy is going to understand is if international community doubles down on diplomatic pressure and with consequences that might affect the business people who are still in bed with the regime," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch's Americas division.
Buy Photo A service member returning from an overseas deployment plays a video game in the lounge of the Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 25, 2021. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany  Leaving Bagram Airfield near Kabul this week after a five-month deployment was bittersweet for Tech Sgt. Anthony Rescigno.

He was doing what he loves in Afghanistan as part of the 405th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron  picking up critically wounded patients and keeping them alive until we can get them to the higher echelon of care, he said Friday at the Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein, where service members decompress after an overseas deployment and are given the tools they need to ease back into life at home.

Rescignos commander at Bagram had recommended that he pass through the DTC on the way home so that he could let go of some of the stress he and his unit were under in Afghanistan. Others, particularly security forces, have been referred to the program before deploying because their commanders know what they're likely to go through.

Rescigno sometimes worked 24-hour shifts because, due to the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan, his unit was understaffed, he said.

We had to keep the wheels turning, so everyone stepped up, the 29-year-old Massachusetts native said.

He arrived at Ramstein passenger terminal on Wednesday for the four-day DTC program, and was met by center personnel, including Master Sgt. Terrell McClain, who went through the program himself in 2010 after a deployment to Iraq.

Buy Photo One of the weight rooms at the Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, June 25, 2021. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

It gives you time to decompress rather than hopping straight on a plane to the States, where youre back with babies, husbands, wives, whatever, McClain said. You can relax for a few days, with normal showers where you don't need shoes, and nice weather  for Germany.

A day after Rescigno arrived, DTC staff and the returning service members went on a daytrip to Heidelberg. While the troops enjoyed being tourists, DTC personnel monitored them for signs of PTSD or combat-related trauma, said DTC commander Lt. Col. Kenneth Sterling.

The daytrip is designed to take folks who have been in a deployed environment that is not reflective of general civilian life, where they have been bereft of choices and some life experiences  women, children, dogs that arent going to attack you and bite your face off  and put them in those situations to see how they react, he said.

They also talk, over lunch and in more formal settings. A lot of people dont realize how important it is to talk and open up, said Capt. Justin Maudie, director of operations at the center.

You go home from deployment and you realize none of your friends or family have been through what you have, so you dont talk to anybody, he said. Here, you can talk with someone in your career field and you know theyll understand.

Buy Photo A large rock outside the building on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, that houses the Deployment Transition Center, where service members returning from overseas deployments can decompress before heading back to the U.S. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

On Friday, while other program participants played pool and video games in a basement lounge and two women worked out in a weight room, Rescigno relaxed in the nondescript building that houses the DTC before going to the final course in the program, the combat bridge. There, DTC personnel begin shifting service members mindsets from deployment to life back home, and try to prepare them for the many changes to routine that theyll encounter, such as having to make choices.

I remember the first time I went to a restaurant after I got back from a deployment, said Maudie, who deployed to Afghanistan in 2016 and Iraq in 2019. I was like, That sounds good, that sounds good, that sounds good. We give them the tools so that, when theyre in a situation like that, they think Ah, I know what to do.

The DTC was set up in 2010 when some 2.1 million service members, spread across 3.7 million deployments, had taken part in the Global War on Terror. An active-duty Air Force detachment of the 86th Mission Support Group, it's based at Ramstein in southwest Germany because the location is well-placed, logistically and geographically, to receive military members returning from overseas deployments.

The program is for anyone returning from deployment, regardless of whether they served in a combat zone.

Buy Photo A service member returning from an overseas deployment plays a video game in the lounge of the Deployment Transition Center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, June 25, 2021. (Karin Zeitvogel/Stars and Stripes)

There are things that are common across deployments , like working 12-hour shifts, six days a week, having to leave the structure you live in to go to the bathroom, and sand  so much sand, said Maudie.

You get here and you can just breathe and let go of a lot of that stuff.

Eighty percent of participants have said they benefited from the program, according to a 2016 report by the Rand Corporation. But a comparison of participants and airmen who didnt take part found no evidence that the program helps reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, depressive symptoms, binge drinking, or social conflicts with family and coworkers, the report said.

Still, thousands of redeploying troops have taken part in the program, and had the DTC not been forced by the coronavirus pandemic to suspend in-person programs between March 2020 and January of this year, it would likely have welcomed between 4,000 and 5,000 troops in 2020, Sterling said. Thats at least five times more than the 800 who went through the program in its first year.

Rescigno wished his best friend had known about the program when he returned home from Bagram around six years ago.

A medical technician with the 405th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron performs a preflight check on an oxygen bottle at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Oct. 29, 2019. The U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan has left the squadron understaffed in 2021 and placed unit members under greater stress than usual. (Matthew Lotz/U.S. Air Force)

Its tough to open up, and it took him a long time, even to me, he said. It would have been a big step for him if he could have come through here, decompressed, talked about everything he saw. Everyone here is open and ready to listen. It would have helped him out.

zeitvogel.karin@stripes.com

Twitter: @StripesZeit
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a media availability after his meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington, Friday, June 25, 2021. (Alex Brandon/AP)

WASHINGTON  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Friday that his government would do what it can to help secure the release of an American contractor abducted more than a year ago, though he said President Joe Biden didn't press him on the matter during a White House meeting.

Mark Frerichs, a contractor from Lombard, Illinois, was kidnapped in January 2020 from Kabul and is believed to be in the custody of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network. U.S. officials have said Frerichs' captivity has been raised during negotiations with the Taliban, but they have not revealed anything about his suspected whereabouts or disclosed details of those discussions.

Asked whether Frerichs came up during a conversation earlier in the afternoon with Biden, Ghani said it did not. But he said "we will do everything in our power" to help facilitate Frerichs' release.

Ghani spoke to reporters soon after his meeting with Biden, who pledged a "sustained" partnership with Afghanistan even as the U.S. readies a military withdrawal and an end to a nearly 20-year-old war.

Frerichs' advocates have expressed concern that the looming U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan could make it harder to get him home, leaving the U.S. without leverage to demand his release or without the intelligence needed to pinpoint his whereabouts in the country for a rescue operation.

Asked earlier Friday about Frerichs, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would continue his efforts to bring home detained Americans.

She said that when it comes to Afghanistan, "we will have a diplomatic presence on the ground, we will continue to work closely with the government with security support, humanitarian support, and there needs to be continued political process, ongoing negotiations."

"That will be part of the president's message today, when he meets with the leaders," she added.

Roughly 650 U.S. troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main American military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
Afghan army soldiers occupy a position on the front line that is exposed to Taliban sniper fire at the Nazar outpost near Lashkar Gah on May 25, 2021. (Lorenzo Tugnoli for The Washington Post )

With U.S. troops set to depart Afghanistan after nearly 20 years, amid a surge in Taliban attacks, the fate of tens of thousands of Afghans who worked closely with the United States hangs in the balance.

President Joe Biden told reporters this week that Afghan allies who partnered with U.S. forces in Afghanistan as interpreters, drivers or in other roles would be relocated for their own safety.

"Those who helped us are not going to be left behind," he said.

That could mean evacuating tens of thousands of people, as the threat of a resurgent Taliban looms.

For those who track the history of U.S. conflict, the move to relocate allies as Washington loses appetite for a war carries echoes of the past. During the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, as North Vietnam's Communist forces claimed victory, the United States evacuated thousands of South Vietnamese.

More recently, the United States has granted a trickle of visas to interpreters and others in Iraq who aided the U.S. military there.

But advocates for those left on the ground have criticized such efforts as plodding and insufficient in the face of urgent need. In an article for Bloomberg Opinion, retired U.S. Adm. James Stavridis pointed to the deaths of U.S. allies in Vietnam and said he did not want "that grim eventuality repeating itself."

At least 1,000 local interpreters who worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan or Iraq have been killed, volunteer groups estimate, many while awaiting visas.

- - -

The Nixon administration unilaterally pulled troops out of Vietnam in 1973.

On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces pushed into Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. Roughly 6,000 Americans were still in South Vietnam in the weeks before the capital fell, and hundreds remained as North Vietnamese forces swept in.

U.S. viewers watched on television as helicopters evacuated Americans from the embassy, whisking them away to Navy ships. But a far larger task awaited: evacuating America's South Vietnamese partners.

In total, some 7,000 people were evacuated during Operation Frequent Wind, including both Americans and South Vietnamese, making it the largest helicopter evacuation in history.

Many others made their own way out of the country, and in 1975 alone, the United States ultimately brought more than 100,000 people to Guam for processing before relocation. Some lawmakers have suggested Guam could play a similar role for Afghan evacuees.

But this was just the earliest part of what the International Rescue Committee would go on to call the "largest refugee resettlement effort in American history," with waves of Vietnamese refugees reaching the United States in the 1970s and 1980s.

Despite the large numbers of South Vietnamese who left the nation amid the Communist takeover, many were left behind. Often, they were killed or sent to "reeducation camps."

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers recently that he did not want to "see Saigon 1975 in Afghanistan."

"The parallel between the Vietnam War and Afghan War is troubling," Jim Jones, a Vietnam combat veteran who later served on the Idaho Supreme Court, wrote for the Military Times last month. "We had a moral obligation to extract as many [allies] as possible but, instead, we abandoned them to a horrific fate."

- - -

The United States has evacuated other allies, most notably from Iraq.

In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the United States and coalition partners staged a humanitarian effort to defend the Iraqi Kurds who had stood with U.S. and international forces against the dictator Saddam Hussein.

With the implementation of a "no-fly zone" over northern Iraq, the effort helped establish an area of the country under Kurdish control, eventually leading to Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

But after renewed threats from Hussein's forces in 1996, the U.S. military evacuated its local Kurdish staff in Iraq and told former employees and their families, as well as members of CIA-backed opposition parties or employees of U.S. nonprofits, that they could apply for refugee relocation.

Roughly 7,000 had made it to the United States within a year.

The United States and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling Hussein's regime, and remained there until 2011, before withdrawing and returning within three years because of the rise of the Islamic State. Over the years, many Iraqis who worked with Americans have been killed, and some increasingly fear they could be targeted by Iranian-backed militias.

The U.S. strike that killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in early 2020 has escalated the threat. "You got a large group of Iranian militias who actively hunt down people with American affiliations in Iraq," said Steve Miska, the author of "Baghdad Underground Railroad" and a retired U.S. Army colonel who worked with Iraqi translators.

Since 2008, a Special Immigrant Visa has been available, in theory, to Iraqis who worked with the United States, offering an immigration fast track. A Special Immigrant Visa for Afghans was created the year after.

However, there is a long backlog. There were an estimated 70,000 Afghans awaiting special visas that would allow them to resettle in the United States at the end of 2020. That number includes those who worked with the U.S. military and government as well as their immediate families.

In Iraq, the line is even longer, with 100,000 people left waiting. And even as the United States prepares to ramp up the evacuation of allies from Afghanistan, the Iraq program is on pause amid a visa fraud investigation.
A screenshot from a Navy video published by former Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge's company "To the Stars Academy" shows what the Navy is now calling an "unidentified aerial phenomenon." (U.S. Navy)

(Tribune News Service)  Mysterious images captured by U.S. Navy jets, and recently released by the government, have sparked widespread speculation about alien visitations and the possibility that, finally, the truth really is out there.

As a result, the U.S. government is expected to release on Friday a highly anticipated, unclassified report about more than 100 encounters between military fliers and unidentified flying objects.

Noted astronomer Nicholas Suntzeff, speaking with a Texas A&M publication, cautions people against high expectations.

I cant rule out we have visitors from other planets, but we need clear evidence, he said. We need a clear photo, for instance. So far, we do not have such evidence.

The New York Times earlier this month said the government report will state that intelligence experts cannot explain the unusual movements [of UFOs] that have mystified scientists and the military.

Suntzeff points out that all of the videos released by the Defense Department are fuzzy, and that we should be wary of such images.

He notes that in one video, the object or objects captured by the U.S. Navy fighter plane are at the positions of the stars near the constellation Taurus and the planet Jupiter. Also, this UFO blinks in the same way a commercial aircraft does. It was taken off the coast of Los Angeles, where there is lots of air traffic. It is an out-of-focus video taken with an infrared camera. This is one example of an explanation that fits the data.

Suntzeff says in another video a pilot says the UFO resembled a large Tic Tac mint and that it was defying the laws of physics over the ocean and moving fast. The problem here is that we dont know how far away it was. If it was high above the ocean, then the apparent motion is likely due to the airplane and not the object. This is called parallax. You can often find answers like this, and so on. So I am not optimistic that we will be shown extraordinary evidence where there is no natural explanation for what is seen.

The astronomer knows this is not the message a lot of people want to hear. But, he says, there are often simple, but boring answers.

2021 Advance Local Media LLC.

Visit oregonlive.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ariana Hevia, of New Orelans, La., center, stands with Sean Wilt, left, near the 12-story beachfront condo building which partially collapsed, Friday, June 25, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. Hevia' s mother Cassandra Statton lives in the building. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

SURFSIDE, Fla.  With nearly 160 people unaccounted for and at least four dead after a seaside condominium tower collapsed into a smoldering heap of twisted metal and concrete, rescuers used both heavy equipment and their own hands to comb through the wreckage on Friday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors.

As scores of firefighters in Surfside, just north of Miami, toiled to locate and reach anyone still alive in the remains of the 12-story Champlain Towers South, hopes rested on how quickly crews using dogs and microphones could complete their grim, yet delicate task.

Any time that we hear a sound, we concentrate in that area, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said. It could be just steel twisting, it could be debris raining down, but not specifically sounds of tapping or sounds of a human voice.

Buffeted by gusty winds and pelted by intermittent rain showers, two heavy cranes began removing debris from the pile using large claws in the morning, creating a din of crashing glass and metal as they picked up material and dumped it to the side. A smoky haze rose from the site.

Once the machines paused, firefighters wearing protective masks and carrying red buckets climbed atop the pile to remove smaller pieces by hand in hope of finding spots where people might be trapped. In a parking garage, rescuers in knee-deep water used power tools to cut into the building from below.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said crews were doing everything possible to save as many people as they could.

We do not have a resource problem, we have a luck problem, he said.

The White House said President Joe Biden, who spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the collapse, was receiving updates from Homeland Security.

Officials said they still dont know exactly how many residents or visitors were in the building when it fell, but they were trying to locate 159 people who were considered unaccounted for and may or may not have been there.

Flowers left in tribute decorated a fence near the tower, and people awaiting news about the search watched from a distance, hands clasped and hugging. Congregants prayed at a nearby synagogue where some members were among the missing.

On the beach near the collapsed structure, visitor Faydah Bushnaq of Sterling, Virginia, knelt and scratched Pray for their souls in the sand.

We were supposed to be on vacation, but I have no motivation to have fun, Bushnaq said. It is the perfect time to say a prayer for them.

Three more bodies were removed overnight, and Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said authorities were working with the medical examiners office to identify the victims. Eleven injuries were reported, with four people treated at hospitals.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said rescuers were at extreme risk going through the rubble.

Debris is falling on them as they do their work. We have structural engineers on-site to ensure that they will not be injured, but they are proceeding because they are so motivated and they are taking extraordinary risk on the site every day, she said.

With searchers using saws and jackhammers to look for pockets large enough to hold a person, Levine Cava said there was still reason to have hope.

Rachel Spiegel described her mother, 66-year-old Judy Spiegel, who was among the missing, as a loving grandmother known for chauffeuring her two granddaughters everywhere, advocating for Holocaust awareness and enjoying chocolate ice cream every night.

Im just praying for a miracle, Spiegel said. Were heartbroken that she was even in the building.

Teenager Jonah Handler was rescued from the rubble hours after the collapse, but his mother, Stacie Fang, died. A man walking his dog on the beach heard him calling for help through the dust cloud and got help for the boy; dramatic video showed the teens rescue by firefighters.

Relatives of Handler and Fang issued a statement expressing thanks for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received.

There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie, it said.

Many people waited at a reunification center for results of DNA swabs that could help identify victims.

While officials said no cause for the collapse has been determined, DeSantis said a definitive answer was needed in a timely manner. Video showed the center of the building appearing to tumble down first, and a section nearest to the ocean teetering and coming down seconds later.

About half the buildings roughly 130 units were affected, and rescuers used cherry pickers and ladders to evacuate at least 35 people from the still-intact areas in the first hours after the collapse. Television video early Friday showed crews fighting flareups of fires on the rubble piles.

Computers, chairs, comforters and other personal belongings were evidence of shattered lives amid the wreckage of the Champlain, which was built in 1981 in Surfside, a small suburb north of Miami Beach. A child-size bunk bed perched precariously on a top floor, bent but intact and apparently inches from falling into the rubble.

Fernando Velasquez said his 66-year-old brother Julio, his sister-in-law Angela and their daughter Theresa, who was visiting from California, were in the building when it fell.

I miss my brother very much. I talk to him almost every day, said Velasquez, of Elmhurst, New York. His call was always a welcoming call. But I know hes in heaven, because he was in love with Christ. If he is gone, he is in a much better place.

The missing include people from around the world.

Israeli media said the countrys consul general in Miami, Maor Elbaz, believed that 20 citizens of that country are missing. Another 22 people were unaccounted for from Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay, where an aide said first lady Silvana de Abdo Benitez flew to Miami because her sister, brother-in-law, their three children and a nanny were among the missing.

Gilmer Moreira, press director for the government palace, said the wife of Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez has has already received official information about the search for her family and was awaiting more details.

___

Associated Press writers Tim Reynolds and Ian Mader in Miami; Freida Frisaro and Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale; Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee; Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama; R.J. Rico in Atlanta; and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
Monsignor Edward Filardi of St. Paul Catholic Church in Damascus, Md., leads a Saturday service. (Sarah L. Voisin/Washington Post )

Days after a vote that triggered a tsunami of Catholic debate about Communion and politics, leading U.S. Catholic bishops working on an upcoming document about the sacrament are now de-emphasizing direct confrontation with President Joe Biden or other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

Seventy-five percent of members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted during their annual spring meeting on June 17 to go ahead with the drafting of a position paper on the "meaning of the Eucharist," the core ritual of the Catholic faith, believed to be the presence of Jesus. Before the vote, live on Zoom, dozens of bishops debated the fact that the proposal for the document was a response to the election of Joe Biden, a weekly Mass-attending Catholic who supports abortion rights.

Catholic teaching opposes abortion.

During the three-day meeting of the U.S. bishops and in its aftermath, the bishops made conflicting statements about the document's intention.

The idea for the document came from a committee the USCCB created after the November election in order to deal with the "problem" of Biden and his abortion policy, and what some bishops see as a confusing scandal for other Catholics watching the country's most prominent member of their faith.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend Mass in Delaware with daughter Ashley and her husband, Howard Krein, on Dec. 18, 2020, the anniversary of the car accident that killed the president's first wife and daughter. (Jonathan Newton/Washington Post )

During the meeting many bishops said Biden was exacerbating what many faith leaders see as an already big problem: most U.S. Catholics, polls show, don't attend Mass weekly and don't believe in the supernatural aspect of Communion. But many other bishops pushed back to say there shouldn't be a special emphasis on abortion and politicians, and such a document would politicize the sacrament.

Also during the meeting, bishops noted some letters exchanged between the Vatican and U.S. bishops before this spring meeting. The letters reflected discussion about a possible "national policy" on "worthiness" for Communion and possibly addressing in particular Catholic politicians who support abortion, euthanasia and other practices forbade by Catholic teaching.

Four days after the vote, on June 21, the USCCB released a Q&A excising past mention of Biden, a national policy or a focus on abortion.

"There will be no national policy on withholding Communion from politicians. The intent is to present a clear understanding of the Church's teachings to bring heightened awareness among the faithful of how the Eucharist can transform our lives and bring us closer to our creator and the life he wants for us," the Q&A said.

It said the document will be focused on the call of "all Catholics" to "support human life and dignity and other fundamental principles of Catholic moral and social teaching."

Also on June 21, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, chair of the Doctrine Committee that will oversee the creation of a draft document, told a Catholic news site that the document will be addressed to "all Catholics" - not just politicians. He said it will also focus on "Eucharistic consistency," and canon law that forbids from Communion people who are "conscious of serious sin" or "publicly unworthy," the laws read.

"These disciplinary laws have a medicinal, rather than punitive, purpose," he told Our Sunday Visitor.

Requests for comment from Rhoades and the USCCB were not returned Friday.

Jayd Henricks, a former top lay officials with the USCCB, said Friday his read is that while Biden's election may have been the catalyst for the document's creation, it's part of a much longer concern among bishops about Catholics not understanding or connecting with this core sacrament. The wording of "national policy," he said, was more about "giving guidance on a national level."

Bishops arguing against a document as too narrow and too penalty-focused, Hendricks said, "were arguing against a straw man, a red herring."

Bishop Shawn McKnight, of Jefferson City, Mo., who had argued during the USCCB meeting against going ahead with the document, Friday said the Q&A was a good sign. The "needle shifted a little bit," he said, away from a document aimed at a national policy and restrictions.

He also noted that Rhoades said there will be regional meetings of bishops this year in order to get more feedback.

McKnight said a general document on the Eucharist is "very appropriate," one that focuses on "How do we attract people and make the beauty of what it means to us more evident to our young people and for them to understand why it's so significant, instead being focused on who can and who cannot receive."
Buy Photo A protester gives the finger while looking inside a police vehicle as he and thousands of other demonstrators marched through the streets of Washington, D.C. within blocks of the White House on Friday, May 30, 2020. The march participants were protesting the death of George Floyd. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON - A year ago, a majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to disband the police department. At protests around the country, left-wing activists chanted, "Defund the police!" And in New York City, an insurgent liberal who embraced that slogan ousted a longtime Democratic congressman.

But now, President Joe Biden is inviting local governments to use federal money to fund police departments and hire more officers. The Democratic mayor of Minneapolis wants to replenish his city's police force. And a former policeman running on a law-and-order platform is leading as votes are counted in the Democratic primary for New York mayor.

Thirteen months after the police killing of George Floyd sparked an impassioned movement in the Democratic Party to rein in police departments, a surge in homicides has prompted a shift in the opposite direction. Democrats are scrambling to make new investments in policing and seeking to project toughness on crime, even as they continue pushing for police reforms and alternative means of deterring crime.

Now in control of the White House, Congress and most big cities, Democrats have struggled to contain the deadly violence this year, which is expected to worsen as the summer progresses. They are facing a barrage of criticism from Republicans, who are portraying Democrats as soft on crime as part of a coordinated strategy for next year's midterm elections.

These trends have alarmed Democrats at all levels - from the White House, where Biden recently delivered his first major speech on fighting crime; to voters, who are rallying behind crime-focused candidates in early primaries; to U.S. House members who are bluntly warning liberal colleagues to tone down their attacks on law enforcement.

" 'Defund police' is a phrase that I wish had never been uttered," said Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., who ran the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee when Republicans picked up 13 House seats over the two-year 2020 election cycle. "We've got to do a better job of talking about what we do want to do."

A post-election analysis from House Democrats concluded that the "defund the police" slogan, embraced by Black Lives Matter protesters, gave Republicans an effective weapon in the last election, even though most Democrats, including Biden, consistently rejected the message. Republicans are continuing to produce ads featuring the slogan, depicting angry protesters and blaring sirens as they seek to tie rising crime to police overhaul efforts.

Liberals and activists respond that the jump in violent crime is caused not by holding police accountable, but by the widespread availability of guns. Few jurisdictions have actually overhauled their police departments, they say, and there is no evidence that crime is higher in those that have.

And embracing police is hardly a path to Democratic success, they argue.

"Manchin & Co. be like 'defund the police costs us elections' while actively sabotaging our Dem agenda," Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., a former BLM activist, tweeted earlier this month. "Our movement was at the heart of the organizing that won us the 2020 elections. Now conservative Dems block our progress."

Bush was referring to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a sharp critic of the slogan who after the last election tweeted, "Defund the police? Defund, my butt."

Republicans have used the crime issue against Democrats since at least Richard M. Nixon's 1968 "law and order" campaign. One question is whether, with voters more attuned to issues of race and police misconduct, the attacks will be less effective this time, or even whether Republicans risk being seen as dismissive of life-and-death social problems.

Many Democrats fear that the GOP message could nonetheless hit home given the rise in violent crime. Homicides in many cities were up in the first quarter of this year from the same period last year, according to the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Strategists in both parties say the pandemic - long the dominant issue on voters' minds - is beginning to recede as more Americans get vaccinated and deaths decline, opening the door for other issues to capture people's attention. Republicans are tying the rise in violent crime to the surge in migrants at the border, as they advance a larger case that America under Biden is spiraling out of control.

Buy Photo A protester carrying a sign stares inside a police vehicle as he and thousands of other demonstrators marched through the streets of Washington, D.C. within blocks of the White House on Friday, May 30, 2020. The march participants were protesting the death of George Floyd. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

"After months of ignoring ongoing crime in American cities, the president finally addressed the violence this week," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Friday. Republicans, he added, "will not defund the police. We will add more."

Cedric L. Richmond, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, called such criticism "B.S." He said the sweeping pandemic relief bill Biden signed in March enabled the federal government to fund police departments and added that funding the police is "exactly what we said" this week when Biden and his administration promoted that money for law enforcement usage.

When it comes to dealing with the GOP attacks, Richmond said, "I think that Democratic candidates need to talk about what they want to do, and not necessarily in slogan language." He said he also expects Democrats to remind voters of Republicans' opposition to creating a commission to investigate the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"That's weak on crime," he said.

Many Democrats are now feeling a growing urgency to rebut the Republican attacks, especially in the battleground states and districts. In the House, the path to power runs through suburban areas, where Democrats dominated during Donald Trump's presidency. Voters in those districts are getting flooded with grisly news reports of violent crime in adjacent cities.

Many of the centrist Democrats representing these districts were reluctant to discuss the issue this week, underscoring that it has not been favorable terrain for the party in recent years. One centrist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, said fellow Democrats must not shy away from talking about rising crime and the challenges facing police.

The shifting attitude is already evident in nascent Democratic midterm campaigns. Last year, candidates' connections to law enforcement were greeted with skepticism by some activists; these days, many Democrats are openly touting their background in law enforcement or their ties to police.

"I'm the wife of a sheriff," said Bustos.

"I went to Orlando to serve as a police officer," Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., said in a recent video launching her campaign for the Senate, which emphasizes her record as the city's former police chief. In contrast, when Demings was vetted by the Biden campaign last summer as a potential running mate, she faced concerns from activists over that same record.

The White House is seeking to set the tone for other Democrats to talk about crime, beginning with Biden's speech Wednesday touting his efforts to free up federal dollars that local officials can use for more police officers or equipment, among other things.

Seeking to draw a contrast between his party's approach and the Republican message, DCCC Chair Sean Maloney, D-N.Y., put it this way: "We're fixing problems. They're trying to exploit them for political gain."

In a sign of the careful balance Democratic leaders are trying to strike between independent voters and the Democratic base, Biden paired his pitch with a heavy focus on tightening gun regulations, a top priority for liberal activists. "There is no one answer that fits everything," Biden said.

"You can actually be very much pro-law enforcement and pro-reform," agreed moderate Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. "That's a false choice to claim as one or the other."

Republicans disagree, saying you can't rebuke the police and then claim a tough-on-crime mantle. In a floor speech on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: "Prominent voices on the left - including some of our colleagues - fanned the flames of a dangerously misguided experiment. And law-abiding Americans are paying the price."

The White House is anticipating that violent crime will continue to increase this summer, according to one White House official. The point of Biden's speech was to get ahead of that and make sure the government is using and showcasing all of the tools at its disposal.

Another Democrat familiar with the thinking of top White House officials said worrisome polling the officials have seen has also factored into their strategy. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations.

Baltimore Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott said slogans like "defund the police" oversimplify a highly complex topic.

"Anyone who gets caught up in a hashtag - defund, refund, tough on crime, soft on crime, any of those talking points - doesn't have the mental capability to talk about this issue with the depth that it deserves," he said.

Scott has faced criticism from activists for proposing a budget that calls for increased spending on police, after helping spearhead cuts as city council president and a candidate for mayor last year.

Scott said the increase would cover pension benefits and other fixed costs, not new police services. He also touted the police reforms he favors, such as community-based interventions, part of an approach he calls "reimagining public safety."

Similar debates are playing out across the country. In New York, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer who focused on crime, leads the Democratic mayoral primary as vote-counting continues. It's a big change from the mood last year when now-Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who proudly championed the "defund the police" mantra, defeated then-Rep. Eliot Engel, who did not.

Pastor Michael McBride, a nationally known activist on gun violence prevention, criticized what he called Adams's strategy of "weaponizing the politics of fear around crime" and said other Democrats should not follow suit.

"My biggest fear in this moment is a tough-on-crime national and local effort with a Black face on it," said McBride, who is known as Pastor Mike. "It appears to me that Black elected officials run elections and govern as if they are unaware that a community-based public safety approach is a winning political message and governing strategy." Adams is Black.

In Minneapolis, where an initial push to disband the police ran into legal and political road bumps, Mayor Jacob Frey recently released a public safety blueprint that, among other things, proposes that the Minneapolis Police Department "replenish its ranks by bringing on two more recruit classes by the end of this year."

Democrats are taking some solace in the results of a recent special U.S. House election in New Mexico, where now-Rep. Melanie Stansbury prevailed despite attacks from a Republican opponent seeking to tag her as hostile to police.

Also potentially muddying the issue is a bipartisan effort to craft a police reform bill in Congress. Earlier this week, the three lawmakers working on the effort issued a statement saying they had made significant progress.

It is far from certain that the effort by Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., will succeed. But the talks reflect the sensitivity of the issue for both parties, as Republicans seek to avoid being portrayed as entirely insensitive to police brutality and racism.

But for now, the strongest anxiety is voiced by Democrats who worry that the impassioned voices of the few in their party who embrace "defund the police" will drown out the far greater number who don't.

"I think it's critically important that we explain this in a way that doesn't label us in a way that is inaccurate," said Bustos.
The Celebrity Edge cruise ship is docked at Port Everglades, Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  The first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill sailed away on Saturday with nearly all vaccinated passengers on board.

Celebrity Edge departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6 p.m. with the number of passengers limited to about 40% capacity, and with nearly all 1,100 passengers vaccinated against COVID-19. Celebrity Cruises, one of Royal Caribbean Cruise's brands, says 99% of the passengers are vaccinated, well over the 95% requirement imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A giant greeting was projected on a wall of one of the port buildings: "Someday is here. Welcome back."

Passengers arrived with matching T-shirts that read phrases such as "straight outta vaccination" and "vaccinated and ready to cruise."

"Words can't describe how excited we are to be a part of this historic sailing today," said Elizabeth Rosner, 28, who moved from Michigan to Orlando, Florida, in December 2019 with her fiance just to be close to the cruise industry's hub.

To comply with both the CDC's requirement and a new Florida law banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination, Celebrity Cruises asked guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. Those who did not show or say they are vaccinated face additional restrictions.

Saturday's sailing kicks off the cruise lines' return to business with Carnival vessels already scheduled to depart from other ports next month.

"This is an emotional day for me. When I stepped on board the ship, I was proud. It's a beautiful ship," said Royal Caribbean Cruises' CEO Richard Fain, after expressing condolences to the victims of the Surfside building collapse, less than 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) south of the port.

Celebrity Cruises had unveiled the $1 billion boat in December 2018  betting on luxury cruising, offering a giant spa and multifloor suites. The seven-night cruise will sail for three days in the Western Caribbean waters before making stops in Costa Maya, Cozumel and Nassau.

The ship is led by Capt. Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a cruise ship, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

"You can truly feel the palpable sense of excitement and energy amongst the group as we prepare for our welcoming of our first guests," McCue said. "I've never honestly seen a group so excited to get back to work."

Industry officials are hoping all goes smooth to move past a chapter last year of deadly outbreaks on cruise ships that prompted ships to be rejected at ports and passengers to be forced into quarantine. Some passengers died of COVID-19 at sea while others fell so ill they had to be carried out of the vessels on stretchers.

The CDC extended no-sail orders repeatedly last year as the pandemic raged, and came up with strict requirements for the industry that have already been contested in court by the state of Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the industry generates billions for the state's economy.

On Saturday, officials at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale said only that port lost more than $30 million in revenue in fiscal year 2020 from the cruise shutdown.

During that hiatus, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the three largest cruise companies, have had to raise more than $40 billion in financing just to stay afloat. Collectively they lost $20 billion last year and another $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The pandemic forced Kurt and Carol Budde to cancel their beach celebration wedding aboard the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas, in March 2020. COVID-19 halted cruising six days before they were scheduled to tie the knot in St. Maarten. Kurt Budde's part-time gig as a travel agent also dried up.

"It's a honeymoon make-up cruise," said Kurt Budde, sporting matching shirts with the phrase "On Cruise Control."

"We are living our best lives post COVID today," he said.
COLUMBUS, Ga.  Fort Bennings commanding general is urging more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying its crucial to protecting the soldiers on the sprawling Georgia army post.

The Ledger-Enquirer reports that Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe told the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce on Friday that vaccine numbers could determine how much freedom soldiers have to visit businesses off the base.

We encourage everyone who is going to interact with a soldier to be vaccinated, Donahoe said, adding that trainees living in large open barracks are in a hot house for any kind of contagious disease.

Donahoe took command at Benning a year ago. He tightened restrictions for soldiers and civilian workers. Earlier this month he loosened rules to say fully vaccinated people can go maskless with the exception of medical facilities and certain gyms. Graduation ceremonies are open, but visitors must show proof theyre fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19 in the last 72 hours.

I encourage every one of you to do the research. Dont follow the tinfoil-hat club thats somewhere online, Donahoe said, calling the vaccines incredibly safe.

Donahoe said Columbus vaccination rates are too low. Only 29% of the city-countys residents are fully vaccinated, while that number is 33% statewide.

We need to get our population to about 70% vaccinated to give us the immunity we need as a community, he said. Theres an economic impact to that because thats one of the indicators were are looking at to allow our soldiers to go downtown during their cycle breaks from our training.

Chattahoochee County, where most Fort Benning residents and trainees live, continues to report more cases than Columbus, because of testing of newly arrived soldiers.

Chattahoochee County reported 124 COVID-19 cases over the two weeks that ended June 24, while Muscogee County reported 66.

Donahoe said 2% to 4% of newly arrived soldiers continue to test positive for the virus, down from close to 20% during the worst days of the pandemic.
(VFW.org)

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (Tribune News Service)  Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 168 is organizing an End of the Afghanistan War Parade to honor soldiers who served in Americas longest military conflict.

The parade will be held Saturday, Oct. 9 and will step off at noon near the Parrott Avenue parking lot, according to Josh Denton, commander of VFW Post 168.

The goal is to welcome back our veterans from all conflicts but specifically welcome back troops from the Afghanistan War, which is going to be over by Sept. 11, Denton said Friday.

Denton, an Army veteran who served in Iraq from 2006 to 2007, helped organize the citys End of the Iraq War Parade in 2012, which was one of the only such parades in the Northeast, he said.

It was well attended. People were waving flags, it was emotional for me having participated in it, he said. Closure is very important to veterans. If you deploy to a combat zone there really is no closure to it, just one day its over, he said. I hope the End of the Afghanistan War Parade will help bring some closure to many of our veterans.

Jonathan Day, the junior vice commander of the VFW, will use his experience helping to organize Portsmouths Halloween Parade to help plan the End of the Afghanistan War Parade, Denton said.

The war in Afghanistan began shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, when the United States led a military campaign against al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban government that harbored and supported the terrorists, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Since the war began, the United States has suffered over 22,000 military casualties, including around 2,400 fatalities, in Afghanistan. Congress has appropriated approximately $144 billion for reconstruction and security forces there, according to the Congressional Research Service.

President Joe Biden announced in April he would be withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11.

Denton told the City Council this week that the VFW is a nonpartisan organization and this will be a nonpartisan parade.

The council voted unanimously to approve the VFWs request to hold the parade.

Denton urged the public to attend to honor the troops, no matter how they feel about the Afghanistan war.

Regardless of your personal opinions on the conflict, everyone who will be marching who served in that conflict, served their country, Denton said.

He is inviting all veterans to march in the parade to welcome home all of our veterans and to mark the end of the Afghanistan War. Im hoping there will be a good turnout and the public will welcome our veterans home and thank them for their service.

The planned parade route is set to kick off near the Parrott Avenue parking lot, proceed down Pleasant Street, make a left on Congress, a left on Fleet Street, a left on State Street and then a right back on to Pleasant, Denton said.

There will be a viewing stand on Market Square for any elected official who wants to attend.

Denton plans to reach out to other veteran organizations in Portsmouth and the Seacoast to ask them to participate, along with marching bands.

They also plan to hold a barbecue after the event for the public and parade participants in the City Hall parking lot, Denton said.

City officials are allowing the Portsmouth VFW Post, which no longer has its own building, to hold monthly meetings at the Senior Activity Center, which was formerly the Doble Army Reserve Center, Denton said.

___

(c)2021 Portsmouth Herald, N.H. Visit Portsmouth Herald, N.H. at www.seacoastonline.com/portsmouthherald Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Why it matters: Windows 11 is coming, but it won't be coming to just any PC. Microsoft says the next generation of Windows requires the use of a system with Trusted Platform Module 2.0, and most Windows users have never had to deal with the term before, at least outside of enterprise environments. The company does make a good point that TPM helps add to the security of Windows PCs, but this aggressive push for TPM 2.0 compliance may backfire.

This week Microsoft announced the most significant overhaul to Windows in years, with a simplified UI and (hopefully) cohesive user interface. Other key features as described by Microsoft include better performance, a new Microsoft Store, and more gaming-oriented features meant to align the PC and Xbox experiences.

Oh, and it's also a free upgrade for Windows 10 users.

Microsoft seems determined to make developers love the new operating system and the opportunities it brings to the table. However, in turning Windows up to 11 the company also introduced new system requirements, and released a Health Check tool that can tell you if your PC will be able to run Windows 11 when it lands later this year.

You'll need a slightly beefier system for the new operating system when compared to Windows 10, with a dual-core processor and a minimum of 4 GB of RAM becoming the bare new minimum.

TPM in a nutshell

Upon using the compatibility tool, some of you no doubt found that your system isn't "officially" capable of running Windows 11, which will require a PC with UEFI and Secure Boot capability, as well as something called Trusted Platform Module or TPM. As we explained in this article, people with relatively new hardware (1-3 years old) should be able to pass the checks made by the app with flying colors, but only if TPM is enabled in your UEFI settings.

Most computers released over the last 10 years use a UEFI or hybrid UEFI implementation with a BIOS compatibility layer on top of it, so theoretically all these systems can run Windows 11 if they pass the CPU, RAM, and storage requirements. However, not all of them may have a TPM chip, and unfortunately in typical Microsoft fashion, the company has done a poor job of communicating when it comes to this new system requirement.

Why now?

You may be wondering why Microsoft has suddenly decided to require TPM, a technology that has been used mostly in business environments for IT-managed PCs. TPM started out as a dedicated microcontroller chip (dTPM) integrated on some PC motherboards but in recent years processor manufacturers like Intel and AMD have started adding this functionality to their CPUs in the form of firmware-based TPM (fTPM).

Microsoft Director of Enterprise and OS Security David Weston explains the purpose of TPM is to "protect encryption keys, user credentials, and other sensitive data behind a hardware barrier so that malware and attackers cant access or tamper with that data." In other words, TPM is a hardware security feature that stores secrets in a special space that's better protected against external software attacks.

In Windows, TPM has been used to augment features like Windows Hello passwordless authentication, Windows Defender Application Control, BitLocker (used for full-disk encryption), as well as ensuring hypervisor code integrity. This isn't exactly impenetrable security, but it makes it much harder for hackers to perform remote attacks on important systems, especially when this isn't the only layer of security that stands in their way.

There are now over 1.3 billion Windows 10 PCs in active use around the world (and around 100 million Windows 7 and 8 PCs), which is a large attack surface that is increasingly being subjected to new types of threats, including ransomware campaigns. The latter are only getting worse and are forecasted to cost $265 billion worldwide by 2031.

Microsoft has been trying hard to educate consumers and businesses about the importance of protecting against this type of cyberattack. Furthermore, according to Microsoft's March 2021 Security Signals report, 83 percent of all businesses have experienced sophisticated firmware attacks over the past two years, and these companies only dedicate around 29 percent of their security budget to protecting against them.

Nicole Dezen, who is VP of Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft says the TPM requirement also means Windows 11 will come with security features like Secure Boot, hardware-based isolation, and hypervisor code integrity turned on by default. However, Microsoft's reasons may extend well beyond improving the security posture of Windows users, as TPM can also be used for protecting copyrighted works and adding anti-cheat efforts for popular online games.

with secure boot and a TPM you can defeat a lot of the early boot hax I have seen like cheat engine. A TPM with EK would at least force a cheater to get a new computer (or TPM) if they are identified.  DWIZZZLE (@dwizzzleMSFT) April 29, 2021

Microsoft has patents describing the use of TPM in conjunction with other technologies to create better anti-cheat solutions. And even though everyone who's passionate about online multiplayer games hates cheaters, this might even protect those who try to use cheats from getting their PCs infected with malware, while simultaneously making it difficult to ruin other people's gaming sessions. Of course, this won't be something that Windows 11 will have at launch, but the TPM requirement is a good foundation to build upon the future.

Who is covered and who is not?

Windows 11 has a hard requirement for TPM 2.0 to be present in your system, which is a big ask. If you have an AMD processor from this list or an Intel processor from this list you are essentially covered. All you need to do is check your UEFI settings -- usually in the Advanced tab -- and enable a feature called "PTT" for Intel systems and "PSP fTPM" for AMD systems.

Missing from that group are most PCs four years old or older. That includes first-gen Ryzen CPUs and first-gen Threadripper CPUs. On the Intel side, all 6th-gen and 7th-gen Core CPUs are not supported, or essentially anything released prior to the Coffee Lake family (late 2017). That's harsh. However, shortly after the controversy surrounding the TPM requirement blew up, we're hearing about "soft floors," where older PCs may still be able to upgrade to Windows 11 by simply bypassing some kind of warning dialog. No doubt, sooner or later, users will figure out some workaround as well.

Update (6/29): It now looks like Microsoft could expand the list of officially supported CPUs for Windows 11 by adding another (older) generation of Intel and AMD chips, specifically Core 7th-gen and AMD 1st-gen Ryzen CPUs. This is still pending confirmation however, more details here.

There's another way for those of you who are sticking with a desktop PC powered by an older CPU not included in the list do have a way of fulfilling the TPM requirement using a discrete TPM 2.0 module that can be attached to your motherboard, but Microsoft won't "officially" support your configuration. The company also doesn't recommend pairing a TPM module with a motherboard that only uses a legacy BIOS implementation, as some features may not work as expected.

But guess what, another problem with trying to buy a TPM module right now is... scalpers. A mere day after the Windows 11 announcement there were almost no such items available to buy from retailers, but there's a flood of them on sites like eBay for a significant premium compared to their normal price. A typical TPM 2.0 module costs around $25 but is now $90 to $100 or more, depending on the model.

Bottom line is the TPM 2.0 requirement is Microsoft's way of saying that it wants the next generation of Windows to bring a new level of security to consumers and businesses, which is also why it's partnered with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to bake TPM directly into the CPU core designs of future processors. The only problem is that it's doing so in the middle of a shortage of silicon, which takes away from the otherwise promising characteristics Windows 11.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Szabo Viktor) Mozilla firefox browser

Mozilla is launching a new data-sharing platform that prioritizes the user's privacy. The new platform called Mozilla Rally lets users control their online data.

At the same time, the platform also allows users to contribute their browsing data to crowdsourced projects led by scientists and researchers with the aim of building a better internet experience.

Mozilla Rally's Lets Users Take Control

For years, companies have taken user data without their knowledge or consent, which is why Mozilla wants to make it possible for users to select who gets access to their data and who can put it to work, according to TechRadar.

While Mozilla has continued to add privacy features to its browser that gives users control over their personal data by blocking tracking cookies, the company also wants users to be able to choose who they want to give their data to.

Rebecca Weiss, the leader of the Mozilla Rally project, explained why Mozilla decided to launch its new data-sharing platform in a press release.

Also Read: Mozilla Firefox 89 Arrives with New Total Cookie Protection for Cross-Site Tracking; Updated Design Comes with Bigger Tabs

Weiss said that not giving users the option to decide on what they want to do with their personal data is an inequity that harms individuals, society, and the internet. The company believes that people should be able to determine who benefits from their data.

Weiss added that Mozilla wants to change the way that data economy works for both people and businesses. They are highly anticipating to see how Rally can help understand some of the biggest issues of the internet and make it better.

How Mozilla Rally Works

The Mozilla Rally was developed in collaboration with Princeton University professor Jonathan Mayer's research group.

As a result of the collaboration, social scientists, computer scientists, and other researchers will be able to launch new studies about the web and they can invite users to participate in the study, according to Engadget.

One of the core tenets of Mozilla's initiative is enabling studies that hold major online services accountable.

Mozilla will start its Mozilla Rally research initiative with two research collaborator studies.

The first study is titled "Political and COVID-19 News," and a team from Princeton University will conduct it. It will examine how people engage with news and misinformation about politics and COVID-19.

The second study titled "Beyond the Paywall" is expected to be released in the next few months. The study aims to understand better how the public consumes news online.

Mozilla is also launching a new toolkit called WebScience that enables researchers to create standardized browser-based studies on Rally.

The new toolkit also encourages data minimization as this is central to how Rally will respect those who choose to participate in its studies.

According to The Mozilla Blog, the company's main goal is to demonstrate a case for an equitable market for data, a case where every party involved is treated fairly. Mozilla is encouraging mission-aligned organizations to join their team.

Mozilla Rally is now available for Firefox desktop users over the age of 19 in the United States. However, Mozilla plans to launch its data-sharing platform for other web browsers and countries in the future.

Related Article: Mozilla Firefox Launches SmartBlock Feature That Comes with Improved Private Browsing

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla "recalled" about 250,855 China-made Model 3 and Model Y cars due its assisted driving problem. However, owners do not need to bring their vehicles to the dealership as it will be resolved via an online software update.

The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are the first vehicles of Elon Musk's company to be manufactured in the Gigafactory in Shanghai, China. Initially, on January 3, the former introduced new features in its new factory location, updating its design that comes with a heated steering wheel.

The move came as the electric vehicle giant geared up to improve its 2021 car releases that successfully debuted in the past years.

Electrek reported that starting with the Tesla Model 3, the company has focused on redesigning and refreshing features instead of adding vehicles to its lineup.

Tesla Recalls China-made Model 3 and Model Y

According to Reuters, Chinese regulators announced that Tesla is recalling mainly China-made and some imported Model Y and Model 3 cars. To be precise, the software recall amounts to 249,855 China-made vehicles and a total of 35,665 imported Model 3 sedans.

Notably, it is the first time the China-built Tesla vehicles faced such a recall. Elon Musk's company is currently manufacturing both car models in its Shanghai Gigafactory.

As of May, the Chinese factory has already sold about 33,000 vehicles.

Tesla China-made Model 3 and Model Y Assisted Driving Issue

CNBC reported that The State Administration for Market Regulation claimed on its site that the recall is due to an issue in the assisted driving feature that the vehicles sport. Its advanced feature could eventually cause fatal accidents as enabling it could trigger a sudden acceleration error.

The online software update recall is meant to fix the major issue.

Read Also: Tesla Model S Plaid Owner Claims AirBag Falls Off His Hands Before He Even Left Dealer's Parking

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Other Recalls

The involved Tesla vehicles also faced another recall on June 5 concerning safety functions, such as the brakes and seat belts. However, they are not the China-made units.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Tesla recalled two of its vehicles. It confirmed that the recall involved 7,696 units of the Model Y and Model 3, made from July 6, 2018, to March 21, 2020.

The seatbeats of the two vehicles improperly fastsens, which could stop it from working appropriately. As such, the risk of the driver and passengers fatality in accidents could increase.

Meanwhile, the brakes were making weird noises that Tesla wanted to fix, thus the recall.

In a separate CNBC report, employees of the EV company blurted out their frustration for the limited time of assembling the Tesla vehicles. The news outlet suggested that the issues with the said units could be attributed to this complaint.

Related Article: Tesla Changes Strategy in China After Being Scrutinized, Executives Participate in Policy Discussions

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels)

Facebook and other social media platforms will be now held liable for crimes such as human trafficking and people who prey on the underaged, according to a court ruling.

What Caused the Ruling?

In a report by the Houston Chronicle, the Texas Supreme Court said that there were three local underaged female victims that were contacted by traffickers through Facebook's Messenger app.

The plaintiffs have said that Facebook did not attempt to improve security regarding human trafficking in its social media platform.

Facebook, on the other hand, said that it is protected by Section 230 of the Federal Communications Decency Act , which is part of the internet law that stated that online platforms are not held liable for what users post on their services.

Hence, they shouldn't be held liable for what is going on within the said social media platform.

The Texas Supreme Court, however, countered that Section 230 doesn't mean that Facebook is considered a "lawless no-man's-land," as per the Houston Chronicle.

Read More: Companies Fake Ads Using Twitter Testimonials in Facebook Ads; Evidence Now Gone

Section 230 Discussions

Section 230 is now the focus of on-going talks surrounding the moderation of how internet platforms should act. Several people are calling for tech companies to be seen as publishers, like news outlets are being held accountable for what they post online.

The worry about most people is that online recruitment has been on the rise for illegal activities over the years, and Facebook has the most cases from last year, coming from a report by the Human Trafficking Institute.

Just recently, CEO Victor Boutros told CBS News: "The internet has become the dominant tool that traffickers use to recruit victims, and they often recruit them on a number of very common social networking sites."

Boutros also added that Facebook is used by most online traffickers to stage heists on victims, and have several active trafficking cases that are still very much on-going.

Instances of Trafficking in Facebook

An adult messaged an underaged woman who was 15 years old connected by a mutual friend on her Facebook account in 2012, saying that she confided in him, and in return she was complimented and told that she could have a modeling gig.

When they finally met in person, the adult posted photos of the underage woman in indecent services on Backpage.

Backpage is another online platform that's used by many to promote human trafficking. The underage woman was then assaulted, and forced into doing things that are immoral.

Another instance would be from a 14 year old in 2017 where she was contacted by an adult in Instagram (another platform owned by Facebook) and baited her with "false promises of love and a better future."

She was then assaulted several times and used Instagram to advertise her as a female consort who is looking for "dates." The mother of the 14-year-old reported to Facebook as to what happened to her daughter but the company didn't reply.

Read More: iPhone 13 120 Hz Display Possible: Release Date Leak and More

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Written by Alec G

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Getty Image: Jeenah Moon)

Microsoft recently announced that it signed a malicious driver, "Netfilter," a rootkit malware.

Technically, the company recently signed a critical driver that is being distributed within the entire gaming community.

Microsoft Malicious Malware

Bleeping Computer reported that the malicious drive that Microsoft signed is called "Netfilter," and it is a rootkit malware. Upon observing the rootkit, Microsoft found out that it communicated with Chinese command-and-control IPs (C2).

Based on the report, Karsten Hahn, a G Data malware analyst, was the first one who noticed the "Netfilter."

After noticing the malware, the infosec community helped him trace, analyze, and identify the malicious drivers that bore Microsoft's seal.

To everyone's surprise, the Chinese command-and-control IPs belong to one of the companies that the United States Department of Defense labeled as "Community Chinese Military."

As a result, the event exposed various threats to the entire software supply-chain security. However, this incident is to be blamed on Microsoft's weak verification of its code-signing process.

What is the Rootkit 'Netfilter' Driver Signed by Microsoft?

According to Bleeping Computer, the cybersecurity alert systems of G Data flagged what seemed to be a false positive -- or so they thought.

It was indeed the Rootkin "Netfilter" Driver that Microsoft recently signed.

The malicious "Netfilter" in question provided no legitimate activity in terms of functionality. As a result, it raised certain suspicions.

Because of this, Hahn decided to tweet about it.

Read Also: Microsoft Reveals Latest SolarWinds Hacker Attack, SEC Probes Companies Victimized

Hahn stated that ever since Windows Vista, all codes that will run on kernel-mode must be tested and signed right before its public release. Microsoft has to ensure that it is stable enough to run on the operating system.

He added that drivers that do not have a Microsoft certificate could only be installed by default.

Microsoft Admits Its Mistake

After publicly announcing that they made a mistake, Microsoft's team immediately started investigating the incident. However, the company still has not found any solid evidence regarding the stolen code-signing certificates used.

It reported that the mishap seemed to have come from the threat actor that followed Microsoft's submitting the malicious rootkit "Netfilter" drivers.

On top of this, acquiring the binary signed by Microsoft had to be acquired in a legitimate manner.

The tech giant announced that it has already suspended the account and is now being reviewed to submit added malware signs.

So far, Microsoft has refused to make it a global issue.

What's Next for Microsoft?

In other news, Windows 11 will start rolling out later in 2021. It will be for all Windows 10 users. But despite being a free upgrade, it might be a little complicated as some of the users' hardware tend to be incompatible with the new Windows 11.

Despite Microsoft's effort to alter its hardware requirements, Windows 11 seems only to support 8th-Gen and more recent Intel Core processors.

It includes Celeron, Pentium, and Apollo Lake processors.

Related Article: Microsoft to Launch 2022 Exclusives on Xbox One Using Cloud Streaming; Redfall, Starfield, and More!

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Fran Sanders

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, a San Francisco native, is the first Chinese-American rabbi in the world. Her mother was second-generation Chinese-American and her father was the son of Austrian Jewish immigrants. Rabbi Mates-Muchin, who is committed to helping Jewish institutions become more inclusive, will discuss her unique experiences, the integral role of her family in her Jewish journey and the nuances of anti-racism work within the Jewish community.

Click here to register and receive the zoom link.
GONZALES  About a week after Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment balked at pursuing post-flood drainage and development changes because the Parish Council cut a proposed building moratorium by three months, a faction of local elected leaders want to strip him of his administrative power over most parish drainage work.

The East Ascension drainage district board, which is made up of 10 of 11 council members, is expected to meet 6 p.m. Monday in a special session to end its contract with Cointment as drainage director and replace him with an interim chief executive officer until a permanent replacement can be found.

Council members who are more supportive of the president claimed the proposal was another attempt to make Cointment look bad and amounted to a "coup," with little advance discussion, that would leave the proposed drainage director beholden to six council members. Backers say the change is part of a longer term idea for more professional leadership that predates the current president.

Bill Roux, the longtime, retired parish drainage director and former public works official, has been proposed as the interim to lead dozens of East Ascension drainage workers and the considerable taxpayer resources and equipment behind them. Under the proposal, parish government would retain payroll, purchasing and some other back-office administrative functions for a 4% fee from the district.

+9 Ascension's new 9-month building halt already in doubt as president pulls support GONZALES  Ascension became the second Baton Rouge-area parish this week to halt new development as the aftermath of the May flash floods prom

Cointment had been seeking a 12-month moratorium on most new land divisions, which would have resulted in halting most new development lots, but the council adopted a nine-month moratorium instead in what some members saw as a compromise from their own six-month proposal.

The June 17 action prompted an agitated Cointment to respond both to the council and moments later in a fiery interview that the council would have to see through, on its own, the development and drainage changes he wanted done during the moratorium.

He claimed the shortened timeframe destined those changes for failure, so his administration would not be involved beyond soliciting public input. Those comments caught some of the council members off guard, saying they thought they had offered a fair deal, and immediately put the moratorium's future in doubt.

Flood concerns cause Iberville to halt construction in some places; Ascension could follow The Iberville Parish Council approved a one-year halt on new construction on the east side of the Mississippi River, a move that mirrors simil

Though the proposed drainage leadership switch would put Roux and the parish council members in a better position to enact some of the moratorium-related changes without Cointement's support, Teri Casso, the council chairwoman, said the proposal is really about finding more consistent, apolitical management of drainage.

As proposed, the new permanent drainage CEO would have a two-year contract paying $140,000 annually, with extensions available. Roux would be paid the same rate on a pro rata basis until the permanent CEO is hired. After that, Roux would become a parish consultant at $50,000 per year.

Casso, who noted she had been through three parish presidents in three terms with changing emphases from each leader, said the idea of hiring a professional manager gained traction earlier this year after parish officials visited Harris County, Texas, to see how that Houston-area jurisdiction handles its drainage.

But it was Cointment's reaction to the nine-month moratorium that was the final trigger, for her, to be willing to take the political fallout from such a major change.

"People threaten your life over this stuff, you know? And I haven't been willing, nor has anybody else, I think, to fight that battle," she said. "But whenever we as council gave him 75% of the time he wanted and maybe 95%  I would think may be even more than that  of the items that he wanted to do in a moratorium and he said, 'I'm not doing it'?"

"Look, it's time to just fight the battle," she added. "I mean, you just have to stand for your convictions and have some courage of your convictions."

Cointment offered limited comment Friday, saying he had just received a copy of the board agenda and other documents when the public did.

"My initial impression is that this is a bad idea, what I want is to keep water out of peoples homes," he said. "I will do all that I can to achieve that goal."

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Though overseen by parish council members, the drainage district is a separate government entity that manages revenue from the half-cent sales and 5-mill property taxes that all east bank residents in Ascension pay for drainage, including those in Gonzales and Sorrento.

In 2021, the drainage district was projected to spend $21.5 million, including a payroll of $7.4 million. The district had the first or second most employees of any parish department in the past decade, the latest audit shows. At last tally, in 2019, East Ascension drainage employees totaled 89.

The district serves about 90% of Ascension's roughly 126,600 people, census estimates show.

A west bank drainage district, which is not up for a vote Monday and which Cointment also directs, serves the remainder of the parish population in Donaldsonville and surrounding areas.

+29 Slow-draining Spanish Lake, Bluff Swamp leave residents stranded; AquaDams stand tall in court Nearly a week after heavy rain doused the Baton Rouge region, houses remained surrounded by flood water on Monday and stood as islands in the 

Conflict between the council members who oversee the east bank board and past administrations is hardly new.

In October 2006, the drainage board removed then-Parish President Ronnie Hughes as drainage director only to reinstate President Tommy Martinez in February 2009 after he took office. Roux served as drainage director then too.

Ascension drainage panel votes to fire parish president, hire chief GONZALES  A special committee of the East Ascension Drainage Board voted 3-1 Tuesday to fire Parish President Ronnie Hughes as drainage admin

Councilman Joel Robert called the latest proposal another temper tantrum from some who didn't like the praise Cointment received from the public during the moratorium meeting last week.

"And, it's been from the beginning, and I mean I get it, politics are politics, but we're getting to the point where it's just blatantly absurd," Robert said. "I mean, come on, we're doing some of the biggest and best  drainage projects in my lifetime and we want to take that away?"

Cointment has recently pushed forward a previously stalled dredging project on New River and pursued a new drainage outlet to New River from the Bluff Swamp, while also overseeing attempts to speed up drainage of the swamp region into Bayou Manchac.

Lawler disputed that, for him, it was about Cointment personally. The councilman, who has criticized Cointment's drainage spending and planning in the past, said Cointment has been the most qualified parish president for the job. But, like other parish leaders, he can only devote part-time focus because of other responsibilities.

"This is to do with getting a professional in charge of drainage," Lawler said. "Drainage is a full time job."

Lawler said the proposal has been in planning since at least since 2018, when the Parish Council restructured and raised the parish president's salary and ended the supplemental pay that the president had received from the drainage and other utility districts to be their director.

But Councilman Chase Melancon, vice chairman of the East Ascension drainage board, disputed Lawler's claims about long-term discussions of the idea.

Melancon said he received a brief head's-up about the proposal 1 p.m. Thursday, hours before Casso and Lawler appeared in a television interview on WBRZ-TV. Melancon also questioned whether the drainage board had the power to take that kind of action.

"I don't even know what any of that looks like," Melancon said. "I mean that's a conversation that's never been had."
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Alice Pung was almost 40, not 16, and pregnant with her third child, not her first, when she moved in with her parents in Melbourne during lockdown last year, accompanied by her husband Nick and their two boys, aged six and two. But as with her new novels adolescent narrator, Karuna, Alice found herself at times stifled by her mothers practical kind of love. It was so weird. I went back into the book when I was editing it and I thought, Oh, these lines were authentic because thats what I said to my mum three days ago and I feel guilty about it,  Alice says, laughing. Mother-and-daughter relationships  and the questions they raise about the intersection of love, control and freedom  are at the heart of One Hundred Days. Karuna, a Chinese-Filipino Australian, is 16 when she falls pregnant after a brief affair with an older homework tutor named Ray. Her single mother runs an impossibly strict regime during her pregnancy, fuelled by cultural superstitions (pineapples cause miscarriages and boiled watermelon is safe for the spleen) rather than science. When I ask why, she tells me that two thousand years of history cannot be wrong. And its for my own good, Karuna writes. After the baby is born, her mother locks Karuna inside their flat on the 14th floor of a housing commission building in Melbournes western suburbs for 100 days as part of a postpartum confinement tradition. Karuna is frustrated, torn between her desire to take control of her life and her recognition that she is reliant on her mother. As her mothers employer at a beauty salon aptly tells her: Your mother may not know how to love you the best. But she love you the most. The problem is never a lack of love, its too much love, in a love story complicated by culture and class. Alice knows the too much love feeling. Her mother, Kien, expected her to enter confinement after she gave birth to her third child in lockdown eight months ago. In its strict iteration, the confinement would mean not leaving the house or showering during the postpartum period.

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She was really angry at me when I went for a walk, so livid, Alice says. She told all my aunties, Look how bad she is, but I just needed some fresh air. She goes, If you need to walk, just walk in circles in the lounge room.  There were other differences that emerged during their co-habitation, too, including her mothers belief that babies shouldnt eat vegetables and her reliance on YouTube educational videos to put the children to bed.

I can understand her. I feel great compassion towards her, but in the heat of the moment youre just filled with rage because youre 16 again, says Alice. It wouldve been hard for them as well to have their daughter back with all these ideas about parenting that are completely different from their own. Youre 40 but youre also 16 again in that deeply embedded part of your emotions. You revert back to being sulky and sarcastic. I thought, Oh, I dont like this person Im reverting back to. The rational part of your brain switches off when you talk to your parents and they push the wrong buttons. Its a horrible thing. It wouldve been hard for them as well to have their daughter back with all these ideas about parenting that are completely different from their own. But there were also big benefits. Delicious food  everything with ginger, ginger and more ginger  and the relief of having grandparents who will look after your kids. Alice is funny and frank when she talks about her family. Her mother cant read or write, so perhaps theres some freedom in knowing that she wont trigger round two of the should babies eat vegetables? debate.

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Loading Her parents are ethnic Chinese refugees who arrived in Australia from Cambodia after fleeing the Khmer Rouge. Her father, Kuan, spent four years in the killing fields before he and Kien made their way to a refugee camp in Thailand. Kien was pregnant with Alice when they came to Australia, and she was named after Lewis Carrolls story because her father thought of Australia as a wonderland. Her mother was an outworker who made jewellery in the garage, while her father opened an electrical store. Alice grew up in Footscray and Braybrook in Melbournes west, the oldest of four siblings whom she was responsible for looking after from a young age. Writing was my way of venting. I was such an anxious and unhappy and depressed child because I was scared something bad would happen to these babies all the time, Alice says. And then, when I became an adult and felt completely in control, I thought, I can do this. This is a piece of cake compared to looking after a two-year-old and an 11-year-old at home by yourself.  Alice wears Nevenka dress and slip. Credit:Michelle Tran Alice captured her family story and experiences in two acclaimed memoirs: Unpolished Gem, published in 2006, and Her Fathers Daughter in 2010.

When Alice moved back in with her parents last year, it was the first time she had lived with them since she moved to Janet Clarke Hall, at the University of Melbourne, when she was 23 to work as a residential tutor. (She is now artist-in-residence at the college, as well as a qualified lawyer.)

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I couldnt move out of home unless I got married  it just was not the done thing, she says. So I decided to apply for this job as a residential tutor, and I got it. My dad was so understanding, he said, This might be really good for you. Loading So he let me move out at 23, but because I lived at the college and I was tutoring, he could tell his friends that I was living at my workplace, so he didnt have this unmarried daughter moving out to have premarital sex or anything  I was just working. And I never left. She met her husband, Nick, a project manager, at the university and they now live in a flat converted from three student rooms with a bathroom and kitchen attached. When they returned to Alices parents home in the early days of the pandemic (they stayed for about a year), Alice slept in her old room alongside her old diaries, which she wrote prolifically from when she was eight until she moved out. Not that she could bring herself to look at them. The reason theyre embarrassing is that I was just so angry. Writing was my way of venting. My mum said you should never shake a baby because it will give them brain damage. I knew not to do that but I had no outlet. I had no Facebook to tell friends how frustrated I was stuck at home. So I wrote in my diary. Alice wears Scanlan Theodore jacket, Nevenka dress, Skull & Pearl bracelets, Essen shoes. Credit:Michelle Tran Its Alices insight into a teenagers sense of powerlessness about their own life that has made her two novels, Laurinda and now One Hundred Days, so poignant. I mean, most of us were lucky enough to have loving parents, she says. Like, cerebrally, in our brains, we know they love us because of all

the things they do for us. But there are moments where you absolutely hate your parents, in all honesty. And I had to write One Hundred Days from the 16-year-olds perspective, and not that of an older person looking back with more compassion.

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Those moments are real, when you dislike your parents, and your parents dont like you  and there have been moments in my life when I know my parents have disliked me immensely. They didnt have to say anything. And all kids know that, even kids whose parents speak very nicely to them. There are moments where you absolutely hate your parents, in all honesty. And I had to write One Hundred Days from the 16-year-olds perspective, and not that of an older person looking back with more compassion. Alice wrote One Hundred Days over the course of four years, in between having three children, inspired by an article shed written about the cultural aspects of postpartum confinement, followed by a short story featuring

a pregnant teenager. Sex was taboo when Alice was growing up; she had a friend who fell pregnant and disappeared off the face of the earth. She later discovered that her friends mother had given her an ultimatum, one that Karuna shares in her novel: she could have the child, but it would be raised as her sister, rather than as her daughter. Loading Alice set the novel in 1987, which means Karuna has no access to a smartphone to research her mothers long list of warnings and advice for pregnancy and motherhood. But even if she had, theyd still be hard to shake. Alice grew up with many such cultural beliefs, including an edict to not wear white in her hair because it signifies death. And even though she regards it as a superstition, she avoids doing so anyway. That might not be the only thing to be passed down and embedded. Alices first childrens book, out next year, is about a six-year-old boy called Xiao Xin, which translates from Mandarin as be careful.

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Echolalia is a horror story, although it is not billed as one (thats part of the horror). Emma is a young mother of three. She is suffering from postpartum psychosis, as well as the possibility that she may be a monster. A mother who neglects her children, and who has killed her youngest, Robbie. This is all monstrous, but not as monstrous as what has led to it: Emma has neglected herself.

Blame the marriage. Emma is hitched to mummys boy Robert Cormac. Robert, bless his heart, does not get it. Solemn, stoic, hapless, he is cishet masculinitys failings writ large: nice enough during their university meet-cute, sure; but three kids in and our once-was Ryan Gosling is Ryan Guzzling enough booze to set himself alight if he gets too near the barbecue. He compares their marriage to football (there were rounds and seasons, and you played the best you could) and wears his mums admonition to hang in for the long game of marriage like a Brownlow. He is disturbed by baby Arthurs diagnosis as neurodiverse. Its connection to Emmas side of the family worries him. So do vulnerability and weakness generally.

Briohny Doyle. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Is hubby, then, the true monster? Is it their children  vomiting, mewling, clinging? (Children, in Echolalia, are a real nightmare.)

Doyles second novel is part of an increasingly visible genre. Its the latest iteration of the Gothic form, commonly known as Girl, What Are You Doing With All of These People? Its antecedents, Cinderella and Brandon Taylors Real Life, feature characters slowly smothered by an unreflective entourage of family and friends  people who can barely be bothered to know them, let alone relate to them.
Dust off your platform shoes and get ready to zig-ah-zig-ah, because the Spice Girls are celebrating 25 years since releasing their debut single, Wannabe.

Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Mel Brown, Mel Chisholm and Emma Bunton will mark the anniversary with a previously unreleased Wannabe25 EP that will be available to buy and stream from July 9.

The Spice Girls arrive at the Sydney Opera House as part of their tour for Spiceworld. Credit:Fairfax Photography

When they first arrived on the scene in 1996, the Spice Girls were dragged by media for being overwhelmingly ordinary and imaginatively groomed check-out chicks who were commoditising feminism  and theyre just the hot takes from The Sydney Morning Herald. In 1998, then-prime minister John Howard refused to meet the girls, saying it would be inappropriate.

Almost a decade later, Victoria Beckham was described in an article in 2004 as having had a kind of naivety that was par for the course after she declared: If I wear a short skirt, it is because I want to wear it  its not because I want to appeal to anyone else.
For a long time now Scott Morrison has cruised along on a message that, when you strip it down, essentially amounts to: Be grateful.

You can hear it every time the government talks about its great success keeping Australians safe. You can hear it every time ministers cite the death tolls abroad. You can hear it every time the Prime Minister demands the opposition support the team and drop its carping negativity.

But how long can this really pass muster as our COVID-free paradise fast becomes our prison?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison seen via video conference during Question Time. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

At quite a few points along the way this year Ive sensed slight shifts in the collective mood away from passive acceptance of Australias situation, but none more so than last week as Sydney went into a Claytons lockdown and then a real one.
Melburnians have become used to images of empty CBD streets in the past year. But on Saturday, the city was springing to life as Bourke Street bustled with shoppers.

Meanwhile, up in Sydney, a city which appeared to believe it would never have to shut down like Melbourne, the entire metropolitan area is poised to grind to a halt due to a growing COVID-19 outbreak.

Victorians have copped plenty from interstate over our handling of the pandemic, an experience that is reflected in the different views on what is unfolding in NSW.

A busy Bourke Street Mall on Saturday. Credit:Chris Hopkins.

Sympathy because we know what its like. Anger that cases might fly or drive across our border. Perhaps even a hint of schadenfreude that the best contact tracers in the world werent enough.
Homicide squad detectives are still investigating a fatal stabbing in Melbournes south-east on Saturday morning after releasing two men from custody without charge.

Police were called to an apartment complex in Bentleigh East at 2am where they were told two men had entered the underground car park of the complex on St Georges Avenue and were confronted by two residents, which led to a struggle.

One of the men who had entered the car park, a 46-year-old from Cheltenham, suffered life-threatening stab wounds and died in hospital.

A 37-year-old man from Cheltenham who also entered the car park was located by police and has assisted detectives with their enquiries, according to Victoria Police.
Veteran political strategists and pollsters say that when Premier Daniel Andrews returns to work on Monday for the first time since March, hell enter a political landscape that presents him with new opportunities and new risks.

How does he lead Victoria through a pandemic that is far from over? Will blanket lockdowns be a regular irritation until vaccination supply and take-up is far greater? What are his ideas to foster economic recovery and social harmony ahead of the state election in November next year?

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and current acting Premier James Merlino in January. Credit:Penny Stephens

These are the key questions, according to Essential Media pollster Peter Lewis, pollster and Labor campaigner Kos Samaras and long-time Liberal campaigner Ian Hanke. They will determine whether Andrews goes on to win the next election and have his statue installed at Treasury Place  an honour reserved for leaders who serve more than 3000 days.

Mr Lewis said the Victorian cabinet, led by Deputy Premier James Merlino, kept government ticking over, but confidence in its handling of the pandemic dipped during the recent lockdown.
London: The most senior minister in charge of battling the coronavirus pandemic in Britain has quit after pictures and video emerged showing him flouting social distancing rules while conducting an affair with a senior aide.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned from the cabinet on Saturday afternoon, local time, with an apology for breaching the same rules he had spent months asking the public to comply with.

I understand the enormous sacrifices that everybody in this country has made and those of us who make these rules have got to stick by them and thats why Ive got to resign, he said.

Matt Hancock was pictured leaving Downing Street with Gina Coladangelo on May 1. Credit:Getty

Hancock had tried to cling onto his job after the Sun newspaper on Friday published images and footage of Hancock locked in an embrace with Gina Coladangelo, a friend from university who was this year appointed as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care.
A military transport aircraft, an Airbus A400 M of the German Air Force, stands at the Wunstorf, Germany, air base in Lower Saxony before taking off for Mali on June 25, 2021. (Swen Pf'rtner/dpa via AP)

12 German Soldiers Wounded in Attack on UN Base in Mali

BERLINThe United Nations said 12 German troops and a Belgian soldier serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali were wounded Friday in an attack in the countrys restive north.

The UN mission in the country, MINUSMA, had earlier said that 15 peacekeepers were wounded when a temporary operational base in the Gao region was targeted with a vehicle bomb. Later, it corrected the numbers.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said three of the soldiers were seriously wounded. She told reporters in Bonn, Germany that two soldiers were in a stable condition while the third was still undergoing surgery.

All of the wounded soldiers were flown by helicopter to Gao, where they were being treated at German, French, and Chinese medical facilities, the minister said.

The military operations on site arent completed yet, she said.

A German medevac plane will fly to Gao overnight to bring the wounded soldiers back to Germany on Saturday, said Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Germany has hundreds of troops taking part in UN stabilization and European Union training missions in the West African nation.

Mali has been trying to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012.

Islamic extremist rebels were forced from power in Malis northern cities with the help of a French-led military operation in 2013. 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 have expanded their reach well into central Mali, where their presence has inflamed tensions between ethnic groups in the area.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again rally at Richard B. Russell Airport in Rome, Ga., on Nov. 1, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Anticipation Builds Ahead of Trumps First Post-Presidential Rally in Ohio

Former President Donald Trumps first post-presidential rally is set to get underway Saturday evening in Wellington, Ohio, marking a return to his signature campaign-style events that have tended to attract droves of eager supporters and fire up his base.

The rally, sponsored by the Save America movement, begins at 7 p.m. at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, with tickets required to attend and doors opening for the event at 2 p.m., according to a notice on Trumps official website.

Some rallygoers started lining up days before Saturdays event, reflecting the kind of enthusiasm Trump supporters have shown around prior rallies.

Its been crazy, David Arredondo, chairman of the Lorain County Republican Party, told The Epoch Times about the pre-rally buzz. People are coming in from all over the country for this. This is exciting for us.

The Ohio event will be the first of three scheduled public appearances, followed by a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border with Texas Governor Greg Abbott on June 30 and a rally in Sarasota, Florida, on July 3.

At the Wellington rally, Trump is widely expected to take aim at President Joe Biden for his handling of immigration, the economy, and other key policy issues. Arredondo told Reuters that Trumps focus at the rally will likely be on building support for a red wave in 2022 rather than his own possible presidential run in 2024.

There is no doubt that the priority is to elect Republicans in 2022, Arredondo said. This is the start of it.

In a recent statement, Trumps Save America PAC said the Ohio rally would be the first of a series of events in support of candidates and causes that further the MAGA agenda and accomplishments of the Trump administration.

In Wellington, Trump will be promoting former White House aide Max Miller, who is running against fellow Republican and sitting Congressman Anthony Gonzalez of Ohios 16th District. Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP congressmen who voted to impeach Trump following the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider said he was told by organizers to expect between 10,000 and 20,000 people to attend the rally and that dozens of law enforcement officers will be brought in to help from surrounding areas.

On Thursday evening, Cheri Diederich of Elyria was buying two new Trump T-shirts at Special Effects Custom Printing, owned by Chris Goran, another Trump supporter in the middle of downtown Wellington. Both women expressed excitement that Trump will be in town and both said they will attend the rally.

I am so excited, Diederich said. I was shocked. When it was announced that Trump would be in Wellington, I was like, what? Im all for him and against the other people.

I hope Donald Trump comes backand soon before more damage is done to our country, Diederich added.

On Friday, Trump told Newsmax he would be making an announcement in the not too distant future about whether he will run again, adding that his supporters were going to be thrilled by election results in 2024.

Republican strategists have repeatedly said Trump is laser focused on helping the GOP retake the House and Senate in the 2022 mid-term election.

Polls show Trump enjoys a high level of support among registered Republican voters.

Michael Sakal and Reuters contributed to this report.
Once you get the hang of induction cooking, chances are you'll not want to look back to either traditional electric or gas cooking. (NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock)

Are You Ready to Make the Switch to Induction Cooking?

During the 18 months that we lived in a tiny apartment in anticipation of our move from California to Colorado, I did not have a traditional stove and oven. Instead, I used my countertop Breville Smart Oven and portable Duxtop single-burner induction cooktop.

Induction Is Different

Induction is definitely a different method of cooking with a somewhat challenging learning curve. But oh my, once you get the hang of it, chances are youll not want to look back to either traditional electric or gas cooking. It is truly amazing. Because the cooktop itself does not create heat, it uses precious little energy. The cooking vessel (pot, skillet, griddle) creates its own heat, which is just plain cool!

Induction Means Cleaning Easy

Cleanup of the induction cooktop is always quick and easy, no matter the mess I make while using it. I made our big traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in that tiny kitchen with those two appliances. Cleanup was easy, and the eating was even better. We did not suffer!

Induction-Ready Cookware

As for cookware, it must be induction compatible, or, as some manufacturers describe theirs, induction-ready. I wouldnt be surprised if the cookware you have already is induction-ready, as all cast-iron and most stainless-steel pots and pans are.

You can determine in a second if your cookware is induction-ready. Get a magnet. If it sticks tightly to the pan, it will work beautifully for induction cooking. If it doesnt stick at all, that pot is probably aluminum, which is not compatible with induction. If it kind of sticks but can easily slide or move around on the pot, its likely low-quality stainless steel or aluminum clad with stainless. Youre looking for a very firm connection between the magnet and the pot.

One exception: If your wok has a round bottom, it is not going to work on an induction burner, regardless of its content. And you cannot just add a ring to your cooktop. Youll need either a flat-bottom wok or a special induction wok hob, which will be an added expense.

Trial Run

Heres my advice if you are considering a switch to induction: While your appliances are still in working order, take some time to test induction cooking. Invest in a good portable induction cooktop burner and then use it every chance you get.

For a small investment of around $50, you will soon figure out if induction cooking is right for you before committing to a big investment in an induction cooktop or range. This will also give you an opportunity to test your current cookware, too, for compatibility. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that the cookware you have already is fully induction-compatible.

Super Upgrade

With our most recent 2018 kitchen remodel (we did make the move to Colorado), I went from that single-burner induction cooktop to the GE Cafe five-burner induction cooktop. It is just amazing, and I believe we will never go back to either gas or smooth-top electric options. My induction cooktop cleans up like a dream (I said that already, didnt I? But its such an important feature!). And it is powerful.

I can set my induction cooktop to high and put on a large pot of water to boil, and it will be rolling in about 90 secondsand thats at 5,280 feet of altitude.

I can have a skillet of vegetables and/or meat sauteing on high, observe that its done and switch it to low, and it will calm down to a low temperature almost instantly. Induction has a superior reactive quality to gas cooking and cleanup quality that far exceeds a smooth glass-top electric cooktop.

The Science

Induction cooking is powered through electromagnetism, which heats the steel and iron in induction-compatible cookware. I dont know the details, but I can vouch for the results!

Resale Value

As for a homes resale value, as induction cooking becomes more well-known (and loved), a beautiful induction range or cooktop will, in my opinion, make your property more valuable and desirable. As the pros say: The kitchen and bathrooms sell a home.

Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog and the author of the book Debt-Proof Living. Mary invites you to visit her at her website, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at EverydayCheapskate.com/contact, Ask Mary. Tips can be submitted at Tips.EverydayCheapskate.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Copyright 2021 Creators.com
Astronauts NASA's Shane Kimbrough and France's Thomas Pesquet during a space walk outside the International Space Station on June 25, 2021. (NASA via AP)

Astronauts Complete Solar Panel Work in 3rd Spacewalk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.Astronauts finished unfurling a new pair of solar panels outside the International Space Station on Friday, making their third spacewalk in just over a week.

NASAs Shane Kimbrough and Frances Thomas Pesquet successfully installed the second in a series of powerful solar wings that should keep the space station running the rest of this decade, as space tourism ramps up with visitors beginning in the fall.

We have a lot of happy faces down here, Mission Control radioed as power surged through the panel.

It should have been a two-spacewalk job, but spacesuit and other problems hampered the astronauts work on June 16. As a result, the first solar wing wasnt extended to its full length of 63 feet (19 meters) until Sunday. NASA added a third spacewalk for Friday to attach and unfold the second wingthis time everything went smoothly 255 miles (410 kilometers) up.

Once Pesquet released the final bolt, the newest solar wing unrolled like a giant stretch of wallpaper, high above the Bering Sea. It took 10 minutes for the slow but steady extension.

Well done out there, buddy, Kimbrough called out.

Most of the action during the 6 1/2-hour spacewalk took place on the nighttime side of Earth, a safety precaution. NASA did not want any solar panels soaking up sunlight and generating power, while the astronauts had their hands on the power grid.

The two solar panels delivered by SpaceX earlier this month arent nearly as big as the stations original wings. But they produce more electricity because of new technology. NASA plans to send up four more panels over the coming year; Boeing is supplying them.

This first pair will supplement the space stations oldest solar wings, degraded after 20 years of continuous operation.

Kimbrough and Pesquet are two months into a six-month mission. Two other Americans are aboard the space station, along with one Japanese and two Russians.

By Marcia Dunn
President Joe Biden (R) hosts Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani (C) and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on June 25, 2021. (Pete Marovich/Pool/Getty Images)

Biden Calls on Afghans to Decide Their Future as Withdrawal Nears End

WASHINGTONU.S. President Joe Biden met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his former political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, on Friday at the White House where he called on Afghans to decide the future of their country as the last U.S. troops pack up after 20 years of war and government forces struggle to repel Taliban advances.

Biden, seated beside Ghani and Abdullah in the Oval Office, called them two old friends and said U.S. support for Afghanistan was not ending but would be sustained despite the U.S. pullout.

Afghans are going to have to decide their future, what they want, said Biden, saying the senseless violence has to stop.

Ghani said Afghan security forces had retaken six districts on Friday. He said he respected Bidens decision and that the partnership between the United States and Afghanistan is entering a new phase.

We are determined to have unity, coherence, he said.

Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Ghani said the United States decision to withdraw troops was a sovereign one and it was Kabuls job to manage consequences.

He added that Biden had clearly articulated that the U.S. embassy would continue to operate and security aid would continue and in some cases move on an accelerated schedule.

Abdullah said in a Reuters interview after the Biden meeting that stalled intra-Afghan talks on a political settlement to decades of strife should not be abandoned unless the insurgents themselves pull out.

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani meets with US President Joe Biden in Washington, on June 25, 2021. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

I think we shouldnt shut the door unless its completely shut by the Taliban, Abdullah said. We cant say no to talks despite a lack of progress or in spite of whats happening on the ground.

The Oval Office meeting could be as valuable to Ghani for its symbolism as for any new U.S. help because it will be seen as affirming Bidens support for the beleaguered Afghan leader as he confronts Taliban gains, bombings, and assassinations; a surge in COVID-19 cases; and political infighting in Kabul.

At a time when morale is incredibly shaky and things are going downhill, anything one can do to help shore up morale and shore up the government is worth doing, said Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador to Kabul. Inviting Ghani here is a pretty strong sign that were backing him.

Bidens embrace, however, comes only months after U.S. officials were pressuring Ghani to step aside for a transitional government under a draft political accord that they floated in a failed gambit to break a stalemate in peace talks.

Biden has asked Congress to approve $3.3 billion in security assistance for Afghanistan next year and is sending 3 million doses of vaccines there to help it battle COVID-19.

U.S. officials have been clear that Biden will not halt the American pulloutlikely to be completed in the coming weeksand he is unlikely to approve any U.S. military support to Kabul to halt the Talibans advances beyond advice, intelligence, and aircraft maintenance.

Earlier, the Afghan leaders met for a second day on Capitol Hill, where Bidens withdrawal decision met objections from many members of both parties.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, welcoming Ghani to a bipartisan leadership meeting, said she looked forward to hearing about what more can be done with U.S. humanitarian aid, especially for women and girls.

Many lawmakers and experts have expressed deep concerns that the Talibanif returned to powerwill reverse progress made on the rights of women and girls, who were harshly repressed and barred from education and work during the insurgents 1996-2001 rule.

Worries About al-Qaeda

The Ghani-Abdullah visit comes with the peace process stalled and violence raging as Afghan security forces fight to stem a Taliban spring offensive that threatens several provincial capitals and has triggered mobilizations of ethnic militias to reinforce government troops.

Afghan militiamen join Afghan defense and security forces during a gathering in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 23, 2021. (Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking during a visit on Friday to Paris, said Washington is looking very hard at whether the Taliban are serious about a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The crisis has fueled grave concerns that the Taliban could regain powertwo decades after the U.S.-led invasion ended their harsh version of Islamist ruleallowing a resurgence of al-Qaeda. U.S. and U.N. officials say the extremists maintain close links with the Taliban.

U.S. officials respond that the United States will be able to detect and thwart any new threats by al-Qaeda or other Islamists. The Taliban insist al-Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan.

U.S. government sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting describe the situation as dire. Ghani, they said, has been urged to do more to step up pressure on the insurgents while U.S.-led coalition forces are still there.

By Jonathan Landay, Steve Holland and Phil Stewart
The use of air conditioners in some dormitory floors heats up the students living on the floors without air conditioning. (Art-Of-Photo/iStock)

Chinese Students Emulate CCP Revolutionary Mode, Collective Shout for Air-Conditioning

When high summer temperatures hit several areas of China this year, college students living in dormitories in the provinces of Henan and Hunan shouted their demands for air-conditioning.

Authorities feared that students would launch a campaign by imitating the revolutionary predecessors experience from a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda TV drama.

Even under 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures, six to eight students are crammed into one dormitory room with only a tiny fan to cool them down. Unable to sleep or study in such heat, students at Henan University of Science and Technology held a collective shouting in the dormitory on June 9. Mass appeals then took place at Hunan and other universities. Students talked about the events on Weibo, which drew a lot of public attention.

With little to no concern for the students welfare during extremely hot weather, the CCP authorities focused elsewhere. A picture of a suspected official document circulated on Sina Weibo read, Education authorities should eliminate risks and hazards on campus, to ensure that no big public opinion incidents occur.

The document affirmed that The Awakening Age, a revolutionary-themed CCP propaganda TV series, as well as other revolutionary dramas, are popular with college students. Students posted screenshots of group comments on Weibo, saying: Take the experience of revolutionary predecessors as an example and put pressure on the college authorities.

The Awakening Age tells how the early formation of the CCP, the disparity between rich and poor, and various elements formed a revolutionary purpose.

Now the students were stirred by it, political commentator Chen Pokong said in his self-media channel on June 22.

The collective shouting began when university authorities ignored the students appeals for air-conditioners. Luoyang City, where Henan University of Science and Technology is located, has had continuously high temperatures since the end of May. On June 6, the temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, and the local authorities issued a red alert.

Being too hot to sleep at night, students reported the problem publicly online, but no resolution was offered by the college. Finally, in the early morning of June 9, they amassed in the dormitory building and asked the college to install air-conditioning.

Several days later, college authorities responded that they couldnt install air-conditioners in the students dormitories because the aging circuit is unable to support high-power electrical appliances.

The official excuse failed to appease the students and even ignited more anger. In the same dormitory building of Henan University of Science and Technology, the first two floorswhere international students livehave air-conditioners. However, none of the top four floorswhere domestic students resideare air-conditioned.

In addition to Henan University of Science and Technology, similar incidents occurred in other universities such as Hunan Xiangnan College, Hunan Transportation and Technical College, and Hunan First Normal College. The students demands for air-conditioners made the authorities uneasy.

The CCP started with campaign activists, and it fears young people will imitate what they did in the past, to integrate intellectuals with workers and peasants, and to have freedom of speech and association, Epoch Times columnist Wang He said.

The collective shouting isnt the only thing worrying the CCP. In early June, students in Jiangsu and Zhejiang universities, who opposed the authorities intention to merge private colleges with vocational schools, gathered and shouted anti-merger slogans. The event turned into a physical conflict with police, and many students were beaten and arrested.
Deputies Save Suicidal 17-Year-Old After Talking for an Hour as She Hung From Overpass

Florida deputies came to the aid of a suicidal teen this Fathers Day as she hung from an interstate overpass, threatening to take her own life. The deputies secured her to the railing, talking to her for an hour before lifting her to safety on a fire engine ladder.

Flagler County Sheriffs Office received a call at 6 a.m. on June 20 from a distraught mother claiming her 17-year-old had left home threatening self-harm, Fox 35 Orlando reported. Before the teen ran off to the street, she kept stating to her mom: I cant do this anymore.

Dispatched deputies found the teen on the overpass bridge of Palm Coast Parkway and Interstate 95. She was on the outside of the railing, holding on. Deputies closed the interstate and rerouted traffic.

(Courtesy of Flagler County Sheriffs Office)

Upon learning that the teen didnt like men, the investigators sent female officers to the scene, and Deputies Laura Jenkins and Crista Rainey were a part of the law enforcement team that was sent to help out. Jenkins grabbed the teen by the hand and secured her to the railing using handcuffs, and a negotiation lasting almost 60 minutes ensued.

Both officers comforted the teen, trying to find a subject that would reignite her desire to live. They found one: Deputy Rainey talked to her about her 7-month-old nephew. Using a fire engine ladder, reinforcements approached the teen from below and behind.

Youre tired, right? Youre tired and exhausted, Rainey can be heard saying in footage shared by the sheriffs office on YouTube. Transferring the teen to the ladder, the team then lowers her, Rainey, and another female first responder to the ground.

It was a little scary, but I think I was just more focused on getting her down, Rainey told WESH 2.

Deputy Laura Jenkins from Flagler County Sheriffs Office. (Courtesy of Flagler County Sheriffs Office)

It was a tap dance, it was a tap dance we were just trying to find anything just to keep her talking, Rainey said, recalling the incident, while Jenkins confirmed that the teen did in fact let go multiple times before being lowered to safety.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly called the multiple-agency rescue outstanding.

The quick response and combined efforts of FCSO deputies, Crisis Negotiations, Communications Center, Fire Rescue, and the deputies holding the juveniles hand saved a life today, he praised. Their training in de-escalation techniques, and being able to talk to someone whos threatening to take their life, is remarkable.

Someones daughter was saved on Fathers Day.

Deputy Crista Rainey from Flagler County Sheriffs Office. (Courtesy of Flagler County Sheriffs Office)

Jenkins recalled that upon reaching the ground, the trio kind of all just fell on top of each other and just hugged for quite some time. It felt great, said Rainey, to stop someone whos intent on causing harm to themselves.

The distressed teen, who had previously been Baker-Acted under Florida law for mental health concerns, was taken to the hospital for further care and attention.

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
Facts Matter (June 25): Arizona Senate Adjourns Until 2022? Auditors Wrap Up at the Coliseum

A Christian group based in Texas applied to get tax-exempt status. However, the IRS declined their request, saying that the Bibles teachings overwhelmingly benefit the interests of the Republican Partyand therefore, they arent non-partisan.

In Arizona, as the audit of the 2020 election begins to wrap up, and the final report is due in a month, the state Senate suddenly announced that they are going to adjourn until next year. What exactly does that mean for the process?

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, Fla., on June 14, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Floridas DeSantis Sending 50 State Officers to Help With USMexico Border Crisis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says that 50 state law enforcement officers are being sent to Texas to help with the worsening crisis at the U.S.Mexico border.

Earlier this month, DeSantis became the first governor to answer the plea for help from fellow GOP governors Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona by authorizing the deployment of law enforcement personnel to assist with helping to secure the border, but didnt offer any details at the time.

The first wave that will be sent to the southern border to address the crisis includes officers from the Department of Law Enforcement, Fish and Wildlife, and Florida Highway Patrol, the Republican governor said during a press briefing. He said they will be ready to work on June 28.

During the conference, DeSantis also mentioned that funding for the operation is still a point of discussion.

Typically, if someone would help us, we would pick up some of their funding  thats how we would hope that it goes, but we dont anticipate getting any federal funds, no, the governor said.

DeSantis also noted that the request from fellow GOP governors comes amid a rise in methamphetamine crossing the border, which is increasingly causing harm not only at the southern border but also in Florida and other parts of the country.

I had met just weeks ago with some of our sheriffs up in north Florida and their No. 1 concern is all the meth thats coming in, DeSantis said, adding that this has had a real effect on Florida communities.

DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw told The Epoch Times last week that helping fellow Americans in a moment of need is always the right thing to do.

Its undeniable that the border crisis is out of control, she said. The governors of other states have sent resources to Florida in the past to help respond to natural disasters. With the federal government unable or unwilling to enforce our laws and secure our border, Florida is ready to step up to the plate and do our part.

Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford also expressed a similar view, saying that he sees the cry for help from the governors of Texas and Arizona to secure the border as an opportunity to repay the debt he owes after Hurricane Michael devastated Bay County in 2018 and many sheriffs from other states came to their aid.

So were going to volunteer to be the first ones there to help, Ford said.

Border Patrol agents apprehend 21 illegal aliens from Mexico who had hidden in a grain hopper on a freight train heading to San Antonio, on June 21, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Despite the overwhelming support DeSantis has received from Floridas law enforcement, some Democrats have criticized the governors move.

Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), one of two Democrats who have declared their intention to run for governor in 2022, called the decision to send Florida law enforcement to the border a political stunt. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, another Democrat gubernatorial candidate, wrote on Twitter: Floridas current governor just makes controversies up to get on Fox News.

Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told The Epoch Times that Floridians have to help in securing the border even though it isnt a border state, as it will help to stop the flow of narcotics that end up in our state and ravage our communities.

Marceno said fentanyl cases have gone up 230 percent in Lee County over the past six months, and there has been a 3,000 percent increase in the number of sexual predators coming across U.S. borders.

Were not going to allow it, Marceno said. Floridas residents are going to be safe and secure.

Patricia Tolson contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Two women comfort each other at the Surfside community center where friends and family of those missing following the collapse of a residential building wait for new developments in the search for their loved ones, in Surfside, Fla., on June 25, 2021. (Jose A. Iglesias/Miami Herald via AP)

Friends, Family Describe Missing in Florida Condo Collapse

SURFSIDE, Fla.Families around the world remained stuck between waning hopes and widening fears Saturday, two days after the stunning collapse of a 12-story condominium near Miami.

At least four people were killed and more than 150 people remained unaccounted for as rescuers continued to dig through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside. The building was home to an international mix of foreign retirees, South American immigrants, and Orthodox Jews, all with anxious loved ones across the globe.

Here are some of their stories:

Maria Theresa and Ricky Rovirosa

Maria Theresa and Ricky Rovirosa are a perfect match who support each other and others, according to longtime friend Monika Mucarsel Gressier.

The couple has two grown children they raised in their South Miami home, and used their Surfside condo as a part-time summer getaway. Gressier was living in California when she met Maria Theresa, whom she called Maituca, through work.

Leo Soto, who created this memorial with grocery stores donating flowers and candles, pauses in front of photos of some of the missing people that he put on a fence, near the site of an oceanfront condo building that partially collapsed in Surfside, Fla., on June 25, 2021. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)

We became instant friends, Gressier said in a text message. She was one reason that gave me security and support for accepting a relocation to live in Miami. Maituca became my family support and always gave me and others the resources and guidance to navigate through the city of Miami.

Gressier described Ricky as charming and his wife as stunningly beautiful inside and out.

When I think of them, I think of one of my favorite memories of the times I watched them dance salsa and how loving they were always to each other, Gressier wrote. I am praying and hoping that they will survive this tragedy, as I know the strength, they both carry within, and I also know that their tremendous love for their girls and family will keep them fighting to survive this.

Cassondra Billedeau-Stratton

Cassondra Billedeau-Stratton, 40, has worked as an actress, model, and Pilates instructor, bringing a vivacious love of life to everything she does, her husband said in a statement.

Search and Rescue personnel work after the partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Fla., on June 24, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Cassie is a wife, mother, and true friend to so many, said Michael Stratton, a Democratic political strategist from Colorado. He told Denvers KMGH-TV that he and his wife spent much of their time during the coronavirus pandemic in the condo they have owned for four years.

Billedeau-Stratton loved walking and biking along the beach, her sister, Stephanie Fonte, told the New York Times. When the sisters were together, she often would make them pose for photos on the beach or near a burst of flowers.

Michael Stratton said he and his wife were talking on the phone when the building collapsed.

She described that the building was shaking and then  the phone went dead, he said.

Ilian Naibryf

Ilian Naibryf has been an active member of the Jewish community at the University of Chicago since arriving at the school three years ago, said Rabbi Yossi Brackman of the schools Rohr Chabad.

Rescue workers on a crane inspect the wreckage of a partially collapsed building in Surfside north of Miami Beach, Fla., on June 25, 2021. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images)

Naibryf, who just finished his junior year, served as the president of the Chabad Houses student board for the past year. He is from Florida and was at the condominium when it collapsed, Brackman said.

He is a really great guy, very friendly, always has a smile on his face, and is just a really all-around well-liked person, Brackman said.

Brackman said the Rohr Chabad community is distraught but hopeful.

Our message is one of hope and we encourage everyone to pray and be kind at this difficult time for many people, he said. We believe in miracles, seen them, and hope to see them again.
In this courtroom sketch, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell appears during her arraignment hearing on a new indictment at Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, on April 23, 2021. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters)

Ghislaine Maxwell Loses Bid to Ban Depositions From Trial

Two 2016 depositions of Ghislaine Maxwell in a civil case in which she was repeatedly questioned about financier Jeffrey Epsteins sexual activities can be used at her criminal trial this year despite the objections of her lawyers, a judge ruled on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Alison J Nathan in Manhattan rejected the request that she block prosecutors from using the interviews of Maxwell at her November sex trafficking trial.

Lawyers for the British socialite charged with procuring teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse had argued Maxwell only participated in the depositions because she was promised they would be kept secret.

The judge sealed her opinion explaining her reasoning until lawyers have time to recommend redactions.

Maxwell, 59, has been jailed since her arrest last July. The former girlfriend of Epstein has pleaded not guilty to charges that she recruited four teenage girls between 1994 and 2004 for Epstein.

Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender, killed himself in his cell at a federal Manhattan lockup in August 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.

Judge Nathan has rejected bail requests three times and a federal appeals court has twice agreed Maxwell should remain incarcerated despite her willingness to pledge a $28.5 million (20.53 million) bail package that would include 24-hour armed guards and an offer to reject her British and French citizenships. She is also a U.S. citizen.

Her lawyers had hoped to force the dismissal of two perjury counts stemming from her answers to questions during depositions in April and July of 2016.

In one count, she was charged with lying in saying I dont know what youre talking about when asked during the April 2016 deposition whether Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages.

In another count, she was charged with perjury for saying she did not recall whether she was aware of the presence of sex toys or devices in sexual activities at Epsteins Palm Beach, Florida, home, and for saying she was not aware whether Epstein was having sexual activities with anyone other than herself.

The perjury charges stemmed from Maxwells comments during depositions resulting from a since-settled lawsuit brought against her by one of Epsteins accusers, Virginia Giuffre.

Redacted versions of the transcripts of the depositions were released publicly earlier this year by a judge in response to requests by the Miami Herald.

In arguing that the depositions be suppressed and unavailable for use at the criminal trial, Maxwells lawyers said their client had decided to answer questions during the depositions rather than invoke her privilege against compulsory self-incrimination because a court-approved agreement ensured evidence would stay confidential.

The lawyers noted that a judge cited the confidentiality promise in granting a request that Maxwell be forced to answer highly intrusive questions related to her own sexual activity and her knowledge of the sexual activity of others at the depositions.
Colombia's President Ivan Duque gives a statement after an attack suffered by the helicopter he was travelling on, according to authorities, in Cucuta, Colombia, on June 25, 2021. (Colombia Presidency/Handout via Reuters)

Helicopter Carrying Colombias President Duque Struck by Bullets in Attack

BOGOTAA helicopter carrying Colombias President Ivan Duque and others was struck by multiple bullets in an attack on Friday, he said in a video message.

The incident took place while the presidents helicopter was flying through Colombias Catatumbo region toward the city of Cucuta, capital of the countrys Norte de Santander province, Duque said.

Whats clear is that this is a cowardly attack where bullet holes can be seen in the presidential aircraft, Duque said.

As well as Duque, the helicopter was carrying other officials including Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and governor of Norte de Santander Silvano Serrano.

No one was injured in the incident, a spokesman for the presidency said.

The mark of a projectile impact is seen on a helicopter that Colombian President Ivan Duque was traveling in after it suffered an attack during an overflight, according to authorities, in Cucuta, Colombia, on June 25, 2021. (Colombia Presidency/Handout via Reuters)

Security personnel have been given clear instructions to find those behind the attack on the helicopter, the president added.

The troubled Catatumbo region, on Colombias border with Venezuela, is home to extensive coca crops, the chief ingredient of cocaine. It is where guerrillas of the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) operate, former FARC fighters who reject a 2016 peace deal with the government, along with armed criminal groups involved in drug trafficking.

This month a car bomb was detonated at a military base used by the 30th Army Brigade in Cucuta, injuring Colombian troops and U.S. military advisers.

While Molano said the attack could have been carried out by the ELN, the rebel group said it denied having any role in the bombing.

By Oliver Griffin
History Takes Flight at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach

I stood outside the Military Aviation Museum in the cool breeze, holding my daughter in my arms as the Spitfire and Hurricane engines roared.

Airplane! Look! My daughter squealed over the noise of the propellers of the World War II military aircraft. Because the weather was so windy, the working military planes were not going to fly, but the presence of these aircraft was an impressive thing to behold.

Getting ready for the Flying Proms air show. (Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

Commemorating Service

My grandads cousin, George Eric Clifford Genders, nicknamed Jumbo because of the size of his ears, was a pilot in the UKs Royal Air Force during World War II. He flew a Spitfire similar to the one before me. On later missions, flew them stripped down to only two .50-inch machine guns in order to reach an altitude high enough to engage a Luftwaffe Ju.86P, a German plane, generally untouched by Allied forces.

I had heard plenty of stories about the bravery and skill of Jumbo growing uphe once had to bail out of a flailing engine while at sea and spent 21 hours stranded in the waterbut I had never seen the airplanes he had flown in person. As I watched the propellers of the Spitfire and Hurricane spin, I noticed how little room there was in the cockpit, and I was able to imagine a little bit better what he did during the war.

The Military Aviation Museum, located in Virginia Beach, offers history and aviation enthusiasts a piece of living history. The museum boasts one of the worlds largest collections of historic planes from the last century, from the Hawker Hurricane, which helped win the Battle of Britain, to the German Messerschmitt, which would have been a serious threat to the Allies had they been produced in mass numbers.

The Military Aviation Museum. (Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

(Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

(Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

(Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

(Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

This collection of planes was formed by Gerald and Elaine Yagen, longtime Virginia Beach residents and founders of Tidewater Tech, who began collecting planes in 1994. Today, the collection contains Army and Navy airplanes from both world wars, providing visitors an in-depth look at the development and experimentation involved in the world of aviation. I found it fascinating to compare Allied and Axis aircraft, the strengths and weaknesses found in each.

Goxhill Tower

Our friend Mike, a longtime volunteer at the museum, reached out to me after I wrote an article about my husbands grandfather and the 306th bombing squadron in Bedford, England. He thought the museums newest exhibit, Goxhill Tower, would give my husband some insight into what life was like for his grandfather during the war.

Goxhill was the first British airfield formally transferred to the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942. One of the hundreds of training bases, Goxhill, located in East Anglia, served as a base for squadron training during the war. Here, squadrons piloting the Spitfire, Thunderbolt, and Mustang would learn to fly and navigate the English weather.

The restored Control Room in the tower. (Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

These re-enactors are manning the tower while preparing a P-51 Mustang for a mission. (Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

What the tower looked like in England before it was brought over. (Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

A RAF Spitfire takes off in front of the tower. (Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

In recent years, Goxhill Tower was transferred to the United States. Visitors to the Aviation museum can explore the Watch Tower (also known as the Control Tower), fully restored. The rooms are laid out with maps and equipment reflecting the way it would have looked during the war. The experience gave my husband a fuller insight into what daily life looked like for his grandfather while he lived at a similar base in Bedford.

The Military Aviation Museum has several upcoming events. Every Saturday from June to September, the museum offers its Summer of Flight. Each week, it showcases aircraft and historical events through lectures and demonstrations. Access to the Summer of Flight is included with admission.

(Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

(Courtesy of Military Aviation Museum)

Something for the Kids

Our daughters, then ages 1 and 3, enjoyed the Military Aviation Museum. There is plenty to see and do, as well as space to run around. But their favorite attraction by far was Jerrassic Park, a collection of dinosaur sculptures at the entrance to the museum. While they weaved in and out of sculptures, coming back to us for bites of the cheese and cracker picnic lunch we enjoyed on the grass, my husband and I talked about what a unique opportunity the Military Aviation Museum offers. For the first time, both of us were able to experience, just a little bit better, what our relatives did in the war.

The Military Aviation Museum brings fresh perspective to the stories of the past. Truly, it is a piece of living history.

For more information, see MilitaryAviationMuseum.org

Rachael Dymski is an author, florist, and mom to two little girls. She is currently writing a novel about the German occupation of the Channel Islands and blogs on her website, RachaelDymski.com
Inspiration and Popcorn: Life Is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella): A Masterpiece as Joyful as It Is Deeply Touching

PG-13 | 1h 56min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 1997

Comedies that feature sensitive topics such as the Holocaust used to be more common. When done right, filmmakers with their hearts in the right place (and the talent to pull it off) have always known that comedy is a great way to not only break down barriers between people but also provoke discussion and draw attention to important historical events and causes.

But lately, these types of films have become scarcer. The only one that comes to mind in recent times that successfully merges the seemingly strange bedfellows of comedy and horrific tragedy is 2019s Jojo Rabbitabout a member of the Hitler Youth who discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic.

But a 1997 film covered some of the same ground but in an ingeniously different way. Life Is Beautiful was written by, directed by, and stars Roberto Benigni. It deftly combines a brilliant comedic tone with the brutal nightmare visited upon Jews as they were systematically rounded up and sent to Nazi death camps.

Before and at the Camp

The film begins in 1939, with the wildly imaginative Guido Orefice (Benigni) and his bosom buddy Ferruccio (Sergio Bini Bustric) traveling to Tuscany in their native Italy. The two are from the countryside and want to move to a big city for better opportunities. Guido plans to work as a waiter in his well-to-do uncles swanky hotel until he can afford to open a bookstore.

Almost immediately, Guido meets (or rather catches) the woman who will become his main romantic interest, Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), as she falls out of a barn after being stung by a wasp. The entire first act of the film revolves around Guidos frequent run-ins with Dora and displays his buffoon-like humor that wraps around a deceptively perceptive mind. We also get glimpses of fascist Italy and the upper-crust society that embraces it.

One of the upper-crusters is none other than Doras fiance, Amico (Claudio Alfonsi). An ethically compromised sycophant, Amico coincidentally denies Guido a loan that would have allowed him to open a bookstore.

Dora eventually falls for Guidos infectious personality, as well as his consistent and sincere affection for hersomething she cant find with Amico. Guido sweeps her away and the two marry.

The films second act begins years later. Guido and Dora are now married and living a happy and tranquil family life in Tuscany with their charming young son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). But we soon discover that things are far from idyllic.

Although Guido has realized his dream of owning a bookstore, the Nazis have moved into the city and increasingly harass and intimidate the Jews. Our hero is Jewish.

Two officious-looking men arrive at the bookstore and instruct Guido to accompany them to visit the Prefect, a high administrative officer. Later, when Guido returns to his store to close up, he sees the words JEWISH STORE scrawled across the building.

Things go from bad to worse when the Nazis begin rounding up the citys Jews, including Guido and Giosue. In one of the films most powerful scenes, Dora returns home one afternoon and finds everything in disarray. She takes a few steps back in shock and quickly deduces that her husband and son have been swept away in the roundups.

Guido and Giosue are next seen in a line leading to a boxcar heading to a concentration camp. When little Giosue begins asking questions about the train, Guido deftly gives false answers; he fabricates that the two are going on an exclusive trip and lucky to have the last two tickets.

As the train departs, Dora arrives and insists that she be let on one of the boxcars as well. But when the train arrives at the camp, Guido and Dora see each other only briefly before being separated into areas by gender.

Managing to hide his son from the Nazis, Guido expands on the illusion that hes created for the boy to shield him from the cruelty of their surroundings. He tells Giosue that theyre involved in one big, elaborate game and that they can win only if Giosue follows the rulesand thus, earns points. Once they reach 1,000 points, theyll win.

Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini, L) and his father, Guido (Roberto Benigni), in a Nazi death camp. (Miramax Films)

I wont spoil the rest of the film. Lets just say its filled with a mixture of laughter and tearsbut ultimately an uplifting tale of boundless, familial love, as well as selflessness and self-sacrifice in the face of unrelenting evil.

Watching Guido slave away during brutal forced labor inspired me to research more about the Nazi concentration camps, Benito Mussolinis Italy, and other facets of that place and time. Maybe it was the sort of thought-provoking research that the filmmakers of Life Is Beautiful intended.

With outstanding performances by its core cast of Benigni, Braschi, and Cantarini, the entire supporting cast, and some incredibly careful handling of touchy subject matter, its no wonder this film is considered a masterpiece.

Life Is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella)

Director: Roberto Benigni

Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

Release Date: 1997

Rated: 5 stars out of 5



Ian Kane is a filmmaker and author based out of Los Angeles. To learn more, visit DreamFlightEnt.com or contact him at Twitter.com/ImIanKane
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaks during a press briefing at Downing Street in London, on Feb. 1, 2021. (Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

Johnson Under Pressure to Fire Health Secretary After Leaked Footage as Security Concerns Emerge

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under mounting pressure on Saturday to fire his Health Secretary Matt Hancock after a local newspaper revealed he was caught kissing his aide on camera last month.

Meanwhile, a think tank has reported the incident to the police, saying the footage was either illegally obtained or illegally leaked.

CCTV footage was published on Friday showing Hancock in an embrace with Gina Coladangelo, who had been taken on by the Department of Health and Social Care as an unpaid adviser on a six-month contract in March 2020, before being appointed as a non-executive director at the department.

Hancock, 42, has been at the centre of the governments plan to fight against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, routinely telling people to follow strict rules and even welcoming the resignation last year of a senior scientist who broke restrictions in a similar manner.

Many considered Hancocks extramarital affair his private business, but the breaking of guidelines has sparked accusations of blatant hypocrisy and the appointment of Coladangelo to a taxpayer-funded role has also raised questions.

Hancock apologised on Friday, saying he was very sorry for have let people down.

Downing Street on Friday said the matter was considered closed after Hancocks apology and insisted the correct procedure had been followed in relation to Coladangelos appointment without going into details.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock with adviser Gina Coladangelo outside BBC Broadcasting House in London on June 16, 2021. (Yui Mok/PA)

But the Daily Telegraph reported that Tory MPs were telling the prime minister to pull the plug, with public reaction over coming days key to his fate.

North Norfolk Conservative Duncan Baker became the first MP to openly call for Hancock to go on Saturday.

He told his local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press: In my view, people in high public office and great positions of responsibility should act with the appropriate morals and ethics that come with that role.

Matt Hancock, on a number of measures, has fallen short of that. As an MP who is a devoted family man, married for 12 years with a wonderful wife and children, standards and integrity matter to me.

I will not in any shape condone this behaviour and I have in the strongest possible terms told the Government what I think.

A snap poll from Savanta ComRes, released hours after photographs of the pair kissing in Hancocks ministerial office surfaced, found 58 percent of UK adults thought that Hancock should resign, compared to 25 percent who thought he should not.

And the COVID-19 Bereaved Families For Justice group, which represents those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic, also called for Hancock to go.

The Health Secretary is also deeply unpopular with some conservatives who believe that he has been an obstacle to the easing of CCP virus restrictions.

Meanwhile, the filming in a ministerial office and the leaking of such footage to media has raised a new set of ethical and security questions.

Think tank Henry Jackson Society has reported the disclosure of the footage to the Metropolitan Police as a breach of the Official Secrets Acts (OSA).

A spokesman for the group said: It is clear that an offence has taken place under the Official Secrets Acts and that warrants investigation. Either a tape has been leaked in breach of obligations under the OSA or illegal access to a protected site has been obtained.

The Met said it was aware of the distribution of images alleged to have been obtained within an official Government premises, but no criminal investigation has been launched.

At this time this remains a matter for the relevant Government department, the Met said.

The Cabinet Office said it would never comment on security issues but it is understood that no cross-Government probe has been launched so far.

PA and Reuters contributed to this report.
The FBI seal is seen before a news conference at FBI headquarters in Washington on June 14, 2018. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

Judge Blocks FBI From Seizing Contents of Private Vaults in Beverly Hills Raid

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the FBI, blocking the agency from using civil asset forfeiture procedures to seize the property of four customers of a Beverly Hills safe deposit box company that the FBI raided in connection with a criminal probe.

In the June 22 restraining order (pdf), U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner faulted the FBI for inadequate forfeiture notices sent to individuals who had property in safe deposit boxes operated by U.S. Private Vaults (USPV), which the agency raided on March 22 and claimed in subsequent court filings was at the center of a criminal conspiracy involving drugs and money laundering.

Klausner ruled that the defendants are enjoined from civilly forfeiting the property of Jeni Verdon-Pearsons, Michael Storc, Travis May, and Joseph Ruiz without first sending forfeiture notices that identify the specific factual and legal basis for the Governments determination to commence civil forfeiture proceedings.

He gave the FBI until June 29 to explain in writing why the court should not issue a preliminary injunction on behalf of the plaintiffs.

The Epoch Times reached out to the FBI for comment, with the agency responding by saying they are unable to comment on pending litigation.

On March 22, the FBI raided USPV and seized the contents of hundreds of safe deposit boxes, including ones rented by the four plaintiffs, who later filed claims with the FBI requesting their seized property be returned. The FBI has not returned the propertywhich includes silver, gold, personal documents, and a total of around $122,000 in cashand has indicated that it is seeking to forfeit the items, sending notices to the plaintiffs to that effect.

The plaintiffs sued, arguing that the notices sent by the FBI do not satisfy their Fifth Amendment right to due process.

The Court agrees, Klausner wrote, adding in regards to one of the notices that, put bluntly, [it] provides no factual basis for the seizure of Plaintiffs property whatsoever.

In an indictment against USPV, cited by the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. attorney for Los Angeles accused the company of engaging in a criminal conspiracy.

The government seized the nests of safety deposit boxes because there was overwhelming evidence that USPV was a criminal business that conspired with its criminal clients to distribute drugs, launder money, and structure transactions to avoid currency reporting requirements, among other offenses, stated court documents filed in Los Angeles federal court in March, which were unsealed on April 2, according to the LA Times.

Prosecutors claimed the raid turned up an unspecified number of weapons, along with fentanyl and huge stacks of $100 bills sniffed out by drug dogs.

A federal grand jury has charged USPV with three counts of conspiracyto launder money, distribute drugs, and structure cash transactions to avoid detection by authorities.

In May, the FBI sent out a letter (pdf) detailing what it found in the boxes along with its plans to use civil asset forfeiture procedures to claim the more than $85 million that the vaults contained.

But Klausner argued that the FBI went too far in seizing every asset in the boxes and failed to provide enough specificity for the forfeiture.

The list of purported statutory bases for forfeiture is anything but specific, the judge wrote.

These include code sections outlawing influencing a loan officer, forgery, counterfeiting, uttering counterfeit obligations, smuggling, loan fraud, computer fraud, and bank fraud among others. The notices, therefore, fall woefully short of the Governments duty to provide specific statutory provision allegedly violated, he noted.

Robert Frommer, Senior Attorney at the Institute for Justice said in a press release following the issuance of the restraining order that, hundreds of innocent people have had their lives turned upside down by the governments $85 million cash grab.

This order squarely rejects the governments anemic notices as an unconstitutional attempt to take box holders property for no good reason, he added.

Rob Johnson, Senior Attorney at the Institute for Justice, said that, while the order formally applies just to our four clients, the reasoning of the order applies to every one of the hundreds of U.S. Private Vaults box holders in this situation.

Johnson called on the FBI and the U.S. Attorney to bring the forfeiture proceedings to a close.

This article has been updated to reflect receipt of a response from the FBI.
Kashs Corner: How Bidens Off-Limits List for Russian Cyberattacks Will Backfire

If they werent attacking them before, theyre sure going to be attacking them now.

It was a mistake for President Joe Biden to give Vladimir Putin a list of critical infrastructure that must be off-limits to Russian cyberattacks, says Kash Patel.

In this episode of Kashs Corner, we look at the recent BidenPutin summit, threats posed by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and the case of two Americans still held in prison in Russia.

Follow Epoch TV on Facebook and Twitter.
Las Vegas police officers prepare to go near the scene of a shooting in Las Vegas, Sunday, June 8, 2014. The spree began around 11:30 a.m. Sunday when a man and woman walked into CiCi's Pizza and shot two officers who were eating lunch, Las Vegas police spokesman Larry Hadfield said. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Eric Verduzco)

Las Vegas Police Department Requires Vaccinations for New Recruits

Proof of vaccination is being required for anyone wanting to be hired by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), with some limited exceptions.

LVMPD is requiring all new hire employees to be vaccinated and to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 prior to being hired, the departments application page reads.

At the end of the announcement, it states that the department is an equal opportunity employer.

All appointments to the competitive service shall be made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, military service, or political affiliation, and shall be based on merit and fitness only, the statement reads.

There are some limited exemptions to the vaccine requirement in cases such as health and allergies or religious conflicts, the department told Breitbart.

The Employment Diversity Office will have the religious exemption cases forwarded to them for approval, and the health and allergy cases will be sent to the Health and Safety Section for approval.

We will approach all requests for accommodations with great care for the individual applicant, LVMPD told the outlet.

Pushback Against Vaccine Passports

More than half of U.S. states have banned the use of vaccine passports, asserting that they present serious privacy concerns and lead to disparate treatment of the unvaccinated.

The president of the largest union of health care workers in the United States says the organization will fight against companies requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for employees.

George Gresham, president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers Eastwhich describes itself as the largest health care union in the countrysaid that hospital systems dont have the right to mandate vaccines for employees.

The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has also released a statement opposing vaccine mandates.

NYSNA strongly opposes the mandatory vaccination of health care providers for COVID-19 as a condition of employment or as a state or federal mandate, the union states on its website.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a March 29 press conference that he will take emergency executive action against the concept of Americans needing a vaccine passport to be able to travel domestically and internationally.

Its completely unacceptable for either the government or the private sector to impose upon you the requirement that you show proof of vaccine to just simply be able to participate in normal society.

Representatives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards gives an update on the spread of CCP virus in the state of La., at GOHSEP in Baton Rouge, La, on April 9, 2020, (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP)

Louisiana Governor Vetoes Gun Law, Retains Concealed Carry Permit Requirement

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have nixed the permit requirement for carrying a concealed handgun.

The governor, a Democrat, said hes a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an enthusiastic outdoorsman and hunter, but he cant support permitless concealed carry.

I simply cannot support carrying a concealed carry firearm without proper education and safety training, he said in a statement. Our current system strikes the right balance of ensuring that people can bear arms while also keeping reasonable permitting and training processes in place.  Simply put, it is not too much to ask that a person who wishes to carry a concealed weapon in public be required to attend basic marksmanship and safety training so they understand the regulations associated with such an action.

For these reasons, I have vetoed the permitless carry bill.

The bill, Senate Bill 118 (pdf), would allow any resident who is 21 years of age or older and who is not prohibited from owning a firearm by state or federal law to carry a concealed gun without a permit. Legally qualified gun owners shall not be required to possess a valid concealed handgun permit issued by the state of Louisiana  to carry a concealed handgun in the state of Louisiana, the bill states.

The bill also would require the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections to provide a free 60-minute online concealed handgun education course.

The scope of the online training includes sections on concealed handgun basics and nomenclature, firearm-free zones, use of deadly force, and interactions with law enforcement officers.

However, the course wouldnt be required for concealed handgun carry.

State Sen. Jay Morris, the Republican sponsor of SB 118, told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser that he wasnt surprised but was still disappointed by the governors decision.

The people of Louisiana want it and hopefully, we will join our neighbors, like Texas and Mississippi, and pass constitutional carry with or without the Governors signature, he said.

The bill was passed in the state Senate and House with bipartisan support. One Democratic senator and seven Democratic House members joined Republicans to vote for the bill.

The legislature appears to have enough votes to override the governors veto as it was approved in the state House and the Senate by 7328 and 279 votes, respectively.

State Senate President Patrick Page Cortez and state House Speaker Clay Schexnayder didnt respond to requests for comment by press time.

Its unclear whether the state Senate and the House will seek to override the veto.

However, Schexnayder said earlier this week that he supports a veto override session after Edwards vetoed an unrelated bill, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported.

The override sessionwhich could happen at the end of Julywould be the first one since the new Louisiana Constitutional was adopted in 1974.

The National Rifle Association didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
John Garrod, of Arvada, stands holding a blue line flag at the beginning of a line of about 30 police cars lined up for a procession in honor of the officer who was fatally shot in Arvada, Colo., on June 21, 2021. (Colleen Slevin/AP Photo)

Man Who Fatally Shot Colorado Gunman Was Killed by Officer: Police

The Colorado man who police called a hero for having shot and killed a suspected gunman during an incident last week was killed by police while holding the suspects rifle, officials said.

A series of shooting incidents in the Denver suburb of Arvada on June 21 left three people deadveteran police officer Gordon Beasley, 51; suspect gunman Ronald Troyke, 59; and onlooker John Hurley, 40.

The Arvada Police Department said that a responding officer fatally shot Hurleythe man they called a heroafter he saw Hurley holding an AR-15.

The department released a lengthy timeline detailing the series of events that took place in Olde Town Arvada, a historic shopping district with shops, restaurants, breweries, and other businesses.

According to the timeline, Beesley was dispatched to Olde Town Square around 1:30 p.m. on the day in response to a suspicious person call. The suspect, Troyke, pulled into the area with his truck, left the vehicle holding a shotgun, and ran after Beesley, reportedly yelling at him. Beesley was walking toward Olde Town Square.

Immediately after Beesley turned around, Troyke shot him twice, killing him. The incident is shown in a video released by the police department.

Officer Gordon Beesley in an undated photo. (Arvada Police Department via AP)

Troyke then returned to his truck and retrieved an AR-15, then ran back toward the Olde Town Square, where Hurley confronted him and shot him with a handgun.

When another officer arrived, Hurley was reportedly seen holding Troykes AR-15, and the responding officer shot at Hurley, killing him, police said. Hurleys shooting of Troyke and the officers shooting of Hurley arent shown on the video.

Previously, police hadnt announced who had shot Hurley or Troyke.

Police Chief Link Strate described Hurley as a hero and said that his actions potentially saved lives. He said that Hurleys death by a responding officer was equally tragic to Beesleys killing.

The threat to our officers and our community was stopped by a hero named Johnny Hurley, he said. Johnnys actions can only be described as decisive, courageous, and effective in stopping further loss of life.

The Arvada Police Department also called Hurleys actions heroic.

It is clear that he intervened in an active shooting that unfolded quickly in a busy commercial area in the middle of the day, and that he did so without hesitation, the department said. Mr. Hurleys actions certainly saved others from serious injury or death.

The department added that it is clear that the suspect bears responsibility for this tragic sequence of events.

The deaths of Beesley and Hurley are being investigated separately. Arvada police are handling the probe into Beesleys death. Meanwhile, Hurleys death will be investigated by a multi-agency Critical Incident Response Team, as mandated by Colorado law.

The CIRT comprises other law enforcement officers led by the district attorneys office. The district attorney will use the findings to decide whether the officer who shot Hurley was justified in using deadly force or whether the officer should be charged with a crime.

That officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Police previously said that Beesley was targeted because he was an Arvada police officer. In its statement, Arvada police said that its investigators recovered a document purportedly written by Troyke that contained at least six statements hateful of law enforcement officers.

One of the statements read, Today I will kill as many Arvada officers as I possibly can. Another statement read, I just hope I dont die without killing any of you [expletive]. Troyke then goes on to say that this is his way of holding law enforcement accountable, according to the Arvada police statement.

About 40 minutes before the shootings, Troykes brother called police asking for them to check on him because he said his brother was going to do something crazy. Beesley and another officer tried to find Troyke at his home near downtown but were unable to, police said.

A teenager then called police to report a suspicious personan older man who walked up and made a weird noise, among other actions. This was the call Beesley was responding to when he was shot and killed.

The shooting incident on June 21 comes after a shooting incident in March in Boulderabout 20 miles northwest of Arvada. The shooter opened fire, hitting 10 people, including a police officer. The suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, made his second court appearance in late May. A September hearing has been scheduled to review evidence in that case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An engineering student takes part in a hacking challenge near Paris on March 16, 2013. (Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images)

Microsoft Confirms New Cyberattack by Same Group Suspected of Being Behind SolarWinds Hack

Microsoft said on June 25 that the hackers behind the notorious SolarWinds cyberattack have begun a fresh campaign mostly focusing on U.S. interests that, while mostly unsuccessful, has managed to compromise three entities.

The Russia-based hacking groupwhich goes by various names, such as Nobeliumlaunched the new effort using password spray and brute-force attacks, the Microsoft Security Response Center said in an alert, noting that 36 countries in total had been targeted.

The bulk of the attacks45 percenttargeted entities within the United States, followed by 10 percent being focused on UK entities, and smaller numbers in Germany and Canada. The activity targeted specific customers, Microsoft said, mostly IT companies (57 percent) and government agencies (20 percent), followed by smaller percentages for non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and financial services.

This recent activity was mostly unsuccessful, and the majority of targets were not successfully compromisedwe are aware of three compromised entities to date, Microsoft said. The company didnt specify which entities were breached or targeted, but said that it was contacting those affected by the cyberattack.

As part of its probe into the new campaign, Microsoft detected information-stealing malware on a computer belonging to one of its customer support agents who had access to account information for a small number of customers.

The threat actor, which Microsoft identified as Nobelium, used this information in some cases to launch highly-targeted attacks as part of their broader campaign. Microsoft said it responded quickly, removed the access, and secured the device.

A Microsoft spokesman told Reuters that the latest breach by the threat actor wasnt part of Nobeliums previous successful attack on Microsoft, in which the group obtained some source code.

In the SolarWinds attack, which has been attributed to Nobelium, the group altered code to access SolarWinds customers, including nine U.S. federal agencies.

The latest cyberattack reported by Microsoft does not involve our company or our customers in any way, a SolarWinds spokesperson said.

Microsoft later said that the group had compromised its own employee accounts and taken software instructions governing how Microsoft verifies user identities.

U.S. authorities have linked Nobelium to Russias Foreign Intelligence Service, allegations that Moscow denies.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told The Wall Street Journal that the agency is aware of this activity and is working with Microsoft and our interagency partners to evaluate the impact. He declined to say whether any government agencies had been affected by the new attack.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Update: This article was updated on June 29, 2021, to include a statement from a SolarWinds spokesperson.
President of the Public Health Agency of Canada Iain Stewart, right, approaches the bar in the House of Commons to be admonished by the Speaker of the House of Commons Anthony Rota on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 21, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Chinese Scientist Who Shipped Deadly Pathogens to Wuhan Held 2 Patents

Documents withheld in case possibly related to espionage, biological warfare

Commentary

The high-profile scientist who was fired from Canadas top infectious disease lab collaborated with Chinese government scientists on inventions registered in Beijing, but closely related to her federal job, reports National Post reporter Tom Blackwell.

Xiangguo Qiu was a long-time federal civil servant when the patents were registered in 2017 and 2019 for innovations related to the Ebola and Marburg viruses, key focuses of her work at Winnipegs National Microbiology Laboratory (NML), according to Blackwells article. Qiu shipped a load of the deadly pathogens from the NML to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a likely source of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, on April 17, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Canadian government employees cannot file a patent outside the country without permission from the health minister. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) refused to disclose whether Qiu had obtained such permission and whether the PHAC was even aware of the patents. The whereabouts of Qui and her husband Keding Cheng are unknown and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will not disclose if they know where they are.

As CTV News reports, PHAC President Iain Stewart refused to provide further paperwork containing more details related to why scientists Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, were removed from [NML] in July 2019 and then later fired by the agency.

Canadian officials called it a policy breach but others see a case of espionage related to biological warfare. The main culprit behind the breach is Qiu, according to China and Viruses: The Case of Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, a January 2020 paper from the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA).

According to the paper, the outstanding Chinese scientist came to Canada for graduate studies in 1996 and until recently headed the Special Pathogens program at the NML. Since 2006, Dr. Qiu has been studying powerful virusesEbola most of allat the NML. The viruses that were surreptitiously shipped from the NML to China include Machupo, Junin, Rift Valley Fever, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, and Hendra.

China and Viruses author Dr. Dany Shoham, a microbiologist and expert in biological and chemical warfare, says Dr. Qiu maintains a close bond with China and visits frequently, and many Chinese students from a notable range of Chinese scientific facilities have joined her at the NML over the past decade. Of those facilities, four are believed to be involved in Chinese biological weapons development: the Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Changchun; Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu Military Region; Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hubei; and the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing.

One of the graduate students Qiu and Cheng brought to the NML, Radio Canada reports, was Feihu Yan, from the Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) Academy of Military Medical Sciences. PHAC spokesperson Eric Morrissette declined to answer questions about Yans work at the sensitive Winnipeg lab.

Security expert Christian Leuprecht of Canadas Royal Military College and Queens University told Radio Canada that China has a very active, very aggressive and extremely dangerous bioweapons program. So all the research thats being generated here could easily be reappropriated by the Chinese authorities to advance rather nefarious causes. And It appears that what you might well call Chinese agents infiltrated one of the highest prized national security elements when it comes to biosecurity and biodefence.

Qui and Cheng were last seen publicly in February 2020. They have been absent from their Canadian properties, reportedly worth nearly $2 million. According to former co-workers, Dr. Qiu has bragged about owning a mansion in China. If the RCMP has any clue where Qiu and Cheng might be, they arent saying, and on all fronts, Canadian officials are withholding crucial documents.

Dr. Qui holding Chinese patents should be a cautionary tale, University of Windsor professor Myra Tawfik, a specialist in intellectual property, told The National Post. On the prospect of espionage related to biological warfare, Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu claimed, We will never put Canadians national security at risk. If Canadians thought their government had already done so it would 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.
Mission Offers Help for the Suffering on Skid Row

LOS ANGELES, Calif.Rev. Troy Vaughn knows firsthand the plight of the homeless on Skid Row.

Once homeless himself in the early 1990s, he now gazes out the window of his executive office from the top floor of the Los Angeles Mission.

The mentally ill, drug addicted, economically disadvantaged, and victims of trauma wander outside the mission. One middle-aged man sits in a wheelchair, crack pipe in hand. Another woman sits atop her blankets and belongings on the sidewalk, a grocery cart parked beside her.

People are suffering. Theyre suffering from a mental illness, from loss of wages, economic insecurity, food insecurities  so all of that is systemic to the issue of homelessness now, Vaughn told The Epoch Times.

Los Angeles Rescue Mission CEO Troy Vaughn stands near his office in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Encampments line the sidewalks. Needles and trash are seen in plain view.

In a previous interview with The Epoch Times, Los Angeles Police Department officer Deon Joseph said gangs control much of the area, charging transients for rent. And the lack of enforcement due to city policiessuch as Proposition 57 and Proposition 47has contributed to the areas worsening condition.

As politicians quarrel over how to solve the issue, some cite systemic racism at the core of it all, while others point to a lack of affordable housing in the state. Nonetheless, the homeless population climbs while supportive housing units are stuck in pre-development pipelines funded by Measure HHH.

Most people in our community see it as a one-size-fits-all kind of situation where we just need to develop more housing, permanent housing, and we will develop our way out of homelessnessand I think its much more broader than that, Vaughn said.

The Measure HHH initiative, passed in 2016, set aside $1.2 billion in obligation bonds to build 10,000 permanent supportive housing units across the county. According to an independent audit by L.A. Controller Ron Galperin, only three units have been built five years later.

While Vaughn recalls sleeping on the streets below, his office walls now covered in academic accomplishmentsand a juris doctor degree from Concord Law Schoolhe can relate to those struggling with addiction.

I was in and out of shelters down here, sleeping on the streets of Skid Row, eating at soup kitchens, but they dont really have them now, Vaughn said.

Instead, multiple shelters coexist in the 50-block radius that encompasses Skid Row.

Los Angeles Rescue Mission workers complete day to day assignments for Skid Rows homeless community in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Californias Many Skid Rows

The faith-based mission has existed for more than 80 years providing food, shelter, clothing, and a variety of programs and services.

It runs on a $22.5 million budget, with state grants making up 12 percent. The remaining funds come from donations. Each person in the residential transitional housing costs roughly $25,660. But the price tag isnt a deterrent when transformed lives graduate from the program, said Vaughn.

We have certain capacities, and we believe that we are a stabilizer, he said. We are here to help stabilize a persons life as a beginning point, and so we offer that to our community.

Skid Row has evolved since Vaughn found himself on the streets after getting hooked on drugs to cope with his absentee fathers death.

It is now the largest concentration of Los Angeless homeless population, with more than 4,600 unsheltered people in the area, according to a Los Angeles Homeless Services and Authority (LAHSA) count from 2019. Across the entire county, there are more than 66,000 homeless people.

We define Skid Row here in downtown Los Angeles, but Venice will say they have a Skid Row, right? I can go on all the way up the state and point out Skid Rows, he said.

Venice Beach, which falls under Councilmember Mike Bonins district, has been dealing with its own explosion of homeless encampments on the boardwalk and beach, too, even though the city implemented a supportive housing shelter a few blocks from the beach. L.A. Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced a sweep of the encampments by July 4 and deployed his officers to connect as many people as possible with housing before then.

Bonin defended his housing policies and was granted $5 million from the budget and finance committee to house more homeless. Bonins office did not respond to The Epoch Times repeated interview requests.

The problem has spiraled out of control, and city leaders arent doing enough to address it, according to a federal judge who filed a preliminary injunction against L.A. County earlier this year demanding the county find housing for every single person on Skid Row by October. The motion is now paused, but Judge David O. Carter isnt letting up. Its the first time the court has gotten involved in the countys management of the homeless.

Carter is also overseeing a lawsuit filed by the LA Alliance for Human Rights against the county for its handling of the homelessness crisis.

The courts going to stay diligent and involved, Carter told city attorneys. Im telling you that and Im not budging on that. Theres too much death out there. And its women and families and eventually its Skid Row.

Skid Row in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Addiction Struggles

While disagreements and bureaucracy fuel the discourse, outreach workers such as Antoine Sanford see the anguish every day on the ground. He said he understands Carters urgency, but that housing every single person on Skid Row is not realistic.

The increase of mental health [issues] came based off of the type of drugs that theyre using now, it seemed like the drugs are inducing more mental health than it could be from a natural cause, Sanford, outreach manager for the mission, told The Epoch Times.

I would say that the majority of the people are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction.

He said most of the people who have an addiction receive government help, like supplemental security income, but the drug dealers who dwell in the encampments will take advantage and charge them for rent.

We know that its happening, he said. Its very dangerous living in Skid Row.

The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions also presented challenges. L.A. Municipal Code Section 56.11, which banned tents from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., was rolled back to mitigate the spread of the virus and has not been reinstated.

The tents, Sanford said, have exacerbated the problem.

When you come down here you see homeless people and you want to be able to provide for them, and you feel like letting them have a tent on the sidewalk to help, but it really doesnt helpbecause all it does is it has them to be in a comfortable setting to use addiction, to use drugs, and also to be taken advantage of, he said.

Sanford said the encampments allow for drug addictions to flourish.

Hell be there all day smoking, Sanford said, pointing to a man on the sidewalk with a crack pipe.

So if we provide encampments for them, then theyll be there all day smoking, using drugs, they have sex in these tents, theres guns in these tent. But we let them know what were here for them, and Ive seen people come out of those tents and come into the program.

He said he helped a homeless couple get connected with housing, and a job at the mission.

But then the drug addiction caused them to lose their housing because they couldnt maintain paying rent, he said. There needs to be a period where we stabilize them, and get them acclimated in and on how to be able to manage their life once they come out of homelessness, you cant just rush that process.

Looking Ahead

Corona native Summer Sullivan, a recovering drug addict who is graduating from the missions transitional housing program this year, told The Epoch Times said shes excited to leave the program and return to normal life.

Even though she wasnt homeless in L.A., Sullivan got hooked on pain killers after being prescribed Tramadol to remedy the chronic joint pain from her fibromyalgia.

And while city leaders and community members squabble over what it will take to help the homeless, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a $1 billion plan to address homelessness in the city earlier this year.

Vaughn said he wants to see that money go go into communities that have been neglected.

And rehab properties that are in blight within the citys boundaries, and to help communities reemerge healthy and whole to create affordable housing stock thats needed in our communities, so that people can afford to live here in Los Angeles, he said.

With intentionality, I think thats how we start to really begin to create opportunities to erase some of the effects of choices we made in the past that has brought us to this place of homelessness.
Shanghai residents pass by a Nike store on the Nanjing Road shopping street on April 17, 2010 in Shanghai. Today, 41 percent of Nike's shoes are manufactured in Vietnam, and 32 percent are made in China. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

Nike Is a Brand That Is of China and for China, Companys CEO Says

Company has recently been under fire over concerns of forced labor in communist China

Nikes chief executive said that the corporation is a brand that is of China, amid recent allegations of the company being connected to human rights violations conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Nike is a brand that is of China and for China, CEO John Donahoe told Wall Street analysts last week in response to a question about competition from Chinese companies during a call about fourth-quarter earnings, the BBC reported.

Weve always taken a long-term view. Weve been in China for over 40 years, Donahoe said, expressing his optimism that the brand will continue to grow quickly in the worlds most populous country.

Donahoe also referred to the apparel brands co-founder and former CEO, Phil Knight.

Phil invested significant time and energy in China in the early days, and today were the largest sports brand there, he said.

Nike was recently criticized by a U.S. senator for turning a blind eye to allegations of forced labor in China, arguing that theyre making American consumers complicit in Beijings repressive policies.

Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Chinas repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang region, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said many U.S. companies hadnt woken up to the fact that they were profiting from the Chinese governments abuses.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 23, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

For far too long, companies like Nike and Apple and Amazon and Coca-Cola were using forced labor. They were benefiting from forced labor or sourcing from suppliers that were suspected of using forced labor, Rubio said on June 10. These companies, sadly, were making all of us complicit in these crimes.

Rights groups, researchers, former residents, and some Western lawmakers say that Xinjiang authorities have facilitated forced labor by arbitrarily detaining around one million Uyghurs and other primarily Muslim minorities in a network of camps since 2016.

Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, told the Senate panel that Beijings extreme repression and surveillance made human rights due diligence impossible for companies.

Nike officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Deborah Nguyen, owner of Bohemia in Newport Beach, began requiring shoppers to show proof of vaccination at her shop more than a month ago. (Vanessa Serna/The Epoch Times)

No Vaccine, No Service: California Boutique Puts Vaccine Verification System to Use

California recently rolled out a digital vaccine verification system to simplify the proof-of-inoculation processand at least one Orange County business is putting the system to use.

Deborah Nguyen, owner of Bohemia in Newport Beach, began requiring shoppers to show proof of vaccination before entering her shop more than a month ago.

I did this [so that] I can protect all of them, Nguyen said. I said, You know what, Im just going to bite the bullet and Im going to lose half the business.

Nguyen told The Epoch Times that she decided to require vaccination proof after a year of constantly having to shut down for potential COVID-19 virus outbreaks within her store and personal life.

Last year, she transitioned from public shopping to appointment-only sales after her customers began feeling uncomfortable, she said.

In Januaryaround the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in Orange CountyNguyen shut down her business completely until the vaccines became more accessible. When she reopened a few months later, she said people werent complying with the stores mask and sanitation policies.

This led Nguyen to put a sign outside the door that said proof of vaccination required.

My people dont feel safe  and if somebody gets somebody sick down in the community, its going to come right back at me, she said. I got them sick, somebody dies on my shift. Imagine, how would you sleep? How do you wake up in the morning because you just killed somebody and you were asymptomatic? Thats my biggest concern.

Nguyen quickly received negative feedback from the public both in person and online. Some people have responded to her vaccine verification policy by leaving hateful comments and messages on her social media pages, she said.

The Newport Beach boutique owner said she feared for her safety, as residents have threatened to protest around her shop.

Nguyen said that those responding negatively to her policy are not clients that have shopped in her store. Legitimate customers have been excited to see the store reopen, she said.

I dont need to be popular. I need to make a living.  I need to stay alive, she said. I think Im doing the right thing. When I think Im doing the wrong thing  Ill change my mind and Ill take it down. When I feel like its safe, Ill take it down, but for right now, Im just going to stick with it.

Controversial Topic

The states digital vaccine verification system has been a contentious issue for Californians.

It is very dangerous ground of identity, former California state Sen. John Moorlach told The Epoch Times.

He shared his concerns more than a week after the states June 15 reopening and release of a digital vaccine card. California Department of Technology spokesperson Amy Norris told The Epoch Times that the tool was introduced as a more convenient way for residents to show proof of inoculation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said, in announcing the release, Were not going to mandate passports, but businesses can require verification.

Although the digital verification cards arent required currently, Moorlach compared them to authoritarian measures seen during World War II and Nazi occupation, when people had to carry papers and an identification card.

It creates confusion, and it creates distress, and its very disruptive, he said. The governor is treading on very emotional ground to many of us that are a little older and have a lot of memories of what was done by other countries. A lot of immigrants are trying to figure out whats going on here in this country[they] thought they left that kind of stuff [behind].

With the state reopening, some businesses are requiring vaccine verification to enter and receive service. While some residents told The Epoch Times that they dont mind sharing their vaccination status, others said doing so would be an infringement of their privacy.

Federal laws dont prohibit businesses from asking customers and employees about their vaccination status, a lawyer told The Associated Press.

The Fourth Amendment only applies to government searches and seizures and certainty not to businesses asking for proof of vaccination, Georgetown University law professor Lawrence Gostin told the news wire service.

Norris told The Epoch Times that although the state government hasnt mandated proof of vaccination, businesses and large venues were within their rights to request proof of vaccination before allowing entry.

Individuals who wish to provide proof of vaccination can use the digital record, the paper CDC card, or self-attestation, she said.
Cheri Diederich of Elyria, displays her new Trump T-shirt purchased at Special Effects Custom Printing in Wellington, Ohio, on June 25, 2021. (Courtesy of Michael Sakal)

Ohio Village Abuzz Before Trumps First Post-Presidential Rally

Excitement has been mounting among Republicans in the small northeast Ohio Village of Wellington for former President Donald Trumps first rally since the 2020 presidential election.

In this rural picturesque town of slightly less than 5,000 people on the doorstep of a Democratic stronghold 41 miles southwest of Cleveland, Trump is expected to packem in at the Lorain County Fairgrounds where hell be speaking on Saturday.

Trump is returning to the county he flipped from the 2016 election and won by a margin of nearly 4,000 votes against Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential electionthe first time a Republican won Lorain County since Ronald Reagan.

People from all over the United States have been calling into the Lorain County Republican headquarters in nearby Lorain who want to attend the rally billed as a Save America event, according to Don Killinger, Lorain 4-A Voting Precinct Committee member.

Killinger has been tasked with answering the phone at the GOP headquarters leading up to the event.

The phone hasnt stopped ringing for two weeks, said Killinger, a first-year precinct committee member. People are calling here from New York, Chicago, and Detroit. Im like what? Its crazy. This has been exciting because it puts Wellington and Lorain County on the map. It still blows my mind that Trump chose to come to Wellington.

Wellington is known for the Lorain County Fair, Bonnie Brae Elk Farm, Forts Old Town Tavern, and once the home of artist Archibald M. Willard, who rendered the famous Spirit of 76 painting of three patriots in 1875.

The painting, which symbolizes the spirit of the American Revolution, was inspired by three men Willard saw marching in a parade on the town square. Two men in the painting are beating a drum, and the other is playing a flute. When the painting was displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, it stirred the heart of the nation.

The Spirit of 76 Museum in Wellington, Ohio, pays tribute to artist Archibald M. Willard who lived in Wellington and rendered the famous Spirit of 76 painting of three patriots giving tribute to the American Revolutiona popular image during the U.S.s Bicentennial celebration in 1976. (Michael Sakal)

Willard is buried in Wellingtons Greenwood Cemetery. Because of him, the Spirit of 76 Museum is housed in Wellington.

Gates to Trumps rally open at 2 p.m. Saturday with Trump scheduled to take the stage at 7 p.m. for what he promises to be A Big Announcement. Trump has been hinting at announcing another run for president in the 2024 election.

The National Weather Service says theres a 40 percent chance of rain for Saturday, but thats not enough to dampen the spirits of those who plan on attending the rally.

In Wellington, Trump will be promoting former White House aide Max Miller, who is running against fellow Republican and sitting Congressman Anthony Gonzalez of Ohios 16th District.

Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP congressmen who voted to impeach Trump following the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

Gonzalezs district serves part of neighboring Cuyahoga County as well as Wayne, and parts of Medina, Summit, Portage, and Stark counties. When Ohio loses one of its 16 congressional districts after the boundaries are redrawn later this year due to the states population loss, the district could come into the Wellington area. Congressman Jim Jordan, who is expected to attend the rally, currently serves Wellington which is in District 4.

Although Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, the rallies are a sign that his desire to be president again has not been derailed. His next rally is planned to be in Florida.

On Thursday evening, Cheri Diederich of Elyria was buying two new Trump T-shirts at Special Effects Custom Printing, owned by Chris Goran, another Trump supporter in the middle of downtown Wellington.

Both women are excited that Trump will be in town and both said they will be at the rally.

I am so excited, Diederich said. I was shocked. When it was announced that Trump would be in Wellington, I was like, what? Im all for him and against the other people.

I hope Donald Trump comes backand soon before more damage is done to our country, Diederich added.

Goran chimed in about the rally, I think its a great thing. Its a popular thing. This is a historic town and I would say about 70 percent of us here are conservative. I like Donald Trump, and Im not worried about losing any business over it. Any business I lose from the left, I gain from the right.

Earlier in the week, Goran started promoting the Trump gear on her personal Facebook page, but her page was shut down for 24 hours. She was given a warning that she could not sell items on Facebook.

When her friend, Bob Frantz, a conservative talk-show host for Clevelands WHK (1420-AM) got wind of what happened to Goran, he made it a point to mention it on his program. Sales at Gorans shop swiftly picked up.

This is a free country, still, Goran said. We have the right to free speech, and the right to assemble. But, we do need to come back together and work together. We all have our differences, but theres no reason we all cant get along.

Across the street is Forts Old Town Tavern that has been a watering hole since 1895 minus the years of Prohibition. Its current owner Robert Fortney, a registered independent, said hes not going to the rally.

A lifelong Wellington resident whose life has come full circle, Fortney spent the first 20 years of his life on his familys 350-acre dairy farm, then worked as a welder at the Ford Motor Co,s Avon Lake plant for 30 years. He has owned his restaurant for 27 years.

Fortney said he just wishes that both political parties would stop working for themselves and start working for the American people.

The saying, ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country, has gotten twisted around the last few years, Fortney said. Our politicians, state reps and congressmen, have forgotten they get elected to help the country.

Admitting that he liked Trumps old policies more instead of President Joe Bidens new ones, Fortney added, Saturdays rally is going to be an interesting show. I dont know what to expect.

Trumps victory in Lorain County during the 2020 election signaled that the times are changing in a region that has been a Democratic stronghold for more than half a century in the heart of Ohios rustbelt.

When Michelle Hung and David Moore were elected to serve as Lorain County Commissioners in the November 2020 election, it marked the first time in 60 years that two of the three commissioners were Republicans.

Of the 217,492 registered voters in Lorain County, 168,224 are independents. There are 31,610 registered Democrats and 17,570 registered Republicans in the county, according to information from the Lorain County Board of Elections.

Philosophizing, Killinger points to a reason why he thinks the political pendulum is finally starting to swing from the left to the right in the county neighboring Clevelands Cuyahoga County to the west.

Lorain County has been a Democratic stronghold forever and that was because of the unions, Killinger said. There used to be 12,000 to 14,000 people who worked at the steel mill in Lorain in the 1960s, but U.S. Steel stopped a big part of its operations, and now, thats a ghost town. Lorain also had a large Ford Motor Co. assembly plant, but thats gone. Between Lorain and Elyria, we dont have any manufacturing.

The city of Lorain saw the closing of Thew Shovel and the loss of 2,500 jobs in 1983. The American Ship Building Co. owned by then-New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner, once employing 4,500 people, closed the next year.

In the 1970s, the Fords Lorain Assembly Plant once boasted the largest United Autoworkers Local in the United States with a membership of 7,500 and proudly produced 61 vehicles an hour on the assembly line.

In the 1980s and 90s, U.S. Steel and Ford continued bleeding manufacturing jobs, something Trump had promised to bring back from foreign countries during his four years as president.

It appeared as though Trump had won Lorain County in the 2016 election by 300 votes on election night. Then, after all the Provisional ballots were counted, Trump lost to Hillary Clinton by 131 votes, said David Arredondo, executive chairman of the Lorain County Republican Party for the last year.

Arredondo served as vice-chair of the Lorain County GOP for the last 13 years, and he too has noticed a change moving to the right in the region. His brother, Joel Arredondo, is a Democrat and has served on the Lorain City Council for 13 years.

Overall, Arredondo believes a change in Lorain Countys political makeup is coming.

Outside of Lorain and Elyria, youre seeing a different middle class, Arredondo said. Its changing from a blue-collar manufacturing and farming region to one of skilled trades, an educated workforce, and good-paying jobs.

The housing market is going crazy, and things are improving with the socio-economic status of the county, Arredondo added. Theres been a lot of new houses built in Avon, Avon Lake, and North Ridgeville, and thats been causing a big change, too. Lorain County has become a desirable place to live.

Like many, David Arredondo is excited that Trump is coming to Wellington, and hell be there, too. He notes that the impetus for Trump coming to Wellington was doing some kind of fundraiser for Max Millers campaign.

Its been crazy, Arredondo added about all the buzz about the upcoming rally. People are coming in from all over the country for this. This is exciting for us.
Parents Group Concerned Broad Definitions in Conversion Therapy Bill Will Limit Options for Children Questioning Gender Identity

'Conversion therapy' bill passes third reading and is now headed for debate in the Senate

Bill C-6 defines conversion therapy in overly broad terms and would eliminate supports that would help young people who are questioning their gender identity to avoid the path of invasive medical intervention, says the founder of a group that advocates for the rights of children.

Pamela Buffone of the Canadian Gender Report says the language in Bill C-6 will have the effect of entrenching the currently dominant affirming model of care at a time when medical gender transitioning is still experimental and there is growing concern around it.

What the bill actually does is it mandates affirmation for gender-questioning children, and therefore it mandates transition, Buffone said in an interview. So affirmation means youre not allowed to question the reasons why a child or young person might identify differently from their birth sex.

The bill passed third reading in Parliament on June 23 and is now headed to the Senate for debate.

If Bill C-6 becomes law, Buffone said, health-care professionals will be reluctant to have in-depth discussions with children about the risks of and alternatives to transitioning for fear they may be accused of practising conversion therapy.

Our main concerns are that its going to restrict access to supportive therapy for gender-questioning youth and really limit the options, the health-care options, for kids who are in the situation of experiencing gender-related distress, she explained.

Parents are extremely concerned. They already find it difficult to find options for their children or adolescents who have suddenly adopted a different gender identity.

Among Conservative MPs, over half voted against the bill on third reading, taking issue with the definition of conversion therapy in the proposed legislation. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis says the definition is so broad that it would criminalize private conversations between children and their parents.

Tabled late last year by the Liberal government, Bill C-6 creates criminal offences for a practice, treatment or service designed to change a persons sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change a persons gender identity or gender expression to cisgender or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour or non-cisgender gender expression.

Pamela Buffone, founder of Canadian Gender Report (Courtesy of Pamela Buffone)

Canadian Gender Report (CGR) is made up of parents and professionals who are concerned about children taking puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and undergoing surgeries that irreversibly change their birth sex without first understanding the consequences of their decisions.

In a submission to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights last October, the group said the legislation needs to be significantly redrafted, noting that it fails to recognize that sexual orientation and gender identity are two different issues.

CGR also says Bill C-6 would remove barriers to medical gender transition services and make it as easy as possible to transition genders without question and without assessment.

The government has said the legislation will make Canadas laws on conversion therapy the most progressive and comprehensive in the world.

Some countries, however, are choosing to exercise more caution with respect to medical gender transitioning.

In a landmark decision on Dec. 1, 2020, Britains High Court of Justice ruled that children arent capable of giving informed consent to medical gender transition. All youth are therefore required to have a best interests court order before being considered as eligible candidates, including those aged 16 and 17, if there is any doubt as to whether their long-term best interests are being served.

In May, Swedens Karolinska Hospital made whats been called a major policy shift and officially ended the practice of prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to gender-dsyphoric patients under the age of 18 due to concerns over medical harm and uncertain benefits.

And in June 2020, Finland put in place new safeguards in which medical transition treatment for minors is only allowed after extensive psychological assessment is conducted.

Buffone stressed the importance of identifying the various mental health issues that children might be experiencing and helping them sort out those issues before quickly sending these kids on a medical pathway of transition.

Kids often have a lot of underlying issues, whether theyre mental health issues, and so on, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, post-traumatic stress disordertheres all kinds of things that these kids could be dealing with, she said.

Research conducted at the University of Toronto published in September 2019 suggests a link between autism and gender dysphoria. The study recommended that children with gender dysphoria should be screened for a possible autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and, when warranted, receive a more comprehensive ASD diagnostic assessment to facilitate more holistic clinical care.

Buffone believes schools should take a neutral position and provide a neutral space in order to truly help children who are questioning their gender.

Should we be promoting and celebrating kids who are transitioning, or do we need to take more of a neutral approach?
Travelers wait to go through security checkpoints at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, on May 28, 2021. (Austin American-Statesman/TNS)

Senate Republicans Urge CDC to End Mask Mandate on Airplanes, Public Transit

A group of Republican senators introduced a resolution on June 25 urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end the mask mandate for fully vaccinated Americans using public transit and interstate travel.

The CDC already has lifted the mask guidance for fully vaccinated people outdoors, as well as in most other settings. But interstate rail lines, airports, and airplanes still require masks in abeyance to one of the early executive orders issued by President Joe Biden.

Over 150 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated and mask mandates have been lifted across the country. But the CDC inexplicably still hasnt lifted the mask mandate for public transportation. Its long past time for President Biden and the CDC to follow the science and end this mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement.

Americans should be able to travel to celebrate Independence Day with their friends and loved ones without having to follow an outdated and unnecessary mandate.

The text of the resolution says that lifting the mandate would incentivize more people to get the CCP virus vaccine. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, causes COVID-19.

The Republicans also argue that ending the mandate would help with the countrys economic recovery by safely boosting travel and tourism.

Outside of the Beltway, the country is going back to normal. Wyoming and most other states lifted their mask mandate months ago. Vaccination rates are increasing and COVID cases are decreasing. The only place most Americans are wearing masks now is in airports and on airplanes, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said. Secretary Buttigieg even said that the mandate is not actually about the science, but instead about respect. If theres no science backing it up, its time for the mandate to go.

On April 30, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) extended the mask requirement at airports and throughout the transportation network until Sept. 13. The resolution urges the TSA to update its mask requirements, to be consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, to permit fully vaccinated individuals to travel on all transportation networks throughout the United States without wearing a mask.

A group representing major airlines earlier this month urged the Department of Justice to prosecute passengers who dont comply with the mask requirement. According to the letter, the Federal Aviation Administration has received more than 3,039 reports of unruly behavior. Many of the reports deal with passengers who refused to wear masks.
Shen Yun Returns for First 2021 Performance

From the very first note and the first strike of the gong, the audience knows they are in for something special. An orchestra blending the musical traditions of the classical West and ancient China begins to play. The curtains draw, revealing a bright new world in heavenly, jewel-like tones. Shen Yun Performing Arts, a favorite of audiences worldwide, is returning to the stage this month, making its first stop in Stamford, Connecticut.

New York-based Shen Yun has risen to become the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company within just a dozen years, reviving an ancient art form that was lost in China under communist rule. In 2006, artists from around the world, including some who escaped persecution in China, came together in New York to form an arts company that could revive the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, and present true traditional Chinese culture to the world. As of today, it is still the only dance company bringing classical Chinese dance to audiences around the worldan audience that has been growing and eagerly awaiting Shen Yuns return after months of hiatus due to pandemic-related lockdowns.

At Stamfords Palace Theatre, Shen Yun will put on three performances over the weekend of June 26 and 27; despite an announcement just weeks prior, tickets are already scarce. In four days, nearly two-thirds of the tickets were sold out.

This summer, the company will make stops in Colorado, South Dakota, Washington, and Texas. The schedule for 2021 and 2022 performances continues to develop and the calendar on ShenYun.com is being updated as more and more cities invite Shen Yun to perform.

Traditional Chinese culture is said to be divinely inspired, and this is reflected in Shen Yuns namewhich translates to the beauty of divine beings dancing. A typical performance is comprised of roughly 20 vignettes, including classical Chinese dances showcasing the aesthetic of various dynasties; depictions of famous historical figures or stories; ethnic and folk dances from the 50-plus ethnic minorities across China; and bel canto soloists who sing original works in Chinese. Shen Yun has several touring companies, each accompanied by an orchestra performing original works, famous for its ability to blend traditional Chinese instruments and ancient melodies with a Western classical ensemble and arrangement.

As The Epoch Times has long documented, audiences often speak of an indescribable lightness, a feeling of being uplifted, and praise the positive vision expressed by Shen Yun in addition to its artistic excellence. Most are learning, for the first time, about the true culture of Chinaan aspect of Chinese culture that the Chinese Communist Party has since its inception tried to suppress.

But because of this mission, Shen Yun has been banned from performing inside mainland China. The Chinese regime has long interfered with performances around the world, attempting to discredit the company and threaten theaters to cancel shows.

Days before widespread lockdowns last year, Shen Yun received enthusiastic and grateful responses from audiences around the world.

[Shen Yun] makes me feelwhere were at right now in the world, because of this virus thats going aroundit makes me feel in a good place. I think it makes me appreciate the real value of the arts, the real value of dancing. And so Imit makes me feel enthusiastic, positive, said Dan Bolen, who owns an executive recruitment firm in Scottsdale, Arizona. He attended a Shen Yun performance at the Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center on March 13, 2020.

In Montpellier, France, Franco-Spanish pianist Emmanuel Ferrer-Laloe said the performers were excellent in every respect. There is a palpable message behind it, a spiritual message. This traditional aspect is also very important. Traditions must be preserved, he said at the Corum on March 12, 2020. The expression of the dancers, in their movements, really express a lot of things, feelings, and impressions, its very, very, very well done!

In Sydney, Australia, a Taiwanese-Australian businessman surnamed Lu bought 120 tickets for New South Wales firefighters and their friends and familyto thank them for their hard work during the summer bushfire season that was exacerbated by three years of drought. Their sacrifice moved Mr. Lu to gift them an opportunity to spend time with their families, and the refreshing experience of Shen Yun came to mind.

I was deeply touched from the bottom of my heart when I first saw Shen Yun, he said. An inexplicable kind of feeling.
Suspect Arrested for Shooting Florida Officer During Vehicle Inspection

A multi-agency manhunt for a gunman accused of shooting a Florida patrol officer in the head during a vehicle inspection has ended with the suspected shooter in police custody, authorities announced.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young confirmed the arrest of 29-year-old Othal Wallace during a press briefing early on Saturday.

The heavily armed suspect was located hiding inside a treehouse within a 3-acre wooded area just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The chief noted that the property is affiliated with a black nationalist paramilitary organization that calls itself the Not Fing Around Coalition or NFAC.

Young said Wallace was located with an arsenal of weapons that included multiple flash-bang grenades, rifle plates, body armor, two rifles, two handguns, and several boxes of ammunition.

The suspect is facing a charge of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer for the shooting of 26-year-old Jason Raynor. Authorities said they used the handcuffs of the wounded officer while detaining Wallace.

Weve worked tirelessly over the past 56 hours since this incident occurred, Young said. Many of these folks havent slept past maybe two hours, since this whole nightmare unfolded. Some of them havent slept at all.

Othal Wallace has been captured! There will be a press conference at 5:00 am this morning. pic.twitter.com/jyI6nYI5Ud  Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) June 26, 2021

Officer Raynor was shot in the head earlier this week and rushed to the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach in critical condition.

Young noted during the briefing that medical officials feel confident about Raynors condition, explaining that he is improving and now has the strength to endure more testing.

As of right now, his outlook is improving, its a positive one, but were just going to continue to pray that he continues to heal, Young said.

In a 29-second clip from the incident, the suspect is seen in footage from the body camera attached to Raynor that shows Wallace firing his gun at the officer shortly after he started a conversation, asking the suspect if he lived there.

Come on man, dont do this. Why are you asking me if I live here? the suspect is heard asking the officer. Wallace is then seen struggling for several seconds with the officer, shouting, Stop! Stop, man! before firing his gun.

Raynor was found lying on the street by officers who responded to his latest location after he stopped answering his radio when units tried to call him, police said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also addressed the arrest of Wallace on social media, saying there is no place for hate in Florida and justice for the suspect will be swift.

The suspect in the vicious shooting of Police Officer Jason Raynor was apprehended by Georgia police at a black nationalist paramilitary encampment, the governor said. There is no place for hate in Florida. Our law enforcement will be protected. Justice will be swift.

From NTD News
The Vaccine and infectious Disease Organization is shown at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon on Feb. 5, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Kayle Neis)

Firing of University of Sask. Surgery Prof Who Voiced Safety Concerns About COVID Shots for Children Deeply Disturbing: Lawyer

The University of Saskatchewan violated one of its professors Charter rights by suspending him from teaching duties and firing him as of September for raising concerns about children being vaccinated without informed consent, says a constitutional lawyer.

Dr. Francis Christian, clinical professor of general surgery at the university and a practising physician, was called to a meeting on June 23 where he was informed of his suspension and firing while the university reviews his conduct and social media activities.

Jay Cameron, litigation director of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), the non-profit legal organization representing Christian, told The Epoch Times that the firing is illegal because it is a breach of contract and done for the purposes of censorship.

It is our position that Dr. Christians termination is illegal, an infringement of his Charter-protected right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, and a betrayal of the principles of scientific inquiry, Cameron wrote.

He may not work with or teach residentspending an investigation into his conduct. While that is ongoing, the clock is ticking to his full termination on September 21, JCCF lawyer Allison Pejovic told The Epoch Times in an email.

In a June 17 statement to media that was also issued to over 200 doctors, Christianwho says he is a very pro-vaccine physicianexpressed concerns about children as young as 12 being administered the m-RNA COVID vaccine.

Before the vaccine is rolled out to children, both children and parents must know the risks of m-RNA vaccines to children, any benefit to children, and any alternatives to vaccines, he wrote, describing informed consent as a sacrosanct principle.

This should apply particularly to a new vaccine that has never before been tried in humans.

He said COVID-19 doesnt pose a threat to children, but noted that the vaccine is already causing serious medical problems for kids all over the world due to a real and significantly increased risk of a condition called myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle.

This has been sufficient to make the German national vaccine agency to not recommend the vaccine to healthy children and adolescents, he wrote. The UK vaccine agency, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph, is also not authorizing the vaccine for kids.

In a June 21 letter to Christian, the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the University of Saskatchewans College of Medicine said they had received information that you are engaging in activities designed to discourage and prevent children and adolescents from receiving COVID-19 vaccination contrary to the recommendations and pandemic-response efforts of Saskatchewan and Canadian public health authorities, according to the JCCF.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said in an email statement to The Epoch Times that it is exercising its right to terminate the contractual relationship with Christian under the Provincial Academic Clinical Funding Plan Agreement.

The SHA would like to reaffirm that it does not support or endorse spreading misinformation that casts doubt on the seriousness of COVID-19, the validity of the science of this pandemic, and the effectiveness of COVID vaccinations, the statement said.

While we respect that residents of Saskatchewan have a right to free speech, health system leaders are expected to be committed to fact-based, scientifically driven public messaging.

The JCCF is currently representing a number of health professionals who are facing discipline for questioning COVID-19 public health measures.

Colleges of physicians have become a kind of new Inquisition where scientists and doctors who question prevailing orthodoxy are censored, punished, and vilified, Cameron said.

Doctors and nurses have freedom of speech, and professional penalties for engaging in a public scientific debate are deeply disturbing. Health-care workers do not relinquish their constitutional rights simply working for a government-controlled health body. They ought not to be punished simply because they refuse to mindlessly parrot the popular COVID mantra.
A couple ride along the harbour in Sydney on June 26, 2021, as Australia's largest city entered a two-week lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Sydney Lockdown Expands to Entire City, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong

All of Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, and Wollongong will go into lockdown from 6 p.m. Saturday until July 9 amid an outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the CCP virus in the Australian state.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian called a second press conference on Saturday afternoon, just two hours after she had already fronted the media about the growing cluster, where she foreshadowed the potential for further measures.

Even though we dont want to impose burdens unless we absolutely have to, unfortunately, this is a situation where we absolutely have to, she told reporters on Saturday afternoon.

A few days ago I said this was the scariest time that I felt since the pandemic started, and thats proven to be the case.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks at a press conference and COVID-19 update in Sydney, Australia on June 26, 2021. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

She told residents they should brace themselves for the number of cases to increase in the next few days.

For the next two weeks, residents can only go outside their homes if they need to attend work, study, purchase essential items, and to provide care.

She also urged people not to panic-buy essential goods.

Exercise outdoors will be allowed, following social distancing requirements, providing a possible relief for families given that the next two weeks are the school holiday period.

We appreciate during the school holidays this could be the only time people are allowed to gather outside, and in no more than groups of 10, the premier said.

Weddings will be allowed to take place on Saturday and Sunday, but not from Monday. But funerals will be allowed to take place with a maximum of 100, with one person per four square meters.

A food delivery worker rides in the central business district of Sydney on June 26, 2021, as Australias largest city entered a two-week lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

The premier urged people to check into all venues with QR codes when going out to purchase essential items.

She also said financial support to businesses will be provided in the next few days, and the federal government would provide household support in due course.

Nobody should feel stressed or pressure to break any of the rules because of their financial situation, she said. The NSW government will be there to support businesses and of course the Commonwealth support to households kicks in as well.

Regional Restrictions

Although regional New South Wales was not included in the lockdown, there will be restrictions in place.

No more than five visitors are allowed in the home

All hospitality must be seated, with one person per four square meters

Only 50 percent capacity for outdoor events

Masks must be worn indoors when outside the home

Restrictions for funeral and weddings

A medical worker prepares to administer a test at the Bondi Beach drive-through COVID-19 testing centre in the wake of new positive cases in Sydney, Australia, June 17, 2021. (Loren Elliott/Reuters)

Berejiklian had foreshadowed earlier in the day that an expansion of the seven-day lockdown to other areas might be on the cards, pending expert health advice.
Sydney Lockdown May Expand to New Areas

New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian will hold a crisis cabinet meeting on Saturday to determine whether further measures will be imposed after another 12 CCP virus cases were recorded in Sydney and new exposure venues have emerged past the established local hotspot areas.

Berejiklian foreshadowed an expansion of the seven-day lockdown to other areas might be on the cards, pending expert health advice.

The case numbers have been consistent with what we experienced yesterday, but the one difference that weve seen in the last 12 hours is exposure sites emerging in areas outside of those [locked-down] areas and also the potential for people to have been infectious in those areas for a couple of days, the premier said.

This comes as 29 cases were detected in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on Friday, 17 of which had already been announced, taking the cluster to 82 cases.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said that 12 of the 29 new cases were in isolation when they tested positive, which means the 17 others were at risk of spreading the virus in the community.

What were finding is by the time weve got to some of those cases, theyve already on-transmitted, Chant told reporters on Saturday.

Millions of people in Sydney are already in lockdown, with people who live or work in Woollahra, Waverley, Randwick, and the City of Sydney local government areas not able to leave home for a week except for essential purposes. These include work or education, shopping, providing care, or outside exercise. The order took effect from 11.59 p.m. on Friday and will last until 11.59 p.m. on Friday, July 2.

A government message is seen displayed on a digital sign on Oxford Street ahead of lockdown restrictions being imposed in Sydney, Australia, on June 25, 2021. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

A medical worker prepares to administer a test at the Bondi Beach drive-through COVID-19 testing centre in the wake of new positive cases in Sydney, Australia, June 17, 2021.(Loren Elliott/Reuters)

Of the new venues listed as exposure sites, Great Ocean Foods at 5-11 Cadogan Street in the inner-west suburb of Marrickville was of particular concern for NSW Health authorities.

All staff and customers who visited the seafood wholesaler premises between June 21 and June 25 must isolate and get tested, including everyone who lives in their households.

Any restaurants and cafes that took deliveries from Great Ocean Foods will also need to self-isolate and get tested, including the members of their households as well.

Other venues of concern include Cheers Bar and Grill on George Street in the Sydney CBD, a shopping centre in Bankstown, and an Opporto in Casula. All sites are listed on the NSW Health website.

Chant urged Sydney residents to check the NSW Health website before venturing out for essential supplies.
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, across the Potomac River from Washington, is seen from the air on Dec. 8, 2019. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

US Report on Pentagon-Documented UFOs Leaves Sightings Unexplained

A major U.S. government report on UFOs released on Friday said defense and intelligence analysts lack sufficient data to determine the nature of mysterious flying objects observed by military pilots including whether they are advanced earthly technologies, atmospherics, or of an extraterrestrial nature.

The report (pdf), submitted to Congress and released to the public, encompasses 144 observations of what the government officially refers to as unidentified aerial phenomenon, or UAP, dating back to 2004. It was issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in conjunction with a U.S. Navy-led UAP task force.

UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security, the report stated, adding that the phenomena probably lack a single explanation.

In a limited number of incidents, UAP reportedly appeared to exhibit unusual flight characteristics. These observations could be the result of sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception and require additional rigorous analysis, it added.

The report includes some UAP cases that previously came to light in the Pentagons release of video from U.S. naval aviators showing enigmatic aircraft off the U.S. East and West Coasts exhibiting speed and maneuverability exceeding known aviation technologies and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces.

A senior U.S. official, asked about the possibility of extraterrestrial explanations for the observations, said: Thats not the purpose of the task force, to evaluate any sort of search for extraterrestrial life.  Thats not what we were charged with doing.

Of the 144 reports we are dealing with here, we have no clear indications that there is any non-terrestrial explanation for thembut we will go wherever the data takes us, the official added.

The report established five potential explanatory categories: airborne clutter, natural atmospheric phenomena, U.S. government or American industry developmental programs, foreign adversary systems, and a catch-all other category.

All but one of the incidents, an instance attributed to airborne clutter, remain unexplained, subject to further analysis, U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters during a briefing describing the reports findings.

For the remaining 143 cases, the government has yet to rule in or out whether the sightings might be of extraterrestrial origin, the officials said.

Of data we have, we dont have any clear indications that any of these unidentified aerial phenomena are part of a foreign (intelligence) collection program, and we dont have any clear data that is indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary, the senior official said.

The government in recent years has adopted UAP as its preferred term for what are otherwise known as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, long associated with the notion of alien spacecraft.

A second senior official said that 21 of the reports show UAPs that appear to have some sort of advanced propulsion or advanced technology, and appear to lack any means of propulsion or acceleration and exhibit speeds beyond what the United States believes foreign adversaries possess.

This image from video, labeled GIMBAL and provided by the Department of Defense from 2015, shows an unexplained object (C) being tracked as it soars high along the clouds, traveling against the wind. (Department of Defense via AP)

Ordered by Congress

The report was ordered by Congress as part of broader intelligence legislation signed by former President Donald Trump in December. Senator Marco Rubio was instrumental in commissioning it.

For years, the men and women we trust to defend our country reported encounters with unidentified aircraft that had superior capabilities, and for years their concerns were often ignored and ridiculed, Rubio said. This report is an important first step in cataloging these incidents, but it is just a first step.

The report marks a turning point for the U.S. government after the military spent decades deflecting, debunking and discrediting observations of unidentified flying objects and flying saucers backing back to the 1940s.

Anytime there is a safety-of-flight or counterintelligence concern we take those things very seriously and we will continue to take those things seriously, the first senior official said.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, urged a systematic analysis of the potential national security and flight safety risks posed by UAP without preconceptions to determine whether they are the result of a foreign adversary, atmospheric or other aerial phenomena, space debris or something else entirely.

It is not the first official U.S. government report on the subject. For example, the U.S. Air Force carried out a previous UFO investigation called Project Blue Book, ended in 1969, that compiled a list of 12,618 sightings, 701 of which involved objects that officially remained unidentified.

In 1994, the Air Force announced that it had completed a study to locate records relating to the 1947 Roswell incident in New Mexico. It said materials recovered near Roswell were consistent with a crashed balloon, the militarys long-standing explanation, and that no records indicated that there had been the recovery of alien bodies or extraterrestrial materials.

By Steve Gorman
Bundles of cash brought to a casino by an individual are shown on a screen as B.C. Attorney General David Eby releases an independent review of anti-money laundering practices in the provinces gambling industry, during a news conference in Vancouver on June 27, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Vancouver: Epicentre of Chinas Massive Flow of Fentanyl Into North America

Commentary

For years, rampant money laundering in the city of Vancouver has facilitated the production and trafficking of illegal drugs. Through this ongoing laundering of illicit funds, both Chinese organized crime and Mexican cartels continue to profit from the ongoing fentanyl crisis in North America.

The term Vancouver Model was coined by Australian international security professor John Langdale, an expert on Asian organized crime, to describe how the Canadian city has become a hub for money laundering, drug trafficking, and capital flight. Money is laundered to and from China, while high rollers use Canadian casinos to facilitate the flight of capital from the country. The same model is occurring in other parts of the economy, in particular real estate.

Since May 2019, expert witnesses during the Cullen Commissioninitiated to investigate widespread claims of money laundering in British Columbiahave highlighted claims that Canadian authorities were reluctant to properly monitor and report suspicious cash transactions. Money laundering has facilitated the flooding of fentanyl into the province by criminal networks, including Chinese triads and the Chinese Big Circle Boys. This in turn contributes to the growing fentanyl overdose crisis in major cities across North America.

According to the Vancouver Police Department in a 2017 report, China is the main source of illicit fentanyl that flows into Canada, the United States, and Mexico. International drug cartels and underground banks enable the export of drugs and facilitate money laundering out of China.

The B.C. Coroners Service reports that 1,726 people died from illicit drug overdoses in the province in 2020 alone, the highest number of such deaths in a year based on annual data going back to 2011. This figure also establishes illicit drugs as the leading cause of unnatural deaths in B.C. from 2010 to 2020, compared with other common causes including suicide, car accidents, and homicides.

In a study published by the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, over 80 percent of drugs sold as heroin on Vancouver streets contain no heroin at all, while nearly all of them contain fentanyl.

Given the differences in trafficking patterns, seizure amounts, seizure purities, and a lack of a distinct geographic forensic profile, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states that it has not been possible to identify whether China or Mexico is the primary fentanyl supplier to the United States. However, DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans said in his agencys 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment that Mexican transnational criminal organizations supply most of the fentanyl, as well as most of the cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, smuggled into the United States.

Chinese organized crime has deep roots in Latin America. In June 2010, Brazils Secretary of Justice Romeu Tuma Junior was fired for allegedly being an agent of the Chinese mafia, often referred to as the triads. Triads are reported to be operating in Peru, Venezuela, and Panama, extorting expatriate Chinese communities, which have historically been reluctant to report problems among their own members to non-Chinese host nation authorities.

In Mexico, cartels like Jalisco Nueva import ephedrine from China while precursor chemicals have been intercepted in Mexican ports. Illegal imports of fentanyl from Mexico involve Chinese-produced fentanyl or fentanyl precursors coming most often from China. According to a paper published in PRISM, a journal of the Washington-based National Defense University, Chinese-owned gambling operations in Latin America present a significant opportunity for money laundering because of the large cash flows involved in such establishments.

Its no secret that Chinese organized crime covertly moves millions of dollars for Mexican cartels. In April, a Chicago federal judge sentenced Chinese national Gan Xianbing to 14 years in prison for facilitating a scheme where illegal narcotics proceeds from Mexican drug traffickers were picked up in Chicago, transferred to bank accounts in China, and then ultimately sent back to the criminal groups in Mexico.

One of Gans associates testified how the funds were laundered through underground channels. Once the money was in the hands of the launderers, they contacted one among a network of Chinese-owned businesses in the United States and Mexico asking for a transfer of a corresponding amount of money through Chinese banking apps. All this took place through Chinese banks and outside the purview of U.S. authorities.

Two other key figures, both Chinese citizens, have emerged since Gans arrest: Pan Haiping and Long Huanxin. They are believed to have handled the drug money received in Chicago and ensured its laundering through Chinese bank accounts. Pan was arrested in Mexico and is awaiting extradition to the United States, while Long was arrested in Vancouver in February 2020 and has already been extradited to the United States.

Last year, criminologist Stephen Schneider cited an example of China-linked money laundering operations during his testimony before the Cullen Commission. A Vancouver money service business called Silver International served as a vortex of casino and real-estate money laundering, he said. It is alleged that before the RCMP raided the China-linked enterprise in 2015, it was funnelling as much as $1.5 million a day through underground banks, which laundered the money via casinos, real estate buys, and exotic cars.

While triads have been instrumental in the laundering of money and facilitation of fentanyl trafficking into Canada, analysts in recent years have observed a growing tendency for these organized criminal groups to act as hired thugs on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to target perceived threats in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even mainland China.

When the Communist Party of China finds it inconvenient for it to do something, it will use those gangsters on its behalf, Hong Kong political analyst Dixon Sing told AFP. This embrace of CCP goals represents a remarkable transition for criminal groups that were once characterized as the arch enemies of communism.

The CCPs relationship with Chinese organized crime to advance its agenda is not without precedent. Triads are known to have attacked pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and may have been involved in a series of attacks on an Epoch Times printing facility in the city.

The Mexican cartels have formed a deadly partnership with Chinese organized crime groups as Americans are dying at record levels. China is exporting massive amounts of precursor chemicals and finished fentanyl from labs in China, Derek Maltz, a former agent in charge of the DEAs Special Operations Division, told Coffee or Die Magazine.

It is disputed whether the CCP is intentionally flooding North America with fentanyl in order to fuel instability. But according to investigative journalist Ben Westhoff in his groundbreaking book, Fentanyl Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic, the Beijing regime is in fact subsidizing this illicit industry even though it is killing tens of thousands annually.

I went really deep and tried to learn everything I could about this problem, and that brought me to China, Westhoff told Yahoo Finance. I actually went undercover into a pair of Chinese drug operations, including, I went into a fentanyl lab outside Shanghai. He went on to describe how he found companies making fentanyl being subsidized by the CCP in various ways, such as export tax breaks.

The full extent of Vancouvers role in the financing and laundering of funds for fentanyl distribution by Chinese and Mexican organized crime will not be known until the release of the final Cullen Commission report in December.

Bradley Martin is the executive director for the Near East Center for Strategic Studies. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter @ByBradleyMartin

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
We Need a Definitive Explanation on Surfside Building Collapse: Florida Governor

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that a definitive explanation is needed in a timely manner as to why a 12-story condo building partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, amid search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the deadly incident.

At a press conference in Surfside, a small suburb north of Miami Beach, the Republican governor said that he and Democrat Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County both agree there needs to be a definitive explanation for how this could have happened.

And thats an explanation that needs to be an accurate explanation, DeSantis said of the partially-collapsed Champlain Towers South building. Its an explanation that we dont want to get wrong, obviously, but at the same time I do think its important that its timelybecause you have a lot of families here, you have families that lost loved ones in this building collapse. They have a right to know. You have other folks who were able to get out safely, but then lost their homes.  They have a right to know as well.

Theres a lot of other people throughout this community and throughout Florida who want to know well how can a building just collapse like that?' he added, describing the situation as a unique type of tragedy.

About half of the residential oceanfront apartment building in Surfside collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. At least 159 remain unaccounted for and may or may not have been in the building. Four people have been found dead.

Of the buildings 136 units, about 80 were occupied, according to reports.

The wreckage of a partially collapsed building in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, Florida, on June 25, 2021. (Gianrigo Marletta/AFP via Getty Images)

DeSantis said that the state of Florida will support any local efforts underway to investigate the cause of the collapse, adding that President Joe Biden has said that federal personnel can also join the investigation if needed.

Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida early on Friday, authorizing federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.

Video that captured the collapse showed the center of the building appearing to tumble down first, and a section nearest to the ocean teetering and coming down seconds later, throwing up huge clouds of dust.

The Champlain Towers South was built in 1981 and was in the process of being recertified as part of Floridas 40-Year Recertification Program. The 12-story tower was undergoing roof construction and other repairs prior to the collapse.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told reporters on Thursday that roof work gets done on buildings all the time and that its hard to imagine that that could have been the impetus for such a catastrophic collapse, and Im sure that it probably wasnt.

He also said, Theres no reason for this building to go down like that unless someone literally pulls out the supports from underneath or they get washed out or theres a sinkhole or something like that, because it just went down.

Buildings in America do not fall down like this, Burkett told CBS Miami in a separate interview. Something very wrong happened here, and we need to understand what happened.

He told NBCs TODAY show, I mean, it looks like a bomb went off, but were pretty sure a bomb didnt go off.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly named the location of the Champlain Towers South. The building is located in Surfside, Florida. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Why Wall Streets Love Affair With Beijing Is Sparking Concerns

This special report on Epoch TV delves into Wall Streets love affair with the Chinese regime.

The twos relationship is no secret, but its becoming more of a concern. Thats because their interests are increasingly going against those of the American peopleand its got U.S. officials openly talking.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this year, Our priority is not to get access for Goldman Sachs in China. Our priority is to make sure that we are dealing with Chinas trade abuses that are harming American jobs.

As Beijings autocratic regime furthers its goal to replace the United States as the worlds leader, it begs the question: Do we really want big banks to get even more involved with the Chinese regime?

It could end with them funneling more American investors moneyyour moneyinto communist China, all while boosting their economy, funding their military, and facilitating their human rights abuses. Thats on top of the fact that some of these are passive investments that most Americans dont even know about.

In this special report, we explore how exactly Wall Street funnels money into China, what the magnitude of the wealth transfer is, and the regimes unsettling ultimate purpose for buddying up with Wall Street.

Stay tuned for our newsletter so you wont miss out on our exclusive videos and private events.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
The first wallpaper designed to spruce up the 19 empty storefronts in the village area has been placed on the most recently vacated business, the former New Balance shoe store located at 128 Main Street.

The number of storefronts without businesses has decreased from 11 to 9 percent, or from 23 to 19 total, according to a count conducted by Hearst Connecticut Media on June 25, in comparison to its last count on May 3.

There is some optimism at the recent Tourism and Economic and Advisory Committee. Seems like spaces are starting to become active again, and there is a lot of looking around, TEDAC Chairman Tucker Murphy said at the June 24 meeting. The good news is we many not need as many (murals) as we thought,

The murals feature pictures of cultural and town buildings in New Canaan. The wallpaper on the windows of New Balance store includes hand-drawn pictures of the Playhouse, Waveny House, the firehouse, the police department building, New Canaan Town Hall and the train station.

I think it really looks great, Murphy added.

There are 207 street-level storefronts and an additional three will be added soon as a mixed-use building is completed at 240 Locust Ave.

There has been some hopeful changes, with certain locations coming off of the vacant list, including one on South Avenue, where Life Aquatic was and a Groove pop-up store has gone in; at 1 Morse Court, where a notice of a license application for a liquor store is on the door where the Azzul shoe store had been and The Marvelous Marylyn Malkin has moved in at 139 Elm St. where a Verizon store was.

A popo up store has moved into 137 Elm St. called Vintage College Memorabilia, where Irresistibles was. Owner Steven Melillo believes there are plans for another business to go in after he leaves.

A sign hinting the arrival of Luscious & Co. Beauty is currently at 107 Main St., where Wave had been. This location was not on the original vacant list, since a nonprofit inhabited it temporarily.

Two additional stores, New Balance and a small beauty salon at 2 Cross Street, became vacant in the last six weeks

(The) next effort is to get (wallpaper) in other places, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Laura Budd said. I think they look great, they are very clean, they are nice.

Budd spoke with realtors, partially to help build enthusiasm for the murals, including one for Main Street properties between Connecticut Muffin and Blue Mercury, which receives the most criticism for appearance in the village.

Those locations are owned by an out-of-town landlord, who does not seem interested, which is a shame, Budd said. Budd also spoke with the realtors about ways the town could help new businesses.

The banners span from 45, 75 or 115 inches tall, which leaves room for people to see inside the facility. The banners have information on the bottom including rental information on one side and a description of the local building featured in the picture on the other side.

The group is hoping to include a QR, or quick response code, a type of bar code that can be linked to information about the rental or the subject of the drawing.

The $300 per panel price for wallpaper will be split between TEDAC and the building owners, Murphy said.

At a previous meeting, TEDAC members voted in favor of recommending First Selectman Kevin Moynihan spend up to $2,500 on the project from the economic development budget.

The vacancy count focused on typical street level storefronts, which meant closed businesses, such as Thali restaurant on Main Street were not counted, since it does not have a typical storefront.

In keeping with that criteria, Citi Bank on the corner of Park and Elm Streets was counted in the total number of storefronts.

Each business counted as one, no matter the size of the location, and unoccupied store fronts were counted by street-facing doors.

Positive changes since May:

1. 9 South Ave.: Groove pop-up store has moved in, after Life Aquatic had moved out.

2. 1 Morse Court:,Formerly Azzul shoe store, has a notice of license application for a liquor store on the door.

3. 107 Main St.: Has a sign saying Coming Soon: Luscious & Co. Beauty, where Wave had once been.

4. 137 Elm St.: Has a pop up store, called Vintage College Memorabilia, where Irresistibles was.

5. 139 Elm St: The Marvelous Marylyn Malkin has moved in where Verizon had once been.
WEYAUWEGA, Wis. (AP)  Wisconsin is famous for cheese, and one of its dairies is claiming a new feat.

Weyauwega Star Dairy this week unofficially broke its own record for the worlds longest piece of string cheese at 3,832 feet, WLUK-TV reported. Gerard Knaus 85-year-old father, Jim, set the original record in 1995. The Knauses beat their 1995 record in 2006 with a piece about 2,000 feet long.
Alex Brandon/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Friday that his government would do what it can to help secure the release of an American contractor abducted more than a year ago, though he said President Joe Biden didn't press him on the matter during a White House meeting.

Mark Frerichs, a contractor from Lombard, Illinois, was kidnapped in January 2020 from Kabul and is believed to be in the custody of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network. U.S. officials have said Frerichs' captivity has been raised during negotiations with the Taliban, but they have not revealed anything about his suspected whereabouts or disclosed details of those discussions.
EDWARDSVILLE  Edwardsville residents still have more than two weeks to break out their old reusable bags or buy new ones before July 12.

On that date, any retail location, excluding restaurants, within the city limits of Edwardsville with at least 7,000-square-feet of total floor space, starts charging a 10 fee per bag for all single-use disposable paper and plastic checkout bags. There are 27 such locations within city limits.

The bag fee is not applicable for packaged bulk items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, candy, small hardware items, wrapped frozen foods, meat, fish, wrapped flowers, prepared foods or bakery goods.

This began with a June 2018 presentation by Bring Your Own Glen-Ed (BYOGE). Former Mayor Hal Patton requested that the group make changes after its initial presentation and they returned to city hall in February 2019 with a new one. BYOGE members explained the benefits of charging a green fee for single-use paper and plastic bags. Member Sheila Voss referred to it as a nudge and she said she wants to help the area kick its single-use bag habit.

Voss said she is not anti-plastic. This fee is not a war on plastic; plastic is brilliant. Its how we are using plastic that is the problem, she said. She added that its not a tax.

Voss also said the fee is not a war on Main Street or small businesses. Local businesses that went bagless, use less plastic or switched to recyclable materials in early 2019 included Restore Decor, Source Juicery, Artisan 222 Bakery, Sacred Grounds Cafe, Bella Milano and Recess Brewing. By April 2019, the local Aldi, Goodwill and Sams Club also no longer distributed single-use bags.

In July, consumers will see a sign at each retailers entrance as well as near cash registers. These signs will identify the requirement for the store to charge the fee on all single-use bags and remind consumers to bring a reusable bag instead of paying the fee. The consumer has a choice at those retail establishments; he or she can either pay the fee for the single-use bag or bring in reusable bags to carry out items purchased.

The city is not collecting the single-use bag fee and consumers will not be taxed on the fee. The retail establishments impacted will retain the fee to help offset the cost of the bags and to recoup administrative expenses for changing point of sale systems and record keeping. Some retail establishments are choosing to use the fee to give back to the community.

Edwardsville has instituted a free, reusable bag program at Main Street Community Center and Glen-Ed Food Pantry where bags will be available free of charge. Additionally, Bring Your Own Glen-Ed has a Community Bag Share Program with the Goshen Market and several other establishments in Edwardsville.

More Information Bag fee exceptions include:  Restaurants  Bags provided by a pharmacist with a prescription drug  Bags provided by a butcher or a grocery store's meat department  Produce department bags  Any newspaper bags  Door-hanger bags  Dry cleaning and garment bags  Bags sold in packages containing multiple bags  Bags used at seasonal events like farmers' markets, street fairs and yard sales  Restaurant bags to take home leftovers  Bags used by customers to package or wrap other items See More Collapse

One group that has not been on board with this change is the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce. Desiree Bennyhoff, chamber president, said in February 2019 that while the chamber fully supports a voluntary participation program, it does not condone a regulatory mandate on businesses to comply with the proposed ordinance.

We remain steadfast that this should not be a government mandate and have concerns about diminishing the competitiveness of affected local retailers, Bennyhoff told an Intelligencer reporter Wednesday.

Originally, the plan was to get the fee passed in the city and in Glen Carbon but in April 2019, the villages attorney, James Schrempf, determined the village has no authority to levy such a fee as it is not a home rule municipality. If Springfield enacts a state-wide tax, city officials said they would discontinue the local 10-cent fee to avoid any double-dipping.

In October 2019, the city council unanimously passed the 10-cent fee request and it was supposed to take effect April 1, 2020. After the pandemic inundated everyone and everything, Edwardsville extended the start date to May 1. Next, it was due to start July 1, 2020. Then it was extended again to Jan. 1, 2021, and hinged on Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 restrictions on plastic bags, which werent lifted until the state reached Phase 5 status on June 11. The July 12 start date ends the 30-day notice period for all affected city retailers.

In contrast, almost all of Illinois neighboring states - Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana - have laws preventing local bag taxes.

Bring Your Own Glen-Ed is a grassroots alliance of citizens, businesses and local groups in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon committed to healthy, clean communities. It organized in spring 2017 and is comprised of citizens and organizations in the area. The groups mission is to reduce the harm single-use plastics have on our health, environment and the local economy.

For more details and frequently asked questions about the bag fee, click here.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-692-5735
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  The ground-floor pool deck of the oceanfront condominium building that collapsed near Miami was resting on a concrete slab that had major structural damage and needed to be extensively repaired, according to a 2018 engineering report that also uncovered abundant cracking and spalling of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage.

The report was among a series of documents released by the city of Surfside as rescuers continued to dig Saturday through rubble in an effort to find any of the 156 people who remain unaccounted for after the collapse. At least five people were killed.

While the engineering report from the firm of Morabito Consultants did not warn of imminent danger from the damage  and it is unclear if any of the damage observed was responsible for the collapse  it did note the need for extensive and costly repairs to fix the systemic issues with Champlain Towers South.

The report said the waterproofing under the pool deck had failed and had been improperly laid flat instead of sloped, preventing water from draining off.

The failed waterproofing is causing major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas. Failure to replaced the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially, the report said.

The firm recommended that the damaged slabs be replaced in what would be a major repair.

Some of the damage to the concrete in the parking garage was minor, while other columns had exposed and deteriorating rebar. It also noted that many of the buildings previous attempts to fix the columns and other damage with epoxy were marred by poor workmanship and were failing.

Beneath the pool deck where the slab had been epoxy-injected, new cracks were radiating from the originally repaired cracks, the report said.

These were all problems that should have been dealt with quickly, said Gregg Schlesinger, an attorney specializing in construction defects and a former construction project engineer.

The building speaks to us. It is telling us we have a serious problem, Schlesinger said in a telephone interview Saturday about the new documents. They (building managers) kicked the can down the road. The maintenance was improper. These were all red flags that needed to be addressed. They werent.

In a statement Saturday, Morabito Consultants confirmed its report detailed significant cracks and breaks in the concrete, which required repairs to ensure the safety of the residents and the public.

The firm said it was hired again in June 2020 by Champlain Towers South to begin the 40-year recertification process that would detail what work needed to be done.

At the time of the building collapse, roof repairs were under way, but concrete restoration had not yet begun, the statement said.

Abi Aghayere, a Drexel University engineering researcher, said the extent of the damage shown in the engineering report was notable. In addition to possible problems under the pool, he said several areas above the entrance drive showing signs of deterioration were worrisome and should have been repaired immediately.

Were the supporting members deteriorated to the extent that a critical structural element or their connections failed leading to progressive collapse? he wrote in an email to the AP after reviewing the report. Were there other areas in the structure that were badly deteriorated and unnoticed?

The building was in the midst of its 40-year recertification process, which requires detailed structural and electrical inspections. In an interview Friday, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said he wasnt sure if the inspection had been completed, but he said it may contain vital clues.

It should have been a very straightforward thing, Burkett said. Buildings in America do not just fall down like this. There is a reason. We need to find out what that reason is.

The 12-story towers collapse Thursday morning has also raised questions over whether other similar buildings are in danger.

This is a wake-up call for folks on the beach, Schlesinger said. The scary portion is the other buildings. You think this is unique? No.

Details of the building's 40-year recertification inspection will be made public once they are completed, Surfside Town Clerk Sandra McCready said in an email.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference Friday that she has seen no evidence of a sinkhole  much more common in other parts of Florida  or of something criminal, such as a bomb.

I can tell you that at this time, they havent found any evidence of foul play, she said.

Beyond that, much focus is on ocean water, which is rising in South Florida and elsewhere because of climate change. Last year, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure that would require developers to complete sea-level rise studies before beginning publicly funded projects.

One theory is that the saltwater ubiquitous in the area, which is subject to flooding during so-called King Tide events, intruded into concrete supports, corroding the steel-reinforcing rebar inside and weakening the concrete.

Meanwhile, the land on which Champlain Towers sat has been gradually sinking, according to a study published last year by an environmental professor at Florida International University.

But the professor, Shimon Wdowinski, cautioned against blaming the collapse on the caving ground.

In most cases, these buildings just move, he said in a video interview released by the university. Theres no catastrophic collapse like in the case in Surfside, which was very unfortunate.

Surfside officials say roof work was ongoing at the now-collapsed tower but have downplayed the possibility that work was a cause. Barry Cohen, a lawyer who escaped the crippled building with his wife, said the roof work could be part of a perfect storm of causes that combined to bring down the structure.

They were doing a new roof. And I think, all day long, the building was pounding and pounding and pounding. Theyve been doing it for over a month, Cohen said.

Another issue is whether nearby construction might have caused vibrations that weakened Champlain Towers. Cohen said he raised concerns previously that the work was possibly causing cracked pavers on the pool deck.

The collapse is already drawing lawsuits, including one filed hours after the collapse by attorney Brad Sohn against the condos homeowners association seeking damages for negligence and other reasons for all of the towers residents.

The association, the lawsuit contends, could have prevented the collapse of Champlain Towers South through the exercise of ordinary care, safety measures and oversight.

An attorney for the association, Ken Direktor, did not respond Friday to an email requesting comment.

_____

Condon reported from New York. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Bobby Caina Calvan in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this story.
After months of pleas from their attorneys and from Community Board 3, the city has finally agreed to give six families living in a doomed building at 400 Grand St. priority status for new affordable apartments in the Essex Crossing project. The decision from the commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) was announced last night at a meeting of CB3s land use committee.

The building sits on site #5 of the large redevelopment project, which is expected to break ground in one year. Several weeks ago, the residents were given a tentative move-out date of June 30, although officials said there is no firm deadline. The developers, Delancey Street Associates, have begun the process with the Department of Buildings to demolish 400 Grand St. and 402 Grand St., a three story building whose only tenant is a shoe repair store.

Previously the city offered relocation assistance, including 42 months of rent subsidies to make up the difference between what they are paying now and what theyll be required to pay in new apartments. But until last night, HPD had resisted offering the current residents the same right to return granted to former site tenants of the Seward Park urban renewal area (SPURA). Now, theyll be on equal footing with people who lived on the SPURA parcels when they were condemned 47 years ago. The focus has now shifted to finding the tenants temporary homes while Essex Crossing is under construction.

Sam Lui, an attorney for Manhattan Legal Services, spoke for the residents last night. He said the options floated by the city so far (apartments in public housing and units operated by the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association) have been inadequate. Only two families qualify for Cooper square co-op apartments. One family isnt eligible for a NYCHA apartment.

Damaris Reyes, a public member of the CB3 panel and the executive director of GOLES (a tenant advocacy group) was even more emphatic. She noted that the city had, at one time, led the residents to believe they could become owners of their apartments on Grand Street. She also pointed out theyd already been relocated several years ago from a building on East Houston Street that was being primed for an upscale makeover. I want to make sure that HPD doesnt do the bear minimum, Reyes said, adding, so far the options are very disappointing. She vowed that GOLES would come to HPD demanding answers if the tenants are not offered suitable housing alternatives. Linda Jones, chairperson of the land use committee promised the tenants, we will stay with you until you find housing and she said the issue will continue to appear on the community board agenda every month until that time.

Isaac Henderson with L+M Development (one of the Essex Crossing partners) was on hand to explain the steps required before demolition can take place. Yesterday afternoon, we reported on a Department of Buildings application that popped up online, carrying the description, full demolition of 400 and 402 Grand St. Henderson said the initial application is for a means and methods plan, the first sstage in a long process that must be completed. He indicated it would take 6-12 months or longer before the city officially signs off on demolition. The city is retaining ownership of the parcel until next year, when a full construction plan is in place.

The residents of 400 Grand St. have been battling the city for the past four years.

The fate of one other tenant in the building, the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, remains uncertain. Discussions are ongoing with the developers about possibly carving out space for the organizations visitor center somewhere within the new project.
On Wednesday evening, members of the Essex Crossing development team provided Community Board 3s land use committee with a status report. The nearly 2-million square foot residential and commercial complex is scheduled for groundbreaking by the middle of next year. Isaac Henderson, the project manager, led the informal briefing, along with Annel Cabrera, who was hired earlier this year as director of community relations for Delancey Street Associates, the consortium building the project in the former Seward Park Urban renewal area. Heres what they told committee members:

Final designs for phase one of the project (including the first four buildings) will be unveiled Jan. 14 at CB3s land use committee meeting. There will also be a larger public presentation at Grand Street Settlement Jan. 28. This past summer, the developers told us they planned to release renderings to the general public before 2014 drew to a close. While members of a community task force have seen the building designs, the timetable for a wider release slipped. The definite plan, said Henderson, is that next January we will be back here in front of you with all four of the architecture teams for sites 1. 2, 5 and 6.

Henderson added, Were hoping to begin construction on sites 1, 2 and 5 sometime during the spring or summer of next year. As previously reported, the development team recently backed away from predicting an early spring groundbreaking. Construction on site 6, which will include senior housing and a community facility run by Grand Street Settlement, is scheduled to begin the fall of 2015.

There have been a series of meetings with current vendors of the Essex Street Market, who will be moving across Delancey Street to a new, expanded market space on site 2. Over the next several months, theyll be working together to design the stalls. The citys Economic Development Corp. will be leading efforts to find new vendors to join the 20 or so existing merchants. There will be 39 stalls and two restaurants in the new facility.

Henderson recapped the announcement made earlier this week (via Crains) that Regal Cinemas would be leasing a space above the Essex Street Market for a 14-screen movie theater. The theater, equipped with electronically reclining seats, will be a real destination place that will facilitate people coming to Essex Crossings shops and restaurants from all over the city, Henderson said. He noted that a movie theater was one of the things a community task force working on the Seward Park plan prioritized.

Demolition of the old Essex Street Market building on site 2 and the Broome Street fire house on site 5 will take place either this month or in January. The plan is to take down two tenements at 400-402 Grand St. in February. Three families are still living at 400 Grand, but they are expected to be relocated by Dec. 19. Henderson said its important to begin demolition now even though construction is still months away because the Department of Buildings wont issue building permits until that happens and financing cant be approved until the DOB acts.

In a question and answer period, committee chairperson Linda Jones asked for clarification about building heights. She said residents where she lives, in the Seward Park Cooperative, are beginning to ask about how their city views will be affected. Henderson said heights, along with many other design details, are dictated by the city land use documents approved by the community board and City Council in 2012:

Site 1 building: 14 stories

Site 2 building: 24 stories

Site 5 building: 14 stories

Site 6 building: 14 stories

In response to another question, Henderson said there would be 155 condominium units; 20% will be considered affordable at 110% of Area Median Income (the current AMI in New York City for a family of four is $89,900.) Only families who fall within these income parameters will be considered for the affordable home ownership program.

The developers said the construction site will be surrounded by a high fence  12 feet  in order to help muffle noise. Tim Laughlin, executive director of the LES BID, suggested a public art program to help make the fences and scaffolding a little less foreboding. The developers said its something theyd consider.

Enrique Cruz, a community board member, asked whether the development team is reaching out to small construction firms on the Lower East Side as well as existing small businesses that could be part of the Essex Crossing project. Cabrera noted that there was recently a job fair, the first of many outreach events. Theres also a program to hire minority and women owned firms. Companies that would like to be considered must apply for city certification. Val Orselli, a public member of the land use committee, asked about the use of union labor. Henderson said Delancey Street Associates agreement with the city does not require the use of construction unions. He added, were engaged in an open dialogue with a variety of trade (unions). In the past month, some labor activists have been pushing for commitments to hire union workers (well have more on this sometime soon). Henderson said he hopes local businesses will be part of Essex Crossings micro-retail stalls, small spaces designed for start-up businesses. The success of our retail will be building off of what makes the neighborhood dynamic, he said.

Cabrera said she has been meeting with a variety of groups, including the tenant association at Seward Park Extension, the board of the Grand Street Guild and the schools on the Seward Park campus. She offered to meet with residents of the Seward Park Co-op. The city as well as CB3 continue to collect names of former urban renewal site tenants eligible for affordable housing. Lotteries for affordable apartments wont happen for at least a year-and-a-half.
A few months before the first phase of Essex Crossing makes its debut, theres been a change in one of the big commercial tenants coming to the mega-project. A Florida-based bowling concept, Splitsville Lanes, will be replaced by the Gutter, a home-grown bowling alley.

Back in 2015, Delancey Street Associates (the group building Essex Crossing) announced that Splitsville Lanes would be taking 17,000 square feet on the lower level of 242 Broome St. In an interview yesterday, Andrew Katz of the Prusik Group (one of the development partners) explained the reasons for the switch from one operator to another.

Splitsville Lanes, selected for the project after a nationwide search, had never done business in New York City. At some point, the owners of the company came to the developers to ask about taking on a partner with local experience. Delancey Street Associates was open to the idea, said Katz. In the process of locating the right NYC-based partner, the development team got to know the owners of the Gutter, which operates bowling alleys in Williamsburg/Greenpoint and Long Island City. Splitsville Lanes ultimately dropped out of Essex Crossing, with the Gutter taking over the Lower East Side space.

In the end, it was probably for the best. The Gutter opened on North 14th Street in 2007, cultivating an old school vibe. As the New York Times noted a few years ago, the venue presents itself as a cheaper and lower-key alternative to Brooklyn Bowl, its higher-profile neighbor around the corner. In 2014, Gothamist called the Gutter one of the eight best bowling alleys in the city, praising its elegant, old school lanes, classic bar and vintage decor. The existing locations, said Katz, have a cool, homey feel. That might be a little harder to replicate in a shiny new real estate project on the Lower East Side, but the owners definitely know New York nightlife.

The entrance to the Gutter will be on Essex Street. Customers will walk into a 500 square foot lobby leading to the main space in the basement. While there are live bands at the Brooklyn original, Katz said the Lower East Side spot will not be a concert venue (there might be live bands from time-to-time). There will be 12 lanes.

Drinks and food will be served (think typical bowling alley grub, not high-end cuisine). The bowling alley is expected to open before the end of this year. We have reached out to co-owner Todd Powers, but havent been able to connect just yet.

242 Broome St. also includes 55 condominium apartments, and a new home for the International Center of Photography (ICP wont open at Essex Crossing until 2019). Theres about 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, most of which likely wont be leased until the building is officially opened in the summer/fall.

UPDATE 4/17 This morning we talked with Todd Powers, who owns the Gutter with Drew DeWitt. They already have preliminary drawings, and an architect is working on more formal designs. Powers said the idea is to play off the subterranean space, giving it a Mid-America/Mid-Century basement feel.

The all-wood lanes, like the Gutters other locations, will be sourced from a shuttered bowling alley (the ones in Brooklyn came from Iowa). The place will still feel homey, said Powers, but it will have a bit more polish than the existing venues.

The plan is to serve Neapolitan-style pizza. There will be a full-scale restaurant/kitchen setup. While some live acoustic music is envisioned, the Gutter on the Lower East Side is not meant to be a performance venue. Powers said the build-out will take five or six months once the Department of Buildings signs off on the plans. Hes hoping for a November opening.
Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 97F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 96F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
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GRANITE CITY  Law enforcement authorities have released no official information about a reported shooting in Granite City on Friday.

Around noon Friday, police radio traffic indicated the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network had broadcast that law enforcement authorities were seeking a man in a red Dodge who reportedly had shot a person at Cheapies Tires, 1525 Madison Ave., in Granite City.
MOSCOW (AP)  The Russian military on Friday launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea.

Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea that Russia claims as its territorial waters. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasnt fired upon and said she was sailing in Ukrainian waters.

The Russian drills that began Friday in the eastern Mediterranean come as a British carrier strike group is in the area. Earlier this week, British and U.S. F-35 fighters from HMS Queen Elizabeth flew combat sorties against the Islamic State group.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, allowing Syrian President Bashar Assads government to reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that a pair of MiG-31 fighter jets capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles arrived at the Russian airbase in Syria and flew training missions to practice strikes on targets in the Mediterranean. The Hemeimeem airbase, in the coastal province of Latakia, serves as the main hub for Moscows operations in the country.

It's the first time the warplanes armed with Kinzhal have been deployed outside Russia's borders.

The military says the Kinzhal has a range of up to 2000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles) and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, making it hard to intercept.

The Defense Ministry said the maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean also involve several warships, two submarines and long-range Tu-22M3 bombers along with other combat aircraft. The supersonic, nuclear-capable Tu-22M3s were first deployed to Syria last month in a demonstration of an increased Russian military foothold in the Mediterranean.

The Russian military has modernized the runway at Hemeimeem to accommodate heavy bombers and built a second one to expand the operations there.

Russia also has expanded and modified a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.

The Russian military has increased the number and scope of its drills amid a bitter strain in relations with the West, which have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscows 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. As part of President Vladimir Putins efforts to beef up Russias military, the Russian navy in recent years has revived the Soviet-era practice of constantly rotating its warships in the Mediterranean.

Speaking to reporters Sunday aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, Commodore Steve Moorhouse said the eastern Mediterranean has become more congested and contested with the heavier Russian military presence in Syria, resulting in regular encounters with Russian ships and warplanes. He noted that a Russian warship has come within 10 kilometers (16 miles) of the carrier.

In Wednesday's Black Sea incident, Britain insisted the Defender had been making a routine journey through an internationally recognized travel lane and remained in Ukrainian waters near Crimea. The U.K., like most of the world, recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the peninsulas annexation by Russia.

Russia denounced the Defender's move as a provocation and warned that next time it could fire to hit intruding warships if they again try to test the Russian military's resolve.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov on Friday derided the British denials that the Russian military fired warning shots at the Defender and urged Britain and its allies not to tempt fate again. He added that the Defender is "just a juicy target for the Black Sea Fleet's missile systems.

___

Menelaos Hadjicostis contributed to this report from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
WILKES-BARRE  Lindsay Griffin is ready to tackle some big challenges as she prepares to take the reins as the first woman to lead the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce in its 137-year history.

One of her goals is to help rebuild and reimagine the economic landscape in the Wyoming Valley after the COVID-19 pandemic.

We had such an active role during the pandemic and we really want to continue that momentum, Griffin said. We know we have a lot of work to do, especially with the workforce.

Griffin, 37, becomes the chambers new president and CEO in January when Wico van Genderen, 62, the chambers current president and CEO, retires.

Van Genderen and Griffin recently sat down in their new office on the third floor of the Innovation Center to discuss the transition and their plans in a post-pandemic future.

The chambers office is now located in what was formerly part of Pepperjam. Many Pepperjam employees are still working remotely, a trend that also continues at other businesses in downtown Wilkes-Barre and throughout the Wyoming Valley.

Griffin will look at what kind of office space people are looking for in the future, like hybrid models. She expects there will continue to be opportunities in the area to work remotely. She said she also wants to help create a great community of startup businesses.

Its a perfect opportunity to rethink and reimagine how we are doing things in terms of bringing small businesses and entrepreneurs back in again, van Genderen said.

Van Genderen wants to upskill the area

Over the next six months, van Genderen will continue to focus on developing the workforce, retaining companies and attracting new businesses in what he said is one of the fastest growing areas for commercial and industrial real estate in the U.S.

We will potentially be bringing in some more businesses, he said. Were trying to upskill the area and create a whole different dynamic of jobs.

Van Genderen, who awaits the birth of his first grandchild, joined the chamber in 2014 after a nationwide search.

During his tenure, he led the effort to revitalize and rebrand the chamber. He brought in 30 years of corporate experience leading global marketing and product management at North American and Asia Pacific operations for Diebold, IBM and Interbold.

We have accomplished so much in that time in rebuilding and rebranding the chamber and business community, van Genderen said. Along the way as we defined the vision and drove the mission, my goal was to leave the organization better than when I began.

Van Genderen worked with Griffin for nearly six years and saw her establish her own connection with the community and excel at various leadership positions. He said she is that special leader and change agent.

Lindsay is both a transformational and servant leader in the community, van Genderen said.

Griffin joined the chamber in 2015 and moved up in leadership roles. She now serves as the chambers vice president and chief operating officer. She was instrumental in rebranding the chamber and helping the organization set up a digital platform. She also focused on building its Young Professionals, Womens Network and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Councils

Griffin wants to build community connection

During the pandemic, Griffin assisted businesses and nonprofits and helped connect people through a regional website created with other chambers and economic development organizations.

When planning for the post-pandemic future, she said she wants to give everyone a seat at the table.

We want everyone in the community involved with us and that includes our business community, our nonprofit community, our students and our young people, she said. We will continue to be that connector but in a larger way.

Dr. Anthony Johnson, who was recently hired as the chambers new director of workforce and Wilkes-Barre Connect, will assist in reopening the THINK Center, a technology workshop and multimedia center in the Innovation Center.

The center provides people with the tools and support they need to turn concepts into businesses. It also features conference rooms, co-working space for students and entrepreneurs and a 50-seat theater and lecture hall which has the equipment to host meetings, podcasts, training programs and teleconferences.

Griffin said this is an important undertaking and Johnson will inform students at area colleges and universities that the space will be available to them.

We welcome them to host classes there and do their projects and use that space, she said. Building that community connection is so important.
The money numbers are in for the state Senate special election that Marty Flynn won and, man, are they whoppers.

Before the candidates were set, Flynn had $165,910 from his days as a state representative for the 113th District.

By May 28, 10 days after the primary election, Flynn raised another $785,506. That means he had $951,416 to spend and he sure did  $862,226 in expenditures.

He got most of his campaign money from three sources: unions, $290,885; the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, $260,000; and the state Democratic Party, $182,872.

Thats $733,757, almost all the money he raised after the race got going.

The Democrats and their allies saw the importance of keeping the 22nd Senate District seat, and they raised and spent money to keep it.

The Republicans saw a potential opening, recruited Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak because they thought he could win and spent like he could win.

Chermak raised $96,499 and spent $84,551, but he played only a small part in the Republican barrage against Flynn.

He received hundreds of thousands in in-kind contributions  contributions of services or goods  from Republican Party committees. The Senate Republican Campaign Committee contributed $611,328 in in-kind services alone. Another $142,958 in in-kind services came from the state Republican Party.

They ran Chermaks campaign. Based on the results  Chermak lost by 13.7%  they did a lousy job.

On TV, the SRCC spent $414,736 on 6,337 commercials.

Flynns campaign spent $399,954 on 4,417 commercials.

Thats not accounting for all the paper they produced mailing campaign fliers to local homes. Timber! There go a few dozen more trees.

If this seems like crazy money to spend for a $90,000-a-year job held by one senator, well, it is, but remember its not about the senator.

Its about controlling the state Senate.

The Republicans saw a chance to expand their 28-21 majority (state Sen. John Yudichak, a former Democrat, is an independent).

They took it and lost, but theyll keep an eye on Flynn and his vulnerability for sure.

The Democrats desperately needed to hold on to a traditionally Democratic seat and they succeeded.

Now all they have to is flip at least four more seats next year, five if a Republican wins the governors race next year, to gain Senate control.

Good luck with that.

Miscellanea

 If youre wondering about the difference in costs between holding a special election on a day other than Election Day and letting the special election coincide with Election Day, Lackawanna County Director of Elections Beth Hopkins provided us a few numbers.

The March 12, 2019, special election for 114th state House District representative, which took place two months before the primary election, cost $72,569, Hopkins said. The state reimburses the county but its all taxpayer money.

Recall that state Rep. Bridget Malloy Kosierowski, a Democrat, trounced future Capitol riot participant Frank Scavo in that one.

The money went toward staffing polling places, coding and printing of ballots, postage for mailing absentee/mail-in ballots, renting tables, chairs and heaters for polling places, delivering voting equipment, paying judges of elections, election inspectors, election clerks and constables, rent, supplies and advertising, Hopkins said.

The county pays for similar stuff on a normal Election Day, but adding a special election to Election Day costs of fraction of the amount.

On the May 18, the primary election and the special election for the 22nd Senate District seat, the county spent $46.73 for the portion of the election proclamation that advertised the special election, Hopkins said.

 He didnt make a big deal of it on his political talk show last week, but Charles J. Volpe Jr., a Democrat forever, switched his registration to Republican on March 29, according to Hopkins.

Lets just say, you could watch it coming if you tuned into his show.

 It looked strange Monday to see former state Sen. John Blake standing off to the side as his boss, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, toured the Noble Biomaterials Inc. plant in Scranton.

Blake said hes happy out of the line of direct fire.

The tour included Jesse Salazar, United States deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy, and Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti. Cognetti reminded that she and Salazar, a Scranton native, worked together at Sen. Barack Obamas state presidential campaign headquarters in Philadelphia in 2008.

(It) was a nice little reunion for us, she texted.

 Speaking of Cognetti, she announced the identity of her public health coordinator this week and the county plans to announce a Department of Health and a leader for it soon. It has been decades since we had a health department; now well have two. Why?

 Considering the shortage of success of his investigations of the Scranton School District and the county prison the last few years, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro may have some work to do to beef up his chances in Northeast Pennsylvania when he runs for governor next year.

BORYS KRAWCZENIUK, The Times-Tribune politics reporter, writes Random Notes.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Rain showers this morning becoming steadier and heavier during the afternoon hours. High 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch..

Tonight

Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Low 53F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
A new flexible train season ticket launches tomorrow that will not only leave some part-time commuters out of pocket  but for others will be impossible to use.

Launched in a bid to entice workers back to the office, the 'flexi season ticket' claims to offer 20 per cent fare discounts for those who do not commute daily.

The ticket permits eight return journeys over a 28-day period. Once all the journeys are used, a new ticket can be purchased for another eight journeys.

Yet behind this headline boast is a Byzantine system of price calculations that seems designed to bamboozle travellers  only offering meagre savings for certain journeys and in some cases working out more expensive. This is because the system is based on comparing ticket costs with top-price 'anytime' deals.

Concerns: To make use of the flexi-tickets, commuters must download their train firm's app or get a smartcard

Adding to the confusion, a commuter cannot simply purchase the flexi-tickets at a train station. They must first download an app on a mobile phone and then use this to buy a book of 'm-tickets' for future journeys with a credit or debit card. Without a smartphone, a commuter cannot use m-tickets.

The alternative is to order a free 'smartcard' on which the flexi-tickets can be held. This will take up to a week to arrive by post.

Alice Ridley, a spokeswoman for action group Campaign for Better Transport, says: 'This rail ticket offer falls well short of the savings we wanted and commuters deserve  and in some cases it might even prove more expensive.'

She adds: 'Not offering paper options means flexi-tickets are also not inclusive. Those who do not have a smartphone or do not apply for a smartcard cannot use them.'

The calculation of the savings to be made from these new style tickets are based on standard anytime prices. So if a commuter wishes to travel off-peak the chances are that no savings will be made. Even at peak time, travel can end up more expensive. For example, a Maidenhead to London Paddington anytime day return costs 24.60.

But last week, a commuter could buy a flexi-ticket (starting tomorrow) costing the equivalent of 28.66 per return. Flexi-tickets are also only sold to those travelling in England  not Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. And they cannot be used by first-class travellers or children.

Another problem is that any savings are paltry compared to those available to commuters who purchase a standard annual season ticket. Someone only planning to travel in to work three times a week might be better off buying a seven-days-a-week full season ticket rather than a series of flexi-tickets. For example, last week, someone commuting from Northallerton to Manchester three times a week could buy a flexi-ticket  starting tomorrow  for 553.60.

Over a year, that would work out at 9,964.80. But the same commuter would be better off purchasing an annual season ticket costing 7,208.

Commuters can purchase 'm-tickets' via their train operator's app. A bar code attached to the m-ticket is then used to access the ticket barrier at a station.

The alternative plastic 'smartcard' stores details of journeys on a prepaid contactless card. These are the size of a credit card and have a small microchip in them that is read when tapped against a contactless yellow reader at a gate when going in and out of a train station  or is checked by an attendant. Registration for a smartcard is free.

Bruce Williamson, of action group Rail Future, says: 'There is a strong push being made by train operators to get people off using traditional paper tickets. These flexi-tickets are being used as a way to do this. Forcing it on people takes away freedom of choice.'

Campaigners also fear promoting flexi-tickets without offering meaningful discounts harms the railway network. Ridley says: 'There is a fear this will simply put many people off going back to work as any savings are small compared to those offered for full season ticket holders.'

Robert Nisbet, a director at national train company body Rail Delivery Group, says: 'Flexi season tickets are a step in the right direction, but rail companies want to go even further with a reform of the fares system to ensure a commuter gets the best deal whenever they choose to travel.'
Everyone loves a bargain, particularly private equity firms. But disappointment may yet await Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), the group which this week launched a 5.5billion 230p-a-share bid for Morrisons, the UK's fourth largest supermarket.

Not only has the approach fuelled the controversy over private equity takeovers of British businesses  a scandal exposed in a campaign by this newspaper  it has also caused a reappraisal of the value of Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Tesco.

In past months, their share prices have not reflected their pandemic reinvention: the rapid expansion of their online arms was commendably rapid. But this week, their shares have jumped.

Private equity bid for Morrisons has caused a reappraisal of the value of supermarket shares

At last, if you are an investor  either directly or through such funds as Threadneedle UK Equity Income or UK Equity Opportunities, or Schroder Global Equity Income  you can dare to hope that your forbearance may be rewarded.

Until this week, supermarket shares had been among the most shorted stocks.

The reassessment may not end, even if the Competition and Markets Authority becomes involved in the bid.

Chris Beckett of Quilter Cheviot says: 'Supermarkets may be seen as low margin, low growth businesses, but the bid for Morrisons has reminded people of the supermarkets' other positive attributes, like their good cash flow.'

So lacklustre has been the sector's share performance that Clive Black of Shore Capitol told Investment Extra last December that these companies could be bid targets in 2021.

In February Asda was bought out by EG Group and TDR, a private equity firm. Now the approach for Morrisons appears to have put the whole sector in play. The view is that CD&R must pay more, or be outbid by Apollo or another private equity group, or by Amazon, which has a tie-up with Morrisons.

As a private investor, you should now be watching how the institutional shareholders react.

Silchester, an asset management group and the largest Morrisons shareholder with a 15 per cent stake, is not saying anything publicly.

Legal & General, another major investor, contends that the CD&R offer 'significantly undervalues the company'.

Beckett says there is speculation that these investors may be looking for a price 'north of 250p'. Note, however, that some analysts argue that Morrisons is worth 295p a share, based on its property portfolio.

The company  the UK's second largest food producer  owns its 19 manufacturing sites, plus 85 per cent of its 497 stores.

If CD&R succeeds, Morrisons chairman Andy Higginson and chief executive David Potts would be reunited with their old Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy who is a CD&R partner.

If CD&R succeeds, Morrisons chairman Andy Higginson and chief executive David Potts (pictured) would be reunited with their old Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy who is a CD&R partner

While Morrisons executives and its big investors deliberate and negotiate ahead of the July 17 deadline, when CD&R must make its intentions clear, you have time to decide on your stance.

Many will be opposed to a private equity takeover of Morrisons which threatens jobs, Britain's food supply and higher prices for shoppers.

Nevertheless, the spotlight that has now been turned onto the supermarket sector means that existing shareholders should sit tight.

Those who have previously seen these shares as boring could now consider a flutter because of the changes set to reverberate through the grocery trade  from Amazon and the new rapid-delivery companies like Getir.

Analyst Natalie Berg says: 'Amazon has deep pockets and a hunger to disrupt bricks and mortar. The company knows that it will never have a meaningful impact on the UK grocery industry without a major acquisition.'

Morrisons seems not to be an object of desire for Ocado whose shares jumped this week thanks to its joint venture with M&S.

But the payback from a bet on Ocado also hangs on the success of the roll-out of the technology that it sells to other supermarkets in North America. There is a question mark as to whether this technology, developed for Britain's suburban streets, will work as well in the downtown areas of US cities, or in sparsely populated states.

The Morrisons bid should provide some overdue excitement for shareholders in the short-term. But in the longer term, the outlook for these stocks will increasingly depend on the higher expectations of British consumers.

People now want same-day delivery. Some want delivery within the hour.

The business that can achieve such service and make a profit could be the next grocery stars, despite the Deliveroo IPO debacle.

Morrisons, a business that began in Bradford in 1899, has a 5.6billion market capitalisation. This is about the same as the 5.4billion price tag put on Getir.

This Turkish-owned rapid-delivery app, founded in 2014, is set to launch in London and other cities this year and may soon float on the stock market.

Getir says it wants 'to democratise the right to laziness', an objective that venture capitalists are eager to back, pouring money into this instant delivery service and into its European rivals like Flink and Gorillas.

Although CD&R may be a pandemic predator, it has shown us that the food retailing sector is anything but boring.
What's happening?

It was hardly surprising that with a pandemic causing mayhem, anything and everything was pushed aside to make sure that we managed our way out of the crisis.

And so we are now beginning to see that waiting lists for other, vital treatments have become long and worrisome.

The direct effect of this was that any business involved in those delayed actions was going to suffer, and the pharmaceuticals world was no exception.

Looking ahead: Back in 2019 Clinigen purchased the exclusive rights for Proleukin, a well-regarded kidney cancer drug

Why Does It Matter?

I regard pharmaceutical development as a mug's game unless you happen to be someone like Beaker, Dr Bunsen Honeydew's assistant out of The Muppets.

Unless you are soused in the precise area of expertise when it comes to drug suitability, you might as well be tossing a coin.

However, investing in a company which has made developments that are already being used is a different matter.

Back in 2019 Clinigen purchased the exclusive rights for Proleukin, a well-regarded kidney cancer drug. Of course, as Covid ravaged the country, so many other operations were put on hold and so were the vital sales of this drug.

The result was inevitable and only a few weeks ago we had a profit warning from the company. The share price promptly feel out of bed and was down by 25 per cent.

What Should I Do?

If we assume that we may be finally seeing some control and management of the Covid virus, then attention will turn again to those other vital operations that had been delayed as a result of the pandemic.

The result should therefore be a clear line of cause and effect as further operations will see the return of demand for the drug and the recent price fall will probably be seen as an overreaction by a nervous market.

Any Suggestions?

The first suggestion is simple. If you think that the worst is over, then I would buy a modest holding in this stock to take advantage of what I view as a short-term discount.

If you want a broader exposure to this area, but quite rightly are fearful of picking a 'winner' (or loser), then the L&G Pharma Breakthrough UCITS ETF, which invests in a range of companies engaged in the research of 'orphan' drugs, may be a more suitable choice.
Ocado has drawn a line under a long running legal dispute with one of the company's founders.

The grocery delivery business has reached a settlement with Jonathan Faiman after he admitted he used confidential information about Ocado to help set up a rival firm.

The group sued Faiman and his business partner Jon Hillary  also a former Ocado executive  and their company Project Today Holdings in 2019.

Food fight: Ocado co-founder Jonathan Faiman (left) with Jason Gissing and Tim Steiner

The settlement brings to an end a long running spat between Faiman and Ocado chief Tim Steiner who have known each other since they were toddlers.

The two had gone to nursery school together and Steiner was even best man at Faiman's wedding.

They set up Ocado in 2000 along with Jason Gissing after working at Goldman Sachs as bond traders, but Faiman left the company in 2008 before it floated in 2010.

Nine years later Faiman re-entered the food grocery arena and set up Today, and in May 2019 Faiman struck a deal with Waitrose to replace Ocado as its online partner.

But Waitrose ended the deal when Ocado said Today had illegally obtained documents to set up the business and win deals.

The FTSE100 business accused Faiman and Hillary of 'corporate espionage' and conspiracy.

It sued, alleging that Faiman had used Hillary to access information about its automated warehouses, which have become a cornerstone of Ocado's strategy over the last few years.

As part of the settlement the duo acknowledged that Hillary  while still working at Ocado  provided Faiman with detailed information about the warehouses.

The pair made a 'significant' payment to Ocado, a statement said, though it did not say how much.

A judge said that following the settlement all the documents and information should be destroyed and never used again, otherwise the pair risk being in 'contempt of court and may be imprisoned, fined or have your assets seized.'

A source close to Ocado described Faiman as a 'total chancer' and said the business is a 'different beast entirely' from when he was last involved.
Bitcoin could lose another third of its value having almost halved over the past two months, according to one of the world's biggest banks.

Analysts at JPMorgan  led by Wall Street titan Jamie Dimon  believe the crypto-currency could fall as low as $23,000.

Dimon has long been sceptical about Bitcoin and in 2017 described the cryptocurrency as a 'fraud', adding: 'It's worse than tulip bulbs. It won't end well. Someone is going to get killed.'

In freefall?: Analysts at JPMorgan  led by Wall Street titan Jamie Dimon (pictured with wife Judith)  believe the crypto-currency could fall as low as $23,000

Police warned of links between cryptocurrencies and crime after Scotland Yard seized 114million of bitcoin as part of an investigation into money laundering offences.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty said: 'Cash remains king, but as technology and online platforms develop, some are moving to more sophisticated methods of laundering their profits.'

Bitcoin was trading at around $31,000 on Saturday morning, having peaked close to $65,000 in April.

It fell below $29,000 earlier this week for the first time since the start of the year.

Bitcoin's tumble coincided with the famous investor who predicted the sub-prime mortgage crisis warning retail traders that the 'mother of all crashes' is on the horizon.

Michael Burry warned that when the value of cryptocurrencies and 'meme stocks' fall it will trigger market losses 'the size of countries'.

Digital currencies and popular stocks have exploded in value this last year  drawing in amateur retail investors who have never traded before.

But Burry, founder of private investment firm Scion Asset Management, and others, have warned this has created a bubble that will inevitably burst and harm traders who bought at the top of the market.
Antonio Horta-Osorio is plotting an overhaul of scandal-hit Credit Suisse that could see it merge with arch-rival UBS.

The 57-year-old Portuguese took over as chairman at the Swiss giant in April after a decade as chief executive of British High Street lender Lloyds.

He is under huge pressure to turn the Zurich-based bank around following a string of crises including the heavy losses it suffered in the collapse of hedge fund Archegos this year.

Under pressure: Antonio Horta-Osorio took over as chairman at the Swiss giant in April after a decade as chief executive of British High Street lender Lloyds

Credit Suisse also faces a barrage of legal action for helping clients invest 7billion in bonds issued by collapsed supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital.

Horta-Osorio announced a strategic review in April when he said he would take time in reaching hard decisions that lay ahead  which could include a merger with Swiss rival UBS.

A tie up would mean a workforce of more than 110,000 employees  including a large presence in London  and a market value of more than 60billion.

'Credit Suisse needs a merger deal right away,' a source with knowledge of the bank's thinking told Reuters. Credit Suisse and UBS declined to comment.
Vision: Anne Boden backs online solutions in banking and the office

It was not unusual for Anne Boden to work in the office from dawn to dusk  at least until the pandemic struck. In fact, Boden credits her success to toiling away in the workplace.

She has always worked long hours, from the start of her career as a junior banker in the 1980s to becoming the first woman to launch her own bank in Britain, Starling, in 2014.

She felt hard graft was a sign of commitment to colleagues and bosses, especially four decades ago when women in finance were scarce.

But Covid-19 has turned working life on its head, forcing many to work from home.

Now Boden, previously a staunch advocate of the office, believes the age of 'presenteeism' is over.

She says: 'I was somebody who went into the office early in the morning and stayed all day, every day of the week. I thought that was how things should be done. And at Starling I felt I had to be there early in the morning because I was a leader. I was wrong.

'Things don't have to be done like that any longer. We can tap into more people in more regions with technology if we have a combination of hybrid working.'

However, some business chiefs are concerned that being absent from the office is affecting teamwork and creativity.

Some have expressed fears the trend to working from home has gone too far and they now face a battle encouraging more staff to return to the workplace for even part of the week.

Others have said prospective candidates for jobs are asking questions about how many days they will have to work in the office.

Boden, 61, is speaking over Zoom from her home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, her Welsh accent still intact despite years in the City.

Starling is a digital bank that aims to provide better service than the high street lenders. It is also one of Britain's most valuable tech start-ups  worth 1.1billion after raising more cash from investors. The Railways Pension Scheme took a stake, giving retirees access to the bank's growth prospects.

'I think we've gone through this great realisation that many people are far more effective working from home,' Boden says. 'So I'm embracing it.'

Her comments come as Ministers prepare to lift the final lockdown restrictions on July 19, which will see more staff return to the office.

Many companies see the return as a chance to reconnect with staff and allow younger employees to learn first hand from older colleagues.

But for others, lockdown has irrevocably changed the way staff will operate, with many choosing to work from home part time.

The issue is important to Boden. As the first British female founder of a bank and one of only a handful at the top, alongside Alison Rose at NatWest and Debbie Crosbie at TSB, she is acutely aware of the struggle women face climbing the corporate ladder.

She says: 'I've had a long career in financial services and it has been tough being a woman. Getting to the top and staying there in financial services is difficult. People expect you to go above and beyond male colleagues.'

Failing to strike the right balance between working in the office and from home could penalise women, she says, adding: 'Somehow the glory gets given to those who are visible.

'We could end up in a situation where some people work in an office and get great opportunities, while others in the regions, older people, women with caring responsibilities shoulder a lot of the workload but get none of the glory.'

Boden says: 'It is up to people like myself to make sure we consider all people, in all locations. I think we can deliver a better working environment. But we have to be careful we don't leave out people.'

Critics will note that Boden has built her career being in the office, so it's easy for her to tell staff not to worry about working from home.

'Ten years ago we couldn't work from home as easily. We now have the technology,' she says, adding: 'But don't replace office presenteeism with Zoom presenteeism. One is as bad as the other.'

Starling's 1,400 staff work across the UK, with more in Cardiff than London. Boden grew up in Swansea, studying chemistry and computer science before fleeing to London. She had stints at some of the biggest lenders, including Lloyds, Standard Chartered, NatWest and Allied Irish Bank.

'If only I'd had the opportunity,' she laments on departing Wales back then. 'I had to come to London. Now, all these years later, we're taking great jobs back to Wales.' Boden founded Starling in 2014 with Tom Blomfield, who a year later broke ranks to set up rival Monzo, now in an office across the road. The time was ripe to launch a new bank, after regulations were relaxed to make it easier.

The big four banks dominated the market and Boden felt customer service was shoddy, giving slick digital upstarts such as Starling a chance. She says: 'I could see there was a big opportunity for a bank that saw all the ways technology could be used to serve the customer, rather than make cost savings.'

The digital bank offers services from personal current accounts to business loans via a mobile app and online. Its primary backer in the early days was the mysterious billionaire investor Harald McPike, whom she flew to meet on his luxury yacht in the Bahamas to convince him to stump up cash. He invested 150million in total.

It has since gained investment from City heavyweights including Jupiter and Fidelity. Boden and employees own nearly a quarter of the business.

Starling's growth really took off after it received a 100million taxpayer grant in 2019 from a pot of money aimed at giving businesses better banking services.

But its business lending was turbocharged after it was allowed to dish out taxpayer-guaranteed 'bounce back loans' in the pandemic. Of the 45.6billion lent by banks, Starling handed out more than 1billion.

Boden is now expecting the bank, which has two million customers, to turn a profit in the financial year ending March 2022, after posting a 53.6million loss for 2019. She also has her sights set on a listing on the London Stock Exchange at the end of next year. Will she flee the nest once Starling is listed? 'I'm only just starting,' she chuckles.
Visa has announced plans to buy Swedish fintech Tink for $2.2billion just months after abandoning a similar deal.

Tink, founded in 2012, develops technology that allows third-party applications to connect to customers from different financial institutions.

It is a system known as open banking, which was introduced in Britain in 2015.

Visa is set to buy Tink as it eyes opportunities in the growing European open banking market

UK regulated banks are required to let customers share their financial data, including spending habits and regular payments, with other banks or savings apps.

The fintech is partnered with 3,400 banks and financial institutions, reaching millions of customers across Europe.

Regulators have been trying to encourage more open banking platforms like Tink to increase competition and choice across Europe.

Visa said the deal would encourage open banking, which has faced criticism from established banks which bemoan the added bureaucracy.

'Visa is committed to doing all we can to foster innovation and empower consumers in support of Europe's open banking goals,' said Al Kelly, chief executive and chairman of Visa.

The $2.2billion price tag is a 165 per cent premium on Tink's valuation last December, when it closed a fundraising round with investment from the likes of PayPal and BNP Paribas.

European venture fund Dawn Capital is also an investor in Tink and in another open banking platform iZettle.

What does Tink do? Tink is an open banking platform which was launched in 2012 by founders Daniel Kjellen and Fredrik Hedberg. Based in Stockholm, Tink provides infrastructure and data products that are then used by financial institutions or fintechs. It offers products like account aggregation, payment initiation, data enrichment, and personal finance management. They can be used to develop standalone services or be integrated into existing apps. Its partners include BNP Paribas and Klarna.

'With Tink and iZettle, Sweden has now produced two of Europe's largest ever fintech M&A exits, reflecting the world-class innovation, commercial excellence and entrepreneurial talent we have found across the Nordic market,' John Bell, general partner at Dawn Capital said.

'As the only investor in both companies, we are delighted to have supported their successful journeys to new homes within corporations with global reach, validating the relevance of the B2B tech coming out of Europe.

'We wish Tink continuing success in the next chapter of its journey.'

The deal comes after an antitrust lawsuit scuppered Visa's $5.3billion takeover of open banking giant Plaid earlier this year.

Last November the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit saying Visa is a 'monopolist in online debt transactions' and the acquisition would 'eliminate a nascent competitive threat that would likely result in substantial savings and innovative online debt services for merchants and consumers'.

The open banking regulations in Europe mean it is unlikely Tink will face the same issue, although it is still subject to regulatory approvals.

Tink will retain its brand and current management team and its headquarters will remain in Stockholm.

'We have built something incredible and at the same time we have only scratched the surface.

'Joining Visa, we will be able to move faster and reach further than ever before.

'Visa is the perfect partner for the next stage of Tink's journey, and we are incredibly excited about what this will bring to our employees, customers and for the future of financial services,' said Daniel Kjellen, chief executive and co-founder of Tink.
The original version of this story incorrectly said the Heimlich maneuver was used. Police have since clarified their initial statement, adding that the Heimlich technique is specific to abdominal thrust and not recommended for infants.

BETHLEHEM - A Bethlehem police officer saved a six-week-old baby from choking late Friday night June 25.

Just before midnight, Bethlehem Police Department Officer Caitlyn Krage responded to an emergency call for an unresponsive infant at a home on Griffin Circle in North Bethlehem.

Krage arrived at the home within minutes of the call and found the infant motionless and foaming at the mouth.

Krage administered "back blows," clearing the baby's airway so the newborn could breathe again, police said.

Emergency medical services at the scene took the baby, who police said was alert at the time, to Albany Medical Center for further evaluation.

The baby involved in the incident is home with family and doing fine, police said on July 1.
Sam McNeil/AP

BEIJING (AP)  Chinas government on Friday criticized U.S. curbs on imports of solar panel materials that might be made with forced labor as an attack on its development and said Beijing will protect Chinese companies, but gave no details of possible retaliation.

The U.S. customs agency said Thursday it will block imports of polysilicon from Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., which might use forced labor as part of a Beijing campaign against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region in the northwest. Imports from six other Chinese suppliers of raw materials and components for solar panels also are to be restricted.
After attending three local concerts in two days time, I can say with some certainty that live classical music is coming back. Looking ahead to whats in store at the summer festivals theres even more reason for confidence. During the spring all the venues promised to follow official health and safety guidelines. This implied that the pandemic could get worse and lead to more stringent conditions. But with vaccination rates at a healthy level, those guidelines are now largely over and done with. Lets hope it stays that way. Theres much to look forward to in this unorthodox summer season and especially in the fall when concert life should return to its vigorous stride.

Now here are my observations on two recent concerts. (The third event I attended was the ASO program on June 12, which Ive already reviewed.)

Once again the Albany Symphonys American Music Festival provided a bridge between spring and summer. Always full of unexpected pleasures and oddities is the annual outing of the Dogs of Desire, which took place Friday, June 11, at the Palace Theatre. When maestro David Alan Miller took to the stage he looked out into the house and exclaimed, Live human beings! Later he remarked on how great it was to hear applause, since he and the musicians had gotten accustomed to performances being greeted with silence.

Launching the evening and the first of four premieres was Kerwin Youngs You Got Your Head Up in the Clouds, an extended song about UFOs and other paranormal goings-on. With an easy beat and blues inflections, it made you think that hanging with those space aliens could be a lot of fun.

In introducing his Locked and Forgot, Tom Morrison told us how uncomfortable he is with technology, which is a little hard to believe considering the guy was born in 1992. But its not a bad premise for a piece. For an original text, he fed some William Carlos Williams into an A.I. and asked for a poetic response. Considering the resulting text was clipped and halting, Morrison did well at crafting a mostly flowing and lyric piece that included attractive writing for the woodwinds.

Bobby Ges The Gate Illuminated was a bit too illuminated. What I mean by that is the orchestration overwhelmed the music. There seemed to be a gentle spaciousness in Ges settings of ancient Chinese poetry. The wind is blowing, the leaves are falling, and action is followed by stillness. Yet it became overly weighty and busy with too many effects deployed by the ensemble, the most unnecessary being all those cymbal crashes.

Miller included a few selections from the Dogs early repertoire and it was good to hear them again. Ted Hearns Is It Dirty remains clever and naughty. Carolyn Yarnells Dreamer felt all the more poignant when we learned that the foreign lover she wrote it for some 20 years ago died last year of COVID. There were also three Parlor Songs by David Mallamud and I actually enjoyed them. Maybe Mallamud in small doses is the way to go.

The best of the night came last. Jack Frerers The Present Hour was a potent chronicle of the pandemic times based on the composers own diary. Broadway tunes touched on the challenges of isolation and the confusing nature of safety guidelines. Grief and absence were laced throughout the larger soundscape and powerfully evoked by a prolonged silence right in the middle of the piece.

Music reopens at the Tang

The Tang Teaching Museum and SPAC teamed up to commission a musical work inspired by the exhibition Energy in All Directions. The world premiere was given in a private concert in one of the galleries on the afternoon of Saturday, June 12. There were hardly more than a dozen of us in the audience, and we were seated in folding chairs located the prescribed six feet apart from one another. Also strategically placed in the room were some large pieces of original Shaker furniture thoughtfully set off by an array of colorful, mostly abstract art works.

The exhibition was a collaboration of the Shaker Museum and the Tang. The American Academy of Poets also got involved by asking eight poets to respond to the Shaker artifacts. Then composer Kenneth Frazelle used those poems as the basis for a new 50-minute work also titled Energy in All Directions. The performance was given by the marvelous soprano Lindsay Kesselman and Sandbox Percussion.

The event began with the four staggeringly talented young men of the quartet walking in while playing hotel bells in the intricate crossed rhythms of Victor Cacceses Bell Patterns. After welcoming remarks from museum director Ian Berry, Kesselman joined the quartet for the debut work.

My initial focus was on the polished performance and the fine resonance of the room. I figured that the singing and drumming could be heard throughout the spacious museum where lots of art was on display, but no viewers had been allowed in for more than a year. When the opening line of the second poem (by Francine Prose) commanded Were not here to think about furniture, I started thinking about furniture and admiring the clean lines and negative spaces of the Shaker pieces.

The interplay of all the objects in the exhibit found a fitting parallel in the imaginative and virtuoso composition by Frazelle. The percussion parts emphasized the mallet keyboards but the textures werent demanding or repetitive. The vocal writing regularly took Kesselman into the highest points of her range. Her effort was obvious but the elegant sound remained intact.

The composer sequenced the poems to go from the quotidian to the spiritual. During the penultimate movement, the quartet made long audible tears in sheets of paper and the poem (by Victoria Chang) went: Silence operates in images.

The Tang reopens on July 10. The Energy exhibit will no longer be on view, but look for a video of the concert on the museums website (tang.skidmore.edu).

Instrument drive in the North Country

Two years ago composer Evan Mack and his family relocated from Albany to Ticonderoga. When his son Carter got settled into his new school he also got enrolled in band, but Mack was disheartened by the poor condition of the provided instruments. In early 2020 he launched an instrument drive, We Are Instrumental, that quickly amassed 70 instruments valued at $35,000 and made for a transformative gift to the music program. Building on that success, Mack has expanded the scope to three additional school systems in the Adirondacks and enlisted 10 public libraries across the region as drop-off locations.

So if youve got a violin or saxophone gathering dust in your attic and if your summer plans include a getaway to the Adirondacks, consider packing up that unused instrument and donating it for use by public school students. Find out more at: evanmack.com/weareinstrumental.

Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy.
As odd as it may sound, the initial idea for one of Catskill's most anticipated new hotels is all thanks to a towel. Of course, this was no ordinary towel, but the first direct-to-consumer [DTC] product launched by Nolan McHugh and Trevor Briggs, co-founders of homewares brand Piaule (pronounced pee-AWL).

The two college friends created the company in 2014, a time when DTC brands were launching in seemingly every category, and pieces of the consumer pie seemed limitless. We saw a need for a homewares brand that sat somewhere in between the big box stores like Ikea, and the high-end designers that were out of reach for most people, says McHugh.

The duo, who studied business in college, had no formal training in design. But it soon became evident that they both possessed a keen eye for a sleek, modern aesthetic. That talent coupled with their marketing savvy kept the company going.

Even so, Piaule was not yet profitable; McHugh and Briggs began listing their New York City apartments on Airbnb to generate more income. They designed their spaces with sleek, but affordable furniture and soon were making more money as accidental hoteliers than with their day jobs.

We got this weird exposure to hospitality and design totally by accident, says Briggs. Then we thought, What if we could just combine these worlds?

That seed of an idea became Piaule Catskill a luxury hotel and spa property in the town of Catskill that opens on July 1. It is the culmination of many years of work that started with pitching investors in 2017, then touring hundreds of sites in the Hudson Valley area, and, finally, the arduous process of creating an eco-friendly resort from the ground up.

And while some would-be hoteliers have been stymied by local opposition, McHugh and Briggs were careful to only look in areas that would be amenable to a hotel project.

Municipalities have varying levels of enthusiasm when it comes to developments of this kind. A lot of places already have really great places to stay, says McHugh. But, Greene County, specifically Catskill, was super open to the idea. So, we felt welcome and encouraged by that.

And while the town of Catksill does have a handful of lodging options, they all have a traditional feel. Nothing will come close to the luxury offerings at Piaule.

The duo eventually bought land from local musician Simone Felice, who was willing to part with the mountain-view parcel for the right sort of project. He was born and raised in Catskill. So, he was a super careful steward of what was going to happen, says McHugh.

Felice approved of Piaules sustainable design and ethos, which do not just pay lip service to the idea, but run through every facet of the hotel. Eco-friendly initiatives on property included putting the cabins on piers to allow water and nutrients to permeate the soil underneath, disturbing only five out of the 50 acres when building, and creating a closed-loop water system by constructing an on-site water treatment facility and natural well.

Sean Davidson

And, just as Piaule the homewares line was meant to appeal to a consumer that appreciates elegant and sustainable design at a price point neither dirt cheap or staggeringly high, so too does Piaule the hotel. The property, whose rates start at $399 a night, consists of 24 modern cabins, spread over 50 wooded acres. There is also an on-site restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a kitted-out spa with multiple treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, and temperature-regulated pools that can be used year-round.

For now, these are open to guests only, but McHugh and Briggs would eventually like to open the property to locals looking for a few hours of staycation as well. And of course, you can also buy Piaule products on site, including glassware, limited edition pieces, bath products, and collaborations with the likes of Kati von Lehman and Village Common.

The founders worked with Garrison Architects to realize their modernist, yet sustainable designs: We were interested in prefab, panelized, or modular construction, and Jim Garrison is really a pioneer in that category, says McHugh. Hes tried every single industrialized building method you can imagine, and just has such a depth of knowledge. We felt this guy understood what we're trying to do on a really deep level.

While Garrison was in charge of the actual building, the interior design  which includes many pieces of bespoke furniture  is all McHugh and Briggs. Its a combination of many influences  Scandinavian, Japanese  that we felt fit within the context of what a landscape retreat would be in the Catskills, says McHugh.

And indeed, there are elements of both Japanese ryokan design and Scandinavian modern within each cabin. The walls, floor, and ceilings are all clad in blond wood, with one entire wall given over to a window with verdant views of the grounds (a favorite feature of both owners). The furniture is minimal, yet cozy, like the blue-and-white quilt that covers an otherwise all-white duvet on the bed. The idea was to make each cabin as unobtrusive within the natural environment as possible.

But, more than just allowing guests to unplug and delight in the arboreal surroundings, McHugh and Briggs also hope to have a bigger impact. We look at [our sustainability ethos] as a way to influence consumers habits, says McHugh. We want people to look at what they've experienced at Piaule and apply it to their own lives in a way that could be beneficial for the environment in the long run.

And while they wont know just yet how theyve changed their guests habits, the demand for the property is already apparent: theyve been sold out for their grand opening for weeks. We hope, obviously, to continue the momentum, McHugh says. Well certainly hit the ground running.
A hot air balloon hit a power line and crashed onto a busy street in Albuquerque on Saturday, killing all five people on board, including the parents of an Albuquerque police officer, police said.

The crash happened around 7 a.m. in the city's west side, police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said. Police identified two of the passengers as Martin Martinez, 59, and Mary Martinez, 62  the parents of a prison transport officer with the Albuquerque Police Department.

Police did not immediately release the others' names but said the male pilot, and a female and male passenger were from central New Mexico.

Martin Martinez also had worked for Albuquerque police on bicycle patrol but most recently was a sergeant with the local school district's police force, authorities said. Some Albuquerque officers who responded to the crash had worked with him and were sent home because it took a toll on them, said police Chief Harold Medina.

It really emphasized the point that no matter how big we think we are, we're still a tightknit community and incidents like this affect us all, Medina said.

The Albuquerque Public Schools District said Martin Martinez will forever be remembered for his lifelong dedication, courage and selflessness to the profession of law enforcement.

The intersection where the balloon crashed was still cordoned off late Saturday afternoon. The multi-colored balloon had skirted the top of the power lines, sending at least one dangling and temporarily knocking out power to more than 13,000 homes, said police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos.

The gondola fell about 100 feet (30 meters) and crashed in the street's median, catching on fire, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Bystanders frantically called out for a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and prayed aloud, video posted online showed.

The envelope of the balloon floated away, eventually landing on a residential rooftop, Gallegos said. The FAA did not immediately have registration details for the balloon but identified it as a Cameron 0-120.

Authorities haven't determined what caused the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board sent two investigators to the scene Saturday who will look into the pilot, the balloon itself and the operating environment, said spokesman Peter Knudson. A preliminary report typically is available in a couple of weeks.

Gallegos said hot air balloons can be difficult to manage, particularly when the wind kicks up.

Our balloonists tend to be very much experts at navigating, but sometimes we have these types of tragic accidents, he said.

Albuquerque is a mecca for hot air ballooning. The city hosts a nine-day event in October that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators and pilots from around the world. It is one of the most photographed events globally.

Albuquerque-area residents are treated to colorful displays of balloons floating over homes and along the Rio Grande throughout the year. While accidents aren't common, they happen.

This is a tragedy that is uniquely felt and hits uniquely hard at home here in Albuquerque and in the ballooning community, said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.

Since 2008, there have been 12 fatal hot air ballooning accidents in the United States, according to an NTSB database. Two of those happed in Rio Rancho just outside Albuquerque, including one in January where a passenger who was ejected from the gondola after a hard landing died from his injuries.

In 2016 in neighboring Texas, a hot air balloon hit high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture in the central part of the state. All 16 people on board died. Federal authorities said at the time it was the worst such disaster in U.S. history.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky's second-largest city has joined Breonna Taylor's hometown in banning the use of no-knock warrants.

The Lexington council voted 10-5 to ban no-knock warrants after more than three hours of debate Thursday night, news outlets reported.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton signed the ordinance into law on Friday, making it effective immediately, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Last year, the Metro Council in Louisville, Kentucky, voted to ban the controversial warrants, which permit officers to enter a home or residence without knocking. Taylor  a Louisville emergency medical technician studying to become a nurse  was fatally shot by police as officers burst into her home while conducting a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home.

In Lexington, the new ordinance also sets out requirements for how knock-and-announce warrants are executed.

The Rev. Clark Williams, one of several Black faith leaders who pushed for more than a year for Lexington to ban no-knock warrants, said after the council vote: Im relieved that first of all, we got to vote on what weve been talking about all year. Its very sobering it was this hard to get a vote. Were happy with the outcomes, but it shows us we have a lot more work to do.

The final vote on the ban came after a substitute amendment  which would have added more restrictions on how no-knock warrants can be used  was narrowly defeated.

Gorton previously voiced opposition to totally banning no-knock warrants in Lexington. But she signed the ordinance into law after hearing from residents who supported the proposal during the councils public comment section Thursday, the Lexington newspaper reported.

It was democracy in action, and sometimes its messy, she said. Thats just how it goes ... Sometimes it got divisive. And its OK for people to disagree, but then we need to move on.

Kentucky lawmakers this year passed a partial ban on no-knock warrants. The measure, signed by Gov. Andy Beshear, only permits no-knock warrants if there is clear and convincing evidence that the crime being investigated would qualify a person, if convicted, as a violent offender.
ALBANY - A Saratoga Springs judge has been named in a memo from the Brooklyn district attorneys office for not painting a clear picture of the facts and incorrectly citing election law when, more than two decades ago, he encouraged the state Board of Elections to investigate a state Assembly candidate for voting illegally.

In an undated memorandum from then-acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, now-Judge Jeffrey Wait was referred to several times as the catalyst for the state's investigation and subsequent legal action against John OHara, events that continue to reverberate today.

At the time, Wait was a special counsel to the state Board of Elections and his 1995 confidential memo recommended the board investigate "the validity of Mr. O'Hara's voter registration," because O'Hara was registered to vote at his girlfriend's address, not his parent's. But ultimately, the district attorney's memo said Wait's interpretation contained an incomplete or incorrect interpretation of evidence."

For example, the memo noted Wait omitted that O'Hara was steeped in a primary challenge against incumbent Assemblyman James Brennan, who initially asked for the board investigation in a letter written on his Assembly stationary. The memo also said that Wait did not tell the board that Brennans election attorney Jack Carroll had gone after the issue of O'Hara's residency status already  in 1993 and 1994  and that each time the legal challenges were withdrawn. In addition, Wait did not outline what proof he had that O'Hara didn't live at his girlfriend's home.

"The report makes clear Wait took a bunch of frivolous election law cases filed by my opponent and twisted the result to suit him," O'Hara said. "In New York, election cases are used by incumbents like Brennan to harass insurgents like me."

Wait's investigation led OHara to be tried three times. In 1997, he was convicted for voting illegally. An attorney and community activist, OHara was disbarred, sentenced to five-years probation, paid $14,192 in fines and penalties and had to do 1,500 hours of community service that included cleaning toilets and picking up trash in 16 parks.

That conviction was reversed on direct appeal, OHara said. But the damage at that point was great. I was disbarred and on the chain gang.

As deputy counsel for the Board of Elections, Wait had made several trips at the time from Albany to Brooklyn as part of the investigation into whether OHara, an activist who challenged the New York City borough's Democratic machine, had used a fake address when he registered to vote.

Wait declined to comment on the matter noting that he, and eight others involved in OHaras conviction, are still deep in litigation. OHara said he is seeking $40 million in damages because he is a victim of conspiracy, malicious prosecution and fabrication of evidence, among other allegations he is lodging against Wait, Brennan and Carroll.

OHara is also accusing Wait of concealing critical exculpatory evidence in his report to the commissioners" at the state Board of Elections in an effort to knock him out as a challenger  as a political favor to Brennan. Now, hes not surprised Wait wont comment.

Wait is a judge, said OHara who is known for his scrappy persona. He knows when to take the 5th.

In 2017, Wait defended himself against O'Hara's claims, telling the Times Union that year he was doing my job.

Gonzalezs memo unraveled the origins of the on-going saga involving Wait, Carroll and Brennan, who served in the Assembly from 1985 until his retirement in 2016. Among other things the memo notes that Wait went on to state the law incorrectly when he reported if the registrant does not, for example, have ties to the community, vote from the address, own or lease the residence or pay any of the utilities, the registration is likely to be invalid.

The memo also noted that Brennan and Carroll didn't always share information with Wait from past civil challenges that they threw at O'Hara, including those involving petitions and residency.

OHaras conviction is also unique in state history. It was only the second time that someone was convicted of illegal voting. The other was in 1873 when suffragette Susan B. Anthony was arrested for casting a ballot in Rochester decades before women had the right to vote. In her case, she was fined $100, which she refused to pay. The courts let it go and she suffered no further penalty.

OHara was not so lucky.

However, in 2009, the courts restored OHaras law license. Four years ago, 20 years after his conviction, O'Hara was cleared of the charges and his conviction was vacated. A special hearing commission concluded in court papers that the Brooklyn Democratic party machine "went gunning for him," because of his long opposition to the party's hand-picked candidates.

In 2019, OHara filed his lawsuit against Wait, Brennan, Carroll and others involved in his conviction. OHara received the memo, in which the conclusion is redacted, from the Brooklyn district attorney's office as part of pre-trial discovery in the case.

"Wait's confidential memo contained an incomplete or incorrect interpretation to get (the) state Board of Elections to approve his investigation, OHara said. Without that none of this would have happened. And now Wait's a judge. Wait's been concealing this for 25 years. Are we supposed to believe this was his one and only scam?"
A prosecutor told the judge at Derek Chauvin's sentencing Friday that the former Minneapolis police officer should face a maximum sentence because he violated an officer's most important job by failing to provide for George Floyd's care while trying to take him into custody.

Chauvin was being sentenced on a second-degree murder charge in the May 25, 2020 death of the Black man under the officer's knee.
BETHLEHEM - If this sounds like a familiar sentence, you're right: For yet another time a truck struck the underpass of the Albany County Rail Trail Bridge in Slingerlands.

On this most recent occasion, just a few minutes before 10 a.m. Friday, Bethlehem police said they responded to the area of 1526 New Scotland Road for the truck accident.
An attorney for George Floyds family said Friday that family members were feeling anxious ahead of a sentencing hearing for former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder and other charges in Floyds death on May 25, 2020, and he faces a practical maximum of 30 years when hes sentenced Friday afternoon.

Family attorney Ben Crump told The Associated Press that family members were feeling anxious and tense. Floyds brother Philonise, his brother Terrence and his nephew Brandon Williams plan to make victim impact statements at Chauvin's sentencing.

Philonise Floyd often occupied the Floyd family's assigned seat in the socially distanced courtroom where Chauvin's trial was held. He also testified as part of prosecutors' efforts to humanize George Floyd to the jury, recalling their childhood in a poor part of Houston and his brother's knack for making banana mayonnaise sandwiches.

Philonise Floyd testified last year before Congress in support of a federal overhaul of policing just a day after his older brother's funeral.

Terrence Floyd, a bus driver in New York, also is a frequent representative for the Floyd family at protests and other events. Last fall, he appeared with Joe Biden in the presidential campaign's final days and separately joined a push encouraging people to vote.

Brandon Williams too has acted as a representative for the broader Floyd family since his uncle's death, advocating for a federal overhaul of policing and joining other family members who met with Biden at the White House on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death.

To us, George Floyd is a cause. Hes a case; hes a hashtag. To them -- thats their flesh and blood. You know, that thats their brother, Crump said.

Crump also said he wanted to see a sentence above what is typically given for a second-degree murder conviction.

There was nothing typical about what Derek Chauvin did in torturing George Floyd to death, Crump said. So we dont expect it to be a typical sentence. It needs to be a sentence that sets a new precedent for holding police officers accountable for the unjustifiable killings of Black people in America.

In Minnesota, the presumptive sentence for second-degree unintentional murder for someone with no criminal record like Chauvin is 12 1/2 years, and the judge could sentence Chauvin to up to 15 years while staying within the guidelines. But Judge Peter Cahill has already found that there are aggravating factors that would allow him to go above the state's sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year sentence, while Chauvin's defense has asked for probation.

With Chauvins sentencing, the Floyd family is experiencing something that few Black American families have experienced since the advent of professional policing in the U.S. The list of acquittals and mistrials, in the rare cases where officers accused of brutality or misconduct have gone to trial, is longer than the list of those convicted and sentenced.

In recent years, the list of acquittals has included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis, Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and two mistrials over the death of Samuel Dubose in Cincinnati.

Thats why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor, who has represented victims of police brutality in court. Everybody knows that this doesnt happen every day.

Black people deserve justice, said Taylor, who is Black.

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Foody reported from Chicago, Morrison from New York.

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Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
NEW YORK (AP)  Two 2016 depositions of Ghislaine Maxwell in a civil case in which she was repeatedly questioned about financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual activities can be used at her criminal trial this year over the objections of her lawyers, a judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan in Manhattan rejected the request that she block prosecutors from using the interviews of Maxwell at her November sex trafficking trial.

Lawyers for the British socialite charged with procuring teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse had argued Maxwell only participated in the depositions because she was promised they would be kept secret.

The judge sealed her opinion explaining her reasoning until lawyers have time to recommend redactions.

Maxwell, 59, has been jailed since her arrest last July. The former girlfriend of Epstein has pleaded not guilty to charges that she recruited four teenage girls between 1994 and 2004 for Epstein.

Epstein, a wealthy financier and convicted sex offender, killed himself in his cell at a federal Manhattan lockup in August 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.

Judge Nathan has thrice rejected bail requests and a federal appeals court has twice agreed that Maxwell should remain incarcerated despite her willingness to pledge a $28.5 million bail package that would include 24-hour armed guards and an offer to reject her British and French citizenships. She is a U.S. citizen too.

Her lawyers had hoped to force the dismissal of two perjury counts stemming from her answers to questions during depositions in April and July of 2016.

In one count, she was charged with lying when she said I don't know what you're talking about when she was asked during the April 2016 deposition whether Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages.

In another count, she was charged with perjury for saying she did not recall whether she was aware of the presence of sex toys or devices in sexual activities at Epstein's Palm Beach, Florida, home, and for saying she wasn't aware whether Epstein was having sexual activities with anyone other than herself.

The perjury charges stemmed from Maxwell's comments during depositions resulting from a since-settled lawsuit brought against her by one of Epsteins accusers, Virginia Giuffre.

Redacted versions of the transcripts of the depositions were released publicly earlier this year by a judge in response to requests by the Miami Herald.

In arguing that the depositions be suppressed and unavailable for use at the criminal trial, Maxwell's lawyers said their client had decided to answer questions during the depositions rather than invoke her privilege against compulsory self-incrimination because a court-approved agreement ensured evidence would stay confidential.

The lawyers noted that a judge cited the confidentiality promise in granting a request that Maxwell be forced to answer highly intrusive questions related to her own sexual activity and her knowledge of the sexual activity of others at the depositions.

Maxwell's attorneys did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
ALBANY - Hans Toch, a native of Vienna, Austria, who fled the Nazi Holocaust for the United States during his youth in the 1940s to become one of the pre-eminent criminologists in the world at the University at Albany, died June 18 at his home in Loudonville at age 91.

Toch, who is survived by his son Jay and daughter Michelle, along with his daughter's husband Daniel and two grandchildren, was one of the founding faculty members of UAlbany's renowned School of Criminal Justice, which was created in 1968 and was the first in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in criminal justice.

Known for his concern for and embrace of humanity and the points of view of those caught up in and working in the criminal justice system, Toch taught at UAlbany's downtown campus until his 2008 retirement and authored more than 30 books, many of them classics in the field of criminology and forensic psychology.

Toch won the August Vollmer Award from the American Society of Criminology in 2001 and the Prix DeGreff award for distinction in clinical criminology by the International Society of Criminology in 2005.

While he was a leading scholar in his field, Toch was also known to family and friend for his love of good food, humor and wit, his love of pet dogs, collecting antiques, tending to his property at his 18th century farmhouse and smoking cigars until he was forced to quit.

Toch was obsessed with collecting antiques and artwork and loved nothing better in his spare time than to drive out into the countryside to "hunt" for hidden treasures, his daughter said.

"I really think he just had a truly innate, extraordinary taste, a fascination with old things, admiration for quality craftsmanship, and a curious ever-learning mind for each and every artifact he collected," his daughter Michelle, who lives in East Berne, told the Times Union. "Art and antiques just spoke to him. He adored beautiful things. He also liked to get a great deal on those items he collected."

Toch's impact on the criminal justice field was global.

"He pioneered participatory research methods involving prisoners and police officers as both researchers and research subjects, and brought a humanistic voice to the authoritarian world of criminal justice," Shadd Maruna, a professor of criminology at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland and a one-time colleague of Toch's at UAlbany in the 1990s said in a remembrance Toch's family used in his obituary. "His work was transformative in the Scottish Prison Service, among other far-flung places."

Maruna, who would correspond by email with Toch almost daily and would visit him in Albany every few years, told the Times Union that Toch loved food and eating in his favorite restaurants, including Rain, a Chinese restaurant on Lark Street in Albany where Toch was "something of a legend" among the staff.

"Hans was a great believer in shared food rituals and took his food very seriously, (although) he was certainly no food snob," Maruna said.

Toch fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1941, it is believed, traveling through Cuba and then ultimately to New York City.

He earned his bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1952 and his Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton University in 1955. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he was a Fulbright Fellow in Norway and later lectured at Harvard University and took a faculty job in the psychology department at Michigan State University.

Toch was recruited to UAlbany in 1967 to become a founding faculty member at UAlbany's groundbreaking School of Criminal Justice that opened the next year as part of a broad criminal justice initiative of Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.

Toch didn't talk at length about his experience living through the Holocaust, but friends and family said it shaped him as a man and his academic career.

"He told me only a few stories about Cuba and Austria and his childhood." his daughter Michelle said. "I know it was extremely traumatic. He saw terror first hand by the Nazis and people he knew in his community terrorized. He was lucky to escape to Cuba."

Michelle said that David Duffee,who was in the first doctoral class at the School of Criminal Justice under Toch's teaching, has said that Toch was driven by a desire to "reduce human suffering" throughout his career, an urge she believes was shaped by his life under Nazi rule.

Maruna also believes that Toch's past played a major role in his academic passions and his advocacy to reform the justice system and make it more humane.

"He definitely did not like to talk about his past in Austria, but he and his family were certainly interned in the camps and he did say that his (extended) family was decimated in the Holocaust," Maruna told the Times Union. "He did not write about that time in his work, but the way he approached the study of incarceration was always very much informed by those horrific experiences."
Albany

A Saratoga Springs judge is among nine defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by a New York City lawyer who contends he was maliciously prosecuted in the 1990s because opposed Brooklyns powerful Democratic machine.

Saratoga Springs Judge Jeffrey Wait was a state Board of Elections deputy counsel when he made several trips at the time from Albany to Brooklyn as part of an investigation into whether activist John OHara used a fake address when he registered to vote.

In 1997, OHara was convicted of false voter registration and illegal voting after then-Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes found he registered to vote at a girlfriends address that was 12 blocks from his official residence. He was also stripped of his law license. The charges followed several years of investigations by Hynes and his staff.

But this past January, OHara was cleared of the charges and his conviction was vacated.

The court system in 2009 had already restored OHaras law license. A special hearing commission concluded in court papers that the Brooklyn Democratic party machine went gunning for him, because of his long opposition to the partys hand-picked candidates.

It was a real Irish grudge match, OHara said with a chuckle, referring to the years of conflict between Hynes and himself.

Nor is it over.

OHara's federal claim alleges malicious prosecution and denial of due process among other charges. Hes seeking $25 million in damages.

OHara had long tangled with Hynes although they initially were allies. According to the complaint, Hynes, in the late 1980s, told OHara he would back him in a Democratic primary for state Assembly. But he ended up supporting James Brennan instead.

Brennan, who was well-known for his work in mental health and housing issues, was in the Assembly from 1985 until his retirement in 2016.

As for Waits role in the affair, OHara said he made trips to Brooklyn in an effort to find out where he was actually living.

While memories of the case have faded over the decades, Wait said he was acting in his position as deputy counsel for the BOE.

I was an employee of the state Board of Elections. I was doing my job, Wait said.

The attorney generals office will defend Wait in the civil suit since he was working for the state government at the time.

Generally, the BOE investigates complaints and, if the state election commissioners agree, can pursue a case and refer it to a local district attorney, which is what happened in OHaras case.

The effort to show that OHara had two residences was extensive, with surveillance and investigators even getting his tax records, O'Hara's complaint states, adding that Brennan had a role in that.

Neither Brennan nor Hynes could be reached for comment.

OHara noted that the episode cost him thousands of dollars and he spent 15 years without his law license.

I was cleaning garbage in the park, he said, explaining that he was sentenced to 1,500 hours of community service, which included picking up trash in Brooklyns parks.

He claims the politically motivated investigation consumed countless man-hours and involved the deployment of investigators who would normally probe more serious crimes, including drug cases and homicides.

In addition to Hynes, Wait and Brennan, six others are named in the lawsuit: Brooklyn Assistant District Attorneys John OMara, Angelo Morelli, Dino Amoroso, Investigator Allen Presser and Brennan staffers John Carroll and John Keefe.

OHara said his 1997 conviction was just the second time that someone was convicted of illegal voting in New York. The other was in 1873 when suffragette Susan B. Anthony was arrested  before women had the right to vote.

OHara hasnt given up his political activities. He made an unsuccessful primary bid earlier in 2017 for a civil court judgeship in Brooklyn.

He compared the boroughs politics as something akin to a Third World dictatorship or an old Soviet satellite.

The winners take office, the losers go to jail, he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
NEW YORK (AP)  For decades, when LGBTQ people have gathered to take part in New York Citys annual Pride march, theyve made their presence known with every color and type of clothing imaginable.

But soon, there's going to be something off-limits: police uniforms.

As the city's annual Pride weekend approaches, a recent decision by organizers of New York City's event to ban LGBTQ police officers from marching in uniform in future parades has put a spotlight on issues of identity and belonging, power and marginalization.

For some, cops shouldn't have a uniformed presence at a march commemorating the 1969 Stonewall uprising, sparked by a police raid on a gay bar. Tensions between law enforcement and some parts of the LGBTQ community still exist, a half century later.

Folks still have challenging and traumatic and many times horrific relationships with law enforcement, said John Blasco, a parade regular. If youre an officer ... of course you should be able to celebrate and express your pride, but you dont need to do it in a uniform that has perpetuated violence against many of the people who are trying to celebrate their pride that day.

For others, presence of LGBTQ police marchers is an expression of hard-fought diversity and inclusion that should be celebrated, a hallmark of how integral LGBTQ people are in the fabric of American life.

Why should I have to hide a part of me, asked Ana Arboleda, a sergeant with the NYPD who has marched in the parade several times and is the vice-president of the Gay Officers Action League. Why should I have to take off (the uniform) as if Im ashamed?

Its somewhat of a moot point this year; with pandemic limitations still in play until only recently, the New York City Pride event planned for Sunday organized by Heritage of Pride is largely a virtual one.

But the ban will be in effect next year until at least 2025, the organizers said.

The role police officers should play in the annual parade has been debated for years, but it took on new heat amid a national reckoning around police brutality.

New York City's streets a year ago were awash in protests over the death of George Floyd and clashes between demonstrators and officers.

There is a long history of fraught interactions between LGBTQ people and law enforcement, particularly among those who are racial minorities or transgender, and say they feel targeted and harassed by policing as a system.

The divide over whether uniformed police have a role in Pride goes to the heart of one of the long standing tensions in LGBT politics, said Marc Stein, history professor at San Francisco State University.

Is the goal diversity, or is the goal addressing fundamental power relationships in society, and inequality? he asked. Those are two really different things.

The ban is not the first for a Pride march; Toronto Pride hasn't allowed uniformed police since 2017, and Vancouver Pride started limiting their role then as well, while Capital Pride Alliance started doing so in 2018. Denver PrideFest isn't allowing law enforcement to take part in its virtual event this year, and neither is the Capitol Hill Pride Festival, which takes place in Seattle but is separate from Seattle Pride.

In New York City, an alternative to the Heritage of Pride event called the Queer Liberation March, organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition as a rebuttal to what they consider a too-corporate, too-comfortable main parade, has never allowed a police presence since its 2019 inception.

Andre Thomas, co-chair of Heritage of Pride, the group that organizes the main New York City march, said the process that led to that ban started last year.

There was no New York City Pride in-person event because of the pandemic, but Reclaim Pride did hold a march, and at the end, police arrested and pepper-sprayed some demonstrators.

That negative interaction led to LGBTQ community pressure on Heritage to respond forcefully to police mistreatment, Thomas said, which led to internal conversations as well as conversations with the city and the NYPD about the level of police security staffing at NYC Pride events and how that could be de-escalated.

Thomas said those discussions also involved reaching out to the Gay Officers Action League. GOAL members have been marching in NYC Pride in uniform since 1996, often to cheers.

But there are also those members of the LGBTQ community who are not cheering, who have a much more contentious relationship with police, Thomas said.

We realized that for many people in the community, that uniform is triggering, that creates a sense of being unsafe and unwelcome, he said.

The organization's executive board had to weigh the need for one group to wear a uniform for a couple of hours vs. the need for someone who's marginalized feeling safe and welcome, he said.

They spoke to GOAL, and that organization announced the ban before Heritage did, putting out a release saying they were being kicked out of the parade, and that the decision made in order to placate some of the activists in our community is shameful.

Arboleda, vice-president at GOAL, acknowledged that some people did have negative interactions with officers, but felt that those were outweighed by people who had good experiences with law enforcement.

We have to think and see the bigger picture for what it is, she said. A small number of bad experiences doesnt cancel out millions of positive experiences.
HONG KONG (AP)  China on Friday promoted Hong Kongs top security official to the territorys No. 2 spot as Beijing looks to the government of the Asian financial hub to clamp down on free speech and political opponents to restore stability following anti-government protests.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Secretary for Security John Lee would replace Matthew Cheung as the citys chief secretary, while police chief Chris Tang would take over Lees role. Raymond Siu Chak-yee, Tang's deputy, will be the new head of the police force.

Hong Kong's government has long been lauded for its professionalism and efficiency, but its image has been battered in recent years by its banning and suppression of pro-democracy protests and its hard-line enforcement of Beijing's security policies. The U.S. and other Western democracies have imposed visa bans and other sanctions on Lam, Lee and other members of the administration.

Violent clashes between police and pro-democracy demonstrators in 2019 prompted the central government to adopt a firm line against political concessions, a policy seen through by Lam, Lee, Tang and Siu, who made restoring public order their top priority.

They have had distinguished performance in the government over the years and possess proven leadership skills," Lam said of those promoted. I am confident that they are competent for their new posts and would rise to the challenges in serving the community.

Cheung, the former No. 2, will be retiring from government service.

The leadership changes come a year after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the former British colony and one day after Hong Kongs last remaining pro-democracy newspaper, the Apple Daily, published its final edition.

Police froze $2.3 million of the newspaper's assets, searched its office and arrested five top editors and executives last week, accusing them of foreign collusion to endanger national security. Its founder, Jimmy Lai, is facing charges under the national security law of foreign collusion and is currently serving a prison sentence for involvement in the 2019 pro-democracy protest movement.

On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden said it was a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world," and accused Beijing of having insisted on wielding its power to suppress independent media and silence dissenting views."

People in Hong Kong have the right to freedom of the press. Instead, Beijing is denying basic liberties and assaulting Hong Kongs autonomy and democratic institutions and processes, inconsistent with its international obligations," Biden said in a statement on the White House website.

Apple Daily continues to be published online in Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory.

Beijing promised Hong Kong could maintain its civil liberties for 50 years after the former British colony was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997, but has essentially abandoned that commitment to impose total political control and end what it sees as undue foreign influence on the semi-autonomous city's institutions.

China effectively ended multiparty democracy in Hong Kong by having the ceremonial Chinese legislature in Beijing impose the national security law without debate or a vote in the city's Legislative Council. It then moved to pack the Legislative Council with Beijing loyalists while radically reducing the proportion of legislators directly elected by voters.

Opposition legislators earlier resigned as a group after four colleagues were barred on national security grounds.

In recent months, police have arrested most of the citys pro-democracy activists. Most are still in police custody, while others have sought asylum abroad, under threat from Lam's administration for past statements and actions seen as disloyal to China or in violation of Hong Kong law as it now stands.

Despite the overwhelming emphasis on security, Lam told reporters that the role of the chief secretary in helping oversee the city's daily administration, including dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, had not changed.

Yet she appeared to acknowledge Beijing's increasingly assertive role in managing the city's affairs and the central government's demand for absolute loyalty from Hong Kong officials and members of the Legislative Council.

Now today as chief executive, I am responsible not only to Hong Kong but also to the central government, performing national duties, particularly in safeguarding national security," Lam told reporters. So for people with commitment, integrity, leadership and spirit to serve the nation and Hong Kong ... we will put in our best."

China has dismissed foreign sanctions and criticism as interference in its internal affairs, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday defended the national security law as focused on cracking down on a small group of anti-China elements in Hong Kong who have seriously endangered national security, and which protects the rights and freedoms enjoyed by the vast majority of Hong Kong residents in accordance with the law, including freedom of the press."

Since the enforcement of the Hong Kong national security law, Hong Kong society has returned to stability, the rule of law and justice has been upheld, and the legal rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents and foreign citizens have been better protected in a safer environment," Zhao said at a daily briefing.

Accusing China of suppressing press freedom just because the organization involved in the case is a news outlet and the individuals punished are working in the field of journalism is an attempt to confuse the public out of ulterior motives," Zhao said.

The U.S. should respect the facts, stop using excuses of any form to obstruct law enforcement in (Hong Kong), stop shielding suspects and interfering in Hong Kong affairs and Chinas internal affairs in any way," he said.
COPAKE  With a 500 megawattt capacity covering 2,800 acres, Hecate Energys planned Cider solar project in western New Yorks Genesee County will be one of the states largest to date. The local community seems to be on board, with little local known opposition.

Yet the far smaller 60 megawatt, 255-acre Sheperds Run proposal from the same company for Columbia County has prompted a pitched battle, with what appears to be a highly organized and well-funded campaign to stop it.

Why the difference? Its because different communities across upstate New York, each with their own social and economic stories, have vastly different outlooks when it comes to such developments.

The two projects offer a lesson in how solar development may proceed, and they raise questions about how the concept of environmental justice will play out.

The Genesee County towns of Elba and Oakfield are the kind of rural communities that have in recent years struggled with low farm prices and the kind of population loss that has afflicted much of upstate. The prospect of a solar farm bringing hundreds of construction jobs, even if temporary, and tax revenue, has been welcomed with scant opposition.

The commitments and financial resources Hecate brings to our community are welcomed additions. Oakfield Supervisor Matt Martin recently said about the project.

But theres been no warm welcome in Columbia County where opponents say a solar farm would mar the areas viewshed, which is a major tourist draw.

People come up here to see the cornfields and the rolling hills, said Darin Johnson, the organizer of Sensible Solar for Rural New York, a group started to oppose the Sheperds Run project as currently planned.

Like Genesee, Columbia County is agricultural. But its also become a tourist destination and second-home draw for New York City residents about 125 miles away. Johnson and others say a solar farm would run counter to that niche.

Our whole area has spent the last two decades building a tourism economy, said Johnson, noting the wineries, farm-to-table restaurants, boutique-style specialty farms and other attractions in the area.

If the Hudson Valley becomes a patchwork of industrial-scale solar facilities thats going to have an impact, he said. We know that people come for the viewsheds.

Columbia County has also seen an influx of outside money. The area has long been a favored second home spot for wealthy New York City residents. But the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a national housing boom, has brought even greater wealth to the area. Vacation homeowners are becoming permanent residents, thanks to telecommuting; land and home prices are continuing to rise.

Youve got a different group of people who have money or access to money, remarked Eric Ooms, a Valatie dairy famer whose family has been in the county since 1950.

In some cases, affluent newcomers are buying not just homes but surrounding woodlands and acreage simply to maintain their views and privacy, he said.

This influx of wealth is also fueling the fight against Sheperds Run. Opponents have hired a public relations firm and are considering litigation possibly to contest the regulations that puts most of the decision-making in state rather than local hands. A legal battle like that could cost tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Hecate officials say they are aware of local concerns in Columbia County and have downsized and adjusted their plans for Sheperds Run. It was originally envisioned as a 480-acre project but its now 360 acres. They are looking at creating pollinator habitats to help keep the area green and may help farmers grow Christmas trees, which would act as visual screens to the solar panels.

But the debate about Sheperds Run remains heated, said Hecate Project Manager Alex Campbell.

Its become a drowned-out conversation, he said, especially in contrast with the reception in Genesee County, where several large solar projects are planned.



I think Genesee County sees an opportunity to create an electro-county, said Campbell.

All of this isnt to say that Sheperds Run has no supporters in Columbia County. Theres a pro-solar farm group as well. Nor is it the only place where there have been clashes over green development.

A group of business tycoons with beach homes on Long Islands East Hampton have been battling a cable that is planned to connect offshore wind towers to the mainland, even though the cable would be buried underground.

Its the poster child for NIMBYism, Anne Reynolds, executive director at the Alliance for Clean Energy said of the Long Island fight, using the acronym for "not in my backyard." Her group promotes solar, wind and other renewables.

Still, Reynolds understands the concerns of second homeowners in areas that may be impacted by green energy or any other kind of project.

The farmers and the people who live there full time often recognize the benefits of the tax revenue and the leasing revenue, from wind or solar farms. The second homeowner who might be a more recent resident to the community is there for vacation and relaxation, she said.

Tom Shepstone puts it more bluntly. Its the gentry class to some extent, he said of solar or wind opponents.

Shepstone is a land use consultant who has worked with natural gas developers.

Hes typically on the other side of the debate with renewable proponents like Reynolds. But he agreed that NIMBYism can apply to solar as well as fossil fuel development and it often emerges in locations with a lot of affluent second homeowners.

They resent anybody doing anything near them. They want solar but they dont want it near them, he said.

Ultimately the green or red lights for these projects will fall to the newly created state Office for Renewable Siting, meaning that local town zoning boards have limited say.

Oakfields Martin admitted that recently when he told The Batavian newspaper that I had one resident ask about if the town wanted it or didnt want it and I said, basically, that we have no choice.

The state dictates what they do with the solar panels; the state is running the show, not us.

That doesnt mean the battle in Columbia County ends, especially given the ongoing real estate boom, and the push for renewable energy.

Columbia, said Ooms, Is conflicted.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU


VENICE, Italy (AP)  Away from the once-maddening crowds of St. Marks Square, tiny Certosa island could be a template for building a sustainable future in Venice as it tries to relaunch its tourism industry without boomeranging back to pre-pandemic day-tripping hordes.

Private investment has converted the forgotten public island just a 15-minute waterbus ride from St. Marks Square into a multi-faceted urban park where Venetians and Venice conoscenti can mix, free from the tensions inherent to the lagoon citys perennial plague of mass tourism.

This is the B-side of the Venetian LP, said Alberto Sonino, who heads the development project that includes a hotel, marina, restaurant and woodland. Everyone knows the first song of the A-side of our long-play, almost nobody, not even the most expert or locals, know the lagoon as an interesting natural and cultural environment.

It may be now or never for Venice, whose fragile city and lagoon environment alike are protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. Citing overtourism, UNESCO took the rare step this week of recommending Venice be placed on its list of World Heritage in Danger sites. A decision is expected next month.

After a 15-month pause in mass international travel, Venetians are contemplating how to welcome visitors back to its picture-postcard canals and Byzantine backdrops without suffering the past indignities of crowds clogging narrow alleyways, day-trippers picnicking on stoops and selfie-takers crowding the Rialto Bridge.

The recommendation by UNESCOs World Heritage Center took into account mass tourism, in particular the passage of cruise ships through the historic center, a steady decline in permanent residents as well as governance and management problems.

This is not something we propose lightly, Mechtild Roessler, director of the World Heritage Center, told AP. It is to alert the international community to do more to address these matters together.

Veneto regional officials have submitted a plan for relaunching the tourism-dependent city to Rome that calls for controlling arrivals of day-trippers, boosting permanent residents, encouraging startups, limiting the stock of private apartment rentals and gaining control over commercial zoning to protect Venetian artisans.

The proposal, submitted in March, aims to make Venice a world sustainability capital, and hopes to tap some of the 222 million euros ($265 million) in EU recovery funds to help hard-hit Italy relaunch from the pandemic.

Venice is in danger of disappearing. If we dont stop and reverse this, Venice in 10 years will be a desert, where you turn the lights on in the morning, and turn them off in the evening, said Nicola Pianon, a Venice native and managing director of the Boston Consulting Group whose strategic plan for Venice informed the region's proposal.

The proposal responds to Venetians' urgency to reclaim their city from the mass tourism that peaked at some 25 million individual visitors in 2019, and stanch the exodus of 1,000 Venetians each year. It envisions investments of up to 4 billion euros to attract 12,000 new residents and create 20,000 new jobs.

As much as Venetians groan at the huge tourist flows, the pandemic also revealed the extent to which the relationship is symbiotic.

Along with lost tourist revenue, Venetians suffered a drastic reduction in public transport, heavily subsidized by tourist traffic. Even city museums could not afford to reopen to residents when lockdowns eased.

Venice without tourists became a city that could not serve its own citizens, said Anna Moretti, an expert in destination management at Venices Ca Foscari University.

The pandemic paused the citys plans to introduce a day-tripper tax last year on visitors who sleep elsewhere  80% of the total tourist footfall.

Some 19 million day-trippers visited in 2019 , spending just 5 euros ($6) to 20 euros each, according to Boston Consulting. On the other side of that equation, the 20% of tourists who spend at least one night in Venice contribute more than two-thirds of all tourist revenue.

A reservation system with an access fee is expected to launch sometime in 2022 to manage day visitors.

With an eye on monitoring daily tourist arrivals, the city set up a state-of-the-art Smart Control Room near the main railroad bridge last year that identifies how many visitors are in Venice at any moment using cell-phone data that also reveals their country of origin and location in the city.

The technology means that future reservations can be monitored with QR codes downloaded on phones, without the need to set up check points. Pianon said the plan is feasible in a city like Venice, which has a limited number of access points and is just 5 square kilometers (2 square miles) in area.

Relaunching more sustainable tourism in Venice would require diverting tourists to new destinations, encouraging more over-night stays, discouraging day trips and enabling the repopulation of the city with new residents.

Much could go wrong. Tourist operators are desperate for business to return, and there is a pent-up global desire to travel. In addition, many changes being sought by regional and city officials must be decided in Rome, including any limits on commercial zoning or Airbnb rental properties.

I think the level of dystopia that we had reached was of such a scale that there has to be a reaction, said Carlo Bagnoli, head of an innovation lab, VeniSia, at Ca Foscari University. There are many projects emerging from many places.

Certosa island, after more than a decade, is still a work in progress, but its success is in the numbers: 3,000 visitors each weekend.

Sonino sees another 10 public sites in the lagoon with redevelopment potential, including former hospitals, abandoned islands and military bases.

He blames Venetians themselves for the citys predicament, being long on talk, short on action. But he feels the pandemic -- coupled with the worlds abiding interest in Venices future -- might just be the push the city needs to change.

I prefer to hope that we catch the opportunity. Carpe diem is not only a slogan but an opportunity, Sonino said. We need a lot of ideas and a lot of passion to take Venice from the past to the future.
WATERVLIET - The skeletal remains found buried in the yard of a 13th Street home Friday are that of a newborn, city police said Saturday.

Police said they made the determination through forensic analysis and reiterated that the current occupants and property owner are not suspects in the criminal investigation related to the matter.

"The callous manner in which this infant child was discarded violates the core of all decency and humanity. Abuse and maltreatment against children cannot be tolerated," Chief Joseph L. Centanni said in a statement Saturday. "Each member of the Watervliet Police Department, along with our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to bring the people responsible for this criminal act to justice."

Police did not provide details about how long ago the child had died or the cause of death.

On Friday afternoon, authorities could be seen removing a small, suitcase-sized box from the property at 311 13th Street. The box was then transported from the scene in a hearse.

Watervliet police said detectives from their department, as well as members of the State Police, located the remains. Police said there is no threat to residents in the area.

The residence at 311 13th St. is a 2.5-story multifamily home. According to a listing on realtor.com, the home was built in 1900 and sold three times in the last 19 years  twice in 2002 and then again in 2010.
Earlier this month, state lawmakers ended their legislative session without taking action on two bills critical to crime victims: the Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole bills. Its essential that they reconvene to pass these bills immediately. Let me explain.

Among the many people lost to COVID-19, Darlene Lulu Benson-Seay was the first woman to die of the virus in a New York prison. Lulu was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner violence, and the child of a murdered parent. Most importantly, she was a loyal sister and friend to many on both sides of the prison walls.

When society thinks about crime victims and people who commit crime, we usually think about these groups as separate. But as Lulus tragic life exemplifies, theyre not. The reality is that many of us who have experienced violence at the hands of a loved one or a stranger are the same Black people and other people of color impacted by mass incarceration. Thats why many of us in the survivor community are banding together, as we did at a Survivor's Townhall for Parole Justice in April, to expand public awareness and identify real approaches to safety and healing.

As survivors of sexual violence, we know we cannot end sexual abuse and interpersonal violence with state violence, including racist policing and brutal prisons. These systems do not deliver justice and we refuse to let our government lock up mostly Black people and people of color in prison for endless years and decades in our names.

In New Yorks prisons, there is a crisis of aging, sickness and death because of decades of harsh sentencing laws and merciless parole release denials. More than 1,000 people have died in prison during Gov. Andrew Cuomos time in office. Roughly 1,000 more have such long sentences they will surely die in custody, and many others will die within months of release due to debilitating health.

Currently, people who appear before the New York State Parole Board, a body of appointees tasked with determining whether to release incarcerated people, are often denied based solely on their original conviction  the one thing they can never change. And many others with extreme sentences will never be eligible for parole consideration, including people convicted as teenagers, no matter how much they have transformed.

We are working to pass reforms to the parole system in New York and give people in prison, particularly elders, an opportunity to be fairly considered for release. The Elder Parole bill would make older adults who have served at least 15 consecutive years eligible for parole consideration. The Fair and Timely Parole bill would ensure parole hearings evaluate people based on who they are today, including any rehabilitative endeavors they have pursued, evidence-based therapeutic programs they have successfully completed, and their reentry plans. The Parole Board would continue to assess an individuals readiness for release on a case-by-case basis. These reforms would go a long way toward undoing the despair of the current system.

For many survivors of violence, healing support is critical: According to a national survey on the perspectives of crime victims on criminal justice reform, most survivors want funding for rehabilitation, not endless punishment. Digging deeper, the Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims, a group of survivors and advocates in New York, developed a new agenda for crime victims, including racial justice, accountability, and interventions to stop cycles of violence. Not on the list? Long prison sentences.

Also, many survivors, especially Black people and other people of color, transgender survivors, and other marginalized survivor communities, are directly harmed by death-in-prison sentences. Most people enter prison with histories of childhood trauma and, once behind bars, they often experience violence at the hands of guards. Likewise, survivors in the community lose sorely needed support networks when their loved ones are locked up.

The legal system doesnt promote healing, nor accountability. And its certainly not about safety - police are generally called, if they are even called, after the violence has occurred. The current system is about vengeance, racism, and shame - everything that creates the conditions that lead to violence. It silences survivors of color and other marginalized survivors.

Despite this, individuals behind bars find their own ways to heal, take accountability, and go on to make enormous contributions - helping others to heal and prevent violence with mentorship and life-altering peer-led programs in prison. We need their insights to help prevent violence in communities outside of prison. Expanding opportunities for parole release will improve safety in our communities.

As Black people and other people of color, we have a history of healing thats rooted in community  through church, cultural centers, and the arts. Were about loving each other and finding a common language to help our people heal. Incarceration only serves to further unbind our families and communities.

We need to build new systems rooted in our communities to keep us safe, and we cannot succeed when so many of our brightest minds  our elders, our leaders, our survivors - rot in cages.

Luz Marquez Benbow is a co-founder of the National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault and a co-founder of Troy for Black Lives.
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[June 25, 2021] SFL Scientific Named Partner of the Year for AI Services Delivery by NVIDIA Partner Network

SFL Scientific announced today that it has been selected by the NVIDIA Partner Network (NPN) as the 2020 Service Delivery Partner of the Year for the Americas. This is the third consecutive year that SFL Scientific has been honored with this award. The NPN recognizes SFL Scientific for its commitment to promoting AI adoption through its AI consulting services, helping clients and partners develop new AI tools, products, and solutions by leveraging the power of machine learning and NVIDIA (News - Alert) GPUs. By addressing how organizations capture valuable data across business functions, develop complex and tactical AI solutions, and operationalize their compute and data architecture to support technology investments, SFL Scientific has become a leading provider of AI services across twenty industries including healthcare, life sciences, industrials, and defense. "Receiving this recognition from NVIDIA for the third year in a row is continued validation of our success in helping organizations solve unique R&D and operational challenges with deep learning and AI-based solutions," said Dr. Michael Segala, CEO, SFL Scientific. "NVIDIA's industry-leading GPU portfolio benefits not only our clients and partners, but empowers our firm to capitalize on these advances to create solutions beyond what is commercially available." The global NPN Program provides partners the expertise required to develop, deploy and maintain world-class accelerated computing solutions designed for today's most demanding machine learning and AI workloads.



The collaboration with NVIDIA has been central to the deployment of high-throughput AI systems powered by deep learning, natural language processing, and graph-based anomaly detection. Joining the NPN program has enabled SFL Scientific to provide integrated solutions and AI professional services that take advantage of NVIDIA's DGX systems and Jetson systems and SDK portfolio, including NVIDIA Triton Inference Server for optimizing the deployment of AI models in production. "We recognize SFL Scientific for their depth of technical expertise and helping clients and partners from hardware enablement to AI deployment," said Craig Weinstein, Vice President of the Americas Partner Organization at NVIDIA. "SFL Scientific's collaboration with NVIDIA to develop strategic services for AI solutions has allowed organizations an easy to access on-ramp towards becoming an AI-driven enterprise."

SFL Scientific's data science and engineering teams have worked extensively to distinguish their capabilities working with enterprise organizations and federal agencies by developing novel data architectures, DevOps and MLOps tools, and custom algorithms to solve business and mission objectives. Recognized as an NVIDIA Elite Partner in 2021, SFL Scientific will continue to utilize and promote the best available technologies to meet client requirements. About SFL Scientific SFL Scientific is a US-based data science consulting firm focused on strategy, technology, and solving business & operational challenges with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Working with clients of all sizes, industries, and AI maturity levels, our capabilities range from developing corporate AI strategy to building custom AI applications at scale. With a globally connected network of technology and cloud partners, SFL Scientific's core services include leading cross-functional efforts across business, IT, and operations. Hundreds of clients-including S&P100 enterprises, fastest-growing startups, and government agencies-trust SFL Scientific to create and accelerate AI initiatives. For more information, please visit sflscientific.com and connect with us on LinkedIn & Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210625005475/en/

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[June 25, 2021] Local "Doggy Self-Serve Wash" Bubbly Paws Looks To Expand Nationally

Bubbly Paws, a self-service dog wash and full service dog grooming salon, is gearing up for the launch of their franchise option. With locations all around the Twin (News - Alert) Cities: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Saint Louis Park and Maple Grove, the company is ready to expand their unique pooch-washing concept nation-wide. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210625005511/en/ Bubbly Paws is a one of a kind concept with self service tubs where pet-parents can come in, bathe their dog-children and leave the mess behind - at the store. The bright, upbeat feel is modeled after upscale hair salons and, with an array of grooming services, man's best friend has a number of options to choose from. After opening four successful locations in Saint Louis Park, Saint Paul, Maple Grove and Minneapolis, Bubbly Paws is ready for the national stage. "The franchise process started right as the pandemic started. We knew we needed to change our process, procedures and much more and we used the pandemic to update everything from our stores, shampoos, and we even created our own custom online booking software calledpawtastic.app," said Keith Miller, Co-Owner of Bubbly Paws. "The Pet industry is booming right now and we've proved our concept is both recession and pandemic proof. We're excited to share our knowledge, success and love of pets with others that want to get into the pet industry."



Miller and his wife, co-owner Patrycia, opened the first Bubbly Paws location in 2011 after getting fed up with the hair and mess left over after every bath and brushing in their own home with their Bernese Mountain Dog, "Roxy." The concept was designed to take the headache out of dog grooming for everyone while still retaining that personal touch at bath-time. The Millers have been able to open a new location about every 2 years. The plan for franchising has included working hard to perfect their business model. With many believing pet-grooming to be an essential business, the franchise holds the promise of longevity. "Bubbly Paws was one of the original self-service dog wash and grooming salons in the Minneapolis area and now we are taking it national, by offering other pet lovers the chance to franchise their own dog wash." says Patrycia Miller, Co-Owner of Bubbly Paws. "Helping others succeed and follow their passions has always been important to me, and now I get to help small entrepreneurs around the country help achieve their dream of owning their own small business."

In addition to pet baths and grooming, Bubbly Paws believes in giving back to the local pet community. In 2020, the four Minneapolis area stores donated over $15,000 to local pet rescues. Bubbly Paws is looking for fun, upbeat people that have a love of pets that want to own their own small business. Franchise opportunities exist nation-wide. For more information please visit www.bubblypaws.com, email pr@bubblypaw.com or call: 612-605-3245. About Bubbly Paws Bubbly Paws opened their first dog wash in 2011 and have now grown to more than 4 locations in the Minneapolis area. Bubbly Paws is more than just a place to groom or bathe your dog because one of our core business models is to give back to the local pet community. We donate goods, services and money to local pet rescues and foundations, including The Pet Project Rescue, Secondhand Hounds, People and Pets Together, The Animal Humane Society, Helping Paws, RAGOM and many others. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210625005511/en/

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[June 25, 2021] FIRST AMERICAN FINANCIAL INVESTIGATION CONTINUED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Continues to Investigate the Officers and Directors of First American Financial Corp. - FAF

Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF continues its investigation into First American Financial Corp. ("FAF") (NYSE: FAF). On May 24, 2019, KrebsOnSecurity.com reported a massive data exposure by FAF involving approximately 885 million customer files. Then, on October 22, 2020, FAF disclosed that, in relation to the 2019 data security breach, "[i]n September 2020, the Company received a Wells Notice informing the Company that the [Securities and Exchange Commission] enforcement staff has made a preliminary determination to recommend a filing of an enforcement action by the SEC (News - Alert) against the Company." Recently, the Company reached a settlement with the SEC over the breach that included a $487,616 fine. The Company has been sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether FAF's officers and/or directors breached heir fiduciary duties to FAF's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.



If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of FAF shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-faf/ to learn more. 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210625005505/en/

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[June 26, 2021] The Canal Istanbul to Transform Turkey into a 'Global Logistics Power'

ISTANBUL, June 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stating that the Canal Istanbul will leave its mark in history as a guarantee of the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey, Adil Karaismailoglu, the Minister of Transport said: "With the Canal, Turkey will be among the world's leading logistics powers. 500 thousand people will be employed, and an economic contribution of 28 billion dollars will be made. Turkey will become a playmaker in global maritime trade." The ground of the first bridge of the Canal Istanbul, Turkey's strategic move, is being broken on Saturday, June 26. The Ground-breaking Ceremony will be held with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoglu. Stating that the Canal Istanbul is "a project that will shape the world's economy and trade", Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoglu also underlined the contribution that the project will bring to Turkey's national independence: "Our Canal Istanbul project, which will increase Turkey's effectiveness in world's trade and bring Turkey to a leading position in world economic corridors, will leave its mark in history as a guarantee of the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey, which is located on the most important trade corridors of the developing world." Why the Canal Istanbul? Detailed analyses conducted within the framework of the Turkey Logistics Master Plan, which aims to make Turkey a global logistics power in the new world order, to develop Turkey as a whole, and to create more employment also revealed the need for n 'alternative waterway' transportation corridor in the region due to the increasing ship and cargo density in the Straits System.



It is aimed to manage the ship traffic of Istanbul, which is located at the intersection of the Central and North-South corridors, and to raise Turkey to a leading position in the world's trade corridors thanks to the Canal Istanbul, which was designed to meet this need. "Turkey will be the most important logistics centre of the world"

Reminding that within the framework of this plan, many projects such as Istanbul Airport, Filyos Port, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, Istanbul-Izmir Highway, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge have been put into practice, they have determined development areas, initiated breakthroughs in maritime transport and reform movements in railways, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoglu continued as follows: "One of the most important pillars of Turkey's growth vision in the last 19 years is the claim we have made in terms of our transportation, communication and logistics infrastructure. As a country that dominates the most important trade corridors of the developing world, Turkey will become the world's most important logistics centre with the Canal Istanbul. Thus, the Black Sea will turn into a trade lake for Turkey." The Canal Istanbul, where 204 scientists take part in the engineering work, will fulfil an important task in highlighting the Istanbul Valley, which is at the crossroads of the world, and in establishing a logistics base, technology development and living centre in Turkey by creating a sustainable new generation city. The Canal Istanbul, which is Turkey's vision project in every aspect to protect the historical and cultural texture of the Bosphorus, to reduce the load caused by maritime traffic and to ensure traffic safety, will be put into the service of the country as an alternative waterway in Marmara, the locomotive of the Eurasian region. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1551949/Kanist_Still_Series_01_Tepe_Test_01_upscale.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1551947/Kanist_Still_Series_01_Kuzey_01_V09.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1551941/Sazl_dere_K_pr_s.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1551944/The_Canal_Istanbul_Logo.jpg For information: iletisim.sgb@uab.gov.tr, +90 538 620 0591

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[June 26, 2021] Contributions in Data Centres & excellence in Cloud Adoption recognised by Trescon and Cisco Systems

BENGALURU, India, June 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Business events firm Trescon and tech giant Cisco Systems jointly announced the winners of the inaugural edition of DC Innovation Awards and acknowledged the outstanding individuals who were outperformers and demonstrated exemplary innovation & performance in 7 categories. The ceremony kicked off with a special opening keynote presented by Mr. Sameer Garde, Vice President of India & SAARC, Cisco Systems, and was followed by an insightful panel discussion consisting of the esteemed jury members consisting of Dr. Satyam Priyadarshy - Managing Director, India Center, Technology Fellow, Chief Data Scientist-Halliburton; Dr. Ganesh Natarajan - Chairman: 5F World, Global Talent Track, Pune City Connect, and SVP India, Founder: CAIA - Centre For AI And Advanced Analytics, Kalzoom Advisors, and NES; Anand Patil - Director Systems Engineering, Cisco Systems; and Mini Gupta - Partner, Technology Consulting - Cyber Security, Data Privacy, GRC technology at EY. They spoke about the importance of organizations finding new ways to manage and govern their data to improve efficiency in the long run. This session was followed by the awards ceremony where Trescon & Cisco Systems revealed the 'Champions of Change' in the following categories: Pioneer of DC Transformaion awarded to Mr. Shiv Kumar Bhasin , CTO, and COO at National Stock Exchange of India Limited, and Mr. Deepak Sarda , Assistant GM at Indian Bank.

awarded to , CTO, and COO at National Stock Exchange of India Limited, and , Assistant GM at Indian Bank. Best in DC Automation awarded to Mr. Deepak Pawar , Head of DC at Tata Consultancy Services, and Mr. Jagannath Tendle , Senior Infra Manager at Tech Mahindra Business Services Ltd.

awarded to , Head of DC at Tata Consultancy Services, and , Senior Infra Manager at Tech Mahindra Business Services Ltd. Best In Enterprise Modernization awarded to Mr. Kunal Dhingra , Global Head of IT at L&T Infotec, and Mr. Abul Kashem Mohammad Nazmul Karim , Head of IT Governance at Bkash Limited.

awarded to , Global Head of IT at L&T Infotec, and , Head of IT Governance at Bkash Limited. Best in Digital Resiliency awarded to Mr. Nitin Sharma , Global IT operations Head at Wipro Limited, and Mr. Sandip Kulkarni , VP IT at iCertis.

awarded to , Global IT operations Head at Wipro Limited, and , VP IT at iCertis. Best in DC Innovation awarded to Mr. Ashu Kakkar , VP IT at HCL Technologies, and Mr. Sk. Shakil Ahmed , Head of Technology at Nagad.

awarded to , VP IT at HCL Technologies, and , Head of Technology at Nagad. Best in Digital Transition awarded to Gururaj Rao , VP & CIO at Mahindra Finance and Chandramouli S , VP - Head of IT Shared Services at Citrix.

awarded to , VP & CIO at Mahindra Finance and , VP - Head of IT Shared Services at Citrix. Honorary Mentions - Bangaru Babu - AVP, IT, Omega; Mahesh Doshi - IT Head, Trafigura; Roshan Popli - CIO, Airport Authority of India ; Sanjai Kumar , Director of Network Planning & Marketing at Railtel; and Sudharsan Srinivasavaradarajan, Associate Director at Cognizant.



"All these tech leaders have demonstrated the strategic importance of modernizing their data centres, building hybrid clouds, investing in automation, and rethinking their operations. It was extremely inspiring. I would like to thank the jury members for their hard work in reviewing the submissions," stated Mithun Shetty , CEO, Trescon. The award show was hosted on the virtual events platform Vmeets which helped the participants to network and conduct business in an interactive and immersive virtual environment. Participants were also able to engage with speakers in Q&A sessions and network with solution providers in virtual exhibition booths, private consultation rooms, and private networking rooms.

About Trescon Trescon is a global business events and consulting firm specialized in producing highly focused B2B events that connect businesses with opportunities through conferences, expos, investor connect, and consulting services. For more information visit: https://www.tresconglobal.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1552232/Champions_of_Change.jpg Media Contact : Karthik A, Marketing@tresconglobal.com, 8105975937, Marketing Lead, Trescon

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This week there was a local historical reference on the legislative record that's worth a peek for those who didn't see it yet.

Backstory . . .

The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising or the Stonewall rebellion) were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Patrons of the Stonewall, other Village lesbian and gay bars, and neighborhood street people fought back when the police became violent. The riots are widely considered a watershed event that transformed the gay liberation movement and the twentieth-century fight for LGBT rights in the United States.

And so . . . A resolution unanimously approved by Mayor & Council starts this way . . .

"WHEREAS, the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in June, 1969, sparked a liberation movement and call to action that continues to inspire us to live up to our Nations promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all;"

Fair enough.

Local activist making a push to join the county Justice Horn celebrated the recent 12th & Oak declarations.

In a historic first, the City of Kansas City and Jackson County have proclaimed June Pride Month through a Kansas City Resolution and a Jackson County Executive Proclamation on the same day! 



A huge thank you to everyone who made this moment of visibility, representation, and empowerment happen for the community here in Kansas City and throughout Jackson County! Happy Pride yall! 

Developing . . .


The promise of slavery reparations paid to Kansas City residents without a vote or public input proved to the last straw for supporters on the fence of giving up on Mayor Q.



What's worse is that when it was clear that this controversial idea OUTRAGED THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN KANSAS CITY . . . The mayor quickly walked back his statements and then offered reparations that aren't really reparations . . . Which, in turn, might disappoint supporters of the proposal.



Here's a quote from Mayor Q that explains his wishy-washy proposal that might or might not include even more cash for 18th & Vine District that still hasn't managed to find a profit model after more than 100 MILLION BUCKS have been invested over the course of a generation.

Check-it . . .



One, its the right thing to do, Lucas says. I think when you look at the historic underinvestment of the Black community in America, when you looked at the challenges that we placed upon many of our brothers and sisters, based upon, not just our past with slavery, but segregation, and redlining after that, it is essential that we find an opportunity to address and to right historical wrongs.



In addition to the historic underinvestment from and discrimination towards the Black community, Lucas talked about the need for federal aid to reach those who need it most.



The second is that there is a lot of federal money coming into the states right now, theres a lot of federal money coming into the cities, says Lucas. I dont want to see what happened with the PPP program where black-owned businesses, women-owned businesses were saying at the end of it, we either didnt apply or we didnt have the accounting help or professional services to actually get access to these loans. I think, as we are talking about trillions and federal spending coming into our cities, we need to make sure that were targeting communities that need it the most.

Read more unquestioning hype from The Pitch . . .
Here's an update on a legislative push that's earning a great deal of support this month and bringing the national spotlight to a local politico.



This report is worth a look because it reveals that younger residents in Johnson County are coming out at an increasing rate and seem to feel a bit more confident under the leadership of one of the first openly gay American members of congress . . . Check-it . . .



Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids works to pass Equality Act KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When Democrat Sharice Davids was elected in 2018 as a U.S. representative for Kansas' third congressional district, she became the first openly gay congressperson to represent her state.

Big picture . . .

This is the Queerest Congress Ever. Will It Advance LGBTQ Rights? At the federal level, some steps are being considered to provide LGBTQ people with more support. But the legislation is stuck in the Senate.

Developing . . .
Today's peek at reciprocity and deal making for the NextGen and their parents . . . Check new rules for the local provisionally accredited school district . . .



by: Heidi Schmidt Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Thousands of students in the Kansas City Public School District will be able to return to class in the fall without a mask, if they provide proof of vaccination. The school district said each student must be fully vaccinated before being allowed to be in school without a face covering.
Check a quick peek at cash to juice the local transit supply.



Whilst we understand the "green" implications . . . Only people who don't know how power is generated at this point will accept this as a step forward.

Money line . . .



USDOT said the new buses will help reduce tailpipe emissions, resulting in cleaner air and smoother, quieter rides for residents.



Public transit connects people to jobs, services, and loved ones  and when our transit buses produce low or zero emissions, its an even bigger win for communities, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. There is overwhelming demand to support low and no emission transit all around the country  in both rural and urban areas  and meeting this need is a matter of climate responsibility and public health.

Read more . . .


Here's a news link sent by a thoughtful reader who wants to share more hopeful news of career opportunities for law enforcement given recent outcry over the number of cops leaving the force and searching for fulfillment in other places.



Here's the word . . .



"Hey TKC, here's a news that you can use to share with police who don't want to work in law enforcement . . . Their are other avenues for their talents. This guy seems to be pretty happy about his new career. Think about it!"



I'm not sure that the suggestion is helpful for residents who need more po-po and less STD risk . . . Still, it's the kind of snark on which this blog community thrives.



Check-it . . .
There is a persistent myth that the majority Kansas City East Side urban core residents share the anti-police views of their elected leaders. Nothing could be further from reality.

To wit . . .

CHECK THIS EPIC LETTER TO CITY HALL ADVOCATING FOR MORE PUBLIC SAFETY HELP AT AN EMBATTLED LOCATION!!!



Read the note carefully, there's a nuanced understanding of the politics on BOTH SIDES of the debate over community policing which conspire to let potentially deadly violence persist.

This latest complaint to city hall was recently filed after another double shooting at this dangerous locale and the threat of more Summertime gunfire.

Check-it . . .



Subject: Crime & Bloodshed



We as community, neighbors, residents, parents, seniors, children and concerned citizens, are outraged.



The location at 35th & Prospect is a "Death Trap."



We fear for the well-being & safety of our children & neighbors.



Our community is being controlled by: drugs, thugs, killers and gang bangers.



How much more BLOODSHED is enough?



The owners at 35th & Prospect have pleaded and begged with the Mayor and the Police Department, to take action against these perpetrators.



Yet, nothing has been done.



The owner was told, unless there was fighting & other disputes, they will not dispatch officers to the area.



This was supposedly, due to the fear of video & lawsuits.



These perpetrators have been given the right to murder our loved ones . . .



Black Lives do not matter . . . ???



Where else in Kansas City, does this type of trauma, disrespect & killings (continually) happen to residents???

########################



So far we can confirm that the note earned the attention of council members but there hasn't yet been a reply.



Developing . . .


This week authorities discovered yet another tragic situation at an embattled Kansas City project that hoped to provide a fresh start for the homeless but instead has become a local disaster zone.

To wit . . .

KANSAS CITY POLICE INVESTIGATE AFTER WOMAN FOUND DEAD AT HOMELESS MOTEL!!



Here's the report amid repeated complaints about violence and alleged drug use at these locations . . . Check-it:



DEAD BODY - KC Houseless Client



11900 NW PLAZA CIRCLE / SUPER 8 MOTEL



6/24 @ 1105

CRN ##-######

VIC: UNKNOWN W/F



Officers were dispatched on a reported dead body. Upon arrival Officers observed an unknown white female in bed deceased. It should be noted that the deceased was part of the homeless initiative but hard ID had not been located at this time. The investigation into the death is ongoing. Houseless Case worker from Lotus was notified and responded to the scene.

#############

We asked an insider we talked to about this situation and here's the word . . .

"At what cost to homeowners and neighborhoods is the mayor going to let this continue? What's worse is that he wants to expand the effort into other parts of the city. It's time to reevaluate what's going on here and realize that this plan is not working and something needs to change. Quickly."

Developing . . .


Departure test from Barbados back home to the United States

Departure test from Barbados back home to the United States

I have read the Barbados protocols thoroughly but don't see (or I missed it) if it's also the same testing procedure returning home from vacation? Do we test 3 days prior to returning home?

This can get a little confusing after a while.

I fly to Barbados on a Saturday and will test on Wednesday. I returning home on a Saturday. Do I test on Wednesday as well?

I'm also a little concerned my phone won't have access in Barbados, it's happened in other islands and I have Verizon. I always call them prior to any vacation to advise them (in case) and I do have international plan.

I'm bringing all paper copies everything needed. There are still some people with older technology (flip phone) that don't want internet on their phones.

I do have a Samsung galaxy S21 Ultra, but things happen!

Thank you everyone. 
This thread has been created as a comprehensive guide for future travellers to the Galapagos Islands who have no interest in taking a cruise but want to have a great travel experience without it becoming a wallet-crippling trip. This is my 2nd edition on this subject with updated information and additional details from my own land-based experience as requested by the fans of my previous thread.

I tried my best to be as accurate and up to date with prices for food, accommodation and Day Trips, but its almost impossible to get straight answers regarding costs online. Websites continually quote prices of $100 USD or more over the prices you can get when you are actually on the islands (in some cases 3 times more expensive). This forced me to rely solely on comments by people in various forums who had travelled to the Galapagos reasonably recently. This is why I continually use words like about and around in regards to costs (meaning that it is a best guess estimate but you could pay slightly higher or slightly lower that the price quoted). So it is better to look at costs in this post as a rough guide rather than an absolute.

All COSTS in $s you see throughout this guide are in US North American Dollars (USD) which is the standard currency of Ecuador.

*Note - Some people chose to print out my thread last time (and even laminated the pages) to take with them on their Galapagos trip and found it useful to read each night to help plan or prepare for their next day. Youre also more than welcome to do that with this new improved version on the condition that you pass it on to another worthy traveller before you leave the islands (I recommend setting narrow margins on the pages before printing because its pretty long).

(This guide has been divided into 7 separate chapters in the comments directly underneath the initial post on Page 1 of this thread).
It will be easy to go to Koh Samui after you have been in Phuket for the time required for the sand box. Currently you give no times frame . My understanding is that the the Sand Box has not been approved.

From what I saw on TV news reported last night the roll out of the Vaccine has been like many countries, when first started . Wealthy Thais are going to the USA for vaccination.

What will be best ?

I would wait and see what happens, people might think I am Negative. I think the trail sand box will happen and it will be short lived because as we now the best way to increase the cases in a country is to let people in. Once Thailand can get around 80% of the population vaccinated the risk will decrease for serious illness and dead.

Chok Dee
I have rented a car for at least part of all but one of my 18 trips, and it really makes it easier to tour places outside of the major cities in the north or the south. It's relatively easy to drive in the countryside, and while drivers are more aggressive than most of the US, it's quite manageable.

If it would be of help in planning your trip, I would be happy to send a copy of a free, noncommercial guide to Israel travel that I offer to anyone who asks. It is a 77-page .pdf file, but don't be daunted; you can skip around as you like, and there is a table of contents that makes that a lot easier to do. To get it, just write me at Labatt@fuse.net -- do NOT send me a message through the TripAdvisor message system -- and I will send it as a file attachment via return e-mail. And no strings -- I am not even in the travel business. I just enjoy helping people plan their trips.

The guide is based on my own eighteen trips and as said above, I am not in the travel business, so it does not purport to be all-encompassing or a substitute for a more thorough, comprehensive, and professional guidebook. For that, I recommend either Frommer's or Fodor's. It does have lots of hotel and restaurant recommendations, as well as suggested itineraries and other information about Israel travel.

My offer goes to anyone reading this, by the way, but as said above, you must send me an e-mail, NOT a message on Trip Advisor, as I cannot send file attachments through that medium and will not copy and paste e-mail addresses over to my e-mail program. I get a lot of requests for this guide and this is not my job, so I hope you understand I need it done that way. (And I'm sorry if this sounds strident -- not my intent -- but nearly every day someone blows past those clear directions and sends me a private message requesting the guide.)

I hope that you have a wonderful visit!

Douglas Duckett

Edited: 21 June 2021, 09:25
Over the past day, June 25, 12 ceasefire violations by the Russian-occupation troops were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine.

"In particular, the enemy fired 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems, and small arms at Ukrainian positions near Vodiane in the Sea of Azov area; hand-held antitank grenade launchers  outside Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk); heavy machine guns and small arms  in the suburbs of Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); 120mm mortars  near Hranitne (60km south of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns, and hand-held antitank grenade launchers  outside Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns, hand-held antitank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms  near Mayorske (45km north of Donetsk)," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the area of the settlements of Katerynivka and Avdiivka, the flight of enemy Orlan-10-class UAVs was recorded. The drones were timely suppressed with radio-electronic warfare equipment.

No combat casualties among Joint Forces personnel were reported.

As of 7 a.m. on June 26, two ceasefire violations were reported. The enemy fired 120mm mortars and tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns near Pisky.

One Ukrainian serviceman received a fatal bullet wound.

Ukrainian soldiers opened fire in response to the enemy shelling.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC informed the OSCE SMM about the ceasefire violations. Ukrainian military continue to control the situation in the JFO area.

ish
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on the international community to take additional measures of political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation to protect humanitarian law and human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

This was said in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the occasion of Crimean Tatar National Flag Day.

"Today, we once again call upon the Russian Federation to uphold its obligations as an occupying power, stop repressions against Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, comply with the April 19, 2017 Order of the International Court of Justice to lift the ban on the Crimean Tatar Mejlis. We call upon the international community to apply additional measures of political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation to protect humanitarian law and human rights on the temporarily occupied peninsula," the statement reads.

The ministry notes that today, just as 77 years ago, the Russian occupation authorities attempt to ruin the Crimean Tatar identity by destroying the memory of Crimean Tatar national symbols and grossly violating the cultural, language, and religious rights of the indigenous people of Crimea.

"The Russian occupation administration pursues a systemic policy of oppression of all religious communities, destroys Crimean Tatar religious monuments, conducts illegal archaeological excavations, and removes cultural artifacts from Crimea to bring them to the territory of the Russian Federation in an attempt to use them as a political instrument to demonstrate "ties" between the peninsula on one hand, and the Tsarist, Soviet and modern Russia," the report reads.

Ukraine condemns the aggressor states policies that aim to erase the Crimean Tatar identity, limit the use of national symbols, such as the national flag, violate the right to education in their mother tongue, destroy national cultural and religious monuments, promulgate hate speech and impose discrimination on ethnic and religious grounds.

The ministry stresses that on June 26, 1991, the Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People  the highest national political institution of the indigenous people of Crimea  resumed its sessions after a forced interruption of 73 years. Thus, on June 26, 2021, Ukraine celebrates the 30th anniversary of the revival of the Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People.

The Crimean Tatar national flag was adopted in 1917 by the First Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People. There were times when the flag was banned and subject to repressions. In the Crimean Tatar deportation settlements in Central Asia and Siberia, any image or representation of the Crimean Tatar national flag was considered a crime against the Soviet regime.

Day of Crimean Tatar National Flag is celebrated in Ukraine on June 26.

ish
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the possibilities of dialogue with Russia while addressing its aggressive behavior in Europe.

They spoke about this during a meeting in Paris on June 25, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of State.

"Secretary Blinken and President Macron emphasized the shared goals of establishing a stable and predictable relationship with Moscow while addressing Russias aggressive and irresponsible behavior, including towards Ukraine," the statement reads.

The parties discussed transatlantic cooperation in addressing the Peoples Republic of Chinas coercive economic practices and attempts at undermining the rules-based international order.

In addition, Blinken and Macron exchanged views on countering terrorist threats, supporting democracy, and joint efforts to improve the capacity of their African partners in the Sahel region.

As Ukrinform reported, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a European tour, during which he will visit Germany, France, Italy, and the Vatican.

Photo credit: twitter.com/SecBlinken

ish
The ambassadors of Germany and France to Ukraine have been invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to discuss the initiative to resume EU-Russia summits.

The Ukrainian side has stressed that such an initiative runs counter to the EU sanctions policy adopted in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, undermines European solidarity against the background of Russia's escalation of the situation in the temporarily occupied territories and at borders of Ukraine, and does not encourage Moscow to implement the Minsk agreements. In response, the ambassadors noted that this was just an idea for discussion in the context of considering the EU strategy towards Russia at the European Council meeting on June 24. This proposal was ultimately not supported," the Ukrainian MFA said in a commentary.

For their part, the ambassadors confirmed that Germany and France are constant friends of Ukraine and continue to make efforts to restore the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state.

"The parties agreed that such issues will be discussed with Ukraine before their promulgation," the report says.

As Ukrinform reported, on June 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would discuss with the ambassadors of Germany and France the idea of resuming summits between the European Union and Russia.

During a meeting with EU High Representative Josep Borrell on Thursday, June 24, Kuleba expressed deep concern over the idea of resuming EU-Russia summits. According to the minister, such a decision without any progress on the part of Moscow in the field of compliance with international law can only undermine the EU's non-recognition policy of the illegal annexation of Crimea and the effectiveness of sanctions, as well as push Russia to non-fulfillment of the Minsk agreements.

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U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Ukraine Kristina Kvien traveled to Mariupol and Berdyansk June 25 to visit a Maritime Border Guard station supported by the Department of States Export Control and Border Security Program, part of a $4.5 million project in Mariupol and Berdyansk.

This was said in a press release by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

While in Mariupol, Charge Kvien also met with members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), management of the Mariupol Commercial Sea Port, and members of the business community supported by the USAID Economic Resilience Activity.

By restricting maritime activity in Ukrainian waters, Russia is  yet again  trying to chip away at Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity, in this case at sea. And the United States response to this, as it has always been: standing steadfast with Ukraine in our support for its territorial integrity and its sovereignty, Kvien said in her remarks at a ceremony to celebrate the construction of the Maritime Border Guard Station in Berdyansk.

During her visit to Mariupol and Berdyansk, Charge Kvien expressed U.S. support for Ukraines sovereignty, territorial integrity, and maritime security despite Russias aggression and irresponsible activity at sea. U.S. security assistance to construct the Maritime Border Guard facility is a concrete demonstration of this U.S. commitment to Ukraine and will help Ukraine to maintain safe and free navigation and to protect Ukrainian sovereignty on its territorial waters.

In Mariupol, she expressed her appreciation for the important work of the OSCE SMM and called on Russia to cease obstructing the mission and afford it full freedom of movement throughout all of Ukraines territory, including Crimea. She also met with those coping with the profound economic consequences of Russias hybrid war and helping to drive economic growth. Charge Kvien toured the Mariupol port to observe the effects of Russias continuing impediments to shipping in the Sea of Azov and commended the port management for their contributions to the regions economy.

Charge Kvien also met with IT professionals and entrepreneurs, supported by USAIDs Economic Resilience Activity, a $72 million investment in the economy of eastern Ukraine.
There is no place for Moscow at the EU or G7 summits. Mr. Putin will not stop his aggression. The Minsk agreements cannot bring peace to Ukraine and Europe. Lets stop pretending otherwise, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014-16, leader of Peoples Front Party stated in his piece for The National Interest.

Berlin and Paris want to pretend that Russia is a normal country. They suggested inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to an EU summit for the first time since Russia forcibly annexed Crimea in 2014. Voiced after the summits of the Group of Seven, NATO, the United States, and the European Union, as well as President Bidens first foreign tour, this suggestion leaves Ukrainians outraged, he wrote.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that many in the West say they want to resolve the Ukraine issue. But they do not wish to provoke or alienate Russia.

Peoples Front Party Leader suggested to imagine that there is no Ukrainian issue. More precisely, imagine there was no Ukraine. Imagine there were no Georgia or Moldova, and the democratic revolutions that swept Georgia, Ukraine, and now Belarus never took place, he wrote.

Without these significant national movements for independence and democracy, there would no doubt be a renewed Soviet Union occupying our lands and nations and repeating the history of the 20th century. One could assume that some Mr. Putin or a similar ex-KGB type hardliner would lead in such a renewed empire. On our lands, they would have retained Soviet nuclear weapons, the third largest arsenal in the world. In addition, new Russian weapons aimed at the West would also be installed here, Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed.

Moreover, there would be no independence of the Baltic nations. Neither Poland nor the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, let alone the Balkans, would be members of the EU and NATO. Instead, in these states, Moscow-aligned political forces would be effective in rebuilding a Soviet-style political architecture, he wrote.

Would Europe be safe? Decidedly not, Peoples Front Party Leader stressed.

The West must do everything possible and more to integrate Ukraine and other countries in our region into a United Europe, and therefore into NATO and the EU, he stated: The historical moment demands nothing less than full-throated support for Ukraines membership to NATO. The West has no right to put Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and, in the future, a free Belarus, on ice. We deserve and demand better.

We must be allowed to finally walk through the invisible barriers and proverbial Open Doors, he added.

The EU concept of push back, constrain and engage Russia wont work, Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed: As soon as you invite the Kremlin to the EU table, be ready to engage with its new attempts to divide and conquer.

We long for the unity of the United States and Europe  but not at our expense. It will cost too much for everyone, he wrote.
A UNHCR staff member speaks to internally displaced people in the street in Axum, in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.  UNHCR/Lana Chouhfeh

Earlier this week, hundreds of civilians were wounded or killed by air strikes on a market in Tigray near Mekelle. This latest tragedy underscores the escalation of conflict in the region as the humanitarian situation becomes increasingly dire, with the threat of famine, increased displacement and continuing reports of human rights violations, including particularly disturbing incidents of gender-based violence and the forcible return of refugees to persecution or danger.

UNHCR has teams on the ground to address the critical situation of the hundreds of thousands already displaced, particularly in the areas of shelter, camp management and protection. We are continuing to scale up our response to address the ever-growing needs despite the volatile context. UNHCR has assembled a team of highly qualified emergency staff who are ready to reinforce teams on the ground. The quick deployment of these technical experts and emergency teams to Tigray will make a difference to the lives of thousands of civilians.

Since the onset of the conflict last November, I have repeatedly called for all parties to respect the protection of civilians and the safety of humanitarian workers on the ground. Civilians, including refugees, have suffered enough, and UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies must be allowed to help them. Only improved security and entry and access throughout Tigray will allow UNHCR and other humanitarian partners to carry out our mandate to assist those desperately in need.
The head of the UN health agency expressed concern on Friday over the coronavirus' delta variant, which he called "the most transmissible" mutation to date

UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2021 ) :The head of the UN health agency expressed concern on Friday over the coronavirus' delta variant, which he called "the most transmissible" mutation to date.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World health Organization (WHO) told journalists at a regular briefing in Geneva that delta has been identified in at least 85 countries and is "spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations".

The Delta variant was first identified in India in April.

"As some countries ease public health and social measures, we are starting to see increases in transmission around the world", Tedros said.

A surge in cases translates to more hospitalizations, which continue to stretch healthcare workers and health systems while putting more at risk of death, according to the WHO chief.

He acknowledged that new variants are expected, saying "that's what viruses do, they evolve" and stressed that by preventing transmission, we can stem the emergence of variants.

"It's quite simple: more transmission, more variants. Less transmission, less variants", Tedros spelled out, upholding that it is even more urgent today to prevent transmission by consistently using public health and social measures along with vaccines.

"This is why WHO has been saying for at least a year that vaccines must be distributed equitably, to protect health workers and the most vulnerable", he said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Technical Lead on COVID-19, said, "the world situation is very fragile" and "countries must be cautious".

Noting that Delta has proved "extremely contagious in any country it reaches", she cautioned that it is being transmitted among unvaccinated people, "even in countries with high percentages of immunization".

"The delta variant can make the epidemic curve exponentially", added Dr. Van Kerkhove.

But Delta is not the only worrying mutation. According to the WHO expert, "there is a constellation of variants circulating", including subvariants, four of which are very worrying.

"Vaccines and treatments work, but these viruses can evolve", she said, and the existing shots "may not work" over time, emphasizing again that to minimize outbreaks, everyone must continue to maintain public health measures.

One of the most important ways WHO coordinates the response to COVID-19 and other emergencies is through its global network of emergency medical teams (EMTs).

When crises strike, WHO mobilizes these health professionals to support national responses, treat patients, provide training and supervision, and ensure quality-care standards.

"Globally, WHO has certified teams from 20 countries, who have gone through a rigorous process of quality assurance to ensure they meet internationally agreed standards", Tedros said, adding that another 87 countries are either in the process of being WHO certified, or are developing quality-assurance systems nationally.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, he said that WHO has helped deploy over 108 international EMTs and experts worldwide.

Last week, WHO and partners published new EMT deployment standards for a range of situations, "from natural disasters to epidemics and conflict situations", the UN agency chief said.

"This represents a major step forward in ensuring emergency medical teams meet shared standards for quality of care, whether they are deployed nationally or internationally", he said.
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 26th Jun, 2021) SHARJAH, 26th June 2021 (WAM) - Bodour Al Qasimi, President of International Publishers Association (IPA), has emphasised the power of literacy to change lives while making a clarion call for closing gaps in accessibility of books for children around the world.

Chairing a panel discussion organised by Book Aid International at the online edition of the London Book Fair held from June 21 to July 1, 2021, Bodour Al Qasimi cited conflict and wars, poor digital infrastructure, absence of a strong library network, and underdeveloped or non-existent publishing as the chief reasons why many communities are without access to books.

As a vital learning resource, books play a crucial role in nourishing childrens imagination, and developing language and critical thinking skills, said Bodour, while speaking at the session titled, Closing the gap: Why access to books matters for children around the world. Panel members at the session included Sarah Odedina, Editor-at-Large, Pushkin Children's Books, and co-founder of Accord Literary; Pam Dix, Chair, IBBY UK; Alison Tweed, Chief Executive, Book Aid International; and Sita Brahmachari, one of the most interesting and important voices in contemporary childrens literature who won the prestigious Waterstones Childrens Book prize in 2011 for her debut novel, Artichoke Hearts.

At another panel discussion curated by Book Machine, Bodour Al Qasimi highlighted the importance of lifelong learning to address the skills gap in the publishing sector and stated that new business models are imperative to cope with the rapid pace of change in the industry.

Mentorship and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing are great learning strategies as it expands the big picture for team members, said Bodour, who was one of the four influential publishing leaders on the panel at the session titled, Leading the way in book publishing.

The IPA President also called for a collaborative approach based on respect, trust, and transparency to pave the way for innovation and creativity in the publishing industry, while adding that future challenges can be addressed when publishers are able to create the right degree of balance between current market needs, emerging trends including technology, and risk taking.
(@FahadShabbir)

Minneapolis, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2021 ) :The lawyer for George Floyd's family hailed a "historic" step towards racial reconciliation on Friday as former policeman Derek Chauvin received a 22.5 year prison sentence for the African American's murder.

"This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability," lawyer Ben Crump tweeted.
Madrid, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jun, 2021 ) :Three employees of medical charity MSF, a Spaniard and two Ethiopians, have been "brutally murdered" in Ethiopia's war-torn northern Tigray region, the organisation said in a statement Friday.

The trio "were travelling yesterday afternoon when we lost contact with them. This morning, their vehicle was found empty and a few metres away, their lifeless bodies," the statement added.

The "were in Tigray providing assistance to people, and it is unthinkable that they paid for this work with their lives." "No words can truly convey all our sadness, shock and outrage against this horrific attack. Nor can words soothe the loss and suffering of their families and loved ones, to whom we relay our deepest sympathy and condolences," the international aid group said.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, said 35-year-old Maria Hernandez from Madrid was among those killed.

She started working for MSF in 2015 in the Central African Republic and had since worked in Yemen, Mexico and Nigeria.

Also killed in the attack were Yohannes Halefom Reda, a 31-year-old coordination assistant who joined MSF in February 2021, and Tedros Gebremariam Gebremichael, also 31, who had been a driver for the charity since May.

"We condemn this attack on our colleagues in the strongest possible terms and will be relentless in understanding what happened," said MSF, which was founded in Paris but is headquartered in Geneva and has several global affiliates.

In a tweet, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya expressed her "great sadness" over the deaths and said she was in contact with the authorities in Ethiopia to "clarify" what happened and repatriate Hernandez's remains.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2021 ) :Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi Saturday said India under its demographic terrorism was turning the Muslim majority state of Kashmir into a Hindu majority.

The massive transfer of Hindus from mainland India to the IIOJK was a part of a greater plan of India to change the state into a Hindu majority, he added.

He was addressing the audience at the Report launch on Illegal Transfer of Population to Illegal Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in International Law here at the Kashmir Council.

Shehryar Afridi said that Kashmir Committee was voice of the nation and anything initiated from the Parliament had a direct and deep rooted impact.

He said that Kashmir Committee had decided to add public component into the country's narrative on Kashmir and formed Advisory Boards to assist the committee.

He said that the advisory boards would have experts from private sector to create awareness over Kashmir dispute among the masses.

He said that the advisory board on Culture would help develop films and documentaries to tell the misery being faced by the Kashmiri people at hands of the occupational regime of India in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the cultural board would help protect, project and promote the Kashmiri culture, its literature, history and heritage as Kashmiri culture was under Indian invasion.

He said that the world needed to be educated on half widows, pallet guns, economic strangulation of Kashmir by Indian occupational regime and the cultural board would help project these issues being faced by the Kashmiri people.

He said that the board on academia would help promote research and education on the issue of Kashmir.

He said that digital front would help stop censorship of Kashmiri content on the digital space. He said that the digital board would help devise strategy to counter Indian censorship of Kashmiri voices on the digital media.

Shehryar Afridi said that the advisory board on human rights would help raise the Kashmir cause at the human rights forums of the world and for the first time, top human rights activists would be speaking for Kashmiris at the world forums.

He said that the diplomatic front would also help lobbying with the world policymakers and decision makers on the Kashmir issue.

He said that the world would start listening to the Kashmiri voices once experts would add value to the Kashmir narrative.

President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan and other speakers also spoke on the occasion.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Four women were killed by the collapse of a residential building in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, a security official said Saturday

Cairo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2021 ) :Four women were killed by the collapse of a residential building in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, a security official said Saturday.

The dilapidated building, located in the Al-Attarine district, collapsed on Friday, the source told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

Along with the four fatalities, civil protection workers "extracted four survivors," one of whom was wounded, the source added.

The five-storey building was the subject of a renovation order in 2018, according to the Alexandria governorate's Facebook page, and authorities had ordered that the top floor be dismantled.

The centres of Alexandria and Cairo host many buildings dating back to the 19th and early 20th century.

Some have long housed the middle classes and public institutions, but many have fallen into disrepair.

Egypt has suffered many deadly building collapses in recent years, due to poor or non-existent maintenance and low enforcement of construction standards.
Indian Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his official visit to Greece to discuss the bilateral relations, the Greek foreign ministry said on Saturday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2021) Indian Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his official visit to Greece to discuss the bilateral relations, the Greek foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Jaishankar's three-day visit began on Friday. This is the first official visit of India's foreign minister to Greece since 2003.

"Both sides had a comprehensive exchange of views on further consolidating the bilateral relations, which continue to deepen and expand rapidly. Both sides noted with satisfaction the ongoing cooperation in several areas, such as, trade and investment, science and technology, culture, academics and people-to-people contact and agreed to work together to further enhance collaboration in these areas," the statement read.

During the meeting, Mitsotakis signed the agreement on the India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA). The parties agreed that Greece's decision to join the energy efficiency organization "will assist the two countries in realisation of the energy goals set by the respective governments to make renewable energy a significant part of the energy supply."

Jaishankar also took part in the opening of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens, which will act "as a strong symbol of friendship between the two countries."

The ISA is an initiative launched by India and France in 2015 at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP-21). The alliance, which was conceived as a coalition of countries that get most direct Sun exposure, is aimed at developing the solar energy sector to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2021) Iran can make sanctions imposed on it ineffective by utilizing its human, economic and natural resources, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Sputnik.

"Iran is a large country with enormous human, economic and natural resources. If we use them, sanctions will become an ineffective tool, the situation will change," Ahmadinejad said.

Back in 2012, US President Barack Obama issued sanctions targeting Iranian financial institutions designed to effectively choke off the sale of Iranian oil.

Obama also lifted those sanctions in 2016 after Iran signed a nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers, pledging not to make atomic weapons.

Obama's successor Donald Trump, however, canceled that nuclear deal in 2018 and put new, intensified sanctions on Iran. President Joe Biden, after entering office in January this year, had allowed negotiations to begin on a fresh nuclear deal with Iran. The Biden administration is also not enforcing sanctions against Iran as strenuously as the Trump administration.
A Ukrainian soldier was killed in the conflict-ridden east of the country in a mortar and grenade attack launched from territory held by pro-Russian separatists, the military said Saturday

Kiev, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2021 ) :A Ukrainian soldier was killed in the conflict-ridden east of the country in a mortar and grenade attack launched from territory held by pro-Russian separatists, the military said Saturday.

The Ukrainian army has been locked in simmering trench conflict with breakaway fighters in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula.

The military said in a Facebook post that separatists had fired on its troops with mortars and anti-tank weapons from near their administrative centre of Donetsk.

"As a result of the shelling, one Ukrainian serviceman received a fatal shrapnel wound," the Ukrainian military's statement said.

It added that Ukrainian troops had returned fire and also accused separatists of near daily violations of a ceasefire brokered last year that has been left in tatters.

After an uptick in violence in the beginning of the year, Russia in April amassed 100,000 troops on Ukraine's borders, raising fears of a major escalation in the long-running conflict.

Moscow soon announced a pullback, but both Washington and Kiev say that the withdrawal has been limited.

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.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2021) The United States is considering lifting sanctions on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as part of the talks on renewing the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), NBC news reported on Saturday, citing sources.

The sanctions against Khamenei, as well as some of his officials and military commanders, were imposed in June 2019 by the former US president, Donald Trump.

According to the sources, negotiators from the US and Iran discussed the initiative during the talks in Vienna. It is expected to be a part of a larger compromise that would result in Washington rejoining the JCPOA and Tehran fulfilling its JCPOA commitments.

In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the EU. The deal required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and considerably downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief.

In 2018, the US abandoned its conciliatory stance on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and implementing hard-line policies against Tehran, which retaliated by gradually abandoning its commitments under the deal a year later.

Vienna has been hosting the sessions of the JCPOA joint commission, as well as informal meetings in different formats, aimed at restoring the Iran nuclear deal since April.
The day of prayer, sharing and ecumenical encounter aims to rekindle the light of hope in a land that is plagued by severe political and economic crises.

By Vatican News staff writer

The Day of Prayer and Reflection for Lebanon on July 1, called by Pope Francs is to help revive hope and peace in a country oppressed by years of political, economic and social crises, which came to a head in the violent explosion of August 2020 at Beirut port, which shattered the city.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, who presented the July 1 initiative on Friday at the Vatican Press Office said the purpose of the day is to walk together. He said the Christian community of Lebanon, represented by the heads of respective Churches and Ecclesial Communities, will question itself, reflect and pray together. They will bring to Rome also the cry of a people, who certainly accompany them in prayer.

Cardinal Sandri said the day-long initiative will be spiritual in nature and will be brought to a close by a speech by the Pope which, he said, "will certainly contain recommendations and appeals that will emerge from the days discussions, which could be important for the future of Lebanon".

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States explained that no politicians are expected for the occasion because the proposal that it strictly be a religious meeting of Christian communities came from Lebanon, which the Holy Father accepted. Archbishop Gallagher pointed out that Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed his desire to visit Lebanon but would like to do so when the country finds a solution to the political crisis which, however, "cannot be seen on the horizon. However, the meeting in the Vatican, he said, could make a contribution to this process. At this point, "it is difficult" to envisage a trip by the Pope to Lebanon by the end of the year but it is more likely at the beginning of next year, he said.

"The Lord God has plans for peace. Together for Lebanon," is the motto that stands out on the logo of the July 1 event. The day will begin at 8.30 am in Santa Marta with the Pope welcoming the leaders of the Lebanese Christian communities and members of their delegations. It will be followed a brief moment of prayer in St. Peter's Basilica. After 3 separate meetings at different intervals, the day will be brought to a close with a speech by Pope Francis at 6 pm.

Lebanon, a Mediterranean nation of 5 million, has the largest percentage of Christians in the Middle East and is the only Arab country with a Christian head of state. Christians make up a third of the population.

The Pope has announced the day during his Sunday Angelus prayer on May 30, explaining the aim was to pray together for the gift of peace and stability. He urged for prayers ahead of the meeting so that Lebanon may have a more serene future.
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A fatal attack by a gunman on a provincial office of Turkeys pro-Kurdish party is stoking fears of growing political violence against opposition parties. For VOA, Dorian Jones report from Istanbul.
Columbus Mavhunga

Zimbabwe on Saturday received a half-million Sinopharm shots against COVID-19 it bought from China, a development officials said would put its vaccination program back on track.

After the plane with the Sinopharm shots landed, Zimbabwe Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said his government would ensure that the country has no vaccine shortages in the future.

We are receiving 2 million vaccines by end of next week, and after that we will order 1.5 million vaccines, and in the month of August will order another 3.5 million vaccines," Ncube said. "So you can see we are very focused in terms of our vaccine acquisition agenda. We will not have a shortage at all. We are headed for herd immunity and we will get there.

Zimbabwe is one of the African countries seeing recent increases in COVID-19 cases. On Saturday, Dr. John Mangwiro, Zimbabwes deputy health minister, said the government intensified its vaccination program to contain the spike in cases.

COVID-19 disease is back via a third wave," he said. "As a government, we are going to target border towns for vaccination so that we make sure that if things are getting worse, our border areas are protected, because you find that most of these [new cases] are coming via our borders. We are going to target areas that are very risky and that the disease can come through. ... These are tobacco-auction floors, markets, cotton sales floors. All those will be targeted.

On Thursday, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who doubles as Zimbabwes health minister, said he wanted everyone vaccinated, starting with vendors.

On Saturday, Samuel Wadzai, executive director of the Zimbabwe Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation, said his organization understood the importance of vaccination.

But we expect the government to urge citizens to embrace the vaccination program," Wadzai said. "That should be done through information dissemination on its importance to the country and economy. We know the pandemic has decimated economies, lives and livelihoods. But we disagree [about] forcing citizens to get vaccinated. When the program started, we were told that people would not be forced. It should remain that way.

So far, fewer than 738,000 Zimbabweans have received their first shots, and nearly 485,000 have received their second shots since the program started in February.

Zimbabwe has had 45,217 confirmed coronavirus infections and 1,721 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center in the United States, which tracks the global outbreak.
Jonny Lee Miller has joined the cast of The Crown.

The 48-year-old actor has signed on for the fifth season of the Netflix hit series, which will be undergoing a complete cast refresh as the story of the royal family jumps forward to portray events that took place in the 1990s.

Jonny will be playing the role of UK Prime Minister John Major, who began his tenure in November 1990 and served until May 1997.

The star is taking over the on-screen political role from Gillian Anderson, who played Majors predecessor Margaret Thatcher in season four of the series.

Its not yet known how long Jonny will appear in the show, as the upcoming seasons are expected to cover the death of Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in August 1997, after Tony Blair had taken over as Prime Minister.

Other castings confirmed for the fifth season include Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, who is taking over from Emma Corrin, and Dominic West picking up where Josh OConnor left off as her husband Prince Charles.

The cast refresh will also see Imelda Staunton taking over as Queen Elizabeth from Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies handing over Prince Philip to another former 'Game of Thrones' star, Jonathan Pryce.

Meanwhile, it was also previously reported that Andrew Scott could be brought in to play Tony Blair, although he would need to rearrange other commitments in order to be available for filming.

A source said in April: This role is one of the most anticipated castings on 'The Crown'.

The final series covers the Prime Ministers epic clash with the Queen over her response to the death of Diana in 1997.

So the creators wanted an adaptable actor like Andrew who has proved he can master the charm and intimidating presence that typified Blair.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Ex-Officer Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 1/2 years for killing George Floyd, whose death sparked reckoning on race

The 45-year-old Chauvin faced decades in prison, with several legal experts predicting a sentence of 20 to 25 years.

He still faces a federal trial on civil rights charges in Floyds death.

Also Friday, Judge Peter Cahill denied a defense request for a new trial, saying the defense hasn't shown Chauvin was deprived of his right to a fair trial.

Stay with WAAY 31 on air and WAAYTV.com online for updates
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office reports that an inmate has been taken to the hospital after a section of air duct fell at the Morgan County Jail and hit him.

The sheriff's office said the inmate was taken to the hospital as a precaution for a non-life-threatening injury.

Two other inmates who assisted also were taken as a precaution, the sheriff's office said on Twitter.
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Dr Price said it was still unclear what would happen if GPs ended up with excess doses. However a federal health spokesman urged medical practices with excess stock to contact the Vaccine Operations Centre to have their doses collected and allocated to areas in need. He added that the government had made a commitment to support the countries without enough vaccine doses and any of the doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine not used in Australia will be donated overseas. Some poorer countries have run out of COVID vaccines or are on the brink of doing so, only months after receiving their first humanitarian aid shipments from Covax, a global program aimed at equitably distributing life-saving shots to poorer nations. Despite concerns raised over an extremely rare clotting disorder, the AstraZeneca vaccine has been successfully administered to millions of people worldwide and is extremely effective at preventing COVID deaths and illness. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would donate 20 million doses of locally made AstraZeneca vaccines to Asian and Pacific nations as part of a global plan to deliver one billion doses to nations seeking urgent help confronting the pandemic.

Some general practices are expected to begin administering Pfizer jabs from July 5. Vaccine distribution by GPs fell just slightly this week compared to the week before, according to national data. Victorian GP Umair Masood, who runs the Neal Street Medical Clinic in Gisborne in the Macedon Ranges, said he put in an order for 200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine last week, the bulk of which was for second shots for patients. Instead, he said the clinic was sent a batch of 800 AstraZeneca doses. Dr Umair Masood with the oversupply of the AstraZeneca vaccine he was given by the government. Credit:Paul Rovere Without doubt we are worried we wont get through the supply in the next few weeks and then what happens? Do we just throw them all out? Dr Masood said. AstraZeneca has become an impossible sell. Even elderly patients who havent had their first shot yet are saying: Ill just wait for Pfizer.

He said a vaccine clinic run by the medical practice on Friday afternoon had 45 patients booked in, but only 11 people showed up. A weekend clinic with almost 200 patients booked in, has already had more than half cancel and Dr Masood said he was worried others would not show up. Much of Dr Masoods vaccine supply will expire in October, but the vice president of the newly-formed Australian Society of General Practice said the clinic was actively considering scaling back its AstraZeneca vaccine clinics in the coming weeks. Australian Medical Association national president Omar Khorshid said it was inevitable doses of AstraZeneca, which can last for several months in a refrigerator, would be wasted if patients did not turn up for their appointments. However, he said it was critical there was a plan moving forward for the tens of millions of AstraZeneca doses the pharmaceutical giant had to commit in contracted arrangements with the Australian Government.

Roughly 4 million AstraZeneca doses have been administered in Australia, with contracts drawn up for more than 53 million. It is extremely important in Australia that we make sure that we dont waste too many AstraZeneca doses and that those doses get sent to people who want them, Dr Khorshid said. Victorian GP Bernard Shiu said his weekly AstraZeneca clinic in Geelong had 100 vaccination appointments, but on Friday just eight people got their first dose of the vaccine. The bulk of the patients, 78 people, were there for their second dose. Dr Shiu said the Federal Government was supplying medical practices with more vaccines than they had ordered on the expectation demand would be higher for first doses.

When we ordered 100, they gave us 200, he said. Our fridge is running out of space, and we need to prepare for space for Pfizer vaccines. It would be a good idea to look at other less-fortunate countries, to supply them with what we are not able to use. The Victorian deputy chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said that there was now a real risk AstraZeneca vaccines would expire in the fridges of medical clinics. Dr Shiu said GPs hadnt yet been instructed what to do with any expired vaccines. Although they have been given permission to share them with other local practices, those practices may be facing the same oversupply issue, he said. Sydney GP Charlotte Hespe said the current outbreak in the harbour city underlined while it was important to have many people vaccinated as quickly as possible. But she said people had received so many mixed messages about the vaccine they were confused, and some who had already had one AstraZeneca vaccine were considering putting off their second dose, despite strong advice that it was safe.

Footscray GP Simon Benson said his clinic had several hundred doses in the fridge, but doctors were observing diminishing demand as patients who had their first dose of AstraZeneca were requesting booster shots of Pfizer instead. Loading Obviously its a real concern, Dr Benson said. We dont want it to go to waste. I think its a terrible shame that we cant use it in Victoria. I counsel five to seven patients a day who are eligible for AstraZeneca. After a complicated conversation about risk, most of them will still go ahead with it, but its getting harder and harder. He said the system for ordering coronavirus vaccines was flawed, because it only allowed doctors to order their maximum number of doses which had been outlined in the expression of interest process before challenges with AstraZeneca arose. Doctors are now asking to be able to request less vaccine doses in a system mirroring the annual distribution of influenza shots, where you make a request based on demand.
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects were told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics theyre given. This week, he talks to Mehreen Faruqi. The Greens senator, 57, immigrated from Pakistan in 1992, became the first Muslim woman in the NSW Parliament in 2013 and Australias first Muslim senator in 2018. Her upcoming memoir is Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud.

Mehreen Faruqi: I apologised to Mum when I started swearing publicly, but sometimes I have no better other words to portray what goes on in politics. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

SEX

After you migrated here from Pakistan, what were the big differences you noticed regarding attitudes towards sex, romance and relationships? When you grow up in a country like Pakistan  a developing country that had been colonised for a couple of hundred years by the British  you do think the Western world is better and superior. So my expectations of Australia were that it was a place where equality had been reached: in law, in society, in culture. But when I got here, I found that sexism and misogyny have no borders. I came here on a Saturday, started my masters degree in engineering science on the Monday, and found out there was only one female academic in the University of NSWs School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

What attracted you to your husband, Omar? It was love at first sight. We met at work, at a consultancy firm in Pakistan, and fell in love, but our families knew each other. Thats how the wedding was arranged. Weve been married now for 31 years and I really cant imagine life without him.
From 11.59pm on Friday, people who live or work in the four Sydney councils will be only allowed to leave the house to shop for essential items, seek medical care, exercise outdoors in groups of 10 or fewer or perform work or attend education if they cannot do so from home. The public health orders were yet to be finalised by Friday afternoon, prompting some confusion over how the restrictions would impact businesses and other parts of the community. However, the restrictions will be similar to those imposed on the northern beaches during the Christmas outbreak. The governments crisis cabinet, including the Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Mr Perrottet and Deputy Premier John Barilaro , accepted the advice of Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant, to lock down.

A senior government source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the decision to confine the lockdown to the most affected suburbs was to lessen the economic impact on Greater Sydney. The source said: There was no justification in shutting down a coffee shop in Campbelltown or a Westfield in Penrith when we know the cases are largely confined to these [four] areas. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video People who live and work outside the four council areas can only enter for essential purposes and a restriction on travel outside metropolitan Sydney remains in place for people from the affected areas as well as Canada Bay, Inner West and Bayside councils. Ms Berejiklian avoided the term lockdown to describe the new rules, and said the public could use whatever word they want.

What is important for me is to explain to the citizens who [are] directly impacted and what our citizens can and cant do, she said, noting the restrictions were not citywide. She insisted the localised restrictions were proportionate to the risk facing Sydney, and said the stay-at-home orders would ensure much of Sydneys businesses could remain open. Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced new restrictions for four LGA areas. Credit:Nick Moir I appreciate this is a blow for business in those communities, but weve been able to limit it to those four local government areas, and that is our intention, Ms Berejiklian said. We are not ever going to pretend what we have in place is enough or what we have in place is perfect, far from it. But what is really important is that if we do find a situation we need to fix, we find a set of circumstances we need to deal with, were not afraid to do that.

The Australian Medical Association called for the whole of Sydney to be placed in a lockdown, with president Omar Khorshid describing the new rules as confusing. The economic consequences of lockdown are significant, but the economic consequences of getting this wrong are catastrophic, he said. Asked why the lockdown did not include south-west Sydney, after 17 people who attended a West Hoxton birthday party last weekend tested positive, Dr Chant said there had been little further transmission beyond the party group but the situation was being closely monitored. The number of cases linked to the Bondi cluster is now 65. There have been 70 local cases recorded over the past nine days but only one case has no known source: a nine-year-old whose infection prompted the closure of St Charles Primary School at Waverley on Tuesday.

However, health authorities expressed concern about 900 people who attended Joh Baileys Double Bay salon over the past week after three staff members and two clients tested positive. Bondi Beach was quieter than usual on Friday. Credit:Kate Geraghty Dr Chant said she expected many more cases to arise in the coming days but hoped most would be in isolation. There are now more than 2500 people in Sydney and surrounds undertaking 14 days isolation as a result of the outbreak. Movement around the city was already declining through the week, with 300,000 fewer trips taken on the citys public transport system on Thursday compared to the previous day, as more Sydneysiders opted to stay at home. While patronage had slowly crept up close to 70 per cent of pre-COVID levels through the first half of the year, by Thursday it had fallen away to less than 40 per cent. Fewer than 1 million trips on the system were recorded in total.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned that restrictions might be extended across more regions of Sydney after the state recorded 29 new cases of COVID-19 in the community up to 8pm on Friday.

Ms Berejiklian said 17 of those cases were reported on Friday morning, which means there were 12 new local cases announced on Saturday.

These additional cases have been to exposure sites outside the four Sydney local government areas which have already been locked down.

Ms Berejiklian said because of these increasing exposure sites, the health advice is evolving and if we need to take further action we will immediately notify the community.
The trial has been triggered by the mastheads allegations that Roberts-Smith was party to or committed several unlawful killings of Afghan males, that he bullied a fellow soldier and that he punched Person 17 after she embarrassed him at a formal dinner in Canberra. The former soldier denies these allegations. Lawyer Nicholas Owens SC. Credit:Edwina Pickles The credit of witnesses and of Roberts-Smith himself will be critical in this judge-only trial. Owens has therefore paid close attention to the pattern of interactions Roberts-Smith has had with former colleagues who will be called to give evidence later in the proceedings. As former or serving special forces members, these men will only ever be known to the public as numbers, their faces never shown in open court. Owens claims Roberts-Smith workshopped his version of key contested events in Afghanistan with four of these witnesses , whom he described as the former soldiers crew, identifying them as Persons 5, 11, 29 and 35. Roberts-Smith accepted the four were his close personal friends and his key military witnesses.

He accepted hed communicated with them via prepaid SIM cards and burner phones purchased under the name of his wifes friend, Danielle Scott, and Scotts husband. He acknowledged hed ensured the phones were loaded with the encrypted apps in early July 2018, shortly after the first media stories broke. But Roberts-Smith denied this was because the burner phones were to be used in aligning the groups evidence for the trial. Nor, he insisted, were contacts between the five of them intended to thwart investigations by the Inspector-General of the Defence Force, who was also conducting a top-secret probe into wrong-doing by soldiers in Afghanistan at the time. Instead, Roberts-Smith argues, the burner phones were intended to protect him from having his calls tapped or intercepted by the media. Owens says records subpoenaed from the relevant telecommunications companies show clear spikes in contacts between the former soldier and members of the group around the time of key events, such as before and after interviews with the Inspector-General, which they werent meant to discuss or disclose.

He pointed to another spike in the burner phones traffic around October 2018, when Roberts-Smith flew to Canberra to meet a witness called Person 14 in a cafe. Owens alleges Person 14 warned Roberts-Smith he was going to tell the truth about events in Afghanistan, and that this panicked the former soldier. Owens drilled at length into communications with Person 5 who is likely to be a crucial witness later in the trial. Person 5 was Roberts-Smiths patrol commander during the SAS sweep of a compound designated Whisky 108 in 2009, a mission during which the media outlets allege Roberts-Smith machine-gunned a man with a prosthetic leg whod already been placed under control by the SAS and thus should have been entitled to protection. Roberts-Smith testified the man was armed and that he engaged him outside the compound, killing him lawfully. Owens put to Roberts-Smith that Person 5 had sent him a document detailing the contents of a compulsory interview Person 5 had undergone with the Inspector-General, including a grilling about the actions of Roberts-Smith himself. But the Victoria Cross winner insisted the letter was simply one of complaint by Person 5 who was wanting to vent about the interview.

Owens pressed him to acknowledge that he knew Person 5 should not have been discussing the Inspector-Generals line of questioning but Roberts-Smith demurred. Owens went on: Your evidence on this topic is nothing but an attempt to avoid acceptance of the obvious proposition that by reason of receiving this letter, you learnt an awful lot of information about the subject matter of the Inspector-Generals inquiry? I disagree, Roberts-Smith replied. Other questions from Owens went to meetings Roberts-Smith had held with Person 11, who is implicated with him in an allegation that the pair kicked an unarmed and handcuffed farmer off a cliff near the village of Darwan in 2012 and then executed him. Again Roberts-Smith has strongly denied this. The decorated veteran accepted he had flown to Perth to see Person 11 shortly after the media allegations were aired, and just before Person 11s second interview with the Inspector-General, but he says this was because he was concerned about Person 11s welfare at the time.

Late the following year, in 2019, Roberts-Smith underwent his own interrogation by the Inspector-General. At that point, Owens alleged, the soldier flew around the world to check in with his crew, meeting Person 35 in New Zealand, Person 5 in the United States, Person 11 in Perth , again, and Person 29 at his home. Roberts-Smith denied the purpose of the trips was to help align stories, saying the meetings had occurred while he was on holidays with his family, or in the case of Person 29s visit, because the latter was godfather to one of his children. Owens put to him that throughout this case, you have engaged in a deliberate course of conduct that was designed to conceal evidence of collusion between you and your key witnesses. Roberts -Smith replied forcefully, I say that is untrue. The former soldier has also had to defend his handling of several USB sticks containing thousands of images of SAS activities in Afghanistan, which he says were sent to him anonymously from late 2019 onwards.

Owens accuses the former soldier of burying the USB sticks in a lunch box in his backyard (which he denies) and refusing to reveal their existence until a 60 Minutes program broadcast in April publicly revealed their existence and forced his hand. Roberts-Smith claims he hadnt fully understood that as part of the legal discovery process he was required to retain the USBs in their original form. Instead, he transferred the images onto his computer, then onto a different USB stick, scrubbing his laptop afterwards using a zero wiping process which meant nothing could ever be retrieved from it. He says this was because he wanted to trade the device in. But Owens put to him that it was part of a deliberate course of conduct designed to conceal  evidence that you considered did not assist your case. This, too, Roberts-Smith denies. He admitted destroying three previous laptops in 2010, 2012 and 2018 by pouring petrol on them and burning them. The decorated war hero also came under pressure during the week to explain episodes that Owens claimed were examples of intimidation of witnesses expected to be hostile to him. He didnt deny recruiting a private investigator, John McLeod, who passed on information supplied by Roberts-Smith concerning one such witness, known as Person 6. Roberts-Smith told McLeod that Person 6 had smuggled unregistered weapons in to Afghanistan and later kept an unregistered firearm in his home.
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, the deputy mayor of Alice Springs council, is poised to join the federal Coalitions ranks after emerging victorious in a Northern Territory senate preselection battle.

A regular commentator on Sky News Australia, Ms Price defeated first-term Country Liberal incumbent Samantha McMahon, who was last week asked to leave the Senate chamber because her colleagues believed she was heavily under the influence of alcohol. She denied she was drunk and later said she was unwell.

Jacinta Price with her mother, Bess, a former Northern Territory government minister. Credit:Jeff Tan

Ms Price has become a prominent voice in drawing attention to the high domestic violence rates within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly in central Australia.

I am deeply humbled and grateful for the support of the Country Liberal Party as well as the people of the NT and Australia, Ms Price said in a statement.
Its the seat that, come every federal election, is tipped to change hands from Labor to the Greens.

But the bayside seat of Macnamara, formerly known as Melbourne Ports, may actually go Green this time because of proposed changes to the seats boundaries.

The Greens candidate Steph Hodgins-May, photographed in Elwood, wants more ambitious action on climate change. Credit:Wayne Taylor

A draft redistribution released by the Australian Electoral Commission would see the suburb of Caulfield moved out of Macnamara.

Caulfield is one of the strongest Jewish populations in Australia and many people dont like the Greens policies, the ABCs electoral analyst Antony Green said.
All aged care residents and staff were meant to be vaccinated in the first phase of the Morrison governments vaccination rollout, which began in February and was meant to be completed in six weeks. It is voluntary for aged care workers to get vaccinated, and voluntary for them to advise their employer if they have been immunised. However, home managers must now report their level of staff vaccination to the federal Health Department each week. About 10 per cent of Australias aged care homes are publicly run, and most staff are vaccinated in these centres. About a third of homes are run by for-profit providers under a federally run system and the remainder are operated by charities and not-for-profit groups. The Age approached Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt and Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck for comment on the vaccination program but received a response from the Health Department. Ensuring all aged care residents and staff have access to a vaccine is a priority of the government, a department spokesman said.

Labors aged care spokeswoman, Clare ONeil, said the vaccine rollout in aged care was disgraceful. Aged care workers were supposed to all be vaccinated by the end of March, she said. Its now three months later, and they have only managed to vaccinate a third of all workers. The federal figures came as a new report commissioned by the Andrews government found that aged care homes in Victoria must have better plans in place to respond to coronavirus, more personal protective equipment and knowledge of how to use it, and a strict rule workers do not move between sites. There were 655 resident deaths from coronavirus in Victorias privately run aged care homes last year, and almost 2000 infections. In Victorias 176 publicly run aged care homes, the majority of which are in regional Victoria, there were 15 coronavirus infections and no deaths. The new report, by the National Ageing Research Institute, was handed to the state government this month and recommended that to avoid a repeat of the disaster in private aged care, homes needed to follow a number of key rules. These included:

being better prepared, including having specific contingency plans should all staff need to be furloughed, as happened in several Melbourne homes in 2020;

a better supply of PPE and staff knowledge of how to use it;

that staff movements between aged care homes be restricted because of the higher risk of coronavirus transmission between centres, and;

that poor working conditions will increase the risk of major coronavirus outbreaks. National Ageing Research Institute director Briony Dow said the pandemic had revealed a whole lot of problems [in aged care] that were already there, like staff having to work in multiple facilities to make a living wage, and not really understanding what infection control meant. Loading Professor Dow said the clearest issue the pandemic had exposed was the low rates of pay and poor working conditions for aged care staff. Personal care assistants generally earn about $24 an hour on a typical weekday. Most casual staff work at more than one aged care home. The workforce needs to be paid properly and to have career pathways to have a living wage or better, working in one agency, Professor Dow said.

She said the damage to the mental health of the aged care workforce was also something more Melburnians needed to be aware of. During the pandemic, nurses were getting chocolates and accolades and, meanwhile, aged care workers were getting spat on and abused, she said. Its not only the underlying issues of pay; its how much they are valued. Professor Dow said the effect of the pandemic on aged care had also placed a spotlight on the Commonwealth-state relationship. With hundreds of new cases in homes last year, Canberra and the state created the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, to manage the response in aged care homes. It was a really excellent centre that did great work, Professor Dow said. She said the pandemic had shown how the rights of older people in aged care could be taken away too easily. We saw people isolated in their rooms, no communal dining. They were moved into hospital despite their end-of-life plan saying its not what they wanted. All of their rights went out the window, and thats really an ... issue that no one has come to terms with.

Melbourne University professor Kwang Lim is a geriatrician who also works with Melbourne Health. He worked through the worst of last years outbreaks in aged care. I didnt catch it, which was amazing because I was one of the first doctors, and we were just wearing surgical masks, he said. Professor Lim said that over the past few decades, the levels of care needed in nursing homes had increased dramatically. When I started training, people who went into homes were fairly fit. Whereas now [many people] are pretty disabled when [they] go in. he said. Mortality is fairly high, and so the caring requirements are fairly high. He said this was part of the reason vaccinations were so crucial in aged care, both in staff and residents. Professor Lim questioned why it had not been made compulsory for workers to have been given a coronavirus vaccination. Everyone who comes in has to sign a form saying they have had a flu vaccine, so I dont know what the difference is, he said.
Berlin: A man armed with a long knife killed three people and injured five others, some seriously, in the southern German city of Wuerzburg before he was shot by police and arrested, German authorities said.

Police identified the suspect in Fridays attack as a 24-year-old Somali man living in Wuerzburg. His life was not in danger from his gunshot wound, they said.

Videos posted on social media showed pedestrians surrounding the attacker and holding him at bay with chairs and sticks.

Bavarias top security official Joachim Herrmann said the injured include a young boy, whose father was probably among the dead.
In his Thursday, June 24, 2021 column Front Porch, Simon says:

"There is a disturbing moral selfishness by those who refuse to be vaccinated, who contract the virus overseas, mostly in south Florida, then return to The Bahamas, potentially spreading more dangerous variants.

"This is worse than magical thinking. It is stupidity on steroids. There is no mask mandate in Florida, where the virus continues to spread, though not as widely as before. Though not at the astronomical heights of the last major wave in the US, the pandemic rages next door and globally.

"Let us call this travel by the unvaccinated what it is: selfish, mindless, morally irresponsible, reckless and dangerous! And it is unpatriotic! How can someone claim to love The Bahamas, yet contribute to putting our economy, society and health care system at risk because of unbridled selfishness?"

In just three paragraphs he rips Florida and "anti-vaxers".

Let's look at Florida numbers:

Number % in Population People Vaccinated with at least One Dose 11,386,007 55.28% People Fully Vaccinated 9,597,221 46.59% https://data.democratandchronicle.com/covid-19-vaccine-tracker/florida/12/ Est Population 21,944,547 https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/florida-population

Meanwhile The Bahamas has 7 or 8 percent of the population vaccinated?

We traveled to Florida a few weeks ago now and found most people were acting very responsibly, quite contrary to what the press and Simon says.

This is not to say everyone in Florida or The Bahama is acting responsibly.

There are some people that might not be able to take the vaccine and there is a legitimate fear among others, while there is a vocal minority of "anti-vaxers".

Surely a reasoned approach to educating "anti-vaxers" instead of name calling and demonising is a more reasonable approach.

Visit Rick Lowes Nassau Institute archive here

and at WeblogBahamas.com here.
On June 19, a Florida woman named Julia Yonkowski went to her local bank to withdraw $ 20 from an ATM and was in for a huge surprise. His account, overnight, had $ 999,985,855.84. I mean, for a moment she was a billionaire.

According to People magazine, the Florida woman went to her Chase Bank branch to withdraw $ 20. The teller sent him a message denying him the operation and that he would be charged an overdraft. When checking the balance, Julia saw that she had almost a billion dollars.
Authorities are urging the public not to panic as police continue to search in Southington for a man they say is armed and dangerous after a shooting on Interstate 84 in Cheshire Friday that injured one person, according to state police.

While the shooting took place on the highways westbound lanes near Exit 26  causing police to shut down the westbound lanes between exits 26 and 25A from around 2:45 a.m. until about 7 a.m. police said the search for the alleged gunman has reached the areas of Wolcott and Southington.

In an update shortly after 4:15 p.m. Friday, state police said a heavy police presence remains and once again asked residents to call 911 if they see anything or anyone suspicious around Rogers Orchards in Southington.

Connecticut State Police Trooper Josue Dorelus said a man was shot on the highway. He said officials are not prepared to share many details regarding the shooting, citing the preliminary stages of the investigation.

Were asking you not to be alarmed, but remain vigilant, Dorelus said as the search for the alleged gunman continued into early Friday afternoon. If you see anything suspicious, please do not hesitate to contact 911.

Theres not a need to panic, he later added.

Dorelus said the victim was found in a vehicle near Exit 26, suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite a lot of rumors circulating later Friday, Dorelus said the extent of the victims injuries are not yet known.

Were at the infancy stages of the investigation, Dorelus said. Details of the shooting are extremely vague at this point.

Its unclear if the victim and alleged shooter were in the same vehicle, or whether any other vehicles might have been involved in the incident.

Dorelus said based on the current information investigators have, they believe the alleged shooter took off on foot, which prompted authorities in bring in police dogs for possible tracks.

He said the investigation led police to the area of Rogers Orchards in Southington, where Dorelus said he anticipates the investigation will continue to be located for some time. He said additional updates will be provided as the day goes on.

Residents in the area were alerted by a reverse 911 call.

Do not be alarmed, he urged residents. Try to avoid the area.

He said investigators will continue to comb through the area, which has already seen K-9 units, drones and helicopters Friday morning as police try to locate the alleged shooter.

State police described the individual they are searching for as armed and dangerous. Wolcott police said he is believed to be in his 30s.

Wolcott police said authorities are searching for a Hispanic man, about 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds. He is believed to have dark facial hair, possibly a beard, Wolcott police said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Were going to be doing everything in our power, everything in our search efforts, to identify the suspect individual responsible for this shooting, Dorelus said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Troop A at 203-267-2240. Any possible sightings or reports of suspicious activity in the area should be called in to 911 immediately.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Crews are searching for 24-year-old Kue Gay from Owensboro who went missing in the Ohio River early Saturday morning.

Rescue crews tell us they responded to the Newburgh Lock and Dam around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Captain Chris Watson with the Henderson Fire Department told 44News someone had called 911 saying there were people in the water.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife tells us Gay and a friend were at the Newburgh Dam, walking near the water.

They say Gay climbed down near the water to retrieve his fishing line when he began having difficult and yelled for help.

His friend jumped in the water to help but was unsuccessful.

The call came in through Henderson County Dispatch and alerted multiple units.

Crews from the Newburgh Fire Department were the first on scene. Were told they arrived within 10 minutes of the initial call.

Other crews arrived to assist in the effort. Captain Watson thanked several agencies from Newburgh, Perry Township, Mars Township, Daviess County Fire Department, Henderson City/County Rescue, Henderson Police Department, EMA Department of Kentucky, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Crews tell 44News that with the circumstances and the amount of time the man has been missing, this has turned into a recovery effort.

Were told searches have been suspended for Saturday due to hazardous water conditions, but are expected to resume Sunday morning.

Other crews will return Sunday to continue their efforts.

Officials say they have been using special equipment in their search for the missing fisherman that allows them to scan the bottom of the river for potential targets.

Officials say they advise not to get too close to the dam because the water is rough and forceful.

We will continue to develop this story as we learn more.
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The Verona Arena amphitheater in northern Italy has returned to staging full operas for the first time since the pandemic  with one big difference. The monumental sets that normally fill the vast amphitheater stage were replaced by dynamic, 3D images broadcast on huge LED screens, recreating a Sicilian village or a Fellini-esque film back lot. Distancing rules meant that stage crews moving around the sets had to be limited in the cramped backstage, setting in motion a reimagining of the 98th Verona Arena Opera Festival. For this season, technology is standing in for the sets that fill the vast stage and grab even the audience members sitting far away in the uppermost seats.
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but self-imposed boundaries are the key to creativity for Royal Canoe.

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but self-imposed boundaries are the key to creativity for Royal Canoe.

Album preview Click to Expand Royal Canoe  Sidelining

 Available July 9 on all major streaming services.

 Visit royalcanoe.com/porch to sign up for release-date porch party listening event

The Winnipeg indie pop group  made up of Matt Peters, Michael Jordan, Matt Schellenberg, Bucky Driedger and Brendan Berg  has been making music for more than a decade, all the while consciously dodging the pitfalls of routine and expectation.

Unlike the bands frosty performance at The Forks in January 2020, there were no ice instruments used in the creation of its fourth full-length album, Sidelining, set to release July 9. But there was a rule: everything, from the lyrics to the music, had to be brand new. Old ideas and worn riffs were not welcome in the studio, where songs had to be conceived and recorded the same day.

"Were just kind of gluttons for punishment in some ways," Peters says. "You go through this sort of cyclical process of: you write and record an album, then you go out on tour and promote it and then you go back to the creative stage and do it all over again. For me, if there isnt some sense of newness or an aspect of the process thats exciting I have a hard time even activating that original part of my brain where I can have new ideas."

Supplied From left: Royal Canoes Michael Jordan, Matt Schellenberg, Matt Peters, Bucky Driedger and Brendan Berg are releasing their fourth full-length album, Sidelining, on July 9.

The rule turned the project into an extended improv session. The bandmates were forced to put their ideas on the line, provide honest critiques, follow through on decisions and say yes more often. The experiment worked, according to Peters, because of Royal Canoes solid working relationship.

"Youre not in your comfort zone and so I think when youre in that place you can sometimes do your worst work," he says. "But I think if you trust yourself and have people around who you respect you can really often do your best work there."

Sidelining was laid down over three different sessions at Private Ear Recording before and during the pandemic. By virtue of the process, the track list is a snapshot of a moment in time  sometimes eerily so. The song Butterfalls, a plodding, soulful tune about being on the precipice of something big, was written before the first wave.

"Its interesting to go back because it seems like we were talking about this thing that hadnt happened yet," Peters says.

Feels Good, on the other hand, touches on the monotony of life in lockdown and the anticipation of being able to hug loved ones and crack a beer with friends once again.

But the album isnt fixated on whats to come; the song Scratching Static is the realization of an idea that was languishing in obscurity until artist NNAMDI entered the picture. While Royal Canoe technically broke its own rule by asking the Chicago musician to collaborate on an unfinished existing song, the result was so far beyond expectations it felt like new material.

"He built this amazing Freddie Mercury-esque series of vocals that totally changed the song and took it from something we werent really sure wed ever finish to, like, just tying it up in a bow," Peters says. "Thats why I love working with other people."

In-person collaboration has been sporadic over the last year, making it difficult to produce the kind of cinematic music videos Royal Canoe has become known for. The band got creative with post-production and keyboardist Schellenberg pulled together a music video for Scratching Static made entirely of GIFs (an animated image file) and movie clips.

"Its constantly forcing your hand to make different decisions, but I dont resent that at all," Peters says of the public health restrictions. "Theres no infinite series of options here: we have to make a video where we cant all be in the same room and thats just the way it is."

In lieu of a live concert, Royal Canoe is inviting fans to celebrate the release of Sidelining at home with a co-ordinated "porch party." Participants are encouraged to sign up at royalcanoe.com/porch and head out to their front porch/stoop/window with a speaker to blast the bands new single Surrender at exactly 5:45 p.m. on July 9.

"Hopefully, theres a bunch of people who do it and we can all listen to the song together," Peters says.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney
When it comes to the amount of ink spilled (or characters typed, as it were) on Canadian drinks in this space, most of the focus tends to be on either the latest releases from local craft brewers, or on wines from Ontario or B.C. Which makes sense, given the amount of shelf space each occupies on shelves of Liquor Marts, private wine stores and beer vendors.

Opinion

When it comes to the amount of ink spilled (or characters typed, as it were) on Canadian drinks in this space, most of the focus tends to be on either the latest releases from local craft brewers, or on wines from Ontario or B.C. Which makes sense, given the amount of shelf space each occupies on shelves of Liquor Marts, private wine stores and beer vendors.

But if you look hard enough, you can find some sort of boozy beverage in our market from every province (not including the northern) territories, particularly wandering through the beer aisles.

 In addition to the abundance of wine coming from the Okanagan Valley, B.C. probably has the largest contingent of non-Manitoba beer in our province. The Phantom Beer Co. Mindfuzz India Pale Ale (Vancouver - $3.96/473ml can, Liquor Marts and select beer vendors) is medium straw in appearance and hazy, with a white head. Aromatically it brings deep malty notes, with biscuit, lemon zest, pear and mango notes in there as well. That malty note persists on the medium-bodied palate, with not as much of the pronounced bitterness one might expect from a high-octane IPA. Rather, the biscuit, bread dough and tropical fruit flavours come through with just hints of peppery hops on the long, 6.2 per cent finish. 3/5

 Most of the tipples we get from Alberta come in the form of whisky, but there are a couple brewskis that grace our shelves as well. The Grizzly Paw Brewing Co. Rundlestone Session Ale (Canmore, Alta. - $4.04/473ml can, select beer vendors) is pale gold in colour and mainly clear with a white head and brings, according to the can, "IPA characteristics" with lower alcohol than your typical India pale ale (hence the fact its called a "session" ale  youre able to drink more of them in a single session of sipping). Aromatically its malt-driven, with more subtle resinous notes coming with ripe grapefruit and floral notes on the nose. On the light-plus bodied palate the hop notes are quite subtle; instead the malt and tropical notes are front and centre instead, while the 4.5 per cent alcohol is mild. 3/5

 Most of the beer from Quebec that we see is from the (very good) heavyweights at Unibroue, so its nice to see some more offerings in the form of the Microbrasserie Dieu du Ciel Rosee dHibiscus (Saint-Jerome, Que. - $3.93/473ml cans, Liquor Marts). Its copperish-pink in colour and clear, with strawberry candy, sweet grapefruit, fresh malt and floral notes on the nose. On the medium-bodied palate, ripe strawberry and raspberry flavours show well with just a hint of sweetness, while a malty note runs throughout that works nicely with the modest acidity. The 5.9 per cent alcohol seems just right, and overall this beer is both refreshing and decently complex. Now, if only we could get more of Quebecs sparkling ciders in our market 4/5

 On the beer side of things, each of the four Atlantic Canadian provinces has brews in our market, although most of what we see from New Brunswick is Moosehead, and variations on Moosehead. Nova Scotia has a really strong beer scene overall, and from the province to our shelves comes the Garrison Brewing Lil Juicy IPA (Halifax, N.S. - $3.59/473ml can, Liquor Marts and select beer vendors). Its pale gold in colour and hazy, and aromatically this "East Coast Hopped" IPA delivers the "tropical blast" advertised on the can, along with resinous, almost-woody/grassy hops notes. That resinous note comes through in a big way on the medium-bodied palate, providing almost some sweetness to lift the pronounced malt, lime, grapefruit and gooseberry notes with a slightly chewy texture before the warmer finish from the six per cent alcohol. Hop heads take note. 4/5

 From Prince Edward Island comes the Gahan Beer Blueberry Ale Wheat Beer (Charlottetown, P.E.I. - $3.26/473ml can, Liquor Marts and select beer vendors), which features island blueberries in the mix and is blue-ish copper in appearance. You pick up those blueberry aromas quite distinctly, as well as some wheat, malt and a vanilla-like note. Theres more pep on the light-plus bodied, barely off-dry palate than you might first expect, with ripe blueberry flavours working well with doughy, malty flavours, a hint of citrus, very fine bubbles and a modest 4.5 per cent finish. A solid example of a blueberry-infused brew. 3.5/5

 Finding a beer from Newfoundland and Labrador wasnt easy, but the payoff with the Quidi Vidi Day Boil Session IPA (St. Johns N.L. - $3.99/473ml can, Liquor Marts and select beer vendors) was worth it. Like the Grizzly Paw, this is a lower-alcohol take on an IPA, and is medium straw in colour and hazy in appearance. It brings grassy, resinous and grapefruit rind notes in a big way on the nose, with subtle tropical notes in there as well. Its light-bodied and quite juicy, leading with ripe grapefruit and tropical flavours, plenty of zippy, grassy bitterness and a long finish (despite the modest 4.5 per cent alcohol). Great intensity and flavour without a boozier burn. 4/5

Bonus: bringing all parts of the country (territories included!) together is the Trans Canada Dominion Ale ($9.24/650ml bottles, brewery, select Liquor Marts and beer vendors). Featuring spruce tip bitters from Yukon, hops from four different provinces, Nova Scotia honey and more, it features ingredients from across the country and is brewed annually to celebrate Dominion Day. At press time it was just rolling out to store shelves.

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson
The Catholic religious order that operated residential schools in Saskatchewan and British Columbia where hundreds of unmarked graves have been found says it will disclose all historical documents in its possession.

Ground-penetrating radar is used to record locations of what are believed to be 751 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School on the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan in this undated handout photo provided by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. The Catholic religious order that operated the school says it will disclose all historical documents in its possession. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, FSIN *MANDATORY CREDIT*

The Catholic religious order that operated residential schools in Saskatchewan and British Columbia where hundreds of unmarked graves have been found says it will disclose all historical documents in its possession.

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate operated 48 schools in Canada, including the Marieval Indian Residential School at Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan and the Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C.

We remain deeply sorry for our involvement in residential schools and the harms they brought to Indigenous peoples and communities, said a statement.

Indigenous leaders and others have been calling for the release of all documents related to residential schools.

Cowessess First Nation announced Thursday that ground-penetrating radar indicated 751 unmarked graves at its school site. Last month, the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation said the same technology had detected what are believed to be the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops school.

In the statement, the Oblates said they have worked to make historical documents available through universities, archives and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

They said the work is not complete because of complications with provincial and national privacy laws. They asked for guidance from organizations familiar with those laws.

Rev. Ken Thorson, provincial leader for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) Lacombe Canada, said they will have a meeting next week at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, where they will discuss the issue further.

"We operated 48 schools over many years, so the documents would be well into the tens of thousands," Thorson said in an interview Friday.

"What percentage of the documents were handed over, I couldn't say at this point ... but we are hoping to have a better sense of that in the coming weeks."

He said the Oblates want to balance the needs of Indigenous communities and the rights to personal privacy.

"(Indigenous communities) have a need and a right to their history, and part of their history at least is contained in our records," Thorson said. "We want to make sure that they have as much access as we can possibly give."

Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations also alleged that Catholic Church representatives removed headstones and other grave markers at the school site in the 1960s.

Delorme added in Thursday's announcement that removing a headstone without permission is a crime in Canada.

Thorson said he did not know gravestones were removed, and if the church had ordered it, "it would be inexcusable."

He said he has asked their archivist to look for any information about those allegations.

Delorme did not say whether the RCMP has been contacted to investigate any historical crimes at the school.

Saskatchewan RCMP said it is working with Cowessess First Nation leadership to "determine if or how they wish the RCMP to be involved."

"Our actions must be respectful of the immense grief the people of Cowessess First Nation continue to suffer," the RCMP said in a statement Friday.

"We know we have enforced racist and discriminatory legislation and policies."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2021.

 With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version referred to the religious order as The Missionary of Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The proper name is, in fact, The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP)  Rescue crews found another body in the rubble of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami on Saturday, raising the death toll to five as they raced to recover any survivors while fighting back fire and smoke deep inside the concrete and metal remains.

Rescue personnel work in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo, Friday, June 25, 2021, in Surfside. The seaside condominium building partially collapsed on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP)  Rescue crews found another body in the rubble of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami on Saturday, raising the death toll to five as they raced to recover any survivors while fighting back fire and smoke deep inside the concrete and metal remains.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the new toll at an evening media briefing, saying the discovery of the body dropped the number of unaccounted for down to 156. She said crews struggling throughout the day in the debris also found other unspecified human remains.

The mayor also said the reason the missing number went down by three was because authorities had identified three bodies. Officials said the remains they find are being sent to the medical examiner, and they are also gathering DNA samples from family members to help identify them.

Photos of missing people are posted on a fence near the site of the Champlain Towers South Condo after the building collapsed Friday, June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Fla. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday, June 24. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP)

Throughout the day, she noted, rescue workers continued to go over the massive mountain of debris with rescue dogs and sonar searching for any survivors. Our top priority continues to be search and rescue and saving any lives that we can, she said.

Earlier, she said, a blaze very deep" in the debris had posed incredible difficulties to the rescue teams because of the flames.

At one point Saturday, a fire hose blasted one of the lower floors on the north side of the tower as white smoke or steam streamed out, and a bitter, sulfur-like smell hung in the air.

The stench is very thick, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Firefighters battle a blaze as rescue workers search debris at the 12-story oceanfront condo, Champlain Towers South, Friday, June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Fla. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday, June 24. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald via AP)

A crane removed pieces of debris from the more than 30-foot pile in the city of Surfside, and scores of rescuers used big machines, small buckets, drones, microphones and their own hands to pick through the rubble.

Among those anxiously awaiting word of missing loved ones was Rachel Spiegel, whose mother, 66-year-old Judy Spiegel, lived on the sixth floor. Speaking alongside her siblings, she said Saturday that were trying to hold it together.

I know my mom is a fighter. I know she loves us. I know she doesnt want to give up. So, you know, its day three, so its hard, Spiegel said.

President Joe Biden said via Twitter that he had spoken with DeSantis on Friday to offer assistance as needed.

Rescue workers search in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

My heart is with the community of Surfside as they grieve their lost loved ones and wait anxiously as search and rescue efforts continue, Biden tweeted.

Authorities announced they were beginning an audit of buildings nearing their 40-year review  like the fallen Champlain Towers South  to make sure theyre safe. The mayor asked other cities in the county to join the building review and said there will be state and federal funding to help.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have joined local and state authorities at the site, DeSantis said. He added that a nearby sister building of the collapsed tower is also being looked at because it was built at the same time and with the same designer.

Late Saturday, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said that a city official had led a cursory review of the nearby Champlain Towers North and Champlain Towers East buildings.

Rescue workers search the rubble of the Champlain Towers South condominium, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. The building partially collapsed on Thursday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

They didnt find anything out of the ordinary, he said.

He emphasized the priority now was on rescuing anyone still alive.

What were doing now is were saving lives and were bringing people out of the rubble. What were going to do in the next phase, after we address support for the families, is we are going to do a very deep dive into why this building fell down. And I imagine thats going to be a very comprehensive sort of project, Burkett said.

Burkett had said earlier he was working on a plan to temporarily relocate residents of the Champlain Towers North, which was constructed the same year and sits about 100 yards away from the collapsed building, and that FEMA has agreed to pay for lodging.

The mayor said he didn't plan to order residents to evacuate, but if he lived there, Id be gone.

Surfside city staffers had also been gathering details about Champlain Towers East, which was built in a different style and appears to have been constructed at a different time.

The news came after word of a 2018 engineering report that showed the building had major structural damage to a concrete slab below its pool deck that needed extensive repairs, part of a series of documents released by the city of Surfside.

While officials said no cause for the collapse early Thursday has been determined, DeSantis said a definitive answer was needed in a timely manner. Video showed the center of the building appearing to tumble down first, followed by a section nearer to the beach.

The 2018 report was part of preliminary work by the engineering company conducting the buildings required inspections for a recertification due this year of the buildings structural integrity at 40 years. The condominium tower was built in 1981.

A federal agency specializing in disaster losses and structure failures is dispatching a half-dozen scientists and engineers to collect firsthand information on the collapse for use in determining whether to pursue a more thorough study.

The first team members arrived Friday, said Jason Averill, an official at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. That agency also investigated the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11, the Joplin, Missouri tornadoes and Hurricane Maria devastation in Puerto Rico.

Separately, the government of Israel said it was sending a team of engineering and rescue specialists to assist in the search. Israeli media have reported that some 20 citizens of that country were believed to be among the missing.

Another 22 people unaccounted for were from Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay, including relatives of Paraguayan first lady Silvana de Abdo Benitez.
Alexa Craig knew shed found The Dress the moment she stepped into it.

It was a crisp day in late fall, and she and her mom had only begun shopping for grad dresses. But it was the third dress in the first store that ended up being the runaway winner: a sparkly plunge-neck stunner in fire-engine red.

"I actually I couldnt bring myself to get out of the dress because I liked it so much," says the 17-year-old College Beliveau grad during a Zoom call in June. Craig is sitting on her bed, doing yet another virtual call in a year defined by them. Affixed to the corner of her white bedframe is a bright green circle. "Im COVID-19 vaccinated."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Alexa Craig is one of thousands of Winnipeg grads who said yes to the dress, only for public health to say no to gatherings.

The vaccination sticker, the grad dress  these were supposed to represent the light at the end of the tunnel after months of remote learning, anxiety and uncertainty owing to a pandemic that still has us in its jaws. But Craig is now one of thousands of Winnipeg grads who said yes to the dress only for public health to say no to public gatherings amid stubbornly high case counts and test positivity rates. For the second June in a row, the pandemic has stripped graduates of that North American rite of passage, the grad dinner and dance, that marks the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood.

"Its sad," says DeeDee Hunt, the manager of Stellas Bridal & Evening Collections on Portage Avenue. "Theyre missing their chance, their grad. It happens one time. The brides have my deep, deep sympathies as well but, technically speaking, you can get married any time. Your Grade 12 grad happens once in a lifetime."

And the grad dress  as well as the Cinderella transformation that happens via satin and chiffon, tulle and taffeta, sequins and lace  is the crown jewel of this tradition. As Hunt says, the grad dress is iconic.

The vibe heading into this years graduation season has been mixed, Hunt says, as students pick up the dresses they bought months ago and had altered to fit them just so. She sold a dress to a grad one morning in June  an optimist in our midst  "but then I have others who are coming in and theyre fighting back tears, because they know that theyre not going to be able to wear the dress at all or in the manner that they have been planning for," she says.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Alexa Craig will study at John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal.

"Its kind of like the reward for 12 years of hard work is you get this big party and you get to wear this beautiful gown. And because of the current circumstances, they get nothing."

For the grads themselves, those current realities have been met with disappointment and resignation.

"Ive had this conversation so many times, that grad just doesnt feel like its as big of a deal as it should be," Craig says. "Which sucks, but its the way it is."

Unlike the Class of 2020, which would have had a fairly normal senior year until March, the Class of 2021 has been navigating a school year bookended by the second and third waves of the pandemic.

After COVID-19 ruined the end of Grade 11, Craig says it felt good to be back in school in September to start her senior year. But by December, when the second wave crested in Manitoba, things were looking increasingly grim.

"Then it was like, OK, this is pretty much the worst possible case scenario for graduating year," Craig says. "And I think, as were gearing up to June, even just looking through old yearbooks and just seeing everything that weve missed, or that we should have been a part of. Even just like something simple as a senior prank day. Thats not even in question for us because its just not possible."

Alexis Abraham echoes that thought. "It was kind of boring, to be honest," she says of her senior year.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Alexis Abraham in her grad dress at her home in Winnipeg.

Alexis and her identical twin sister, Adara Abraham, 18, are graduating from Murdoch MacKay Collegiate this June. The twins have been there for each other through all kinds of major life events  including their familys move to the city from Black River First Nation, which is about two hours northeast of Winnipeg, six years ago  and finishing high school amid a global pandemic is no exception.

They bought their dresses together, too. "When we were grad dress shopping, we didnt know if there was going to be a grad," Alexis says. "All I did was hope."

Alexis and Adara may be identical, but their dresses could not be more different. Alexis chose a gorgeous pale pink strapless ballgown with appliqued roses and vines climbing all over it. Adara, meanwhile, went with a striking, icy-blue, off-the-shoulder gown with silver detailing along the bodice.

"I didnt know what dress Adara was trying on so, when we walked out of the change room, it was really exciting," Alexis says. The big reveal to each other is a memory theyll cherish.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lauren McIlroys mom helps her get her dress done up at their home in La Salle.

Lauren McIlroy, 18, is graduating from St. Johns-Ravenscourt School. Shes disappointed about the cancellation of grad, but shes had a whole year to come to terms with it. Shes feeling itchy to move on.

The past year has been a mix of in-person and remote learning for McIlroy. When she was in school, she was mostly confined to her classroom. "And, of course, theres no clubs or activities or breaks, and you cant go sit with your friends at lunch. It really took the fun out of school," she says over Zoom. She ultimately chose to go remote for the rest of the year.

"Its kind of been an up-and-down year in terms of just adjusting to different modes of learning," she says. "I like to think Im pretty adaptable, but it certainly hasnt been easy."

McIlroy has two dresses hanging in her closet  a gown for her dinner and dance, and a white dress for her grad tea, an SJR tradition in which students share a meal with their teachers and faculty members.

Going dress-shopping with her mom was a highlight in a year that had few. McIlroys not a fan of the "traditional Cinderella pouffy dress for grad," she says. In the end, she chose a classic satin strapless gown with a black bodice and a full black-and-white polka-dot skirt. Her grad tea dress, meanwhile, is a demure, white, knee-length dress with a sheer lace overlay  again, festooned with subtle polka dots. Neither will be worn to their intended events.

"It is a little bit bittersweet," she says. "I really would have loved to see all my friends and their dresses, take pictures and you know, do the whole conventional grad thing."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mansha Kainth in her grad dress that shell never get to wear to a ceremony.

Mansha Kainth feels the same way. The Maples Collegiate grad, who celebrated her 18th birthday in June, has been looking forward to grad since her first day of high school.

The promise of grad was also something to hang onto during a tough year. Remote learning ratcheted up Kainths anxiety.

"I personally suffer with PTSD, so its quite hard for me to focus in general, and not being able to see people  that just gives more anxiety," she says via Zoom. "Im struggling with keeping up with work but, at the same time, I have to keep myself going and make sure that Im doing all the work."

In February, Kainth found her perfect dress  a dramatic deep red number with sequin-appliqued sleeves  online. "When I saw the dress, instantly I was like, thats a gorgeous dress. Like, wow, all the sequins, the pattern, how it flows at the bottom." (The gold-heeled stillettos she bought to go with it are also show-stoppers.)

Even until a few months ago, she thought grad was going to happen, until it became increasingly clear it wasnt.

"And then it was quite overhyped, because people were like, Oh, were gonna have something this year, its not going to be like last year," she says. "Teachers and everyone were just hyping us up about this idea and, in the end, its officially cancelled. It was sad. I cried about it."

The grad dress  and its close sibling, the American prom dress  is woven into our cultural fabric. It has twirled through popular culture, appearing everywhere from horror films (Carrie) to coming-of-age classics (Pretty in Pink). Every teen TV drama, from 90210 to The O.C. to Gossip Girl to Riverdale has a prom episode with dresses that inevitably dictate trends offscreen. Pre-internet, magazines such as Seventeen dedicated entire issues to the pursuit of the perfect prom dress, glossy fashion bibles awash in Jessica McClintock ads. Now, social media sets the trends. The grad dress endures.

Like any much-hyped milestone, grad isnt without its pressures: its supposed to be A Night to Remember, after all. The thrill, and stress, of finding the perfect dress is just as much a part of this tradition as the dress itself.

DeeDee Hunt has been helping grads find The Dress since 2014, and this year  this most unconventional of years  was no exception. The restrictions have been absolutely killer on her business, she says, and the current one-shopper-per-household rule has also changed the tenor of the dress-shopping experience.

"The grad has to come in alone," Hunt says. "I mean, were here for them, but they want their mom. They want their best friend. We can try and and fill that role as best as we can, but its not enough."

Still, students bought grad dresses this year, and they bought them last year, too.

"I think the thing that keeps the girls coming and purchasing dresses is that if their friend group has the dress, even if theyre not going to have the official grad, they still want to be able to get together and have their photos done together," Hunt says.

"I think the thing that keeps the girls coming and purchasing dresses is that if their friend group has the dress, even if theyre not going to have the official grad, they still want to be able to get together and have their photos done together."  DeeDee Hunt, manager of Stellas Bridal & Evening Collections

The dresses themselves offer a bit of comforting familiarity in strange times. The silhouettes may change decade to decade  the big sleeves of the 1980s were replaced by the strapless gowns and slinky slip dresses that defined the 90s and aughts, which paved the way for the midriff-exposing cutouts and plunge necklines of the 2010s  but grad dresses tend to be recognizable as such.

Hunt says strappy backs, whether on a ball gown or fitted dress, emerged as a trend this year. "Green, forest green, spruce green, emerald green, that has really been a bit of a breakout this year. But, you know, from year to year, the trends dont change that much."

Like all fashion, grad dresses are an expression: of style, of identity, of gender. Some students subvert traditional grad looks with touches of their personal style  think Chuck Taylors or Nikes under ballgowns others go for full princess fairy tale.

The best part of Hunts job is helping a grad find a dress they feel incredible in, regardless of their size, shape or style.

"The girls who look good in everything  theyre young, theyre confident, all they have to do is figure out what they want  thats fun. We really love the difficult ones. Maybe theyre afraid nothing is going to fit, or they never wear dresses, or fill in the blank. There may be some reason why dress shopping is hard for them, or theyre dreading it," she says.

"So when we can turn that around, and help them find a dress that makes them feel beautiful? That is so satisfying. The easy ones are fun. Those ones are satisfying."

When Isabell Neves set up the private Instagram account @KelvinDresses2021 back in October, it had a pretty utilitarian use: to prevent anyone from experiencing the horror of arriving to grad in the exact same dress as someone else.

"All my friends and I were super-excited about our dresses," says the 18-year-old Kelvin High School grad, who went with a plunge-neck satin grown in a gorgeous, deep sky-blue. "I got my dress back in October and it was like, Oh, grad is 100 per cent happening, theres no way itll be cancelled again, by June itll be fine."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Isabell Neves set up an Instagram account as a way to prevent people from showing up to grad in the same dress  now, its a way for students to show off their finest since their grad dance isnt happening.

Since then, the Instagram page has taken on a whole new significance, morphing into a supportive space where Kelvin grads can show off their dresses to much effusive praise from other students  "Princess energy," "Wowowowow" and "Loveeeee!" are sample comments  and liberal use of the heart-eyes and fire emojis. "This is really our way to show off our dresses this year," Neves says.

Its just another way in which grad looks different in 2021.

Hunts alterations department has also been making co-ordinating non-medical masks out of leftover fabric. Shes also heard about grads thinking about wearing their dresses to their vaccination appointments.

Alexis and Adara Abraham plan to have a little party with their family once they can gather, and they will definitely be wearing their dresses.

SUPPLIED Adara (left) and Alexis Abraham may be identical twins, but their dresses could not be more different.

Neves and her friends are thinking about doing "something super fun and chill," once restrictions ease. "Like wearing our dresses to the grocery store, or out for brunch, places where youre probably not supposed to wear a big extravagant grad dress."

Craig and her best friend happen to be dating a pair of best friends, so theyd like to do a little photo shoot at Birds Hill Park at the end of the month, provided they are allowed to.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SJR student Lauren McIlroy in one of the two dresses that she was excited to wear to grad events that have been cancelled.

McIlroy is a pianist, and decided to wear her black-and-white gown for her final Zoom recital. Shes happy she had an occasion to wear her grad dress, even if the occasion wasnt grad. "Ive never worn a long dress like this before, so I feel kind of elegant and pretty," she says with a little laugh. "Its super fun. It almost feels like playing dress up a little bit, but I really would have liked it to be a formal occasion."

As for Kainth, shes having trouble seeing her dress as anything other than her grad dress.

"I really wanted to wear it to that grad," she says. "I could wear it somewhere else, but is it the same thing?"

She immediately answers her own question. "Its not the same thing."

Grad itself, and the preparations leading up to it, are traditions that link generations; if you graduated from high school, you likely have those memories. Not just of the dress, but of the itchy corsage, the parent-directed photography on the front lawn, the cheesy photo booths, the broken curfews, the inevitable tears in a bathroom, the cheek-to-cheek selfies with best friends, the last song of the night  all of it. All the stuff the movies promised.

As it happens, there is a pandemic movie prom. Near the end of Steven Soderberghs 2011 film Contagion, Matt Damons character throws his daughter an at-home prom, a sweet surprise after a hard year. She puts on her dress  a tiered, pink, strapless confection  and walks into the living room, which is illuminated by the warm glow of fairy lights. The furnitures been pushed aside to make a dance floor. Her boyfriend rings the doorbell, and holds up his arm to show his proof-of-vaccination wristband. Under paper streamers, they slow dance to U2s All I Want Is You.

Its one of the most affecting prom scenes in the film. Rites of passage still happen, regardless of how they are marked. Those flashbulb memories are still made.

Sad grad, 2.0 Click to Expand Posted: 7:00 PM Jun. 25, 2021 Every student pictures Grade 12 differently. Nobody pictured this  a school year spent mostly behind a computer screen, muting and unmuting, missing the mundane sound of a school bell or hallway chit-chat. But thats how members of the Class of 2021 were forced to finish their high school careers. They are moving on to the next stage in life without the closure seniors before them have come to expect. The Free Press spoke to 12 graduates about how they will remember this year and their hopes others will see Class of 21 on a resume with an invisible asterisk that reflects their perseverance to convocate following a school year unlike any other. Read Full Story

While the ceremonies may feel decidedly unceremonious this year, all the students in this story have bright futures to celebrate. Kainth is headed to the University of Winnipeg to study journalism. Alexis Abraham, McIlroy and Neves will all be at the University of Manitoba in the fall, with McIlroy at the Price Faculty of Engineering and Neves at the Faculty of Arts. Alexis is taking University 1 before she decides on her major. "I want to be 100 per cent sure that I want to go into law," she says. Her sister, Adara, is considering taking a gap year.

Craig, meanwhile, is leaving Winnipeg to study at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal.

"Thats very exciting and scary for me," she says. "But its kind of taking over the fact that Im graduating. Im more focusing on, Im going to be living by myself in, like, two months. That is way more on my mind than the fact Im not going to be able to wear my dress."

And so, Craigs dress hangs in its protective plastic bag in her closet, where it has been stowed away for months. But it doesnt bother her to see it.

"Honestly, its kind of a nice reminder that I am graduating," Craig says. "That I did do it, and it is happening."

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @JenZoratti
GIMLI  Something smells yummy.

Jordan Welch, a commercial fisherman from Gimli, arrived home recently following a long day at work. Walking through the house he shares with his girlfriend, Sierra Lathlin, he picked up the scent of cinnamon, which he ultimately traced to a plate of cookies cooling on a kitchen counter. No sooner had he taken a nibble out of one than Lathlin entered the room, yelling, "Hey, those are for the dogs!"

"He looked at me, looked at the cookie and popped the rest in his mouth, saying, Whatever, tastes all right to me," says Lathlin, founder of Barkery Dog Treats, an Interlake-based online store that turns out all-natural, preservative-free goodies for your furry friend, including biscuits, doggie doughnuts, even "pup tarts," the personable entrepreneurs sugar-free take on the popular Kelloggs toaster pastry.

"Theres nothing in my stuff that you or I cant eat," she continues, offering a scribe a free sample (thanks, but we just had lunch). "The only difference pretty much is that I dehydrate everything once its ready in order to extend the shelf life. That makes it a bit crunchier, not that any dogs are complaining."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sierra Lathlin, owner of Barkery Dog Treats, knows just how to reward good pups  like her own pooches, Rocky (leaping) and Anna, with a good snack.

Lathlin, 24, was born and raised in Opaskwayak Cree Nation, near The Pas. A dog lover for as long as she can remember, she was 18 when she adopted Toby, a Great Pyrenees. He was a rescue, just six weeks old when she brought him home. She wasnt familiar with his breed beforehand so was more than a little surprised when he eventually tipped the scale at more than 100 pounds.

"I mean, Im 100 pounds soaking wet, so who was walking who?" she says with a laugh, adding she latched onto a second pet, Anna, a shepherd-Lab mix, after a breakup. "Any boyfriend I broke up with, I ended up with their dog somehow. My mom told me I had better stop dating guys with dogs or I was going to have 10 before I knew it."

With Toby and Anna in tow, Lathlin left OCN for Winnipeg in 2015 to study computer science at the University of Winnipeg. She and Welch began dating two years later. She and her entourage moved in with him and his pooch Hilti after she graduated in the spring of 2019. A couple of weeks later she landed a marketing manager position at Gimli Veterinary Services.

It was around that same time when she began preparing treats from scratch for Toby, Anna and Hilti, convinced whatever came out of her oven would be healthier than what was available in the pet aisle at the grocery store. She probably would have been content baking for their dogs alone, except a lightbulb went on in her head the second she spotted a poster advertising a craft sale at the Gimli Rec Centre in September 2019. Since Toby, Anna and Hilti were such big fans of her cooking, maybe other dogs would be too.

"I showed up (at the sale) with four different treats, including my peanut butter trainers and fresh breath mints containing mint and parsley," she says, adding Barkery, the name she chose for her fledgling biz, came to her one morning out of the blue. "I made $300 and was like, woo-hoo, Im rich."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lathlin got serious about Barkery following the death of her Great Pyrenees, Toby. The product line shes since come up with includes morsels such as dehydrated chicken feet and banana bites.

Lathlin spent the next 10 months splitting her time between her full-time job at the clinic and baking treats to sell at whatever craft sale came along. That all came to a screeching halt in July 2020, when, while she was in Winnipeg shopping, a friend called to say Toby had been the victim of a hit-and-run accident and needed to be euthanized immediately.

Crushed, she gave her bosses two weeks notice, telling them she was finding it too difficult to be around other animals that were sick or dying. She spent the next several days holed up in her bedroom, mourning her loss. Finally, not wanting Tobys death to be in vain, she got out a pen and paper and scribbled down his favourite things to munch on  beef liver biscuits, cheese-apple bites and banana-oatmeal cookies, to name a few. The time had come to devote her full attention to Barkery Dog Treats, shed decided; to her way of thinking, shed already lost Toby, so what else did she have to lose?

The initial thing Lathlin did  besides adopt a new dog, Rocky, another Great Pyrenees  was develop a website to advertise her full line (six-pack of dehydrated rabbit feet, anyone?). Next she Googled the phone numbers of pet stores, doggie daycares and dog groomers, not just in Manitoba, but across North America.

"I searched by annual revenue then got on the phone, explaining to the owner or whoever answered what I was all about," she says, explaining because her treats dont contain any dairy, she is able to ship across Canada as well as south of the border. "Its not like I had much experience yet, or any customer reviews to speak of. It was more a case of me letting them know how passionate I am about what I do, and getting them to believe in me."

Her message must have resonated: since last August she has gained retail clients from every province and territory, as well as in close to a dozen U.S. states, including Texas, California, Rhode Island and Delaware. Lathlin also ventured into the world of social media influencers. Familiar with how popular certain doggie Instagram accounts are  Nashvilles Doug the Pug, for example, has 3.8 million followers, 3.8 million more than a certain newspaper scribe  she began offering lifetime 50 per cent discounts to dog owners who were willing to offer her a bit of, you know, paws-itive feedback.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sierra Lathlin, owner of Barkery Dog Treats, shows off some dehydrated chicken feet treats while taking the dogs for a play at Westview Park in Winnipeg.

Currently, Lathlin, the lone Manitoban and one of only 40 Canadians invited to take part in a virtual G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance Summit held last September in Saudi Arabia, has her schedule down pat: field orders, bake, package, ship, repeat. She offers free local delivery on private orders, and counts stops in Winnipeg as local, not minding the 50-minute commute she undertakes, sometimes twice a week, in the least.

"It gives me time to think about new recipes and also what direction I want to take things next," she says, mentioning her primary goal these days is to move the entire operation out of her and Welchs kitchen, and into a dedicated space of its own.

Lathlin admits she sometimes has to pinch herself to make sure it isnt all a dream. Growing up, she never entertained the thought of running a business of her own; her mother is a health-care aide, her late father drove a truck and she cant remember a single friends parent who had their own company. Now that she is a successful entrepreneur, though, she is doing everything in her power to pay it forward by encouraging others, especially those from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, to follow her lead.

"Its super-important to me as an Indigenous woman with her own business to get people to believe in themselves, too," she says, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "I reached out to my old high school last fall, letting them know Im available to talk to students who might have an idea for this or that. And while I cant travel there currently because of restrictions, I am also involved with the band office and when the time is right, my intent is to visit and chat with anybody, young or old, whos thinking of starting a business of their own."

There is one problem with that plan.

"Back home there tend to be a lot of strays running around, and it will be be incredibly difficult not to head back to Gimli without a few new babies in the backseat," she says, grinning from ear to ear.

For more information, go to thebarkerydogtreats.com.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill sailed away on Saturday with nearly all vaccinated passengers on board.

The Celebrity Edge cruise ship is docked at Port Everglades, Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Celebrity Edge is set to sail on Saturday from Fort Lauderdale. It will be the first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port with ticketed passengers since the onset of the pandemic, which halted sailing. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill sailed away on Saturday with nearly all vaccinated passengers on board.

Celebrity Edge departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6 p.m. with the number of passengers limited to about 40% capacity, and with nearly all 1,100 passengers vaccinated against COVID-19. Celebrity Cruises, one of Royal Caribbean Cruise's brands, says 99% of the passengers are vaccinated, well over the 95% requirement imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A giant greeting was projected on a wall of one of the port buildings: "Someday is here. Welcome back."

Passengers arrived with matching T-shirts that read phrases such as straight outta vaccination and vaccinated and ready to cruise."

Words cant describe how excited we are to be a part of this historic sailing today, said Elizabeth Rosner, 28, who moved from Michigan to Orlando, Florida, in December 2019 with her fiance just to be close to the cruise industrys hub.

Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, left and Brian Abel, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations and Celebrity Cruises walk next to the Celebrity Edge, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The first cruise ship is preparing to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill. Celebrity Edge will depart with the number of passengers limited to 40 percent capacity, and with virtually all passengers vaccinated against COVID-19. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

To comply with both the CDCs requirement and a new Florida law banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination, Celebrity Cruises asked guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. Those who did not show or say they are vaccinated face additional restrictions.

Saturdays sailing kicks off the cruise lines return to business with Carnival vessels already scheduled to depart from other ports next month.

This is an emotional day for me. When I stepped on board the ship, I was proud. Its a beautiful ship, said Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain, after expressing condolences to the victims of the Surfside building collapse, less than 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) south of the port.

Celebrity Cruises had unveiled the $1 billion boat in December 2018  betting on luxury cruising, offering a giant spa and multifloor suites. The seven-night cruise will sail for three days in the Western Caribbean waters before making stops in Costa Maya, Cozumel and Nassau.

The ship is led by Capt. Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a cruise ship, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.

You can truly feel the palpable sense of excitement and energy amongst the group as we prepare for our welcoming of our first guests, McCue said. I've never honestly seen a group so excited to get back to work.

Industry officials are hoping all goes smooth to move past a chapter last year of deadly outbreaks on cruise ships that prompted ships to be rejected at ports and passengers to be forced into quarantine. Some passengers died of COVID-19 at sea while others fell so ill they had to be carried out of the vessels on stretchers.

The CDC extended no-sail orders repeatedly last year as the pandemic raged, and came up with strict requirements for the industry that have already been contested in court by the state of Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the industry generates billions for the state's economy.

On Saturday, officials at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale said only that port lost more than $30 million in revenue in fiscal year 2020 from the cruise shutdown.

During that hiatus, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the three largest cruise companies, have had to raise more than $40 billion in financing just to stay afloat. Collectively they lost $20 billion last year and another $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The pandemic forced Kurt and Carol Budde to cancel their beach celebration wedding aboard the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas, in March 2020. COVID-19 halted cruising six days before they were scheduled to tie the knot in St. Maarten. Kurt Budde's part-time gig as a travel agent also dried up.

It's a honeymoon make-up cruise, said Kurt Budde, sporting matching shirts with the phrase On Cruise Control."

We are living our best lives post COVID today," he said.
LONDON (AP)  Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party formally endorsed Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader on Saturday, a position that will likely see him become the country's first minister.

LONDON (AP)  Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party formally endorsed Jeffrey Donaldson as its new leader on Saturday, a position that will likely see him become the country's first minister.

Donaldson received 32 votes of the partys 36-strong electoral college, which is made up of the party's 28 lawmakers in the Northern Ireland assembly and its eight members of parliament in London.

The 58-year-old, who leads the party's caucus in the U.K. Parliament in London, was the sole candidate in the election, which follows a chaotic two months for Northern Irelands largest party.

Donaldson had narrowly lost in the previous election last month to Edwin Poots, who resigned last week after colleagues revolted over a deal to appoint new leaders to the Protestant-Catholic power-sharing administration. Poots, a social and religious conservative, didn't attend the meeting on Saturday.

I believe that todays decision is an important first step in building the unity of my party, in rebuilding the strength of my party, in providing the leadership that Northern Ireland needs at this time," Donaldson said. Its been a difficult and a bruising period for the DUP, we all acknowledge that and weve all played our part in that."

Donaldson, who will become the official party leader next week when the DUPs ruling executive meets to ratify his appointment, has has made clear his intent to return from London to Belfast to assume the first ministers job. However, the timeline for that move remains unclear.

Donaldson said Paul Givan, who was appointed by his predecessor Poots, will remain first minister for the time being.

The DUP, which is rooted in the fundamentalist Free Presbyterian Church, opposed Northern Irelands 1998 peace accord. It later became reconciled to it and has shared power with the Irish Republican Army-linked Sinn Fein. The power-sharing relationship has often been strained, and the U.K's departure from the EU last year has shaken the political balance in Northern Ireland.

Donaldson said one of his key priorities would be to right the wrong of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit trading arrangement between the British government and the European Union that has seen customs and border checks imposed on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. Thats angered Northern Irelands unionist community who say the checks amount to a border in the Irish Sea and weaken ties with the rest of the U.K.

This protocol is doing enormous harm to our economy, to confidence, to political stability and thats why I believe that weve got to find another way of doing things that doesnt do the harm the protocol is doing to Northern Ireland, Donaldson said.

The British government retains an array of powers affecting Northern Ireland, but the Belfast assembly can make laws in areas including agriculture, education and health.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California will extend its ban on evictions and cover back rent and utility payments for people who fell behind during the pandemic under a $7.2 billion plan announced Friday that Gov. Gavin Newsom called the largest and most comprehensive renter protection deal in the United States.

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, housing activists erect a sign in Swampscott, Mass. A federal freeze on most evictions is set to expire soon. The moratorium, put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, was the only tool keeping millions of tenants in their homes. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California will extend its ban on evictions and cover back rent and utility payments for people who fell behind during the pandemic under a $7.2 billion plan announced Friday that Gov. Gavin Newsom called the largest and most comprehensive renter protection deal in the United States.

California placed a moratorium on evictions after Newsom imposed the nations first statewide shutdown in March 2020 and ordered most businesses to close and people to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

That protection is scheduled to expire Wednesday. The new agreement between Newsom and legislative leaders will extend the eviction moratorium by three months and pledges to pay off all unpaid rent and utility bills for qualifying renters from April 2020 through Sept. 30 of this year.

No one knows exactly how many people will qualify and how much it will cost. But the state has $5.2 billion to spend on back rents, enough to provide $10,400 each to a half-million tenants, all of it coming from the federal government.

I think that everyone is breathing a sigh of relief," said Madeline Howard, senior attorney for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

Newsom's administration believes the pot of money is more than enough to pay off rental debts for everyone eligible. Another $2 billion in state money will cover peoples unpaid utility bills.

The proposal, which will be voted on in the Legislature next week, also gives tenants more time to apply for assistance after a landlord tries to evict them while also masking their credit and rental history so those debts wont show up and prevent them from getting future housing.

California has some of the most expensive rents in the country, driven by a statewide affordable housing shortage. In Los Angeles, the median rent in May was about $2,600, and in San Francisco it was $2,700.

About 25% of Californias renters pay at least half of their income on housing costs, a figure that includes rent and utilities, according to the California Department of Finance.

Our housing situation in California was a crisis before COVID, and the pandemic has only made it worse  this extension is key to making sure that more people dont lose the safety net helping them keep their home, said state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego.

To qualify, people may only earn 80% or less of their area's median income and must have been affected by the pandemic  a nondescript requirement everyone can meet.

The federal government is giving every state lots of money to cover back rent during the pandemic. Some states, like Washington, have also extended their eviction bans through the end of September. Others, like New Hampshire, are also offering rental assistance of up to 15 months.

Californians who aren't eligible to have their unpaid rent covered can still qualify for the eviction ban, but only if they pay at least 25% of what they owe through Sept. 30. If they do that, landlords can still sue them to try to recoup that money, but they can't evict them for it.

This will be the third time California has extended its eviction ban. While some landlords say they are happy to have the state cover all of some tenants' rental debt, they are angry the state has continued to halt evictions.

The ban has caused irreparable harm to landlords who have been under severe financial distress for the past 16+ months, said Christine LaMarca, president of the California Rental Housing Association.

We are very concerned as to when this moratorium will actually end, she said.

California began offering rental assistance earlier this year, using a previous allocation of federal money. As of Thursday, 54,520 tenants have requested $616.4 million in assistance, said Russ Heimerich, spokesman for the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

But the state has paid only $61.6 million of those requests so far.

Those figures don't include applications made to some of the state's larger cities  including Los Angeles  that operate their own programs. Still, the state's slow response has frustrated landlord groups.

Both the federal and state eviction moratoriums would not be necessary if state and local governments were disbursing rental assistance funds to tenants and housing providers in an expedited manner, said Tom Bannon, CEO of the California Apartment Association.

Newsom acknowledged the state's slow response, adding the federal government has also been sluggish in getting the money to state governments. Newsom said the application process is laborious, but he said state officials are trying to make it easier.

We expect with this announcement ... we're going to see more people applying and more money requested, he said. Our job is to efficiently  and make sure appropriately, because we don't want fraud in this space  to get those dollars out as quickly as possible."

This story has been updated to say that people who make less than 80% of the area median income do not have to pay any portion of what they owe to be eligible for the money.
The pandemic has spawned a host of problems  to say the least.

Opinion

The pandemic has spawned a host of problems  to say the least.

Yet it also has exacerbated an ongoing problem in Canada, affecting some of our most vulnerable citizens: seniors.

Thats not just because the virus often poses a greater danger to their health than younger individuals.

The pandemic has also sparked a sharp rise in elder abuse, including financial abuse, as many older Canadians have spent the past several months more isolated and often forced to carry out their financial lives in unfamiliar territory  the online world.

Thats made some seniors more susceptible to predatory behaviour by fraudsters and even the people closest to them, like adult children, experts say.

"Its really gotten worse," says lawyer Laura Tamblyn Watts, president and CEO of CanAge, a non-profit advancing the rights and well being of Canadians as they age.

"Pre-COVID-19, one in six seniors were subject to elder abuse or neglect, and since COVID-19, there is strong evidence that there has been an increase of about 250 per cent."

The issue was brought into focus recently at a Facebook Live event hosted by the Manitoba Financial Services Agency (MFSA) to mark June as Seniors Month, and World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on June 15.

Tamblyn Watts was among the speakers at the webinar that also included experts from Cambrian Credit Union and local law firm Fillmore Riley LLP.

She says the event could not be timelier, given our nations increasingly gray demographics.

"We are in the beginning of a 15-year span where we will see a transfer of a trillion dollars of inter-generational wealth, along with an increasing aged population," says Watts, also executive member of the Canadian Bar Associations National Elder Law section.

"Add in COVID-19s impact and we are facing a perfect storm for elder abuse."

Elder abuse and neglect are often physical or emotional in nature, but financial abuse typically goes hand-in-hand with both.

"We know from our 2015 prevalence study that when there is financial abuse, there is almost always at least one form of other abuse," she says.

Pierre Amerlynck / FreeImages

During the pandemic, increased use of online banking, e-commerce, and credit and debit cards using tap technology has made exploiting victims easier for predators, says Nicole Prokoppa, policies and procedures administrator with Cambrian.

"It is often a crime of opportunity," she adds.

As such many cases actually involve family members as the perpetrators.

"There is often this sense of entitlement where the adult children think they will get the money as inheritance anyway, so what is the big deal if I dip into it right now?" she explains.

"Its almost this crime where people have no problem removing the criminal component in their minds to make it seem like its OK."

Financial institutions are putting more time, money and effort to detect these crimes, says Larry Zelvin, head of the financial crimes unit at BMO.

In some instances, a client comes to the branch with a younger person asking for transactions that "make you scratch your head," he adds. "And the good news is our employees are now trained to ask the appropriate questions and elevate concerns to more senior staff."

Financial institutions are also using software to spot financial fraud and abuse.

Prokoppa points out one recent instance where Cambrians software flagged late-night ATM withdrawals by an aging member.

"What we found was the member was living in a nursing home, and through a thorough investigation it was detected an adult child had taken the debit card," to withdraw money to spend at a local casino.

In other cases, its strangers committing crimes, reaching out to seniors who are new to social media. Often this involves a new spin on romance scams, in which fraudsters prey on lonely and isolated individuals, Zelvin says.

"These can be really complicated to deal with because the customer is in a relationship," he says. "So theyre asking us, This is my new friend in need; why are you getting involved in my personal life?"

Prevention is generally the best weapon to fight elder abuse and fraud, Tamblyn Watts says.

As such all individuals should be careful about who they trust to help them with their money, especially with respect to appointing a power of attorney. She also strongly recommends against making accounts joint with family members. In the past, some aging individuals sought to make accounts joint to avoid probates fees on the estate after they died, but these charges no longer apply in Manitoba.

Alternatively family and friends should look for warning signs an aging loved one is being exploited. Some red flags may be unpaid bills, not regularly visiting the dentist anymore, or being unable to afford medication.

Anything out of the usual should be of concern, Tamblyn Watts says.

"Is there a shiny new convertible in front of the 95-year-olds house even though that person hasnt driven in years?"
EDMONTON - A U.S. senator has asked that Canada be investigated for violating religious freedom over the arrests of Alberta pastors accused of flouting COVID-19 restrictions.

Supporters gather outside court as Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church appears in court after he was arrested for holding Sunday services in violation of COVID-19 rules, in Stony Plain, Alta., on Wednesday Feb. 24, 2021. A U.S. senator wants Canada investigated for violating religious freedom over the arrests of Coates and another Alberta pastor accused of flouting COVID-19 restrictions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON - A U.S. senator has asked that Canada be investigated for violating religious freedom over the arrests of Alberta pastors accused of flouting COVID-19 restrictions.

In a letter released Thursday, Missouri Republican Josh Hawley asked his country's Commission on International Religious Freedom to consider putting Canada on its special watch list.

"I am troubled that our Canadian neighbours are effectively being forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship," Hawley wrote.

"Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent western nation like Canada."

Hawley refers in his letter to the arrests of Alberta pastors James Coates and Tim Stephens.

Coates spent a month in the Edmonton Remand Centre after he violated a bail condition not to hold church services that officials said were ignoring COVID-19 measures on capacity limits, physical distancing and masking. He was released March 22 after pleading guilty and was fined $1,500.

Coates, who is a pastor at GraceLife Church in Spruce Grove, has argued provincial regulations meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 infringed on his and his congregants' constitutional right to freedom of religion and peaceful assembly.

Earlier this month, a judge ruled his religious freedoms under the Charter were not violated.

Stephens remains in remand after being arrested last week following repeated public complaints over an outdoor service that officials say broke public health orders. Calgary police and Alberta Health Services allege that Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church chose to keep holding services without respecting orders on physical distancing and capacity limits, even after his church had been twice ordered closed.

Litigation director Jay Cameron of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing Stephens, has accused Alberta Health Services in a statement of being "engaged in an intentional act of public deception and abuse of authority in arresting pastor Stephens and others."

The U.S. commission lists three requirements to declare that a country oppresses religious freedom. It says the oppression must be systematic, ongoing and egregious. Any two of those is enough to be placed on the special watch list. Countries already on the list include Afghanistan, Egypt, Cuba and Turkey.

A commission spokesperson said the agency is aware of Hawley's letter and is "looking into it."

A spokesman for Alberta Justice said the department couldn't comment on Hawley's accusations because the matters are still before the courts.

Hawley is a longtime supporter of former U.S. president Donald Trump. He gave a clenched-fist salute to the hordes outside the Capitol as he arrived on the day of the Jan. 6 riots to press his challenge of the presidential election results.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2021.
Call it love at first fright.

Jeanette Henderson was basking in the sun with some friends while off work at Delaney Lake Lodge in Ontario when a group of male co-workers joined them on the dock. Friendly banter ensued, and a short time later the men began jokingly throwing the women, one by one, into the water.

Henderson, above, cuddling her great-grandson Nash Lupkey, also enjoyed the great outdoors, below.

When it was Jeanettes turn, she pleaded not to be thrown in, afraid because she didnt know how to swim. The moment she hit the water, she started to sink.

One of the men took immediate notice of her distress and jumped in, swimming Jeanette to safety. The hero of the day was Ross Henderson. The two would begin dating shortly thereafter, and following a brief courtship were married in 1953  a union that would last 56 years, until Ross death in 2009.

"My dad saw that she was drowning, and he jumped in and saved her," Scott Henderson, the first of three sons the couple would have together (Scott, Craig and Eric), said in a phone interview. "My dad told me that was the day he knew she was the one."

The day also marked the beginning of a lifelong love affair with swimming for Jeanette Henderson. She would go on to dedicate much of her professional life as a lifeguard and swim instructor.

Henderson began volunteering at the North End YMCA, where she also held a position on the board, before being hired on with the City of Winnipeg, working for the next nearly 30 years at Seven Oaks Pool.

Jeannette with husband Ross. Their marriage lasted 56 years, until his death in 2009.

She was well-respected by peers and students, with a reputation for having a particular soft spot for those fearful of the water. She would save dozens of lives over her career.

"Thats what she was known for, being able to take a really scared child or adult that were not adapting well and work with them to get into the water," said Craig, son No. 2. "She really wanted to help those people, because she once had those same fears."

Henderson is described by her family as someone who was kind and considerate to all, who put others concerns ahead of her own, until her death Jan. 12, 2020, at age 89.

Perhaps it was because she understood what it was like to feel prejudice.

Jeannette Henderson, middle, with grandchildren Lauren, left, and Glen Henderson.

Jeanette Kocurski was born in Kovel, Poland, on Sept. 12, 1930, during a contentious time in the countrys history. Poland was at odds with the Soviet Union, and would be invaded by Hitlers Germany in 1939, leading to the murder of thousands of Jews from her hometown.

In the spring of 1937, however, seven-year-old Jeanette and her family packed up and fled to Canada. The journey included hopping on a ship to New York City, then another to Halifax, before taking a train to Sifton, where they had farmland and a new life waiting for them.

Henderson watched as her parents put in long days on the farm, noting the value of a hard days work. She also preached the importance of earning a post-secondary education, something that wasnt always easily attainable or desired by women at the time.

Upon completing her high school education, Henderson made her way to Winnipeg. She wanted to be a nurse but was denied admission into the program due to her Polish roots.

Supplied Jeannette Henderson

She had to change her last name from Kocurski to Kirk before she was granted admission, but fell just short of completing the program in order to get married and start a family.

Henderson could be stubborn and strict, family said, traits that were required to run a household of boys, but she was also supportive.

Shortly after their marriage, Ross was looking through a magazine and came across an ad to earn an MBA at the prestigious Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. While her husband scoffed at the idea he could take on such an endeavour, Henderson convinced him not only could he but he should.

He applied, and got in. While Ross attended classes, Henderson supported the family financially, picking up odd jobs to pay the bills, until he graduated in 1957. She did the same thing nearly two decades later, in the early 1970s, when Ross left home to attend the University of Western Ontario to earn a PhD.

Supplied photos Nearly drowning as a young woman and being saved by her future husband, Ross, inspired Jeanette Henderson to devote a great deal of her life to aquatics.

"Once they were back in Winnipeg (after years in the U.S.), my grandma said, OK, its my turn now," said Lauren Henderson, Jeanettes granddaughter. "She had three young boys and yet went to school and got her degree at the University of Manitoba, in botany."

Studying plants only helped broaden Hendersons love for the great outdoors, which also included a love for wildlife. She enjoyed many years cottaging in Farlane, Ont., on Cache Lake. Few, if any, her family said, knew the flora and fauna of the surrounding area better.

It was Hendersons knowledge of a number of endangered plant species, including a rare orchid on the brink of extinction, that prevented logging companies from sweeping in and clearing nearby land. It remains intact to this day.

"She basically saved a large chunk of the Whiskey Jack Forest," Lauren said.

Even into her mid-80s, after she had lost her drivers licence and Alzheimers disease started to take hold, Henderson was still swimming 36 laps, down from her usual 72, at least twice a week at Seven Oaks. To simplify her routine, she had a scheduled taxi, and her own key to the pool.

Even after she moved into an assisted living facility at River Ridge and her health steadily declined, it was the water that continued to bring her solace, accompanied by her beloved Shih Tzu mix, Dakota.

"We would sit by the river, and she would tell stories, particularly about the children she had saved long ago," said Cydnee Silverstein, who was director of care at River Ridge. "But she absolutely lit up when she saw the water  no doubt about it."

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Circle Square Ranch is known for bringing the Old West to children via its summer camps. So far this year, however, it has only been migrant farm workers from Mexico who have experienced it.

Circle Square Ranch is known for bringing the Old West to children via its summer camps. So far this year, however, it has only been migrant farm workers from Mexico who have experienced it.

The new tenants have helped the camp near Austin, some 130 kilometres west to Winnipeg, survive two COVID-19 pandemic-restricted summers in a row.

Dan Ingram, executive director, said it has worked out great for the camp, the migrant workers, and now the children organizers hope will come to the planned day camp this year.

Sunshine Fund begins annual summer camp drive Click to Expand Posted: 7:00 PM Jun. 25, 2021 You might say the provincial government kicked off the Winnipeg Free Press Sunshine Fund this year. Last week, when Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, accompanied by chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, announced the reduction of some of the restrictions aimed at keeping people safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they also gave the green light to allow children to go to summer camp... at least in a limited way. Read Full Story

"They farm the fields and then they stay here," said Ingram. "It's a win-win because otherwise they would have to rent 10 to 15 houses, but this is close to where they work.

"And they've been 100 per cent of our business, so we're grateful for it."

Ingram said Circle Square is planning to run day camps, with children from nearby communities only as far as Portage la Prairie. They will move in after the migrant workers move out.

"When they are done (harvesting) is when the day camps start  the timing is great."

It's just one example of how a summer camp, traditionally a place where children from urban centres get a taste of rural or wilderness life for a week or two, has had to reinvent itself to survive amid the pandemic.

Whether it is giving migrant workers a place to stay during harvest, running day camps, opening up cabins to families or people seeking a summer escape, or simply closing the doors for continued maintenance projects, summer 2021 looks more like a repeat of 2020 than the pre-COVID times of 2019.

For a second consecutive summer, overnight camps are not yet allowed in Manitoba.

On Wednesday, when Premier Brian Pallister and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced the lifting of some of the restrictions aimed at protecting people by reducing the spread of COVID-19, they said day camps could open with a maximum of 20 participants in groups.

The province also said indoor and outdoor swimming and wading pools can open at 25 per cent of capacity.

Kim Scherger, executive director of the Manitoba Camping Association, said it all adds up to a number of members deciding to run day camps this year. They are already sending out sign-up information; some could open as quickly as July 5, she said.

Scherger said the province has told the association, under the next reopening target, if 75 per cent of eligible Manitobans have their first vaccine dose and 50 per cent have two doses by Aug. 2, overnight camps will be allowed at 50 per cent capacity.

On Wednesday, Premier Brian Pallister and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced day camps could open with a maximum of 20 participants in groups. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"It would be safe to say at this time approximately 30 of our 35 accredited camps will be offering programming in some form which includes day camps or family camp rentals," she said.

While members wait for Aug. 2, Scherger said the MCA has come up with its Open Camp Safely plan.

It includes operating with reduced capacity based on public health guidelines, personal protective equipment, sanitization, as well as following cohort and group sizes, and physically distancing during meals and any other large group gatherings of campers.

Meantime, Pioneer Camp Manitoba would be just days away from welcoming dozens of young campers to their first overnight wilderness experience at its summer camp just across the border in Ontario.

But there's nothing normal during the pandemic.

For a second summer, up to 120 children weekly won't be heading to overnight camps at the picturesque site on MacKinnon Island on the lake that is Winnipeg's source of drinking water.

Instead, the camp is not only pivoting, it is temporarily changing locations.

Day camp activities at Circle Square Ranch. (Supplied)

Neil Steward, executive director, said it will be operating day camps in Winnipeg, starting July 12.

"We could hold camps (at the camp itself) in August, but we don't want to have them have to quarantine for two weeks when they get back," he said. "We were concerned we weren't going to be able to do anything this summer."

Steward said the city camp will still instruct children on wilderness training, including how to set up a tent and use a compass.

"We call ourselves a skills-based camp, understanding the wilderness and what is around them," he said. "Next year, we hope they can transfer those skills out here.

"We're not going into the long-term day camp business. We are just doing what we can."

Steward said the decision to go with a day camp comes after weeks of Ontario border restrictions preventing staff from even accessing the site.

"We are eight kilometres inside the Ontario border," he said. "For the first few weeks of the closure, we tried to cross, but the OPP (police) didn't feel it was essential."

Staff finally got to the camp June 2 in order to do maintenance needed whether the camp opened this year or not.

"Like so many camps, we have an amazing community of support," Steward said. "We have seen donors come through for specific expenses or to our general fund. And, in 2020, a lot of parents deferred or donated their fees.

"That was great because we haven't seen revenue since 2019."

Johnathan Beardy, manager of Red Rock Bible Camp, located near Rennie, some 120 km east of Winnipeg, said its doors will be shut to children this year.

"I'm hoping next year," he said.

Horseback riding at the Circle Square Ranch day camp. (Supplied)

But that doesn't mean the gates are closed.

"Last year, we had family campers," he said. "We have cabins and they are available for folks to rent."

Jeff Liba, chief executive officer of Variety Manitoba the Children's Charity, said much as it would like to open its Camp Brereton, COVID-19 will keep it closed another summer.

"It is sad," said Liba. "It's tough for us.

"This is now the second year we won't won't be able to operate. But this allows us to do a little bit more work at the camp than normal."

Meanwhile, Ingram said the 10 to 20 children expected to attend to Circle Square's day camp will do everything outside.

"When we saw the reopening plan, we cancelled overnight camps," he said.

"We have an old western town, but no one can enter the buildings. And, with day camps, we cut off two-thirds of our camping base because we're almost two hours from Winnipeg."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
It was nice to see common sense prevail.

This past week, the province made a small but significant change to its vaccine protocol when it started allowing parents to transfer Pfizer second-dose appointments to their children age 12 to 17.

Pfizer shipments to Canada have slowed considerably in recent weeks. Although that is not as much of a concern for adults, who are eligible to receive Moderna for their second shots, it has been a deal-breaker for the 12-to-17 crowd.

Currently, Health Canada has only approved Pfizer for this cohort. So, as Pfizer stocks dwindled, most 12- to 17-year-olds found they could not get a second-dose appointment anywhere.

Most remarkable about the change in policy was how little effort the province put into publicizing it. It was included in the fine print of Wednesday's vaccine bulletin but not discussed openly by public health officials until the next day.

Why would the province downplay this clearly clever move? There is increasing evidence that some of the people who willingly got Pfizer as their first dose are quite reluctant to use a different vaccine for their second dose. So reluctant that they are actually refusing or delaying their second dose until they can get the same vaccine.

This reluctance is, at first blush, a bit irrational.

Both Pfizer and Moderna were developed using the same vaccine technology; Manitoba officials have gone as far as to describe them as "essentially the same vaccine" and safe to mix and match. Even in those instances where someone is forced to mix a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, studies show the immune response to be better than if the person had received two AstraZeneca shots.

It's also quite curious that anyone would balk at switching vaccines when you can currently get an appointment for a second dose of Moderna at pharmacies and clinics within two or three days.

Notwithstanding all those facts, concern about mixing vaccines has been reported across the country. In Ontario, where the government started swapping Moderna for Pfizer to address supply issues, some people have walked out when they got the news.

Manitoba has not started unilaterally swapping vaccines without warning; if you got a Pfizer appointment, you will get Pfizer. However, Johanu Botha, co-lead of the province's vaccine implementation task force, said some Pfizer first-dose recipients have declined their second dose at walk-in appointments when they found out it was Moderna.

"This is clearly not an easy decision for some folks to make," Botha said.

If you have a child in the 12-to-17 cohort (and for the record, I do), giving up your Pfizer and accepting Moderna is actually a pretty easy decision. For others, the whole scenario is a slippery slope into a corollary of vaccine hesitancy, a place where some people would rather delay their second dose than mix vaccines.

If we were still dealing with the original strain of the novel coronavirus, that wouldn't be such a big deal. But the variants have changed all that.

Long considered a leader in vaccine coverage, Israel has been forced to reintroduce restrictions including an indoor mask mandate after recording hundreds of new Delta variant infections.

The variant threat can be broken down into three incontrovertible facts.

First, variants are considerably more contagious than the original virus. Second, some variants are considerably more likely to cause serious illness requiring hospitalization and death.

And finally, even though one dose was enough to provide significant protection against the original coronavirus, the latest scientific data confirms a single dose offers minimal protection (about 30 per cent efficacy) against variants. Two doses, however, bring that efficacy back up over 90 per cent.

Despite this knowledge, governments in this country and around the world, and their chronically misinformed supporters, continue to promote a non-scientific, unproven theory that if we get to 70 per cent or more people vaccinated with a single dose, it's safe to start lifting social and economic restrictions.

That is simply not true.

Countries that have a much higher proportion of fully vaccination citizens than Canada are buckling under the threat from variants. The United Kingdom  which has repeatedly delayed its reopening plans  is among that shortlist of countries. But, so too are unlikely places like Israel.

Despite this knowledge, governments in this country and around the world, and their chronically misinformed supporters, continue to promote a nonscientific, unproven theory that if we get to 70 per cent or more people vaccinated with a single dose, it's safe to start lifting social and economic restrictions.

Long considered a leader in vaccine coverage, Israel has been forced to re-introduce restrictions including an indoor mask mandate after recording hundreds of new Delta variant infections. Most alarming is the revelation that, according to Israeli health officials, about half of the new infections involve people who were either partially or fully vaccinated.

Although Canada has thankfully become a world leader in first doses at nearly 70 per cent, we are lagging behind in second dose coverage, which currently sits at about 23 per cent. Manitoba has done a little bit better than the national average: 72 per cent with at least one dose and 32 per cent fully vaccinated.

Given what we know about the threat posed by the variants, anyone who argues that single-dose vaccination is a magic bullet for public safety is guilty of the worst kind of irresponsibility, at the worst possible time in the evolution of the pandemic.

The good news is the solution to this new threat is well within our reach. We need to get fully vaccinated, as quickly as possible, using whatever combination of vaccines are available. That, and only that, is our key to escaping the pandemic.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Already, just five days out from receiving my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, my memory of the event is fragmenting. The key scenes that day still come to mind in vivid moving pictures, but the stitches between them are coming undone. What lingers, then, is the essence of what the experience was.

Already, just five days out from receiving my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, my memory of the event is fragmenting. The key scenes that day still come to mind in vivid moving pictures, but the stitches between them are coming undone. What lingers, then, is the essence of what the experience was.

I remember the lines, the long rows of people, shuffling silently through the vast upper floor of the supersite at RBC Convention Centre. A young man in perfectly tailored black slacks. A mother and daughter. An elderly couple leaning on each other as they spoke to a nurse, on the way to getting their shots.

There was something about that sight that gave me pause. A sense of the strength of the common cause that would bring all these different people to the same place, at the same time, most arriving alone but, in this very literal way, in it together. All moving through the machinery of mass vaccination, all playing their part.

I remember, as I sat in the chair waiting for the shot, looking out through the soaring windows and then up at the ceiling, admiring the way the sculptured white lights curved against the stark black beams. I dont remember what the vaccination team asked, when they wheeled up to my left arm with their cart.

There was something about that sight that gave me pause.

I do remember that, in response, the only word I could muster was "yep."

For the rest of my life, I will laugh at how, at the exact moment I played my tiny and final part in the most sweeping public health effort of our generation, the one thing I could think to say, the only thing that made sense in that situation, was "yep."

In the days that followed, I played that part out in my mind several times. If I could do it over again, I told myself, I would have said something else. I would have thanked the vaccination team. I would have cheered for them, I would have clapped. Somehow, I would have done something to mark the power of the process.

Instead, I did what everyone else around me was doing. I sat there for 15 minutes, texting one friend, turning to smile at another friend sitting behind me. Then, I got up and left. By the time I had made it to the doors my seat was filled by someone else, sitting quietly, their left arm bared and waiting for the shot.

Bodies in, bodies out, one after another. Hundreds at any given moment, adding up into the tens and hundreds of thousands. A multitude of individual acts and decisions piling up in chairs all over the province, until together they have the strength in numbers to beat COVID-19.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Empty chairs waiting for patients at the Vaccine Supercentre in the RBC Convention Centre.

This is the battleground we hold against the virus, and that is how I will forever remember it: in glimpses of light and movement, in glimpses of other lives and a sense of shared purpose, unspoken but felt in the low hum that breathed through the room as we inched, one by one, towards our herd immunity target.

There is a beauty in this, and it occurs to me that we have a duty to remember. When life has eventually moved on from the pandemic, this part will be among the least publicly attested. And yet, it is this part that will stand as the turning point, the juncture at which we began not just to live with the virus, but to fight back.

For nearly 17 months, the whole world has been gripped almost completely in the fight against COVID-19, with every pattern of life interrupted or altered and nearly four million lives lost. The best weapons we have against it were forged in laboratories, and are wielded now by teams of vaccinators, wheeling little carts.

Their stories, of course, are well-documented in media and official reports, but photos arent allowed in the supersites. The media isnt either, except for a handful of carefully controlled visits, such as when the provinces chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin vaccinated premier Brian Pallister at the RBC site.

We havent heard much from the vaccinators themselves. Even less from those who fill all the critical other roles that keep the supersites and clinics running: the people who review the consent forms, who guide people through the shuffling lines, who sanitize the chairs for the next person to get their dose.

Someday, it will be a story to tell to our children, or their children.

Its the most momentous public health effort of our generation, and while the facts of its rollout will be saved for posterity, the look of it, the feel of it, the sense of what it was like to join the fight will mostly belong to oral history.

We shouldnt forget what it felt like to get these doses, at pop-ups or pharmacies or supersites. Someday, it will be a story to tell to our children, or their children. It will be a lesson we can give to them, in what it takes for the world to face something like this. The unity such resistance demands, and the sheer scope of the work.

The work, and the workers. When the vaccinators come around to give out doses, we dont get to see most of their faces. Only their eyes, if we look, and their hands on our skin. Only the briefest glimpse of the folks doing this work with total commitment and undivided focus and changing our lives for the better.

When the vaccination team wheeled up to give me my shot, the only thing I told them was "yep." I should have said more. Instead, I offer these words to all the workers who staff vaccination sites all over the province, who give, with each plunge of the syringe, a little bit more hope towards a community that needs it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I never saw your full faces at RBC Convention Centre, and I dont know your names. But for going to work every day, for keeping this thing going, for delivering each of us the weapon we need to push back, hopefully decisively, against COVID-19: I will always remember.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Manitobans who live in one of the worst COVID-19 hot spots in Canada will be able to visit restaurants, salons and gyms because the Pallister government is lifting restrictions even in regions that have a low COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Manitobans who live in one of the worst COVID-19 hot spots in Canada will be able to visit restaurants, salons and gyms because the Pallister government is lifting restrictions even in regions that have a low COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

"We want to make sure we stay a team and not start discriminating in certain areas because of, for some reason, the uptake isnt quite the same," Winkler Mayor Martin Harder said Friday.

He argued it would be unfair to hold back regions, given that Winkler had to enter code red last fall, despite having no new cases locally.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winkler Mayor Martin Harder: "Were in this together."

"Were in this together," he said.

In his community, just 31.7 per cent of residents have had a first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 70 per cent of Manitobans overall and 74.9 per cent in the Winnipeg Health region.

The province has met the first step of the provinces reopening plan, based on 70 per cent of eligible Manitobans with one dose, and 25 per cent with their second shot, regardless of regional differences.

The Southern Health region, which includes Winkler, reported just 53.7 per cent vaccine uptake, meaning eligible people with one shot, as of Friday.

We want to make sure we stay a team and not start discriminating in certain areas because of, for some reason, the uptake isnt quite the same.  Winkler Mayor Martin Harder

When asked why areas with low vaccine uptake are allowed to reopen as of Saturday, deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal said singling out a region has "unintended consequences."

He noted that regions might have low vaccine uptake due to limited access to shots or hesitancy toward vaccines.

"Manitoba collectively has done well with vaccine uptake and we're going to continue to see those numbers improve," Atwal said Friday.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES /JOHN WOODS Dr. Jazz Atwal, deputy chief public health officer in Manitoba.

He said that even though Manitobans are in ICU wards in other provinces, case numbers have been declining and the test positivity rate is trending downward.

"It was felt that we could open up the restrictions and not have regional differences," Atwal said.

Thats in line with western provinces, which have planned a reopening for all regions regardless of case rates and vaccine uptake. Ontario and Quebec place regions in different reopening phases based on case rates.

In August 2020, the province moved Brandon and the surrounding Prairie Mountain Health region to orange (restricted) from yellow (caution) due to rising case numbers. Gathering sizes were limited and face masks were mandatory in public.

Three months later, after cases exploded and the second wave began, the province designated all areas of Manitoba at the same pandemic response level. It argued different restriction levels would encourage people to travel to areas with fewer rules.

"It was felt that we could open up the restrictions and not have regional differences."  Dr. Jazz Atwal

"We know there are unintended consequences with those regional differences. We've experienced those with previous restrictions," Atwal said Friday.

However, the province has restricted non-essential travel to the north since early December.

As of Saturday, all of Manitoba will no longer be in code red for the first time since mid-November, moving to orange on the four-tier colour-coded system.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Signs for Morden and Winkler on Monday, May 31, 2021. For Malak Abas story. Winnipeg Free Press 2020.

That includes the Southern Health region, where vaccine uptake ranges from a low of 17.5 per cent in the health district of Stanley  which surrounds Morden and Winkler  to 67 per cent in the St. Pierre/DeSalaberry district.

Justice Minister Cameron Friesen, who represents Morden-Winkler, would not acknowledge the area's low vaccination rate when asked about restrictions Friday, instead noting uptake has improved in recent weeks.

"There has been an awful lot of hard work; I want to especially commend the local community and public health for forming the types of partnerships that are getting pop-up vaccine clinics all around our community," he said.

Friesen claimed public health officials set the rules on restrictions. In fact, public health officials advise the provincial cabinet, which has the final decision on restrictions.

That is the case in most jurisdictions in Canada, although Ontario has an independent science advisory table which warned the public in advance about government policies that ended up causing explosive COVID-19 case growth.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
OF all places, Manitobas law courts would seem least likely to encourage people to get real about their gender titles.

Opinion

OF all places, Manitobas law courts would seem least likely to encourage people to get real about their gender titles.

Courtrooms in this province are relics of mean-nothing titles and forms of address that should have been shelved along with powdered white wigs, so its somewhat surprising  heartening, but still surprising  that Manitoba trial courts will, on Sept. 13, introduce a progressive policy to encourage people in courtrooms to state their gender and preferred title.

The commendable intention is to use titles that more accurately reflect a persons gender identity. That intention is a bit rich in a venue where judges and lawyers are addressed by titles that long ago lost any claim to an honest and accurate depiction of the person being described.

Its hard to believe, but in Manitoba Court of Queens Bench, judges are still addressed as "My Lady" or "My Lord." Someone needs to tell the keepers of courtroom protocol that the term "Lady" is as outdated as corsets, and that members of many religious faiths object to addressing another person as "My Lord."

Lots of Manitoba judges use "The Honorable" before formal uses of their given name, and they insist on being addressed as "Your Honour" in provincial courtrooms, a form of systemic self-angrandizement. Outside of courtrooms, we only award people the high compliment of "honorable" if they earn it. But, in court, the honorific is forced, much like telling the schoolyard bully "Youre the best" because hell hit us if we dont say it.

Manitoba lawyers address each other with titles such as "my learned friend," designations which are apparently meant sarcastically because the lawyers will then try to outfox each other, summoning the full flowering of their eloquence to rip apart the "learning" of their "friend" in front of the public gallery. Real friends dont act like that.

Its in this surreal environment of unearned honorifics and hollow titles that Manitobans will now be encouraged to more honestly disclose their gender.

It will work like this: the obligation will be on lawyers to introduce themselves as well as their clients or witnesses using a title, such as Mr., Ms., Counsel or Mx. (pronounced "mix"), with the latter referring to people who dont fit the gender binary. If lawyers dont indicate everyones preferred titles, a court clerk will prompt the lawyer.

Manitoba will be the second province to introduce these gender-identification procedures, and will follow a model introduced last December by British Columbias trial courts. The change in B.C. became controversial when lawyer Shahdid Farsai wrote a column for the Canadian Lawyer online publication, saying the courts "were flirting dangerously close to compelling certain forms of speech from those who come before them. Compelled speech forces a person to say certain things, including things they may not believe. It is, therefore, even worse than restricting speech."

Two hundred lawyers, law students and paralegals signed a letter of protest in response to her opinion article, saying, "We refuse to be pulled into a debate about the worth of trans and non-binary lives. Put simply, this is not a two-sides issue." Canadian Lawyer subsequently retracted and took down Farsais column.

For the record, the B.C. model, which Manitoba courts plans to follow, does not compel people. People will be asked twice for their gender title but, if they decline, they wont be penalized. That means people who dont fit traditional gender stereotypes arent forced to come out.

As long as the Manitoba policy stops short of demanding people identify, the new measures seem to be an admirable way to signal awareness and inclusion, showing respect for the identities of gender-diverse people and reducing hurtful misgendering of people, including trans and non-binary folks.

At first glance, however, the new Manitoba policy seems to have an important omission: according to the court systems online directives, the only people asked to identify will be lawyers, their clients and witnesses. Judges are omitted. Nowhere in the Manitoba directive does it say judges will also be asked to identify their gender, and it doesnt explain why judges are excluded.

The policy directive says the purpose of the new gender-identification policy is to "treat all court participants with equal dignity and respect." Admirable goal, but apparently "all court participants" doesnt include judges, the most high-profile representative of the legal system.

Perhaps judges should also be given an opportunity to declare a title that accurately describes their gender. We might find some esteemed members of the bench have long been misgendered by the titles "My Lady" and "My Lord."

Carl DeGurse (he/him/his) is a member of the Free Press editorial board.
THE last 16 months have taught us a lot about ourselves. Were incredibly resilient. Were compassionate. We can rise to challenges that we couldnt have imagined at the start of 2020, which feels like a century ago.

Opinion

THE last 16 months have taught us a lot about ourselves. Were incredibly resilient. Were compassionate. We can rise to challenges that we couldnt have imagined at the start of 2020, which feels like a century ago.

The pandemic has also taught us we have a deep and abiding need for other people. We need a shared sense of common experience and common values thats best summed up in one word: community. And when we lose that sense of community, we feel the loss intensely.

For more than a century, local media  especially newspapers  have played an essential role in the lives of our communities, shaping them and reflecting them back to us. Growing up, our local paper was an anchor for my family. My dad read it every night, and I still have clippings from my time in high school sports.

Today, local media is as valued as its ever been. But the economic and technological models that local media operated under for decades dont work as well in our new, digital world.

I work in technology. I see it as a force for good in peoples lives. I dont need any further proof than when I see my aging father, whos sheltering in place on the family farm, virtually visiting with his grandkids every day. And I also believe that digital transformation and a thriving local media ecosystem are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, I believe theres an incredible opportunity for us to use technology to bring more vital, important news and information into the lives of people than ever before.

Thats what is driving Google Canadas new partnership with news organizations across Canada, including the Winnipeg Free Press, one of Canadas oldest and most trusted news sources. Winnipeg Free Press journalists cover what matters most to Manitobans and ensure that their voices are being heard.

Its called Google News Showcase, and its a new product and licensing program that provides a customizable space for news content in Google News and Discover, our two most popular news and information portals. What that means for the Winnipeg Free Press and publishers across the country is that theyll be paid for the content they generate. What that means for Canadians is that they can access richer news content and support journalism by using the product. It also helps them experience the benefits of subscribing to authoritative news outlets.

Google News Showcase is supporting regional and national news producers. We just announced deals with publishers that include Black Press Media, Glacier Media, the Globe and Mail, Metro Media, Narcity Media, SaltWire Network, Village Media and the Winnipeg Free Press. Together, these publishers represent national, regional and community news organizations from coast to coast to coast.

Were also committed to helping journalists and journalism students strengthen their digital skills. One thousand Canadian journalists have already participated in our journalism training programs, and were adding capacity for 5,000 more over the next three years. Were also offering a series of workshops through our Google News Initiative, in English and French, for small and mid-sized news organizations, which we know have been most impacted by digital transformation.

The workshops will focus on data and product development, as well as growing audiences, revenue and advertising  all essential to their long-term sustainability. And were now offering Canadian publishers free access to our News Consumer Insights program. Its a source of analytical data to help inform business decisions that in turn drives profits and builds deeper relationships with readers.

All of this is focused on one goal, at the end of the day, and thats supporting our communities. As we move out of the pandemic and back to a more normal life, one of the lessons I hope we never forget is just how important local and community news has been to our health and well-being. When people Googled questions such as "Is school open?" or "Where do I get my parents vaccinated?" or "What can I do to support my kids mental health?," our results likely steered them to local news for the answer.

Through Google News Showcase and our other programs, Google Canada is making a strong statement of support for independent journalism, for local and community news organizations, and for the crucial role they have played  and must go on playing  in keeping us informed, engaged, and connected. The pandemic is coming to an end, and its left us knowing that our need for community is stronger than ever.

Sabrina Geremia is vice president and country manager of Google Canada.
As public support for his government continues to erode, it seems obvious Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has not taken any cues from the political success of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. That's unfortunate, because Ms. Ardern is a noteworthy example of what can be accomplished by leaders who earn and maintain the confidence of their citizenry.

As public support for his government continues to erode, it seems obvious Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has not taken any cues from the political success of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. That's unfortunate, because Ms. Ardern is a noteworthy example of what can be accomplished by leaders who earn and maintain the confidence of their citizenry.

Her political career has been meteoric, to say the least. In New Zealand's 2017 election, Ms. Ardern found herself rather unexpectedly in the prime minister's office, the result of a hastily arranged coalition government.

Her first year in office was interrupted briefly by a six-week maternity leave after the birth of her first child. After returning, she unleashed a series of social programs, including new supports for families, a national school lunch program, new public housing and an increase in the minimum wage. She also cancelled tax cuts planned by the previous government, and in 2018 became the first New Zealand prime minister to march in a Pride Day parade.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's political career has been meteoric. (Mark Baker / The Associated Press files)

Ms. Ardern also demonstrated the capacity to manage a crisis. In March 2019, 51 people were killed and another 49 were injured in the Christchurch mosque shootings. Within a month, Ms. Ardern introduced a ban on semi-automatic guns and assault rifles.

When COVID-19 struck, New Zealand's government quickly established one of the most aggressive, science-based responses in the world. Rather than employing the suppression/mitigation strategy favoured by most developed countries, Ms. Ardern's government clamped down hard with a plan aimed at eliminating the virus from the island nation.

Last year, Kiwis responded to Ms. Ardern's barrier-breaking, tough-love, activist agenda by re-electing her Labour Party in a landslide.

The contrast between the approaches taken by Ms. Ardern and Mr. Pallister could not be more stark.

Where Ms. Ardern has been a skillful and direct communicator, Mr. Pallister's messaging has been, at best, inconsistent. Where Ms. Ardern has excelled in building relationships, Mr. Pallister has seemed more inclined toward confrontation  an approach that has burned more bridges than it has built.

RUTH BONNEVILLE Recent opinion polls have revealed a low level of public confidence in Premier Brian Pallister. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Where Ms. Ardern allowed transparency and science to prevail in her country's pandemic response, Mr. Pallister's response has seemed often to discount science in favour of political instinct and apparent deference to special interests.

The result for Mr. Pallister, according to recent opinion polls, is a profoundly low level of public confidence. Without that confidence, it becomes very difficult to cultivate compliance, which is critically important if we are to break free from the shackles of COVID-19.

Manitoba needs as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated as quickly as possible, and to show restraint in availing themselves of new freedoms Mr. Pallister approved  prematurely, some argue  this week. A great responsibility falls on Manitobans during what the premier's plan has predicted will be "One Great Summer," to make prudent, cautious choices despite being offered opportunities to gather in places and numbers that invite further viral spread before fully safe vaccination levels are reached.

Mr. Pallister has strongly suggested he will retire sometime this year. The leadership path he has chosen, a stark departure from the one blazed on the other side of the world by Ms. Ardern, seems to have cemented a political legacy reflected in the current polls.

However, it is not too late for Mr. Pallister to acknowledge a poignant reality Ms. Ardern represents: without the support and respect of your citizens, it's very difficult to lead through a crisis.

Food for thought as consideration of retirement plans continues.
On June 12  Philippine Independence Day  over 100 Filipinos from Winnipeg and across Canada gathered virtually for the first Halo Halo Summit hosted by Kultivation Festival, Prairie Asian Organizers, Alsyon Ng Ating Kabataan and the Manitoba Filipino Business Council.

On June 12  Philippine Independence Day  over 100 Filipinos from Winnipeg and across Canada gathered virtually for the first Halo Halo Summit hosted by Kultivation Festival, Prairie Asian Organizers, Alsyon Ng Ating Kabataan and the Manitoba Filipino Business Council.

The groups came together for a day of diverse events meant to engage the community in discussions around Filipino identity, culture, mentorship and community building.

The summit included a Filipino Model Minority Mutiny workshop, a community panel discussion, a cooking demonstration, a youth career mentorship panel and a Filipino Professionals Happy Hour.

The event celebrated the 123rd anniversary of Philippine independence in a unique way, highlighting food, music and dance, while also centring on the experiences of first and second-generation Filipino-Canadians. The virtual event was an opportunity to share stories, successes and struggles.

On June 12, 1898, the Philippines gained its independence from the Spanish regime after being colonized for more than 300 years. Since then, Filipinos around the world have celebrated the event with different cultural activities and festivities. In 2019, June was recognized by the Canadian government as Filipino Heritage Month.

Maribeth Tabanera, an educator in the Maples, multi-disciplinary artist and lead Kultivation Festival volunteer, had this to say about the festivities:

"Celebrating and being proud of who we are is an important cultural practice. Equally as important is learning the history of our ancestors and hearing the stories of our contemporaries. When we come together as a community and have shared experiences, it creates an opportunity for people to be in dialogue, learn, develop relationships, and provide spaces for healing through intergenerational trauma caused by colonization.

"At Kultivation Festival Inc., we are committed to incorporating anti-racist and anti-oppressive work in all that we do and to engage and amplify the voices of Indigenous communities here on Turtle Island and in the Philippines.

"Events like Halo Halo Summit are important for the Filipino/a/x community, because, in the process of truth and reconciliation, we must look inward and outward to recognize our privileges as settlers on this land, so we can move forward with our community in a good way for the future generations."

Learn more about Kultivation Festival on its website at www.kultivationfestival.com, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Derek Dabee is a member of the board of trustees of Seven Oaks School Division and a community correspondent for The Maples. You can contact him at ddabee@mymts.net
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. William Barber II were among a handful of people arrested this week during a protest on Capitol Hill as more high-profile figures call for new voting rights action.

Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Florida condo collapse

The partial collapse of a residential building near Miami has left 159 people unaccounted for and four confirmed dead. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, and officials are trying to stay hopeful that the missing can be recovered. Nearly 55 of the 136 units at Champlain Towers South crumbled around 1:30 a.m. yesterday, leaving huge piles of rubble and materials dangling from what remained of the structure. The cause of the collapse is still unknown. The tragedy has reached past the US as nationals from Paraguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay and possibly Colombia are among the missing. This includes Paraguayan First Lady Silvana Lopez Moreira's sister, brother-in-law and their three children. Members of the city's Jewish community are also among the missing, according to faith leaders. Follow live updates here.

2. Coronavirus

A new and slightly different version of the Delta coronavirus variant is spreading in countries including the United Kingdom, the United States and India, health officials say. It's called the Delta Plus variant, and it could be even more contagious than the Delta version. So far, about 200 cases in 11 countries have been identified. Meanwhile, more than 1 in 10 people who got one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine in the US have missed their second dose, according to CDC data. That could leave people more vulnerable to dangerous coronavirus strains like the Delta variant.

3. White House

We're learning more about the bipartisan infrastructure deal struck between the White House and Senate lawmakers. The $1.2 trillion plan includes $109 billion for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects, $55 billion for water infrastructure and $73 billion for the nation's power structure. Other areas of spending include transit, airports, broadband internet and electric vehicles. The bill still falls far short of President Biden's original $2.25 trillion plan, and how to fund and pass it is still being worked out. Still, the deal is seen as a big win in Washington because of the hard-won bipartisan cooperation. More promising news: Congressional negotiators working to overhaul the nation's policing laws say they've "reached agreement on a framework" for a bill.

4. LGBTQ rights

New anti-LGBTQ crackdowns in Hungary and Malaysia are drawing international condemnation. Hungary's parliament this month passed legislation banning all educational materials and programs for children that are considered to promote homosexuality, gender reassignment or similar concepts. The Dutch Prime Minister now says Hungary "has no place in the EU anymore" because of the new law. In Malaysia, a government task force has proposed amendments that would allow social media users to be punished for "promoting the LGBT lifestyle," as well as insulting Islam. Same-sex acts are illegal under Islamic law in the Muslim-majority country, though convictions are rare. The proposal comes amid concern over growing intolerance toward the LGBTQ community in Malaysia in recent years.

5. UK & Russia

The UK and Russia exchanged a few tense moments this week after a flare-up between a Royal Navy warship and Russian forces near Crimea, and Britain's allies and adversaries are taking note. The Royal Navy sailed the destroyer HMS Defender through waters near Crimea, and British ministers insisted it was legal passage. But Russia accused the UK of "deliberate, planned provocation." It was rough timing for a conflict between the two nations, since the United States and its partners, including Britain, will kick off the annual Sea Breeze exercises in the Black Sea region in the coming days. The tense exchange also comes as some EU members are considering new and open dialogue with Russia.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Conan O'Brien says goodbye to late night after nearly 30 years

Our TV sets will be a little less coiffed.

Cubs pitcher Zach Davies and 3 relievers just threw the 7th no-hitter of the MLB season. That ties the modern-era record

These boys are DEALING.

Ferrari says its new supercar is fast and powerful, but it's mostly about having fun

Fun: driving a beautiful, expensive car. Not fun: worrying you are going to scratch that beautiful, expensive car every second that you're driving it.

Victoria's Secret's 'sexy for all' strategy boosts sales and shares

Because everyone deserves the "I've got my life together" feeling of wearing nice underthings.

Wendy's is testing a new plant-based spicy black bean burger

The chicken sandwich wars are a thing of the past. The plant-based burger wars are nigh!

HAPPENING LATER

Ex-officer in George Floyd case will learn his punishment

Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd last year on a Minneapolis street, is set to be sentenced today to a potentially lengthy prison stay. Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

TODAY'S NUMBER

230,000

That's how many people have been displaced by fighting in Myanmar, the United Nations said, since the country's military staged a coup and took over the government in February.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"We conclude that respondent's conduct immediately threatens the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law ..."

A New York appellate court ruling suspending Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in the state. The court found Giuliani made "demonstrably false and misleading statements" about the 2020 election.

TODAY'S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

Going into the weekend like ...

This monkey has incredible balance and seems to be having the time of its life. What more could you want? (Click here to view.)
WESTERN, N.Y. -- According to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, one car overturned early Saturday at the intersection of State Route 46 and Main Street in the Town of Western, injuring a Maine couple.

Authorities at the scene say Rebecca M. Berry, 18, from Maine, was driving South on Main Street, while approaching the intersection of State Route 46 around 4:24 a.m.



It is alleged that Berry was not familiar with the road and did not slow down for the sharp curve before the intersection.

Berry tried to make the turn, but her vehicle went off the Southern shoulder of Main Street.

Berry's vehicle continued going East before it eventually crossed State Route 46 to the East side of the road, where it went into a ditch and overturned.

Berry and her front seat passenger, William J. Emrich, 20, from Maine, were transported to Rome Health for minor injuries.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by New York State Police and the Westernville Fire Department.
New York City, N.Y. - NBC News is reporting that charges could be filed by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office against the Trump Organization as early as next week.

The case is believed to center around an effort by the Trump Organization to avoid paying state taxes in the form of gifts and non-monetary compensation given to employees, such as use of apartments.

The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump is the sole or principal owner.

A Trump Organization lawyer, Ron Fischetti, confirmed to the Associated Press that he met virtually with prosecutors Thursday and that criminal charges were likely.

Fischetti called them absolutely outrageous.

The Manhattan District Attorneys office declined to comment.
North Wales economy can look ahead to stronger future, says minister

The economy of North Wales can look ahead to a stronger future, Minister for Economy Vaughan Gething said today on visit to the region.

The Minister visited Airbus in Broughton and Toyota in Deeside on Thursday. Both companies are key employers in the region, and provide skilled job opportunities.

He visited the A320 production facility at Airbus with Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd Lesley Griffiths, before calling at Toyota which has recently benefited from Welsh Government funding towards plans to invest in new aluminium smelting furnaces which are more energy efficient, reduce waste and help cut carbon emissions.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said: Its been a pleasure to visit these two key companies in North East Wales today.

There remain many challenges as we continue to deal with the impact of the pandemic, but there is much to be positive about for the future too.

I have seen skill, dedication and innovation in the world-leading sites I have visited today.

At the start of the pandemic Airbus workers played an important role in the manufacturing of ventilators at the nearby AMRC, and Im proud that such a skilled and talented workforce is here in North Wales.

During the pandemic Toyota also provided PPE to the local community and provided land for testing to take place.

It was good to see the innovation at Toyota during the visit and hear about their projects to cut carbon emissions and help make the plant more energy efficient as they work to meet their ambition of being net zero in carbon emissions by 2050.

Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd Lesley Griffiths said: The skill and state of the art technology which we can see in the workforce at Airbus is something all of North Wales can be proud of.

I am focussing on the recovery in North Wales as we deal with the impact of the pandemic, and with the skill and innovation which is here I know we are starting from a strong position.

With the North Wales Growth Deal and other developments there is much we can be positive about as we look to a stronger future for the region.
Traffic Wales blame technical issues after claiming over 30 million vehicles use Wrexhams A483 bypass in a day

Traffic Wales and Welsh Government have corrected a massively incorrect graph that now has a scale peaking at 4,000 rather than 3,000,000.

Earlier this week Traffic Wales informed the local population that the busiest time on the A483 Wrexham bypass was at rush hour, as part of an information drive to get people to change travel habits.

They asked: Please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journeys and avoid the peak travel times if possible.

As part of the message they included the below graph to show their data backing up the request with the Y access showing a range of zero to three million.

We asked Traffic Wales about the graph, and what the Y axis represented.

Traffic Wales told us, This shows the hourly traffic volumes for last Friday June 18th at the nearest monitoring site to the roadworks pointing us to Welsh Government for any further questions.

We asked Welsh Government if that was correct, as although Wrexham is quite popular two to three million vehicles per hour using the road appeared a tad high  considering there is around 40 million licensed vehicles in the UK ( https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-/sets/all-vehicles-veh01 ).

Welsh Government also provided the raw data that gave Total traffic count by hour of day and road section A483 Wrexham Clwyd, 18.06.21, which had a total flow measure ranging from 91,005 to 2786437  although it is unclear what those figures represent. They do match the data shown on the graphs, with Traffic Wales appearing to graph the figures in raw form originally (total of over 31,000,000 as a result).

The data has since been corrected and the technical issues fixed, with the new graph now being published below showing the peak now at 4,000 and including more time coverage.

Currently there are roadworks between Junctions 5 (B&Q Mold Rd roundabout) and Junction 7 Rossett. The works will include increasing the length of two central reserve crossovers together with drainage and barrier upgrades.

The existing surfacing in this location is in an extremely poor state and will require replacing later this year. When that happens, in order to carry out this work as quickly and as safely as possible, traffic will be placed into a contraflow situation using the crossovers in the central reserve however as the crossovers are not fit to use they are being upgraded now.

In order to minimise disruption to the travelling public it was decided that both crossovers would be upgraded simultaneously over a period of 6 weeks rather than two separate shorter traffic management set-ups on the A483 for a period of 12 weeks.
On May 31, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo announced that birth restrictions would be further eased and each couple allowed to have three children.

This most recent modification of the decades-old population control policy still maintains a limit on childbirth. It is another bureaucratic and anti-democratic attempt to respond to declines in birth rates and the slowing growth of the Chinese capitalist economy.

An elderly man with children near a commercial office building in Beijing on May 10, 2021 [Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong]

The three-child announcement was not warmly welcomed, however, and it was especially unpopular among young people.

One of the most prevalent responses on social media was that the financial burden of having one child is heavy enough, let alone three. As is the case internationally, workers and young people in China are confronted with worsening living and working conditions, an ever-bleaker job market amid the pandemic, and limited access to social services, including public schools for those families migrating to large cities.

In cities where job opportunities are centered, rent itself could easily eat up half of the monthly salary of a young college graduate or more, while housing prices have been skyrocketing. For instance, the median second-hand housing price in Shenzhen, one of the major centers for foreign trade, manufacture and IT in southeast China, reached 54,110 renminbi (RMB) per square meter ($US718 per square feet) last year, while the median monthly income there is just 5,199 RMB ($US742).

That is, a small two-bedroom apartment could easily cost more than 3 million RMB, a figure greater than 40 years salary for someone on the median income.

Another prevalent concern, particularly among young women, is that the three-child policy will further suppress their employment opportunities. Even before the hated one-child policy was dropped in 2011, it was not uncommon for women of child-bearing age to be asked during job interviews if they have children or plan to bear a child. Many companies consider paid maternity leave as an impediment to their accumulation of profits.

Now, if a woman can potentially have three children, which could amount to at least six or seven years on and off maternity leave during her late twenties and early thirties, she will be placed in an extremely disadvantaged position in an increasingly competitive job market.

The CCP regimes birth regulation policies are not simply an attack on women, but on the democratic rights of all workers to decide how many children they want to have. The previous one-child policy was widely resented. Workers who broke the rule were forced to pay financially crippling fines (which amounted to nothing for many party bureaucrats, wealthy elites and urban upper middle-class households), went through sterilizations and abortions against their will, and lost their jobs.

The CCP has turned towards encouraging couples to have more children, not to right the wrongs of the past or to uphold the interests of workers. On the contrary, the governments latest stance is motivated solely by the financial and political interests of the Chinese capitalist class.

The one-child policy was implemented in 1979 as China faced a rapidly expanding population. The specifics of this policy varied by province, but in general, each urban family was restricted to one child, while rural families were allowed two. Most ethnic minorities were exempted from the restrictions.

In 2011, if both parents were only children, they were allowed to have a second child. In 2013, this two-child policy was expanded so that only one parent needed to be a single child. Two years later, all couples were allowed a second child.

These shifts have been an attempt to address low birth rates, population aging and the fading away of the demographic dividend produced by a large segment of the population having been of working-age.

Chinas rapid economic growth in the decades after capitalist restoration in 1978 partly relied on the fact that working-age people were a high proportion of the population, ensuring a ready supply for the labor market and less requirements for health care and pensions.

The two-child policy failed. According to a demographic study conducted last year by the Evergrande Research Institute, China will soon approach its population peak. During 2018, the number of births fell by 2 million, followed by a further decline of 580,000 in 2019. By 2030, the annual number of births is forecast to drop by another 3.65 million.

At the same time, the population is aging disproportionately. In 2019, 12.6 percent of people were 65 years old and above. This figure will reach 14 percent in 2022, 20 percent in 2033, and an extraordinary 35 percent in 2060.

The official Xinhua news agency said the new three-child policy could maximize the role of population in stimulating economic and social growth. The politburo itself declared that the change was essential in realizing a rapid and high-quality economic growth, defending national security, and maintaining social stability.

Low birth rates and an aging population, as recognized by the CCP bureaucrats, have serious economic and social implications. The same demographic study reported that the proportion of the population that is working-age had been in decline since 2010. It was estimated that by 2050, the relative size of this cohort would decrease by another 23 percent compared to 2019. The study warned that an aging population would increase consumption and reduce savings and investment, potentially impeding economic growth.

Economic growth had been slowing years before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the June quarter of 2019, under the impact of the trade war measures implemented by the US, Chinas growth rate hit its lowest point since 1992. This year, even though China recorded a sharp rebound from 2020s pandemic impact, many concerns persist from the coronavirus crisis: unemployment, the bankruptcy of smaller enterprises, declines in the numbers of migrant workers in the cities, just to name a few.

The Beijing regime has long considered rapid economic growth as a central factor in maintaining social and political stability. Class tensions have intensified ever more in recent years, however, sharpened by staggering levels of inequality and increasingly oppressive forms of rule. Stimulating the birth rate is critical for the ruling elite to have a steady supply of cheap labor to boost output.

Underlying the low birth rate and young peoples unwillingness to have more children is a deep chasm between the tiny super-rich elite and masses of workers and young people struggling to get by. Opposition to this bureaucratic population policy cannot be separated from the fight against inequality, for decent employment and living conditions, and for democratic rights, that is, for genuine socialism.
Four days after Hassan Yussuff ended a seven-year stint as president of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the countrys largest trade union federation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his appointment to the Senate. Canadas unelected upper house of parliament is notorious as a reward and political rest home for has-beens, cronies and bagmen of Canadas two traditional parties of government, the Liberals and the Conservatives.

Newly retired CLC President Hassan Yussuff

Yussuffs new sinecure will provide him an annual salary of $150,000-plus till he is 75 and a lavish expense account. His appointment epitomizes the ease with which top trade union bureaucrats find their home in the right-wing political establishment and corporate boardrooms.

In the most immediate sense, Trudeau is rewarding Yussuff for his services in suppressing the class struggle and supporting the multibillion-dollar bailout of the banks and big business during the coronavirus pandemic. In March 2020, as the pandemic erupted and financial markets quaked, Yussuff declared that Canada required a collaborative front between the trade unions and employers. This front would soon be giving its blessing to a $650 billion state bailout of the markets and big business, so as to prop up the rich and super-rich. It then transitioned to forcing millions of people back into unsafe workplaces as the virus ran rampant.

In May 2020, Yussuff co-authored an article with Chamber of Commerce head Perrin Beatty in which the pair called for the aforementioned collaborative front to be made permanent in the form of a national economic task force. This was necessary, they argued, to ensure that Canada could compete with its rivals on the world stage, and to stop stakeholders going off in different directions, i.e., to prevent the working class from asserting its independent interests, including prioritizing workers health and lives over capitalist profit. Whilst Yussuff articulated this corporatist policy most openly, it has been pursued by every trade union, from Unifor and the teachers unions to the Quebec Federation of Labour and Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CNTU).

Yussuffs nearly two-decade career in the CLC leadershipprior to being elected president he served as its secretary-treasurerembodies what the anti-worker syndicates that go by the name unions have become over the past four decades: nationalist and pro-corporate entities, dedicated to upholding the interests of Canadian big business.

Pseudo-left defenders of the unions like Fightback and the International Socialists now try to depict Yussuff as a bad apple. They conveniently forget that it was the decision of the ex-Stalinist Hassan Husseinithe candidate for CLC president that they backed to withdraw and throw his support behind Yussuff that ensured his narrow election as CLC president in 2014. Last year, they went into a fit of apoplexy when Yussuff and the CLC released a statement supporting Bill Morneau, Trudeaus former finance minister and corporate pension CEO, in his bid to head the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, Fightback and the other pseudo-left groups remained conspicuously silent, as they do to this day, on the unions role in supporting, indeed lobbying for, the bailout of corporate Canada and their enforcement of the ruling class homicidal back-to-work/back-to-school policy.

The truth of the matter is that Yussuff is a typical representative of the upper echelons of the union bureaucracy. Elected as secretary treasurer of the CLC in 2002, he served for 12 years as the right-hand man to CLC President Ken Georgetti, who came to be so hated that he is the only incumbent CLC president to ever lose a bid for re-election. Yussuff defeated his former boss and close ally amid mounting worker anger over the unions refusal to wage any serious opposition to the hard-right policies of the federal Harper Conservative government.

Georgettis period in office was characterized by the trade unions acquiescence to the decimation of industrial and manufacturing jobs; the New Democratic Partys propping up of the big business and scandal-ridden Paul Martin Liberal government; and the failed CLC-backed attempt to forge a Liberal-led Liberal-NDP coalition government during the 2008 economic crisis. The coalition agreement, which was torpedoed when the ruling elite swung behind Harpers proroguing of parliament to cling to power in a constitutional coup, included commitments to enforce $50 billion in corporate tax cuts and wage war in Afghanistan through 2011.

When the New Democrats emerged as the official opposition in 2011, Georgetti and the CLC backed the ascension of former Quebec Liberal minister and avowed Margaret Thatcher admirer, Thomas Mulcair, to the leadership of Canadas social democrats. The union body also backed the Ontario NDPs support for the austerity Liberal governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne, which gutted spending on health care, education, and social services. Throughout this entire period, Yussuff was re-elected to his well-paid position at one CLC congress after another, on the same slate as Georgetti.

In spite of his fraudulent attempt to posture in 2014 as the candidate of change, with his slogan More democracy, grassroots renewal, Yussuff, during his tenure as CLC president, oversaw a further turn to the right on the part of the union bureaucracy. With the election of the big business Liberals under Trudeau in 2015, the unions further expanded their corporatist relations with government and big business.

The CLC and all its affiliates, including the purportedly left-led Canadian Union of Postal Workers, played a key role in Trudeaus 2015 election by spearheading an Anybody but Conservative campaign that portrayed the Liberals as a progressive alternative to the Tories. Just a week after being elected prime minister, Trudeau held an unprecedented closed-door meeting with more than one hundred top leaders of the CLC and its affiliates, in which they all pledged to work closely and loyally with the incoming government. After the election of US President Donald Trump, the unions joined in the fascist-minded presidents promotion of economic protectionism and nationalism, the only difference being their slogan of North America First instead of America First.

To put this slogan into practice, Yussuff and Unifor President Jerry Dias effectively served as Trudeau government advisers during the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. They and the CLC subsequently hailed its outcome: a protectionist trade pact aimed at laying the basis for North Americas twin imperialist powers to wage trade war and prepare for potential military conflict with global rivals like China, the European Union and Russia.

Yussuff termed the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which includes a clause barring free trade agreements with non-market economies," a euphemism for China, as historic. The CLC has also continued to describe Trudeau as worker-friendly, even as the Liberal government has embarked on a vast rearmament program that will see military spending rise by over 70 percent by 2026 as compared to 2017 levels. At the same time, Trudeau has repeatedly adopted or threatened to adopt laws criminalizing workers' struggles, including the 2018 postal workers and 2021 Port of Montreal strikes.

The cooperation between the CLC, government and big business was taken to the next level with the outbreak of the pandemic. Yussuffs collaborative front took the form of a series of backroom meetings with government ministers and business lobby groups aimed, first, at designing various emergency programsmassive bailouts for big business and makeshift relief for working peopleand then at reopening the economy--that is, forcing workers back on the job amid the pandemic. One of the key slush funds for the corporate elite was the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which is set to cost the government well over $100 billion. Sold by Yussuff and his fellow union bureaucrats as a job saving measure, it has been used by some of Canadas largest corporations to boost shareholder payouts, executive salaries and share buybacks.

To enforce the back-to-work campaign, the unions deliberately demobilized all worker opposition and refused to fight for any pandemic-related demands in contract disputes. As soon as the pandemic erupted, the teacher unions in Ontario wound up the fight against Ontario Premier Doug Fords cuts to education, which had precipitated a one-day province-wide strike in February 2020.

Harvey Bischof, the head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, responded to the suggestion that teachers might strike to oppose what the union itself described as potentially life-threatening working conditions by declaring that the OSSTF would not sanction illegal job action.

At the Cargill meat packing plant in High River, Alberta, the United Food and Commercial Workers sent 2,000 workers back to the unsafe factory after almost 1,000 COVID-19 infections and three deaths, insisting that any job action by workers to protect their health and lives would be illegal and would contravene the collective bargaining system the union is duty-bound to uphold.

Meanwhile, Unifor, the union where Yussuff embarked on his career as a trade union bureaucrat, helped the Detroit Three in the fall of 2020 to impose another round of concessions on autoworkers, including the entrenchment of the multi-tier low-wage system, while failing to negotiate a single pandemic-related safety measure.

In light of this record, Yussuffs ability to exchange the CLC presidents suite for a plush leather-upholstered chair as a Liberal government-appointee in the Red Chamber should come as no surprise. That being said, it does point to the extraordinary extent to which the union bureaucracy has been integrated into the structures of the capitalist state and major corporations.

This is a process driven by powerful objective forces: on the one hand a growing working class rebellion, fueled by mounting social inequality and the endless assault on workers rights; and, on the other, the turn of the ruling elite to right-wing, anti-democratic forms of rule as it prepares for economic and military conflicts with its rivals on the world stage, under conditions of an unprecedented global capitalist crisis.

Given the nationalist and pro-capitalist outlook that is the very essence of the unions, they must inevitably respond to the growth of the class struggle and the deepening crisis of the social order upon which their privileges depend by moving ever further to the right, becoming ever more hostile to the working class, and embracing ever more forthrightly the institutions of the capitalist state.

The integration of the union bureaucracy with the capitalist state is an international process. In the United States, President Biden is supporting union organization drives with the so-called Pro Act, which will simplify the process for union certification in economic sectors with no unions or a low rate of unionization. The aim of this unprecedented support from a US president for the union bureaucracy is to establish a national labour front, led by the secretaries of defence, homeland security, and the Treasury, which will use the trade unions to dragoon workers behind American imperialisms economic, diplomatic, and military offensive against China.

Germanys largest union, IG Metall, is overseeing the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the auto and related industries, blackmailing and bullying workers to accept early retirement and other compensation programs, and drafting restructuring programs on behalf of corporate management. Underscoring that this process has been long in the making, Berthold Huber, the former head of IG Metall, celebrated his 60th birthday in 2010 in the office of Germanys right-wing Christian Democratic Chancellor Angela Merkel. (See: German trade union boss to celebrate birthday in the Chancellery). The Merkel government has imposed rigorous austerity throughout Europe and in Germany itself, and led a revival of German militarism that has been accompanied by the trivialization of Nazi war crimes by state-backed far-right academics.

The key lesson workers should draw from Yussuffs appointment to the Senate by Trudeau is that it confirms the anti-worker character of the appendages of the corporations and capitalist state that continue to call themselves unions.

It is high time for workers across all economic sectors to break politically and organizationally from these pro-employer, anti-working class organizations. The first step in this process must be the formation of rank-and-file committees in every workplace, controlled by the workers themselves, to fight for a worker-led counteroffensive against capitalist austerity, and for decent-paying, secure jobs for all. A prerequisite for such a struggle is the arming of the working class with a socialist and internationalist program to unify working people in struggle around the world in opposition to the nationalism and corporatism promoted by the pro-capitalist unions in every country.
On Thursday, European Union (EU) heads of state met for a two-day summit in Brussels that endorsed EU policy on the pandemic, while clashing bitterly on foreign policy, especially Russian.

On Thursday evening, the EU issued an initial summit communique whitewashing its pandemic policies in Orwellian terms. It hailed good progress on vaccination and the overall improvement in the epidemiological situation and stressed the EUs commitment to international solidarity in response to the pandemic.

Angela Merkel [Wikipedia Commons]

In reality, over 1.1 million people have died in Europe due to EU opposition to scientific social-distancing policies. It kept hundreds of millions of workers and youth on the job and at school, even in many of the deadliest weeks of the pandemic. Now, EU states are pressing to end all social distancing, even as the Delta variant spreads, threatening a new contagion. Moreover, EU countries are starving the Covax global vaccination program of doses, pledging to deliver only 100 million by the end of 2021 though they have already administered 325.1 million doses in Europe.

The heart of the summit, however, was planning an aggressive imperialist foreign policy, targeting refugees and Russia. Even before the summit opened, conflicts were mounting over EU relations with Moscow, after the bilateral summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.

It came after a dangerous incident on Wednesday between Russia and Britain in the Black Sea, in which Russian aircraft dropped bombs in the path of a British destroyer allegedly violating Russian territorial waters in the Black Sea. In response, Berlin and Paris proposed to renew EU-Russia talks, which have been suspended since the 2014 NATO-backed regime change operation in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel floated the proposal before the German parliament on Thursday morning. It is not enough for the US president to speak to the Russian president. I am very happy about that, but the European Union must also create different formats for discussion, she said. Citing wars in Libya and Syria, Merkel added: We must define an agenda of common strategic interests, for instance on climate protection, but also in the areas of peace and security.

French President Emmanuel Macron supported her remarks as he arrived in Brussels on Thursday. Dialog is necessary to stabilize the European continent but it must be firm, as we will not give up any of our values or of our interests, Macron said. He added, We cannot remain on a purely defensive attitude to Russia, on a case-by-case basis, while, very legitimately, we saw a structured discussion unfold between President Biden and President Putin.

The proposal went too far for most EU states and was rejected out of hand, especially by Eastern European governments. The Polish government demanded that Putin first meet EU demands, first and foremost the implementation of the Minsk agreement on Ukraine. Approaching Russia before that would be a bad signal, said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, right at the start of the EU meeting. It would be like trying to talk to the bear to save some of the honey.

Instead, the EU called for a tougher course against Russia. Its communique stresses the need for a firm and coordinated response by the EU and its Member States to any further malign, illegal and disruptive activity by Russia, making full use of all instruments at the EUs disposal, and ensuring coordination with partners. To this end, the EU Commission and the High Representative are tasked to present options for additional restrictive measures, including economic sanctions.

In reality, the proposal of Merkel and Macron had nothing to do with a more peaceful policy. It aimed to develop a foreign and military policy towards Russia more independent from Washington, in order to strengthen the EUs hand against its foreign rivals and to impose its policies of austerity and herd immunity on the coronavirus at home.

From their point of view, however, it was not enough to let ourselves be debriefed about talks with the president of the United States, Merkel explained. She said the EU must be man enough and woman enough to put forward its point of view in direct talks.

Berlin and Paris are stepping up military pressure on Russia. France will participate in the massive Sea Breeze naval maneuver, scheduled for June 28July 10 in the Black Sea. Hosted by US and Ukrainian forces, it includes 5,000 troops, 32 ships and 40 aircraft from dozens of countries.

This week, the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) is participating for the first time in a NATO airspace surveillance mission over the Black Sea. Two Eurofighters from Tactical Air Wing 71 Richthofen landed at Romanias Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Constanta on Thursday. Until July 9, they will patrol Black Sea airspace together with British forces.

As the EU escalates its military threats, divisions between the member states are growing. Writing on Paris and Berlins failure to secure support for their proposal, the German weekly Der Spiegel warned: Merkels and Macrons defeat extends beyond the day.  The Union is also divided over its dealings with Hungary: the rift between East and West threatens to become an abyss.

At the summit, besides Hungary and Portugalwhich holds the rotating EU Council presidencyeight Eastern European states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic) refused to sign a joint letter attacking Hungarys new anti-LGBT law, banning schools from using material seen as promoting homosexuality. A Reuters report called it the most intense personal clash among the blocs leaders in years.

The EU is responding to its explosive internal divisions and to growing social and political opposition among workers and youth with a constant police state and military build-up.

In the Mediterranean and Africa, the EU called for closer cooperation with regional allies to halt migrants, deny their right to asylum and imprison them in camps. It stated that mutually beneficial partnerships and cooperation with countries of origin and transit will be intensified. This has led to the construction of detention camps including in Turkey, Libya, Bosnia, Greece and Spain where hundreds of thousands of refugees are kept in appalling conditions.

The EU identified Turkey as a key partner against refugees. It hailed preparatory work for high level dialogues with Turkey on issues of mutual interest, such as migration, public health, climate, counter-terrorism and regional issues.

The European Council calls on the Commission to put forward without delay formal proposals for the continuation of financing for Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and other parts of the region, it added. It also hailed de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey has clashed with Greece and France, and new customs deals with Turkey.

The EU communique also endorsed Frances war in Mali and its collaboration with the military junta installed in an August 2020 coup in Bamako. It reaffirmed its call on the Malian transition authorities to fully implement the Transition Charter and return to nominally civilian rule.

This came as a car bomb attack wounded 12 German troops supporting French forces in Mali, near Ichagara in the northern Gao region, as well as a soldier from another unidentified country, four days after a car bomb injured six French soldiers near Kaigourou. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said three German soldiers were seriously wounded.

Nonetheless, the EU hailed its missions in Africa in support of France, including the continuation of EU CSDP missions and engagement in the Takuba Task Force, which involves troops from 12 European countries beyond France.

The summit concluded with a closed-door discussion of the Next Generation EU bailout, one of the multiple bailouts that collectively will funnel over 2 trillion to the banks and corporations during the pandemic. Such bailouts are to be paid for with austerity attacks targeting the working class, such as renewed labor reforms in Spain and pension cuts in France that are already being prepared.

This summit provided further, irrefutable evidence of the reactionary nature of the EU, and the necessity to unify and mobilize workers across Europe against it, in a struggle to bring down the EU and build instead the United Socialist States of Europe.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law this week several reactionary education bills aimed at vilifying socialism within schools. The legislation targets civics education courses in K-12 schools and penalizes state universities that do not bolster right-wing conversative ideology on campuses.

Ron Desantis speaking at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida (Photo: Gage Skidmore)

At a signing event for the three bills, held at a middle school in Fort Myers, the governor invoked fascistic and anti-communist rhetoric. He amalgamated communist and left-wing movements with totalitarian governments while smearing them as evil ideologies.

DeSantis denounced governments in countries such as Cuba and Nicaragua. Why would somebody flee across shark infested waters, say leaving from Cuba, to come to southern Florida? DeSantis asked. Why would somebody leave a place like Vietnam...and risk their life to be able to come here?

DeSantis complained of some educators praising figures such as the Chinese Stalinist Mao Zedong and Che Guevara. He denounced Guevara as a total communist thug before proclaiming that he was going to push back against the whitewashing thats been done.

Two of the bills are directed towards restructuring civics education in K-12 curriculums with the purpose of promulgating nationalism and militarism. The laws will require schools to develop portraits in patriotism within civic courses, which are meant to tell stories and first-person accounts of victims of ostensibly communist governments which are then compared with the more supposedly democratic US.

The laws will mandate that state universities teach similar chauvinistic and anti-communist courses, with college students now required to pass a civic literacy assessment exam and take a course on civic literacy to graduate. High school students will also have to take a new civic literacy assessment exam. If high school students pass that exam, the university civics requirements will be waived.

The final bill is fraudulently presented as a measure to protect free speech rights at state universities. In justifying this bill, DeSantis declared that schools will not be able to prevent students from encountering political and ideological views they find uncomfortable, unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive. He claimed that right-wing ideas are being shunned and suppressed on campuses that have turned into intellectually repressive environments.

Hidden in this bill is a requirement that college students and professors register political views with the state, an unprecedented and provocative encroachment on political expression.

Public universities will be required to survey both faculty and students on their political beliefs, and they will risk losing their funding if the responses do not satisfy the fascistic orientation of the states Republican-dominated legislature.

An article in Salon notes, Based on the bill's language, survey responses will not necessarily be anonymous  sparking worries among many professors and other university staff that they may be targeted, held back in their careers or even fired for their beliefs.

At a meeting of the state university systems Board of Governors Tuesday, Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson called the public universities socialism factories. Neither DeSantis, Simpson, or any of the other fascistic Republicans provided any evidence or details on what specifically about schools caused them to be disproportionately left-wing.

The Miami Herald released an interview it conducted with Barney Bishop, one of the top lobbyists pushing the bill in Floridas legislature, pointing to the real motivations behind the raft of fascistic laws, saying that they are aimed less at promoting intellectual diversity and more about boosting conservative Christian orthodoxy and other right-wing ideology.

Bishop complained of students being indoctrinated from an early age, and that the education system unfairly leans toward liberal ideology and also secularism, which were not the values our country was founded upon.

The Republicans are likewise seeking to preempt any growth of opposition against the status quo, under conditions where the capitalist system is being massively discredited due the ruling-class murderous pandemic policies, which have led to more than 610,000 deaths in the US, and the growth of staggering levels of social inequality which have left many college students and younger workers impoverished.

The campaign to condemn and demonize socialist, communist, or otherwise left-wing perspectives is a massive anti-democratic assault on public education. The laws in Florida are part of a far broader move of the far-right nationwide that sees schools as a battleground for waging attacks against any ideology that may pose a political challenge to social inequality, political repression, and war.

These education laws have been passed following the efforts of several Republican-led states, including Florida, to implement legislation that bans the teaching of divisive concepts relating to race, sex and class in public schools. Florida was one of the first states in early June that banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory. In giving right-wing cover for this blatant act of censorship, DeSantis said the banning of CRT was necessary to prevent children from thinking that the country is rotten and that our institutions are illegitimate.

While the media and Democrats have focused on the Republicans attack on CRT, the bills are in fact a sweeping assault on democratic rights. Their aim is to ban any left-wing critique of capitalist society, under conditions of a growing political radicalization of workers and particularly young people.
Directed by Bille August; screenplay by August and Anders Frithiof August; based on the novel by Henrik Pontoppidan

A Fortunate Man is a nearly three-hour film directed by Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror), based on the novel by Danish writer and Nobel Prize winner Henrik Pontoppidan (18571943). Both the film, available on Netflix, and the book are well worth investigating.

A Fortunate Man

Pontoppidans lengthy, semi-autobiographical novel was published in eight volumes between 1898 and 1904. Its Danish title, Lykke-Per (Lucky Per), refers to the central character, Peter Andreas Sidenius, nicknamed Per, and his success and failure, or both (as in German, the Danish word for lucky also means happy). The title also apparently alludes to the Grimm Brothers fairytale, Lucky Hans (Hans im Gluck), about a young man who keeps trading one item after another for one of lesser value and ends up empty-handed, and relieved.

The novel has only recently been translated into English, as Lucky Per by Naomi Lebowitz and A Fortunate Man by Paul Larkin.

In Augusts film (originally broadcast in 201819 as a television mini-series in four episodes), Per Sidenius (Esben Smed), a young man living in rural western Denmark in the 1880s or 1890s, learns he has been accepted to the College of Advanced Technology in Copenhagen. His father, a severe, authoritarian Lutheran minister, is outraged by Pers life decision. He demands his wayward son turn away from the path of perdition. Per replies, Apologize? Never! He explains that he feels like a stranger and a homeless person in the terribly repressive household.

Esben Smed in A Fortunate Man

In Copenhagen, without a penny from his father, Per finds a room in a poor neighborhood and begins attending classes at the technological college. While still a student, he develops a grand scheme for transforming Denmark into a major European commercial and shipping power, through the construction of a system of canals and waterways that would connect the Baltic and the North Seas. Per envisions a great port in western Denmark, competing with Hamburg and other cities. He expounds on his project, which also involves harnessing the wind and ocean waves to create electricity, to everyone who will listen, including his waitress-girlfriend, Lisbeth (Sophie-Marie Jeppesen). In his grim spartan garret, Per builds a model of his plan for national-technological renovation, complete with towers and windmills.

The Salomons are a wealthy, worldly Jewish family in Copenhagen. Per deliberately sets about making the acquaintance of Ivan Salomon (Benjamin Kitter), the Salomon son who is looking for people with ideas  genius. Per impresses him with his scheme for Danish self-sufficiency and modernization. Youre a world conqueror, Ivan tells Per soon after they meet, and a fortunate man.

The affable, unassuming Ivan introduces Per into the Salomons household, headed by patriarch Phillip Salomon (Tommy Kenter). Per is entranced with the opulence and sophistication of the familys home and social circlehe has never encountered anything like it. Nor has he ever met anyone like Ivans two sisters, the beautiful and flighty Nanny (Julie Christiansen) and the older, more reserved and intellectual Jakobe (Katrine Greis-Rosenthal). Later, watching Per as he observes the two young women, their Uncle Delft remarks drily, Money is a magnetic force.

Katrine Greis-Rosenthal and Julie Christiansen

Indeed. Per wastes no time becoming infatuated with Nanny. Other writers of the time, including Jack London (Martin Eden) and Theodore Dreiser (Sister Carrie, An American Tragedy) called into question the notion that love was an emotion that simply and arbitrarily descended from heaven. In particular, as an aristocracy of wealth emerged, it was inevitable that a certain petty bourgeois or even working class type would be struck with the golden life and its golden girls and boys and set out to win them.

Pers opportunism is not attractive. When he dines with the Salomons at the restaurant where Lisbeth works, he implores the latter to pretend we dont know each other. However, his attitude is not entirely cynical or self-serving. He switches his attention and affections to Jakobe after she speaks sincerely in favor of science and progress, which eliminates differences between people and contributes to global brotherly understanding. As Per makes his new feelings known to Jakobe, he acknowledges that he feels a bit inferior in the face of the open and free habits of your family, and that when he thinks of his childhood home, theres always a feeling of shame and eeriness. Subsequently, he will tell Jakobe that, due to his wretched, psychologically stunted background, he sometimes feels like a troll who crawled out of his hole to be with humans. The damage, in the long term, may prove irreparable.

For Jakobe, the relationship with Per allows her to express strong emotions and explore sexuality for the first time. She unexpectedly pursues him to where he is studying engineering projects in Austria, and they spend several passionate, blissful days together. However, even here, Pers painful inner conflicts reveal themselves. Discovering a primitive wooden crucifix stuck in the ground behind them on a hill in the countryside, Per hurls stones at it and curses Christ, in Nietzschean terms: Look at his abject humility and how he exposes his misery. ... When has anyone ever spat their disgust in your face?

Pers plan for Danish greatness is turned down by a pig-headed, narrow-minded old fool of a civil servant. No one can prevail upon Per to apologize or moderate his conduct. The consortium of powerful investors set up by Phillip Salomon to finance the project eventually dissolves. At the height of success, everything slips through Pers fingers, or rather he throws it all away.

When his mother dies in Copenhagen (to which she moved to be close to her children), Per accompanies her coffin back to rural Jutland, where he undergoes some type of religious or spiritual awakeningor deadening. (Seeing these surroundings again has made an impression. Its overwhelming.) He ends his engagement to Jakobe (pregnant by this time, unbeknownst to him) and becomes engaged to Inger (Sara Viktoria Bjerregaard), the daughter of a local pastor. At one point, Per breaks down and begs forgiveness for forsaking my mother and father.

It is impossible to discuss the film or novel seriously, without giving away its conclusion. Per retreats to the countryside, but finds no happiness in simple family life either. In the end, he separates himself from his wife and children too, spending his remaining days on earth in utter isolation in bleak surroundings. In a final encounter with Jakobe, who has never married and runs a school for poor children in Copenhagen, Per explains, Ive felt alienated and rootless all my life. But out here, I've finally become conscious of who I am. In my ungodly solitude  So now I feel liberated.

Both the novel and film contain many remarkable features. August and his son and co-screenwriter, Anders August, have done a conscientious job of adapting and condensing Pontoppidans book. Inevitably, even in the production of a 162-minute work, the Augusts were obliged to cut away many characters and subplots, some of which are genuinely missed. Scenes of more plebeian Copenhagen life, including those set in the residence of Senior Boatswain and Madam Olufsen, where Per first rents a room, provide the novel with some of its humor and warmth.

Henrik Pontoppidan, 1913

Also eliminated is the critical consideration of Danish cultural life, including the appearance of various bohemian figures apparently based on artists of the time. In Dr. Nathan, Pontoppidan included a portrait of the famed Danish-Jewish critic and scholar, and champion of playwright Henrik Ibsen among others, Georg Brandes. Brandes is associated with the Modern Breakthrough, the rejection of romanticism and the emergence of naturalism (and an interest in Darwin and other figures) in Scandinavian literature and art in the late 19th century.

The film, like the novel, rightly makes the treatment of the Salomon familyor of the contrast between the Sidenius and Salomon familiesone of its main concerns.

Jakobe experiences various anti-Semitic slights and bullying, some of which the Augusts retain. Pontoppidan includes in his novel a remarkable scene in which Jakobe, at a Berlin railway station, encounters (in the Larkin translation) one of the small armies of outcast Russian Jews  pushed through Germany before being shipped off to America. Some were almost naked; many had bloody bandages wrapped around their heads or hands. They all had a deathly demeanor, were exhausted and filthy, as if they had been wandering for an age in a desert of blistering heat and dust. These are the victims of Russian pogroms, in regard to which the authorities had acted either with indifference  or even with  outright collusion.

A strongly humanistic attitude animates Pontoppidans work as a whole. In another sequence, in a small Silesian town, Jakobe, again, encounters a group of mostly poor childrenpallid and emaciated wretches. She follows one boy home and finds out his circumstances, the all too common tragedy of a family slaved to factory work. Both the man and his wife had to work at machines from sunrise to sunset and leave the children in the care of an often cruel fate.

No doubt Jakobe and Ivan are the most appealing characters in both the novel and the August film.

Per remains a far more problematic figure, one is tempted to say, almost disastrously so.

P.M. Mitchell, in his 1979 study, Henrik Pontoppidan, points to the autobiographical elements in A Fortunate Man. Pontoppidan came from a long line of Lutheran clergymen (hence the awkwardly Latinized surname). One of sixteen children born to a cleric and his wife, the future novelist was the least disposed  to carry on the puritanically Protestant cultural tradition which was his spiritual inheritance. Like his fictional creation, Pontoppidan broke away from his family and entered the Polytechnical Institute in Copenhagen. Unlike Per, however, he left college in order, eventually, to become a writer, increasingly aware of the new currents to which Danish literature was subjected and which emanated to a large extent from Brandes.

There is a great deal of fascinating material, much of it psychologically and dramatically authentic and telling, in A Fortunate Man. However, in a comment this brief one truly has to hone in on the works appalling conclusion, Pers deliberate self-obliteration in the remote countryside in the name of stripping himself of all illusions and attaining self-knowledge. Rarely does one encounter a work that so precipitously and unpleasantly falls off a cliff.

It should go without saying that objective social and cultural problems in Pontoppidans era and national conditions, the relatively underdeveloped state of Danish capitalism and its role in European society, the continued predominance of the petty bourgeoisie, played a critical role in this. Russian Marxist Georgi Plekhanov in Ibsen, Petty Bourgeois Revolutionist addressed questions along these lines in relation to the Norwegian playwright that are not directly applicable to Pontoppidans life and career, but certainly help shed light on some of the difficulties.

Of Ibsen, Plekhanov commented that the playwrights social environment was sufficiently developed in terms of class relationships to produce a negative reaction to many aspects of life, but it was not defined enoughbecause it was not developed enoughto arouse in him a definite longing for something new. That is why he was not able to utter those magic words which bring to life a picture of the future.

Mitchell writes, in his study of Pontoppidan, that, according to the Danish writer, there could be no understanding of what is wrong with society  until the individual looks deep into himself and gains a modicum of objectivity toward his own motivations and, consequently, his own actions. A Fortunate Man does depict one way for the individual to achieve peace of mind and intimates that any sweeping social change should begin with the individual. The real revolution must be won within the mind of each human being and not be superimposed by an outside force driven by ulterior motives.

The ultimate message in the novel, writes Mitchell, is not new: to thy own self be true, and adds that in the book this theme has no sense of banality or platitude. We have different conceptions of the banal and platitudinous.

This reader found the concluding portion of A Fortunate Man simply appalling. Per, writes Pontoppidan, in his isolation and self-abnegation, now felt a ghostly hand, which was nothing other than his own instinctive awareness that it was actually in seclusion and loneliness that his soul was most at home. Deep contemplation, sorrow and pain were the lodestars of his lifes journey. He ends up living in a forlorn and weather-beaten country, where even sheep struggle to find nourishment, etc.

And this deliberate act of annihilating oneself is treated as the height of enlightenment and self-awareness! Horrible.

August and others speak about Pers hubris and so on. The director suggested rather loosely in an interview that because Per is so self-centred and self-obsessed, he reminds me of the modern selfie generation who can only think about themselves and asserting themselves. And what I like about this story is that Per, being so selfish, has to pay such a high price for that, eventually. Its hard for him, but he cannot socialize with anybody; he has to isolate himself far away from other human beings. And I was wondering about the younger generation today, who are always on their iPhones and are obsessed with social mediawhat will happen to them, psychologically?

The problem with Per is not his presumptuousness, but rather that it is mobilized in such a small cause, his own career and fantastical Danish greatness. In any case, one would prefer a human being who throws himself into things, even misguidedly and selfishly, to one who renounces everything wicked and lives like a hermit-saint out of the 6th century.

James Wood, in a 2019 New Yorker piece, suggested that perhaps Pers renunciationism was a false flag narrative and that we should look instead at Jakobe, whose own sacrifice takes her into the world, not away from it. This at least is to be preferred to the conclusions of the Marxist Frederic Jameson (in the London Review of Books), who pontificates that the novels project turns out to be  to modify our sense of what luck or happiness means and that Per has managed to get beyond success or failure. What nonsense.

Jameson seems to be taking a long-delayed cue from Georg Lukacs in The Theory of the Novel, a pre-Marxist work, a murky and schematic study (as the author later conceded), first published in 1916. Lukacs remarked in that volume that the movement of life [in A Fortunate Man] shows a definite and unmistakable progression toward the purity of a soul that has attained itself and that every refusal to seize a conquered piece of reality is really a victory, a step toward the conquest of a soul freed from illusions. Again, this asceticism needs to be thoroughly rejected.

A Fortunate Man, book and film, offers large portions of fascinating social, historical and psychological life. Both are also deeply flawed.
Vice-President Kamala Harris visited El Paso, Texas on Friday in her first visit to the US-Mexico border since being designated by President Joe Biden to head up his administrations efforts to halt the flow of refugees into the US.

Vice President Kamala Harris talks to the media, Friday, June 25, 2021, after her tour of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas [Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin]

The visit came on the heels of two major reports this past week detailing the horrific and illegal treatment of migrants by successive administrations, including the mass incarceration of children by the Biden-Harris government. Her trip to El Paso was a photo op staged to deflect Republican agitation about an immigrant invasion, while obscuring the continuity between the anti-immigrant policies of Trump and those of the current administration.

Joined by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Senator Dick Durbin (Democrat of Illinois) and Representative Veronica Escobar (Democrat of Texas), Harris spouted the usual banalities in her responses to reporters, claiming that the Biden administration had made great progress despite inheriting a tough situation.

Neatly sidestepping the question of why it had taken her so long to visit the border, Harris said she had done so multiple times (though not as vice-president), and added, It was always the plan to come here.

Her visit consisted of a quick visit to a US Border Patrol processing center, where she met five young migrant girls being held there; a stop at the Paso del Norte port of entry, across from the Mexican city of Juarez; a meeting with Walter Slosar, the acting deputy chief of the US Customs and Border Patrols El Paso sector; and a discussion with immigrant advocates.

Harris cynically told reporters that the stories she heard from the migrant girls reminded her of the importance of focusing on the root causes of migration. Earlier this month Harris, the daughter of immigrants, traveled to Guatemala and Mexico and met with their presidents to shore up the use of their security forces to suppress the flow of Central American migrants seeking to escape poverty and police and gang killings and reunite with family members in the US.

Touted as the first woman and first African/Asian-American to represent Washington in such a high-level state visit, Harris told desperate Central American migrants seeking refuge in the US, Dont come If you come to our border, you will be turned back.

Again, in El Paso, Harris sought to use identity politics to soften the stench of her anti-immigrant policies. Speaking of her interactions with the detained migrant girls, she claimed they had asked her, How do you become the first woman vice president?

She told reporters that her discussions served as an important reminder that the issue [of immigration] cannot be reduced to a political issue. Were talking about children, were talking about families, we are talking about suffering.

Attempting to draw a line between the Biden and the Trump administrations, she declared, It is here in El Paso that the previous administrations child separation policy was implemented.

The level of hypocrisy here is difficult to put into words.

In the past few months of the Biden administration, the number of migrants trying to cross into the United States has reached record levels. In May, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded 180,000 encounters, the highest number since March of 2000.

Those who have not been turned back have been subjected to the detention system that was put in place by the Obama administration, nurtured by the Trump administration and now fully utilized by the Biden administration. As testimonials of detained children filed in California federal court earlier this week and an American Civil Liberties Union report on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) responses to hunger strikes in detention centers have made clear, this is a system in which neither legality nor basic humanity has a place.

Unaccompanied minors are packed into cramped quarters and denied basic amenities like edible food, potable water and clean clothes, not to mention being deprived of access to legal services and contact with family members.

Adult asylum seekers have fared no better, with multiple instances of detainees being forced to go on hunger strikes to draw attention to their desperate straits, and then being subjected to invasive force-feeding procedures, which, according to the United Nations, constitute torture.

Harriss visit to El Paso was made primarily in response to mounting Republican criticism about the weakness of the Biden administrations immigration policies and demands that an even more draconian system of arrests and deportations be put in place. It is not mere coincidence that her visit came just a few days before a planned trip to the border town of McAllen, Texas by former President Trump.

The choice of El Paso was itself politically motivated. As a former Obama administration official told Politico, Its a much more secure location than the Brownsville area or some parts of the Arizona area. And so, if youre trying to show that the border is secure, you would be much more likely to go to El Paso.

Harris chose not to visit the Fort Bliss tent city in Texas that houses thousands of unaccompanied minors and has been in the news recently because of the systematic abuse being carried out under the auspices of Bidens Health and Human Services Department (HHS).

During the vice-presidents trip to the border, her press secretary, Symone Sanders, told reporters, The administration is taking [the situation in Fort Bliss] very seriously. Extremely seriously. She added that HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra had been instructed to do a thorough investigation of the military facility.

However, within a matter of hours, the White House backtracked, with a spokesperson claiming the conditions in Fort Bliss had already improved and that HHS has already been looking into [the] facility on their own. The spokesperson added, At no time did the White House recommend a probe of the facility.

The backtracking should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the Biden-Harris administrations policies. For all its claims of being different from the Trump administration, the past months have revealed horrifying continuities.

An administration that is committed to removing all COVID-related restrictions and reopening the economy regardless of the human cost is continuing to use Title 42, an obscure rule first invoked by the Trump administration, citing the dangers of the pandemic, to deny desperate refugees the right of asylum, thereby forcing them to make the perilous trek across the Southwestern border.
There has been a series of developments this week in the class struggle throughout the US health care industry, where nurses, doctors and staff have been devastated throughout the pandemic by low staffing levels and layoffs carried out by hospital systems.

Striking Worcester nurses, April 2021. Pictured left to right: Louisa Moraes, Mary Marengo, Joe Stafford [Credit: WSWS media]

Chicago: Over 900 nurses launch one-day strike at Cook County Health System

More than 900 nurses across Cook County, Illinois took strike action on Thursday after contract negotiations between the National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) union and hospitals Stroger and Provident, which are part of the Cook County Health system, broke down earlier this week. The one-day strike was scheduled after their last contract expired in November of last year.

The central issue for nurses is the abysmal staffing level, with the hospital system being short hundreds of nurses, leading to intolerable delays in patient care. Shortage of staff has already accelerated burnout among the nurses, after more than 600,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since last March.

Anger has reached a boiling point as many nurses are finding it increasingly difficult to save patients lives. One Cook County Health nurse of 23 years told the Chicago Tribune that in all her experience, she has never seen staffing levels so horrible, with many patients reportedly going several days without receiving basic cleanliness, such as face washings.

A trauma nurse told the Tribune that hospitals are not replacing nurses who quit or retire, placing an unbearable strain on working conditions. Theyre just putting more workload on us, and its not fair to the patients at all, she said.

Additional issues include demands for pay increases and adequate PPE for nurses. One nurse who spoke to the Tribune mentioned that a colleague of hers from Stroger died of COVID-19.

Consuelo Vargas, an emergency department nurse and the NNOCs chief representative of Cook County Health, said the union wants pay increases that match up to the wages of other hospitals in the medical district Stroger is located in.

Although the NNOC union has pointed to the onerous situation facing hospital staff, it has paid lip service to the demands of the company while isolating striking nurses. The union finally decided to call a one-day strike only after nearly eight months of negotiations that have led nowhere. The purpose, however, of the one-day Hollywood strike was only to let nurses blow off steam. A court-ordered injunction issued Wednesday prevented nearly 330 nurses from striking, which the NNOC seized upon as a pretext to avoid prolonging the strike. Meanwhile, Cook County Health announced that it is hiring nurses from temporary agencies to fill certain roles.

Strike action approved by nursing home workers in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, over 800 workers at 12 nursing homes authorized strike action on Tuesday. According to the Service Employees International Union, the nurses are striking against chronic understaffing, low pay and industry regulations.

The workers that voted to strike included nurses, nurses aides and other caregivers. Workers who spoke to the media noted the unsustainable conditions that have been foisted upon them for years, which have been greatly exacerbated due to the pandemic.

A nursing assistant at Beaver Valley Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center told the Times that staffing shortages have become so severe that one or two caregivers are expected to care for more than 20 residents on a single floor. Workers at the same home are also required to use their paid time off to quarantine if they have contracted COVID-19, despite the majority of them catching the virus at work.

A certified nursing student drew the connection between the paltry wages they are being paid and the inability of the hospitals to maintain decent staffing levels. We need higher wages so we can get more permanent staff to take care of our residents. The nurse pointed out how nursing home pay is invariably just as low as for those working at convenience stores but with tasks involving far more physical and mental exhaustion.

Guardian Healthcare, the owner of the facilities South Beaver and Oil City, issued a statement to the USA TODAY Network expressing disappointment over the strike vote and reproached the SEIU for not sufficiently clamping down on worker opposition. We are troubled that the SEIU is using our invaluable team of caregivers in an attempt to manipulate the negotiation process, the companys statement said.

The company threatened to undermine the strike should the union go ahead with its authorization. Should the SEIU strike, we will continue to provide the quality of care our residents and their families expect. The company is holding out for the prospect that the union refrain from strike action altogether, stating that a strike authorization vote does not guarantee a strike will happen.

In its statement announcing the strike, SEIU Healthcare PA said that the states nursing homes are in crisis and that the workforce is stretched to the breaking point because of poverty wages and the physical and mental toll resulting from the pandemic. Pennsylvanias nursing homes have seen more than 13,000 nursing home deaths, which the union declared were the result of a broken system not prioritizing care or caregivers.

Workers should place no confidence in the SEIU, which is no doubt working furiously behind the scenes with the company to prevent a strike from taking place. Last month the union reached an 11th-hour agreement in Connecticut to forestall a strike after Democratic Governor Ned Lamont threatened to deploy the National Guard. The deal brokered with the involvement of the state government includes inadequate pay raises and no improvement in staffing ratios.

In May of last year, after nursing home workers in Illinois voted overwhelmingly to strike, the union forced 10,000 workers to stay on the job to endure poverty wages and no protections against COVID-19, which was ravaging the state at the time.

After barely giving workers a week to read the tentative agreement and keeping them in the dark throughout negotiations, the union quickly rammed through the contract. The contract did nothing to guarantee workers demands for PPE, safety protocols, hazard pay, and an array of other desperately needed provisions to alleviate the impact of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, over 700 striking nurses at the Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts have been on the picket lines for more than three months against the Tenet Healthcare hospital conglomerate. The nurses are now facing the risk of permanent job losses while the Massachusetts Nurses Association union has worked night and day to isolate the strike. The union has refused to mobilize its 10,000 members in the state for strike action to defend the demands of the Worcester nurses. As is the case with all health care workers, the militant nurses have been striking for better nurse-to-patient ratios.

The strike in Pennsylvania is taking place amidst an enormous health crisis that has gripped nursing homes nationwide since the pandemics onset. A new report found that nursing home deaths increased by 169,300, or 32 percent, in 2020. The US Department of Health and Human Services noted that 4 in 10 residents had likely contracted COVID-19.

But there is significant potential for a successful fight by health care workers, given that workers in various industries across the country are currently engaged in strikes. This includes coal miners at Warrior Met in Alabama, steelworkers at ATI across the Northeast United States and 3,000 Volvo Trucks workers in Dublin, Virginia. However, in each case the unions are deliberately isolating these struggles from each other, wearing down the workers in order to force through sellout contracts.

The way forward for health care workers is to take the initiative out of the hands of the SEIU, the NNOC and the other unions by forming their own independent rank-and-file committees in order to break through the union-enforced isolation and link up their struggles with workers across the country. At Volvo Trucks, workers have already taken this first step by forming the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee, which is campaigning for a real fight against concessions.
The Delhi High Court has granted bail to three student activists arrested by the Delhi police one year ago on bogus terrorism charges under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). They have been victimized as part of the vicious legal vendetta Indias Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has mounted against opponents of its class war and communalist policies, including the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Burnt shops at Shiv Vihar after the Delhi riots [Wikimedia Commons]

Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha were arrested by the Delhi police, which is under the direct control of Modis Home Minister and chief henchman, Amit Shah, in May 2020. They were detained on the basis of frame-up charges in relation to the so-called Delhi riot conspiracy case and later booked under the UAPA. Narwal and Kalita are students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Tanha is from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University.

The real reason for their arrests and detention was their involvement in the anti-CAA protests, which swept across India in late 2019 and early 2020. These three students and many other anti-CAA protesters arrested by the Delhi police have been falsely blamed by the authorities for the communal riots that convulsed parts of northeast Delhi for four days, beginning February 23, 2020. The riotswhose victims were overwhelmingly poor Muslimswere incited by BJP officials and facilitated and, in some cases, joined by police.

The CAA, pushed through the national parliament by Modi and his supremacist BJP in December 2019, discriminates against Muslims by defining Indian citizenship on an explicitly religious basis for the first time in the countrys history. The CAA provides an automatic path to citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from the main Muslim countries in South AsiaPakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistanwho arrived in India before the end of December 2014. However, Muslim immigrants from these same countries and all others from the region are excluded from its provisions and liable to expulsion.

The CAA is part of a vicious communal campaign mounted by the BJP against Indias Muslim minority. During the campaign for the April-May 2019 parliamentary elections, in which the BJP won re-election, Amit Shah, then the BJPs president, repeatedly denounced Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh as termites and vowed that if the BJP was reelected, they would be thrown into the Bay of Bengal.

On August 5, 2019, the Modi government moved to scrap the limited semi-autonomous constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir, Indias only Muslim-majority state. It placed the whole state under a brutal military lockdown. One year later to the day, Modi laid the foundation stone for a temple devoted to the mythical Hindu god, Ram, on the site of the Babri Masjid, which was razed to the ground by a mob of Hindu fanatics incited and directed by BJP leaders and associated Hindu supremacist organizations in December 1992. This major escalation of the BJPs Hindu communal campaign was approved in advance by the Indian Supreme Court in a verdict issued in November 2019.

Rammed through parliament in a matter of days in December 2019, the Modi governments anti-Muslim CAA was met with widespread opposition throughout the country, but especially in the national capital Delhi. Workers, youth and intellectuals joined the protests, which cut across religious, ethnic and caste-communal lines.

Fearing that the anti-CAA movement would intersect with growing working-class opposition to its austerity measures and other pro-investor policies, the Modi government doubled down on its effort to whip up Hindu communalism, with the aim of dividing the working class and mobilizing its far-right supporters as shock troops against it.

Pushed onto the back foot, the BJP-led central and state governments unleashed lethal police violence against the anti-CAA protesters, while fomenting communalist reaction with crude denunciations of their opponents as anti-Indian and pro-Pakistani. This culminated in the Delhi riots. Directly instigated by local BJP leaders, they resulted in the deaths of at least 53 people, the injuring of hundreds and the destruction of scores of homes and businesses.

Seeking to turn reality on its head, the Modi government subsequently directed the police to frame up anti-CAA protest leaders, Muslim and Hindu alike, for the Delhi riots. Dozens of government opponents have been arrested on bogus charges of being involved in a broader conspiracy to foment the Delhi riots, while the true culprits in and around the BJP go free. Underscoring the vindictiveness of the authorities, a pregnant JMI student, Zafoora Zargar, was jailed from April through June 2020 in the midst of the surging COVID-19 pandemic.

Narwal, Kalita and Tanha are just three of scores of people facing what are widely conceded, even by much of the corporate media, to be utterly bogus charges under a draconian anti-terrorism law. In its June 15 ruling granting them bail, the Delhi High Court said: [I]t seems, that in its anxiety to suppress dissent, in the mind of the State, the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and terrorist activity seems to be getting somewhat blurred. If this mindset gains traction, it would be a sad day for democracy.

The High Court ruling reflects concerns within sections of the ruling class and its political establishment that the BJP government has gone too far in its legal vendetta against its political opponents. It fears that such a transparently bogus use of the UAPAs draconian provisions to victimize government opponents will dangerously erode the credibility of the bourgeois democratic state, its courts and police in the eyes of working people.

The High Court verdict is also driven by concerns that if the Modi government is not chastened, it could use the UAPA or other authoritarian measures against its opponents within the political establishment, further destabilizing bourgeois rule. The BJP has repeatedly accused the leaders of the parliamentary opposition of being anti-national, suggesting that their criticisms of the government are akin to treason, and as part of its 2019 coup against Kashmir it arbitrarily detained the principal leaders of the pro-Indian Kashmiri regionalist parties for months without charge.

Expressing concern about foisting (the) extremely grave and serious penal provisions of the UAPA frivolously upon people, the Delhi High Court justices warned that wanton use of serious penal provisions would only trivialise them.

Further elaborating on its advice to the Modi government that it should use the UAPA more sparingly, the court said: Notwithstanding the fact that the definition of terrorist act in section 15 UAPA is wide and even somewhat vague, the phrase must partake of the essential character of terrorism and the phrase terrorist act cannot be permitted to be casually applied to criminal acts or omissions that fall squarely within the definition of conventional offences as defined inter alia under the IPC [Indian Penal Code].

The UAPA was introduced by a Congress Party government in December 1967 amid concerns that mounting political opposition could not be contained and suppressed through existing legislation. It contains deliberately vague definitions of terrorism, so as to facilitate mass repression of political opponents, and successive governments, led by both the Congress and BJP, have used its draconian provisions to suppress popular opposition.

One of the most prominent recent examples is the case of five left-wing intellectualsVaravara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakhawhom the BJP placed under house arrest in August 2018 and have since undergone lengthy incarceration. Without presenting a shred of credible evidence, the police and BJP leaders have accused the five of being urban Naxals, suggesting they are in cahoots with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Indian state.

The Indian government and Delhi police are not about to accept the High Courts decision to bail out the student activists. Immediately after the High Court decision, a Delhi police spokesperson said: We are not satisfied with the interpretation of the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the Honble High Court in a matter concerned with grant of Bail. We are proceeding with filing a Special Leave Petition before the Honble Supreme Court of India.

The Supreme Court, which has a long record of conniving with the Modi government in its authoritarian and communalist actions, has indicated its dissatisfaction with the High Court ruling, but pending a full hearing of the matter rejected the BJP governments plea for the bail order to be stayed.

On June 18, the Supreme Court termed the High Courts criticisms of the UAPAs definition of terrorism and the use to which the government has put it surprising, adding that the ruling can have pan-India ramification(s). Further elaborating on its concerns, the Supreme Court stated: The manner in which the High Court had interpreted the Act (UAPA) will probably require examination by the Supreme Court.  [I]n the meantime, the impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent and may not be relied upon by any of the parties in any of the proceedings.
Asia

India: Social workers remain on strike in Maharashtra

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers have been on strike in Maharashtra since June 15. They are demanding a fixed monthly income and an increase in remuneration from their current meagre 5,000-rupee ($US67) monthly pay. The workers, affiliated to five different Maharashtra unions, marched to the zilla parishad (district level) office in Nagpur on June 21.

ASHA workers said their workload has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are required to visit people in home quarantine, follow up on their health status and distribute medicines. During the vaccination drive, ASHA workers were also involved in collating data and coordinating with beneficiaries in rural areas.

Workers said they will remain on strike until the government provides a written assurance that their demands will be met. They said that they will not accept verbal commitments by the government.

Doctors in Andhra Pradesh protest

Indian Medical Association doctors demonstrated near the offices of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, Andhra Pradesh, on June 18 over ongoing attacks on healthcare professionals. They wore masks and held banners reading, Save the Saviours and Save the Doctors.

The association claimed that 700 doctors had died whilst working during the second wave of COVID-19 infections and called on the central and state governments to address the issue. The Andhra Pradesh Medical and Sales Representatives Union supported the protest.

Telangana hospital health workers demand pay rise

Telangana Medical Contract Employees and Workers Union members from state government hospitals demonstrated in Hyderabad on Tuesday to demand a wage increase. Sanitation, patient care and security staff gathered outside the King Koti Hospital to demand a minimum monthly wage of 19,000 rupees ($US282).

They alleged that all other categories of government hospital workers had received a pay rise. Hospital sanitation workers are paid between 15,000 and 17,000 rupees, depending on which hospital they work at.

Andhra Pradesh contract nurses threaten strike action for permanent jobs

Contract nurses from government hospitals and medical centres across Andhra Pradesh demonstrated outside hospitals and various area headquarters on June 18 to demand equal pay and conditions with permanent nurses. They threatened to strike on June 28 if their demands are not met.

Protesters included hospital nurses employed on contract since 2016 and medical centre nurses employed in 2006.

A major issue is insurance. Protesters said around 11 contract nurses had died from COVID-19 in the past year but were not covered by the same insurance as frontline workers. They are demanding that ex-gratia payments and insurance be provided along with compensation for families of the victims. Nurses complained that their monthly salary was only 22,000 rupees ($US296) compared to a newly recruited permanent nurse who receives 34,000 rupees per month.

Nurses in Vijayawada and Tirupati withdrew their protest after an oral commitment from the director of medical education (DME) that their demands would be met. Other nurses did not accept this and want a government order or a written assurance from the DME.

West Bengal civilian defence workers protest privatisation

Defence department civilian employees protested outside Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) premises in Kolkata on June 19 as part of a national campaign against the Indian governments decision to corporatise the OFB. All India Defence Employees Federation members burnt effigies of the government and Prime Minister Modi.

The government wants to break down the 246-year-old OFB into seven corporate entities. The union federation has threatened that the defence sectors over 400,000 workers will stage an indefinite national strike if the government does not withdraw its corporatisation plans.

When the government announced last year that it planned to privatise the defence sector over 99 percent of defence civil workers voted for national strike action.

West Bengal port workers walk out in Kolkata

Around 750 contract workers employed by the Five Star Shipping Corporation (FSSC) at Kolkatas deep-water Haldia port stopped work on June 17 over unpaid provident fund and ESI (employee state insurance). Unloading operations were stalled affecting two large vessels.

FSSC is contracted by Ripley, the cargo-handling agency. Ripley demanded that FSSC immediately resolve the issue but FSSC accused Ripley of not paying five years outstanding wages and benefits worth 85 million rupees ($US1.15 million).

Sri Lankan hospital nurses walk out over forced transfers

Nurses from the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital, in Peradeniya, walked out on June 22 against the governments attempt to send a group of colleagues for two weeks to the military-run Kotalawala Defence University Hospital and Neville Fernando Hospital, more than 100 kilometres away.

Hospital management initially threatened that the nurses would be signed off as absent from duty if they did not follow the transfer order. Authorities withdrew the threat after nurses insisted that they would continue the strike.

An upsurge in the number of coronavirus infected patients has forced frontline health workers to endure unsustainable and back-breaking workloads. Hundreds of health workers have been infected with COVID-19 during this time.

Samsung workers in South Korea strike

About 40 union representatives from the Samsung display manufacturing plant in Asan, South Korea, walked out on Monday after negotiations for a wage increase became deadlocked. The union was formed last year and signed up nearly 2,400 members, roughly 10 percent of the companys total workforce. Although more than 90 percent of union members voted in favour of a strike or production slowdown the union has not yet call on all its members to strike.

The union has called for a 6.8 percent base pay increase. The company has only offered a 4.5 percent rise. The strike was the first ever at the Samsung Group.

Australia

New South Wales ambulance paramedics continue work bans

New South Wales Ambulance (NSWA) paramedics took 24-hour industrial action for the second time in two weeks on Tuesday. The action involved only responding to calls for life-threatening emergencies. The NSW state government had offered paramedics a 1.5 per cent wage increase before its budget on Tuesday, and then increased it to 2.5 percent.

Paramedics rejected the new offer. The NSW Health Services Union (HSU) claims NSW paramedics are paid less than in other Australian states by hundreds of dollars a week. This would still be the case after a 2.5 percent rise. The HSU, however, has overseen this disparity and ensured low wage growth for paramedics.

Last year the NSW government imposed a wage freeze on the entire public sector. The unions responded by reducing industrial action to its lowest level in decades.

The HSU says that 4.7 percent will be needed to account for last years pay freeze, indicating it will accept a return to the status quo. The union has isolated paramedics and opposes a broader campaign of health workers and other public servants who face the same attacks on wages and conditions.

Keppel Prince workers hold community protest in Portland Victoria

Workers who manufacture wind-turbine towers for the federal governments Snowy Hydro 2.0 wind-farm projects protested in Portland, following the arrival of imported steel towers at the regional Victorian port.

Keppel Prince, which manufactures wind turbines in Australia, fired 15 percent of its workforce after it lost contracts for two regional Victorian wind farms. Danish company Vestas, which secured the contract, has sought cheaper imports for its wind towers.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), which promotes economic nationalism and opposes the unification of workers across Australia and internationally to fight the profit system, is appealing to the federal government and Vestas to set local steel procurement policies on the wind farm projects. The AMWU has collaborated with management for decades to destroy tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs.
An attorney representing local DC police officers last month conceded in federal court that the Districts police had participated alongside other law enforcement officials in the incidents of June 1, 2020. The admission comes almost a year after protesters were cleared from Washington, DCs Lafayette Square Park with tear gas in order to make way for then-President Donald Trump to be photographed holding a bible in front of a nearby church.

Metropolitan Washington D.C. police officers arrest demonstrators after they gathered to protest the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1, 2020, near the White House in Washington [Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

In a federal hearing on May 28, Richard Sobiecki, the attorney representing the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, defended the Departments use of tear gas and other weapons. According to the attorney, discharge of tear gas in that direction [of the protesters] was not unreasonable because the curfew, violence of past nights, chaos created by federal defendants justified it.

Sobiecki was referring to the 7 p.m. curfew imposed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser following a night of protests where some individuals ended up vandalizing St. Johns church and other parts of the park. Nevertheless, there were 20 minutes left before the Districts curfew took effect on June 1 when police and federal law enforcement officials began firing tear gas into the peaceful crowd to clear it out.

This marked the first time since the incident happened last year that the MPD publicly admitted its officers had tear-gassed protesters. MPD had previously denied its involvement in the clearing of the demonstrators, which involved tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, flash bangs, and riot shields.

In the days after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked massive protests worldwide, protesters gathered peacefully in the park right next to the White House to demonstrate against police brutality and racism. The Trump administration responded to this eruption of multiracial, multi-generational, and international working class anger by threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and dominate the streets.

There were multiple recorded instances of officers in MPD uniforms tear-gassing protesters fleeing the square on the early evening of June 1. Media outlets from local TV station WUSA to the Washington Post and Vox reported on the activity of MPD officers at Lafayette Square that day. Trumps stroll through the square to pose for photos with a bible in front of St. Johns Episcopal Church became an image that enraged the world, given the sweeps conducted to remove protesters forcefully from the area.

Since that incident, the local chapter of the ACLU, Black Lives Matter DC, and the Washington Lawyers Committee have filed lawsuits on behalf of the protesters who were gassed, beaten, and shot at that day. Besides MPD, the suit named defendants including former President Trump, former Attorney General William Barr, the US Park Police, and others.

In the latest development in this case, US District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich tossed out most of the suits against federal officials, such as Trump, and agencies such as the Justice Department, granting them qualified immunity. Friedrich allowed the quest for civil damages to continue against Washington, DC, and Arlington County, Virginia, both of which sent officers to assist in the clearing of the square.

Scott Michelman of the DC ACLU, the lead attorney representing the protestors and victims of the assault that day, skewered the MPDs arguments in court. Michelman said MPD suggested at various points they were encouraging people to move south on 17th Street. And that was encouraging via tear gas. That day was scarring in multiple ways just in terms of the unexpected nature of the attack, the brutality of it, and the betrayal that many of them felt.

Friedrich herself questioned Sobieckis reasoning for MPDs use of weapons against the protesters. Multiple times during the hearing, she said the demonstrations were clearly peaceful, at one point admonishing the governments defense by saying, You cant just whale on someone with batons if theyre running away from you.

The MPDs admission is an exposure of the Democratic Partys hypocritical feigned outrage at the Trump administrations response. The Democratic Party and sections of the capitalist state, while also attacking protesters, feared that Trump was encouraging a social explosion by his actions and sought to divert the protests. In addition to appealing to the US military to oppose Trumps dictatorial behavior, the Democratic Party sought to inject heavy doses of identity politics into the discussion, in order to divide the protests along racial lines.

Chief in this regard was the portrayal of the citys Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who, as an African-American Democrat, was a supposed line of defense against the authoritarian Trump administration.

The context of the incident at Lafayette Square Park, amidst the drive by the ruling class to phase out the limited pandemic measures even as cases continued to rise around the country, cannot be separated from the increasingly violent means to which the ruling class has resorted to ensure its continued place high on the perch of society.

Trumps June 1 press conference, in which he made threats to send in the military to the nations capital, marked the beginning of the coup plotting within the state itself. As the World Socialist Web Site wrote earlier this week, The brutal action in Washington D.C. only hours later, broadcast live on national television, was intended as a demonstration of what the administration planned to do throughout the country.

Far from being defenders of democratic rights, the Democrats as well as the Republicans responded to overwhelmingly peaceful protests by imposing curfews, mobilizing the National Guard, and maligning the protesters themselves as fringe elements of extremism within society or as outside agitators. Indeed, in just the eight days following Floyds murder, between May 26 and June 2, police departments in major cities arrested over 11,000 people at anti-police protests, according to information compiled by BuzzFeed News last June.

The confirmation of MPDs involvement in the clearing of Lafayette Square established that it was not only elements within the White House deploying state violence against the demonstrators, but the capitalist state as a whole.

Furthermore, rather than acting as checks on executive power, the court system has acted as a clearinghouse for the dismissal of cases against federal and local agencies involved in the June 1 assault, covering up the crimes and coup plotting by Trump and his cabinet.
Last Saturday, June 19, WSWS reporters noted that Joseph Kishore, national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (US) had been banned from the Facebook group Saginaw unions no holds bar (NHB). NHB is comprised of 2,000 workers in the Saginaw area, most of whom are employed at Nexteer Automotive.

Joseph Kishore

The forum was used by employees to discuss and organize opposition to the rotten tentative agreement (TA2) which was negotiated last month by the UAW Local 699 leadership and the company. The agreement was passed 5248 percent on May 21 under suspicious circumstances, following the 8515 percent rejection of a similar deal in February.

Nexteer workers must oppose the ban, which is an attack not only on the WSWS but on workers own right to free speech and to know about conditions throughout the auto industry. A day before his banning, Kishore had posted an article in the group which called for the widespread support for striking Volvo Trucks workers at the New River Valley (NRV) plant in Virginia to be mobilised, as well as an article on Nexteer employees voicing their solidarity with the stoppage. Two of the groups moderators resigned from their positions after an alleged uproar from its membership.

Nearly 3,000 Volvo Trucks workers are on strike against the company, in defiance of two unsuccessful attempts by the United Auto Workers to ram through a sellout contract. As with workers at Nexteer, Volvo Trucks workers were forced to vote a second time on virtually the same agreement after voting it down by an overwhelming margin. In response, a group of Volvo Trucks workers formed the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee (VWRFC) to oppose the betrayals of the UAW and fight to reach to other autoworkers around the United States and the world.

The decision to ban Kishore after posting these articles is all the more significant given that the UAW and the corporate media are enforcing a total information blackout on the strike. The UAW has not even acknowledged the strikes existence on its website or any of its social media pages, nor have any reports been carried by any of the major national newspapers. The World Socialist Web Site is the only news publication in the world regularly reporting on the strike and fighting to make other autoworkers aware of it. By banning Kishore, the groups moderators are working to enforce the UAW blackout.

Earlier this month, the VWRFC issued an open letter to the UAWs top leadership demanding to know what its strategy for the strike is and laying out what workers would be willing to accept. [W]e are demanding that a line be drawn in the sand, that this strike result in a clear victory for workers, the statement reads. If they are informed about our struggle, workers throughout the country and indeed around the world will understand that it is in the interests of all workers. They will understand that this is a strike not only for us, but for the future. A successful struggle here at Volvo will strengthen every autoworker, and in fact the entire working class.

Over the past several weeks, many workers in the NHB group have voiced opposition to the pages frequent censorship of its own members posts and the banning of WSWS Labor Editor Jerry White. A worker reported to the WSWS last Tuesday that an administrator of the page posted a conversation in which a user, whose identity had been redacted, made a complaint against the WSWS. The message stated, why is a person who is not even a union member but from a socialist party allowed to be a member of (this group)? Is this a socialism page?

The admin posted its reply to the user: sorry if I dont do a background check on all 1000 people each month who request to join this page If there is something you dont like, report it like the rest of the people.

While the user and the moderator paint the WSWS in the colors of outside agitators, a label once used by the companies against trade union militants who built the UAW, the WSWS has had a significant presence among Nexteer workers since the last contract vote in 2015. During and after the latest contract negotiations and two ratification votes, dozens of workers contacted the WSWS to voice their opposition to the deal.

The local bargaining committee conducted the contract negotiations in complete secrecy, neglecting to give any significant information to the membership before the vote. Meanwhile, the WSWS published accounts from workers that contract rollout meetings were being conducted in the direct presence of management, as well as colleagues being harassed and intimidated by the Local 699 leadership simply for asking questions. Given reports that as many as 1,000 out of the 2,500 workers in the bargaining unit did not vote, less than 30 percent of the workforce voted in favor of the agreement, assuming the margin reported by the union is correct.

After the ratification, workers took to the WSWS to demand an independent audit of the bargaining committees procedures.

Kishore has protested the decision to the sole remaining moderator of the group, to whom he sent the following statement:

What is the reason for this action? It came after I shared two articles from the WSWS on the strike at Volvo NRV, including one with interviews of workers at Nexteer. The other article was an open letter drafted by the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee to the UAW, demanding that it inform workers about what is happening at NRV and mobilize broader support for the strike. The articles were liked by many members of the page who want to support the strikers at Volvo and are angered at the fact that the UAW is telling workers nothing about what is happening. Your decision to ban me from the page has the effect of further enforcing this blackout of the struggle at Volvo. It assists the UAW in isolating and defeating the strike. This undermines the interests not only of the workers at Volvo but all auto workers. I am requesting that you reverse this decision.

To stay updated with information about the Volvo strike, please visit www.wsws.org/volvo. To learn more about forming a rank-and-file committee at Nexteer or at your workplace, sign up today at wsws.org/autoworkers.
At Thursdays meeting of the Pennsylvania Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, educators from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio voted to support the struggle to end the isolation of the striking Volvo workers in Dublin, Virginia, now in its third week. In particular, we resolved to publicize information on the strike among teachers and other educators throughout our region. Below is a letter sent from our committee to the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee outlining our plans.

***

To the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee:

We, the members of the Pennsylvania Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, are writing to pledge our support to break the isolation of your strike at the New River Valley (NRV) plant in Virginia.

Striking Volvo workers [Source: UAW L. 2069]

The stand you have taken against Volvo and against the leadership of the United Auto Workers (UAW), which is conspiring with Volvo to isolate and defeat your strike, is a powerful example to workers everywhere.

The mainstream media has blocked out news of your struggle, as has the union officialdom. A review of the UAW Twitter feed, website and Facebook page have no mention of your strike.

Over the past year, our committee of educators from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio has fought against the reckless and unsafe reopening of the schools, which has led to the deaths and suffering of masses of educators, students and working class communities throughout the country.

The push to reopen schools before the containment of the pandemic was seen as necessary to get people back to work making profits for the corporations and the banks at the expense, quite literally, of workers lives.

Like you, our struggle was ignored in the media. Instead, teachers and other educators who took a stand to put human health and safety ahead of profits were labeled as lazy and uncaring for the children.

Like you, we confronted our own unions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), which supported the reopening of schools before the pandemic was controlled. There are many documented cases in which union officials attacked members who requested safety prosecutions.

Two weeks ago, at our meeting of June 10, 2021, we passed a resolution supporting your struggle. At our meeting this Thursday, June 24, 2021, we discussed your struggle and made the decision to work to publicize and break the isolation of your strike being imposed in the media and by the UAW.

Based on this discussion, our committee unanimously decided to do the following to broaden support for your strike, to guarantee its success, and to start a working class counter-offensive against the capitalist system and all its defenders:

Immediately we will begin to publicize your struggle within all the Facebook and social media accounts to inform teachers and educators in our region of your struggle.

We will also send news articles to independent media outlets and request that they publish reports on your struggle.

It was further suggested that if you or the WSWS are able to produce video coverage of your struggle we will forward them to public access TV in our areas.

Please let us know what other steps we can take to break the isolation of your struggle.

Fraternally,

Educators from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland
Following the first round of Sundays regional elections in France, the various slates had until Tuesday to announce new electoral alliances for the second round of voting this Sunday. The first round was marked by a record abstention rate of over 66 percent. The elections have revealed the widespread rejection by the working population of the criminal policy of herd immunity pursued throughout the pandemic, as well as the authoritarian and austerity policies of the entire political establishment.

The voting booth for the regional elections in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, Friday, June 25, 2021 [Credit: AP Photo/Michel Spingler]

An alliance has been announced between the Socialist Party, Communist Party, Radical Party of the Left and Europe Ecology-the Greens, in the regions of Bourgogne-Franche-Comte, Centre Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire. This did not prevent four separate lists remaining in the second round in Pays de la Loire: Francois de Rugy of Emmanuel Macrons Republic on the Move (La Republique en marcheLREM), with 11.97 percent of the vote, came in behind the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement nationalRN) candidate, Herve Juvin (12.53 percent). They are maintaining their list against the outgoing president Christelle Morancais of The Republicans (Les RepublicainsLR), who won the first round on Sunday, with 34.29 percent of the vote.

Under French voting rules, parties that obtained at least 10 percent of the votes cast can stand in the second round, and possibly merge with lists with at least 5 percent of the votes.

In Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, the Ecologists Fabienne Grebert (14.4 percent in the first round), Najat Vallaud-Belkacem of the Socialist Party (Parti socialistePS) (11.4 percent) and the French Communist Partys (Parti communiste francais PCF) Cecile Cukierman (5.5 percent) announced on Monday that they would put together a joint list to try to unseat the outgoing LR president, Laurent Wauquiez, who received 48.8 percent.

With 41.39 percent of the vote on Sunday, the outgoing president of the Hauts de France region, Xavier Bertrand of LR, substantially outstripped his RN rival Sebastien Chenu (24.37 percent). Bertrand has ruled out any alliance with Macrons LREM, which receive only 9.13 percent of the vote and failed to qualify for the second round. Secretary of State for Pensions, Laurent Pietraszewski, who headed the LREM list, has now called for a vote for Xavier Bertrand.

In Ile-de-France, which includes the capital of Paris, the lists of the Greens, PS and Jean-Luc Melenchons Unsubmissive France (La France insoumiseLFI) have merged. The Greens Julien Bayou won the highest vote in the first round, with 12.95 percent, against 11.07 percent for the PS-backed candidate Audrey Pulvar, and 10.24 percent for Clementine Autain of LFI. He will face the outgoing LR president Valerie Pecresse.

In the PACA region, the Ecologists candidate Jean-Laurent Felizia has withdrawn his list for the second round, after initially refusing to do so on Sunday evening. He has announced that he is supporting LR president Renaud Muselier. Muselier is predicted to beat National Rally candidate Thierry Mariani.

In Brittany, Normandy, New Aquitaine, Occitanie, Corsica and the Grand Est, the PS, the Greens and their pseudo-left satellites such as LFI have not fused electoral lists.

These electoral manoeuvres, through which the established parties attempt to defend their own against the FN, offer nothing to the working class. They will have no legitimacy, because these parties are pursuing unpopular policies of austerity, against the opposition of the population. They have sided with the policy of herd immunity pursued by Macron and the EU, which has led to 111,000 deaths in France since the beginning of the pandemic. The international and French financial aristocracy, meanwhile, has reaped trillions of euros.

The abstention in the first round of voting points to the widespread discrediting of the ruling elite, and caught the media and political establishment unaware. A powerful movement of opposition is brewing against all the political parties. Macron himself warned at his Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday that the record abstention constitutes a democratic alert to which we must respond.

A survey conducted by Ipsos/Sopra Steria for Television France showed that 87 percent of 1824 year olds did not vote and 83 percent of 2534 year olds did not vote. In the next age group, among 3549 year olds, the abstention was 71 percent, with a similar abstention of 68 percent among 50-59 year olds.

The BMFTV news channel reported: According to the Ipsos/Sopra Steria survey for France Television, 75 percent of employees and workers abstained, but so did 69 percent of the so-called upper category (71 percent of craftsmen and tradesmen, and 69 percent of executives). According to another Ifop-Fiducial survey for TF1 and LCI, the rate is similar among intermediate professions, with 73 percent abstaining.

These surveys expose the rejection of the political establishment by workers and young people, and also sections of the middle class whose social position has been reduced and even ruined by the policies dictated by the financial aristocracy. Using police repression, Macron was able to suppress the yellow vests protest movement, but the social discontent that underlay it is taking root and intensifying.

While polls suggested that RN would be the victor of the elections, the first round showed the failure of the far right to present themselves as being independent of the political establishment. Marine Le Pen called the election a civic disaster, which has largely distorted the electoral reality of the country, and gives a misleading vision of the political forces present. She called on her voters to mobilise because they had not taken five minutes to go and vote.

The media has attempted to portray the recent threats of a military coup in France by far-right officers as enjoying broad popular support. Marine Le Pen herself called on the officers to support her presidential campaign. Yet seven out of 10 Le Pen voters (71 percent) subsequently turned away from the polls.

Le Pen, like the rest of the political establishment, is complicit in the deadly health policy and social attacks pursued by the ruling class throughout the European Union. The RN has been able to demagogically exploit the anger provoked by the right-wing policies of Macron, the Socialist Party and former President Nicolas Sarkozy. But its growth is part of a broader shift to the right of the entire ruling class, which will keep fascistic, chauvinist policies at the centre of political life, regardless of Le Pens electoral results.

Isolated and hated, the ruling elite remains in power mainly because of the absence of a perspective and leadership in the working class to overthrow it. The regional elections underscore the bankruptcy of Jean-Luc Melenchon, LFI and other pseudo-left forces, which represent no alternative to Macron. Three-quarters of Melenchons electorate abstained from voting, according to an Ifop-Fiducial survey. Indeed, the trade union apparatuses linked to Melenchon have been at the forefront of the implementation of Macrons health policy.

This demonstrates the need for a struggle to build a socialist movement among workers across Europe and internationally, to unite the opposition in the working class in a conscious struggle to take political power in its own hands.
The African National Congress (ANC) government of President Cyril Ramaphosa has been forced to implement partial lockdown measures as Africas most industrialised country faces a third wave of the pandemic.

It takes place amid mounting anger over the ANCs handling of the public health crisis and vaccine rollout, systemic corruption within the ruling party and the escalating economic crisis.

Health workers arrive with a patient at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital's COVID-19 facility, in Johannesburg, Monday, June 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Shiraaz Mohamed)

South Africa has reported more than 155,000 new cases in the last week, double the number of the previous week, as the official total of deaths approaches 60,000 following two earlier waves of the pandemic that peaked in July 2020 and January this year. This latest surge has already affected four of the countrys nine provinces and is likely to be far worse than the first two, coinciding with the onset of the southern hemispheres winter.

South Africa has been the worst hit country on the African continent, even according to official figures that are widely believed to be a gross underestimate given the lack of testing and standardised reporting procedures for registering deaths. Excess mortality figures indicate that another 100,000 people, if not more, have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic.

Gauteng province, the economic powerhouse of the country that is home to South Africas two most populous cities, Johannesburg and Pretoria, is the centre of the latest surge, accounting for 60 percent of new cases. Speaking on Monday, David Makhura, Gautengs regional premier, said, The house is under fire and hospital admissions were rising rapidly.

Ramaphosa was forced to admit the countrys healthcare system is collapsing when introducing a few totally inadequate restrictions that include the closure of non-essential establishments such as restaurants, bars and fitness centres by 10pm, a one-hour extension of the curfew, a 250people limit on outdoor gatherings and 100 indoors, and a ban on alcohol. He said, Our priority now is to make sure there are enough hospital beds, enough health workers, enough ventilators and enough oxygen to give the best possible care to every person who needs it The massive surge in new infections means that we must once again tighten restrictions on the movement of persons and gatherings.

One large hospital was forced to close earlier this year after a fire, while other large facilities have had to close due to a shortage of trained staff, with doctors making dozens of telephone calls to secure a bed for their critically ill patients.

The armys medical personnel are to be deployed to Gauteng province to help healthcare workers and carry out community testing and contact tracing. Last year at the start of the outbreak, the ANC government deployed more than 70,000 soldiers to enforce one of the worlds strictest lockdowns with extreme police brutality in a bid to stem the fall in corporate profits and the countrys pending insolvency.

Like most African countries, South Africa has suffered from the global shortage of vaccines. This has been exacerbated by the World Trade Organizations refusal, at the behest of the US, UK, Germany, France and Sweden on behalf of Big Pharma, to lift patent restrictions on vaccine production, as well as the vaccine apartheid whereby the rich countries bought up most of the available doses and far more than they needed.

With only about 500,000 people of the countrys 60 million population vaccinated, mostly healthcare workers in a trial for Johnson & Johnson, the government is belatedly trying to vaccinate 5 million people by the end of June with the Pfizer-BioNTech jab and 40 million people by the end of 2022.

South Africa has fallen behind many poorer countries, including neighbouring Zimbabwe and Angola as well as Ethiopia, after suspending the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine in February and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Aprilover exaggerated safety concernswhile exporting vaccines manufactured under licence in the country. This was compounded last week by the need to discard two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine manufactured in the US due to contamination of one its components, following a ruling by the United States Food and Drug Administration

Public anger is mounting over the endemic corruption of the ANC. Funds intended for the victims of the pandemic have been systematically looted by the party and its allies. Earlier this month, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was forced to resign as an investigation into his alleged impropriety in the awarding of Covid-19 contracts gets under way.

Last November, Ace Magashule, the ANC secretary general and, as one of the partys top six most important members, Ramaphosas main rival, appeared in court charged with corruption, money laundering and fraud in relation to the looting of public funds under former President Jacob Zuma. Some $32 billion was reportedly stolen during Zumas period in office, with Magashule implicated in several other corruption scandals. Zuma is facing corruption charges over a 1999 deal arms deal brokered when he was deputy president.

Ramaphosa, the billionaire and former trade union leader who was elected president in 2017 making noises about opposing corruption, has overseen an escalating transfer of wealth from the working class to the top layers of society. The pandemic has exacerbated South Africas already serious economic recession that has hammered the mining and manufacturing sectors.

While the economy was in recession before the first coronavirus wave, the pandemic has vastly exacerbated the crisis, forcing five to six million people (15 percent of adults), mainly manual workers, to leave the townships and go back to their home villages. Many households ran out of money for food, doubling the rate prevailing in 2017, even as the governments special grant, set up to help those without social security, expired in January.

The economy contracted 7 percent last year amid the impact of the global recession, the fall in demand for minerals and raw materials, South Africas main exports, and lockdown restrictions. It follows a years-long decline in GDP per capita as growth failed to keep pace with the increasing population. The governments budget deficit for 2020-21 reached 11 percent of GDP, with more than a fifth of the budget going to servicing debt that has reached nearly 65 percent of GDP.

With one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world, South Africas most affluent 20 percent of the population take more than 68 percent of income. Income per capita in Gauteng is almost twice that in mostly rural provinces like Limpopo and Eastern Cape. According to government statistics, around one third of South African workers are now unemployed, trapping millions in poverty and contributing to the obscene levels of inequality that persist nearly three decades after the end of apartheid and the start of ANC rule in 1994.

The government faces a militant working class that is vehemently opposed to its pledge to freeze public sector wagesone of the conditions it must meet to reduce the budget deficit and secure new loanswith the courts upholding the governments decision not to pay out a wage increase due from April 2020 under the 2018 three-year agreement. This is the subject of ongoing talks with the trade unions that, like their counterparts elsewhere, act to police the working class in the interests of the financial elite. The ANC itself faces industrial action as its staff picket offices throughout South Africa, with staff walking out in protest over the late payment of wages, insurance fund arrears, and the lack of a pay increase.
On Sunday, June 13, Moroccan migrant Younes Bilal was murdered by a retired soldier in the Spanish town of Mazarron, in the southeastern region of Murcia. The 52-year-old assailant, identified only as Carlos Patricio B.M., reportedly shouted fucking Moors! (a slur against people of North African origin) as he shot Bilal three times in the chest at point-blank range.

The border of Morocco and Spain at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, May 18, 2021 [Credit: AP Photo/Mosaab Elshamy]

Bilal had been meeting with friends at a cafe in Mazarron when B.M. allegedly began verbally abusing one of the cafes waitresses, screaming at her for speaking with a group of Muslims. After Bilal got up to defend the waitress, Carlos reportedly stormed out, returning 20 minutes later with a gun and shooting Bilal dead.

Only a couple of days later, an Ecuadorian woman was stabbed as she queued outside a food bank in the town of Santa Lucia de Cartagena, also in Murcia. The attacker allegedly screamed: Sudaca! [A derogatory term for a woman from South America] Immigrants are stealing our food! as she drove a knife into the womans back. The unnamed victim had to be hospitalised, but fortunately survived.

Yesterday, it was reported that Momoun Koutaibi, a 22-year-old Moroccan auto mechanic, is still in a coma after someone struck his head with an iron bar on the job on June 5. Another 40-year-old Moroccan citizen was also stabbed last Tuesday in Cartagena.

The progressive Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government bears political responsibility for the recent upsurge in xenophobic, anti-migrant attacks in Spain. Their brutal crackdown on immigration has provided a fertile breeding ground for far-right, racist agitation against refugees, and given unofficial state backing to fascistic forces to turn to violence with increasing frequency.

Under the aegis of the PSOE-Podemos government, migrants and refugees who make it to the Spanish Canary Islands on makeshift rafts and boats are held in appalling conditions in camps. Children are separated from their mothers, and underage migrants are subjected to invasive medical tests to determine their ageincluding forcing them to strip naked and undergo examinations of their genitalia.

At least two minors have died in Spanish centres for unaccompanied and underage migrants in recent weeks. One of the minors, a 17-year-old boy from Morocco housed in a centre in Ecija, Seville, for three years, died of a pulmonary edema, elDiario.es reported. The other young man, whose age was unknown, apparently committed suicide at the Miguel de Manara de Montequinto centre in Seville.

The brutal attacks in Murcia are only the latest in a series of increasingly violent assaults targeting migrants and refugees in Spain. In February, a mosque in the Murcian town of San Javier was defaced with graffiti reading Death to Islam. The attacker also attempted to set fire to the building, but was arrested before the blaze could catch hold.

Earlier this year, several migrants trapped on the Canary Islands were injured when fascist thugs attacked them with pellet guns, machetes, rocks and metal batons. At the time, various WhatsApp chats and videos were leaked to the press in which far-right individuals discussed plans to kill and maim migrant workers. One used the messaging platform to declare: The Moors are gonna die, Im telling you this straight.

The immediate spark of the assaults on the Canary Islands was a campaign of far-right hoax videos on social media and WhatsApp, falsely purporting to show migrants in the Canary Islands robbing shops, churches or restaurants. These efforts to depict migrants as criminals were promoted by the fascist Vox party, which launched a xenophobic Stop Islamicisation! campaign on Twitter, blaming a supposed wave of crime on a migrant invasion.

While these horrific acts of violence are incited by the far right, they have been facilitated by vicious anti-migrant policies of the PSOE-Podemos government. It built a vast network of concentration camps across Spain, and particularly on the Canary Islands, in which migrants are deliberately imprisoned in unsanitary, inhumane conditions pending deportation.

In mid-June, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Doctors of the World issued a scathing report on the conditions inside detention camps on the Canary Islands, denouncing the overcrowding, poor nutrition and spread of disease in these facilities. According to the report, many migrants in these centres suffered from anxiety attacks, insomnia, constipation, vomiting, diarrhoea, outbreaks of scabies, fungi, chilblains, headaches or back pain.

Overcrowding, lack of medical attention and poor sanitation facilities had made these camps ideal environments for the spread of COVID-19. Doctors of the World emphasised: In the majority of these Emergency centres  people sleep 30 to a tent without the minimum safety distance of a metre and a half [being respected], while the lack of hygiene conditions means there is a significant risk of contagion.

Separately, anonymous workers at an immigration centre run by the NGO Fundacion Responsabilidad Social Siglo XXI wrote to the Mogan City Council (Gran Canaria) on June 10, claiming sexual and physical abuse of minors and adults was widespread at the facility. They alleged that prostitution of underage migrants was occurring and denounced site management for allowing repeated and unjustified psychological and physical attacks on young people, ranging from insults and harassment to intimidation and physical restraints.

The squalid living conditions and proliferation of sexual violence are not accidental consequences of a sudden influx of migrants or of the excesses of unscrupulous camp staff. They flow directly from the policy pursued by the PSOE-Podemos government, backed by the European Union, based on the reactionary notion of a pull factori.e., that humane treatment of migrants should be discouraged, as it would only encourage more to come.

Only weeks before the attacks in Murcia, the PSOE-Podemos government, backed by the European Union (EU), deployed the army to drive back migrants seeking to cross the border between Morocco and Spains North African enclave of Ceuta. Thousands of migrants attempted to cross into the enclave in only a few hours, with most swimming around the six-metre fence that juts out into the sea, or walking across at low tide.

In response, the Spanish government sent in hundreds of soldiers in armoured vehicles, and mobilised over 200 riot police to reinforce the 1,000-strong police force already stationed in Ceuta. Soldiers and police used batons to clear migrants from the beach and threw smoke bombs to discourage others from crossing. At least one migrant drowned in the sea.

Echoing the rhetoric of Vox, PSOE Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denounced the influx of migrants as an attack on Spains borders. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo accused Morocco of aggression.

The PSOE-Podemos government already has the blood of thousands of migrants on its hands. With the Spanish ruling elite effectively shutting off any legally sanctioned migration route into the country, the Canary Island sea crossing has become the most deadly route into Europe, surpassing the Mediterranean Sea crossings to Italy and Greece, which have claimed tens of thousands of lives over the last years.

According to the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) charity, at least 850 migrants died trying to reach the Canary Islands in 2020fully 60 percent of the 1,417 who died on the way to Europe last year.

Horrific as these figures already are, they are widely acknowledged to be a significant underestimate of the true scale of the slaughter. Other NGOs calculate that over 2,000 migrants died on the Canary Island route alone last year. According to CEARs figures, four times as many migrants drown attempting the sea crossing to the Canary Islands, as a proportion of all the migrants arriving on the islands, than on any other route to Europe.
More than 220 nurses in the UK tried to commit suicide in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an investigation by the Laura Hyde Foundation. The mental health charity, named after a 27-year-old nurse who took her own life in 2016, gathered the information from partner organisations that provide free mental health treatment for emergency service workers.

Nursing staff in an National Health Service hospital (credit: WSWS Media)

At least 226 nurses attempted to end their lives between April 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, the foundation reported. During the same time frame, 79 paramedic and ambulance staff and 17 medical students also attempted suicide.

In a statement, Liam Barnes, Lauras cousin and founder of the charity, warned, Make no mistake, we are now entering a new pandemic. A pandemic of mental health problems for frontline workers who stepped up at a time of national emergency. We have to help them.

The shocking figures highlight the extraordinary pressures placed on key workers by the homicidal indifference, ineptitude and corruption that has characterised every aspect of the Conservative governments response to the pandemic. This includes the awarding of public funds for essential health and safety measures to cronies who often failed to deliver.

The governments criminality is the outcome of its herd immunity policy, which saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson declare last October that he would rather let the bodies pile high in their thousands than countenance a third lockdown.

As a result, more than 150,000 people have died in the UK, including more than 1,000 health and social care workers. The appalling conditions to which frontline health care workers especially have been exposed were made clear in the resignation announcement of intensive care nurse Jenny McGee last month. McGee nursed Johnson when he was admitted to St Thomas hospital in London last April, seriously ill with COVID. She denounced conditions at her hospital as a cesspool of COVID and an absolute shitshow, and said she was quitting due to the governments lack of respect for National Health Service (NHS) and healthcare workers.

All the more insulting then is the response of a Department of Health spokesperson to the Laura Hyde Foundation report. The government recognise the pressures that staff have faced during this time and is doing everything it can to support their wellbeing, they said.

This under conditions in which the government has insisted NHS staff in England should receive just a 1 percent pay risean effective pay cutand even rejected a paltry one-off COVID bonus of 500 for healthcare workers.

The UK is now entering a new deadly stage of the pandemic due to the spread of the Delta variant. With hospitals and emergency services vastly under-resourced, and staff overworked and at breaking point, the government intends to lift the final, minimal social distancing measures next month.

This accounts for the furious response from health staff in response to Health Secretary Matt Hancocks lying claim before parliaments Health and Science committee that there had never been a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff and that the discharge of COVID-positive patients into care homes played only a small part in spreading the virus in elderly facilities.

Health staff reported having to resort to wearing bin bags and purchasing face masks themselves. The extent of the governments failure to provide protection, and the lengths it went to cover it up, were the subject of a BBC Panorama investigation. Figures show that more than 50,000 residents in care homes died from COVID-19.

In February, a court found that Hancock acted unlawfully when his department failed to disclose details of PPE contracts it had signed early in the pandemic. In a departure from standard procurement practice, a high-priority lane was established for companies given leads from government officials, ministers offices, MPs and members of the House of Lords, senior NHS staff and other health professionals.

Among those winning lucrative contracts is a firm part-owned by Hancocks sisterTopwood Ltdin which he has a 20 percent share. The parliamentary watchdog found in May that this was only a minor breach of the ministerial code and exonerated the health secretary.

Nursing staff fury also extends to the Labour Party and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pointedly refused to demand Hancocks resignation, saying only that he should apologise, while remaining in post. Labour is allied with the Tories in protecting the interests of the corporations and the super-rich, who are demanding an end to all social distancing measures, including supporting keeping schools fully open, to force workers back into unsafe workplaces. As for the RCN, it does not even mention the Laura Hyde report on its website.

The RCN claims to be fighting for a 12.5 percent pay rise for its members. In reality it is working to smother and divert their anger into futile appeals to the government to see reason.

This is made clear in Scotland, where the Scottish National Party government has announced it will implement a single-year NHS pay award of just 4 percent. Five of the seven health unions involved have accepted the deal, with GMB and RCN voting to rejectthe latters members by almost 70 percent. On June 23, the RCN issued notice of a trade dispute with the Scottish government but reassured Edinburgh that this does not commit the RCN to any future action

To cover for its inaction, the RCN has launched a UK-wide initiative to train up to 25,000 nurses as activists to help it convince the government to improve its pay offer.

It has enlisted the aid of Jane McAlevey, a writer for the Nation magazine, former staffer and executive board member of Americas Service Employees International Union and current Senior Policy Fellow at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. She is leading a six-week course covering topics such as leader identification, semantics and organising conversations to teach activists how they can become more effective advocates and help nurses channel their anger and frustration.

As the World Socialist Web Site has reported, McAlevey is part of efforts by the pseudo-leftespecially the Democratic Socialists of America-aligned Jacobin magazineto bolster the tattered credibility of the unions by promoting democratic unionism.

The fraud of this campaign is shown by that fact that one of the model unions they advance, the Massachusetts Nurse Association (MNA), is currently working to isolate the strike by 700 nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Jane McAlevey (credit: Alice Attie/Wikimedia Commons)

The nurses walked out in March to demand an improved nurse-to-patient ratio. Those who, just as in the UK, were celebrated as angels and heroes a few months ago now face mass sackings. Management has been emboldened by the MNA and AFL-CIOs isolation of the strike. The MNA has made no call for its 23,000 members to join the picket lines and is withholding strike pay as part of a deliberate strategy to drive the nurses into submission.

McAlevey has been peddling the rotten wares of democratic unionism for the RCN for several years since she was a key speaker at its conference in 2016. That this has nothing to do with genuine workers democracy is underscored by events in 2018.

That year saw a massive rebellion by the RCN rank-and-file against the leadership, which had endorsed an effective pay cut for its 435,000 members based on a tissue of misleading and false information. When the truth of this sellout emerged, 78 percent of RCN members passed a motion of no confidence, forcing the leadership in its entirety to stand down. Within four days, new elections were rigged which saw half of the union functionaries reinstated, as disgust among the membership saw turnout collapse to as low as 4.8 percent in some areas.

The gulf between the union tops and the rank-and-file is far wider now. The recent election for RCN President recorded a turnout of just 31,188 members out of 475,549 eligible. Denise Chaffer, a director at NHS Resolutionan arms-length body of the Department of Health and Social Caresecured the post with a mere 14,050 votes.

The pre-condition for genuine workers democracy is the independence of workers from and against the union bureaucracy. Against the nationalist and pro-capitalist policy of the unions, it is necessary for health staff in the UK to join with their brothers and sisters internationally through the building of rank-and-file safety and workplace committees.
The election to decide who will succeed Len McCluskey as General Secretary of Unite the union has obsessed the UKs pseudo-left groups for weeks.

Ballot papers will be sent out to over a million members from July 5 with the result to be announced on August 26. For months now the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), Socialist Party (SP) and others have written numerous articles tying themselves in knots trying to portray one or other of three candidates as a genuine left alternative to the victory of the single open Blairite right-winger, Gerard Coyne.

Steve Turner, assistant general secretary of Unite (credit: WSWS Media)

Their difficulties were compounded by the adoption of Steve Turner as the favoured candidate of the Stalinist Morning Star/Communist Party of Britain and others within the unions supposedly United Left. Turner was considered such damaged goods that the SP and SWP refused to endorse him and supported Howard Beckett or Sharon Graham as alternative flag bearers for the left.

Events since then have been a comedy of errors.

Unite is the UKs second largest union, with a membership of 1.2 million. But for most members, who leads it is a matter of supreme indifference. In the 2017 election for general secretary, McCluskey only narrowly defeated Coyne by 6,000 votes. McCluskey was advanced as a left-winger and a key supporter of then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. But he lacked any popular support among Unite members, such that turnout was just 12.2 percent. A third candidate, Ian Allinson, of the pseudo-left RS21 group, a splinter from the SWP, secured 13.2 percent of the vote as a grassroots socialist candidatepiling on the pressure for the left to agree to a single candidate this time around.

Even this would not guarantee victory, however. The pandemic has served as a pretext for big business to mount major corporate restructurings and launch a series of savage attacks on workers, including the use of fire and rehire contracts. Unite and its counterparts have dedicated all their efforts to stifling opposition in the working class and betraying those struggles they were unable to prevent from erupting.

As a result, alienation from the trade unions is deeper today than it ever was, meaning that the turnout may be even smaller, possibly favouring Coyne and leading to a third general secretary victory going to the right-wing after recent elections in two other major unions, Unison and the GMB.

The efforts of the SWP and SP, tactical differences aside, are all directed to buttressing illusions in the trade unions, preventing workers drawing any lessons from these experiences and understanding the transformation of these organisations into an industrial police force for the corporations.

To this end the SWP and SP both claim that there is a left legacy to defend from McCluskeys tenure as leader of Unite since 2010 and present the union as a vehicle for working-class opposition and a counterweight to the right-wing of the Labour Party.

This is a version of history with the truth redacted. Coyne has returned like Banquos ghost as the declared ally of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, whom he praises for having displayed a sure touch on the major issues he has faced in his first year, and I think he should be given the support to help Labour win power in the interests of working people.

But Starmers path to leadership of the Labour Party was paved by the Corbynites. The real legacy of McCluskey and Corbyn was to have insured that the right-wing kept control of the Labour Party, having used whatever left credentials they had to insist on party unity and to oppose calls for the Blairites to be driven out.

On the industrial front, moreover, Unite has an unbroken record of betrayals, including of recent struggles against fire and rehire. One of McCluskeys final acts as general secretary was to directly intervene in the strike by 400 Manchester bus drivers against Go North West to impose a sellout. The indefinite 11-week strike action was ended based on the agreement he signed with the chief executive of Go North West parent company Go-Ahead, David Brown, guaranteeing the overhaul of terms and conditions without having to resort to firing and then rehiring the drivers.

Coyne only narrowly scraped through the qualification criteria for achieving ballot status of securing the support of at least 5 percent of branches, the equivalent of 172 nominations, with a total of 196. But the left vote was split three wayswith Steve Turner securing 525, followed by Sharon Graham with 349, and Howard Beckett with 328.

Normally the pseudo-left would be more easily persuaded to sink their differences and take a unified stand behind a single candidate. But Turner cannot credibly be advanced as a left. A member of the Militant Tendency in his youth, the forerunner of todays Socialist Party, he now boasts of his political realism in opposing any challenge to the Labour right and working constructively with the Conservative government.

He told the Huffington Post in April, The Tories are in power and the Tories hold the pen on decisions. Im engaging with [business secretary] Kwasi Kwarteng now on GKN and Liberty Steel. Im in the room, Im at the table, Im not outside lobbing bricks over the wall.

More telling still was his recent statement, It angers me sometimes, that some of the unions campaigning right now is pitched against our mayors, against Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham. Whats that all about? I find that incredible that we would do that.

All Unite did in fact was to urge the Labour Mayors in London and Manchester to ban the practice of fire and rehire in the contracts they sign with the private sectora token face-saving gestureunder conditions where Go North West workers in Manchester were on indefinite strike and Unite was winding down bus drivers strikes or preventing them at RATP and Metroline in London.

The efforts of the SWP and SP to hold up Beckett and Graham as alternatives to Coyne and Turner has been an unmitigated disaster.

Beckett, from the standpoint of rhetoric alone, comes closest to the picture of a traditional left bureaucratwith a raft of end this and fight for that in his manifesto. He was, moreover, McCluskeys chosen successor and an avowed supporter of Corbyn. He presented himself as something of a firebrand, clashing with Home Secretary Priti Patel over the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers, tweeting that she should be deported, not refugeesfor which he was suspended from the Labour Party amid accusations of racism. He was also the only candidate prepared to openly criticise Starmer, tweeting on June 9, Boris Johnson & Keir Starmer, I have a message for you both. We wont stand idly by while you dump the pandemic fall out on the working class. We will fight back.

Beckett suffered accusations that his left pose was insincerecoming from a property millionaire who sold his legal company to Unites own legal representatives for a tidy sumand that he did not have much of a base in the union apparatus outside Scotland. He is also just as implicated in the betrayals and isolations of the most bitter struggles against fire and rehire, including at British Airways. Fronting Unites campaign against fire and rehire based on appealing to the Conservative government to outlaw the practice, he stated in a press release, The government has to get on the same page as voters on this and fast.

In the end, however, this record didnt matter. Becketts left pretensions were exposed when, on June 18, he withdrew his candidacy in favour of backing Turner just before the ballot papers were issued. In a joint statement the two declared that safeguarding Unites unique role as a fighting back, progressive, campaigning force for working people requires the unity of the left in our union

The Socialist Party had commissioned a statement from Beckett that it published under the heading, The movement needs a revolution. It hailed him as having, led the political opposition to Starmer within Labour, including on the party's national executive committee (NEC), adding that Turner had deliberately counter-posed himself to Howard Beckett's opposition to Starmer and would likely move Unite to the right both politically and industrially if he won. Their declared opposites are now campaigning jointly on a blended manifesto.

This has left the SP with no choice but to stand fully behind the SWPs favoured candidate Sharon Graham, whose left credentials appear to consist of little more than a declared intention of taking Unite back to the workplace and criticising the union for being tied to Westminster politics and internal wrangling within the Labour Party.

Aside from a few presentational points, this is identical to Coynes declaration that he is sick and tired of Unite messing about with Westminster politics and trying to be a backseat driver of the Labour Party. It has no other possible interpretation than as a pledge not to challenge Labours continued rightward lurch under Starmer.

Moreover, the back to the workplaces manifesto of the self-proclaimed workers candidate is a version of the corporatist policy pursued by Unite and endorsed by both Coyne and Turner. She is the executive member for Organisation and Leverage in Unite. The term leverage is synonymous with seeking company-wide and industry wide agreements that preserve the bureaucracys position as corporate partners imposing labour discipline and preventing strikes, arguing instead for securing the backing of shareholders, politicians, newspapers and other agents of influence.

As opposed to calling for a unified struggle across companies and industries, Graham boasted in the pages of the Socialist Worker, Over the last ten years I have developed a new comprehensive approach to campaigns. It is called Unite Leverage and it delivers. She continues, The site manager doesnt decide the big issues. The CEO does The only way for unions to win at the workplace is to have a coherent bargaining strategy.

The victories she credits herself with are wins for the bureaucracy, not Unites members. The deal at British Airways (BA) for example, led to the loss of 4,000 airline jobs. Go North Wests strike was ended after Unite agreed to 1.3 million in cuts and measures that will guarantee job losses.

The SWP and SP know all this very well. The SWP said of its backing for Graham, The slogan back to the workplace can be a call for militancy and backing workers resistance. But it can also be a backward demand for retreating from wider political struggles, or not challenging right wing Labour leader Keir Starmer. They neglected to say which alternative interpretation was correct.

Arguing for her to still stand after Beckett ceded to Turner, they wrote politely on June 11, We have criticisms of some of her approach, and her reluctance systematically to take up wider political issues, while regurgitating Grahams various slogans as proof she can lead a shift in the union that benefits the working class.

Should Graham also back down in favour of Turner, or if Turner wins, then the SP and SWP will fall into line. As the SP declared in a de facto oath of loyalty, if this did happen, we would not be neutral but give very critical support to Steve Turner.

Whoever becomes general secretary, nothing will be fundamentally altered as far as the pseudo-left groups are concerned. They will continue in their assigned role as loyal critics of the bureaucracy, urging they be pressurised into more militant action to prevent the emergence of independent political opposition in the working class. And nothing will change for workers. Unite will still act as a hostile force, dedicated to the suppression of the class struggle on behalf of the major corporations, the Tory government and innumerable Labour-controlled local authorities.

A genuine and viable left movement is only possible when workers break free of the political stranglehold of the corporatist syndicates that still masquerade as trade unions and take the road of independent industrial and political struggle. This requires the formation of rank-and-file committeesgenuinely democratic organisations of class struggle which will unify workers across all sectional and national divisions on a socialist and internationalist perspective.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvins knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations.

The punishment  which fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested  came after Chauvin broke his more than yearlong silence in court to offer condolences to the Floyd family and say he hopes more information coming out will eventually give them some peace of mind.

With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.

In imposing the punishment, Judge Peter Cahill went beyond the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines, citing your abuse of a position of trust and authority and also the particular cruelty shown to Floyd.

Chauvin was immediately led back to prison. As with the verdicts in April, he showed little emotion when the judge pronounced the sentence. His eyes moved rapidly around the courtroom, his COVID-19 mask obscuring much of his face.

The fired white officer was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Bystander video of Floyds arrest on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store prompted protests around the world and led to scattered violence in Minneapolis and beyond.

On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify at his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of what he called some additional legal matters at hand  an apparent reference to the federal civil rights trial he still faces.

But very briefly, though, I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. Theres going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some some peace of mind, he said, without elaborating.

In asking that Chauvin be left off on probation, defense attorney Eric Nelson called Floyds death tragic and said that Chauvins brain is littered with what-ifs from that day: What if I just did not agree to go in that day? What if things had gone differently? What if I never responded to that call? What if what if what if?

Floyds family members took the stand and expressed sorrow about his death. They asked for the maximum penalty.

We dont want to see no more slaps on the wrist. Weve been through that already, said a tearful Terrence Floyd, one of Floyds brothers.

Floyds nephew Brandon Williams said: Our family is forever broken. And Floyds 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a video played in court, said that if she could say something to her father now, it would be: I miss you and and I love you.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked the judge to exceed sentencing guidelines and give Chauvin 30 years in prison, saying tortured is the right word for what the officer did to Floyd.

This is not a momentary gunshot, punch to the face. This is 9 minutes of cruelty to a man who was helpless and just begging for his life, Frank said.

Chauvins mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, appeared in court to plead for mercy for son, saying his reputation has been unfairly reduced to that of an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person and a racist.

I can tell you that is far from the truth, she told the judge. I want this court to know that none of these things are true and that my son is a good man. She added: Derek, I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waver from that.

I will be here for you when you come home, she said.

The concrete barricades, razor wire and National Guard patrols at the courthouse during Chauvins three-week trial in the spring were gone Friday, reflecting an easing of tensions since the verdict in April.

Ahead of the sentencing, the judge agreed with prosecutors that there were aggravating circumstances that could justify a heavier punishment than the recommended 12 1/2 years  among them, that Chauvin treated Floyd with particular cruelty, abused his position of authority as a police officer and did it in front of children.

Before the sentencing, the judge denied Chauvins request for a new trial. The defense had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved away from Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didnt mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, said 11 non-federal law officers, including Chauvin, have been convicted of murder for on-duty deaths since 2005. The penalties for the nine who were sentenced before Chauvin ranged from from six years, nine months, to life behind bars, with the median being 15 years.

With Chauvins sentencing, the Floyd family and Black America witnessed something of a rarity: In the small number of instances in which officers accused of brutality or other misconduct against Black people have gone to trial, the list of acquittals and mistrials is longer than the list of sentencings after conviction.

In recent years, the acquittals have included officers tried in the deaths of Philando Castile in suburban Minneapolis and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two mistrials were declared over the death of Samuel Dubose in Cincinnati.

Thats why the world has watched this trial, because it is a rare occurrence, said Arizona-based civil rights attorney Benjamin Taylor, who has represented victims of police brutality. Everybody knows that this doesnt happen every day.

Chauvin has been held since his conviction at the states maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, where he has been kept in a cell by himself for his own protection, his meals brought to him.

The three other officers involved in Floyds arrest are scheduled for trial in March on state charges of aiding and abetting both murder and manslaughter. They will also stand trial with Floyd on the federal civil rights charges. No date has been set for that trial.

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Associated Press writers Aaron Morrison and Stephen Groves and Associated Press/Report for America reporter Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this report.
(CNN) -- The death toll from Thursday's partial collapse of a South Florida residential building has risen to four and the number of unaccounted increased by the dozens, officials said Friday morning, as a painstaking search continued for survivors in the rubble.

Three bodies were found overnight from Thursday into Friday in the wreckage of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said -- adding to one found early Thursday.

Family members identified Stacie Fang as a victim killed in the collapse. Fang is the mother of Jonah Handler, a boy who was pulled alive from the rubble, the family said in a statement.

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie," the Fang and Handler family statement said. "The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received. The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time."

The number of people unaccounted for is now 159, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters -- up from the figure of 99 that officials gave Thursday afternoon.

"We will continue search and rescue, because we still have hope we will find people alive," Levine Cava said at a news conference Friday morning.

Three of the four victims have been identified, according to Dr. Emma Lew, director of the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department. One victim died at a hospital. No other information was provided.

Two victims were being treated at Jackson Health System hospital, a spokesperson said.

About 55 of the 136 units at the building a few miles north of Miami Beach collapsed at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, leaving huge piles of rubble on the ground and materials dangling from what remained of the structure, officials said.

Since then, numerous search and rescue personnel have been scouring the rubble, including from the surface, with search dogs, sonar and cameras.

Structural engineers also have been shoring up other places -- such as areas near a parking garage underneath the rubble -- to allow crews to tunnel underneath with light machinery.

Thirty-five people were rescued from standing portions of the building by first responders, Jadallah said Thursday.

The cause of the collapse wasn't immediately known.

Rescuers on Friday will use heavy machinery to pull "some of the superficial metal from above," which will help identify voids where survivors could be, Jadallah said Friday morning.

"As we move through the building, we constantly monitor, making sure that there's no movement, every piece of rubble that we move, we have to take, make efforts to stabilize the building, inch by inch," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue District Chief Jason Richard told CNN.

Officials don't know how many people were in the building

Florida State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis said the search involved "that delicate balance of saving lives while risking lives," with the accumulation of water used to extinguish fires adding dangerous weight to the unstable remains of the buildings.

Crews were taking down license plate numbers of cars in the parking garage in an attempt to determine who was in the building, Patronis said.

Surfside Town Manager Andy Hyatt said officials do not know how many people were in the building at the time of the collapse.

"We know that it was about 80% occupied but that doesn't mean that there was 80% occupied with people," he told CNN Friday.

"We know that some families around here travel quite a bit."

Hyatt said the town's building official had been on the roof of the tower -- where work was being done -- and that "it was fine."

The building's residents reflected South Florida's international and cultural mix, with affluent families from Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia and a tight-knit Jewish community.

Kevin Spiegel said his wife, Judy, is among the missing. He said he was out of town at the time of the collapse.

"She's just the most amazing person in the world and we would do anything to have her back," he told CNN, his two sons -- Michael and Josh -- at his side.

President Joe Biden on Friday approved an emergency declaration for the state, making federal aid available to Florida -- including equipment and other resources -- and authorizing FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

Additionally, a team of engineers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology is being sent to Surfside to determine whether a larger investigation that could impact building codes everywhere is needed.

The federal agency studies building structural failures and recommends changes to building codes, fire response and emergency communications, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Huergo.

The goal of such an investigation, Huergo said, would be to determine "the technical cause of the collapse" and the possible need for "changes to building codes, standards and practices."

Engineers weigh in on the collapse

Although the cause of the partial collapse wasn't known, some engineers who saw it on video shared their expertise with CNN on why the building fell the way it did.

Greg Batista, a structural engineer who did work on the building years ago, said concrete repair and a spalling problem can cause collapses.

Spalling can occur when part of the surface of the concrete peels, breaks or chips.

"Spalling can get to a point that, if not repaired, it can lead to eventual collapse, and I've been to places where there have been collapses of floors, of beams, of columns," Batista said.

Batista noted that for that type of collapse to occur, the malfunction of one column is enough to bring a structure down.

"All it takes is one column, and everything can come down like a Jenga," he said. "After having seen the video ... you see the actual building coming down, and the actual collapse begins on one of the lower floors. So immediately, I see that something happened down there."

Another structural engineer, Kit Miyamoto, who is California's seismic safety commissioner, echoed Batista's take.

"This collapse is a real classic ... column failure, which means the building itself was supported by a series of pillars. If the pillars fail, everything fails. So that's exactly what looked like that," Miyamoto told CNN.

Batista offered a glimmer of hope for those unaccounted for, saying it's entirely possible for more people to be rescued.

"If you go back to videos of building crumbling in the past, you've seen miracles of babies being pulled out of small voids either the day after or the week after. There's certainly a possibility that this can happen here," Batista said.

Kenneth Direktor, an attorney for the association of residents at the condo, said the building had "thorough engineering inspections over the last several months" in preparation for compliance with a 40-year certification.

The building was constructed in 1981, according to online Miami-Dade property records. Building standards were strengthened after highly destructive Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

"What that tells you is.... nothing like this was foreseeable, at least it wasn't seen by the engineers who were looking at the building from a structural perspective," Direktor told CNN.

An engineer had already conducted inspections to determine needed repairs, but the only work that had actually commenced was on the roof, Direktor said.

Alexandria Santamaria, a property manager for the building until 2019, told CNN Friday that she was never told immediate repairs were needed during her time managing the property.

"No one ever said there were any signs of repairs that were needed immediately or that there [were] any signs of collapsing," she said.

Shimon Wdowinski, a professor with Florida International University's Institute of Environment, told CNN he determined in a study last year that the Champlain Towers South condo showed signs of sinking in the 1990s.

The condo had a "subsidence" rate of about 2 millimeters a year from 1993 to 1999, according to his study, first reported by USA Today.

While Wdowinski said this sinking alone would likely not cause the condo's collapse, he said it could be a contributing factor.

"If one part of the building moves with respect to the other, that could cause some tension and cracks," he explained.

The professor said buildings in other areas had moved at higher rates, and he didn't find the condo building's movement unusual.

What we know about those unaccounted for

At least 30 people believed to be missing are from several Latin American countries, according to officials from the respective countries.

At least nine are from Argentina.

They included Andres Galfrascoli, 45, his partner Fabian Nunez, 55, and their daughter, Sofia Galfrascoli Nunez, 6, according to a friend. The group was staying at a friend's condo for vacation.

"We don't know anything, we don't have any closure and that's what hurts," friend Nicolas Fernandez told CNN.

Six Paraguayans, including the sister of Paraguayan First Lady Silvana Lopez Moreira, the brother-in-law and their three children are still unaccounted for.

The first lady's relatives were staying on the 10th floor of the partially collapsed building, and Paraguay's ministry of external relations has not been able to locate the family, the ministry told CNN en Espanol.

Officials representing Uruguay and Venezuela also reported missing citizens, and at least six Colombians resided in the building, authorities said.

More locally, the family of a mother and grandmother who were in the section of the building that collapsed haven't heard from them, the son, Pablo Rodriguez, told CNN.

"We are praying for a miracle, but at the same time trying to be as realistic about it as possible," he said. "Until we definitely know, there is hope. It's just dwindling by the minute."

Some members from the Shul of Bal Harbour synagogue are also among those unaccounted for, Rabbi Sholom Lipskar told CNN.

"This is something that transcends our capacity for understanding," Lipskar said about the collapse. "It's a reality, we accept it and we have to learn as we do in our culture of resilience to move forward."

Rabbi Eliot Pearlson, who leads Temple Menorah, told CNN's Chris Cuomo, "It's hard to explain. This doesn't happen in America. It's doesn't happen in Miami Beach. It doesn't happen in our homes. And it's very difficult to comprehend how it's possible."

Pearlson said he saw people come together in compassion following the collapse, and his temple will host an emergency prayer service on Friday.

Three generations of one family from his temple were among the missing, he said.

"I have to tell you, when I walked past ground zero, there was row after row after row of firefighters who are literally waiting to rush into a building that could fall at any time," he added.

The-CNN-Wire

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recommends all Hoosiers statewide remove their birdfeeders after the agency received reports of sick and dying songbirds from 15 counties.

The agency said Friday it is working with the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and the U.S. Geological Surveys National Wildlife Health Center to determine what is killing the birds.

The affected songbirds showed neurological signs of illness as well as eye swelling and crusty discharges.

The 15 counties where theyve been found dead are Clark, Delaware, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, LaGrange, Lake, Marion, Monroe, Newton, St. Joseph, Union, Washington and Whitley, the DNR said.

All bird samples submitted have tested negative for avian influenza and West Nile virus, it said.

The DNR said people should stop feeding birds until the mortality event has concluded and that they should clean feeders and birdbaths with a 10% bleach solution.

It also recommends people avoid handling birds but if they need to, to wear disposable gloves. Dead birds and gloves should be placed in sealable plastic bags and disposed of with household trash.
GOSHEN, Ind. (AP)  A man has been sentenced to 127 years in prison for his role in the 2019 torture-slaying of a northern Indiana woman whose body was found inside a trash bin dumped in southern Michigan.

An Elkhart County judge sentenced Mario Angulo Jr., 20, on Thursday. Angulo was convicted in April along with Donald Owen Jr., 22, of murder in Kimberly Dyers October 2019 killing.

Owen, of Elkhart, was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison without parole in the Columbia City womans killing, The Elkhart Truth reported.

According to trial testimony, Angulo and Matthew Murzynski confined Dyer, 31, to the basement of an Elkhart home, described as a haven for methamphetamine users, after finding a list of names they thought meant she was a police informant on drug activity.

Owen was called to the house and later helped Angulo hide her body, but witnesses said it was Angulo who killed Dyer. Her body was found inside a trash bin dumped and covered in a marshy area near Constantine, Michigan.

Murzynski, 25, was sentenced to 60 years in prison in early June after pleading guilty to felony charges of robbery resulting in serious injury and criminal confinement.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A Marion County judge ordered Friday that Indiana must continue the federal governments unemployment benefits, putting a temporary stop to Gov. Eric Holcombs move to drop the state from the program.

Marion Superior Court Judge John Hanley granted the preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed June 14 by two legal organizations, which argues that Indiana law requires the state to procure federal insurance benefits to residents.

The lawsuit emphasizes that the Republican governors actions to withdraw Indiana from the expanded unemployment benefits before the Sept. 6 expiration of those benefits will hurt thousands.

Indianas decision to leave the federal program early violates state law, Hanley wrote in his court order, adding that the unemployment benefits are instrumental in allowing Hoosiers to regain financial stability at an individual level while the state continues to face challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic during its return to normalcy.

The decision requires the state to continue the extra $300 weekly payments to unemployed workers and remain in other programs that expanded unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holcomb announced last month that Indiana would reinstate a requirement that those receiving unemployment benefits will again have to show they are actively searching for work as of June 1 and that the state would leave the federal programs effective June 19.

Indiana also ended its participation in a federal program that made gig workers and the self-employed eligible for assistance for the first time and another that provides extra weeks of aid.

The governors office did not immediately comment on the courts ruling Friday.

The decision to withdraw the state from the federal programs came as many businesses blame the extra $300 weekly payment and the ease of obtaining unemployment benefits with making it more difficult to fill job openings. Republican legislative leaders additionally urged Holcomb to withdraw Indiana from those federal programs.

The $300 payments have more than doubled Indianas average $280 weekly unemployment payment, which has a maximum of $390 a week, according to the state Department of Workforce Development. The changes could cut off or reduce unemployment benefits to more than 220,000 people in the state.

Holcomb said jobs are available around the state and pointed to Indianas 3.9% unemployment rate for April, which was down from the pandemic peak of 16.9% a year earlier. Ending the benefits early will also help Indiana businesses find and hire qualified employees for thousands of open positions, he said.

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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.
BICKNELL, Ind. (WTHI) - Stopping by the local gas station you can fill up your tank and usually get some snacks. For a few hours at the Casey's in Bicknell, you could also get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Knox County Health Officer Dr. Alan Stewart explains, "What we're finding is a lot of these people number one in the northern part of the county we have a lower vaccination rate."

The most recent positive cases in Knox County came from the Bicknell area. That led the health department to come to the busiest place in the area at the busiest time.

Stewart says, "I had a couple of people who said yup and I gave it to them when they were sitting in their car. A couple of people that said no way with a couple of expletives."

Those choice words didn't keep the health department from asking. But they did get some extra help. They brought in local man of the people Myron Mackey to help.

Mackey says, "It's really important. People need to understand this is not a political thing. This is a life-saving thing and their quality of life could really be affected if they don't get these shots."

With Mackey's help, slowly more people said yes to getting the shot.

Maverick Betsch who got the shot says, "It wasn't that bad. It was only like a quick poke, you could feel something, and then it was over and done with."

Some people got the Johnson and Johnson shot while some chose the Pfizer.

But for many people, their afternoon gas station run will be one they will always remember.

Stewart says, "The more people we can get vaccinated the safer we are going to be. No doubt about it. We've got these variants coming and they pose a risk. If we can get our county vaccinated we're going to be safe."
Update June 28, 8:46 a.m.

Keylon Stubbs surrendered himself to police Sunday evening, Police Chief Fred Shelton said.

Columbus police have issued an arrest warrant for 16-year-old Keylon Stubbs for capital murder in connection with the death of a Columbus man. Columbus police have issued an arrest warrant for 16-year-old Keylon Stubbs for capital murder in connection with the death of a Columbus man.

Original article below

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - Columbus Police have issued an arrest warrant for another teenager in the murder case of a Columbus man.

16-year-old Keylon Stubbs is now wanted for capital murder in connection with the death of 67-year-old Eddie Lee Gandy.

"We want to talk to him. We ask him to turn himself in now," said Columbus Police Chief Fred Shelton.

Gandy was found dead in his home on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, by a friend that came to check on him. According to Chief Shelton, one person has been arrested and charged with capital murder since another crime was committed with the murder. The home is located on 15th Avenue North.

Read More: Teen charged with capital murder in Columbus

"Keylon lives in the area, and someone knows where he is," Chief Shelton added. "Send him a message and tell him to come and talk to us. We will find him, and we ask anyone who knows where he is to contact us. Due to the severity of the crime, we can identify the person even though they are under 18-years-old."

Police continue to investigate the homicide.

If you have any information regarding the location of Keylon Stubbs, please use the P3 app for smartphones or call Crimestoppers at 800-530-7151.
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Donald Trump tells Ohio rally he's 'trying to save American democracy' Former President Donald Trump arrives for his campaign-style rally in Wellington, Ohio, on June 26, 2021.

Former President Donald Trump returned to campaign mode with a vengeance Saturday night, vowing at a rally in Ohio that Republicans would take back Congress, bemoaning his loss in last Novembers election and retaliating against a GOP congressman who voted to impeach him.

Calling the event the very first rally of the 2022 election, Trump predicted next year's elections would result in "giant Republican majorities" in both chambers of Congress.

Were going to take back the House, and we're going to take back the Senate, he promised the crowd at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington, about a half-hour southwest of Cleveland.

We have no choice, he added.

The event marked Trump's return to the kind of mass rallies that fueled his White House campaigns. Since he left office in January, Trumps public appearances have been limited to a handful of speeches before conservative and Republican groups.

Trump's political action committee, the Save America PAC, said the Ohio rally would be the first of many appearances in support of candidates and causes that further his agenda and the accomplishments of his administration. A second rally is planned for July 3 in Sarasota, Florida.

Political analysts said the events are designed to give Trump a platform to reassert himself as the leader of the Republican Party, promote his conspiracy theories about last Novembers election  and just as important to Trump and his bruised ego  settle old scores.

This is just the kickoff of the Donald Trump grievance tour, said David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron.

Trump insisted he's not trying to undermine democracy. "I'm the one that's trying to save American democracy," he said.

Banned from Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms that he used to communicate with his supporters, Trump reveled in the enthusiasm of the boisterous crowd.

"Are we having a good time?" Trump asked.

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The crowd roared back right on cue.

Former President Donald Trump arrives for his campaign-style rally in Wellington, Ohio, on June 26, 2021.

Ohio rally recalls campaign events

Trump stepped onto the stage as a loudspeaker blared Lee Greenwoods God Bless the USA  a favorite on his playlist during last years campaign for the White House  and tossed red Make America Great Again hats into the crowd.

In his 91-minute remarks, Trump lashed out at Democratic foes Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, ridiculed the "fake news" media and leveled unfounded accusations about his loss to Joe Biden in November's presidential election. Trump said he was "ashamed" of the U.S. Supreme Court for failing to back his claims of election fraud.

Though he made no announcement about his own plans, Trump hinted he might make another run for the White House in 2024. Claiming that he has already won the presidency twice, he said, "Its possible well have to win it a third time."

Though Trump lost the presidency to Biden, he carried Ohio by 8 percentage points. Political scientist Justin Buchler said he saw no particular relevance to the fact that Trump chose Ohio  historically a swing state in presidential elections  as the site of his first rally since leaving the White House.

What was more important, Buchler said, was that he appeared in Lorain County, which he won by 3 percentage points last November and where he was surrounded by people who are loyal to him.

He is not campaigning outside of his comfort zone, said Buchler, an associate professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Hes not going to areas where hes going to be surrounded by a hostile crowd. He is going to go to places where he can be surrounded by people who are his devoted followers.

Trump supporters arrive early, praise former president

Supporters began arriving at the Lorain County Fairgrounds early Saturday afternoon, donning American flags and selling T-shirts that said, "Trump won." A cover band blared through the grounds as people lined up at food trucks and sipped water to stave off the heat.

Leslie Dodd drove to Wellington from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, with her son to attend. She said she hoped to hear good news from Trump and believes the GOP should follow his lead as candidates gear up for the 2022 and 2024 elections.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's still my president," Dodd said.

Edward X. Young, 61, of Brick Township, New Jersey, a horror movie actor, director and makeup artist, drove from his home Friday night and arrived at the Lorain County site 11 hours later.

This is my 51st Trump rally, Young said. The last one he said he attended was the rally in Washington on Jan. 6, when people broke into the U.S. Capitol. Young said he did not go into the Capitol.

Im very excited about this one. This is the return, said Young, who likened the atmosphere to a rock 'n' roll concert.

Sandra Price, 57, of Walled Lake, Michigan, hoped Trump would say he has not given up on the 2020 election.

I want to reelect the president, said Price, who was attending her 19th Trump rally.

Price said shes upset with GOP members who are not true to conservative principles. Democrats stab me in the chest," she said. "Republicans stab me in the back."

Trump's popularity: Poll: A quarter of Americans say Donald Trump is 'true president' of the US

A supporter of former President Donald Trump attends a rally June 26 at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Ohio.

Trump chides Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach him

Trump not only attacked Democrats, he also took aim at members of his own party, including Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a northeastern Ohio congressman who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him on a charge of inciting the attack on the Capitol.

The Ohio Republican Partys governing board voted in May to censure Gonzalez and called on him to resign. Weeks earlier, Trump hit back at Gonzalez by throwing his support to Max Miller, who is running against Gonzalez in next years GOP primary. Miller worked for Trump on the campaign trail and in the White House, and Saturday's rally was held in part to promote Miller's candidacy.

Miller, who joined Trump on stage, branded Gonzalez as "a sold-out, RINO (Republican in name only) foot soldier" and said his vote to impeach Trump was a betrayal he can never turn back from and that he should have to answer to, day after day after day.

Trump called Gonzalez "a grandstanding RINO" and "a sellout, a fake Republican and a disgrace to your state. He praised Miller as "a trusted aide of mine" and said he played a role in the Trump administration's negotiations with North Korea.

Trump insisted that Gonzalez's impeachment vote is "not the reason I'm doing this." But, he added, "I just thought it was a character trait that was not so good.

Gonzalez, who represents Ohios 16th Congressional District, is in big trouble politically, Cohen said.

His vote for impeachment  albeit one that was extremely courageous and one that was done without taking politics into account  is one that has hurt him with his own political base, Cohen said. And it could cost him his seat.

Rudy Giuliani disciplined: Giuliani suspended from practicing law in New York over false claims made working for Trump

Former President Donald Trump looks out at his supporters as he speaks at a rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Wellington, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Trump to visit Texas-Mexico border

Trump's Ohio rally came four days before he is scheduled to visit the U.S.-Mexican border June 30 with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

As he has done in the past, Trump attacked Biden's border policies during his remarks, arguing that his successor "deliberately and systematically" dismantled border security and allowed a flood of immigrants into the country illegally. He claimed Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to the border Friday "for one simple reason: because I announced I was going."

Though hes no longer in office and is not a candidate for public office  at least not officially  Trumps rally was part of an overall strategy to keep him in the public eye, Cohen said.

Hes not going away, he said. Hes not leaving the political stage.

Trump's rally showed he has no intentions of quitting politics anytime soon.

"Our movement is far from over," he said. "In fact, our fight has only just begun."

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: Haley BeMiller of the Columbus Dispatch and James Mackinnon of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Against Mike Pence: Mike Pence booed, called traitor at conservative Christian conference

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump rally in Ohio Saturday a return to campaign-style events
By Jeff Mason

(Reuters) -Honduras will receive 1.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States on Sunday as part of an initial delivery of doses through the COVAX international vaccine-sharing program, White House officials told Reuters.

The shipment is part of 80 million U.S. doses that President Joe Biden has pledged to share with other countries around the world either directly or through the COVAX program.

"We are sharing vaccines with Honduras because its the right thing to do from a global public health perspective, and right for our collective security and well-being in the region," said Juan Gonzalez, senior director for the Western Hemisphere on the White House National Security Council, in a statement shared with Reuters.

"Scientific teams and legal and regulatory authorities from both countries have worked together to ensure the prompt delivery of safe and effective vaccine lots to Honduras," another White House official said.

On Monday the White House laid out its plan to share 55 million of the pledged 80 million U.S. COVID-19 vaccine doses globally, with roughly 75% of the doses allocated to Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa through the COVAX program.

Some 14 million doses were earmarked for Latin American and Caribbean countries including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel continue search and rescue operations in the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 25, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

As of Friday evening, 159 people were still unaccounted for in the Florida condo collapse.

Those missing came from at least a dozen countries.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said his office was working to get visas for relatives to enter the US.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

People from more than a dozen countries are among the 159 missing after the Florida condo collapse, The New York Times reported on Friday.

A part of the Champlain Towers South, located on Collins Avenue in Surfside, Florida, collapsed just after 1 a.m. on Thursday.

Police said at least four people have died and 159 are still unaccounted for as of Friday night. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said emergency visas are being approved for close relatives of those missing in the collapse. According to Rubio, the requests are coming in from over a dozen countries.

Rubio's office did not immediately respond to Insider's email request for comment.

The Times reported one person among the missing is a woman from Paraguay who was on her first international trip.

Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba, 23, traveled from Paraguay to work as a nanny for relatives of Paraguay's first lady, Silvana Abdo, The Times reported. Abdo is also in Miami searching for her sister Sophia Lopez Moreira, and Moreira's husband, Luis Pettengill, in addition to the couple's three young children - all of whom are among those missing, Reuters reported.

Fabian Nunez, 55, Andres Galfrascoli, 45, and their 6-year-old daughter, Sofia, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, had arrived at their unit in the building just hours before the collapse, The Times reported.

Luis Barth, his wife, Catalina Gomez, 46, and their 14-year-old daughter Valeria were vacationing in the US from Colombia. Their plan was to get vaccinated and visit family. The family had been staying with one of Barth's friends in the building for a month, but had plans to continue with their trip, the Miami Herald reported.

Barth's brother Sergio Barth told the Miami Herald, the family was supposed to leave the apartment on Thursday afternoon.

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"That's a God thing," Sergio Barth told The Times, adding that he had repeatedly called the family's cellphones but couldn't reach them. "It's really hard for us to understand and explain."

Many others who are missing were from Latin American countries including Chile, as well as Puerto Rico, the Miami Herald reported.

The race to find those still missing has become an international effort with rescuers from Mexico and Israel joining the mission, WSVN's Frank Guzman reported.

Read the original article on Insider
Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty

The rainy season in California has come and gone. Now, most of the larger Southwest region of the United States is in the throes of a record-breaking dry spell.

So what? Some Americans might say. With a pandemic easing and life seemingly returning to normal, millions of people might prefer to think about, well, having fun.

But this drought is no long-term, theoretical problemand from the potential for another nightmare fire season to literal battles over water, experts are downright freaked out.

Inez Fung, a professor of atmospheric science at UC Berkeley, told The Daily Beast she has equipped her home with indoor and outdoor air quality monitors, three portable air filtration units, and a stockpile of N95 masks. All are in anticipation of drought-fueled wildfire.

Long before they were a staple of pandemic life, the masks were a regular purchase on the West Coast during fire season, when air quality becomes a potential health issue. And now that fear is in overdrive.

My runaway bag is by the backdoor, she said.

The Ugly, Extremist-Fueled Water Wars Brewing in the West

In a world where conversations about science often get mired in pointless, bad-faith arguments, pitting cynical science denial against overheated science-based panic, its sometimes helpful to stare at tables of raw data. And the public hydrological data for Californiato name just one state caught up in the droughtare horrifying.

Look for yourself, and youll see that, well, the water supply is down, no matter how you measure it. Measurements of reservoir storage, snowpack, and precipitation are all low in the dozens of places theyre measured (Yosemite, which saw low rainfall this season, but more than it saw last year at least, seems to be the lone exception that proves the rule).

The University of Nebraska-Lincolns drought monitor map is even scarier: blobs of severe, extreme, or exceptional drought cover nearly three quarters of the western United States. And experts say the numbers are exactly as ominous as they might appear.

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Am I scared? You betcha, said James Holland Jones, associate professor of Earth system science at Stanford whose research focuses on human ecology, or the ways humans interact with their environments.

For starters, he, too, is worried about fires. Its hot and dry and its only June, Jones told The Daily Beast.

Utahs Lake Powell is currently at 34.56 percent of capacity, a historic low. Justin Sullivan/Getty

Since the pandemic and the election dominated the headlines in 2020, some may have only a fuzzy recollection of a record-obliterating wildfire season in which 4.3 million acresan area larger than Connecticutburned in California alone, and the sky over San Francisco turned such an other-worldly shade of orange that iPhone cameras couldnt document it. No one has a wildfire crystal ball, so 2021 could be a relatively calm year for fires, but that would probably not be a wise betparticularly not as temperatures in Washington and Oregon were expected to soar, remarkably, into the 110s this weekend.

There are, Jones added, almost certainly more dead trees to burn this year than in 2020. Its disturbing how many dead trees there are around the Stanford campus, and we have a very active and excellent team of arborists! he said.

Jane Baldwin, an atmospheric researcher at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, noted that droughts make heat waves worse, because when the surface is very dry, it cant cool itself by evaporation as easily, which has negative consequences for health, agriculture, and energy supply.

To anyone who has lived in the western United States for the past few decades, some of this drought stuff might have started to sound normal by now.

Karen McKinnon is a scientist in the statistics department at UCLAs Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and knows more about the trendlines in southwestern drought patterns than just about anyone. So she explained why people shouldnt get complacent just because theyve been hearing the word drought on the news their entire lives.

Despite that decades-long trend, McKinnon said, this drought is concerning because nearly the whole western U.S. is classified as being in a drought, which is anomalous even for the past (hot, dry) two decades.

McKinnon studies large-scale climate variability and change, and a recent paper she co-wrote with Andrew Poppick and Isla R. Simpson demonstrates that summer humidity in the Southwest decreased over the second half of the 20th century and into the 21stand that the hottest days were also the driest. So the trend is toward more heat, but alongside that heat, so far, theres been more dryness, and with that dryness, theres been more risk for fires.

Due to the dry land surface, she said, even before this recent heatwave, vegetation aridity in California was extremely high, which is a warning sign for wildfire severity in the upcoming season.

Lake Mead, North America's largest artificial reservoir, this month dropped to its lowest level been since being filled in 1937 after the construction of the Hoover Dam. Ethan Miller/Getty

For even worse news, we have to look a little closer at the conditions on the ground that fuel Southwestern fires, and the way they can compound one another. Christopher Field, also of Stanford, who studies what the college calls ecosystem responses to global climate change, including changes in plants, believes the present situation to be an especially serious one.

A tree that can tolerate a year or two of serious drought can die in a third year, he said.

And given that were in a long-term drought, its safe to say a lot of last years thirsty trees are this years dead trees. Then, as we saw last year, multiple fires happen at the same time, and a fire that might have been manageable in the past could become a lost cause.

As Field put it, a firefighting unit... has options when it can focus resources on one or a few fires, but it has a lot fewer options when there are 50 or 100 fires at once (and fires in other jurisdictions at the same time).

Alongside the fires, this year we will also face what Jones called the social consequences of a drought this severe.

When things are as bad as they appear they are going to be, there is a strong chance of conflict, he said. There are a lot of competing interests for land, water, and financial resources throughout the West, and a major drought is likely to be a choke point where the trade-offs between these different interests come due.

If youve ever seen Chinatown, youve seen a small sample of this. Los Angeles was built on a parched section of Southern California, and exists because it draws water from the Owens Valley to its north, and the Colorado River to its east.

The Colorado River system drains a very large area, said Alex Hall, a professor at the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA. It was already in severe water deficit before the current drought, and it looks to be headed towards the first official water shortage declaration in its history.

In a widespread drought like the present, Field added, both the Colorado Basin and Northern California have decreased ability to provide water to Southern California.

What this sort of thing literally means is that someone who needs waterusually to support an agricultural companybutts heads with an authority like the federal government, when its announced that some reservoir is too dry to release any more water. So an organized group of farming sector business operators might threaten to simply smash open a reservoir. Such a threat has been percolating since at least May at the Klamath Project in Southern Oregon and Northern California. The situation has not yet been resolved.

We need to come together as a society right now, not just for the drought and fire conditions in the West, but for the flooding in the Midwest and South, the vulnerability to increasingly wet storms in the East and South, and the general economic and social crisis besetting rural America, Jones said.

Arjun Heimsath, a professor at Arizona State Universitys School of Sustainability who has studied watersheds in places like the Himalayas, and now lives in hot, dry Arizona, has a unique, global perspective on the situation.

That doesnt put his mind at ease.

Of course Im worried, as everyone should be, he said. In spite of the drought, and climate change in general, he said, most of the U.S. remains fixated on continued development, keeping their big cars and trucks clean and watering their lawns.

The heat waves and drought, Heimsath said, are going to continue to get worse and worse, and ultimately make much of the West uninhabitable.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Amanda Edwards/Getty Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek was remembered by some famous faces at Friday's Daytime Emmy Awards.



The late Jeopardy! host - who died in November at the age of 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer - was honored in a special segment during the 48th annual awards show, which was hosted by The Talk's Sheryl Underwood.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off the tribute, with Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, comedian Ken Jeong, and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden all participating.

Said Trudeau: "Alex Trebek entertained millions of people with his quick wit and bright sense of humor - and he never missed an opportunity to stump contestants with questions about Canada. Like so many Canadians, he cared deeply about conservation and protecting our lands. He donated 62 acres of land in Nichols Canyon because he understood that the environment is so important, in the same way that laugher, compassion, and kindness are to our health and our well-being. We will all miss gathering around the TV to watch Alex, but his legacy of giving and caring will live on."

"When I got to talk with him a few years ago, he expressed to me how proud he was to be a Canadian," Trudeau remembered. "I had to tell him that all Canadians are incredibly proud he's one of us as well."

RELATED: Daytime Emmy Awards 2021: See the Full List of Winners!

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Roberts, who had her own battle with cancer, remembered the strength Trebek showed when they spoke.

"It was wonderful getting to know Alex over the years," she said. "I remember the last time I interviewed him, he was in the midst of treatment and I know first hand the told that takes. But you know what? Alex walked in with such grace, putting everyone around him at easy. He was so open talking about what he was going through at the time and he did it in hopes of helping others. That was Alex."

"He actually told me despite his dire diagnosis that he was 'an extremely fortunate individual' - those were his words - for being able to experience so much love and support from so many people," Roberts recalled. "Once again, that was Alex. Finding and sharing the good in every situation."

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Jeong thought back to guest starring with Trebek on Hot in Cleveland. "He stole the whole show and we hit it off from that moment on," Jeong said. "I was struck how comedically skilled he was. Every time I'd run into him, we'd always joke around. I don't know that people know how incredibly funny he is. Rest In Peace, Alex. I miss you and I love you."

Quadra Productions, Inc.

As for Dr. Biden, she recalled meeting Trebek during a Jeopardy! episode honoring educators.

"He was warm and funny and so, so kind," the first lady said. "But what stood out most was that, even though he never worked in a classroom, he too was an educator. Alex made us feel like learning was for everyone. He made it fun, exciting, and competitive. Who could have guessed that the simple melody of 'Final Jeopardy' would come to make our heart's race?"

She continued: "He inspired us to be more curious about the world around us, and he brought families together every evening, laughing and guessing and racking our brains to keep up with the smartest contestants. Thank you for teaching us, inspiring us, and bringing us together, Alex. We miss you."

RELATED: Daytime Emmy Awards to Honor Late TV Legends Alex Trebek, Regis Philbin and Larry King

Bennett Raglin/WireImage; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

In addition to Trebek, the Daytime Emmys included a special tribute to Regis Philbin and Larry King, both of whom also died over the past year.

Philbin died in July at the age of 88 of natural causes, his family said in a statement at the time, while King died in January at 87.

Kathie Lee Gifford, Philbin's longtime Live co-host, read his tribute.

"For 15 years it was my absolute joy and delight and honor and privilege to sit next to somebody that you might remember: His name was Regis Philbin," she began, in her speech. "There was nobody like him. He was one of a kind, he was unique, he was original, he was the most fun you could ever have with human being, and I got to sit next to him and play verbal ping pong with him. For all those years, I got to learn from the master, and he was a great personal friend to me until the day he died."

"We all miss Regis, don't we?" Gifford said. "All he wanted to do was make people laugh; make them happy, make them believe in themselves, make them believe big dreams like he had; make them come true. I know we all miss him. I do. I'll never be the same."

She then joked about Philbin, saying, "I know he's slaying them in heaven right now. He's up there with all the greats. He and Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, they're having a scream fest up there.  That's where Regis is, and I couldn't be happier for him. And I couldn't miss him more."

Meanwhile, Martha Stewart honored King - whom she said she met when he was a young radio host in Washington, D.C.

"I'd venture down to Washington on my book tours and always would end a very, very busy day of interviews and demonstrations with a one-hour interview by Larry King," Stewart remembered. "He was a great interviewer way back then, and as he built his career, finally on CNN - making a very important impression on the audiences watching CNN for live news - Larry continued to be a penultimate interviewer."

The mogul celebrated King's interview style. "He was always fair, always interesting, the questions were always invigorating to the interviewee, and I always enjoyed being interviewed by him," she said. "Larry was always there for me and I think he was there for pretty much anybody he interviewed.

"Thank you Larry, for a life of interest, of depth, of personality, of real caring," she concluded. "Thank you."

Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Emma McIntyre/Getty

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Both King and Trebek won posthumous awards at Friday's award show, King for outstanding informative talk show host and Trebek for outstanding game show host. Their awards were accepted by their kids.

In addition to winning for outstanding game show host for his work on Jeopardy!, the show itself won in the outstanding game show and outstanding daytime special event categories.

"This means so much to us, especially given the year we all had. I want to dedicate this award to Alex Trebek. We've heard from so many of you since he passed, and we know how much he meant to you. He meant the world to us as well," executive producer Mike Richards said in his pre-recorded acceptance speech.

"He was more than just a game show host, he was a legend, a towering figure," Richards continued. "And he believed that Jeopardy! was more than just a game show. He loved it because it stood for facts, competition and celebration of intelligence. I felt so lucky to be able to work with him and to see firsthand how seriously he took his job, and how rigorously he prepared for each show, even after 37 years. He was so committed to Jeopardy!'s excellence and he truly led by example. But the most incredible part of Alex was his love for his family. They shared him with the world but they were always his first priority. Once again, he led by example."

Richards concluded his speech, saying: "This is for Alex."

The 48th Daytime Emmy Awards aired Friday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
Trump Tower in New York City (AFP via Getty Images)

Prosecutors in New York are closing in on the Trump Organization, the former presidents family business. If they go through on their threats to file criminal charges, that would be a death blow to the company, according to a former impeachment lawyer.

Officials from the Manhattan District Attorneys office informed the Trump Organization they are considering filing criminal charges against the company for allegedly mishandling fringe benefits, perks like car leases, apartments, and school tuition handed out to top executives, reported The New York Times.

If the DAs office, which is jointly investigating the former presidents business empire with the New York attorney generals office, goes through with the charges, that could be catastrophic for Mr Trumps bottom line, likely triggering a financial spiral ending in bankruptcy, according to Daniel Goldman, a lawyer who worked on both Trump impeachments.

"Its interesting and not surprising that they would approach the Trump Organization to tell them that theyre considering to charge them because that would be almost a death blow to the Trump Organization, Mr Goldman told MSNBC.

Every single bank would call their loans if the Trump Organization is indicted. No bank will every do business with an indicted company. Theres no way that the Trump Organization has enough capital to pay off all their loans. They would be effectively in default of all their loans and would also certainly have to go into bankruptcy.

The investigation, which the former president has repeatedly branded as a politically motivated witch hunt, has been ongoing for three years, and is exploring a range of questions, including whether Mr Trump manipulated the value of his assets to get favourable loans and insurance terms, and whether he violated any laws handing out hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to women claiming to have had affairs with him. Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer, has already been convicted in connection with the hush money payments, and is cooperating with the DAs office. Prosecutors have also gone all the way to the Supreme Court and secured Mr Trumps personal and business tax returns.

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The company denies wrongdoing.

In my more than 50 years of practice, never before have I seen a district attorneys office target a company over employee compensation or fringe benefits, Ronald P Fischetti, a personal lawyer for Mr Trump, told The Times. Its ridiculous and outrageous.

The focus on fringe benefits are likely an attempt to put pressure on Allen Weisselberg, a top Trump Organization executive responsible for the companys finances, in an effort to secure his cooperation in the inquiry.

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In response to a racist text message Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett sent to Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Bennett was right to apologize but he "[knows] her heart."

"What Minister Bennett did was wrong, it was hurtful and of course Im deeply disappointed," Trudeau said. "She did the right thing by apologizing because it was the wrong thing to do."

"As a government, as ministers, as Canadians we need to be focused on the work that needs to happen for Indigenous people across this country who have been going through extremely difficult times, not just these past weeks but over years and generations."

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On Thursday, Wilson-Raybould posted a screenshot of a text message she received from Bennett that read "Pension?" in response to a tweet calling on the prime minister to stop "selfish jockeying for an election" and take more action on his promised reconciliation with Indigenous people.

"I spoke with [Bennett] this morning," Trudeau said. "I know how hard she has worked and continued to work on this important file...and we both understand that there is now even more work for her to do, and I know we will do it together."

"Mistakes like this are hurtful and nudge us in the wrong direction instead of steadily moving in the right direction."

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"I let interpersonal dynamics get the better of me and sent an insensitive and inappropriate comment, which I deeply regret and shouldnt have done," the statement Bennett posted on Twitter reads.

In an open letter the The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is calling for the immediate resignation of Bennett as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

"With a single word  'pension'  you not only decided to perpetuate a damaging racial stereotype, that Indigenous peoples are lazy and only financially motivated- but dismissed the pressing, overarching issue of residential schools, missing and murdered children, and Indigenous rights," the letter reads.

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"Your implying that MP Wilson-Rayboulds fight for equality and justice is only motivated by a pension is categorically untrue, misogynistic, and condemnable... UBCIC is especially disturbed that you, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations who has a mandate of the highest order to protect and advance Indigenous Title, Rights, and welfare, would resort to a low-handed attempt to shame and insult an Indigenous woman and fellow Member of Parliament."

Several Canadians commented on the text message and the minister's apology, including many who believe it does not go far enough.

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Jun. 26SOUTHERN INDIANA  Over the past three decades, the local Habitat for Humanity nonprofit has built or renovated more than 50 homes in Floyd and Clark counties.

Habitat for Humanity Clark & Floyd is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week. The nonprofit has seen many changes over the past decades, and it is continuing to expand its mission each year.

"In 30 years, we've built about 53 homes and we're working on three more, so we're getting so close to 60 homes," said Executive Director Jerry Leonard. "We need to continue to get the support of the community, and I hope that continues to grow."

The organization averages about 300 volunteers per building project.

"We know for each house  if we have about 300 volunteers  if you're looking at the value of what those people are giving us, it's over $30,000 or close to $40,000 that they're saving us on a home because of their volunteered time," Leonard said. "That's why we say their time and talent means the world to us."

The nonprofit builds affordable homes for families in need of good, stable housing with the support of volunteers and the donation of money and supplies.

Houses are sold to qualified families at no profit with zero-interest mortgage loans, and families join volunteers to help build their own homes.

The organization started out as the New Albany-Floyd County affiliate, and it was launched June 24, 1991. A Clark County affiliate started not long after but eventually closed.

The first house was sold by the Floyd County affiliate in November of 1993 on Pearl Street in New Albany. The organization was completely-volunteer based for many years.

Following the 2012 tornado that caused widespread destruction in Henryville and Marysville, the Floyd County Habitat organization completed a building "blitz" in the same year to construct 10 homes in Henryville for disaster victims.

Although the Henryville project took place outside of Floyd County, the Clark County organization was no longer active at that time, so the Floyd County affiliate stepped in.

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The organization hired its first staff members in 2013. The organization officially became Habitat for Humanity Clark & Floyd in early 2017.

Leonard came on board in 2015 as executive director. Although the organization started in Southern Indiana as a small organization "quietly building" one house a year, it has continued to grow.

Now, the organization is "starting to make a bigger noise," he said.

"We were doing about one or two houses a year, and now we're definitely doing two and pushing to three, and I'm pushing to see if we can get to four or five a year," he said.

The organization is expanding the areas it serves within Clark County, Leonard said. The City of Charlestown recently donated property to the organization, so the organization will build for the first time in Charlestown.

He emphasized the importance of community support for the organization. The nonprofit has received donations of land from municipalities like the City of New Albany and Town of Clarksville.

"We've been developing these great partnerships with the local communities, and that's where we're looking to continue to grow," he said.

The organization has brought together a variety of women-led teams of volunteers for its Women Build Project, and local churches have also come together to construct homes for Habitat's Apostles Build project.

Doneiska Hardin, a single mother of two sons, closed in April on her Habitat for Humanity home in New Albany.

The experience has been "life-changing," she said.

"You grow as a person within the whole program, and then you can reflect and see your growth, and you are still growing and still moving, and the steps that Habitat has helped build, that foundation is solid," she said. "It's not something that's kind of shaky or where you don't know what you're getting into."

Felicia Wren, a single mother of three sons, is the homeowner of a New Albany house built in 2019 through Habitat for Humanity.

She faced difficulty finding affordable housing when the rent on her apartment moved from $700 a month to $850 a month, but she found support when accepted into the Habitat for Humanity program.

She faced delays meeting her required volunteer hours for Habitat for Humanity as COVID-19 hit, but she was able to rent the home from the organization until actually becoming a homeowner this April.

"My experience with Habitat is that they really worked with me to make sure I could stay in the program and do everything possible to keep me in the program," Wren said.

Teanna Huckleberry will be a homeowner of a house now being built on North Pearl Street in New Albany.

"It's going to make a huge difference, because right now we are renting a space, and I am a full-time single mom, and I don't have anyone helping me," she said. "So trying to pay the rent that's really a high price and trying to take care of [my daughter], for us to move in here and for Habitat to help is going to make a huge difference."

As a single mother, it makes her feel successful knowing she will be the owner of a house her 5-year-old daughter "can call home," she said.

New Albany couple Roger and Lois Ketterer played an integral role as volunteers with the local Habitat organization. Their son, Mark Ketterer, is current board member.

The couple was involved for more than a decade with the local Habitat for Humanity, starting in the late 1990s. Roger said the New Albany organization was still building its fourth house when he started.

Roger worked for 12 years as a volunteer, and he served as treasurer for the organization.

It was rewarding to see homeowners work on their future homes and to see the "smiles on their faces when the keys were given to them," he said.

"It's encouraging how people work on their own homes, and to have to spend so many hours working themselves," he said. "Just being able to see how they were able to adjust to making mortgage payments on a regular basis and knowing it's their house and learning how to take care of it  it was rewarding to work with them."

In her time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Lois worked as a family advocate to encourage families throughout the process. She recalled a dedication for a home built for a mother and her young son.

"[The son] said he wanted to thank everyone for helping to build his house," Lois said. "I stood there almost wanting to cry. I thought, this is why I do this, because of the impact it has on families, especially when children are able to get their own room."

Habitat for Humanity is about much more than building homes, Leonard said. Over 30 years, the organization's homeowners have put in more than $350,000 worth of property tax going back into the community.

The building of a Habitat for Humanity home can help raise property values for neighbors, Leonard said.

"We're putting in strong homeowners who take pride in their home, because they were part of building their home, so this means a lot to them, so they're going to take care of it more, and we give them all the tools to help them be a good homeowner," he said.
Robert Page believes Wales have the right approach to continue their Euro 2020 journey by beating Denmark in Amsterdam.

Wales are cast in the role of outsiders at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Saturday, with Denmark fuelled by support from all over Europe following Christian Eriksens cardiac arrest in their tournament opener.

Eriksen is now recovering following his on-pitch collapse and it is at the home of his former club, Ajax, that Denmark and Wales will meet for a place in the quarter-finals.

Denmark have reached the last 16 of Euro 2020 on a wave of national emotion (Jonathan Nackstrand/AP)

We think weve got a game plan that can hurt them, said boss Page, who has a full squad to select from other than suspended Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu.

It was about getting through, but we didnt want to finish third in the group.

Weve earned the right to finish second and the credit has got to go to the players for doing that against all the odds.

There were a lot of people who didnt see us finishing second.

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Page said earlier this week that Wales had overcome a logistical nightmare to reach the round of 16.

Only Switzerland and Sweden have travelled more miles than Wales during the cross-continent tournament.

Asked whether qualification felt sweeter after so many logistical issues, Page said: I suppose so, but we cant grumble about it.

This is how its unfolded. Weve gone to Baku and Rome and now were in Amsterdam.

Were fully prepared and ready for a battle. The world has taken note of whats happened (to Eriksen) and the emotion involved in it.

Captain Gareth Bale enjoys a laugh at Wales final training session before playing Denmark in Amsterdam (Peter Dejong/AP)

We cant get involved in that. Its work for us as usual, weve got a job to do and we want to go and finish it.

Page has been in interim charge since November, with manager Ryan Giggs on leave from his position.

It has been a remarkable journey for Page, whose previous managerial positions were at Port Vale, Northampton and the Wales Under-21 team.

The 46-year-old began his playing career at Watford and won successive promotions there under the late former England manager Graham Taylor.

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Former England manager Graham Taylor was a major influence on Robert Page during their time together at Watford (Michael Stephens/PA)

Page said: This is the pinnacle of my personal career from a managing point of view, and you take aspects of all managers youve worked with.

Its only years later that you have time to reflect and look back at what Graham used to do.

His man-management was excellent, his knowledge and understanding.

He donned about four or five different hats. He was coach, manager, fitness coach, psychologist and, of course, youre going to learn a lot from that.

He was one of many good managers that I was blessed to work for.
A supporter holds a poster of the Apple Daily newspaper logo outside the media company's office building in Hong Kong in the early hours of June 24, 2021, shortly after the 26-year-old newspaper went to print for the last time.
By TOM LAVENTURE

[email protected]

Ironwood  The Ironwood City Commission preliminarily approved the first licenses under its adult-use marijuana ordinance during a special meeting with the city planning commission on Thursday.

The 4-1 city commission approval followed a unanimous 7-0 planning commission approval of 10 applications in five categories of marijuana retail, growing, processing and micro-businesses in Ironwood. The approved applications were recommended by the city department of community development following a scoring and ranking process of all 16 applicants.

We had a lot of really great project proposals, many of these projects are redeveloping dilapidated structures and bringing non-conforming uses into conforming uses, said Tom Bergman, director of community development. So, it was a very competitive process and many times there were very few points that separated those who were approved from those who were not.

The vote against approving any of the licenses came from city commissioner Joseph Cayer, who is also the ex-officio member of the planning commission. He has maintained opposition to marijuana businesses in Ironwood to include voting against the adult-use ordinance that was approved by a 3-2 split vote in September 2020.

From this point forward the successful applicants must complete the state process along with the city development agreement, Bergman said. The site plans must be filed with the community development office before the city clerk issues a license.

The approval of the recommendations by the city commission and city planning commission are considered a preliminary approval, Bergman said. All of the approved applicants would still be required to successfully complete the state marijuana establishment license before the city license is issued.

The recommended applications for retail marijuana establishment licences were to Higher Love Corporation, and Rize U.P. The license allows retail marijuana product sales to individuals ages 21 or older.

Higher Love Corporation is the retail division of Ottawa Innovations, LLC. The company plans to demolish existing homes and businesses at 824 E. Cloverland Drive, for construction of a new retail outlet, according to Joni Moore, president of Ottawa Innovations, LLC, the cultivation branch of the company, at the March planning commission meeting.

Rize U.P. plans to renovate the former surplus store at 411 E. Cloverland Drive for use as a retail outlet, according to comments at the April planning commission meeting from owners Bill and Julie Wentworth, of Petoskey. Half of the building space would serve as the dispensary, with remaining space divided for lease to a future retail outlet and a restaurant.

The recommended class B growing licenses were to Ottawa Innovations, LLC, and Free World Farms. The license allows for growing up to 500 plants.

Ottawa Innovations plans to build a growing facility on a vacant lot at the corner of East Ayer Street and Luxmore Street.

The Free World Farms license is contingent on conditional use and site plan approval. The Ironwood-based company did not present a site survey or site plan at the May planning commission meeting and that will need review and approval, Bergman said.

Free World Farms plans to renovate and repurpose existing structures of the former Ahonen Lumber Mill property at 90 Mill St., according to company spokesperson Brandon Midthun at the May meeting. The company applied for a retail license to operate a store at 151 E Cloverland Drive but was not among the recommended candidates.

The recommended class C grower facility license applicants were The Fire Station Cannabis Company, and Rize U.P. The license allows for up to 2,000 plants.

The Fire Station Cannibis Company will build a new facility at 122 and 124 Luxmore St., according to co-owners Stosh Wasik and Logan Stauber at a March planning commission meeting. The company purchased the site and will remove two blighted homes that are considered non-conforming structures within the city industrial zone.

The Fire Station Cannibis Company also applied for a retail license to open in the former Western Auto building at 507 N Lake St. That business plan did not score among the top two applications.

Rize U.P. plans to build a new facility at the southeast corner of Commerce Street and Iron King Road, in the northeast portion of the Ironwood industrial park.

The recommendations for marijuana processor licenses were Free World Farms and CultivateD, LLC. The license allows a business to obtain marijuana from establishments for processing, packaging for sale to other establishments.

CultivateD is an Ironwood company that also applied for a retail license to operate at 326 W. McLeod Ave., and a class C grower and processor marijuana establishment at 1700 Iron King Road. Neither of those applications were among the top two recommendations.

The recommendations for the marijuana micro-business licenses are Three Twins Cultivators, and RaushCo Agriscience Inc. The license allows for cultivation, processing and packaging of up to 150 plants for sale or transfer to other marijuana safety compliance facilities.

Three Twins plans to build a growing and processing facility with a separate onsite retail dispensary at 138 West Ayer St., according to project partners Joshua Norman, Ben Thompson and Benji Fisher at an April planning commission meeting.

RaushCo plans to open in the former video store at 255 Cloverland Dr. At the April planning commission meeting owner Ken Raush said the company has already received its state pre-qualification license.

There were no applications for class A grower licenses for up to 100 plants, Bergman said. There were no applications for safety compliance facility licenses, or for the secure transporter licenses.

Sam Davey, planning commission chair, suggested that the city expand the licenses to four per category with support from other members, noting that the additional jobs, new building and rehabilitated older properties are of benefit to the community. Planning commission member Scott Bissell agreed, adding that scoring was very close.

Planning commission member Mark Silver recommended delaying expansion consideration until the first businesses have had a chance to open and operate for some time.

City manager Scott Erickson said that expanding the licenses would require amending the adult-use marijuana ordinance and going through the public hearing process. He said the matter would be added to the city commission meeting agenda for discussion.

Bergman said he could not put a timeline on when the businesses would be opening. It is a matter of waiting to see how long the process with state licensing will require, he said.
Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 106F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 86F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy skies. High 106F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
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